Event Tier Status based on Available Cards

TheDude1

Wanted to reintroduce a proposal that has been mentioned elsewhere.  While we have a cumulative tier status that is permanent, could we instead (also?) have a tier status that is based on the available decks in whichever event we are playing?  We already have deck restrictions in place for events - could the same be done for the tier, using only the mastery levels of cards available for the event?

I'm currently dreading the jump from silver to gold as there is a huge gap in difficulty by most accounts, and as a relatively newer player I simply don't have the card base that many long-term players have.  Plus, with all the questions around how the new Core would be implemented, this would be a way to refresh the game without completely destroying the tier system.  If Core replaces Origins, how else would D3 handle tier settings for the vast number of cards that are no longer valid - treat Origins like all other Legacy sets?  That would create a massive imbalance between Legacy and Standard in this game: this would only accelerate the tier skew toward mastered Legacy cards, since the volume of Standard cards would become a small fraction of all cards available

A few other benefits of this "rolling" tier status:

--It would ensure accounts have to continually acquire and master the newest cards to maintain their level of rewards.  The more regular the player, the more they can upkeep their reward levels.  (This seems to align with most tier-oriented loyalty programs I know of - no one keeps their lofty VIP status forever without any expiration/reset point.)

--It doesn't penalize older players that are returning to the game and may have missed a couple sets.  It has never made sense that someone who last played more than a year ago would return with the same status - not only would the reward structure be misaligned, they would be a bit screwed because they would have to face a level of competition they are not prepared for.  Think of all the players who got to Platinum via cycling - if they remain in Platinum without having played the newest sets/mechanics, they'd be completely overwhelmed.  Why directly disincentivize players who have shown a prior tendency to be heavily engaged?

--It doesn't penalize new players that may not have accumulated the card history, and provides them an incentive to play and earn regularly

--It doesn't affect planeswalkers - those will stay at whatever level you've accumulated, giving long-term players some residual benefit from their past play.  Since planeswalkers aren't affected by tier, and there's no suggestion that any will be removed from the game, not all history is lost - your leveled-up planeswalkers will have an inherent advantage

--It doesn't affect Training Grounds because that will always(?) be a venue with full Legacy access.  This means the cumulative tier status will always apply since all cards will be available, and matchups would occur as appropriate

--As mentioned above, the looming Core is a major question, but the rolling tier solves a fundamental problem within the current tier structure.  Core is only the latest issue, but won't be the last, as this structure only gets worse with each new set introduced

I understand that tier status is important and it does play an important role in balancing game difficulty, but there has to be a way to have history adjust within this dynamic environment...

DBJones

Personally, I'm hoping they make an entirely new tier system, (win% is what I'd go by) but this would be a good step in the right direction. Also, Silver to Gold isn't too big of a leap, I bumped up just before cycling rotated out, and I've managed to stay competitive. I did gather up a good chunk of rare+ beforehand though. Having lower level Planeswalkers actually tends to work out better though, as you are less likely to be matched with the top players.