This October, The Gathering Place is celebrating Halloween all month long! Which shouldn’t really be a surprise, given how past October events have gone in our neigh-BOO-hood, where things are a little spooky even when we’re not FEARING up for All Hallow’s Eve. You AXED for Halloween events, and we’re ready to welcome one and all — the MORGUE, the merrier! Plus, if you’ve got any CHOPPING to do, we’re bringing back the classic Wheel of Misfortune for Halloweekend — a purchase gets you a spin, and that spin could go in any number of ways, for good or ill! We’ve got special MTG Draft events, crafts, parties, celebrations — truly, a frightfully packed dance card! Here’s what we’ve got all lined up:
Bonus Friday Night Magic: Late Night Innistrad Chaos Draft
Starting at 9:00 p.m. and proceeding across three Swiss rounds of standard MTG Draft gameplay, the Innistrad Chaos Draft is $25 entry per player with some special promos and prizes set aside in Halloween trick-or-treat bag format for EVERY SINGLE PLAYER!
Friday, October 16, 9:00 p.m.
Friday, October 23, 9:00 p.m.
Friday, October 30, 9:00 p.m.
Craft Nights at the Bar with Becca
No fees, all fun, come hang at the bar and make some cute lil’ crafts with old friends, new friends, and folks who won’t be strangers for long! We’re giving the Craft Nights another go at TGP, and we’re making it a little spooky to stay on-theme for Halloween, so come out and get a little crafty with us!
Saturday, October 10, 6:00 p.m.
Book Ghost Garland
Saturday, October 17, 6:00 p.m.
Yarn Loom Ghost / Pumpkin
Saturday, October 31, 6:00 p.m.
Wood Pumpkin Painting!
Sunday Spooky Drafts
The Sunday Special Drafts have song similarly spooky, with this month’s MTG Sunday Draft at 3:00 p.m. being MKM and DSK
Sunday, 10/11 — Murders at Karlov Manor — $25 entry
Sunday, 10/18 — Duskmourn: House of Horror — $30 entry
cURsEd CaRniVaL
Friday, October 30, starting at 7:00 p.m.
Calliope music and (mildly) scary clowns, the Big Top comes to town and a Cursed Carnival takes the stage on Halloween Eve, Friday, October 30! Drink specials, opportunities to spin the Wheel of Misfortune, and the sort of freewheeling atmosphere you can only find at The Gathering Place in late October. Come one, come all, come on by!
$30 entry per player, 3 Swiss Rounds, Chaos Draft prizing
MTG Legacy @ 7:00 p.m.
FAB Armory @ 7:30 p.m.
Bonus FNM — Late Night Innistrad Chaos Draft@ 9:00 p.m.
Late Night MTG Commander @ 9:00 p.m.
TGP Halloween Party
Saturday, October 31, starting at 7:00 p.m.
The party officially starts at seven, but TGP has drink specials and fun stuff happening all day on Saturday, and well into the night! We’re tricking, we’re treating, the candy bowls are on the bar and the
MTG Premodern Cash Tournament @ 12:00 p.m.
iykyk
MTG Commander / EDH @ 3:00 p.m.
It’s the usual Saturday Commander, but now it’s spOOoooOOOoookyyyyy
Crafting at the Bar (Painting Wood Pumpkins) @ 6:00 p.m.
The first of the proper Halloween events, an opportunity to craft at the bar and make your cute lil’ painted wooden pumpkin!
TGP Costume Contest!
Costumes are obviously encouraged, and anyone who’s dressed up and in the bar at 10:00 p.m. is pretty much automatically entered! We’ll choose some of our favorites, you’ll have a chance to strut your stuff as you so please, and the winner will be appropriately rewarded!
Karaoke w/ DJ Leo @ 10 p.m.
SPOOKY SCARY SKELETONS
AND SHIVERS DOWN YOUR SPINE
COME ON DOWN TO LEO’S BOOTH
AND SING SOME SONGS TONIGHT
MTG MIDNIGHT HUNT @ 11:00 p.m.
you know how MTG has a set called “Midnight Hunt”??? what if you could draft Midnight Hunt at… midnight???????
Okay, look, it starts at 11, but after you Draft and get paired, the games will be STARTING at midnight, so it really is a MIDNIGHT HUNT! and it’ll be happening during all the TGP Halloween Party nonsense, it’s a freewheeling evening of trick or treat Magic
also it’s gonna be real cheap, we’re talking a $20 MTG Draft here, that rules
the Draft will be three Swiss rounds, each round will be best of one, the event is capped at 12 players.
