Magic League

Eternal Masters–Sooo Much good stuff

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“Eternal-Masters-Events-card-2Really, they reprinted that!!” Eternal Masters (releasing 6/10/16) is the third set in the limited print run Masters series, this time bringing back some of the best cards from the eternal formats (cards from before 8th edition, special editions, and those that got banned because they were just too good.)  Like there predecessors, these packs won’t come cheap, and will almost definitely go up and up in price over the next year, but we will do our best to allocate them for playing over just buying boxes.

Before you ask, no there are not duel lands or power nine in this set.  Wizards has been good to their promise never to reprint those items on the so called Reserve list, but short of that, this set looks beyond amazing, with a shocking number of some of the best cards in all of Magic, from arguably the king of Planeswalkers, Jace the Mindsculpter, to Mana Vault, Sensei’s Divining Top, and even Force of Will, these packs are just, well, packed with goodness.

Boxes will pre-sell in VERY limited quantities for $349.99 ($339.99 for regulars).  And we will do a number of special events.  For the limited events, to make the more affordable, we will offer player the option of taking $10 off the event price if the opt to take any prize packs they win in regular packs rather then Eternal Masters packs. (Obviously, BEFORE they look at their deck pools).  Events will include:

  1. 6/11 FNM-Drafts @ $40($50 with Eternal Masters Prize Packs) 
  2. 6/12 Two Headed Giant at $50/60 per player
  3. 6/13 Sealed Tournament $70/80
  4. Plus we will be doing a Tuesday Night League.  $75 to Start, and $11 a week for a new pack (four weeks) or $110 for the whole event.  Players report the weeks match results by the end of each Tuesday and get their new packs when they come in on or before Tuesdays.

 

Time for a Conspiracy (Magic Conspiracy Drafts)

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You can’t have a good conspiracy on your own.  And that is the secret sauce to the special Magic set , coming out on June 6th.  This draft -centric, multi-player set is all about what we can do for, er, to each other.   This is a special set, much like Modern Masters, with limited initial qualities, though they say that there will be some reprinting after (we are being wary..squirreling away our boxes to let people play with until we know the score.)

We will be drafting this like crazy on that first weekend, and will do it regularly afterwords.  Drafts will be $20 pp, with each player getting at least one prize pack, and the top two players getting a free entry into the next draft (or 3 prize packs.)

Lore Seeker…get to go and add a Worldwake booster to the draft?

Messing with a Draft: Drafting is one of the most fun things you can do in magic. And this set takes the standard “get 3 packs, open 1, pick a card and pass to the left/right” and tosses it in the blender.  One of our customers described it beautifully by saying that it “broke the 4th wall” of a draft, and I think that’s true. In this set, there are cards that start the game during the draft itself, letting people mess with each other as the draft is going on.  (BTW…all Conspiracy drafts are casual format–will of WOTC.)

King of the Hill: Conspiracy is designed to play very differently.  When a 8 (or 6) person draft is done, the players are broken into two random groups, and the winner is the last one standing.  Most of the drafts we will do will have everyone getting a single bonus prize pack, and the top player in each of the pods, getting the chance to keep on drafting with a free entry into the next draft ( or 3 prize packs).  There is the draft and one big multiplayer game, and then the next draft.  Kind of cool…that way you are playing to build up your collection, rather then just buying packs.  (Packs will cost minimum of $5, so the draft is a great way to go.)

And the winner is….

Democracy and Conspiracy?  Sure…these have always been strange and familiar bedfellows. There cards in the set that have effects where the players put what is going to happen next up to a vote!?!?!

More info on the different Mechanics (from the Wizards of the Coast website)

Table of Contents
How the drafting works (differently) with this set
Cards that messes with the drafts
These are permanents that affect what goes on with the way the game is played (like who goes first or letting everybody draw a whole second hand and then chose which one to play with….)
These are conspiracies that are played in secret (ie face down) revealed whenever the controlling player feels is the right time.
To even things out, this ability triggers whenever someone attacks the player with the most life, or tied with the most life.
Everybody gets a vote on this one (sometimes more then one….)

With this ability everybody reveals the top card of their library, then whoever did it gets some benefit from what is revealed, but EVERYBODY gets to draw a card at the end.  A good parley is good for everybody.

