Disclosing Deck Lists?

[vietgamer1021]

its fun having an SD, its even more fun to be recognized for having success/failure at a tourney with your SD

archetypes are just the opposite

you expect an archetype to win this, at least a deck that has a name

but when an unheard of deck rises, then its fun

 

[doctormcdreamy]

it's a good argument. to disclose or not to disclose a decklist. it's arguable either way,

If you take from the Pokegym, you should give back to the Pokegym. I'm a better player because of Pokegym. And should I make top cuts at Nats. I'll give a fully detailed Nats report. What would Pokegym be if people didnt share ideas and strategies? It'd be terrible if someone should just go to Pokegym and never share their winning ideas, and just go to the 'gym to find out all the popular and hyped decks and then metagame those decks.

then again, we know the delta deck example. big surprise at nats. then flopped at worlds when it lost its surprise factor. you know, working on a secret deck is very fun and challenging. i see the point in wanting to keep it secret. after all you're the one who toiled away at it for weeks and weeks. playtested it forever to the point that you had to buy three replacement computer mice because they broke after too many apprentice matches, online and offline. click click click. break.

in conclusion, it's always up to you if you want to share your decklists, ideas and strategies. just remember that it was pokegym, among other things, that helped you get there.

 

[SuperWooper]

I also see a trend from arguers. Most people who argue for posting SDs themselves have never actually come CLOSE to making or helping with an SD.

...So?

The real reason that decklists aren't posted is because it's just unnecessary. Why should people with tournament-winning lists, ideas, or strategies share what they have with you? There's no good answer to that question. So they don't. It doesn't get any simpler than that.

 

[Pidgeotto Trainer]

This game isn't about winning. It's about having fun. Winning is a part of the game, but it isn't the entire game. Stop treating it as such. If you don't give back to the game, the game might not be there the next time you blink.

Many more players will quit if the game loses its competitive atmosphere than the number of players who will quit because people are keeping decks secretive.

Thus people lose picture of the entire meaning of the game, to have fun, and it ruins it for everyone.

I don't think you realize just how many players enjoy this game by competing. That is their 'having fun' and that isn't wrong. If you make the game less competitive, you are making it less fun for very many people.

 

[ryanvergel]

...So?

The real reason that decklists aren't posted is because it's just unnecessary. Why should people with tournament-winning lists, ideas, or strategies share what they have with you? There's no good answer to that question. So they don't. It doesn't get any simpler than that.

What do you mean "so"? People who make the argument that people should show decklists are people who have never made an SD before. They're ignorant of the very nature of the subject they want disclosed. That is an important observation. That is what's "so". Get it? Probably not.

 

[doctormcdreamy]

The areas of the US that have the most concentrated areas of great players (Florida and Carolinas/Chicagoian region/ LA, Sandiego/ NY, ect) is where it's most important to keep your deck secret,....

Just a correction mew, it is great lakes area You forget fulop/moss/others.
.

wow, moza, you didnt even mention your own name in there. what a humble guy.

 

[moza]

Well Doc, you see, I am in seniors, and no one cares about us


If you made a deck, you can do whatever you want with it. People shouldn't pressure you into revealing SD's.

And the pokegym generally helps new players out, and intermediete players, but the top players usually have their own websites, or just don't get much from the gym, so they have no reason to give back

 

[Prime]

Many more players will quit if the game loses its competitive atmosphere than the number of players who will quit because people are keeping decks secretive.

I agree. Remove the competitive aspect of the game and the game is dead. But that is not what I'm trying to stress. I'm trying to stress players to reduce their emphasis on the competitive aspect of the game. I've had friends who have become so focused on winning that they've cheated at tournaments. Am I saying a lot of people are cheating? No. I'm just saying that there is a point where you can be competitive and then there is a point where you can be overly competitive.

Deciding not to help out the community in any way, not to give back to it, and not to share any of your ideas to the community because of an advantage you might lose, that is becoming overly competitive and kind of losing sight of what really matters imho.

I don't think you realize just how many players enjoy this game by competing. That is their 'having fun' and that isn't wrong. If you make the game less competitive, you are making it less fun for very many people.

Compete all you want. Put everything you can into it. But give back to the game, too! You can be competitive and give back to the community at the same time. It's not black or white, there are shades of gray.

Your making it seem like you can't be competitive and win tournaments and not give back to the community. How hard is it to guide players on the right track when they post rough draft ideas? How hard is it to write articles about new big decks that you've created (Jimmy?)?

