Saying that you would be "given favor over the players who have been actively supporting and playing the TCg during your absence" is a massive misnomer.
You're not given favor OVER anyone. It's not as if you're taking someone's spot at nationals. You would be allowed to play in Nationals in addition to all the players who are active. As someone who has played the game for more than a decade, you have likely spent more money on Pokemon products than the "active" players will spend over their entire lifetime. Why should past loyalty to the brand and past expenditures on Pokemon products not be recognized?
If you give players who have been registered longer (which is the group of people you've been talking about) a waive on the prerequisites, then that is favoritism, as you are giving that minority an advantage, because evereyone else has too meet a requirement that they don't have to. It would be an unfair advantage as then they don't have to invest any effort the entire season to participate while the rest of the players have to invest time and effort.
As for rewarding past loyalty, why should they? You aren't supporting them anymore. You aren't attending events, you aren't actively buying the product, and you aren't helping to expand or maintain the game. Saying they should give you a reward for past loyalty is like saying Walmart should reward me for a purchase I made ten years ago. Why reward players who no longer support you instead of focusing resources on the ones who support you now?
---------- Post added 05/18/2013 at 11:54 PM ----------
Before I start I just want to mention that, yes, by the way the rules are written, and intended. The players in question, as far as I can tell, did cheat. It may be unpopular to say as much, but I'm not going to give someone pity for cheating, even if they didn't mean anything by it.
Sadly as much as I love Pokemon, the sad reality is that the game just likes to treat people like children regardless of how old they actually are. Granite, the demographic is younger kids, the reality is that the older people are the ones who invest the most money and are the most competitive. I shouldnt even say treat like children, since it seems like TPCi just doesnt even like to treat people with respect, but treat people like they arent even human beings that are capable of making simple errors. Sorry TPCi, your not someones parents, your not sending any messages or doing anything right banning people over something so stupid.
Pokemon is not only intended for kids, but it also has to keep an environment that is kid friendly. And if anyone doesn't treat you with respect it is more likely you're being overly critical and irrational than it is their fault. (I've seen how people blow up about things they are
fully at fault for, blaming a PTO or TPCi when the fault is their own.
Also, they weren't banned for 'making a simple mistake,' by the first post's quote, they just thought it wasn't a big deal, they were fully aware and they didn't bother to talk to the PTO before doing anything. I've said it before and I'll say it again, Tournament staff are not some sort of demon, and they won't spit acid in you face if you go up to ask them a question, and most of the time they will try to help you. This is one of those cases where the accused didn't inform they tournament staff, and the staff reacted as if it were cheating.
Think about it, a "points system" to qualify for nationals? What other TCG has that? In other TCGs the only other methods of going on to bigger tournaments is by winning other tournaments. I get that TPCi is incentives people to play their game, but to be so strict and to flat out ban someone is doing the complete opposite. As many said, why even give people the opportunity if theres going to be so much bureaucracy behind it? To me it just seems like a personal issue more than it is a OP issue.
True, most TCGs have a tier system where you have to compete smaller tournament to enter bigger ones. Pokemon isn't too dissimilar only requiring competing instead of placing highly, it's a compromise that I actually find very fair in that regard, keeping the bar low enough for most average players to enter. However their ban has nothing to do with them being strict with the Nationals, but cheating in a premier tournament, a low tier tournament, but cheating all the same. (Yes, I am saying that having someone else play in your place counts as cheating, and by the rules a pretty severe one at that)
