Why is there an entry fee to every event now?

QuiksilverHg

Title pretty much says it all.

The precedent has already been set a little bit by having it on the premium events with good rewards, but now we're seeing it on long grinds with increasingly poor rewards... not the least of which is the new Zendikar Expeditions... with Rising Tensions at least the rewards were high enough with not as much grind so that the entry fee was at least partially justified.

Edit: Without entry fees it can be fun to join and just play a few games and not care if you actually complete all 7-15 games required to max out.  With entry fees you better have the 1-3 hours to invest to max out or don't even bother joining.

@Oktagon_Support

Smokincookz

I’m probably beating a dead horse here, but anyway...

Nothing wrong with wanting the time-spent and and profit to increase, but the way they are doing it feels entirely like a cash-grab, and people get very tired of this. I think they’d like to obtain the customer just long enough for a good fleecing, then off to the pasture with you as the next batch of newbies gets sent in.

It is absolutely destroying the game experience though. It was in a much better state in Sept. 2018 when I started. After 2019, they admitted to having a “rough” year. No such admission again. If 2019 was “rough”, this year has been an absolute train-derailment by comparison- for most of the player base. 

Even whales may be angry too, they should be! I don’t see being able to complete ZE without graciously kowtowing & giving Oktagon way too much time. Most wealthy people/whales value IRL time over money. If you consider time > money, and have a good income, you’d lose more money by grinding in PQ than by working in that time instead, and spending on the game to make up for it...

I suspect this pandemic has given them a huge influx of new players, and much increased activity. Temporary though it may be, it’s pretty clear that they want to milk the new crowd’s whales as much as possible, and to tinykitty with anyone else.


 I’m tired of playing within these restrictions, and especially features only designed to burn my time and keep me playing longer, with no regard to my enjoyment, or lack thereof. I can “see the matrix” behind this game, the intentional bogging down of everything. The lack of putting effort into things beyond more “slow-down” features.

 Can’t ever unsee it, maybe it’s just time for me to quit too. I used to be able to enjoy this game in my little free time, it feels like 100% grind now. 

At least in other games, you can get good rewards by grinding? Here, they’d have us slave away for a pittance. I won’t mention other titles, but I can’t recall any other game, even the grindiest, having such a low time-spent/reward ratio.

I try to shut up if I have nothing good to say about the game. Criticism and analysis of their policies are better than whiney complaining, I think. I am often silent here for long periods of time, not having anything constructive to say.

madwren

Every other game: Here, earn some free currency!

MTGPQ:  

Bil

Every other game : We want you to keep engaged!

Mtgpq : are you finally going to leave for god sake?!

Gunmix25

Every other game: Fleecing players has never been easier *rolls in a bed covered in cash*

Mtgpq: *stares in envy and whispers* We needs to be like them , precious. 

KingGrace

Not for nothin', but I've been playing since before there were only standard events and Kiora cost 900 GOLD. I did the grind then, haven't looked back. I have 20 PWs nearly all maxed out, and think I started in 2016.

I've noticed they asked for entry fees to a lot of events now, too. I don't often do events that require gold unless the prize makes me my gold back or more. 

I've noticed the holiday "deals" leave something to be desired as compared to every single other season I've played through. There's definitely a new structure behind the scenes.

However, and this is me, I've never seen an ad or pay wall. I've never put a cent into this game and have been doing it for years. Not one advertisement between rounds, between screens, before or after any event. Zero ads interfering with my game... Giving me more time to play my game.

So... Yes, I believe they are starting down a "slippery slope," but I still don't see ads. I don't find much challenge in the game, but I remember when it was truly difficult to beat high level bosses. 

Tremayne

@KingGrace - out of curiosity, when did you start playing in a coalition? Was it a top tier coalition or was it casual? How big is your library?

These things could tell how good the F2P experience is in MTGPQ.

Smokincookz

@KingGrace The way I see it, any paying customers are pulling whatever load F2P puts on the game. I’m glad there are no ads too, but there’s a cost to everything. I don’t mind my dollar helping pay for server usage and other maintenance. P2P helps keep it running for everyone. 

