I understand what you’re saying, but Illuminati didn’t have a GM or a plot. The gameplay works fine as a TCG because of the way it’s structured. And from what I’ve seen of MTG, the way it’s structured is fine too. Honestly, card gameplay is fine with me, as are both competitive and co-op games. It’s literally just the “you have to keep buying” thing. It’s the same reason I hate things like in-game purchases. I like even playing fields.