MTG Salvation: Difference between revisions

From MTG Wiki
Jump to navigation Jump to search
VisualWikitext
im>Sneakyhomunculus
No edit summary
>Hunterofsalvation
 
(171 intermediate revisions by 27 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
'''MTGSalvation''' is a [[Magic: The Gathering]] website which focuses on Rumors and News. MTGS is most known for its spoilers which generally come weeks in advance of the pre-release of any given set. These spoilers are generated in the [[Rumor Mill]] and generally come from the sources of [[Rancored_Elf]] and to a lesser extent [[urzasseditives]]. The site also features daily articles, a Wiki, a Radar of magic websites as well as one of the more active magic forums online.
{{Infobox
| abovestyle  = {{Infobox sec|above}}
| labelstyle  = {{Infobox sec|label|width=30%}}
| above  = <big>MTG Salvation</big>
| image  = [[File:{{#setmainimage:Mtgs_logo.PNG}}|250px]]
| caption = Logo as of February 2017
| label1  = Type of site
| data1  = Spoilers and forums
| label2  = Website
| data2  = http://www.mtgsalvation.com
| label3  = Registration
| data3  = Required to post;<br/>part of the Fandom network
| label4  = Launched
| data4  = July{{start date and age|mf=yes|2004|07|11}}
}}
{{TOCright}}
'''MTG Salvation''' ('''MTGS''') is a website dedicated to ''[[Magic: The Gathering]]'' which focuses on Rumors and News. MTG Salvation hosts some of the more active ''Magic'' forums online, outliving the official forums on [[Magicthegathering.com]].


===Founding===
==Description==
MTGS claim to fame were the [[spoiler]]s which generally came weeks in advance of the [[prerelease]] of any given [[set]]. These spoilers were generated in the ''Rumor Mill'' and originally came from the sources of the user known as ''rancored_elf''. After the ''[[#Hasbro v. Rutter case|Hasbro v. Rutter]]'' lawsuit, ''Hydrokinesis'', ''Hunter'', ''Charlequin'', ''Captain Black'' and ''Urzassedatives'' became the main rumor mongers. In the latter years [[Wizards of the Coast]] has shut down most early spoiler leaks, and the Rumor Mill has become largely depended on controlled spoilers. However, there recently have been many leaks and spoilers from unofficial sources due to stolen product and mistakes with card distribution. It is known that members of ''Magic'' [[R&D]] frequent the forums.<ref>{{EzTumblr|http://markrosewater.tumblr.com/post/139886759898/does-rd-read-mtg-forums-to-take-the-pulse-of|title=Does R&D read mtg forums to take the pulse of enfranchised players?|February 23, 2016}}</ref>


MTGSalvation was founded on July 11, 2004 by [[Xenphire]]. The site was originally a IPB board hosted on Xenphire's personal server. The site was founded after the banning of Xenphire on [[MTGNews]] with him stating MTGSalvation to be free of bad administration and poor choices that ruled 'News. The purpose of MTGSalvation was to create an open environment and community based off of that of MTGNews. 'Salvation also aimed to put away "Forum Drama" for the betterment of the community. The achievement of this goal is still debated today.  
Other much frequented forums are concerned with ''Magic'' [[rules]], [[flavor]], [[Magic Online]], all separate game [[format]]s, creativity and trade. The site also features daily articles, the wiki you are reading right now, and a Radar of ''Magic''-related websites.  
===Name===
Officially, the website www.mtgsalvation.com is known as MTG Salvation; but MTGSalvation is a suitably interchangeable name.
{{cquote|Hmm, I think "officially" it's MTGSalvation and MTGS where it doesn't fit, but on the front page it's MTG Salvation and also everywhere in the forums... :)


The two days after its founding, MTGSalvation gained several members although most of them personal friends of the Founder. Then on September 3, 2004 when rumors of administrator Rancored_Elf leaving the site due to eternal problems began circulating within the public the member base once more grew, this time causing more mainstream users of MTGNews to join. At this time Sakabatou was named the second administrator.
So take your pick ;)
|Hannes<ref>[http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showpost.php?p=3101543&postcount=32 "'MTGSalvation', or 'MTG Salvation'?"] — MTG Salvation</ref>}}


