COMMANDERJAM 2026 (Saturday, May 16)
Remember Commanderjam 2025? Because we’re running it back for 2026! Another year, another Commanderjam, and The Gathering Place is working hard to make this year’s iteration even better!
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 rockin’ out 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!
If you’re interested in participating in this year’s COMMANDERJAM, check out our form right here! Answer some questions, sign up for specialty events, and get your name on the list early for the biggest and best door prizes of the day!
We’re also working on bringing back some old friends: the Wheel of Fortune, the Magic Hole, we’ll have discounts and deals all day long in celebration of Magic’s most popular format.
Here’s a rough schedule of events, as we’ve planned them so far:
11:00 a.m. — TGP opens
12:00 p.m. — Commander Legends Commander Draft event (Commander Draft guidelines according to WotC)
$55 entry, best of 1, single elimination. Event prizing to pods, additional prizing to winners + Top. Registration for the event is on TopDeck, right here!
2:00 p.m. — 2HG and Planechase pods in-person signups open, first door prize drawings of the day!
Sign up for Two-Headed Giant Commander and Planechase Pods via the Commanderjam Form to guarantee your spot!
2:30 p.m. — 2HG and Planechase pods 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!
Want to get your name on the list to get deck building advice, critique, assistance, and whatever else? Sign up here on the Commanderjam Form!
We’ll keep announcing more about Commanderjam in the near future as things get more confirmed and the day continues to take shape. But we’re delighted to bring this event back for 2026, and we hope to see you on Saturday 5/16!
‘Secrets of Strixhaven’ Prerelease is This Weekend at TGP
THIS WEEKEND — April 17, 18, 19 (Friday, Saturday, Sunday) — is MTG’s return to Arcavios and the hallowed halls of Strixhaven! Slots are still available for preregistration, reserve yours now!
The ongoing expansion of the MTG Multiverse continues with the hotly-anticipated return to the magical and mysterious plane of Arcavios and the associated school of magic and magecraft: Strixhaven! We’re going back to school in a big way with classic color pairs, new mechanics, familiar faces and some new designs. Plus, the return of the Mystical Archive (in both English and Japanese variants!) in packs across the line, with some high-tier reprints, ready-made chase cards and hits a’plenty.
Secrets of Strixhaven sealed product will be available for purchase during prerelease weekend at The Gathering Place, no preorders for sealed product or singles are being taken at TGP. Sealed product pricing is as follows:
- Secrets of Strixhaven Collector Boosters: $450/box + $45/Pack
- Secrets of Strixhaven Play Boosters: $150/box + $7/Pack
- Draft Night Kits: $85
- Theme Decks: $20 each
- Secrets of Strixhaven Commander Preconstructed Decks:
- 1 DECK PER CUSTOMER UNTIL WE RESTOCK
- Silverquill: $70
- Witherbloom: $60
- Prismari: $45
- Lorehold: $45
- Quandrix: $45
- Secrets of Strixhaven Bundles: Price TBD, inventory incoming
Prerelease Sealed Tournament details: $35 entry per player, two packs per win across three Swiss rounds. Prerelease weekend scheduled events at TGP are as follows (and all the days are links to preregistration over on the TGP shop):
Friday
2:30 p.m. Prerelease Sealed
7:00 p.m. FNM Prerelease Sealed
Saturday
12:00 p.m. Prerelease Sealed
4:00 p.m. Prerelease Sealed
Sunday
12:00 p.m. Prerelease Sealed 2HG
We’ll see you on prerelease weekend for a return to Strixhaven!
April ’26 at The Gathering Place
We’re in the latter stages of March and, as the month winds down, it’s time to start looking at what April has in store for us at The Gathering Place!
Taken straight from the Events Page of our site, here’s a breakdown of the banner events and in-store happenings you can expect for April 2026 at TGP.
As usual, here’s links to where you can find everything going on.
If you’ve got questions, concerns, want clarifications, anything at all — send an email directly to us, call the shop during business hours(+1 (984) 999-4548), or hop in the ask-staff channel on Discord.
