I agree with avi. In rope schemes (not shopper) and elite there is a higher attainment level for overall skill. You can only get so good at hysteria before you hit the glass ceiling and encounter diminished returns. You can always rope faster, more consistently; or alternatively develop an aptitude for game planning in elite. In hysteria, you inevitably encounter the usual stalemate, where a stroke of good luck with wind can turn the whole match around. Without the ability to really get better, boredom sets in and I believe avi is correct when he says people who only learn hysteria don't stick around. Hell, out of us wormers who have stuck around this game for 10+ years, its not a surprise that each and every one of us can rope. The purely default players, the endos, psydomes, dweebs of the world have all left the game behind forever. Even on wormnet, the names I see the most (or saw, more accurately) were the ones who play rope schemes. Take it with a grain of salt, I guess. I think the same can be said of shopper, you can only get so good. There isn't any avid shopper players who play nothing but shopper year in and year out. I don't think hysteria will kill worms. But rope schemes will extend its longevity.