Magic the Gathering

Theros, is the first of the new cycle of Magic cards, set in a world inspired by Greek mythology, and besides looking great, and being designed by one of the best teams at Wizards, features a new bonus set of puzzles and challenges called the Hero’s Path.  The Hero’s Path will start with the Prerelease and go through the Release weekend, and end up (for this first set) during the Theros Game Day.

The Events:

Prerelease Weekend: Sat Sept 21 & Sun. the 22nd.  Main events will be sealed (get 6 packs, make your best 40 card deck.  As usual, we will be doing a competitive (at least 4 rounds, with big handfuls of packs to the top players, but needing to win at least two round to get a single bonus pack.) and casual (3 rounds, win a round-win a pack…much more gentle and aimed for fun.)  Remember, all of us will be playing with the cards for the first time, so don’t worry about knowing what you are doing…just have fun.  Cost is $30 and includes a special box that includes 6 packs and a special Promo card as well as other goodies…  BTW…picking your color makes a difference…in each box, one of the packs is a special “Seed” pack with cards to support the chosen color, as well as a related promo card that you CAN play in the prerelease.

Also, Based on popular demand…we’ll be doing a Two-Headed Giant for that weekend. 😉

• Sat: 10 am Sealed (Packs at 10-play at 11)
• Sat: 4 pm Sealed (Packs at 4, Play at 5:30)
• Sun. 11 am Sealed (Packs at 11, play at 12)
• Sun. 3 pm Two-Headed Giant

Here is info about the hero’s path directly from the Wizards website….

The first step of your journey is beginning to understand yourself and the world around you, and the part you will play in it. This happens at the Theros Prerelease, where you will choose the path you follow as a Hero in the world of Theros. Are you honorable? Ambitious? Reckless? Feckless? Maybe you are all of these and more; at the Prerelease will be your first chance to choose a specific path related to one of the five colors of Magic and begin to “level up” as a Hero.

What do I mean when I say “level up?” I believe the most important factor in a series of individual quests is a sense of progression, and we have tried to capture that in the Hero’s Path in a uniquelyMagic way. In each of the nine quests of the Hero’s Path, you will receive a unique Hero Card. As you collect these, you grow in power and become ever-increasingly more prepared for the epic conflicts at the end of each arc.

Let’s talk about this interesting new item called a Hero Card. It’s a physical card that has Magic-like abilities, but isn’t a Magic card. Hero Cards are not for use at the Prerelease; you collect them to prepare for the battle at the end of the set’s Hero’s Path arc. It is a powerful “buff” for when you battle terrible evil at the end of an arc of the Hero’s Path. There is a specific Hero Card in each of the five Prerelease boxes at the Theros Prerelease. Check them out below!

On the back are a few notes about the quest you just completed (grats!) and a code for a unique achievement (ding!), which you can redeem on PlaneswalkerPoints.com. As you complete more and more quests, you inch ever closer to proving your legend—and those who complete all nine will be included in the Hall of Heroes, a place where we honor the greatest Heroes from the Hero’s Path.

All of that—the Hero Card, the epic conflict at the end of the arc, the Planeswalker Points achievement—that happens after the Prerelease. At the Prerelease, you’ll get a Prerelease pack! It contains a special seed booster with lots of cards in the color you choose. As with the Return to Ravnica and Gatecrash Prereleases, you’ll get a *playable* Prerelease promo in this seed booster. There’s an activity inside your box related to exploring the world of Theros, something fun to do in between rounds. Once completed, you are finished with Quest #1 and you’re ready to continue on the Hero’s Path.

It’s Dangerous to Go Alone, Take This

Once the Hero hears the call and understands that maybe he or she has the power to change the fates of friends and family, the next step is a departure from home. The Hero begins to step into the unknown, into a world of adventure and (generally) epic travel. You will go far, Hero, further than you can imagine, to take on the legendary challenge set before you. Theros is a world where the gods are real—and those gods will grant you a boon at the start of your journey.

The second step is divining the will of the gods and starting your travels with their blessing. AtTheros Release Weekend, which starts with Friday Night Magic that first evening, you’ll see a unique and mysterious poster emblazoned with the Hero’s Path symbol. This poster is a puzzle sent from the gods as a message to their chosen Hero. There’s plenty of Magic play going on during a launch weekend, so be sure to stop in and get some drafts and/or games in with the new set! In between, the puzzle poster will be there, enticing you with its divine secrets.

When you recognize the hints in the poster and discover the answer, you can collect your next Hero Card. Now, Hero, you have two (or more!) Hero cards and you’re prepared for the battle to defend civilization from a rampaging monster.

Challenge Accepted

The keystone of our Hero’s Path campaign are three “boss” fights at the end of each arc. These have a two-fold purpose. First, as in the journey of the Hero, they represent a threshold and its guardian, and progress to the next tier of legend can be attained only through victory. Second, as in many video games, they provide a solid place to test your skill and progress and receive a reward that can propel you to the next “level.”

The third and final step of the Theros arc of the Hero’s Path is taking on a special challenge: can you stop an epic Hydra from ravaging the countryside? At Theros Game Day, in addition to the regular Standard tournament, there will be a unique game-play experience available called a Challenge Deck.

The Face the Hydra Challenge Deck—which represents the “boss fight” for the first arc of the Hero’s Path—consists of two kinds of cards; these are not Magic cards but they have Magic-like abilities. The first is a head card, which represents one of the many Hydra heads bent on devouring you. The second is a sorcery card, which represents some aspect of the fight where the Hydra powers up or makes a special attack on you.

The way you play against the Face the Hydra Challenge Deck is unique—you take your Standard deck and shuffle up, then the Hydra follows a predetermined sequence of casting cards from its shuffled deck and blasting you for damage. The goal is to eliminate all of the Hydra heads before it eats you. But, of course… when you cut one head down, sometimes more regenerate, which can make this a difficult challenge indeed!