My original plans for this series was to teach you guys how to be a more effective Rogue Player. However, the more I read the crazy things you guys say, and read the off the wall things you guys think, the more and more I am convinced, you need help! You guys need help in other areas as well. So with that thought in mind, I decided, most likely a week or so late, to teach you guys how to enjoy a Pre-Release tournament.

Every three months or so, Wizards of the Coast decided to put out a set of cards, with the intent of getting you guys to buy more cards. The initial release of a set of cards is usually celebrated by holding large tournaments throughout the world. These tournaments are called, appropriately, Pre-Release Tournaments.

These Pre-Release Tournaments (PRT) are usually a huge event where hundreds of people flock to get their grubby hands on cards a few weeks before all of their friends.

The great thing about the PRT, if you allow yourself to experience it, is the excitement of the new cards. I say, if you allow yourself to experience it, because of a disgusting little thing called a SPOILER!

That is right. A spoiler list will do exactly that; spoil your entire experience. Beware of the temptation of reading such a list if you plan on attending a PRT.

What is a Spoiler List? If you don’t know, then you are blessed. But, in case you are curious, a Spoiler List is a list of all the cards and all of their abilities that you can find online before the release of the set. Of course, if you read such a list, you will have a slight edge going into the PRT, but your defeating the purpose of experiencing a good PRT.

In regards to the Spoiler List, I can remember a time, when Spoilers were a guess. We would read up on such lists and think that we were prepared for the tournament, only to show up and only 30% of the cards we read were actually true. Nowadays, the list is even confirmed by Wizards of the Coast before the tournament is held.

Imagine, you’re sitting down at a table, surrounded by 400+ people, and waiting somewhat patiently for the announcement that you can crack open that first pack and finally see the new cards for the first time.

The excitement can practically be felt in the air. Everyone is holding their breath, hoping upon hope that their rares do not suck, because.. well no one really knows what the commons are, let alone their rare.

There you are.. rubbing your un-opened pack of cards, looking around at everyone else rubbing their cards and looking around. Then the announcement comes, “Everyone have their packs? You should have a starter pack, and two booster packs of product.” For whatever reason, these people have deleted the word cards from their vocabulary. They have replaced it with ‘product.’ Self-righteous.. So as I was saying.. “..one starter pack and two booster packs of product. Alright, you may begin opening your product and registering your inventory!” The guy giving the announcement is usually some guy you have never seen play a game of Magic before in your life, and normally he is supposedly some high-ranking judge. My experience has shown that the biggest guy in the room is usually that guy, so you know who I am talking about.

As soon as the man’s voice stops reverberating through the assembly, the sounds of foil being pealed and torn sounds throughout the room. You tear off your wrapper as fast as possible and start rifling through your cards in search of your nasty rare..

STOP!

STOP!

STOP!

This is where you almost ruined your PRT experience for the second time. At these tournaments, you are given extended time to do all of your registry and deck construction. They give you this time to read your new cards. So do just that.. read your cards. Open your first pack, and read the first card. Note the color of the card, you already know it’s a common –due to the location of it in the pack, note the casting cost, read the creature / spell type, the text box, and flavor text, finally the power and toughness if it is a creature. Before heading on to card number two, take a second and admire the artwork, especially since the art has come a long way since we had Basal Thrull in Fallen Empires. Repeat this throughout the rest of your new cards, and I promise that you will have a greater appreciation for the event. Take a moment and note the atmosphere, the other people ogling and moogling over their new cards.

I recommend starting with your starter and then working into your booster packs. This is just my recommendation. You could just shuffle them all together and not read them until you get into the game if you wanted to for the ultimate in surprise, but I would not recommend that.

So there you are, getting your deck ready, and getting prepared for the biggest, most exciting, most.. wait, I won’t tell you wrong. PRT’s last ALL day, or at least the main event does. You start the tournament around 8:00 in the morning and you’ll be done, hopefully before 9:00 that night. Don’t fool yourself. Make your deck, play your deck, and be competitive for about three to four rounds, and drop. Even if you are 4-0 and looking like a king. Get out of there, TRUST your friendly tournament grizzled vet. You don’t want nor need the headache that will result.

So what do we do then? First, go get yourself something to eat and drink. More than likely, it’s around noon, and you didn’t bring snacks did you? You need to get some food in your stomach to be able to continue enjoying the day. I didn’t play this game for 10+ years by being a newbie (although my friends might have something to say about this). I learned early on in my Magic career that you need to eat periodically to keep your mind sharp enough through the day to be competitive.

So now that you’ve eaten, dropped out of the main tournament, what’s next?

Now you head up to the registration desk, and get yourself entered into either a 32 man flight and wait for your number to be called, or sign up for a booster draft.

A 32 man flight is basically a tournament where 32 people enter into a 5 round, Friday Night Magic style, tournament that increases your odds of getting some product, or cards dramatically.

In case you do not know, a booster draft is where 8 people get into a group and open up a single pack each. Each person selects one card from the pack, then passed the pack on to the next person. You will normally get two or three cards from the pack you opened. You continue the process for the other two packs of cards until all the cards are selected from all the packs.