More as we get it…

-Ben

Magic Game Day(s) Sat & Sun 24-25th

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Jouney-into-Nyx-GamedayThe 9 event Hero’s Path that Wizards started with Theros comes to its conclusion this weekend, with the chance to play against the Defeat a God, starting during the Game Day events.  Players can bring a standard deck or can use one of the draft or two-headed Giant decks to play against the third (and final) of the special challenge decks.  Bring in any of the hero cards that you may have acquired during the previous prereleases or special events and you can pick two that will help during with your battle with the gods themselves.  We are also doing at Journey Into Nyx Two Headed Giant on the 24th, to round out the day…

Every player gets this full art promo
Foil full art promo for the top 8 each day

Also, starting at 10 am on Sat the 24th and Sun the 25th are the Journey Into Nyx Game Day events.  These competitive standard format tournaments will have special full art promo cards for each player, foil full art promo cards for the top 8 of each event, and el numero uno each day gets the special championship playmat.

First place playmat for each days winner.

D20 Update-7-29

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Event list is out of date…problems with the system…sorry

Castle-panic-Visit

Thursday…great special treat….  The creators of one of our favorite games, Castle Panic, are coming to visit the store and play.  For those who don’t know the game, it a wonderful game for both kids and adults, and because it is everyone against the game, is particularly wonderful for siblings (action without frustration), or only kids (great to play with buds, but also one of the few games that can be played solo, since it is the player against the game.)  For fans, get to meet the creators and bring in your game to have them sign them…for parents, it is very, very cool for kids to see that things like this are created by real people…very inspiring for what they can do.

Grand Prix Oakland M14 Sealed Practice times: (ok to get packs ahead of time and to come late w/game loss…just call and let us know)

  • Mon. 7/29 @ Noon (11 am deck building)
  • Weds. 7/31 @ 5:00 (Ok to mix with League decks if you don’t add new pack before event)
  • Thurs: 8/1 @ 5:30 (limed to 8)
  • Sat: 8/3 @ 6 pm
  • Sunday 8/4 @ 3 pm

The week that was and will be…

Magic:

  • Tuesday @5:45: Modern Masters Modern Tournaments $5 entry.  100% into prize.  For first event…guaranteed extra Modern Masters Pack added to prize pool and second pack for random giveaway.
  • Weds:
    • League from 4 on…League tournament at 5:30 (don’t add extra pack so we can blend this with…)
    • 5:30, M14 Sealed Practice
  • Friday: FNM
  • Sat:
    • 5:30, Date Night Magic ($15 plus $5 for pizza)
    • 6:00 (Packs at 4): Practice M14 Sealed
  • Sunday
    • 11:30 Magic Standard ($5)
    • 3:00 (packs anytime) Practice M14 Sealed

Pokemon 

  • Sat
    • 11-1 Pokemon League ($5–includes pack)
    • WRONG DATE–This will be on Aug 17th…11:00  Plasma Blast Release  (11 to get packs, 12 to play…~ 1 hour for non-competitive, 2 hours for competitive)
      • Sealed deck tournament.  6 packs provided.  Make your best deck and then play.  There will be a choice of two packs per player bonus for non-competitive, or 1 pack plus  an additional pack per round won for the adults or more competitive younger players. (best 2 out of 3)

Cardfight:

  •   Sunday at 2 for our regular event.

D20 Games Weekly Update 7-16-13

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M14-overview

—-Coming Thursday August 1st…IN STORE VISIT BY THE CREATORS OF CASTLE PANIC!!  😉 ———-

Special announcement about From the Vault at the bottom of is post…

This weekend–Pokemon and Vanguard Back to Normal, Release Events for M14 (including 2-headed Giant) and Oakland Grand Prix Qualifier on Sunday!

Had a great set of Prerelease events for Magic M14.  Some interesting highlights…

Most Busted cards in the set so far….Kalonian Hydra…Comes into play with 4 counters and doubles ALL counters on All your creatures when it attacks!  Oh, and did I mention the trample.  Remove it in the next 2 turns or that’s game….sheesh.  (Found out about this by being on the wrong side of the card…)

Winner–most Busted Card in M14

Magic M14 is Here!!!  This week—M14 release events….