The Gathering Place In-Store Buying Update: Hot Items, Cash Offers and More
The Gathering Place has a limited-time offer and a huge update for anyone potentially looking to sell Magic: The Gathering to the shop! Cash buys are back, and our rates are looking better than ever on select pieces of extra-special cardboard.
Beginning today, The Gathering Place is buying retro Fetch Lands and Shock Lands at 75% — and that’s a cash offer.
We’re also actively buying Dual Lands, all Dual Lands, and we’re offering premium rates all the way up to a 100% offer in store credit.
Again, just to really drive home that point, The Gathering Place is currently buying any Dual Land from popular card game Magic: The Gathering at a rate of up to one hundred percent (100%) FMV
Lands are what we’re trying to get in the collections and cases right now, but we’ve also got a wishlist of other hot buys we’re looking for. Just in case you’ve got any of these in your box, we’re current buying at the following base values, all in cash:
Mox Amber
$62
Esper Sentinel
$44
Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
$41
Gemstone Caverns
$43
Flash Photography
$38
Amulet of Vigor
$35
Quantum Riddler
$30
Wan Shi Tong
$26
Trinisphere
$26
Gleaming Splendor
$26
Elesh Norn, Mother of Machines
$19
Undercity Sewers
$12
Eldrazi Confluence
$10
Ajani, Nacatl Pariah
$7
Psychic Frog (retro)
$8
Blade of the Bloodchief
$5
Psychic Frog
$5
As always, TGP remains open to trade, credit, negotiations, offers, and buys from all sorts of collections. If you’ve got something you’d like to send our way, we’d be happy to take a look and make an offer!
This year, The Gathering Place has iterated upon the traditional structure of our signature event in a few ways — and all roads have been leading to this, the 2026 incarnation of our flagship Commander League!
What began with Beginner-Friendly League, morphed into Chaos League and took a deserted island detour in Castaway Commander League has all been building up to and learning more to make Commander League XI more than just the eleventh official Commander League at TGP, it’s all been in service to making Commander League XI the biggest and best experience we can to cap off the year in superior style!
Here’s a quick breakdown of what you can expect, in terms of dates to mark:
Tuesday, September 8
Preregistration for Commander League XI opens, all the stashed preconstructed decks TGP has been hoarding in The Vault go live on the TGP website, and players can register in-person at the shop
Tuesday, September 22
The First Day of Commander League XI
There will be an official registration sign in / up booth at the back of the shop for players to either pick up their preordered precon deck or present their own deck for approval, while also receiving their starter League supplies: a personal box, three booster packs, and a set of Dragon Shield sleeves.
Sunday, September 27
The official meet and greet, the Commander League XI Kickoff Party, complete with raffles and on-the-fly Commander pods for players to get to know their deck!
Saturday, October 17
Commander League XI: Tournament One
starts at 12:00 p.m. / high noon
Saturday, November 21
Commander League XI: Tournament Two
starts at 12:00 p.m. / high noon
Saturday, December 19
Commander League XI: Finale Tournament
starts at 12:00 p.m. / high noon
We’ve redone, revamped and reworked the rules and standards document for League, and now that document is easily accessible for all right on the Gathering Place Website. You can find the full text, complete with frequent links and the answers to as many questions as we could figure, right here.
From the all-new super-exhaustive document, a good explanation of League for the uninitiated:
First things first, Commander League is an event focused on playing the Commander / EDH style of popular trading card game Magic: The Gathering.
Over the years, Commander League has become one of the largest and most successful events at The Gathering Place, and we’re proud to be facilitators of folks getting together to play MTG week over week!
The elevator pitch of Commander League is this: each player starts with a preconstructed Commander deck of their choosing. Throughout League’s entire season, that deck does not leave TGP. Each week, each player is permitted to open three booster packs of their choice, adding to the collective League card pool. The only cards permitted for League play are the ones pulled in League, and trading among other League players is actively encouraged!
