The State Of States: The Largest Ever

The2011s State and Provincial Championships just fired. The reported attendance numbers are back, and I’m more than a bit stoked. This event is dear to me. It was always my favorite event of the year. Not surprisingly, it’s always had its detractors. Their comments can be summed up like this:

“The prizes are nothing special.”

“It’s certainly no PTQ.”

And my personal favorite

“It doesn’t go anywhere!”

That last one always gives me a chuckle; the premise of the comment is that a bigger, badder prize, trip, or more fame is the main reason to play this event. If that’s what you need to play in the event, then you certainly should avoid this one. But to suggest it doesn’t go anywhere ignores over a decade of players who year in and year out come back, sometimes just once a year for this tournament. States is a tradition wrapped in a celebration masquerading as a tournament.

Tradition

Ali Aintrazi

Players who have been around for any length of time know that winning a state or provincial championship is a solid first step in becoming a marquee player. Ask current US National Champ Ali Aintrazi, who won South Carolina two years ago and Virginia in 2010. Nick Spagnolo echoed that in a recent article: “States last year is where it all started for me. I won NY States with U/B Control, then went on a hot streak that landed me this very writing gig and motivated me to start grinding Magic tournaments every weekend.”

Tradition is also a factor for players, like me for example, who have a near zero chance of actually winning the event. Usually the format is wide open enough that you can actually design pretty much any deck you wish and have a decent shot. My highest States finish was second (curse you, Brandon Remley), but I’ve managed a number of Top 8s. The mat is sweet; it shows I have some game, but mostly I go when possible to catch up with old buddies and renew friendships. Which leads us to celebration.

Celebration

You may not recognize this, but States is the pagan rite of passage in the Magic calendar. Thousands and thousands of Magic players converge on the same day in often strange, arcane locations. Each attending their rituals and superstitions of preparation to the epic unknown battles to come. From San Juan to Honolulu, everyone understands what’s happening. The drama plays out differently, but the underlying celebration is understood.

In New Mexico, we have a festival where we burn a 50-foot bogeyman marionette named Zozobra. His burning symbolizes the cleansing of our past year’s troubles and a fresh beginning. For Magic, we do the same thing with the passing of the old block. Did you hate Fairies, Jund, Caw-Blade, and all those other supremely tuned decks that the craftsmen of the game toiled over for us? They’re toast just like Zozobra.

That pagan rite also includes the wildness of the new block. Deckbuilders go on binge; there is great glory in finding just the right mix of old and new in those winning 75. Who’s the first player to actually break the card that the pundits panned? The hunger for the States Top 8 decklists is something you can almost smell. The tuners, tweakers, and speculators can’t wait to shift through the lists panning for hidden treasure. To WotC R&D’s credit (and our attendance benefit), Innistrad is a clear hit. Double-Faced Cards were a huge risk, and we’ve got to give credit to those folks in Renton for the transformation.

If I understood Chris Galvin (Former WotC VP for Organized Play and the founder of States) correctly, States was conceived as a new player tool, and for that purpose it never worked. In fact it’s became quite the opposite. It’s now the “old player tool,” not so much by actual age, but history with the brand. Programs come and go—JSS, The Invitational, Master Series, City Champs, Regional Prereleases have retired, and new ones arrived—Magic Celebration, Gameday, Store-based GPTs. The transitions can be tough to sort, but for a player from “back in the day,” The2011s looks just like what they’re expecting.

The2011s allows players from many different communities to catch up with each other. Sure they chat, brag, and taunt on their pages, but on Saturday the real deal has arrived. “Welcome to Round One. You have 50 minutes; you may begin!” rarely had so much anticipation as this past Saturday. As a tournament there is almost nothing else like it. This leads to…

Tournament

Nathan Calvin

It’s obvious, of course, that a tournament is the tool used to bind these elements together. This tournament is a different bird. You get players who are coming to their first major event. You see a ton of FNM players, many of whom would never hit a PTQ. The PTQ grinders are out in force; many could care less about the title, but the free entry prize has some appeal for them. Last and brand spanking new for 2011, we got “The Pros.” Due to the high risk of losing rating at such a random event, serious pro players almost never attended States over the years. This year, they played, and that was exciting.

A tale of two cities shows this clearly. Costa Mesa California has been an odd Magic haven for 15 years. 235 players crammed into the Costa Mesa Women’s Club. After 12 rounds of play, the player who emerged was Nathan Calvin of Pasadena. Nathan, who isn’t old enough to drive, steered his Wolf Run Ramp deck with the casualness of a PTQ grinder. With his mother watching, Nathan poisoned, trampled, and finally outlasted his three top 8 competitors. For one of the larger tournaments in this series, his is certainly one of the freshest faces.

