So yesterday I was discussing event attendance with everyone. Here’s where we are since yesterday:
Yesterday – Noon, 2/26 – 1419 Players
Today – Noon, 2/27 – 1590(!) Players
That’s 171 players that have preregistered in the past 24 hours! My projections for 2319 players by doors-open at Grand Prix Richmond was based on an additional 100 people a day; but the past three days have been 125+ players, so let’s adjust this to 150 players preregistering per day.
Friday, 2/28: 1740 Players
Saturday, 3/1: 1890 Players
Sunday, 3/2: 2040 Players
Monday, 3/3: 2190 Players
Tuesday, 3/4: 2340 Players
Wednesday, 3/5: 2490 Players
Thursday, 3/6: 2640 Players
Friday, 3/7: 2790 Players
That’s a lot of players, and that’s before we even open the doors for registration on-site on the Friday of the event! Let me take the time to answer some questions that popped up yesterday, between our site and Reddit:
Q: Will you have enough Eternal Witness playmats and Batterskull Promos for all players?
A: We anticipate that even with the amazing turnout from the community for Grand Prix Richmond, we should have enough playmats and Promos to make sure that everyone gets one of each! However, if it looks like we are going to run out (and I’ll stress – I don’t think this is likely, but I’m putting it out here now), preregistering by noon on Friday will guarantee you a playmat.
Let’s say you preregister today. We will have a playmat and a promo card set aside for you, no matter the final attendance number. You can show up anytime on Friday or up until the tournament begins Saturday, and you will be able to get the Eternal Witness playmat and Batterskull, even if we have more players than playmats/promos.
Once we hit noon on Friday, March 7 (doors open at Grand Prix), the remaining Eternal Witness playmats/Batterskull promos will be on a first come-first served basis. If you did not preregister by noon on March 7 and choose to either register on-site that day, or use online registration from 12:00 pm on March 7 through 8:00am on March 8, we will not specifically hold a playmat/promo card for you!
Again, I want to stress – we do not anticipate running out of either the playmat or Promo card, but I want to be transparent with the community about how we will handle a situation where we hit this extreme circumstance!
Q: Will there be online coverage of Grand Prix Richmond?
A: Absolutely! Wizards of the Coast will be providing written coverage of Grand Prix Richmond on Dailymtg.com. StarCityGames.com and SCG Live will be providing video coverage of Grand Prix Richmond on StarCityGames.com and twitch.tv/scglive!
Q: Are VIP registrations capped?
A: Yes, there are a limited number of VIP registrations available. Once those sell out, the only way to earn them is through specifically-marked tournaments on Friday at Grand Prix Richmond.
Q: I’m heavily contemplating going, but it’s a 10 hour drive.
A: This isn’t a question, but I’ll answer it anyhow! Since I’ll personally be at the event on Friday and Saturday, I will give you a free hug if you drive from 10+ hours away to come to the event. Hugs are on request though, so you have to find me!
So let’s talk side events. We have a ton of side events going on all weekend long at Grand Prix Richmond! Yes, thousands of mages will be battling it out for supremacy in the main event. But hey, thousands more will be enjoying other Magic events all weekend long, starting with the doors opening at noon on Friday! A full schedule of side events can be found here, but let me go over the events in more depth here:
FRIDAY
Free Mini-Master event (Noon-2) If you’re preregistered for Grand Prix Richmond, and you show up between noon and 2, you get to play in a free Mini-Master tournament! They will be run in 32-person flights. What I wanted to bring attention to is this: The winner of each 32-person flight wins a FREE VIP upgrade (worth $60), along with a booster pack of Modern Masters!
Grand Prix Trials (Noon-7) $25 sealed, $20 constructed – First place gets the typical two byes you earn for winning a trial. First place also gets a VIP Upgrade, plus three packs of Modern Masters! (2nd Place wins half-a-box of Born of the Gods + 2 packs of Modern Masters, and 3rd/4th Place each get a quarter-box of Born of the Gods + 1 pack of Modern Masters).
2HG Challenge (2pm) $40 per team – Play with a friend, loved one, or a mortal enemy! (Though, I wouldn’t recommend that last one!) This one is 4 rounds of Swiss, and we’ll be giving out a ton of Born of the Gods and Modern Masters booster packs as prizes for this event.
Legacy Challenge (4pm) $20 – This is a four-round Swiss Legacy tournament. The prizes on this event, in my opinion, are off-the-charts!
- 4-0 Record: 18 packs of Born of the Gods + Four Modern Masters Booster Packs+ an Alliances Force of Will!
- 3-0-1 Record: 12 packs of Born of the Gods + three Modern Masters Booster Packs
- 3-1 Record: 9 packs of Born of the Gods + two Modern Masters Booster Packs
- 2-X Record: 6 Packs of Born of the Gods + 1 Modern Masters Booster Pack
With an entrance fee for this event of only $20, there are going to be a lot of happy people at this event!
