For as long as both competitive card games and easily-accessible internet have existed simultaneously, there has been the concept of “net-decking.” For those unfamiliar with the term, it means simply finding a deck list online used by someone else, and then using it yourself. It sounds simple enough, and yet has managed to create a ton of controversy. I’m here to attempt to shed some light on what seems to be a tragically misunderstood situation.

Before we get started, let’s just be up front about this: net-decking is certainly not exclusive to Hearthstone, and will be present in just about any card game. However, for the sake of this article, we’ll be focusing on Hearthstone, just to have a clear talking point. So, with that disclaimer out of the way, let’s dive right in.

What needs to be clarified in order to have a productive discussion is this: what’s the issue with net-decking? There are those that take great offense to it, and seem to have a real personal problem with those who do it. Their reasoning may vary slightly, but it generally comes down to this idea: “You didn’t create the deck, so any success you have with it isn’t really yours. You’re a fake and should never be proud of any game you win.”

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Before I begin tearing down that way of thinking, let me just give a bit of background on myself. I played the Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG semi-competitively for many years, with a reasonable amount of success (and some failure as well.) I was never one of the best players in the country, but I was consistently above-average in the competitive scene, if not wildly successful. I’ve had the privilege of talking about the game with some of the best when they were in their prime, thanks both to living in one of the hotbeds for national talent, as well as traveling to tournaments. This isn’t to say I’m an expert on all things related to card games, but I have had a fair amount of experience, and at least have a leg to stand on when talking about the subject.

Now, back to why the aforementioned view of net-decking is just a bit silly. The fact is, unless you are one of the top professional players in the world, there are a fair number of players who are simply better than you. They’re better deck builders, they’re better at in-game strategy, they just out-class you in every aspect of the game. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with admitting that, as that’s the case for 99% (or more) of the player base. There’s nothing wrong with not being among the best.

However, there is something wrong with closing your eyes, plugging your ears and humming loudly while trying to ignore that fact. That’s the beauty of an extremely popular game; there are always ways you can improve, and people who can help you do it, if you’ll only let them. Net-decking can be a fantastic tool for helping you try out a deck archetype you have no experience with. It gives you a baseline to work with, which you can then tweak based on your own personal preference, and your own metagame (which decks you play against often.) If you refuse to learn from those who are better than you, then your ceiling for growth and improvement is going to be significantly lower than it needs to be.

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With all of that said, I’m certainly not against the idea of trying to craft your own deck from scratch. In fact, throughout my time with competitive card games, it’s been one of my favorite activities. If that’s how you enjoy the game, then more power to you! That’s not the problem; the problem is vilifying anyone who doesn’t feel the same way.

Everyone enjoys Hearthstone differently. Some play only Arena, some want to test out a bunch of “homebrew” decks, and some find the most joy simply by winning with decks that have already been proven. Someone enjoying the game in a different way than you isn’t wrong, just as you aren’t wrong for enjoying it differently than they do. The sooner everyone can abandon the mindset of “You either have fun with this game the way I want you to, or else you don’t deserve to play!”, the better off we’ll all be.