With the Standard format yet to hit its stride and Legacy even more wide open than usual, the StarCityGames.com Open Series in Cincinnati and the Classic Series in Daytona Beach are sure to be some fantastic Magic tournaments. And with the Pro Tour taking place this weekend, I wouldn’t blame you for having the itch to play with some Gatecrash! So come on out to play!
First, let’s talk about the Open Series in Cincinnati.
Ah, Ohio. My old Stomping Ground. The last time we visited Cincinnati, Todd Anderson won with U/W/R Control in the first Standard tournament with Return to Ravnica as a legal set. Since then, the format ebbed and flowed, with no true favorite emerging. And since Gatecrash came out, the elusive "best deck" still hasn’t emerged. Will we finally find the villain of the format this weekend? You’ll have to be there (or tune in) to find out!
We will be in the Cincinnati suburbs for this event at our usual abode in the area, the Sharonville Convention Center.
There are plenty of food options in the area, as well as walking distance hotel accomodations. The Sharonville Convention Center may not be Downtown Queen City, but it has plenty of perks.
I see that we have three all-star alterists coming to Cincinnati as well!
Amber Musick will be at this event offering her custom full-art playmats and tokens as well as creating new works of art and customizing your playmat with original art. Pricing and her current offering of playmats can be found on her deviantART page. You can contact Amber at [email protected] to request a playmat to be picked up at the event.
Blake Meade will be creating altered cards at this event! Check out some of his work on his blog and contact him for custom orders at [email protected].
Eric Claar brings his unique style of alters to the StarCityGames.com Open Series. Known for his minimalist "blueprint" style as well as full-art pieces, you can check out his work on his Facebook and deviantART page. For commissions, you can contact him through Facebook or e-mail [email protected].
This weekend I will be in the largest city of Quebec for the Pro Tour, but there will be a star-studded cast doing coverage this weekend in my stead! Open Series veteran Adrian Sullivan will be joined by soon-to-be Wizards of the Coast R&D Intern (and man who knocked me out of a M12 Draft Open Top 8, jerk!) Ben Hayes! The hashtag for this event is #SCGCIN, so be sure to follow along on social media and tune in all day Saturday and Sunday on @SCGLive!
Next up, StarCityGames.com is racing down to Daytona Beach for the first time!
The Classic Series takes an early Spring Break this Saturday! It’s the first foray to the area for SCG, and it’s going to be a fantastic chance for players there to show off their skills at a tournament closer to their homes than any other in recent memory. And with SCG running Grand Prix Miami later this year, players from central and southern Florida aren’t necessarily going to have to travel as much to get their fill of Magic!
The location for this event will be the Ocean Center, which is right on the beach. Not ideal for February, I suppose, but it does mean that there are a whole bunch of food and beverage options nearby.
Two alterists will be joining us between the coast and the Halifax River this weekend.
You can see examples of Chris King’s alters and place custom orders on his website.
Lindsay will be selling and creating her unique brand of 3-D cards and tokens as well as custom playmats! Check out her work here, then stop by and check out these awesome cards! For special commissions before the event, you can contact Lindsay at [email protected]. Don’t forget to stop by her YouTube page for a peek into the creative process.
This weekend is a big one for StarCityGames.com and Magic: The Gathering in general. You better get ready! Gatecrash has been out for almost a month now, but card availability can be a fickle mistress. Boros Reckoner, Sacred Foundry, and older favorites like Show and Tell can be hard to come by, so be sure to have your affairs in order before you show up. But there is good news: you can order free on-site pick-up for all card orders this weekend! Simply select the "Pickup In Person" option for the event you’re attending when you place your order and boom, you’re good to go!
Good night and good fight!
Event Coverage Coordinator