===MTGNews Split===
"''MTGSally''" (also "''MTG Sally''" and simply "''Sally''") is a common nickname for MTG Salvation. The term was coined by ''sneakyhomunculus'' on 11 December 2005, in [http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showthread.php?p=670216&highlight=sally#post670216 this post].
[[Image:Logo1.jpeg|left|thumb|200 px|The initial look of MTGSalvation]]
While MTGSalvation had been a smaller community it grew into one of the larger ones on the internet on New Years Eve 2004. At midnight eastern standard time Rancored_Elf as well as other administrators and moderators announced their leaving of the site as a result of abuse and mistreatment by the current administration. Much of the community considered this the end of MTGNews, or at least MTGNews as they knew it. Due to this many were grappling for a new community to frequent and within minutes of the resignation links to MTGS began circulating the boards.  


Many decided to join and leave MTGN while others decided to stay at MTGN and see what happened. The growth of 'Salvation in the coming days was more than MTGN had ever seen; however, rivalry between the two sites and their members was great with MTGN head administrator [[Raa]] banning those with links to MTGS in their signatures while MTGS was warning those flaming MTGN. Rivalry between the two heated even more when Rancored_Elf decided to give the rumor of the card Frostling to MTGSalvation and soon after join the site.
== History ==
=== Founding ===
MTG Salvation was launched (as "MTGSalvation", with no space) on July 11, 2004. Its founder, Xenphire (also known as "The Numen, Kuberr"), created the new website after being banned on [[MTGNews]]. In September, rumors that rancored_elf, an administrator on MTGNews, might leave that site due to internal problems drew some attention to the newly launched alternative. Sakabatou was named MTG Salvation's second administrator.


===Early Changes===
=== MTGNews schism ===
On January 1, 2005, multiple staff members from MTGNews, including rancored_elf and urzassedatives, announced their resignation from that website, claiming grievances against its forum overseer, Subterranean Spirit. The MTGNews forums were spammed with links to MTG Salvation, and MTGNews locked its forums in response. Upon reopening, Subterranean Spirit enforced a policy of banning any reference to MTG Salvation. MTG Salvation's user count then spiked abruptly as a result of people leaving (or being forced to leave) MTGNews. This necessitated the rapid promotion of many moderators, often long-time MTGNews members who Xenphire recognized.
[[File:Logo1.jpeg|right|thumb|200 px|The initial look of MTG Salvation.]]


While the battle raged on MTGSalvation was going through drastic changes. Quickly going from a private site to a mainstream one many precedents had to be set, many of which still exist today. To handle such a large population a staff of moderators was quickly selected to handle these members, with Xenphire appointing them based on prior relationships and suspected moderational capabilities over the next few days.
Shortly thereafter, MTG Salvation accepted an offer of server space and a [[wikipedia:vBulletin|vBulletin]] license from Hannes, the owner of [[MagicCards.info]]. Magiccards.info served card images to MTG Salvation for many years. Also during January, MTG Salvation became the first site to compile a full [[spoiler]]  for ''[[Betrayers of Kamigawa]]''.
[[Image:Salv prev.gif|right|thumb|200 px|extremestan's winning logo]]
With the new staff in place the first order of business was to set-up a forum which could handle the new population. [[Hannes]] quickly purchased and supplied the vB license as well as server space and became owner of the site. The site also began preparations for a new frontpage that would include articles and at the time defunct Magic Radar of MTGNews. To accommodate the new frontpage a logo contest was created. The frontpage was to be modeled after whomever won with many submitting but the poll of the final five consisted of Ertai's, Yawgatog's, requinox's, Tawnos', and extremestan's. It was a close race between the two but in the end extremestan won by a two votes, edging Tawnos 97-95. The logo then went to the staff to design the rest of the frontpage around.