You can give back to the community and the game without losing your oh-so-cherished advantage, yet so many decide not to.

What do you mean "so"? People who make the argument that people should show decklists are people who have never made an SD before. They're ignorant of the very nature of the subject they want disclosed. That is an important observation. That is what's "so". Get it? Probably not.

MOST people have not participated in creating a SD. Don't try to stick it to just those that are debating your ideas that they don't know what they are talking about because they've never created a SD before.

90% (if not higher) of people who've posted in this thread haven't made a SD. Even the ones that agree with you Ryan. So are you going to call them ignorant too?

We all know the feeling of coming up with ideas with our friends. The only difference is that the decks we came up with didn't become very popular. Knowing any less/more about making a SD doesn't make their points any stronger/weaker.

 

[PokéMart]

When two very good players are playing against each other, a slight list advantage can win the game.

 

[ryanvergel]

I? Must not be I if Erik sees this as problem too. Take me as a grain of salt. I've done almost nothing in this game. But look at Erik. In his first year of playing, he won cities, states, got top 3 at regionals, and went to worlds. He kicked a lot of (insert word here) and is a top notch person and player. He rarely posts on this forum, so he must have felt it important to make a thread about this.

Where is the absolution list for the Archetype discussion? Where is the Destiny list for the Archetype discussion?

If pro players really wanted to give back to the game, they would. When was the last time the person who made a big deck actually make an article about it? Martin, maybe? Way to go.

It's funny. The pro players have the MOST to give back to the game yet most don't. LOL

*sorry if this is too anti-pro players*

I forgot to mention, the archetype section is going to be updated with lists soon. You shouldn't be so quick to judge. It takes a long time to make an article (you wouldn't know) and we're in the process of putting out at least two very soon.

Not to mention the writers of said articles are persons who have much experience with the deck, equivalent to Martin's experience.

Back to back posts merged. The following information has been added:

When two very good players are playing against each other, a slight list advantage can win the game.

QFT!

Prime, doesn't it just seem odd that everyone who HAS made an SD doesn't want to post it? Doesn't it also seem odd that many of the same people who have worked on SDs have also written archetype articles? (people like Pooka, Chuck, Martin have all worked with SDs and coincidentally have written archetype articles).

Releasing SDs will not help the community, as I've already shown. What it will do is simply hurt pro players. Now, why would anyone want to release SDs after they've realized this?

 

[Prime]

Let's have some fun, and make some quotes. Let's boogey.

When two very good players are playing against each other, a slight list advantage can win the game.

QFT. Hi, Jim. A good comment, but it's already been made by both sides that there is an advantage to keeping a deck list for a deck you intend on using in the close future secret.

But what advantage is there of keeping all your ideas secret? What about the ones you don't see yourself using? What about the ones you thought up of but just don't think they are worth trying. Why not post those ideas and give back the community in some way?

Or what about just helping out people's lists with some good constructive criticism? Or writing articles based on the deck you came up with?

There's many ways you can contribute to the community without jeopardizing your advantage of a hidden deck list.

The funny thing is, that every time a person like Jimmy changes his list, the changes are unknown to the public. So why keep a previous list or a short draft of the list secret from the community? Are you afraid someone will pick up your rough list and build it and beat you with it?

(none of this directed towards Jim)

I forgot to mention, the archetype section is going to be updated with lists soon. You shouldn't be so quick to judge. It takes a long time to make an article (you wouldn't know) and we're in the process of putting out at least two very soon.

Tis' funny when I contribute, nobody even realizes it, yet when some people contribute, they are all god-like. Do remember, I did make an article about my experiences at Nationals last year and posted it.
Prime's Declassified Origins Tips

I plan on updating it this year too, and updating it each year after to make it a very good guide to Origins.

I wouldn't know though. LOL

Prime, doesn't it just seem odd that everyone who HAS made an SD doesn't want to post it?

RyanVergel, do you even understand what I'm saying? Have you read my posts? Because you bring up issues that I've already talked about. Anyways, I'll talk about it again.

Nobody expects you or your friends to post their SD's. Nobody expects you to post the lists you use. But would it not be somewhat nice to post ideas that you felt were nice? Post rough draft lists of decks you feel have potential just to get the idea out there? Post about decks you know have no potential just to see what people have to say about it and maybe spark a good idea from it?

