ER has a made a few valid points regarding the decks in the environment
now, but I would like to make a few points of my own.
    First of all, when I set my alarm on a Sunday morning to wake up and go
to a tournament, I'm taking a considerable chunk out of my day to be able to
play a tournament.  If I do not win at the tournament, the primary goal for
the day has not been accomplished.  Yes, it's fun to hang out and have a
good afternoon of playing and trading and generally not working, but the
main goal is winning.
    I try to win in several different ways.  In the days before a tournament
I will often playtest with several new decks in an effort to try to find one
that is competative.  While I like Haymaker's Potpourri and do feel it is
the best deck out there right now, if I can find something I feel I can be
competative with, I'll play it.  The problem is that here in DFW, we have
some of the best players in the world.  I have to go to smaller,
lesser-known tournaments to be able to play my new creations.  When I play a
98-man tournament like the last one at Rama Llama, playing anything less
than what I feel is the best deck will find me coming up short - way short.
Also consider the fact that Rama Llama is DCI sanctioned, and I don't wanna
see my rating (what IS my rating anyway?) take a huge dive because I wanted
to get cutsie that week - that is what Magic is for.
    Maybe I take the game too seriously, or maybe I take the time I invest
into the game too seriously, but in my opinion, I get the most enjoyment out
of winning.  The more I win, the more I enjoy myself.  My goal is to have as
much fun as the tournament will allow, and that means playing something I
know will win.  If people want me to stop playing Potpourri, they will have
to find a foil and then use it against me.  Once I get a nice 3-3 record
with my "monster", I'll probably go hunting with a new beast.  In the
meanwhile, going 7-0-1 is not gonna change my mind very much.

Scott "Simba" Gerhardt