  • Tuesday–Last Modern Masters League Pack week…Come in and find your partner for next week’s  League Two-headed Giant!!–Special Bonus Prize cards and goodies for the regular players tonight…We will Draft at 6 if we get 8 (again..) (and full participation credit for league members who show up and don’t wish to draft.)
  • Weds–Last Dragon’s Maze League before we start M14–come in for special tolkens and other prizes,  Also D&D Encounters ($5 fee) LOOKING for another good DM to help run a table…will be compensated in store credit, but must be good enough to represent the store…
  • Thursday at Midnight…We will open special to sell M14 Boxes and Fat Packs (.. Click here for a draft simulator.  Or here to see all the new cards…)
  • Sat. the 20th
    • we will be doing Pokemon again in the morning
    • Magic M14 Sealed at 12
    • Two-headed Giant at 5:30 (4pm for packs)
  • Sunday the 21st
    • Grand Prix Trial for Grand Prix Oakland!!!  Reg at 10 but start will be 11 am on time.  Since the packs need to be opened and registered by other players, there will be no ability to show up late for this one.  This will be a $35 sealed event using M14 (the same format that the Grand Prix will be)  This will be a competitive level event…so much more strict on the rules, though we still aim to keep the D20 Good spirit in place. 😉
    • Draft at 3 for those who want to redeem their pride (or luck)

From the Vault Twenty will be coming out on my Birthday, Aug 23rd, and as usual there will be very limited numbers.  We will start two sign up lists.  The first will be for 6 guaranteed copies at $150 each.  The second will be for a price TBD once we see what’s in the thing, but will be about 10% below what the going ebay sold rate is.  This will be a lottery, with the entries based on the two things I want to most reward, participation in store events and money spent in the store over ehe last few months.  (This year, I’m going to do estimates for both of these so I don’t spend 3 days looking through wizard’s event reporter).  ONE BIG CHANGE…

  • I will be adding extra bonus entries for the following:
    • One extra entry for every event participated in from now until the release on the 23rd
    • Bonus entry for People who attend more then 2 events a week
    • Double entries for people attending Leagues, including participating in M14 league
    • 3 Bonus Entries for people who bring in a player to an event who as not ever played with us before
    • And I reserve the right to give out extra entries (at my discretion) for players who help teach a new player how to play, or who in general are showing above and beyond kindness and support to new or intimidated/nervous players, or general good Duckishness…

 

D20 weekly update–7-8-13

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M14-overviewIMPT….NO Pokemon or Vanguard this weekend, and No Magic Standard…Just a bunch of Magic Sealed events (Big Magic M14 Prerelease)

First really Great Chandra

For a great way to get to know the new set.. Click here for a draft simulator.  Or here to see all the new cards…

Say Goodbye to Ravnica Block with the last FNM for it this Friday Night (the 12th)

Magic M14 Prerelease–As usual…we will be doing a Competitive and Casual group side by side for all of the times in question.  This is great for all players, adults and kids.  Remember…we’re limited to ~50 players for each time slot, so if you want to make sure to get a slot, reserve ahead of time.

Magic M14 Boxes are still on the Preorder price of $105, come and see us…first 3o will get the Promo Ratchet Bomb Card

Next weekend (the 20th and 21st)

  • Sat. the 20th 
    • we will be doing Pokemon again in the morning
    • Magic M14 Sealed at 12
    • Two-headed Giant at 5:30 (4pm for packs)
  • Sunday the 21st
    • Grand Prix Trial for Grand Prix Oakland!!!  Reg at 10 but start will be 11 am on time.  Since the packs need to be opened and registered by other players, there will be no ability to show up late for this one.  This will be a $35 sealed event using M14 (the same format that the Grand Prix will be)  This will be a competitive level event…so much more strict on the rules, though we still aim to keep the D20 Good spirit in place. 😉
    • Draft at 3 for those who want to redeem their pride (or luck)

 

What’s happening @ D20 6-11-13

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  • Still looking for a few more good DM’s—Sat June 15th is Free RPG day at the store,  in addition to giving out a bunch of free RPG goodies, we will be Running D& to a 3-8 table joint adventure…but we need some good DM’s to help us out—So far we can run 3 tables but we’re looking for a few more.
  • Modern Masters has been SO FUN!!!  The drafts are expensive (Going to $38) but it has been a blast to draft, even for those of us who didn’t know the cards.
  • ANNOUNCEMENT-Introducing Modern Masters Peasant Cube!?!?! We were struggling with a way to let the kids and those of less means to get in on the fun and came up with a great idea.  We’re going to start doing a “Peasant” Cube with prizes.  This is a draft where you don’t keep the cards, but can win prize packs for $6! (win a round win a regular pack.)
  • Taking reservations for the first (and only) Revised Box Draft –Yep…we are doing the most over the top draft ever…a factory sealed box of Revised.  Cost is $150 per person to open packs that haven’t seen fresh air in 19 years. 😉  (NOTE–New date for this…June 29th!!!)
  • Tuesdays starting June 11th… Modern Masters League.  Register here…  ($100 for 6 starter packs plus 5 weekly packs…more then half sold out so far..)These packs will be cool but in very limited supply.  Packs look like they will be between $13-15 per and are FULL of amazing stuff for Magic Modern.
  • Wednesdays…we are doing D&D encounters from 6-9.  NEED A SECOND DM!!!We’ve pretty much got the first table either filled or close each week, so we’re looking for a couple more people to DM for us.  Check out my newly written Intro to D&D blog post for parents and other curious types.