In the coming weeks many more additions were made. These included the introduction of a tournament series, the creation of a Salvation IRC Channel, the addition of many new vB tags, and a new Features Forum that included Artist Q&A and was run by [[M_Shumate]]. It was also at this time that the MTGSalvation Mission Statement was created. It reads as follows:
Xenphire began to make decisions which were controversial among the staff and members. An election was held among the moderators, in which he received zero votes. He retaliated by using his rank to demote many of the moderators and a co-administrator, Wolfwood. Sakabatou, the only other remaining administrator, then stripped ''Xenphire's'' administrator rank, and re-promoted the moderators. Following Xenphire's demotion, ownership of MTG Salvation was transferred to Hannes.


*MTG Salvation is a nonprofit community-based Magic: the Gathering site and forum, which upholds tolerance, entertainment, and fellowship as its core values. MTG Salvation is committed to providing a free and exciting place to discuss Magic news, rumors, strategy, rulings, trading, and more, in a progressive environment that changes to meet the needs of all members.
[[File:Logo2.gif|right|thumb|230 px|Front page in late 2005.]]
On February 14, the site updated with a new front page to support articles, and began running daily weekday articles. On March 3, new moderation and formatting options were introduced, along with recurring article, artwork, avatar, and signature contests. A feature was added allowing users to submit news for the front page. Around this time, administrators Wolfwood and Sakabatou stepped down, leaving only Belgareth in that role.


As all of these changes were occurring 'Salvation also solidified its status as the premier MTG rumor site on the internet by completing the [[Betrayers of Kamigawa]] spoiler far before any other site. However just as the site was settling in and the rivalry with MTGNews ending MTGSalvation began having problems of its own.
Increasing traffic led to outages during the summer, and some forum functionality was disabled to mitigate the load on the server. Toward the end of the year, a new server was purchased, and MTG Salvation began selling advertising space to [[StarCityGames]]. Goblinboy, sneakyhomunculus, and urzassedatives replaced Belgareth as administrators, a role also temporarily occupied by rancored_elf and Feyd Ruin.


===The Collaspe of Xenphire===
=== Hasbro v. Rutter ===
On January 19, [[2006]], [[Wizards of the Coast]] filed suit against Daron Rutter, alias rancored_elf, accusing him of sharing Wizards' proprietary information, in the form of [[playtest]] cards. At the same time, they submitted a [[Wikipedia:DMCA|DMCA]] claim with MTG Salvation's hosting company, demanding the removal of the same information.<ref>{{WebRef |url=https://www.wizards.com/Magic/Magazine/Article.aspx?x=company/pr/20060119a |title=Wizards of the Coast Takes Legal Action |author=Wizards of the Coast |date=2006-01-19 |archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20090604150230/https://www.wizards.com/Magic/Magazine/Article.aspx?x=company/pr/20060119a |archivedate=2009-06-04}}</ref><ref>{{DailyRef|making-magic/law-and-order-2006-06-19|Law and Order|[[Mark Rosewater]]|June 19, 2006}}</ref><ref>{{DailyRef|making-magic/timeshifting-gear-2006-10-02|Timeshifting Into Gear|Mark Rosewater|October 02, 2006}}</ref> Wizards of the Coast attempted to obtain summary judgment. Rutter received pro bono legal assistance from Jay Shergill, a lawyer and MTG Salvation user under the name Haloscope, and the case was ultimately settled out of court. The terms of the settlement are sealed, and in a statement on the MTG Salvation forums, Rutter said that he is "no longer interested in hearing any information about Wizards' products that aren't already publicly available".<ref>{{WebRef|url = http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showthread.php?t=32149|title = Wizards of the Coast vs. Daron Rutter: An Update|accessdate = 2006-09-02|author = Daron Rutter|date = 2006-02-18|publisher = MTGSalvation.com}}</ref><ref>{{WebRef|url = http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showthread.php?t=36468|title = Wizards vs. rancored_elf: the Resolution|accessdate = 2006-09-02|author = Daron Rutter|date = 2006-04-06|publisher = MTGSalvation.com}}</ref>


Although the lead administrator and the founder of MTGSalvation, Xenphire struggled with several members over various issues. Overall these events can be labeled as mistreatments of users and include the changing of usernames and custom tags as well as the addition of undesirable tags to users profile's based on prior relations with these users. Although this took place to several members the site was still growing and much of it went unnoticed until January 19 when it came to a head with the creation of the "[[Room with the Moose]]". As explained by its creator, Xenphire:
=== Later developments ===
[[File:MTGS logo 2007.gif|right|thumb|300 px|Frontpage January 2007]]
In June 2006, Goblinboy resigned, leaving urzassedatives and sneakyhomunculus. They opted not to appoint further administrators.


