[derefr]

> as do defenders of the "sport"

People who buy Pokemon/MtG cards have an interesting relationship with WotC.

They're usually perfectly willing to buy cards on the secondary market (which doesn't make WotC money) but they're constitutionally unable to play "real" (non-"casual") matches — even in tournaments WotC has no relationship to! — if the cards are https://mtg.fandom.com/wiki/Proxy_card s.

I've never been clear on what the difference is. Both the secondary market, and proxies, result in perfectly usable cards, and result in WotC making no money from you. But one's acceptable to the community, while the other very much isn't.

I have a feeling it's probably to do with the community having a lot of collectors in it, who want their rare cards to retain value, and who fear that that value would be lost if there's no reason to play with the card, only to hide it away in a binder while playing with a proxy.

[gpderetta]

WotC of course strongly benefits indirectly from the secondary market as it makes packs more desirables (and in fact packs and boxes are priced close to their Expected Value). It is not a surprise that they are strongly opposed to proxies. And most non-WotC tournament organizers of course have strong relationships with WotC.