I didnt do alot of research currently but was wondering if this is still the case? Like is the game worth picking back up to be competative?

These forums seem alot less active than they were years ago.

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Originally posted by Plzleaveduck:
If I wasnt interested in any trading/collecting at this point and just buying the best current standard deck what would you sugguest? And has the game changed much in the last 7ish years that it would be hard to jump back in the scene as a top player?

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if you were a good player then, you can still be a good player now if you learn the cardpool.

as for being a top player, depends where you play.

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Originally posted by Plzleaveduck:
Im in the South-eastern US.. I would be interested in going to Pro Tours and Grand Prix's again, if they are still around that is

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Well Pro-Tours are invite only now, so there is that.
I also agree wait a month or so for rotation before bothering with a deck.

I'd also keep a eye towards SCG events, they often seem to be on par with Grand Prix's value wise...

1. Zero point in trying to buy a deck right now. Wait a month, or better yet - spend that time researching the current meta AND the changes to the game rules (damage no longer on the stack, miracle/morbid mechanic, etc.). It sucks that the explanatory quality of most archived starcity events is so poor, but it would definitely help to just browse channel fireball and starcitygames for the deck tech videos and articles, as they give you a really comprehensive look at what is competitive within the current meta.

2. Draft if you have the time. This is going to get you brushed up in terms of tight mechanical play, with the upside of first-hand card evaluation for when the rotation occurs.

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Originally posted by Plzleaveduck:
Im in the South-eastern US.. I would be interested in going to Pro Tours and Grand Prix's again, if they are still around that is

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Fourteen Grand Prix in First Wave of 2013 Schedule

If you last played 7 years ago then that was around the time of Ravnica, so as luck would have it, this fall's new block is "Return to Ravnica."

Since then, there have been a number of rules changes. The more significant ones include:

1) Damage no longer uses the stack. You can't block with Mogg Fanatic, put its one power worth of damage on the stack, and then sacrifice him to deal one more damage from his ability. A lot of whining was heard but its been just fine.

2) No more mana burn. They claimed it was an outdated rules interaction and that eliminating it would open up more design space. Haven't quite seen all of the new things they can do with it gone but in all reality, it hasn't been missed much either.

3) Not really a rules change, but there's a new card type called "Planeswalkers." They've generally been the most powerful things you can do in a game and are almost always the most expensive cards in the set. Read up on the rules about how to use them and play with and against them.

Since the rotation is about to happen, beginning in October the cards from Innistrad, Dark Ascension, Avacyn Restored, Magic 2013 and the new Return to Ravnica will be legal. Read up on those sets and check out the mechanics. Morbid, Miracle, the Transform cards, and more.

As for actual tournament Magic, you're in for a treat. There has been a boom in options. Wizards tightened up on the Pro Tours, there are only 3 each year plus one new World Magic Cup type thing. No need to worry about that just yet. They are invite only which means you have to win a PTQ, or Top 4 a Grand Prix, or have points from the Pro Players club or Hall of Fame to go.

Luckily, they've nearly doubled the number of Grand Prix each year and there's almost one every week. Obviously not all in the US but still. There's a ton.

In addition to all that, there's a number of independent tournaments that have gotten quite popular as well. The biggest is the StarCityGames Open Series. Again, almost every week they have a tournament in a new city. On Saturdays they have Standard and on Sunday's they have Legacy. They pay out quite a bit (more than old Grand Prixs used to) and have their own points system for your wins that can get you invited to their invitational tournament for more money and prizes.

There's a few others like TCG Player (though I think that's mostly a midwest thing) and I'm sure there's something out west. It shouldn't be too hard to find.