Eternal Ratings now matter for the Pro Tour

[Godder]

From BDM's latest column:

Wizards is introducing a new ELO rating called DCI Total that is the total of all the matches a player has participated in: Standard, Extended, Block Constructed, Vintage, Legacy, Sealed Deck, Booster Draft, 3-Person teams, and 2-Person teams. Unlike Composite rating, this is not an averaged rating. It is one rating for all your matches other than ones where you play with more than two players in a single game of Magic (multi-player and 2HG).

...

The top 100 DCI Total ranked players will be invited to each Pro Tour.

Eternal sanctioning and rating finally matters!

[ELD]

Wow.  If only there was sanctioned vintage like back in the day!  Nothing like bloating your rating playing fully powered decks vs budget decks   But seriously, I'm happy to see the change, but not happy with how I've squandered my rating.  I've dumped 94 points off my rating just by losing after I've taken my 2nd loss in events.  I'll definitely be managing my off days a lot more effectively in the future. 

[T00L]

Oh god this is fucking terrible. I've done nothing but play in legacy tournaments because there was nothing better to do that weekend and I was under the impression it didn't effect my rating. Now I actually have to play legacy to get a rating in it. How awful.

[Smmenen]

http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Magazine/Article.aspx?x=mtg/daily/twtw/9

[Yare]

I'm not sure that it means much of anything (at least with respect to Vintage). I don't see sanctioned events suddenly springing up. It would be the same problems as before: powered players throttle unpowered players.

[Godder]

I don't know that it will lead to them springing up, but there's actually incentive to sanction Vintage now, where before there basically wasn't. Sanctioned Legacy also has more of an incentive now, because it actually matters.

Edit: I merged my post in Rumors, and the replies that got, with this thread.

[Vegeta2711]

I'm not sure that it means much of anything (at least with respect to Vintage). I don't see sanctioned events suddenly springing up. It would be the same problems as before: powered players throttle unpowered players.

It may actually matter for the Europeans, although in the grand scheme I can't imagine too many people's ratings getting a giant increase or decrease considering the # of matches of Legacy/Vintage played versus other formats.

[Webster]

Unfortunately, BDM didn't explain exactly how WOTC is going to calculate Total rating, which makes me worry, maybe irrationally. Although I dislike speculation because it doesn't really help much in this case, I'd hazzard a guess that WOTC will just merge the ratings from all the formats that would reflect your Total rating similarly to someone having 2 DCI numbers.

As far as sanctioned vintage, I must say I'm not a fan. It's just not as fun. At a certain point, that the 'fun' you get out of winning doesn't compare to the 'fun' that you get out of actually playing the format like it should be played.

[Godder]

I'm not sure that it means much of anything (at least with respect to Vintage). I don't see sanctioned events suddenly springing up. It would be the same problems as before: powered players throttle unpowered players.

It may actually matter for the Europeans, although in the grand scheme I can't imagine too many people's ratings getting a giant increase or decrease considering the # of matches of Legacy/Vintage played versus other formats.

That's true as it currently stands, but if they now count for rating, it may well lead to an increase in santioned events, especially Legacy.

[Yare]

Are there regular sanctioned Legacy and/or Vintage players who do the Pro Tour thing? (Outside of Europe?) I honestly don't know.

[T00L]

Are there regular sanctioned Legacy and/or Vintage players who do the Pro Tour thing? (Outside of Europe?) I honestly don't know.

Yes I know of a couple

[MadManiac21]

So you're telling me if I only play sanctioned vintage and legacy tournaments, and were to get my rating high enough, I could play on the Pro Tour?

Hot damn.

[Norm4eva]

This is a good thing for Legacy, right?  So I guess I like it.

[Webster]

So you're telling me if I only play sanctioned vintage and legacy tournaments, and were to get my rating high enough, I could play on the Pro Tour?

Hot damn.

