able archer wrote: ↑3 years ago
Different case studies. For Lutri, the RC was told by WotC in advance, "hey this card that would really mess up the format is coming, you should ban him." No such communications for TWD cards have been made/discussed, so the RC could really foul up their goodwill with WotC by undermining their authority with a ban.
I don't think it's that much of a leap, although to be fair it probably meets ban criteria (at this point in time) on a different axis than Lutri did, that of perceived financial barrier to entry. That doesn't see much use anymore with the RL fixated as it is, and very few cards worth thousands, and while these won't get there, the fact that most of the world will never see them is probably enough to push them over the line. I guess if they're ever reprinted it could change, but things do come off the banlist, so it's not like it's a forever thing.
Also -
viewtopic.php?f=38&t=16
Personally the way I see it is the RC is there to look after the health of the format as best they see fit, not to endorse the %$#% business practices of a corporation looking to make a quick buck from exclusive premium product. In fact, in a format that proclaims itself for the people primarily, I don't see how they could do anything other than at least issue a temporary ban or advocate for rule 0 here, especially when a significant portion of the community has gone out of its way to make itself known.
As an aside, what a weird fandom to represent - as
@Dunharrow said, if LOTR were the pick, I'd be a lot more tempted. It's all a moot point from NZ though, at present I'll never see these products. I couldn't care less, I have no interest in TWD whatsoever, but if it were Middle Earth/Tolkien, I'd be pissed. I sing the Misty Mountain song to my kid every night to get him to sleep, more or less visit Hobbiton annually and rewatch the movies/reread the books on a regular basis, so I'd 100% want the preciouses.
Nonetheless, I don't really like the idea of WotC bleeding over into fandoms as a rule - it feels a bit like cheating on the lore of the multiverse, and while the story arcs have been patchy in places, it still feels a bit like jumping the shark, which to me is worse than a bad story arc. Especially for something so definitively real life inspired. It's just a bit cringe.