Question: Archmage/Keeper Swap?

[Mairead Harker]

In recent years, there have been a couple times when an Elemental Keeper has been elevated to Archmage through the current process in the rules. My question is has switching places, as is done with Overlord and Barons in Swords, ever been considered?
If so, why was it decided to not to do it?
If not, might this be considered in the future?

Thanks in advance!

[Claire Gallows]

Switching places used to be a thing actually. I think the last instance I can find of it was when Claire beat Xanth for Archmage back in late 2013. Xanth ended up with the Tower of Water, which Claire held at the time. The decision to do so was implemented in a 2011 Neo era rule change. Then in the Lem era way back when I was just a tiny baby duelist (even before I was ever Asst Coord under him), he had some feelings on the matter and overturned it because he felt it watered down the All Title Holder achievement if one could get a tower simply by losing Archmage to a Keeper. Which I get the rationale (and that it differs from DoS, in that DoS has significantly more titles needed in order to get All Title Holder), but personally I don't really feel strongly about it in any direction. As we're in a transition time for DoM and because I don't really have strong feelings on the matter, unless Matt pipes up and has feelings about it strong enough to warrant discussion and/or change, we'd likely table such a thing until the next team comes in, so they can make the decision for DoM.

In summation:

My question is has switching places, as is done with Overlord and Barons in Swords, ever been considered?
If so, why was it decided to not to do it?
If not, might this be considered in the future?

It has been and was done for about 2 years (from 2011-2013) and was changed by Lem.
Any considerations for the future will be left for the next DoM team to take a look at.

[Claire Gallows]

For reference, because I like counting, a Keeper has ascended to Archmage (or pressed challenge for AM in earlier iterations of DoM) a total of 16 times in the 24 years of history we have on the site. So about once every 18 months, or as the result of about 11.4% of AMTs over the years.

[Mairead Harker]

Thanks for the historical background, Claire! Achievements started about 2010 and Lem's logic regarding watering down the Keymaster achievement and, for that matter, Keeper of Keepers achievement is sound.