Local magic draft events are a popular way for players to gather and compete in the Magic: The Gathering card game. **Magic: The Gathering** is a collectible card game created by mathematics professor Richard Garfield and published by Wizards of the Coast. In a draft event, players bring their own booster packs and build a deck on the spot, using only the cards they selected from their packs. These events are usually held at local game stores or community centers. **The main idea** behind local magic draft events is to provide a social and competitive environment for players to enjoy the game. It allows players to test their skills and strategies against others in a limited format, where deck-building abilities and decision-making play a crucial role.
It allows players to test their skills and strategies against others in a limited format, where deck-building abilities and decision-making play a crucial role. The nature of the draft format ensures that every player starts on an equal playing field and relies on their card pool and deck-building skills to succeed. During a local magic draft event, each player typically receives three booster packs from the most recent set release.
looking to play magic in NYC? daily events + stores here!
This is primarily for those who work/live in Manhattan and rely on public transportation.
- Uncommons - Drafts Monday $15+tax, Standard Tuesday $10
- Montasy - Drafts Tuesday $16.50, Sealed Thursday $27.50; currently MM2015 drafts Thursday and Sunday $40
- 20 Sided Store - Drafts Tuesday $15, Two Drafts Saturday $15
Credit goes to gratefuldad09 for writing a similar post that inspired me to do this :)
Mondays
Draft - The Uncommons
The 3:30 draft seems like it's for elementary/middle school kids. The drafts fire on demand after around 5, and for the last couple of DTK drafts, they wait until a pod of 8 and fire anywhere from 5 to 6:30, so be ready to wait. In addition, they'll usually do a rebound draft (another draft) after, with the store managers joining if you need to fill another pod of 8.
The owner is pretty accommodating, so if you're running late feel free to call. General vibe here is quite friendly, but this place is definitely one of the smallest/most cramped stores. Although their website has a very clean and fluid design, the venue itself is very much like a cramped old bookstore that has board games instead of paperbacks. They offer drinks (alcohol too), snacks, and have a small food menu of items like small pizza and wings.
Cost to draft: $16 and then tax.
Prizes: 1.5 boosters per player, typically being 8-4 (unless it is a Conspiracy draft, or there are a non-8 number of players)
Legacy - 20 Sided Store. With entry fee of $15 and the following prize structure:
Prize payout at 9+ players:
4-0: $60 store credit
3-1: $30 store credit
2-2: 1 pack
20 sided offers one of the best prize payouts for these weekly small events. They also do this for Modern on Tuesdays.
Commander - I'd recommend looking at the 20 sided store calendar for more details regarding Commander. Basic run down is $5 entry fee, pods of 4, a round 1 start time at 7 and a later round at 9. They use a point system to provide incentives for "creative play", and raffle off all entry fees at the end of the night, with players with the most points getting an extra 'raffle'. General vibe of the store is very, very positive. The owner plays magic, the venue is larger and cleaner than both Montasy and The Uncommons.
(My only complaint about 20 sided is how their tables are not very wide. Most of the stores have tables that can support two playmats, but the ones at 20 sided can only support 1.7ish playmats. Of course, this makes the OCD part of me bothered, and so whenever I sit down across an opponent who also has a mat, I lay my mat out and ask "do you want to be on bottom or top?" Andddd end scene)
Standard - If you really, really have to play standard on Monday, Montasy Comics offers $11 entry, 3-0 = 6 Packs, 2-0-1 = 5 Packs, 2-1 = 3 Packs, Everyone else = 1 Pack payout. If you think about it, it's very bad value, as even if you go undefeated (they set up the prizes to give incentive for you to draw if you and your opponent are 2-0, as two 2-0-1's net 10 packs, while a 3-0 and a 2-1 net 9 packs) you receive 5 packs for $11. Not the best deal. I never have played standard here and probably never will for this entry fee to prize payout ratio.
If you're willing to commute, go to King's Games (deep in Brooklyn.) They offer $10 standard with 1 booster box in prize payout guaranteed for 8+ players (18 packs to 1st) all prize payouts increase the more players beyond 9. They are one of the few stores that let you take store credit instead of booster packs (at $2.50 store cred per pack.) I go here when I really want to grind out 'value.' Last time I was here, I got 1st and walked out with an Arid Mesa and some extra store cred.
Casual play - there's a big group of guys who use this space at 53rd and Lex. I heard it's primarily Commander, with other formats played as well, and a lot of trading/buy/sell goes on due to it not being a vendor space. https://www.facebook.com/groups/NYCMagic/?ref=br_tf
Tuesdays!
Draft - both Montasy Comics, Chapter 2 and 20 Sided Store have drafts.
Montasy Comics starts at 7PM, They charge $16.50 (no tax) and offer 3-0 = 6 Packs, 2-0-1 = 5 Packs, 2-1 = 3 Packs, Everyone else = 1 Pack for prize support. You can exchange prize packs for $2.25 store credit.
20 Sided Store starts at 7:15PM (6:45 'sign up'). They fire all their draft pods at 7:15, so the pros about this are you just have to make it by 7:15 to catch a draft. The cons? They'll often have one 8-man pod, and two 6-man pods, or some amalgamation of pods. They charge $15 (no tax) and offer 1 pack-per-win prize support, if you go undefeated you get 2 extra, if you lose after going 2-0 you get one extra pack, you also get a pity pack for just playing out all 3 rounds. (Ends up being something like 5-3-3-1-1-1-1).
