🧙♂ An open letter to Cedric Phillips, Gerry Thompson, and the Pro Magic community at large
(adjameson.wordpress.com)But casual players don’t like Luis Scott-Vargas just because he’s one of the greatest players of all time; they like him, and subscribe to the Divination, because LSV1 is funny and charismatic and loves to durdle and tease Paul Cheon. That’s why they tune in to his Twitch channel even when he does things like sign tokens for GP Las Vegas, choosing to vicariously hang out with him. LSV doesn’t make his casual fans feel stupid; he makes them feel smarter, and as though they’re winning and losing alongside him.
Excellent history of WotC's approach to Magic the Gathering and why the company has stopped focusing on pro players, switched to emphasizing planeswalker character story, and digital is clearly the future growth area for the game. I came across it while wondering just how many female pro magic players there are (virtually none).
Incidentally, I am a big fan of LSV and his podcasts after listening to a bunch over the last month. Super smart about the game and very generous with sharing his knowledge in a friendly and entertaining fashion.