Why do people hate netdecking?
Modern Deck Help forum
Posted on March 12, 2017, 3:35 a.m. by Vaultdweller111
I've noticed an increase of people who hate the very idea of using a deck that isn't originally theirs theres this rampid elitism going online about only skilled players make their own decks I don't understand all the hate and I'm worried about playing modern at the fnm will I get completely shit on for having say Bogles and soul sisters and my only tier 1 deck Naya burn
buildingadeck says... #3
This is a constant trend and futile debate. At the end of the day, each player gets to play Magic however he/she likes. Let's just leave it at that. Is deck building a skill? Yes. But if you're playing at an elite level, it's much safer to purchase expensive cards that are proven to be good than to experiment on a deck that might be good, but is likely mediocre. Again, it's the casual vs competitive debate that occurs in EDH all the time.
March 12, 2017 4:04 a.m.
First off, you need to use full stops dude. Breathing is important and helps get the message across.
On to your actual point - some people feel like net decking is cheating. The attitude is that since you're using a deck you haven't created, you haven't put in the hard yards and you're just taking other peoples' effort and running with it.
In 60 card formats (especially modern) there are generally two attitudes that people go into the game with, either to have fun casual games or to play to win. I'm not saying that the second option is devoid of having fun, but for those players they have a definite end goal in sight. As such, they're not so interested in designing something from scratch, they just want something they know works and they can tweak as needed.
This in turn creates backlash from other players who have created their own decks on two fronts, 1) typically rogue decks are not as good as tried and tested archetypes which can get players' backs up (aka "why does my deck keep losing?!" Attitudes) and 2) a lot of people, especially on the internet, are just assholes.
A lot of people, ESPECIALLY magic player can have very fragile egos (there is a stereotype about people who play magic and as much as I don't like it, it does exist for a reason) and so some people will find any reason to build up their own ego. Aa you said, it's entirely about elitism.
The thing is, in competitive modern, rogue decks usually don't do that well because the other archetypes have been tested and refined so much. And at this point the "net decking" like is very blurred here. If I take an affinity deck for example and tweak it to my playstyle, am I still net decking?
March 12, 2017 4:12 a.m.
What I don't think people get is there are consistant shells of decks which are obvious in deck building. For example the deck I know the most about. Scapeshift.
You want 4 copies of Scapeshift, your combo card. You want 2-4 copies of Valakut. You want 10 cards with the mountain type. You want the most efficent ramp cards, which are Sakura Tribe Elder and Search for Tommmorow. So far that is 24-26 slots gone. You then want about 25 total lands and that makes 37-39.
You want a Bring to Light package. That is 4 BtL, 1 Damnation, 1 Maelstrom Pulse. Shuffle your land base around. About 43-45 cards now.
Now you add the best control and tempo cards to protect the combo and yourself. Cryptic Command. Remand. Maybe a Snapcaster for being an extra copy of a card. Bolts? Is your meta in need of a card like Courser? Mainboard Engineered Explosives? Anger of the Gods? Repeal? Worldly or Anticipate or Telling Time or Peer Through Depths or Serum Visions?
The deck core is generally the same. You've got like 15 slots top where you can experiment lands and spells wise. However. I would argue those small tweaks to an expected meta, as well as proper sideboard planning, require more skill than the "these cards go well togther" side of deck building, as they require you to predict what you will see, what answers them, where you can afford to leave gaps and stuff.
Netdeck away folks, just make sure to adjust to a meta.
March 12, 2017 4:41 a.m.
PickleNutz says... #6
There is virtually no new ideas when it comes to magic anymore. The best cards and combinations will inevitably be played in Modern and Standard formats. Whether the players grab the deck ideas from online or they play against one and copy the mechanics, it doesn't matter. The sweaties that pretend they're the only ones with a right to use a certain deck are just garbage most of the time anyways. I honestly don't care what someone does, I enjoy making original decks. If I lose, oh well. I am not intensely crushed when I can't pull off a win. Some people though just want to win, and if they copy a deck idea or the full thing then it is the people who end up losing to them that is at fault. If we are all aware that deck mechanics like that exist, and we aren't preparing to counter them, then crap happens. I guess my point is that it is ridiculous to throw fits about a card game like a child. It is also ridiculous to not prepare to face decks that are proven and available online.
