The Curse of Shadows and Thorns Nook is a legendary tale that has been passed down through generations. The story takes place in a mysterious village called Shadows and Thorns Nook. Legend has it that the curse was cast upon the village by a vengeful witch who lived in the outskirts of town. According to the tale, the witch was once a respected member of the community with powerful magical abilities. However, jealousy and darkness consumed her, causing her to turn against her own people. She began practicing forbidden black magic and used her powers to harm the villagers.
She began practicing forbidden black magic and used her powers to harm the villagers. One fateful night, the witch's rage reached its peak, and she cast a powerful curse upon Shadows and Thorns Nook. The curse was said to bring eternal darkness and thorny vines that would engulf the village, trapping its inhabitants.
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.
It was believed that the curse could only be broken by a brave and pure-hearted hero. Over the years, Shadows and Thorns Nook became a desolate and abandoned village. Its once thriving streets were now shrouded in darkness, and thorny vines covered every inch of the village. The curse had turned the place into an eerie and menacing ghost town. Many adventurers attempted to break the curse and free the village from its eternal torment, but all were unsuccessful. Some were defeated by the witch's dark magic, while others fell victim to the cursed thorns that entangled and pierced their bodies. Despite the dangers, a young traveler named Alex dared to venture into Shadows and Thorns Nook. Alex was known for their bravery and kindness, and the villagers saw them as their last hope. With a heart full of determination, Alex entered the village, armed with only their wits and a strong sense of justice. As Alex explored the village, they encountered numerous challenges and obstacles. The darkness seemed to consume them, but they refused to give in. Using their skills and intelligence, Alex managed to navigate through the cursed town, avoiding the deadly thorns and overcoming the witch's traps. Finally, Alex reached the outskirts of the village, where the witch's lair was rumored to be. They confronted the witch, who was still full of anger and hatred. The two engaged in a fierce battle, but Alex's purity and righteousness were stronger than the witch's darkness. With a final blow, Alex defeated the witch, breaking the curse that plagued Shadows and Thorns Nook for so long. The darkness lifted, and the thorny vines withered away, revealing a village bathed in sunlight once again. The villagers rejoiced, grateful to Alex for their bravery and determination. Shadows and Thorns Nook was restored to its former glory, and the tale of the Curse of Shadows and Thorns Nook became a testament to the power of bravery and righteousness. To this day, the village stands as a reminder of the triumph of good over evil. The story of Alex's heroic deeds continues to inspire those who hear it, reminding them that no darkness is too strong to be defeated with the power of a pure heart. The Curse of Shadows and Thorns Nook is a testament to the resilience of human spirit and serves as a reminder that no matter how dire the situation, hope and courage can prevail..
Reviews for "Whispers of Doom: Unraveling the Curse of Shadows and Thorns Nook"
1. John - 2/5 stars - The Curse of Shadows and Thorns was highly disappointing for me. The story started off with a promise of adventure and suspense, but it quickly lost its steam. The characters were one-dimensional and lacked depth, making it hard for me to care about their journey. The plot felt rushed and predictable, leaving no room for surprises or excitement. Overall, I found this book to be underwhelming and wouldn't recommend it to others.
2. Sarah - 3/5 stars - While The Curse of Shadows and Thorns had potential, it fell short of my expectations. The world-building was intriguing, but the execution was lacking. The author introduced interesting concepts and magical elements, but failed to fully develop them, leaving me with unanswered questions and a sense of dissatisfaction. Additionally, the pacing was inconsistent, with some parts dragging on unnecessarily while others were rushed. Overall, it had some redeeming qualities, but it wasn't enough to fully enjoy the book.
3. Mark - 2/5 stars - I found The Curse of Shadows and Thorns to be an average and forgettable read. The plot was formulaic and the characters felt cliché. The writing style lacked originality and failed to engage me as a reader. The dialogue was forced, and the romance subplot felt forced and contrived. Overall, it was a mediocre book that didn't leave a lasting impression on me.