This weekend we had a Massive number of Events at the store (I’m still exhausted)

In 3 days we ran something like 10 events, including two that went until 1:30 or later in the morning.

For the opening weekend of Modern Masters, we started the league (I pulled a Tarmogoyf–a $120, card that in it’s foil version is the most expensive card in a new set in our memory at $450!!)  I still proceeded to get beat into dust by Don’s flyer deck…ah well, live and learn).  On Friday, we ran 3 Friday Night Magic Drafts, two of which were the Modern Masters. The more I played, the more I realized how much the tribal stuff was great.

Saturday’s Pokemon Battle Roads was great, although I may have done a bit to good a job at warning off the little kids.  Next time around, if they want to try their deck out in a tournament, let’s bring a few more of them by.  Saturday night’s two-headed giant contained to be lovely fun, with some new players joining the building crew of regulars.  Once again, the Better Days were a force to be reckoned with that were just so darned gracious that they were hard to get mad at, even as they continued to rack up the wins.  One more Modern Masters draft that (this time) actually started at nine, and the evening was wrapped.  (Ok…9 is too late to start a draft…we get that now..).

Sunday’s standard was a bit light with many of the regulars having trouble crawling out of bed after the previous night’s fun.  But many were back for the last Modern Masters draft of the weekend.  The truth is that many of us were a bit mad at Wizards about Modern Masters.  Why would they short print a set and make it SOO much fun to play.  I also am very frustrated that it is really too expensive for the kids to play.  As a result, we decided to create a special redraftable set called a cube with just the common and uncommon (not money) cards that we can use to play for fun without the bucks.  We’ll do these as $6 drafts where you don’t get the cards to keep, and all the $ goes into the prizes (1 regular pack per win).

Older news—

No more Adult Yugioh @ D20  for the whole story  click here.
Thanks to everyone for the post break in support..we’re doing much better..   Click here  for the story.

 

Modern Masters @ D20 Alameda

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Modern Master's League At D20 Games

Reprinted in Modern Masters

Modern Masters is coming out on June 7th, 2013.  This limited print set, brings back a number of the staples in the Modern Format, a style of magic play that uses cards as far back as 8th edition.  Generally, the larger pool of cards a format has to pull from, the more valuable the “best” cards are in that format, so getting into Modern unless you happened to be playing and have cards from that time can be an expensive affair.  The Modern Masters set was designed to let people get into the format without laying out the (too) big bucks.

The boxes come with 24 packs instead of the usual 36 and given the short print, the packs are likely to go for between $10-12 a pack, so, while this is a lower price then most of the packs that would have the cards in the set, its still not cheap. We’ve decided that since the supply is short, we’d rather make sure that everyone gets a chance to play with them rather than just selling off the boxes.  So we’re going to do a League and a number of drafts.

League will be a 6 Pack sealed format starting on Tuesday, June 10th, and while the final price is TBD, we will let people preregister for $60 for the league start, or $100 for the full 5 weeks (getting one pack for free)

Drafts will be $35, with 3 rounds, a regular pack for 1 win, a Modern Master’s pack for 2 wins, and 2 Modern Master’s packs for going 3-0.

Gatecrash League @ D20 Games Alameda

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Gatecrash-League

Welcome to the Gatecrash League @ D20 Games in Alameda,

NEW…Top player in Kids and in Adults each week gets a bonus pack on the next Weds. Also…each week you complete 3 matches with different people, the player will get a guild sticker. Completing all 5 guild stickers in their Guild pass will also be good for a bonus pack.

What is it:  The league is ongoing casual ongoing Magic play designed for fun and to have time to get much better at playing.  Games can be played in the store or whenever two league players want. This one is great for both advanced players and those who are trying to get back into or get to know the game.  With lots of time to build decks, as well as a bunch of other players who will help each other get better, this has ended up being a lot of good natured fun.  Because of the format, everyone pretty much has an even chance from the beginning  and to be honest, opening our league packs is the most fun pack each week.  For the cost, it is the most joy per $ of anything in the store.  Since players find each other during the league times, it is no problem to drop in and out, so it works well for those who need the game to fit their schedule, not the other way around.