Every deck is not a SD. SD's come very rarely, as it's been obvious this format with very few SD's actually doing well over time. If you think about it. SD's are weak to a point. They rely on surprising your opponent to beat them. Once the surprise is gone, their playability drastically decrease (see RaiEggs at Worlds 06). But again, nobody expects you to post your SD's.

Good? Let's move on.

Doesn't it also seem odd that many of the same people who have worked on SDs have also written archetype articles? (people like Pooka, Chuck, Martin have all worked with SDs and coincidentally have written archetype articles).

This is actually quite funny.Your right that some of the people who worked on SD's have written some archetype discussions, but they all did it LAST YEAR. The last time a SD mentor wrote an article about the deck they helped to make was when Martin wrote his SMP deck. I do realize MukMan wrote a deck article about Super Stantler but it really didn't get as much recognition and really didn't go on to do anything big at tournaments. It was the father (or mentor) of some later on decks like Destiny though. Speaking of Destiny, where is the article Jimmy? If ANYONE knows about the deck, it's Jimmy. Correct me if I may be wrong, but isn't the only Destiny article submitted right now not written by Jimmy but by someone who's gotten some help from Jimmy? And correct me again if I am wrong, aren't you on record for calling the article sub-par? LOL Where's the article about Absolutions? I am sure that the next big deck, unless it is ruined by the rotation of sets, will NOT see an article written about it by it's creator.

That's how the game rolls. LOL

Have fun.

 

[PokePop]

Don't we have a Destiny article up? Posted for Jimmy by Dave?? **Confused** @_'

 

[Flaming_Spinach]

For the Record:

http://pokegym.net/forums/showthread.php?t=52194

 

[Articjedi]

I have a bigger problem with how an SD is handled post tournament than before. We have players running around paying upwards of $100 for a decklist. A mere list. You don't get the cards, you are paying purely for a scrap of paper with a working idea on it. Even then, the player that pays may not even be good enough to win in the first place, he gets so desperate for an edge that he's willing to pay exorbant prices for practically nothing, thinking that for some reason, holding a several week old decklist is going to guarentee him a win.

Maybe there should be some policy changes with POP. We can wreck this entire argument (at least for every tournament after an SD is released upon the world), simply by having TO's required to release the T8 or so decklists after every premiere event. It allows other, less competitive areas of the game to become moreso, and overall, it will improve the quality the overall players, without creating the rich kid with too much money and too much desperation. Beginning and intermediate players will take cues from winning decklists, and learn how certain mechanics and synergies function. If people simply copy the decklists and try to win that way, they'll actually be losing out because the players who took the cues have already made modifications to the current list.

Yes, I'm stealing a page from Wizards, but they don't seem to have half the complaints about secretiveness or overly competitive play that this game does. They have constant press coverage by WOTC employees, posting results by the hour every time a major tournament hits. They post the top 8 decklists from their events, as well as looking at the overall metagame and posting articles left and right about what went right and what didn't. The point is, wizards is very, very involved in their game. If pokemon had that kind of attention from their OP, then the disparities between player skill would disappear, people would learn how to make good lists, they would learn what works what doesn't work. If all of the so called elites want to complain about

 

[BANGINBOX]

Speaking of Destiny, where is the article Jimmy? If ANYONE knows about the deck, it's Jimmy. Correct me if I may be wrong, but isn't the only Destiny article submitted right now not written by Jimmy but by someone who's gotten some help from Jimmy? And correct me again if I am wrong, aren't you on record for calling the article sub-par? LOL Where's the article about Absolutions? I am sure that the next big deck, unless it is ruined by the rotation of sets, will NOT see an article written about it by it's creator.

That's how the game rolls. LOL

Have fun.

Wow....

Where do I begin.....

First I will say that there is an article for all the people who feel the need to NETDECK my list posted on the front page. The whole Ebay thing was a ploy to prove the extent that people will go thru to obtain a tournament winning list. I did co-write the Destinys here. topic with Zach. Dave was nice enough to edit and get it posted for us (you as a mod should know that).

Second..... The only people on here agreeing with you havent and possibly never will contribute ANYTHING FRESH to the game as all their ideas come from "the Gym". This game is only as hot as the top deck in the format. Most of which are SD's.

Third.... Why would I want my deck posted PRIOR to attending a tournament? Where is the logic in this? It would put me at a serious disadvantage when playing in the next event. Do the Panthers give out their playbook to the Bears prior to Sundays game? Seems silly but IT DOESNT HAPPEN!!!