20 Sided Store also does modern on Tuesdays. Lately for Summer 2015 modern, it's been packed every Tuesday - so much so that they have to turn down people to draft as they run out of space. (Same prize support as legacy on Monday)
Standard - The Uncommons also hosts a Standard event on Tuesdays. If you win a Tuesday Standard, you get free entry to the next month's 1st Tuesday Standard event, which the owner always puts up a "big prize" for. Past prizes have been FTV Jace the Mind Sculptor and the Modern Event Deck.
Wednesdays
I would schedule dinner dates, play dates, fun dates, grocery shopping, errand running on this day. It's the one day the holy trinity of 20 Sided, Montasy, and The Uncommons all don't really have typical events.
Montasy has Modern, 3 round swiss, $11 entry starting at 6:30. Same payout as Standard (so not very good.)
Get There Games, a store in Staten Island used to have events. But they have since closed.
Thursdays
Montasy has sealed events (6 packs, make your own deck), $27.50 entry, 3 round swiss starting at 7:00.
Both have the same prize payout as all of the rest of their weekly events (3-0 gets 6, 2-0-1 gets 5 packs, etc.)
As of July 6, 2015 -- Montasy also has Modern Masters 2015 drafts $40 entry, 3-0 gets 3MM packs, 2-0-1 gets 2, 2-1 gets 1, other participants get 1 DTK pack.
The Uncommons has casual commander. I know they have prize payouts, but I'm not sure what the entry is. (Never been on a Thurs.)
King's Games has Modern, $10 entry, 4-0 gets $40 credit; 3-0 gets $20, and 2-2 gets 4 packs.
Fridays
The Holy Day of MTG. Christians have Sunday, 7th Day Adventists have Saturday, and we have Friday. Practically every store (and some other niche stores that don't have weekly events) have FNM. I'm not going to detail here, feel free to click through any of the stores to look at their times. Most stores offer Standard and/or Draft at around 6PM or 7PM. Montasy offers an early-bird draft at 4:30, and 20 Sided also offers an early bird draft at 2:30-3. Just be wary of when these events start and make sure you're on time. The expected value of these stores are all relatively the same.
That being said, I typically go to Montasy and grind a draft out before going home and going out to meet with friends.
If you'd like me to go more detailed regarding FNM in NYC, I would love to. Just mention it in the comments!
Saturday
There are usually a plethora of IQ's, PTQ's, GPT's or if you are a grinder like me even out of state GP's and SCG Opens to attend.
However, whenever I am in town on the weekend, I love going to 20 Sided Store and drafting 2 times with start times at 12:30, 4PM. They also have a 1PM standard event running concurrently.
Montasy has a sealed event (identical event, $27.50 entry, 6 packs, same prize payout as Thursday sealed) at 2PM as well.
Sunday
Montasy has a 2PM draft ($16.50, same prize as usual)
Let me know if you notice any mistakes here or if you want to add other relevant events! :)
Entry fee: 10,000 gold or 1,500 gems. Best-of-one matches; run ends after seven wins or three losses. One queue runs with the latest draft format; a second queue with a previous format or a remastered format could also be run. Match results affect Limited rank. This queue runs with human drafters.
They open one pack at a time, select a card from the pack and pass the remaining cards to the person sitting next to them. This process continues until all the cards from the three packs are selected. Players then use the cards they have chosen to build a deck of a minimum of 40 cards, including basic lands. The tournament follows a Swiss-style format, where players compete against each other to earn points and progress in the event. Participating in local magic draft events provides several benefits. **Firstly**, it allows players to have a more level playing field, as everyone starts with an equal chance to build the best deck from their booster packs. This format also encourages creativity and problem-solving skills, as players must adapt to the cards they are given and create the most effective strategy with limited resources. Additionally, draft events create a sense of community among players, as they can interact with others who share the same interests and passion for the game. In conclusion, local magic draft events are a fantastic way for players to come together, compete, and enjoy the popular card game, Magic: The Gathering. These events foster a sense of community, provide an equal playing field, and allow players to showcase their deck-building skills in a limited format. Whether you are a seasoned player or new to the game, participating in a local magic draft event can be an exciting and rewarding experience..
Reviews for "Exploring New Strategies at Local Magic Draft Events"
1. Ethan - 2 stars - I was really disappointed with the local magic draft event I attended. The atmosphere was lackluster and there didn't seem to be much enthusiasm from the organizers or the participants. The draft itself was poorly organized, with long wait times and confusion about pairings. Overall, it was a very underwhelming experience and I don't think I'll be attending another local magic draft event anytime soon.
2. Sarah - 1 star - The local magic draft event was a complete waste of my time and money. The venue was cramped and uncomfortable, making it difficult to focus on the game. The staff seemed uninterested and unhelpful, providing minimal assistance when conflicts arose. The competition level was also extremely uneven, with some players clearly more experienced and skilled than others. I left feeling frustrated and dissatisfied with the entire experience.
3. Mike - 2 stars - I've been to several local magic draft events, and unfortunately, this one was one of the worst. The event was disorganized, with long delays between rounds and confusion about pairings. The venue was poorly lit, making it difficult to see the cards and causing unnecessary errors. The overall vibe was lackluster, and the event felt more like a chore than an enjoyable game night. I was really disappointed and won't be returning to this particular local magic draft event in the future.
4. Jessica - 3 stars - The local magic draft event I attended was just average. The venue was decent, but the atmosphere lacked excitement and energy. The draft itself was relatively smooth, although there were a few hiccups with pairings. The competition level was average, with some players being more skilled than others. Overall, it was an okay experience, but nothing memorable or outstanding.