Hi all!   Well, you're reading this, so this is my first posted article with
Pojo.  I'd like to clear the air about archetypes.  Some of us hate them
some of us love them.  Me?  I haven't quite made up my mind yet.  Please
allow me to explain why.

First, what's an archetype?  To finally get this straight, I'd like to call
on my friend Webster's dictionary.

archetype, n.  (ah, yep, that's what we're looking for)

1.  idea    (hmm, I think we can get more specific)

2.  An inherited idea or mode of thought in the psychology of C.G. Jung
(sounds like "young") that is derived from the experience of the (human)
race and is present in the unconscious of the individual.   (well, we got
more specific, didn't we??)

3.  the original pattern or model of wich all things of the same type are
representations or copies; a perfect example. (that's the one we want!)

Each of the three definitions is at the very least entertaining.  Of course,
an archetype is an "idea"  that doesn't really surprise us, does it??

But the second definition is kinda funny.  Basically it says that we all
have an "inner child" that has been playing haymakers since the beginning of
time.  So of course the rest of us are naturally drawn to these decks in
reality.  I'd like to know how my "inner child" got the $$ for 4 blastoises!

3.  This is where the "copycat" accusations come from.  A good idea gets
turned into a talked about idea gets turned into a trend gets turned into
people being "unoriginal".  Seems likely, but that argument denies
definition #1, that someone just had an idea.

I also remember something that Scott Gerhardt once said on a message board. 
I can't remember the exact quote, but he explained that there was a
difference between an "archetype" and a "popular deck".  For example, the
original haymaker was a great deck idea that got copied.  This is also true
of Scott's Sponge.  These decks were seperate ideas that were part of the
same archetype: the basic beatdown deck idea.  But they were not archetypes
to themselves.

This got me to thinking.  There are only truly three decks.  Why?? Because
there are only three ways to win.  You can either draw prizes faster than
your opponent, empty your opponent's bench before your own is emptied, or
create a situation where your opponent must draw is final card before you.

So there are only three natural decks to play.  One is to draw prizes the
fastest, one is to empty the bench, and one is to draw cards slower.  We
call these "turbo decks" "beatdown decks" and "stall decks".

This doesn't mean that every deck is of this kind, but these three will
always have the natural advantage.  Speed kills.  Big fast attacks are
necessary. Stalls, well, they stall.

In short, archetypes don't get played because people are mindless zombies,
they get played because they make PERFECT SENSE.  Just because something is
a "perfect" example" doesn't mean it doesn't have a strategy.  In fact, it
has an IDEAL strategy that should be copied and passed on for the ages. 
Like Star Wars.

One final note:  archetype is a combo of two greek words.  "Arch" usually
means "high", "great", or "top".  "Typos" means "type", "thing", etc.  You
know, "stuff".

So this word is literally   "The Good Stuff."  Don't ban the good stuff. 
Even if it is boring.

Thanks,

Jay
hannibalj@hotmail.com