*You're entered into it when you get four warnings and would be suspended. It doesn't deny you access to the forums, all that appears is a forum for The Room With a Moose. They can't see the rest of the forum. They can post there (and yes there is a moose, a Moose room logo, and it's brown and white), but the posts don't count and smilies are turned off for Greater Justice(TM).
== Changes of ownership ==
=== Curse ===
In September 2012, it became known that the owners of MTG Salvation were in sale negotiations with [[Wikipedia:Curse LLC|Curse]], a network of gaming websites. The deal was finalized on December 17, 2012.<ref>[http://www.mtgsalvation.com/forums/community-forums/community-discussion/402004-mtgsalvation-acquired-by-curse MTG Salvation acquired by Curse]</ref> The MTG Salvation Wiki became a part of Curse's Gamepedia.


This and other statements caused outrage among some, many of those included staff. Due to his lack of support Xenphire felt that he had chose the wrong moderator team. As a result he decided to de-mod the entire staff with the exception of [[Sakabatou]] who he expected to support his decision. However he was mistaken and upon Sakabatou's seeing of the site Xenphire was de-modded and the rest of the staff re-modded by Sakabatou. This caused much discussion within the staff and on January 21st it was announced by Xenphire that he was going on vacation. This vacation began a phasing out complete within a few weeks that left Xenphire powerless as just another member.
=== Twitch ===
In 2016, [[Wikipedia:Amazon (company)|Amazon]]-owned [[Wikipedia:Twitch.tv|Twitch]] purchased the entirety of Curse, including MTG Salvation and Gamepedia.<ref>{{WebRef |url=https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/twitch-is-swallowing-up-the-entire-curse-brand/|title=Twitch is swallowing up the entire Curse brand|date=August 17, 2016|author=Jon Martindale|publisher=Kitguru.Net}}</ref>


===The Three Admin Era===
=== Fandom ===
[[Image:Logo2.gif|left|thumb|230 px|Frontpage circa post-Xen]]
In December 2018, Twitch sold most of Curse's properties, including MTG Salvation and Gamepedia, to [[Wikipedia:Wikia|Fandom]].<ref>{{WebRef |url=https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/damien-cox/twitch-is-selling-curse-media-to-wikias-fandom/|title=Twitch is selling Curse Media to Wikia’s Fandom|date=December 13, 2018|author=Damian Mason|publisher=Kitguru.Net}}</ref>  Fandom is a wiki hosting service previously known as Wikia; its websites are often subtitled as a part of "FANDOM powered by Wikia".<ref>{{WebRef |url=https://curseweb.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/360013682854-Curse-Media-and-Fandom-are-joining-forces-Non-EEA-|title=Curse Media And Fandom Are Joining Forces!||date=December, 2018|publisher=Curseweb.com}}</ref>
This caused a pause in developments for almost three weeks in which much was planned within the [[Mod Lounge]] and the future was paved. During this time few public statements were made by the staff as to the future with the forums just continuing on. But then on February 14 the future was made very clear. The new frontpage was launched to much avail although not featuring extremestan's original logo but instead a new commissioned piece of Tawnos'. This caused some controversy which, however, soon died with much more to celebrate at the time than to criticize for at the same time. Articles and the new staff were announced. On February 14 the new article page hit, kicking off a run of daily weekday articles that continues to this day. The new staff was also made official. It is as follows:


*'''Owner'''
=== Magic Find ===
**Hannes
It was announced that the MTG Salvation forums would be closing on July 8, 2019. Fandom and its development team "[could] no longer justify the development, infrastructure, and maintenance costs of the site".<ref>{{DailyRef|https://www.mtgsalvation.com/articles/49777-the-end-of-an-era|The End of an Era|Feyd_Ruin|May 29, 2019}}</ref> However, in June of that year it was revealed that instead of closing, the forums would be sold to the [https://magicfind.us/ Magic Find] platform.<ref>{{DailyRef|https://www.mtgsalvation.com/articles/49778-a-new-and-exciting-beginning|A New and Exciting Beginning|Chaud|June 13, 2019}}</ref>
*'''Administrators'''
**Belgareth
**Sakabatou
**Wolfwood
*'''Technicians'''
**Darth Cow
**Feyd_Ruin
*'''Global Moderators'''
**ButteBlues18
**Lance
**rancored_elf
*'''Moderators'''
**Alex
**Craven
**Fadeblue
**Goblinboy
**IxidorVersionTwo
**Laika
**Lance
**Onikani
**PlanesJaywalker
**Qwerty
**Senori
**sneakyhomunculus
**Stax
**stu55
**urzassedatives


The new staff's first move was to firm up the biggest question left by the first. On March 3 the new Warning System was announced, one still in use today. The new staff also added many tags still in use today, most notably the /me tag. It was also announced that Salvation would begin running an Article of the Month contest to promote and reward their writers. This was followed up by the announcement that users could now submit news for the frontpage as well, a feature still in use today although only taken advantage by a few members. It was now the 'Salvation also began running a monthly artwork contest in the artwork forum as well as a weekly avatar and signature contest within the Avatar&Signature forum.
The sale to ''Magic Find'' was unexpected to the staff of MTGS. They had been building something of their own, called ''MTGNexus'', and were continuing to do that. MTGSalvation would continue, but much of the current staff was leaving for their new venture.


===The One Admin Era===
==MTGS Wiki==
[[File:MTGS Wiki.png|right]]
The MTGS Wiki is a project that was initiated on 13 December 2005. On 14 December 2005, ''Hannes'', the bureaucrat of MTGS Wiki, changed group memberships of ''SorryGuy'', ''VestDan'', ''Voice of All'', and v''otan'' from "(none)" to "sysop" (system operator), making them the first four administrators or "mods" of MTGS Wiki.<ref>[http://wiki.mtgsalvation.com/index.php?title=Special%3ALog&type=rights&user=&page= MTG Wiki User rights log]</ref> Between 2007 and 2009 nine different admins were added to the roster. From these, ''GeoMike'', ''Oracle of Truth'' and ''Magic Mage'' would remain active for the longest time. ''Magic Mage'' would become known for her eloquence, impulsivity, and a (too) intricate system of categorization. In 2012, after a pause of three years, some new admins were appointed (e.g. ''Hunter'' and ''Barinellos'').


Near the end of June it was announced that the following were leaving the staff:
===Curse takeover===
''Magic Mage's'' reign ended in January of the following year, when too many pages were locked and too many users blocked for no apparent reason. By that time, the wiki was in dire straits and plagued by spam-bots. In that same month, however, MTG Salvation was taken over by [[Wikipedia:Curse LLC|Curse LLC]] which provided many improvements. In September 2013, Curse moved the wiki to a new server and to their own log-in system on [[Wikipedia:Gamepedia|Gamepedia]]. Since then, admins have come and gone, but the contents are gradually growing and improving.


*Laika
===MTG Wiki===
*Sneakyhomunculus
On February 22, 2017 the name of the wiki was changed to 'MTG Wiki', steering an independent course from MTG Salvation.
*Stu_55
*Wolfwood


Although two have now returned and another has carried on in a advertorial role replacements were at the time necessary. There were as follows:
===Merge with Fandom wiki===
After the [[Wikipedia:Fandom (website)|Fandom]] takeover of 2018 there were two wiki's about ''Magic: The Gathering'' in the hands of the same owner. Admins, mods and staff from both Fandom and Gamepedia decided to merge the [https://mtg-archive.fandom.com/ Fandom wiki] with the Gamepedia wiki you are reading right now.<ref>{{WebRef |url=https://mtg.fandom.com/wiki/User_blog:HolyCrap_WOTF/Joining_Forces|title=Joining Forces|author=HolyCrap_WOTF|date=March 14, 2019|publisher=Mtg.fandom.com}}</ref> In November 2020, it was announced that all Gamepedia wikis would be moved to a Fandom.com domain in early 2021, to ensure a  larger search result visibility.<ref>{{WebRef|url=https://community.fandom.com/wiki/User_blog:MisterWoodhouse/The_Future_of_Gamepedia|title=The Future of Gamepedia|author=Mister Woodhouse|date=November 4, 2020|publisher=Fandom.com}}</ref> A part of a test batch, the MTG wiki was moved early on December 2, 2020. At the same time, the original Fandom wiki was moved to the [https://mtg-archive.fandom.com/ archive].