April
Product Release(s) in April: MTG Secrets of Strixhaven, Gundam TCG GD04: Phantom Aria
D&D Learn to Play
Wednesday, April 1, 6:00 p.m.
The first Wednesday of each month, TGP’s own Ben Creed (a friendly face known for comedy, trivia, and TCG excellence in both One Piece and MTG) will be your guide as you take your first steps into the Forgotten Realms.
The Learn to Play session starts at 6:00 p.m. and players don’t have to provide anything but themselves. Well, themselves and also a general openness, a will to learn and the expectation that role playing might feel a little goofy at first — but, the knowledge that the more you lean into it the more fun you’ll have. If you’ve always been D&D curious, if you’ve seen it portrayed in popular media, if you’ve been watching actual play shows or listening to podcasts like Dimension 20 or Critical Role, this is your opportunity to start your own story!
Girlypop Magic Commander Night
Thursday, April 2, 6:00 p.m.
We are honored to be hosting local femme-forward all-stars Girlypop Magic the first Thursday of each month at The Gathering Place! Join us for a free and fun night of MTG Commander-focused events for femme, non-binary, and gender expansive folks!
GPM comes by TGP every month, so come back the first Thursday and play some fun games with some truly excellent people!
Check out the Girly Pop Magic page(s) for all the details and some truly wonderful posts
cEDH Invitational Tournament
Saturday, April 4, 12:00 p.m.
The CEDH Invitational Series is BACK, and The Gathering Place is beyond excited to once again have the pleasure of hosting some of the finest CEDH players in the country! On the road to glory, and the path to winning a Black Lotus, we’re even putting up a piece of prizing all our own: the Invitational Tournament on April 4 at TGP will feature a BETA WHEEL going to first place!
$55 entry, full proxy friendly, here’s a TopDeck link with all the details + registration
MTG Modern RCQ
Saturday, April 11, 11:30 a.m.
Modern is a tight, quick, cohesive way to play competitive Magic. Encompassing decades of MTG history and comprised of the landscape born from experiencing Magic: The Gathering’s growing pains, Modern is a slower format in terms of cards added and lack of rotation, but much faster in every other way.
Monthly cash tournaments at The Gathering Place rotate between Modern, Legacy and Vintage. Since it’s Modern RCQ season, we’re upgrading the usual MTG Modern Cash Tournament to a full-tilt RCQ. Comp REL, no proxy, all gas, no brakes.
$30 entry per player, all entry in the prize pool. This is a one-slot RCQ, winner gets placement and a path to the Pro Tour. We’re also throwing extra prizing in the mix: TGP recently took in a trade of a Modern Yawgmoth deck shell, and we’re tossing the whole thing in the prize pool. Box, sleeves, dice, cards, the whole deal. You want details on the Yawg deck? Talk to Preston the next time you’re in the shop!
Preregistration on the TGP Online Store
TGP x Girlypop Magic: cEDH 101
Saturday, April 11, 1:00 p.m.
cEDH standard-bearers from the local community have teamed up with Girlypop Magic for a different kind of learn-to-play! Taking the signature Girlypop group from casual commander tables to a more competitive vibe — all femme, fluid, non-binary and beyond are cordially invited to “cEDH 101” to learn about competitive play patterns, combo lines, and what it’s like to fight ferociously at the highest level of MTG Commander play!
MTG Team Trios Tournament (Premodern, Legacy, Vintage)
Sunday, April 12, 12:00 p.m.
You asked for it, we organized it! MTG Trios with Premodern, Legacy and Vintage at TGP!
- The tournament is on Sunday, April 12
- It kicks off at noon, 12:00 p.m.
- Buy in is $30 per player
Team Trios has come a long way from 2011, and this triple-header format features what folks have asked for the most: Premodern, Legacy and Vintage! All format rulesets apply, we’re going to enforce rules at competitive level, Prizing and Rounds will depend on attendance.
If you’re familiar with TGP’s typical cash tournament structure, that’s what we’re working with here. All entry back in the prize pool, AND this Team Trios Tournament is Full Proxy Friendly! (all the typical TGP rules apply there, too. Make sure those proxies are easily identifiable across the table!)
