Magic the Gathering Archives - Page 13 of 15

Kids Summer Magic League

By Ben Calica / Leave a Comment / Events, Magic

Welcome to the Summer Magic League at D20 Games

What is it: The league is an ongoing opportunity for casual ongoing Magic play starting the first week of summer vacation (June 16th) and going until the end of summer.

When: Formal League days are Weds and 3-5 on Fridays, but matches may be played any time during the week. Match results for each week must be received by the following Weds.

Cost: League costs $25 to enter (includes 6 packs) and $5 each week, including a pack for that week. We will start with a mix of Innistrad, Dark Ascension and Avacyn and then add M13 core set when it comes out in the middle of July.

For kids…this is a way fun way to play every week with other kids, either in the store or wherever you find other league players. You get 6 packs to start with to build the best deck you can. Each week, you get to add another pack and make your deck better (or make a completely different deck.). We’ve been doing this with the adults and it is totally fun.
For parents…this is a great way for the kids to play on an ongoing basis, for them to use the cards, not just open lots of packs that end up in a box (or on the floor). They get the fun of opening a pack each week, (actually more fun since all those cards can be used to help them make their decks better. ) The prizes are small intentionally so the play is more fun then the winning, and we give random rewards for those we see helping other players and in general being great sports.

Format: Sealed+ event

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.

Standings and Prizes:

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.
Each player who has competed at least 3 matches in a week will be entered in a drawing on Weds for a bonus pack.
At the end of the time the point totals will be added up and there will be a playoff with the top 8 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.

Magic League FAQ

Do I have to play in the store and 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.

Avacyn Restored Game Day @ D20 Games

By Ben Calica / Leave a Comment / Events, Magic

Join us on Saturday, May 26th at 12 for the Avacyn Restored Game Day.

Time: 12 noon to start (Should end around 5-6)
Format: Standard (60 card deck with 15 card sideboard. Cards can be M12, Scars of Mirradon Block, and Avacyn Restored Block.)
Cost: $5

Everyone who attends will get a special full art version of the Latch Keepers. Top players will get a special foil full-art version of Killing wave.

D20 Games in Alameda, is a comfortable, safe place to play. We are located at 2311 Santa Clara Ave. in Alameda.

Avacyn Restored League @ D20 Games

By Ben Calica / Leave a Comment / Magic

Welcome to the Avacyn Restored League at D20 Games.

What is it: The league is an ongoing opportunity for casual competitive play starting the first week of Avacyn and going until the release of M13 this summer.

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.

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: Sealed+ event

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.

Standings and Prizes:

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. Having said that, there are some very cool posters that will be the top prizes at the end as well as a full set of the over-sized Avacyn Legends that were in the Helvault
Standings will be posted each week on the website.
Each player who has competed at least 3 matches in a week will be entered in a drawing on Weds for a bonus pack.
At the end of the time the point totals will be added up and there will be a playoff with the top 8 players. The top 4 players will also get bonus entry’s into the drawing for the rights to buy one of our From the Vault sets this summer.

Avacyn Restored prerelease events at D20 Games Alameda

By Ben Calica / Leave a Comment / Events, Magic

NEWS: Avacyn will be Stand-alone set! Prerelease will be ALL Avacyn. (preregister here)

We will be having 3 events for Avacyn Restored: Friday at midnight, two-headed giant and Saturday Sealed deck events at 10 and at 5:30

Avacyn Restored Promo Card, Moonsilver Spear — Special Foil Promo for first 40 people in each Saturday Event

Buy Tickets for Avacyn Restored Prerelease

Friday:

After Friday Night Magic: (6:30. $15) we will be doing the very first chance to get ahold of the new set..a midnight Avacyn two headed giant
This will be a sealed event, $18 per player, 8 packs for the team…if you don’t have a buddy to play with, don’t worry, come on down and we’ll match you up with a new buddy to play with. We’ll do fairly fast deck building and play no more then 3 rounds so we can get done by 3 at the latest…we’re doing this for fun, so we’ll spread out the prize rather then having the winning be all that important.

