Edited sentence: Because the "window" of legal cards for the Standard tournament format varies constantly, players wishing to continue playing are forced to spend even more.For example, the infamous Black Lotus can range in price from 400 dollars upwards.Given the nature of the game and the random nature of the 15-card booster packs, to become successful (by having a deck of what are perceived as "good cards") requires a sizeable expenditure of money.It is not too far-fetched to assume (though no real research has been done on the topic) that becoming addicted on the game is possible.Of the controversial aspects surrounding the game, the question of expense is often the one most commonly encountered by family members of players, especially young ones.The basis of a successful tournament deck is said to be the elimination of luck from the equation, and an ideal, utopian deck would be one capable of beating any opponent, no matter the situation.The game of Magic (or rather the marketing and gamer culture surrounding it) therefore has strong connotations of gambling, and gambler-like "just one more pack" excuses for borderline obsessive purchasing behavior are commonplace among players.The game of Magic is sometimes called cardboard crack for this reason, due to the fact that no matter how much you buy, you'll be forced to buy some more in the future.This goal is rendered impossible through the intervention of chance into the game, though a few decks (mostly in the highly exclusive Vintage format) come close