**Trinity Assembly Required! Come with your team filled out, TGP will not be able to provide teammates for solos or duos.**
Preregistration on the TGP Online Store
Secrets of Strixhaven Prerelease Weekend
April 17, 18, 19 (Friday, Saturday, Sunday)
The ongoing expansion of the MTG Multiverse continues with a return to Arcavios and the hallowed halls of Strixhaven! We’re going back to school in a big way with classic color pairs, new mechanics, familiar faces and some new designs.
Secrets of Strixhaven sealed product will be available for purchase during prerelease weekend at The Gathering Place, no preorders for sealed product or singles are being taken at TGP.
$35 entry per player, two packs per win across three Swiss rounds. Prerelease weekend scheduled events at TGP are as follows (and all the days are links to preregistration over on the TGP shop):
Friday
2:30 p.m. Prerelease Sealed
7:00 p.m. FNM Prerelease Sealed
Saturday
12:00 p.m. Prerelease Sealed
4:00 p.m. Prerelease Sealed
Sunday
12:00 p.m. Prerelease Sealed 2HG
We’ll see you on prerelease weekend for a return to Strixhaven!
MTG Premodern Cash Tournament
Saturday, April 25, 12:00 p.m.
Premodern MTG is a community-driven format consisting of the sets from Fourth Edition to Scourge. Classic, old frame cards printed between 1995 and 2003, which were standard legal at some point during this period. See the list of all legal sets here, check out the entire Premodern card pool here. Folks have been playing a lot of Premodern in the Triangle recently, and it’s been getting traction at events and tournaments we’re adding a cash tourney into the rotation at The Gathering Place!
Entry is $30 per player, all that entry goes back into the prize pool, and registration is still up on the TGP online store!
Preregistration on the TGP Online Store
MTG New York City Two-Headed Giant Tournament
Sunday, April 26, 12:00 p.m.
The Gathering Place is taking it to the streets on Sunday, April 26 with a Two-Headed Giant that’s entirely set in da Big Apple! It’s New York City, baby! Teams of two squaring up for three Swiss Rounds of 2v2 MTG play!
Entry is $35 per person, $70 per team. Each team of two will receive one prerelease kit of Spider-Man and one prerelease kit of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. The 2HG Tournament will run for three Swiss rounds, and teams will receive two packs per win per player.
Preregistration on the TGP Online Store
Gundam GD04 Phantom Aria Prerelease
Sunday, April 26, 1:00 p.m.
The fourth set of the Gundam TCG comes out in April, and The Gathering Place is having our prerelease event on Sunday, April 26! Players are looking at $30 entry for a six-pack sealed prerelease tournament complete with promos and prize support. We’ll have
March ’26 at The Gathering Place
As always, you can find details on events at store happening at The Gathering Place on our Events Page and listed on the Monthly Event Calendar we’ve got going on a Google Sheet but, for clarity and ease of access, here’s a breakdown of the month!
The best place to stay up to date with TGP and informed on what we’re up to is on the TGP Discord server, so we’ll see you over there if you’re not already in, and we’ll see you in the shop this March!
This March at TGP
March Madness Chaos MTG Commander League
Each player in the March Madness Chaos Commander League will pay a set price for their preconstructed starter deck, with that prize set as the average of all possible decks in the pool. Deck assignment will be random. Each player starts with three Chaos Packs pulled from the deepest depths of the TGP Card Dungeon, and week-over-week packs will be pulled at random from a big ol’ box full of booster packs we’ll be personally stocking for the League and making available to League Players only at a fixed price per pack. High value, low friction, zero predictability, all gas, no brakes.
- 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
All the details on Chaos League, right here!
Girlypop Magic Commander Night
Date / Time:
Thursday, March 5, starting at 6:00 p.m.
Details:
We are honored to be hosting local femme-forward all-stars Girlypop Magic the first Thursday of each month at The Gathering Place! Join us for a free and fun night of MTG Commander-focused events for femme, non-binary, and gender expansive folks!
GPM comes by TGP every month, so come back the first Thursday and play some fun games with some truly excellent people!