Do I think it’s quite a high price for a subscription? Sure do. 

Most of the events with an entry toll will pay it back, if you have the time to complete them.

I haven’t played paper in a very long time (~2006), but I remember it being expensive. You have to be pretty shrewd to make profit off MtG. Most of my cards from when I played aren’t worth anything today. There are cheaper ways to have fun, and I’m sure there are many now who just play with proxy cards for the best cost:enjoyment ratio.

At least in PQ, while the game is alive, your collection can be enjoyed without needing a big time commitment, or a real-time opponent that paper does. 

(They sure do smell good though! The cardstock from the 90’s-early 2000’s, even if not new- pack fresh, mmm. That smell of vintage cards takes me back to great times- remembering that fresh-pack aroma in my LGS.)

KingGrace

I was brought into a coalition when I started playing PQ. Later, ran the casual coalition near the top 500 for a couple years, but disbanded it when I took a 90 day break away from all mtg about a year ago. I regret doing it, but it's done.

Came back hit search and found the one I'm in now, but there isn't any interaction between players and they don't use alpha symbols I'm accustomed to, but it helps gather resources.

My collection is 2699 out of 4595 as of this writing. I primarily play Legacy events. 

Temur Sarkhan 
Bant Tamiyo 
Liliana 
Flip Bolas
Kiora

Smokincookz

@KingGrace

Most of my coalition were still playing when I joined them in Nov 2018, I think it was. The coalition was founded on August 11, 2016.

It is a public, semi-casual coalition, but we did have mostly active people, some long-term. We used to just scrape into top 100 if we worked hard.

We had most of our active players quit around the time of XP and VIP. Some had kids, and it had nothing to do with the game’s state. Most of them moved on to other games... we have not scored even close to above top-250 for a long time now.

I’ve decided to join a far more active coalition very soon (assuming I keep playing, at least until Standard rotates again). It’s not easy to leave, and I still get some resources, but I know I have been missing out on a lot of good rewards by not being in a top 50 or better coalition. Also, I’d have people who actually interact with each other, like you mentioned. Though not so much through the in-game chat, which is not reliable.

There are only a couple active buddies left with me in the coalition, out of 19. I may invite them to come with me, I don’t think the old leader would care. He’s busy taking care of his baby IRL. 

Smokincookz

@KingGrace

I can see that perspective, looking at these Standard events that have fees, but without much past Origins that can be played. 

They run legacy events fairly often, though most aren’t great for resources. 

Kiora, Bolas Ravager, Liliana, or others, all still very good-
I admit, I haven’t limited myself to ORI to see how well I’d do then.

Rising Tensions from GRN did get us quite a lot of weekly resources, before it was retired. I do wish there were event reward mythics or rares like RT gave us, especially in your case, and for new players.

MOST of my early decks would have failed miserably without Chord of Calling, or even Firesong & Sunspeaker, plus others, at the time...

It would be good to have a frequently updated “returned to the game after a long break?” guide. I’m not the best person to make that guide, but I’d say try to hoard resources until you can figure out a better strategy. 

KingGrace

My favorite strat of old was hoarding the holiday bounty of weeks and weeks of heavily discounted event fees and heavily buffed rewards, then be stingy with my earnings over the next several months.

However... Those are the days of old.

I also pushed to Platinum each color, which isn't real difficult, but definitely a grind. Higher tier = higher rewards. The game definitely rewards the grinder.

There was an event recently that gives a significant amount of gold, comparatively speaking, but I forget which one it was. And some of the events don't even require you to beat every tier. You can literally spam the first tier and max your points for rewards. I don't pay attention to the names of events, though. Just if hmthey are Standard or Legacy. I play one standard d ck for as long as it remains standard if I can. My flip Bolas Surveillance deck was real strong.

Lastly, I don't take the game too seriously. I love it, but it's punching armed training dummies. Sure, you go against another player's deck, but not against the pilot. Some of my decks won't win without a pilot, and Greg probably doesn't cycle my shefet monitor for ramp like they should.