I think you're misinterpreting what will happen. BDM said,

"Wizards is introducing a new ELO rating called DCI Total that is the total of all the matches a player has participated in: Standard, Extended, Block Constructed, Vintage, Legacy, Sealed Deck, Booster Draft, 3-Person teams, and 2-Person teams. Unlike Composite rating, this is not an averaged rating. It is one rating for all your matches other than ones where you play with more than two players in a single game of Magic (multi-player and 2HG)."

You're thinking under the old rating scheme for PT qualifications. Under that system, specific format ratings is one of the ways that people qualify for the pro tour (top 100 global limited for limited PTs, top 100 global contructed for constructed PTs, top 50 global region [north america/south america/europe/asia] composite for worlds). Eternal rating is not currently a deciding factor for any of those ratings. However, under the DCI Total rating, a rating which is the combination of all of the formats in BDM's quote above, eternal will be able to make an impact.

So, if you played only vintage, and your rating were to get high enough, yes, you could play at the pro tour.

However, the proper way to read that previous sentence is by replacing "vintage" with "magic" because one specific format will not have more weight than another.

[Neonico]

As far as sanctioned vintage, I must say I'm not a fan. It's just not as fun. At a certain point, that the 'fun' you get out of winning doesn't compare to the 'fun' that you get out of actually playing the format like it should be played.

I dont get it... What is the format like it should be played ? Just all powered netdecked archetypes ? In every format, even standart or extended, you'll face, during states or PTQs, some people that doesn't think the format is what you think it is, killing you with stupid rogue decks. For me, budget, hate and so on, are part of any format. People saying : let's allow proxy to avoid that, are just to lazy to make a good sideboard  or even good maindecks to adress that. Or to accept to loose to rogue/budget, like ichorid for example (Alot moreplayed for money issues here in Europe, but strangely, it's also one of the best deck so isgoblins for example).

That said, it's allways boring to roll on 12 years old kid playing elves with a full powered gifts deck... It happens, but it's the game, as it could be in any tournament. Just try to kill him a little slower, explaining it how your deck works, whatmissplay he does to improve his game, what cards he could include to make it better, and so on...

[Webster]

As far as sanctioned vintage, I must say I'm not a fan. It's just not as fun. At a certain point, that the 'fun' you get out of winning doesn't compare to the 'fun' that you get out of actually playing the format like it should be played.

I dont get it... What is the format like it should be played ? Just all powered netdecked archetypes ? In every format, even standart or extended, you'll face, during states or PTQs, some people that doesn't think the format is what you think it is, killing you with stupid rogue decks. For me, budget, hate and so on, are part of any format. People saying : let's allow proxy to avoid that, are just to lazy to make a good sideboard  or even good maindecks to adress that. Or to accept to loose to rogue/budget, like ichorid for example (Alot moreplayed for money issues here in Europe, but strangely, it's also one of the best deck so isgoblins for example).

That said, it's allways boring to roll on 12 years old kid playing elves with a full powered gifts deck... It happens, but it's the game, as it could be in any tournament. Just try to kill him a little slower, explaining it how your deck works, whatmissplay he does to improve his game, what cards he could include to make it better, and so on...

Honestly, the term 'netdecked archetypes' holds no water with me.

Many of the people in states or PTQs playing rogue decks, for a significant portion of them, are severely lacking in playtesting time, card evaluation skills, and/or are just not very good at the game which is why they are playing terrible.... i mean .. erm ... 'rogue' decks to begin with.

The argument that money issues spans accross formats can be made. However, concerning vintage, the supply falls much shorter than in standard, extended, and block. There are just not enough moxes and playsets of other cards needed to support vintage like other formats.

Card availability shouldn't play a deciding factor in determining a format; it's simply not in the spirit of the game from my point of view despit being a CCG. I want to play against the best decks in the format, not piles of garbage.

[Samite Healer]

Wow, so my 1947 Eternal rating matters now? Sick.  It should bring up my 1600 constructed rating FTW.