GoingMadlem

Competitive casuals are the ones buying cards for decks they'll never play "just in case", they're the players funding the SCG circuit, they're the ones buying box after box of new product, and they're the ones paying for premium content. They don't expect an ROI...

They love to play the game and doing well on a given weekend is usually enough reward. Competitive casuals are the players that flooded the old PTQ system for a shot at a plane ticket to an exotic Pro Tour location. They're also the players that dumped the game when PPTQs came

to be the qualification path. Competitive casuals are Magic's middle class and while I feel some sympathy for the "pros" complaining that they "don't have a clear path", I'm also seeing more players are just enjoying the game and engaging with streamers that they can relate to.

Maybe Wizards is right to decentralize the Magic narrative... they never really caught on to creating compelling content anyway.

While having a pantheon of "great" players is probably good for the game, people are growing tired of those that are literally getting the most out of the game we're pouring our time and money into complaining "it's not enough". If the Pro Tour showed positive dividends...

WotC would pump more money into it. If the pros were really a draw, they'd be drawing sponsorship outside of Magic websites and card sleeve companies. Steamers like @SaffronOlive provide regular content multiple times a week that is more compelling than any of the PT coverage