Fourth..... This GAME is NOT more important than MY personal achievements in it.... I am the reason I do well at this game. The people who put out the cards do it for MONEY.... Not to help ME win tournaments. People forget that this is a business.... It was successful before me and will be successful after me. The MOST IMPORTANT THING TO ME IS HOW WELL I DO!!!! When I do well the game follows.... As seen here on the gym.

Fifth...... Prime, I admire your wanting to further the "GAME". However until you understand that an INDIVIDUALS Success at this game is what will continue do it... you'll be spinning in circles. I did not keep playing this game because EVERYONE else is doing well. I did it because I was doing it.

JImmy

 

[SuperWooper]

What do you mean "so"? People who make the argument that people should show decklists are people who have never made an SD before. They're ignorant of the very nature of the subject they want disclosed. That is an important observation. That is what's "so". Get it? Probably not.

Don't assume that I lack an understanding of the nature of their complaints. Of course one is ignorant if one has never taken part in the creation of a secret deck.

You're right, Ryan, in saying that there's no good reason for great players to cough up their lists. But you're wrong to write off people who don't invest as much time into the game as having worthless opinions. You're "better" than they are. So what? I believe that they have the right to ask for the SDs, just as those with the knowledge of those SDs have the right to withhold them.

Try to keep your condescending tone to a minimum. Comments like, "Get it? Probably not" are pretty disheartening to read, especially coming from a moderator.

 

[Prime]

I remember a day when you could go online, and you could see a bunch of cool deck ideas posted all over the place. Where, even if the deck idea wasn’t that good, there were a lot of people to give good constructive criticism and offer some decent changes to make it better. Even the skilled players would help out a lot and guide players towards tactics that are popular and are doing well at the moment.

Boy, how the world has changed.

I would never call myself selfish, but I do want a lot of things. One thing I want so badly is to see a return to this kind of community; where people didn’t rely on surprising the opponent or stalling them out to win; where people still grouped up with friends and discussed ideas, but eventually came back to the community and donated them to the whole; where players would race each other to post articles about the new big deck just so they would get a little recognition as the one who gave the most competitive list to the community; where just a little fame was enough for anyone.

Today, the only good discussions happen on hidden team forums away from the community. And the ideas that are created within those boundaries never see the light of day on another forum. People are so obsessed with winning that they decide to not help a single person since it will take the advantage away from them; where the people that could help the community and the game the most decide not to.

I look at other games a lot. For a while, I was interested in another card game, let’s call that game GameB. I remember going onto GameB’s official forum and seeing a lot of decks posted. What struck me first was how open the players were with giving out their best strategies. Sure, they might tweak their deck slightly before the next big tournament, but the whole idea and a very good list was usually posted. It seemed like all they really cared about was getting a little fame for their idea, and training till nobody can play their deck as well as they can. If I had a question about a popular strategy, there was usually a discussion about it anyways, and they would usually link me to it. They’d have a list, and pages of discussion that would lead me down the road to actually building a modern competitive version of that deck. I really wished Pokemon had that kind of community again.

The game is slowly, but surely, becoming harder and harder for new players to pick up. How effective is the official website in giving players good starting ideas and helping them along the way? Not much. How many articles do we see on Pojo or the Pokegym about new big decks ideas? Not many. Usually it’s only the ones that are deemed SD (Secret Deck) that get any recognition. We’ve gotten it into our mind that only those that win a big tournament deserve any highlight. And lately, the articles that used be written by the best in the game have started being written by people who have picked up the deck after it’s first impact and haven’t really done well with it. What the game is lacking is contributions from the more skilled players.

The more skilled players in this game have the most to offer and donate to the community. It’s them that think about the game all the time, that get into groups and come up with some of the best, if not the best ideas out there. These people know how to play the game better than anyone, and could help out endless amounts of people if they would just give up a little bit of their time and give back to the community. But alas, they aren’t doing it.

Sure, there are the exceptions. There are the few that still give back, that still come onto the Pokegym and help the stranded player get back up and help him get back on the right path. There are still those that post articles. But the people that do give back the communities only make up a small percent of those that could. Why don’t these people give back to the community?

Players are too focused on winning.

The main idea of a game is to have fun. The person who created monopoly didn’t base the game around winning. Sure, there is going to be a winner, but the game was based around having fun. This same idea applies to every game. If the game becomes nothing more than winning, then how does a player go on if they don’t win? There must be some part of the fun that they still play the game for; if it’s seeing your friends and hanging out, or traveling across the nation and meeting new people. Nobody plays just to win.

