Even if freeshop was permanently down, and EVEN IF Nintendo made it so that freeShop, ciangel and the like would never function again .. Why on earth would you think the only alternative is a flashcart? It's not like freeShop is the ONLY way to get games .. Having CFW lets you install CIA's to your console - you don't need freeShop to do that for you. There are "iso sites" where to acquire these cias from .. But, use freeShop though as it's better/easier unless you want custom roms or games that are not in the eShop (such as Kingdom Hearts).