March 12, 2017 6:11 a.m.
Vaultdweller111 says... #7
See that's how I feel. modern can only have so many ideas to put in decks and as a relatively newer player, I find that burn or just aggro in general is a good deck to start with. does it win yeah is it fun and not at all stale for me also yes.
March 12, 2017 9:45 a.m.
strangecharm says... #8
I have a friend who plays sealed because he objects to net decking and tuning, because it requires too much time and money. I have a slightly different approach.
I find a mechanic I like. I'm going to use Soul Sisters as an example because it's my first true attempt at a competitive deck, and I've been tuning endlessly.
I look at established sources on the deck to compile an initial list. In this case, the Soul Sisters, Ajani's Pridemate, Martyr of Sands, Path to Exile, and Serra Ascendant.
Adjust the net deck for your budget. Serra costs $50 for a play set at minimum. I therefore opted for Chalice of Life Flip because it has similar effects for about 5% of the price. PTE (pre-reprint) is about the edge of what I'm willing to pay, hence the two-of in my deck.
Adjust for the meta. First, the Artifact hate, and second Fatal Push, AKA Bane of the White Weenie. The Chalice is immune to Push, as it is an artifact, and any pumped creature traditionally in the deck falls easily. Therefore, I have chosen Divinity of Pride. It is within budget, and impossible to destroy with a 1-drop. It's a little bit slow, but my wallet doesn't really want anything faster.
March 12, 2017 10:53 a.m.
I have had this debate going in my head for quite a while. My biggest problem with netdecking is this:
It eliminates any sort of creativity in building your own deck and turns tournaments, from FNM's to Pro Tours into mostly predictable and boring affairs.
Why? Here goes...
Back when I started playing Magic, there was no Netdecking, because honestly there was no internet like it was today. What we had was "The Duelist", a monthly publication put out by WotC that was their "bible" of price guides, tour info, etc. There was no daily, hourly, minute-by-minute price updates. There was an update once a month for prices, and things were a little more...interesting. It inspired creativity, and the tournaments were more of a mystery, because not everyone was playing the same thing week in and week out, and we could be much more creative and build our own things and really were inspired to do so.
Now, what do we have? We have the world at our fingertips, and even before the tournaments are finished, we have the decks the "pros" are playing and the creativity is gone. Everyone is waiting for those decks to come out, and money drives the game, instead of the creativity that inspired it. Honestly it has made me cringe to see what happens week in and week out, even at my local game store. Money determines who wins, not who can build the most interesting deck or who plays the best. I hate that, I really do. What do I want to see happen? I want to see the creativity come back. I want to see people think about their decks, not buy them without thought. I am perhaps the last real holdout at my LGS when it comes to building my own homebrews anymore. Everyone else netdecks, and I fight them off every week as best I can. I love my successes, and my defeats hurt worse because they are against something I built, I put my time and effort into. But as Sinatra said, "I did it my way".
Eiti3 says... #2
I hate it when someone only plays to win and will netdeck to do it. If someone is playing for fun and finds a fun deck online, that's fine. It's when that person has put in no emotional effort - just money - to win and then usually brag in some form, that pisses me off to no end.
I'm of the mindset that I need to build something new and never before seen; and if seen, with its own unique twist. I have the most fun that way. And I've noticed that the player(s) I play against have fun playing against the deck as well as they have no clue what is going on and suffer from a sort of anxious excitement of what could be coming around the corner.
Playing the same 'netdecks' over and over and over get really bland. Especially in formats like modern. It's mostly how much the local players have been "burned" by someone who always netdecked and (usually) won or was bitter when they lost. Don't try to take it personally when someone gets upset. Best way to get to the source of any disagreement or disdain is through talking. Figure out if it is really you or that person who has the problem.
March 12, 2017 4:03 a.m.