*JUST ADDED*
Time Spiral / Planar Chaos / Future Sight Sealed Deck (5pm) $40 – Limited to 32 players! Each player gets 2x packs of Time Spiral, 2x packs of Planar Chaos, and 2x packs of Future Sight to build their deck. The event will be four rounds of Swiss, with the following prize payout:
- 4-0 – 15 Packs of Born of the Gods, 1 Pack of Modern Masters, and TPF Draft Set
- 3-0-1 – 12 Packs of Born of the Gods, 1 Pack of Modern Masters, and a TPF Draft Set
- 3-1 – 9 packs of Born of the Gods and 1 Pack of Modern Masters
- 2 Wins – 6 packs of Born of the Gods
Foiled Again (6pm) $25 – Four rounds of Swiss. It’s Theros Block Sealed (so you build your deck with 4 Theros + 2 Born of the Gods booster packs), plus you get a foil promo card just for entering. In addition, you win 1x Foil Promo card + 2 Booster Packs for each round you win, and +1 Booster Pack for each round you lose. Anyone who goes 4-0 wins an additional pack of Modern Masters. So even if you go 0-4, you will end up with 4 Packs of Theros, 6 packs of Born of the Gods, and a foil Promo card just for playing! (And if you go 4-0, you end up with 4 Packs of Theros, 10 packs of Born of the Gods, 5 Foil Promo cards and a pack of Modern Masters!)
SATURDAY
Grand Prix Richmond, Main Event (10am) We’re doing our best to make sure that this starts on time!
2HG Challenge (2pm) – Same as Friday!
“Rebound” Modern Challenge (4pm) $20, Only $10 if you also played in the main event – Anyone who goes 4-0 not only wins 18 packs of Born of the Gods, they also get 4 packs of Modern Masters and a Ravnica Dark Confidant! Prizes go all the way down to 2-2, and all prizes include some number of Modern Masters booster packs.
Standard Challenge (6pm) $20 – We really like giving out Modern Masters booster packs, so check out the prize pool on the Grand Prix Richmond prize page (http://www.magicgp.com/schedule.html)
SUNDAY
Super Sunday Series Qualifier – Sealed (9am) $30 – The winner gets a full SDCC Planeswalker Black set (Valued at $700), plus a seat at the Super Sunday Series Top 8 draft! 2nd Place wins the original artwork for Phantom Centaur (which is really sweet) plus a seat in the Super Sunday Series Top 8 draft. 3rd place wins 3x Uncut Sheets and a spot in the T8 draft, and 4th place wins a Born of the Gods complete set, 3x Modern Masters Booster packs, and a spot in the T8 Draft. Prizes go down to 16th place!
Super Sunday Series Qualifier – Standard (10am) $20 – Winner gets a complete FOIL Born of the Gods Set + a spot in the T8 SSS draft! 2nd Place wins the original art for Spectral Lynx, and a spot in the Top 8 draft. 3rd place gets 3x Uncut sheets of cards + a seat in the Top 8 draft. 4th Place wins a Born of the Gods complete set, 3x Modern Masters Booster Packs and a spot in the 68 Draft. Prizes for this event also go down to 16th place.
The Super Sunday Series Qualifier Top 8 Draft The top 4 from each of the Qualifier events play in a booster draft. The Top 8 prizes are nuts!
1st Place: 3x Born of the Gods Booster Boxes, and an Invitation to the Super Sunday Series Championship at WOTC headquarters (airfare and hotel included) at the end of the year. (And heck, you can even have a Grand Prix Richmond Water Bottle on top of this!)
2nd Place: 3x Born of the Gods Booster Boxes, and a Grand Prix Richmond Water Bottle (gotta stay hydrated!)
3rd & 4th Place: 2x Born of the Gods Booster Boxes and a Grand Prix Richmond Water Bottle (Drink 64 fluid ounces a day!)
5th-8th Place: 1x Born of the Gods Booster Box each
*JUST ADDED*
Mirrodin / Darksteel / Fifth Dawn Sealed Deck (Noon) $40 – Limited to 32 Players. Each player gets 2x packs of Mirrodin (the original one!), 2x packs of Darksteel and 2x packs of Fifth Dawn to build their deck. The event will be four rounds of swiss, with the following prize payout:
- 4-0 – 15 packs of Born of the Gods, 1 Pack of Modern Masters, and a MDF draft set.
- 3-0-1 – 12 packs of Born of the Gods, 1 pack of Modern Masters, and a MDF draft set.
- 3-1 – 9 packs of Born of the Gods and 1 pack of Modern Masters
- 2-2 – 6 packs of Born of the Gods
2HG Challenge (2pm) – See Friday
Legacy Challenge (4pm) – See Friday. Still giving out those Force of Wills for a 4-0 record at this event as well!
If you have any questions about these side events, or Grand Prix Richmond in general, please keep them coming in the comments field of this article! Tune in tomorrow when I discuss some of the logistical changes we made to the event to ensure it’s a smooth-running experience for everyone involved!