Link:
Check out the Girly Pop Magic page(s) for all the details and some truly wonderful posts
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.
Event hosted via Companion / EventLink
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!
MTG Vintage Cash Tournament
Date / Time: Saturday, March 14 @ 12:00 p.m.
Details: Vintage is powerful, expansive, and a popular way to play competitive MTG! The Gathering Place’s monthly cash tournament series continues in March with the Vintage Cash tourney! $20 entry per player to clash for cash in Magic’s most expansive and highest power format! Every card, every era, possibilities and combos abound!
One Piece TCG Treasure Cup
Date / Time: Saturday, March 14 @ 1:00 p.m.
Details: $20 entry per player, registration via Bandai, first-come first-served, so check in on the Bandai site / app if you aren’t already part of the community! This is higher-level tournament with commensurate prizing and promos, so bring out your best to chase glory on the high seas!
One Piece TCG Heroine’s Battle
Date / Time: Sunday, March 15 @ 1:00 p.m.
Details: $20 entry, 1v1, pack prizing for players! One Piece TCG is celebrating the release of EB03 with the Heroine’s Battle — a special event where only Heroine leader cards are allowed! Boa, Charlotte, Nico and more are going to be duking it out at TGP and you’re cordially invited, so check the link below for event details from Bandai!
Details from Bandai about the Heroine’s Battle event are right here
MTG CEDH Dual Land Tournament
Date / Time: Saturday, March 21, at 12:00 p.m.
Details:
Each month, The Gathering Place holds a CEDH tournament where the prize is based on attendance, and every entrant has a chance to battle it out for a Dual Land straight out of the TGP display case!
This month’s is on Saturday, 3/21, starting at noon.
$30 buy in, Dual Land goes to first place, payout prizing to Top 4, and other / additional prizing based on attendance. Come battle it out for Duals, for glory, for love of the game!
Full proxy is permitted, all proxies must be clearly representative of the intended card and contain all information the official printing does in an easy-to-identify fashion.
Link:
Event registration is run through TopDeck. (https://topdeck.gg/thegatheringplace)
MTG Pauper Cash Tournament
Date / Time: Saturday, March 28 @ 12:00 p.m.
Details: Pauper is the “oops! all commons!” format of MTG where low-rarity cards produce some interesting, fun, shockingly complex gameplay. Entry per player is $20, all entry goes back to the prize pool, and the MTGPunks tournament series continues!
Gundam TCG ST09 Release Event
Date / Time: Sunday, March 29 @ 1:00 p.m.
Details: $40 entry per player, 16 player capacity as limited by Bandai-supplied promos. Each player receives a copy of ST09 – Destiny Ignition to play with across Swiss rounds in this release event tournament. Promos, packs, prizing, Gundam!
Link:
One Piece TCG OP15 Prerelease Event
Date / Time: Sunday, March 29 @ 1:00 p.m.
Details: $30 entry, 32 player capacity, a One Piece TCG prerelease event celebrating the release of OP15: Adventure on The Island of The Gods! A return to Sky Island with all the rambunctious Devil Fruit powered action players and fans expect from One Piece! The Gathering Place will have promos and packs as prizes for players, so we’ll see you there!
March Madness ’26: Chaos (Commander) League
February 26, 2026
7:08 pm
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!
Click here to sign up for Chaos League
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.
Click here to sign up for Chaos League
MTG RCQ Season at The Gathering Place
February 19, 2026
5:15 pm
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!
MTG TMNT at TGP
February 10, 2026
7:36 pm
As much fun as it is to say “MTG TMNT at TGP,” that’s a whole lot of letter and not a lot of additional information or context. But, that said, most folks probably know by now the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are coming to Magic: The Gathering, and The Gathering Place has planned out our prerelease weekend and opened up preregistration online! Here’s the schedule, and each link takes you to preregistration over at the TGP online store:
Friday, February 27
Saturday, February 28
Sunday, March 1
Friday, March 6
- TMNT Draft for Friday Night Magic (not prerelease weekend, but related)
All the usual prerelease rules and expectations apply. Entry is $35 per player, each player will receive a TMNT prerelease kit (six boosters, a foil promo, a spindown die). Each prerelease event is played across three Swiss rounds, two packs per win per player.
