The recent MTG Goldfish podcast dropped a bomb that should make every hobbyist flinch: Standard decks are creeping toward a $1,000 price point. For those of us who grew up counting copper pieces in Greyhawk or measuring line-of-sight in 40k, that number feels like a critical failure on the hobby's sustainability check. When a competitive entry fee rivals a high-end PC, we aren't talking about a game anymore; we are talking about an asset class.

From a crunch perspective, this financial bloat is driven by a meta that demands perfection. In any TTRPG, if a specific feat or subclass is broken, a GM can just ban it or homebrew a fix at the table. In Magic, the 'errata' comes in the form of a ban list update that can turn a four-hundred-dollar playset of mythics into expensive coasters overnight. This creates a volatile environment where the rules of the game are tied directly to your bank account's hit points. The mechanics of the current Standard environment demand high-rarity staples, leaving budget builds in the dust and making 'kitchen table' play feel like an entirely different sport.

The fluff side of the hobby is suffering from a massive disconnect. The lore of Magic is built on the idea of Planeswalkers traversing the Multiverse, but the reality is a gatekeeper standing at the door of your local game store asking for a grand just to sit down. This financial gatekeeping erodes the community spirit. Part of the appeal of tabletop gaming is the low barrier to entry. You grab a Player's Handbook, some dice, and you are a hero. When the 'standard' way to play requires this much capital, the narrative of the game becomes secondary to the cost of the cardboard.

Table feel is where this hurts most. Playing a game should be about tactical decisions and social interaction, not the anxiety of shuffling a deck that costs more than your monthly rent. When every game is a high-stakes financial transaction, the casual camaraderie that defines our hobby evaporates. We need to ask if we are building a community or just a showroom for the wealthy. If the 'Gathering' part of Magic becomes exclusive to those with deep pockets, the tabletop ecosystem as a whole suffers.