*[[Magic Software]] - [[JDSki]]
==Gallery==
*[[Clans]] - [[Votan]]
<gallery>
*[[Type 2]] - [[Onikani]], [[Crazed Mike]], [[HKKID]]
File:SorryGuy - MTGS - 1.jpg| Forum banner circa 2005
*[[Type 1.x]] - [[IxidorVersionTwo]], [[HKKID]]
File:MTGS_logo_2007.gif| Forum banner circa 2007
*[[Block Constructed]] - [[Raia]]
File:MTGS_Wiki.gif| Wiki logo circa 2005
*[[Limited]] - [[Raia]]
File:MTGSbanner.jpg| 2007 banner (hi res)
*[[Storyline]] - [[The Squirle master]]
</gallery>
*[[Artwork]] - [[PlanesJaywalker]]
*[[Personal Writing]] - [[PlanesJaywaker]]
*[[Humor]] - [[Goblinboy]]


It was also announced at this time that Goblinboy and [[Qwerty]] had both been promoted to Global Moderator status. Also, although never officially announced or mentioned Sakabotu had also left the site in April.
==References==
{{reflist}}


In time between moderator applications and selections several changes were made. First of all a [[Judge's Forum]] was added to Salvation which allowed judges to have their own community to discuss common issues and tough rulings calls. In addition another new logo was announced, this time by [[Bateluer]].
==External links==
*[http://mtgsalvation.com/ MTG Salvation]
*[http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showthread.php?t=60839 "The 2006 Sally Nostalgia thread..."] — MTG Salvation
*[http://www.last.fm/group/MTGSalvation MTG Salvation group] at Last.fm


[[Category:MTGSalvation]]
{{Websites}}

Latest revision as of 09:59, 25 June 2024

MTG Salvation
[[File:{{#setmainimage:Mtgs_logo.PNG}}|250px]]
Logo as of February 2017
Type of site Spoilers and forums
Website http://www.mtgsalvation.com
Registration Required to post;
part of the Fandom network
Launched July 11, 2004; 20 years ago (2004-07-11)

MTG Salvation (MTGS) is a website dedicated to Magic: The Gathering which focuses on Rumors and News. MTG Salvation hosts some of the more active Magic forums online, outliving the official forums on Magicthegathering.com.

Description

MTGS claim to fame were the spoilers which generally came weeks in advance of the prerelease of any given set. These spoilers were generated in the Rumor Mill and originally came from the sources of the user known as rancored_elf. After the Hasbro v. Rutter lawsuit, Hydrokinesis, Hunter, Charlequin, Captain Black and Urzassedatives became the main rumor mongers. In the latter years Wizards of the Coast has shut down most early spoiler leaks, and the Rumor Mill has become largely depended on controlled spoilers. However, there recently have been many leaks and spoilers from unofficial sources due to stolen product and mistakes with card distribution. It is known that members of Magic R&D frequent the forums.[1]

Other much frequented forums are concerned with Magic rules, flavor, Magic Online, all separate game formats, creativity and trade. The site also features daily articles, the wiki you are reading right now, and a Radar of Magic-related websites.

Name

Officially, the website www.mtgsalvation.com is known as MTG Salvation; but MTGSalvation is a suitably interchangeable name.

“  Hmm, I think "officially" it's MTGSalvation and MTGS where it doesn't fit, but on the front page it's MTG Salvation and also everywhere in the forums... :)

So take your pick ;)

 ”

—Hannes[2]

"MTGSally" (also "MTG Sally" and simply "Sally") is a common nickname for MTG Salvation. The term was coined by sneakyhomunculus on 11 December 2005, in this post.

