In preparation of going after a PTQ win this year for Magic the Gathering, I’ve been reading a lot of game theory articles. In between all this I’ve also been reading various articles and forums on decks and deck-building. One particular trend I’ve noticed lately is a lot of “why is innovation in magic dead” articles appearing and complaints that “everyone is playing the same thing”.

I guess the symptoms of this problem came to a head at the Pro Tour before Worlds, where Elves made a mass appearance, even though several groups had thought they had come up with the deck independently.

I think there are a number of reasons these concerns may be on the rise:

1. Information sharing has become easier and easier. Between the forums, the social networking sites, the advice columns, MtGO, Workstation, etc, the ability to get an idea out into Magic society has never been easier, and keeping it a secret has never been harder. Unless you are a dedicated player with a hard-core group of playtesters who can keep their mouths shut, chances are any deck you try to test will be “in the wild” in a matter of days.

2. The definition of archetypes is strangling new ideas. Rock. Red Deck Wins. Zoo. Tron. Fish. TEPS. If you recognise any of those names, you recognise an archetype. And that means you’ve already got some preconceived ideas about how a deck should operate – Aggro. Control. Burn. What’s the enemy of a new idea? Preconception.

3. There is a mass of learned wisdom being passed down from places such as starcitygames.com, manadrain.com, tcgplayer.com and others. This includes analysis of upcoming cards and sets, deck lists, and archetypes, the metagame. All this is coming from MtGO heavyweights that have performed excellently on the Pro Tour. And it is, unquestioningly, good information.

But the unquestioningly is the problem.

Here’s what I’m not seeing in the Magic world – Challenge of the conventional wisdom. Aggressive debate. In depth study of the cards that the mavens have dismissed. What I am seeing: a lot of people congratulating agreeing with each other that certain decks are “good”. And you should use them.

You really should.

Don’t think for yourself.