"Just Simply Get Cards": How 'Daytime Lantern' Energy Will Kill Riot's New TCG Faster Than Any Banlist

Riot's new TCG is finally hitting the tables, and the hype is real. But you know what else is real? The supply shortages. The scalper prices. The fact that getting a playset of the meta staples right now requires either a bot network or a second mortgage.

In a healthy community, especially during a launch window where product is scarce, we usually have a gentleman's agreement: Let people play. If that means running a few proxies at a chill Tuesday night local so the tournament actually fires, so be it.

But then, there is Daytime Lantern.

The Anatomy of a Scene Killer

If you haven't met a guy like Daytime Lantern, count yourself lucky. He's the guy who confuses his wallet with his skill level. He's the guy who thinks the "Trading" part of TCG stands for "Gatekeeping." And recently, he dropped some of the most scorching bad takes in the Discord that perfectly illustrate how to strangle a game in its crib.

The "I'd Like to Speak to the Manager" Strategy

It started with a discussion about proxies at local events. Most reasonable people agree: until stock stabilizes, proxies keep the scene alive. Daytime Lantern disagrees.

Daytime Lantern: "I know I would [report the store] if I went to a store tournament and got beat by proxies."

Read that again. He wouldn't report the store because they were breaking the law. He wouldn't report them to protect the IP. He explicitly stated he would report a Local Game Store—the lifeblood of the community—if he got beat.

This isn't about integrity. It's about pay-to-win. It's the admission that "I paid for an advantage, and if I lose to someone who printed a card on paper, my investment didn't buy me the win I felt entitled to."

"Just Simply Get Cards"

When pressed on the fact that product is impossible to find (Captain Ezekiel rightly noted the "current card and economic climate"), Lantern's advice was groundbreaking:

Daytime Lantern: "Just simply get cards."

Pack it up, boys. Solved poverty. Solved supply chains. Just get the cards.

He followed this up with the ultimate flex:

"That sounds like not my problem. I have 3x of every card."

And there it is. The "I Got Mine" mentality.

The Death of a Scene

Here is the hard truth that players like Daytime Lantern don't understand: You cannot play a TCG by yourself.

You can have 3x of every Chase Rare. You can have the shiny foils. You can have the officially licensed playmat. But if you:

• Snitch on your LGS for allowing proxies during a product drought
• Alienate the budget players
• Tell the college kid trying to learn the game to "just simply get cards"

...you are going to find yourself sitting alone at an empty table.

As Horza pointed out in the chat, most people aren't proxying to cheat; they are proxying to playtest or to fill gaps for $100 staples they literally cannot buy yet.

The Domino Effect

If you push those people out:

1. The store stops running events — not enough players to fire
2. The product stops being ordered — no demand means no stock
3. The game dies in your area — and eventually everywhere

My response to him in the chat remains my stance:

"Will be your problem when nobody plays the game."

The Right Way Forward

A thriving TCG community is built on accessibility, not exclusivity. During launch windows and supply crunches, the smart move is:

• Allow proxies at casual locals — let people learn and playtest
• Welcome budget players — they become invested players over time
• Support your LGS — they're taking risks to build your scene
• Compete on skill, not wallet size — that's what makes games fun

The whales who buy everything day one need the casual players to have someone to play against. The collectors need a healthy secondary market driven by actual demand. The stores need butts in seats to justify shelf space.

Everyone benefits when the community grows.

Don't Be a Daytime Lantern

The next time you're tempted to gatekeep, report a store for helping players participate, or tell someone to "just simply get cards," remember: you're not protecting the game. You're killing it.

Support your locals. Welcome new players. And for the love of god, let people play the game.

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Got thoughts on proxy policies or LGS horror stories? The community thrives when we talk about this stuff openly.