MTG Strategist

Recent events have forced some good changes for the nomination process.  Nominations continue to flow in.  At last count we were approaching 500.  Your enthusiasm for the program is inspiring. I have received many messages in the last week.  Most were of encouragement, and I sincerely appreciate it.  It steels my resolve to craft the awards into something that the community as a whole can enjoy. I have also received advice on who I should promptly remove from the nominee list.  I also appreciate those who took the time to contact me with this information.  It has helped me better define the bounds of these awards. The rules, as stated on the MTGCCA website, defer much of my decision making to the Wizards of the Coast Code of Conduct. ( HERE )   The most pertinent passages are quoted below: -Do not use, post, distribute or link to obscene, pornographic, sexually explicit, graphically or gratuitously violent, derogatory, demeaning, malicious, defamatory, abusive, offensive, ha

Criticism is nothing to hide from.  You do not have to be afraid of someone voicing their opinion.  I have received a lot of criticism over the last few days and many of my friends rushed to see how I was handling it.  Some rushed to add another layer of criticism, and some backed away from me slowly, not wanting to be contaminated by our relationship.  I feel obligated to explain my reaction and my feelings. Before I go any further, I have to give you a little bit of history about myself.  I am not a child by any stretch of the imagination.  I've been a professional member of the military for many years.  I've been all around the world and have seen the type of things that only members of the military are privileged and cursed to see.  I've lived through moments that have shaped who I am as a person and moments that have inspired me to strive for who I want to be.    I've seen this term ' outrage culture ' thrown around as an explanation for why some people

I would like to first sincerely apologize for advertising a nominee who was fired by Star City Games for allegedly sexually harassing women.  My ignorance on the subject was quickly identified, but it was too late to take back any of the additional pain that I caused or could have caused by  irresponsibly throwing out  that name.  To the alleged victims of those acts, please accept my humble apology. This is the second year of this award program, and while I wish that I did not have to learn lessons this way, this event did bring to light a missing piece of this program.  My enthusiasm for getting content creators' names into the public cannot be overshadowed by my responsibility to vet every nominee prior to releasing those names.  Researching individuals by myself for violations of the Wizards of the Coast Code of Conduct is difficult.  And vetting these individuals publicly is not an option due to the possible damage to the integrity of the awards program and the pain that cou