History

Founding

MTG Salvation was launched (as "MTGSalvation", with no space) on July 11, 2004. Its founder, Xenphire (also known as "The Numen, Kuberr"), created the new website after being banned on MTGNews. In September, rumors that rancored_elf, an administrator on MTGNews, might leave that site due to internal problems drew some attention to the newly launched alternative. Sakabatou was named MTG Salvation's second administrator.

MTGNews schism

On January 1, 2005, multiple staff members from MTGNews, including rancored_elf and urzassedatives, announced their resignation from that website, claiming grievances against its forum overseer, Subterranean Spirit. The MTGNews forums were spammed with links to MTG Salvation, and MTGNews locked its forums in response. Upon reopening, Subterranean Spirit enforced a policy of banning any reference to MTG Salvation. MTG Salvation's user count then spiked abruptly as a result of people leaving (or being forced to leave) MTGNews. This necessitated the rapid promotion of many moderators, often long-time MTGNews members who Xenphire recognized.

The initial look of MTG Salvation.

Shortly thereafter, MTG Salvation accepted an offer of server space and a vBulletin license from Hannes, the owner of MagicCards.info. Magiccards.info served card images to MTG Salvation for many years. Also during January, MTG Salvation became the first site to compile a full spoiler for Betrayers of Kamigawa.

Xenphire began to make decisions which were controversial among the staff and members. An election was held among the moderators, in which he received zero votes. He retaliated by using his rank to demote many of the moderators and a co-administrator, Wolfwood. Sakabatou, the only other remaining administrator, then stripped Xenphire's administrator rank, and re-promoted the moderators. Following Xenphire's demotion, ownership of MTG Salvation was transferred to Hannes.

Front page in late 2005.

On February 14, the site updated with a new front page to support articles, and began running daily weekday articles. On March 3, new moderation and formatting options were introduced, along with recurring article, artwork, avatar, and signature contests. A feature was added allowing users to submit news for the front page. Around this time, administrators Wolfwood and Sakabatou stepped down, leaving only Belgareth in that role.

Increasing traffic led to outages during the summer, and some forum functionality was disabled to mitigate the load on the server. Toward the end of the year, a new server was purchased, and MTG Salvation began selling advertising space to StarCityGames. Goblinboy, sneakyhomunculus, and urzassedatives replaced Belgareth as administrators, a role also temporarily occupied by rancored_elf and Feyd Ruin.

Hasbro v. Rutter

On January 19, 2006, Wizards of the Coast filed suit against Daron Rutter, alias rancored_elf, accusing him of sharing Wizards' proprietary information, in the form of playtest cards. At the same time, they submitted a DMCA claim with MTG Salvation's hosting company, demanding the removal of the same information.[3][4][5] Wizards of the Coast attempted to obtain summary judgment. Rutter received pro bono legal assistance from Jay Shergill, a lawyer and MTG Salvation user under the name Haloscope, and the case was ultimately settled out of court. The terms of the settlement are sealed, and in a statement on the MTG Salvation forums, Rutter said that he is "no longer interested in hearing any information about Wizards' products that aren't already publicly available".[6][7]

Later developments

Frontpage January 2007

In June 2006, Goblinboy resigned, leaving urzassedatives and sneakyhomunculus. They opted not to appoint further administrators.

Changes of ownership

Curse

In September 2012, it became known that the owners of MTG Salvation were in sale negotiations with Curse, a network of gaming websites. The deal was finalized on December 17, 2012.[8] The MTG Salvation Wiki became a part of Curse's Gamepedia.

Twitch

In 2016, Amazon-owned Twitch purchased the entirety of Curse, including MTG Salvation and Gamepedia.[9]

Fandom

In December 2018, Twitch sold most of Curse's properties, including MTG Salvation and Gamepedia, to Fandom.[10] Fandom is a wiki hosting service previously known as Wikia; its websites are often subtitled as a part of "FANDOM powered by Wikia".[11]

Magic Find

It was announced that the MTG Salvation forums would be closing on July 8, 2019. Fandom and its development team "[could] no longer justify the development, infrastructure, and maintenance costs of the site".[12] However, in June of that year it was revealed that instead of closing, the forums would be sold to the Magic Find platform.[13]

The sale to Magic Find was unexpected to the staff of MTGS. They had been building something of their own, called MTGNexus, and were continuing to do that. MTGSalvation would continue, but much of the current staff was leaving for their new venture.