TGP will have TMNT product on hand and for sale over the weekend while on-shelf supplies last. Booster boxes, both Collector and Play, the Pizza Bundles, the preconstructed Commander deck, everything Wizards sends to us, we’ll have for you. We’re also very much planning on looping Alpha Pie into this for some kind of TMNT pizza special over the weekend, so keep and eye out for that, too!
MTGPunks Monthly Cash Tournament Series
A long-standing tradition at The Gathering Place has been the monthly MTG cash tourneys. We started with a rotating schedule of Modern, Vintage and Legacy, we added CEDH monthly with a Dual Land in the prize pool every month, and now we’re expanding to even broader horizons with what we’re calling the MTGPunks series!
The “punk” in MTGPunks comes from the fact each of these monthly cash tournaments is a highlight for a beloved community-oriented format. We’ve got Premodern, Old School (specifically, Eternal Central Old School) and Pauper in rotation and we’re ready to rumble in 2026! These are community formats, and proxies are permitted so long as proxies are clearly representative of the intended card and easily identifiable by opponents as the card in question. When it comes to Old School, it’s worth mentioning adherence to Iconic art on cards and proxies alike is required. Here’s the schedule for the year, we’ve already planned it out:
Saturday, Feb. 21 – Premodern
Saturday, Feb. 28 – Old School
Saturday, March 28 – Pauper
Saturday, April 25 -Premodern
Saturday, May 30 – Old School
Saturday, June 27 – Pauper
Saturday, July 25 – Premodern
Saturday, Aug. 21 – Old School
Saturday, Sep. 19 – Pauper
Saturday, Oct. 31 – Premodern
Saturday, Nov. 28 – Old School
Sunday, Dec. 13 – Pauper
Entry is $20 per player, entry goes back in the prize pool, all the regular cash tournament rules apply for the MTGPunks series. Registration links for each will be posted on the TGP website as they come up, so keep an eye out over there. We’ll also take registrations day-of, so we hope to see you out there!
Beginner-Friendly MTG Commander League
A smaller, curated and more personal experience meant for newer folks in the space and scene. Players will choose their own preconstructed deck to start with, like usual. The main difference is size, personal attention and the week-over-week pack slot mechanics.
BFL will feature a fixed $20/week structure, which comes with curated packs for each player and personal knowledge from staff. To keep things manageable and provide the experience we want, the Beginner Friendly League is capped at 36 players, or, nine full pods of four. Here’s a short form details breakdown:
- League Entry: $30 + cost of a precon (or TGP’s “uncorking” fee if you wish to bring your own deck) Here’s a link to all the preconstructed MTG Commander decks The Gathering Place has in stock!
- Boxes to keep League decks at TGP will be provided, League players can also purchase a 100-count box of Dragon Shield sleeves, at a discount, from TGP. Sleeves for League players are $10, players are welcome to bring their own sleeves if they wish.
- Each player will start with a prerelease kit of their choice, taken from a selection of Lorwyn: Eclipsed, Outlaws of Thunder Junction, Core Set 2019/20, or Spider-Man.
- $20/week for three packs personally curated for you and your deck, and talked with you about by TGP staff
- 36 player cap
- Tuesday, 2/3 — League begins! Meetups at TGP every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday during regular Commander pod play.
- Saturday, 2/21 — League Party and pre-tournament, for seeding in the finale
- Saturday, 3/7 — League Finale Tournament
Sign ups for Beginner-Friendly League are in-store at The Gathering Place
It’s strongly recommended for BFL players to join the TGP Discord! It’s a great place to find games, get a line on potential trades, and the private Beginner League channel offers a direct line for advice on your deck, what packs / cards you’re looking for, and more.
The Beginner-Friendly League will largely follow the rules and structure laid out in the Flagship League document, so here’s a link to that for anyone who’d like to read up on the whole deal. That said, the structure here is pretty simple.