Open the Helvault for the Prerelease — Both Saturday's Events will be Helvault opening events

Saturday: The main pre release Events. These will be fun events, with everyone getting their own packs to build decks and play each other. There will be 4 rounds, with the players continually matching up by win/loss records, so the really competitve players will end up playing with their peers, and the casual players will end up playing with other casual players. Regardless of win and loss, everyone gets their packs, the bonus cards they are entitled to and whatever is hidden as extra bonus in the Helvault. This is a great event not just for the experienced players, but for anybody who just likes to play, and particularly for those who are looking to get back into the game, since everyone is starting from scratch again with the new set.

10am and 5:30 We’ll be doing sealed deck (6 packs and make your best 40 card minimum deck and play.)
$25 entry fee includes the pack, a special bonus card for the first 45 people signed up in each time.
Registration for the first event will start at 9:30 and we will start deck building between 10:15-10:30. First rounds will be played around 11. The early event should go around 4 (a bit later for the top players) The second event will go from 5:30 to about 10 for most players, potentially later for the best players. We will provide packs starting at 5:00 to give people a longer time to build. (This is not a high level event, so we would rather people enjoy themselves then have us need to get as picky about things.)
FOR KIDS>>>there will be two events running side by side at both times, so the kids can play the kids and the adults play the adults. 😉 Both of these will be Helvalut events, so there will be extra prizes for all registered players. We will work to open the Helvault around 8:30-9pm so the kids who might need to leave early will get the Helvault bonus prizes. We will spread out the prizes more for the kids, with more people getting prizes, but the top people not getting as big a top prize. Kids prizes will be more spread out and the adults will have the prizes more loaded to the top. As such, advanced kids will be able to play with the adults if they so choose.
Pizza and a drink for $5 will be offered at 2 and 6

D20 Games is located at 2311 Santa Clara Ave, Alameda email for info at info at d20alameda.com or go to the website at www.d20alameda.com

D20 Games Event: Grand Prix Minneapolis Trial, Sat. April 14th

By Ben Calica / Leave a Comment / Events, Magic

Pay and register in the store or here.

This will be our first ever Grand Prix Trial and we’re really looking forward to it. Our space is intimate and friendly, so we will be limiting the event to a max of 40 players.

Start time is 10 for signups and 10:30 for pack opening.
Format is Sealed, 3 Dark Ascension,and 3 Innistrad.
Cost is $30 per player. (Each player attending will get an extra entry into our drawing for rights to buy one of our allocation of From the Vaults: Realms to be held later in the year…)
We will be offering a $6 pizza deal at 2pm (two slices and a drink) for those who want, (as opposed to the standard mad scramble to grab a bite inbetween rounds.)
Winner will receive 3 byes in the Minniapolas Grand Prix. Everyone will get 3x planeswalker points for participating, and additional prizes will be awarded based on the attendance pool.

We will do signups, online, before the event at the store, and on the day of the event. Signups will start at 10. Players who are not seated and ready to build by 10:30, will need to wait for additional players to join so they can cross check deck lists, and will have the first round counted as a loss.

Format

The format for this Grand Prix Trial will be Sealed Deck,
If event attenence is more then 8, the top 8 will play off using the their sealed decks from the event. The product mix for the event will be 3 Innistrad and 3 Dark Ascension boosters per player
Deck lists are required

Tournament Length

Swiss rounds – 50 minutes per round
Playoff matches will have no time limit
Number of Swiss rounds based on attendance according to the following chart:

Attendance	Swiss rounds	Playoff
8	3 Single-Elimination Rounds (No Swiss)	None (run Single Elimination)
9 – 16 (If Sealed Deck)	4 Rounds	Top 8
9 16 (If Constructed)	5 Rounds	Top 4
17 – 32	5 Rounds	Top 8

Advancement

All players may participate in all Swiss rounds.
The top players after the final Swiss round will advance to the single-elimination playoff. The number of players that advanced to the playoff is based on the number of players in the event (see chart above).