MTGS Wiki

The MTGS Wiki is a project that was initiated on 13 December 2005. On 14 December 2005, Hannes, the bureaucrat of MTGS Wiki, changed group memberships of SorryGuy, VestDan, Voice of All, and votan from "(none)" to "sysop" (system operator), making them the first four administrators or "mods" of MTGS Wiki.[14] Between 2007 and 2009 nine different admins were added to the roster. From these, GeoMike, Oracle of Truth and Magic Mage would remain active for the longest time. Magic Mage would become known for her eloquence, impulsivity, and a (too) intricate system of categorization. In 2012, after a pause of three years, some new admins were appointed (e.g. Hunter and Barinellos).

Curse takeover

Magic Mage's reign ended in January of the following year, when too many pages were locked and too many users blocked for no apparent reason. By that time, the wiki was in dire straits and plagued by spam-bots. In that same month, however, MTG Salvation was taken over by Curse LLC which provided many improvements. In September 2013, Curse moved the wiki to a new server and to their own log-in system on Gamepedia. Since then, admins have come and gone, but the contents are gradually growing and improving.

MTG Wiki

On February 22, 2017 the name of the wiki was changed to 'MTG Wiki', steering an independent course from MTG Salvation.

Merge with Fandom wiki

After the Fandom takeover of 2018 there were two wiki's about Magic: The Gathering in the hands of the same owner. Admins, mods and staff from both Fandom and Gamepedia decided to merge the Fandom wiki with the Gamepedia wiki you are reading right now.[15] In November 2020, it was announced that all Gamepedia wikis would be moved to a Fandom.com domain in early 2021, to ensure a larger search result visibility.[16] A part of a test batch, the MTG wiki was moved early on December 2, 2020. At the same time, the original Fandom wiki was moved to the archive.

Gallery

  • Forum banner circa 2005

    Forum banner circa 2005

  • Forum banner circa 2007

    Forum banner circa 2007

  • Wiki logo circa 2005

    Wiki logo circa 2005

  • 2007 banner (hi res)

    2007 banner (hi res)

References

  1. ↑ Mark Rosewater (February 23, 2016). "Does R&D read mtg forums to take the pulse of enfranchised players?". Blogatog. Tumblr.
  2. ↑ "'MTGSalvation', or 'MTG Salvation'?" — MTG Salvation
  3. ↑ Wizards of the Coast (2006-01-19). "Wizards of the Coast Takes Legal Action". Archived from the original on 2009-06-04.
  4. ↑ Mark Rosewater (June 19, 2006). "Law and Order". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  5. ↑ Mark Rosewater (October 02, 2006). "Timeshifting Into Gear". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  6. ↑ Daron Rutter (2006-02-18). "Wizards of the Coast vs. Daron Rutter: An Update". MTGSalvation.com. Retrieved on 2006-09-02.
  7. ↑ Daron Rutter (2006-04-06). "Wizards vs. rancored_elf: the Resolution". MTGSalvation.com. Retrieved on 2006-09-02.
  8. ↑ MTG Salvation acquired by Curse
  9. ↑ Jon Martindale (August 17, 2016). "Twitch is swallowing up the entire Curse brand". Kitguru.Net.
  10. ↑ Damian Mason (December 13, 2018). "Twitch is selling Curse Media to Wikia’s Fandom". Kitguru.Net.
  11. ↑ Curse Media And Fandom Are Joining Forces!. Curseweb.com (December, 2018).
  12. ↑ Feyd_Ruin (May 29, 2019). "The End of an Era". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  13. ↑ Chaud (June 13, 2019). "A New and Exciting Beginning". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  14. ↑ MTG Wiki User rights log
  15. ↑ HolyCrap_WOTF (March 14, 2019). "Joining Forces". Mtg.fandom.com.
  16. ↑ Mister Woodhouse (November 4, 2020). "The Future of Gamepedia". Fandom.com.

External links

Magic websites
Offical websites
Tournament organizers
Fansites
Webcomics
Defunct
Retrieved from "https://mtg.wiki/index.php?title=MTG_Salvation&oldid=22023"