A few more quick details about Commander League XI, rapid fire
Entry is $35, and includes:
one 100-count pack of Dragon Shield Sleeves
three (3) “Chaos Packs” of randomly chosen MTG boosters
three (3) pack slots
a personal box to hold your cards + deck for the duration of League
entry into every League event, with all associated prizing accounted for. Every meetup, all three tournaments
Players can either purchase a preconstructed Commander deck from TGP inventory, or bring their own *SEALED* deck for a $10 fee, added to their registration.
note: Secret Lair Commander decks are ineligible to be played in League
Participation in any TGP Limited event: prereleases, Sunday Drafts, Friday Night Magic — all the packs opened during these events are eligible to be included in the League card pool.
Aside from the three Commander League tournaments already scheduled, there are three opportunities to meet up with other Commander League players and get in a pod to pilot your deck, trade cards, and participate in League writ large: fortunately, they’ll all the same days as TGP’s regular MTG Commander Meetups! (if anything ever needs to change, you’ll hear it about it on the Discord and elsewhere!)
Tuesday, 6:30 sign up, 7:00 start
Thursday, 6:30 sign up, 7:00 start
Saturday, 2:30 sign up, 3:00 start
We’ve got big plans, some truly amazing things in The Vault ready to break out for League, and it’s going to be a banger season. Once again, here’s the complete rules and guidelines for Commander League. If you have any questions, literally any at all, hop in the ask-staff channel of the TGP Discord, send a direct message to resident Professional Poster and Tour Guide Victor Lewis on Discord, or send him an email live and direct to (victor@thegatheringplacegames.com)
His Discord looks like this, you’ll know it when you see it
Thanks to everyone who’s played in a League this year so far, and know we’re exceptionally excited to get going with this fall’s flagship League and all the associated weird and fun and excellent times that come along with it. See you out there, friends!
We’re hiring four positions in Alpha Pie, and between two and three for our new location at Triangle Town Center as part of the permanent Charlie’s Collectibles space in the mall!
Alpha Pie Hiring Details
Open positions: front of house, dishwasher, expo, line cook / thrower
Hours: 5 p.m. to 3 a.m. Wednesday – Saturday
Starting pay: $18-20/hr, plus tips
The Gathering Place at CCS
Open positions: retail associate
Hours: 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday – Sunday
Starting pay: $18/hr
While prior relevant experience is preferred for any open position, experience is not a strict requirement for any of the open positions. We’re willing and able to provide training.
If you’re interested in joining the best crew in The Triangle, bring your resume by in -person at TGP and / or Alpha Pie or send us an email at info@thegatheringplacegames.com
Michael Conrad Signing + More at The Gathering Place on Tuesday, August 4!
Conrad’s work has run the gamut, writing for works involving Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, the Doom Patrol, all the way up to Godzilla and back again! But some of the latest work from Michael Conrad is right in our wheelhouse as your local card shop: a comic featuring the early days and untold stories of Jace Beleren.
TGP will have copies on hand of Dark Horse’s “Magic: The Gathering Untold Stories — Jace” on hand, and Conrad will have a signing table with some fun bonus wares starting at six. Folks who show up for the signing will have an opportunity to enter a lottery to get placed in a Commander pod with Conrad (we’ve heard he’s got a special Jace-themed deck that’s on the road with him!) to sling cardboard and talk story.
This event will happen concurrently with our usual Tuesday-night MTG Commander meetup, so TGP is planning to bring up some Jace-themed prizes and raffles from the Distro Dungeon just to add a little extra flavor and fun to the event. We’re excited to host Michael Conrad for an rad evening centered on crafting stories and lore surrounding MTG’s iconic mind mage, and we’ll see you there!
(this post has been edited from its original version, since Commanderjam is happening NOW. if you’d like to take a look at the TGP Parking Guide, it’s right here.)
The second annual Commanderjam is set to include a Commander Legends draft, special pods for Two-Headed Giant EDH as well as a return of Planechase, a huge convention table setup run by none other than the Mohawk Man himself, artists and friends of the shop, door prizes all day, Alpha Pie pizza slinging slices from the downstairs service window, another round of deckbuilding workshops — it’s all here, it’s all happening, it’s all COMMANDERJAM and it’s on Saturday, May 16!
We’ve got a luxury variant of the Magic Hole, we’ll have discounts and deals all day long in celebration of Magic’s most popular format, there’s a lot happening in-store all day long!
Signup sheets for each event will be posted at the bar, all events are first-come, first served. We’ll be firing pods as we get four players to play, so don’t worry too much about timing!