Owen Turtenwald

On the other end of the spectrum is Wisconsin 2011 Champ Owen Turtenwald. This co-leader of Player of the Year race has the consistency of a congressman voting on his own pay raise. His five Grand Prix Top 8s this year along with multiple prior Top 8s show a player ready to make the leap. I’ll make a prediction that Owen lifts no fewer than two Grand Prix trophies between now and next year’s championship. He also sported a near mono-green brew, which splashed one Mountain, one Kessig Wolf Run, and four Dungrove Elders. Young or “old” (yeaaaa Owen is all of 22), it looks like green mages might have possibilities this year.

This tournament is far more than a bunch of players gathering on the same date. It’s the Magic New Year, and we party the best way we know how: by playing a ridiculously long, grinding competition that proves that on one day with one deck we were the best in that State or Province. And. We. Love. It.

 

 

That was my tournament report for The2011s, and no tournament report would be complete without props and slops:

Slop:

Planeswalker Points: Yes, we ended up with a multiplier of 1. Hard to believe that a tournament series with over 6000 players doesn’t qualify for a stronger number. For 2011 we were subject to some rough timing. Wizards’ announcement about PWPs occurred at the same moment we rolled out this year’s program. We had no advance notice of the program, and the only path to a greater multiplier was the Premier Tournament, which requires two months’ advance notice. We will push harder for 2012.

Prop:

Planeswalker Points: There is no question that the new program did exactly what it was designed to do by encouraging players to play. The no points lost aspect of the plan is a huge homerun. Well done, Wizards.

Prop:

Kekai Kotaki: For the second year in a row, Kekai did our playmat, and the feedback on the mat has been overwhelmingly positive. If you’d like to get to know this humble great illustrator, visit www.kekaiart.com. You will not be disappointed.

Slop:

Overcrowding: For people who like Monday Morning Organizing, we’re going to take a lot of heat on this one. Some of that is deserved, and much is not. Playing in a venue that is hot, cramped, and smelly is no one’s idea of fun. However if we can safely seat a player, we are going to do it. I’ve gotten complaints from players about overcrowding AND being turned away. Honestly when we get a turnout that is 30% larger than last year’s, it’s hard to pick on the organizers. Sure, we want to collect every entry we can, but the stronger motivator for many is to not tell a sincerely excited player they can’t play.

One situation where we must turn players away is when the venue begins to approach unsafe levels. For 2012, we will definitely have requirements in place that ensure you always play in a safe venue even if it is crowded.

Prop:

The Largest States Ever. Thank each and every one of you for coming.

Slop:

Prize Support: We’ve had a few complaints about prize support, and I’d like to address these. First, the blowout attendance often means the prize boosters are simply not on-hand for the expectations; that can be handled creatively, and I applaud the organizers who did so. Also, Innistrad in many cases couldn’t be bought; finding boosters for even the most basic level of prize support was hard. We require our organizers to offer between 2 and 3 boosters per player as prizes. If your event turned out to have fewer or more than that, we’d like to know about it. However, bear in mind this event is not sponsored or supported by anyone but your local organizer.

Prop:

Innistrad: I still think the tri-corner hats blow, but it’s hard to argue with the runaway freight train of success that is Innistrad. WotC R&D and Marketing are firing on all cylinders. This attendance number is a tribute to the set, which, in my opinion, has had the quickest impact ever on a Constructed format.

Prop:

The Judges: My heart always goes out to the judges of an unexpectedly large event. They give up work hours, time with their families, and most importantly not playing the game they love, so you can have a fair tournament. They make the event run smoothly and correct misunderstandings. States in particular is a tough event because you get large difference in play skills. That often leads to ugly matches; one player is a “dick,” and the other doesn’t understand how the game works. Both players are correct, and judges help that match come to a fair conclusion. Take a moment at your next event to thank your judges; this system doesn’t work without them.

Finally a largely personal thank you.

Prop:

The Media Moguls: The2011’s this year were advertised heavily on four websites. The movers of those websites for the most part provided us with rates that were below what they could reasonably expect for those ads. Getting the word out on an event is critical to its success, and these four gentlemen went well beyond the pale in providing support. Chedy Hampson of TCGPlayer.com, Pete Hoefling of StarCityGames.com, Patrick “Trick” Jarrett of GatheringMagic.com, and Jon Saso of ChannelFireball.com all deserve our thanks. I hope you will express your appreciation to them as well if you enjoy this event.

 

The 2011s State and Provincial Championships are a team effort; organizers, judges, dealers, websites, and most especially you play key parts in making it a success. At Sunmesa Events, we work hard to craft a tournament series you enjoy; your feedback is an important part of that growth. We welcome your comments, complaints, and compliments. This program belongs primarily to you. We want to be the best stewards possible of the event you so clearly love.

 

Glenn Godard
Sunmesa Events
10/19/2011