Makes sense. If you look at the PTCG subreddit, there's 0 posts about the game - only "wow, check out this pull I gambled/bought". The Standard format is in shambles. It's pretty clear they're pushing more limited, collectible sets for collectors, rather than players.
Still, I wouldn't mind if it didn't actively detriment from the gameplay.
Well-and, take this from someone who has no experience with actually playing the game, so excuse me if I miss something- I feel like the whole situation with the pandemic would have part of an effect on this, right? I saw a couple of posts about "where should I start?" and a few deck advice ones with a quick check, but it definitely isn't as active as what I remember from a few years ago... People aren't playing as many games be I'd assume, and in terms of tournaments all that there really is is those occasional Players Cups on PTCGO, right? I feel as if with a less active playerbase due to those circumstances it would make sense to me at least that the people just opening cards and/or collecting are the ones who would be most active during all this. At least, that's part of what it could be. I don't know about the health of the actual format since I don't really pay attention, of course. If it's relatively stale, could that potentially have an effect too?
I can't really comment on whether special sets aimed towards collectors is a detriment or not to the gameplay, because, I don't necessarily have any way
of knowing. However, I think releasing too many of them does work against collectors-specifically completionists-when they release too much of it too quickly. That's at least my issue with it-I wouldn't mind if they did a Hidden Fates type deal at the
end of an era, they're cool sets! But if it's going to be this thing they constantly push out every year or so, then that's where the problems come up. It can get to be too much sometimes, I imagine.