You start with a preconstructed deck, you open some packs. You make some changes, meet some people, play some games. You trade cards, you open more packs, you make more changes. Week over week, your formerly preconstructed deck evolves in the way you’re building it, and you get to know the general goal and play pattern of the deck you’re gradually building over time, as well as the decks of your fellow League players. You make more conscious trades, you keep building. You dig through the League Bulk box to see if there’s something cool in there you need, some treasure previously overlooked. You play in the tournament(s), you have a great time. At the end of League, you’ve got a deck that’s unmistakably your own, built entirely by you, and now well-played and well-loved. “League was pretty cool,” you think to yourself. “Maybe I’ll play in the next one.” and then you ride off into the sunset in a neon purple Lamborghini Countach, sipping a Cherry Coke, listening to synth music and thinking about who your next commander might be.
Or something like that.
FINAL FINAL FANTASY — SATURDAY, 2/14 [rescheduled]
Rescheduled due to potential inclement weather, Final Final Fantasy has been moved from 2/1 to 2/14, also changed from Sealed to Draft, and entry reduced from $99 to $50. The potential prizes haven’t changed, though!
The overall success of Magic: The Gathering’s Final Fantasy set can’t be overstated. However you feel about Universes Beyond product from WotC, it’s clear that Final Fantasy [FIN] is a huge win. It’s UB Magic that feels like Magic, an extension into another IP that manages to succeed in design, art and gameplay.
For a while, Final Fantasy MTG product was pretty tough to find… but it was always clear WotC was going to print up a bunch of the stuff. Collector boosters might still be in the triple digits for a pack, but Play boosters of FIN are just about affordable, these days. With Lorwyn’s release in the rearview and a full year of whatever Magic has in store on the horizon, The Gathering Place would like to bid a final fond farewell to Final Fantasy — and, in the process, have a huge event where everybody has a chance to score something awesome.
Enter: FINAL FINAL FANTASY
People have been asking about the FF posters on the wall since they came in, the Chocobo racing pins, the Yuna promos from the Wizards-backed “booster box league” event, the Squall promos, all that stuff. We’ve got Final Fantasy swag all in the backrooms and in the dungeons of TGP, and we want to get it out where it belongs: to you. We’re going to hold a FIN Draft tournament with prizing dependent on attendance IN ADDITION TO drawings and door prizes THROUGHOUT THE EVENT. You don’t have to win the tournament to be entered to win Chocobo pins, store promos and the Final Fantasy posters literally right off TGP’s walls.
Entry is $50 per player, and the end prize pool will depend on how many people show up to play, and there is not a cap on this event until TGP runs out of seats. If enough players show up for FINAL FINAL FANTASY, there’s a good chance you’ll see sealed product, Collector Boosters and more in the pool. What can be guaranteed is this:
- TGP has 16 Yuna promos available. Each player in Top 8 will be awarded one, the remaining 8 will be raffled off to all entrants.
- with 24 entrants, Top 4 will receive one (1) FIN Collector Booster
- with 36 entrants, Tournament Champion will receive a a Final Fantasy foil from the TGP showcase, chosen by TGP staff
- with 48+ entrants, EVEN MORE prizing will be added! We’ve got sealed product, singles, plenty of stuff to throw in!
All other Final Fantasy promos on TGP shelves will be raffled off between rounds during the event.
Final Fantasy in-store character posters will be raffled off, one by one, between rounds during the event.
Exclusive pins, and perhaps posters if we’ve got any left, from the “Chocobo Racing” event will be raffled off between rounds during the event.
You don’t have to win the tournament to take home some truly excellent prizing!
The tournament kicks off at noon, and if there’s space at TGP we welcome any and all to show up and bring some Final Fantasy themed Commander Decks. We’ll have a special signup going for that day-of if it’s possible in terms of space at TGP, and do our best to include players in the party through a separate set of raffles and fun prizes. For those interested in perusing Final Fantasy MTG wares, we’ll also have a display up with all the Final Fantasy precon decks, good stuff, foils, special treatments, whatever we’ve got.
We want to go all-out for FINAL FINAL FANTASY, so we hope you’ll join us on Saturday, 2/14!