We all start playing games because we think they are fun. Why does our attitude of the game change later? Do we see the prizes and want fame and recognition so badly that the game becomes focused on winning instead? Or do we just want to feel superior to our opponent when we beat them so it makes us feel better inside. I don’t truly know.

But the path that the game is going down is not healthy at all. More and more people are adopting the practices of the more skilled players and forming groups and keeping their ideas secret. The community ceases to function. The community tries to cope with whatever is left, but it isn’t able to function without the added contributions from other people.

I just want the game to survive as long as possible. And the only way for that to happen is for people to get over their need to win, and focus on giving back to the community so that players grow and so that it’s easier for players to learn how to play competitively and get better. There are Cities, States, Regionals, Nationals, and Worlds held every year. Who cares if you do well at them? It doesn't make you any better of a person. When the game finally dies, how much is that title worth? Not much if people put their trophies on eBay weeks after they win them.

That’s why I make such a fuss about the more skilled players not giving back to the community; because they have the most to give back. They have the ability to turn the game upside down if they wanted to; to bring a sick game back to full life; to give it a Full Restore to say. And as much as those players feel the game will go on for many, many years, the game just won’t without their contributions. That is the only reason the game has survived as long as it has. Without contributions from people, we wouldn’t have the Pokegym (thanks Compedium Staff), we wouldn’t have all the articles on the Pokegym, Pojo, and various other sites that helped educate players on the newest strategies and mold the adolescents of the past into the pro players of today. We wouldn’t have professors and PTO’s and people who actually run the tournaments we play in if we didn’t have people who give back to the game. And none of these people ask for anything in return.

So why ask now?

Oh and Jimmy? Thanks for condemning the majority of the game just because you feel your superior. Your not a better person than anyone else just because you've done well in this game. The people on this forum might not give back anything of large quantity in the future, but it's only because people like you that don't allow them to grow as players by giving back to them in the first place.

 

[dogma]

TBH, I kinda see the point of those holding SD's keeping them secret, at least before a tournament. When M:TG decks get posted left right and centre, I never understood why someone cannot netdeck and win a tournament (though with a lot of practise).

But then, as I think about it, I realise that it might be a good idea that SD's are kept secret. Let's face it, M:TG is far deeper a game than Pokémon. There are a load of strategies that go unnoticed in the game until someone spots a key combo or two. Pokémon is not like that - and if decks are posted after every tournament, sooner or later all of the best ideas will be covered.

So yes, there will be a temporary skill increase and learning period as people get to grips with new decks in a given format. But then you're stuck with tech-ing the decks seen today. And how often does a deck like Destiny arise in the first place?

I see Jimmy's point in trying to keep it secret. I think a lot of the Destiny debacle was him being obnoxious (and yes it was annoying). But then again, who can argue with success?

Back to Prime's point in giving something back to the game - for all you Jimmy's out there, I would really consider doing so. You might only enter a tournament to win (and why shouldn't you?), but by the very nature of a TCG, it seems the game is only as good as the people who play it.

 

[Flaming_Spinach]

Excellent post by Prime.

I especially agree with the point that it is getting harder and harder for new players to enter this game at a competitive level. That's part of the reason I started with my project specifically made for new/returning players.



I don't think you will ever get people to reveal their decklists before tournaments, and that is fine.

But, if decklists were posted after each and every tournament, I don't think anyone would have a real problem with that. (As long as it was EVERY major tournament, so everyone was on equal footing.)



I also think many people would be willing to write for the POP site for some minor payment (a few packs?). And I'm sure some people would be willing to write just for the sheer joy of sharing the game (I am one of those people, but since the POP site has nothing of the sort, I write for the next best website; the one you're on right now).

 

[ryanvergel]

The main idea of a game is to have fun. The person who created monopoly didn’t base the game around winning. Sure, there is going to be a winner, but the game was based around having fun. This same idea applies to every game. If the game becomes nothing more than winning, then how does a player go on if they don’t win? There must be some part of the fun that they still play the game for; if it’s seeing your friends and hanging out, or traveling across the nation and meeting new people. Nobody plays just to win.

By that logic no one would play the lottery. If you don't win, you keep trying. I have friends outside of the game. As much as I love all my pokemon friends, I travel to play the game and WIN the game- seeing friends is a nice thing too, but not why I showed up.

