Metagame Choices: Why play decks that dont win?

[JudasKilled]

I have always had a question to pose to players of decks that often top 8 but very rarely win.

Case and point: ( Im sure someone will correct my data since its not official)
Dredge often top 8's, rarely top 4's, and almost never wins.
Stax/Shop: Does somewhat better but also realy wins.
Oath: The same.

It seems to me that why play a tournament to top 8, why not play something that wins.  Maybe its just the heavy Tezz meta in chicago where I play but it seems Fish, Tezz, and Teps are the only real contenders for first place wins.  Honestly, I wouldnt even count TPS unless Mr. Mike Solmosy is playing it as a common top winner in my area.  Granted this is all based on my opinion and observations.  So my question is why play decks that our unlikely to win but may top 8?

[wox2]

There are some reasons to play decks that rarely wins but TOP 8.

1) Cardpool - not everyone has everything. I read an interview with Olivier Ruel and he was complaining about people not having cards for Legacy tournament in 2007.
2) Metagame choice - if you believe you have better chance to be successful with a deck thanks to matchups.
3) Experience - some people are playing a deck for a looooooooong period. There are near none mistake they do, they know what to do in each situation.

Probably there are more reasons

[Telkku]

Have you ever watched same movie just cause you like it so much? Same in this, someone just keeps playing Oath and waits new sets so he can improve it JUST because he likes it so much and doesnt want the easy win tezz and hopes that some day he can invent something new so he can beat that tezz / tps player with it. Maybe just maybe it's that.

[hvndr3d y34r h3x]

...because he likes it so much and doesnt want the easy win tezz ...

You realize that just because a deck is good doesn't mean winning with it is easy, right?

[mike_bergeron]

I have always had a question to pose to players of decks that often top 8 but very rarely win.

Case and point: ( Im sure someone will correct my data since its not official)
Dredge often top 8's, rarely top 4's, and almost never wins.
Stax/Shop: Does somewhat better but also realy wins.
Oath: The same.

It seems to me that why play a tournament to top 8, why not play something that wins.  Maybe its just the heavy Tezz meta in chicago where I play but it seems Fish, Tezz, and Teps are the only real contenders for first place wins.  Honestly, I wouldnt even count TPS unless Mr. Mike Solmosy is playing it as a common top winner in my area.  Granted this is all based on my opinion and observations.  So my question is why play decks that our unlikely to win but may top 8?

Because I play magic to have fun, not to make money.  I don't care if I win the tourney, it is an entertainment cost for the day. 

[Juggernaut GO]

I play the cards I play specifically for shock value and entertainment.  And every once and a while my playskill carries me into a top 8, and sometimes even a win.

I also believe that if I would actually approach magic in the same way a person such as rich shay or smennen does (they always play the best deck available to them.) I would need to get damned unlucky to lose a match.

I just do not make play errors, and when you couple that play ability with a deck that is top notch, you seldom get a result less then perfect unless you get unlucky.

But, were I to do this I would just become another douchebag who takes the game way too serious and doesn't really play to enjoy themselves.  I get much more satisfaction out of my Saturday by kiilling people with monkey cage tokens and stealing mana crypts with magus of the unseen.

[Smmenen]

The first post assumes that players are not playing to win.    The metagame evolves.   Players may recognize that a deck hasn't yet won, but believe that it is now positioned to do so.  (like Dredge) Or, players may think that even though a deck hasn't won a tournament, it gives *them* the best chance to win a tournament. 

[JR]

Lets assume that you are a skilled enough player, and pilot a deck to a top 8. Would you rather, in that top 8, play the mirror 3 times, or play a matchup that is one you probably have tested several 100 times?

[voltron00x]

I've played Oath and Ichorid exclusively this year.  I played Oath originally because it was the best deck I could build with 15 proxies.  I continue to play it because I like it and have done well with it over the past 5 months.  I played Ichorid because I like it and wanted to write about it, and because I could run it with zero proxies at GenCon.  

The first event that I played Ichorid, I came in 2nd and won $160 cash.  Note that Ichorid won two recent events in back-to-back weekends and made the finals of the Waterbury.  Saying it doesn't win is incorrect.  Saying its win % in the T8 is less than, say, Tezz, might be a more accurate statement.

Playing Oath, I won a 44-person tournament in April, and split in the finals of a 32-person tournament this month.  I also made two other Top 8s with the deck this year in between those tournaments, and loaned it out for another, where it made a T4.  Total take was a Mox Jet, $175 cash, a Force of Will, 4 fetchlands, and some misc other cards.

Many people that play those two decks do so because they're relatively budget-friendly choices.

[JudasKilled]

Dont get me wrong ive won power with RGW fish/beats twice but that was because i thought it was a decent metagame choice and it was diffrent.  Im a fish player so I have a favorite archetype as well.  Was just curious, makes sense on alot of peoples points.

[Lurker101]

I don't even play a deck that top 8s. I like playing decks that fit my play style and include cards I like, therefore I play a deck that revolves around Nether Void and Vexing Shusher (granted it might win a few games and I believe it is a good deck for what it is, I just don't think I could Top 8 with it). It is a fun deck for me to play and I used to get most of my playing done on MWS (where you're likely to run into a lot of random rogue decks). Also Iowa and Vancouver B.C. don't really have vintage scenes so if a tournament was thrown it would most likely be budget rogue decks or old decks that someone pulled out from back in the day (e.g. Trix). I also REALLY HATE time vault combo and that is what's been winning. I would rather lose but have fun with my Nether Void deck or Elves! or some Dream Halls concoction than play some vault deck or Dredge and rack up a few wins but have no fun.

[Shock Wave]

I will  never play a deck that I have not either designed myself or collaborated on designing. I get satisfaction out of playing something that I have thought about and put together, even if it is not the objectively best deck in the format. It is difficult for me to enjoy playing under any other circumstance.

[Lurker101]

I will  never play a deck that I have not either designed myself or collaborated on designing. I get satisfaction out of playing something that I have thought about and put together, even if it is not the objectively best deck in the format. It is difficult for me to enjoy playing under any other circumstance.

That is exactly what I was trying to say. Although, I could see circumstances when the best deck in the format was in my price range and fun enough that I would play it even if I had no input in the design. The last decks like that though have all been killed by restrictions or been over-powered by new decks/archetypes (Control Slaver, Flash, GAT, Long, High Tide, and Trix). I never got to play with any of those decks, admittedly High Tide and Trix were before my time but if they were competitive and affordable I would play them in a second.

[Andreas]

Some people might also realize that they are not the best player in the room.

If I want to maximize my chances of success at a tournament where I am sure that better skilled players attend I would avoid mirror matches with them if possible, since usually that is where the skill gap is most prominent.

Instead, why not play the metagame lottery and choose a Tier 2 deck with good matchups against as large as possible a portion of the expected field, and hope to get lucky with the pairings?

[median]

 I actually have a very weird reason for my deck choices. I fell in love with sligh in 1998.
Ever since then I’ve really enjoyed making the most of my turn and maximizing tempo by tapping out. This leaves me having played mostly combo and aggro control. If you give me the best drain deck in the format I’ll agonize at having mana untaped on my opponent’s turn that might not be used.
I understand the idea behind drains and that every turn you take with drain mana up is a virtual time walk. But I just can't bring my self to do it. If my opponent spends their turn doing land, mox, sage of epityr, and I don't have an impulse, or brainstorm, i have an instinctual feeling that I’ve wasted my turn.
In short, I’m kind of stuck in a very long rut. Where my play style is based on using every last drop of mana.
So I play aggressive decks, even when they consistently underperform.