Stop Letting Corporate Slop Define Magic

Gatekeeping gets a bad reputation in Magic: The Gathering—but not all gatekeeping is bad. There’s a huge difference between telling another player they don't belong and deciding that a format, community, product, or style of play isn't for you. In this episode, I’m making the case for the good kind of gatekeeping: protecting the things you actually enjoy about Magic. Pasted text Pre-Modern is a great example. The format has clearly defined boundaries, but those boundaries don't have to be hostile. The community can preserve what makes the format special while still finding ways to invite new players through the gate. Pasted text We also get into: Why community formats don't need to become massive competitive ecosystems Why it's okay to keep a format small and local Battle boxes as a way to introduce people to Classic Legacy and Pre-Modern Why gatekeeping your time and money can be a good thing The problem with engaging with products you actively dislike Why negative engagement is still engagement What Magic can learn from the way communities support their own formats How to actually grow a community format without talking down to people Why teaching someone to play a format is more…