Folks who filled out the Commanderjam Form prior to the event will already be listed / included on each sheet.
Most events don’t have a cap involved! It’s more about podding players together, and we’ve got a bunch of table space and the entire day reserved for nothing but MTG. We’re trying to make as much space as possible for folks to play Magic’s most popular format, all day!
2:00 p.m. — 2HG and Planechase pods in-person signups open, first door prize drawings of the day!
2:30 p.m. — 2HG and Planechase pods formally fire
3:00 p.m. — Door prize drawings continue for everyone in-store, Commander pods form + fire as table space allows with special Commanderjam prize support. For folks interested in playing unaltered preconstructed decks and exhibition cEDH games, we’ll pair you up accordingly!
Space on Commanderjam Saturday might be a little tougher to come by, and TGP staff are going to prioritize finding seating for groups playing MTG. We’re going to make sure there’s some additional space outside on the Alpha Pie patio for anyone who’d like to hang outdoors and play MTG al fresco, as well!
4:00 p.m. — Deckbuilding Workshop sessions with Preston “Ironworks” Stevenson + friends open on a first-come, first-served basis. Possible guest-star inclusions for cEDH learn-to-play and other topics!
For any Alpha Pie aficionados, a note from the Pizza Lord himself:
tomorrow, during Commanderjam, Alpha Pie will be offering a special slice: ExtraExtraExtra Pep (it’s more pepperoni than you bargained for, I’m trying to tell you) also, a limited edition brand new hot sauce, straight out the kitchen
This March, madness fully takes hold at The Gathering Place as we launch the weirdest, wackiest, wildest Commander League yet: Chaos League!
We’ve talked about League(s) plenty here at TGP, you can click that link if you need clarification, but obviously the usual structure applies. Each player starts with a preconstructed deck, that deck stays at TGP for the duration of League, the only cards eligible to be added are those opened from League-legal booster packs or obtained through TGP-approved events / channels.
The Chaos in this particular league is simple: it’s $80, all-in, to join League. That will get you a random preconstructed MTG Commander Deck from the TGP Vault, sleeves to protect your deck, and three starter pulls from the Chaos League Magic Hole Box to get your League pulls started off strong!
Here’s a sample of some of the decks players have the potential to get when they start their Chaos League journey:
From there, League play continues as always: Commander meetups on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays at TGP, played and participated in at your leisure and pleasure. Be advised, though, the League only lasts as long as March Madness does. Here’s the dates:
Tuesday, 3/3 — League begins! Meetups at TGP every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday during regular Commander pod play.
Sunday, 3/22 — League Party and pre-tournament, for seeding in the finale
Saturday, 3/28 — League Finale Tournament
The only MTG booster packs legal for League play are the ones in the Chaos League Magic Hole Box. It’s a full suite of packs taken from the darkest depths of the distro dungeon, a selection of the wide variety of sealed MTG The Gathering Place has to offer. There’s Horizons sets, boosters from across over a decade of Magic — and more, in some cases! Reach in far enough, get lucky enough, and you may find something even older! Or, perhaps, shinier! The only way to know what it’s in the Chaos League Magic Hole Box is to dip in there with your own human hands, and Chaos League players can do so at a low, low price of $8 a pack / pull. Packs aren’t going to run out, pack slots are not restricted this League, do as thou wilt.
If you have any questions about Chaos Commander League, send us an email or pop over in the TGP Discord! Good luck and good hunting to all Chaos League players — you’re going to need it.
RCQ Season opens up for 2026 at The Gathering Place with the first three tournaments we’re hosting for one-slot RCQ play. Two are Lorwyn Sealed, one is Standard Constructed, and here’s the details for each. All of them are run through Companion / Event Link, players will be expected to abide by all tournament protocol and procedure and play will be conducted at CompREL level. Here’s the details for these first three tournaments:
MTG RCQ (Lorwyn Sealed)
Date / Time: 2/22 @ 11:30 a.m.
Details: $55 entry for each player, One-Slot MTG Sealed RCQ. Decklist required, rounds based on attendance. This is competitive Magic, and the potential first step on a path to the Pro Tour. Players will be expected to conduct themselves accordingly. Expect a cut to Top 8 in terms of scheduling / time.
MTG RCQ Lorwyn Sealed
Date / Time: Sunday, March 8 @ 11:30 a.m.