When: Formal League days are Weds, but matches may be played any time during the week.  Match results for each week must be received by the following Weds.  Kids league is from opening until 5:30, adults go from 4:30 or so, until we close. Gatecrash league starts on Feb 1st, with each Weds being the beginning of the next new week.

Cost: League costs $25 to enter (includes 6 packs) and $5 each week, including a pack for that week. (People buying fat-packs or boxes may opt to use 6 packs as long as permission is granted from staff.)

Format: Ongoing Sealed

  • Start with 6 packs to build decks from, and get to add one pack per week
  • Packs must be opened in the store and the contents added to a deck list that is kept in the store.

Matches:

  • Each player can play up to 5 matches with other different members of the league each week.  (Matches beyond 5 will not count in that week)
  • Each player in a match will get 1 point just for playing, and the winner will get 2 bonus points in addition for a total of 3.
  • It is good sportsmanship to accept a match challenge from anyone in the league provided both players have enough time.
  • Matches may be continued over more then one day if there is not enough time to complete all the games at once, though an incomplete game is considered a draw game (it can be played over if both players choose.)
  • As long as one game is completed, both players will get the minimum 1 point.
  • Slips MUST be turned in with both players names clearly printed and the date written.

Standings and Prizes:

  • NEW…Top player in Kids and in Adults each week gets a bonus pack on the next Weds. Also…each week you complete 3 matches with different people, the player will get a guild sticker. Completing all 5 guild stickers in their Guild pass will also be good for a bonus pack.
  • Since we are not charging much more then the cost of the packs, prizes will be more in the fun and pride side then high value.
  • Standings will be posted each week on the website as soon as I can figure out how. 😉
  • At the end of the time the point totals will be added up and there will be a playoff with the top 8 players with prizes for those players.  And more importantly, they will get the chance to win one of our major titles.  (Look for announcements for special events for these major players.)

As with most of our events, the goal is to play and have fun.  Everyone has a better time when we help each other out, pointing out missed triggers and plays so that we win by being the better players rather then by catching an opponent doing a dumb mistake or by not knowing how some part of the game works.

League FAQ

Do I have to play in the store on League days? No, league games can be played anytime during the week and anywhere you find another player.

Why is this more fun than just playing with the decks I have already?  The League is one of the best ways to really learn how to play and how to REALLY build your own decks and combos, not just buying premade decks or building a deck that someone else came up with on the internet.  You make the best deck(s) you can with whatever the packs bring you, and by the end, that will be a lot.  Whatever surprising and cool combos you come up with will be because of the thinking you do and the help you get from other league members.

How many packs do we get and what packs can we choose from? To start, each player gets 6 packs and then at the beginning of each new week, they can add one more into their card pool.

How big does my deck need to be and do I only get to make one deck? Because this is a sealed type event, minimum deck size is 40 cards, not 60, so you want to shoot for ~your 23 best cards and about 17 lands.  As you get more cards added, it is very common to be able to build 2 or 3 possible decks.  Your sideboard in this type of event is all of your cards from the league, so you can not only switch cards, you can switch whole decks in-between each play.

Can I use my own cards?   No, each player starts with 6 packs that they record on the card sheet that gets left with the league administrator.  The only cards you add will be the new packs for each new week, and whatever lands you need.

Why can’t I use my own cards? Part of the idea of the league is to make sure everyone starts out with equal chances. It turns out to actually a lot more fun that way. Over time, as more and more packs get added, the randomness of the luck will get evened out and it will be all about what you can do with what you have.

Why do we mark the cards on the league sheet? To keep it fair and make sure people don’t get tempted to sneak in cards that they got from other sources.  That would be a crumby thing to do and would spoil a lot of the fun (and challenge of the league.)

How many times do I play each week? You can play up to 6 matches that are official each week and nothing stops you from playing more for fun.  League result slips signed by both players, with names and date clearly printed must be turned in each week to the tournament organizer.

Do I have to join at the very beginning? And what if I’m not going to be around a bunch of the time?  The league goes the whole summer and you can join in at any time.  Since it is primarily for fun, it’s fine if you are gone away for a week or two (or more).  When you get back, you can get your missing packs and come on back in and play.

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