Notes

Planeswalker Points Multiplier – 3x

Stinking Badges & Other Great News–D20 Games is now an Advanced Magic Store ;-)

By Ben Calica / Leave a Comment / Events, Magic, Updates

Coming to the calendar …April 22, our first Grand Prix Trial for LA Grand Prix. $30 entry, Max players will be 40, but most likely smaller. This will be a Standard Format Tournament, 😉

We are also looking at adding two new game tournaments to the store… Legend of the Five Rings

As of the beginning of March , we became an Advanced Level Magic Store with Wizards of the Coast…Whoo Hoo!!

Every regular retailer…signed up and not in someone’s basement.

Run at least 4 full sets of sanctioned (8 or more people) events and bring 30 new players to the games…

Yay…Friday night drafts could become Friday Night Magic with all the cool cards to go with it. We could run pre-release events.

Run at least 20 events, have over 100 different people attending those events, and have a Magic event with at least 32 people.

Double Whoo Hoo!!! Not bad for being open 6 months. 😉

What does this mean? We get to run twice as many of the cool events (including the Avacyn Restored Pre-release), giving us both more cool prize cards to give away, and the flexibility to be able to have the kids have their own mini-events side by side with the big events so they don’t have to go head to head with the older crowd unless they want to. We also will be getting an allocation this summer of the next From the Vault limited edition sets. BTW, we will be allocating these in three different batches, 1/3 to the players who rack up the most points in events between now and then (4 points for a top finish or a 3-0 draft night, 2 for second or third, and 1 for each time you play), 1/3rd to our best magic customers between March 15th and then, and 1/3 among all customers who want to enter, with one entry for each time they come in and buy anything between March 15th and the release.

Buy Tickets for Avacyn Restored Pre-release

Spring Break Events

By Ben Calica / Leave a Comment / Events, Magic

Get your Game on! (Download Flyer Here)
D20 Spring Break Game Boot Camps April. 2-4^th

When:

April 2-4 (Mon-Weds)
Two Sessions Per Day: 9-12:30 and 1-5.

Ages: 9-13

What:

Combination of learning tricks, tips, and tactics to help develop advanced strategic thinking and build confidence, and pure on gameplay (for parents, increase sportsmanship, social skills and meet new kids–For kids…a chance to find other kids who like to play these games as much as you do.)We will be having a Magic The Gathering boot camp and a Yugioh Boot camp. If we have enough kids who express interest, we will also add a D&D set of sessions.

Where:

D20 Games, 2311 Santa Clara, 510-522-2109 [email protected]

Cost:

Each Session is $30 (plus a $10 materials/snack fee.)

Full days get a $10 discount to be $50/day ($15 material/snack fee.)

All three days $40 discount to $140 ($35 materials/snack fee)

Bring a friend for and extra 10% discount for both players

Overview:

Each day kids can bring in their collections (Parents can drop off collections in well labeled (name and phone number) paper bags any open hours before the Boot Camp. Each day will be split into the following areas:

· How it really works (the real rules of the games)

· Collection organization

· Tricks and secrets of the masters

· Deck Building

· Mini-tournament/multiplayer team games

Each day we will have two tracks, on for beginning players and one for more experienced players with lots of help for everyone in getting better and therefore having more fun playing.

Each attendee will get a special box for organizing their cards as well as sleeves and a deck box each day for the decks they will be creating. Snack will be chips, fruit and a drink.

Limited to 14 participants per day. Email, [email protected] to reserve a spot.

Magic The Gathering

Day	Topic		Skills
Monday AM	Standard Decks	Build decks using M12 and the last two sets (Innistrad and the Scars Sets)	True intro to Magic… getting the rules right. Phasing into Phases…getting the orders all right
Monday PM	Drafting	How to pick from what you see..what’s good…going for the smart, not just the shiny. 😉	Stacking in your favor…secrets of what is the Stack and how it worksAggro, Control, weenie, etc…the standard strategies in magic and how to build them or successfully battle against them
Tuesday AM	Pauper Decks	How to make decks built using only commons and uncommons, these decks are meant to be lots of fun without lots of $$$	Combo’s….from infinite mana to infinite life, those two or three card combos to get that win.
Tuesday PM	Weird Magic:	Two-headed Giant, Emperor	Tricks of the Masters, Basic
Weds AMWeds PM	ModernAnything goes-	Going back for the good stuff…how to compete with the big boysBest deck king of the hill	Sideboarding…what to keep in your emergency bag of tricksTune, Tune, Tune