Details: $55 entry for each player, One-Slot MTG Sealed RCQ. Decklist required, rounds based on attendance. This is competitive Magic, and the potential first step on a path to the Pro Tour. Players will be expected to conduct themselves accordingly. Expect a cut to Top 8 in terms of scheduling / time.
MTG RCQ Standard Constructed
Date / Time: Saturday, March 14 @ 11:30 a.m.
Details: $30 entry per player, one-slot RCQ, prize pool and rounds depend on attendance. Competitive Rules Enforcement Level (CompREL), judge on-site. Come battle in your first steps to the Pro Tour and see what Standard looks like in the wake of all the Wizards releases this year!
The die is cast, and we’ve decided to call it. Predictions for North Carolina’s weekend weather are looking to be well below freezing temperatures, significant precipitation, and potentially several inches of snow. With that in mind, our plans are changing.
Tomorrow, Friday, 1/30, The Gathering Place will be closed in solidarity with individuals and organizations across the United States seeking a fairer, better, brighter future. We invite everyone in our community to spend the day engaged in whatever activities bring them joy and build connection.
For any Lorwyn League players, we’ll be giving you a free pack of ECL the next time we see you. FAB and Legacy players, we’ll see you next week.
But, while it’s a win / win we’re closing on Friday since the weather forecast is looking dire – we’re not exactly trying to leave folks out in the cold literally or figuratively.
The big man himself, Josh Goodsell, will be on-site Friday from 3:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. saucing, slinging and selling whole pies for $10 off and Lorwyn: Eclipsed Draft Night kits straight out the Alpha Pie window! We’re marking them down from the prerelease weekend price point of $140 to a clean $110, with the specific plan in mind being a discount on pizza, a cheaper Draft Night kit, that’s a way to take FNM and TGP and Alpha Pie home with you. Last week’s $5 off a whole pizza Snow Day Special was so successful, we’re running it back and then some.
For folks who might want a take-home draft experience, but don’t necessarily want to play Lorwyn: Eclipsed, we’re going to assemble some homegrown TGP Chaos Draft boxes that are the same deal. We’re assembling them in the Dungeon right now, they’ll have 12 randomly-selected boosters, 90 basics, and a random Collector Booster! We don’t know how many of these we’ll make, so come through early if you really want one.
Since the lion’s share of snow is slated to come down Friday night and Saturday, we’ll be entirely closed 1/31. On behalf of the entire team at The Gathering Place, we’re sorry things are working out this way, but we can’t really control the weather and we want everybody to be safe.
We’re going to reschedule the Premodern Cash Tournament originally slated for this Saturday for Saturday, February 21.
The Gundam TCG GD03 Prerelease originally scheduled for Saturday has been moved to Sunday, February 8.
As always, you can see the full calendar of events for The Gathering Place on the “Events” tab on our website.
Obviously, the Premodern Cash Tournament getting rescheduled isn’t ideal. Since North Carolina’s weather patterns are famously unpredictable and there’s a nonzero chance the NCDOT is really on top of things road-wise and we’re looking at (hopefully) mostly snow instead of ice, we want to put out there: if TGP is open on Sunday, it’s gonna be a Premodern Party. If that ends up being completely confirmed, be on the lookout for details and formal announcements on our site / socials.
It’s back, and if you don’t have / check / care about Facebook, here’s your chance to get in on it! Josh’s Slab Game is going wide for 2026, and it’s bigger than ever!
193 spots total, all shipped + tracked, already 1/3 full, roughly a 25% chance to hit BIG across $36k+ of value, $210 a spot on the Slab Game list. Entries are being handled on Facebook by Josh personally, but popping in the TGP Discord can get a random spot too if that’s more your speed — just DM @themohawkman_theboss or TGP staff, we’ll get you sorted. Here’s the link to Josh’s post on FB, where you can reserve your spot:
Last time this happened, it was 57 spots and sold out in a couple days — which is why this one is going BIG! We’re talking an Alpha Mox Sapphire HP, an Unlimited Time Walk, an Alpha Mana Vault, Duals, Dragons, six hits over $1k! A quick breakdown on the layout:
Shop HoursMondayClosedTuesday4:00 PM to 10:00 PMWednesday2:00 PM to 12:00 AMThursday2:00 PM to 12:00 AMFriday2:00 PM to 2:00 AMSaturday11:00 AM to 2:00 AMSunday11:00 AM to 10:00 PM
