Wizards of the Coast
With Magic: The Gathering entering the esports business this year, its competitive scene is going through a lot of changes, and while the 32 players of the Magic Pro League are getting sponsored for $75,000 each, not everyone is happy about the big new changes this year.
Brian Braun-Duin, one of the 32 players of the Magic Pro League, has taken it to Twitter to share his thoughts about feeling mocked for sharing content about his sponsored Magic Arena streams.
"Reading the rampant negativity on Twitter has made me feel like a piece of crap for enjoying and caring about something that everyone else hates," BBD wrote."I feel like a piece of crap because when WotC gave me a phone call asking if they could pay me $75,000 to play Magic professionally, I said yes. I feel like a piece of crap everytime I read a tweet mocking the #sponsored tag. I assure you, I hate it more than you do. I hate the feeling that because I said yes to the biggest opportunity in my Professional Magic Career that I am now an outsider to the community I care deeply about, regardless of anything I've actually said or done. I hate the "us vs. them" mentality between those in the Magic Pro League and those not in it."
Now, another Magic pro player Jon Stern has responded to BBD on Twitter, saying, "I understand that you are excited about the MPL, the Invitational, and the new era of Magic as an e-sport, but when you end with "let's be better than this", it's hard not to view that as a lack of empathy and an inability to view things objectively," Stern wrote. "Would support for all the ways you could strive to make a run for Top 32 the following year were being dismantled? No Gold. No Silver. No Bronze. No RPTQ. No Nats. No World Magic Cup. No Team Series. No pro points. While some of these changes need to happen, how can anyone reasonably plan to compete without a way of earning consistent invites?"
Stern went on to explain how the negativity of the players outside of the Magic Pro League is justified, saying, "I think that competitive players at all levels feel disenfranchised by these announcements and feel that the Pro Tour dream is dead. I love the 75k player contracts but don't want it to come at the expense of everyone else. The Silver Showcase and now the Invitational show that it doesn't have to. There's money to support competitive play at all levels, and plenty of it. WotC is just choosing to go in another direction. Of course, that's their right, but the negativity is justified by large portions of the competitive community who have been abandoned."
You can read the full statements from BBD and Jon Stern below:
While BBD brought up some valid points about the negativity against the Magic Pro League, Jon Stern does an excellent job explaining why it's justified. It's great that the 32 Magic Pro League players are being sponsored but since it's at the expense of losing support from Grand Prix coverage, losing other forms of competitive Magic like the RPTQs, Nationals and World Magic Cup, it's easy to see why there's negativity with the recent changes to competitive Magic. I love Magic Arena and having the chance to compete with the best by doing well in the new digital game but I'm going to miss Nationals. After Wizards of the Coast announced that there will no longer be a World Magic Cup this year, I lost motivation to grind Magic events and cared less about Planeswalker points and pro points.
Even pro player Greg Orange felt left out:
What are your thoughts about the Magic Pro League and the negativity surrounding it? Do you think it's justified? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.
Related: Magic: The Gathering Mythic Invitational Details Announced & Here's How You Can Qualify
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