You're right, Ryan, in saying that there's no good reason for great players to cough up their lists.But you're wrong to write off people who don't invest as much time into the game as having worthless opinions. You're "better" than they are. So what? I believe that they have the right to ask for the SDs, just as those with the knowledge of those SDs have the right to withhold them.

I don't write off their opinions because I think I am better than them. I write off their opinions because they show ignorance about the subject for which they claim to have knowledge of. They know nothing of SDs but claim to know the best thing to do with them. How does that make any sense? Wouldn't the people who actually MAKE the SDs probably have a better understanding of what is best to do with them?

I've yet to see any post here showing that displaying an SD will help the game. The only thing anyone is even left to argue (since all other points have been rebuttled) is whether or not withholding SD "duds" hurts the game. Like I said before, what is the point of even posting a dud? So that some other player can use a dud and be unsuccessful? Isn't that more detrimental to the game than anything else? If I test a possible SD and it fails, why let anyone else see it? It's a bad idea. Why share bad ideas? Anyone can make a bad idea. They're not hard to come by. They're all over. I don't see how sharing bad ideas will help the community, and no one has shown any good argument as to why sharing bad ideas would help the community.

And correct me again if I am wrong, aren't you on record for calling the article sub-par?

Real nice, man. That comment was made in a private area of the forum. You're not supposed to disclose what is said there. It's private for a REASON you know. Let's just copy what's said in private areas of the site all over to make a point! The article, compared to the others, didn't get the same furnishing. It needed more work, which it unfortunately didn't get. Zach and Jimmy hadn't written archetype articles before, nor did they ever have the ability to use pictures or other functions to wildly before- why would they be expected to fly with them on the first go? I said it needed work, and I think compared to other articles it does. It's not as pretty. I never said the CONTENT needed work, I stressed it was aesthetically needing work. Next time you feel the need to make a point, do the following:
1. Make sure you're right (it helps to know about the very site you're moderating before you say there isn't an article when there clearly is).
2. Make sure to keep private information private.

Oh and Jimmy? Thanks for condemning the majority of the game just because you feel your superior. Your not a better person than anyone else just because you've done well in this game. The people on this forum might not give back anything of large quantity in the future, but it's only because people like you that don't allow them to grow as players by giving back to them in the first place.

Yes, people like him who write up articles for new players. Exactly. You don't give back, so you don't allow them to grow, so you're a bad person too, right? You wrote an article about your trip to nationals? Wowee, how did that help the community, or new players at all? At least Jimmy wrote an article. He's done a million times more to help new players grow than you have.

Instead of making all these posts chastising pros for not helping out (which they do, so you're completely off) you could help out yourself. You've posted ONE deck idea in the forum for the past YEAR. You've written ZERO articles for new players. You keep ranting on and one about how lacking the community is for new ideas, and good people to give ideas but you're a prime example (pun intended) of one of the people you so adamantly speak against. You don't post new ideas. You don't write articles. You make absolutely no sense to me. You're the ultimate example of a pot calling the kettle black. Here you are telling people they need to contribute more ideas and such to better the community, but you're not even doing what you're preaching. Why is that? You want others to do things (and half of them are but you ignore it) but don't do the things yourself.

But the path that the game is going down is not healthy at all. More and more people are adopting the practices of the more skilled players and forming groups and keeping their ideas secret. The community ceases to function. The community tries to cope with whatever is left, but it isn’t able to function without the added contributions from other people.

How is that the case? This is what I see. You notice a trend, which is more competitiveness. I see another trend that is going on at the same time: the number of players is booming. What happened when competition was cut off (15+ couldn't compete?) the game died. Competition is healthy and essential for the game. As competition has increased, so has participation. It seems to me that the conclusion you've drawn is dead wrong and contrary to what the data shows. There seems to be a positive correlation between level of competition and number of participants, which refutes your idea that the community is becoming stunted and hindered by increased competition.



The game has gotten more and more and more competitive in the last 3 years, and the numbers have all grown every year for the past three years. How would one reach the conclusion that competition is a hindrance to the health of the game? I don't see the logic. The only logical deduction is that the more competitive the game is the healthier it is!

That would mean that, in conclusion, combining every point:
a. more competition, better
b. there is no reason to share SDs (it does not help the pro or the noob)
c. there is no reason to share dud SDs (why share a bad idea? it's not like they're hard to come by. They're duds for a reason, they should be ignored and have something else tried in its place)


So, in conclusion, if you want to assist the community most do not disclose SDs, do not disclose bad ideas, and be as competitive as possible (while still retaining SotG).