Andre’s special Yugioh Boot Camps

Day	Topic		Skills
Monday	Getting it right…basic Yugioh for beginners and the rules behind the rules for advanced players.Team 2v2 (pro/am)	Huge cool cards vs decks that win	Learning the real rules from a Regional Judge so you can play with confidence. Deck building for winning instead of getting suckered in by huge unplayable cards
Tuesday	Combos, chains and tricks.	Learn how to put together combos that create surprises and just plain win fast.	Understand how cards can work together, and what to look for in deck construction. Tips and tricks from the pros. Group puts their heads together to challenge the master.

March 3rd: Two Headed Giant Returns!! Parent/kid and More!

By Ben Calica / Leave a Comment / Events, Magic

The return of the Magic Two-Headed Giant Event!! This event is a GREAT way for parents to figure out what this thing thing kids are doing , and for the kids to get a chance to be the ones who know what is going on for a change. 😉 (Also works for spouses/significant others, and buddies who you want to introduce to the game and who are nervous about getting started. ) This is open to all players, but know that this is a good-natured tournament, and fun and helping each other out is more important then winning.

Saturday: March 3rd, 12:30-5(ish…First hour is deck building…can join at any time during that period. )

$17.50 per person which includes 3 packs ($20 including sleeves and a deck box-normally $6-7 value) Each team gets a bonus pack.

Frequently asked Questions

What is it?: Two-Headed Giant Magic Tournament. (Two players on the same team, sharing life and playing in parallel against other teams of players)

Do I need to know what I’m doing?: Since both players play at the same time and can show each other their cards, as long as one of the two players knows what they are doing, nothing is required of the other player. It is the best, most fun way to learn the game. …

March 3rd: Two Headed Giant Returns!! Parent/kid and More!Read More »

D20 Games Magic Events: Dark Ascension for sale on the 3rd, Release Party on Sat. the 4th.

By Ben Calica / Leave a Comment / Events, Magic

Thursday 8pm Draft leading up to Midnight Dark Ascension Release Box opening. Open from Midnight to 1 a.m. Draft is $15 or free with the purchase of a DA box.
Box Price: $110 w/$10 event credit or free Thursday draft
Friday

Dark Ascension available for sale!!!

Packs-$4 each..buy 6 get one free
Box/play-mat combo bundle-$~~165~~–$125
Fat Packs!! $40 each…get ’em before they’re gone (Free Deck box, Sleeves or extra pack or $5 credit.

Friday Night Magic

6:15-6:30…$15. Triple DA!!
8 p.m. Double speed drafts till we drop. 😉 (double speed deck building, double speed rounds…don’t just get cards, play with ’em)

Sat 2/4 Dark Ascension Release Party : 3:30-5-deck building, 5:30-10 4 rounds. Entry fee is $25 and is a sealed deck, which means you get 6 packs and get to make the best deck you can. BONUS-Register this deck for the Monday and Weds League play events for free. Registration will require separate $25 purchase.
The Release party will replace Date Night Magic one more time and then back to regular schedule. Kids will play in their own pod in the release party (more fun for them, more fun for the adult players)

D20 Games Dark Ascension Pre-Release Jan. 28th 11:30 and 5.

By Ben Calica / Leave a Comment / Events, Magic

Bonus Card for first 48 people who sign up for Prerelease

MTG-Dark Ascension Pre-release event! Saturday, Jan 28th, ~~Noon~~ 11:30 AND 5, $25 per player. LIMIT OF 48 players total in both events.

It’s (almost) here…as fun as Innistrad was, the next set in the cycle looks to be just as cool. The set releases on Feb 3rd. and we’re pretty excited that we are now qualified to be a core store and can host not only the release on Feb. 4th, but Pre-release event as well.

Entry fee is $25 and is a sealed deck, which means you get 6 packs and get to make the best deck you can, and then play all afternoon. Should go through 5-6. (We’ll do our usual Kids Pizza and a Drink for $5 for everybody this time at 4:30) The set looks GREAT…some amazing new cards.