Now, there are two methods of thought behind the booster draft. First, you can do what is called ‘Rare Drafting’, which means you draft your rare, and everytime you see a rare float to you in the pack you’re about to draft from, you simply pick the rare over a common that might be more helpful. This would be the only place I would suggest Rare Drafting, as you are only here for the cards and experience anyways. The other thought would be to draft with the thought of winning the eight man tournament. You will win more booster packs to open.. which in theory should get you more good rares, but as we all know only nets you more Celestial Dawns. The other benefit to selecting the booster draft would be that you can get into more drafts, as they normally only last a couple of hours, where a 32 man flight will last around six hours.

That is it. You’re going to the tournament to experience the initial release of a new set, so get out there and learn what you can about the new cards. Experience the new mechanics, read the new cards, and most importantly, meet new people.

While you are there, take a few minutes and talk to the vendors. They are normally older players who are out of the game and would appreciate the conversation, plus if you’re cool to them, they may cut you a deal on some older cards. While we are talking about older cards, this is a good place to buy older cards, even older cards from current Standard. A lot of the vendors are looking to unload their stock of older cards and make room for the new cards, so you can find some good deals on those cards.

Oh, and while we are on the topic of good deals, NOW is the time to get as many cards as you can of the new set; while the prices are not established. I remember distinctly the Onslaught Pre-release and when I opened my first pack, I reeled when I saw Akroma’s Vengeance. When I showed it to my neighbor, saying, look what you’re NOT going to be getting, he told me, “That card stinks anyways. I just got one in my last draft, I’ll trade you mine if you have a Mobilization!” I told him I did not have one, but as fate would have it, I opened my second pack, and was staring at a Mobilization. I traded him the new Mobilization for his Vengeance. I ended up winning the draft, and my prize was something in the range of five booster packs. In those packs, I found my third Vengeance. As we all know, Mobilization never reached Akroma’s Vengeance’s card price. Someone might have even laughed at you if you had offered that deal to them after the price guides hit the streets. But it was a deal offered to me, before the Pre-Release was even over.

When asked his opinion of what a good idea for enjoyment of a PRT, Luthervamplord – Casual Gamer Extraordinaire, says, “..vendors are a good thing but a large number of traders go to these events as well. As an example, I took my rares folder to the Pre-Release and managed to net myself a Bayou and Tropical Island. The reason I managed to nab such rare and old cards? Because out of only three traders there; I held the most cards the guy wanted and I spent the time talking; talking is a valuable tool at any event. Because I regularly engage players in conversation during our matches, I managed to earmark a large number of cards that would of otherwise gone past me; my tip for any event is TALK!”

I have found this to be a very true statement. By talking to your opponents, as well as other players not involved in the game, not only do you increase your like-ability by Magic players, but you might get some play tips, good leads on certain cards, and perhaps even get your opponent out of his mind and get a mental edge and one step closer to a win. See, even in a fun tournament setting, I can show you how to get an unfair edge out of my article *shiny smile*

While getting other peoples opinions of the PRT, Death_by_Beebles had some good ideas for enjoying your Pre-Release experience:

“I'd also suggest to never, ever, ever, ever join the main event if you can help it. A 32-player flight and then 2-3 booster drafts is the way to go for me. Two flights + one draft is also a good choice.

Other suggestions:

Bring some re-hydrating beverages (ie Gatorade or water). Don't drink pop. The Caffeine ‘high’ will come back around and bite you in the [rear end] (Migraine headache anyone?).

The food at the venues is very expensive. Be prepared to pay 10 dollars for a piece of pizza and a drink. This is also known as ‘bring your own food’.

High sugar amounts = bad. Don't fool yourself into thinking that the sugar will get you through the day. You will crash eventually, and it will suck. Hard.

Bring pain medication. Magic makes your head hurt, and those chairs aren't always amazingly comfortable. I bring a bottle of Ibuprofen with me to every large venue event I go to.

If you intend on bringing trade cards, KNOW WHAT THEY ARE WORTH. There is nothing more satisfying to me than to grab a few bomb rares for a trade that you know is going your way.

Also, if you're bringing trade, watch it like a hawk. I can't tell you how many times I've seen people walking around asking if you've found a binder of stuff they "lost". I'll tell you right now, that binder didn't lose itself; it just got added to someone else's collection.”

Obviously, Beebles has been to an event once in his life. He has some good insight for a new player, or just a new tournament player. The only thing I will add is that he is right about the sugar rush, and bringing your own food and aspirin. Most avid tournament goers carry their decks in a box or backpack. You should stash a sandwich, fruit roll-up, an apple, and some change for a can of pop in your backpack. And don’t forget to slip those aspirin in the bag as well.

So what is the purpose of this guide? It’s to show you how to enjoy the most exciting tournament that you, the average player can attend, a Pre-Release Tournament.

To refresh your memory; don’t read the spoilers, don’t forget to eat, and for the love of God, have fun. Enjoy the event, as it is the most casual tournament that you will ever experience.

cpn

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Articles Spotlights from 2007:
Lorwyn Theme Week Intro & Schedule of Events
Blink And Bounce: Timing is Key
Going Blind: XCB Metagaming - A Prolonged Conclusion.
The Science of Magic: Genetic Engineering, Part Two.
Shifting Lineaments: Casual Metagaming (Pt. 2).
The Dungeon Of Malefict: Pure Evil!
Land Week Introduction & Schedule.
Combofusion: Legends Timeshifted.
One Card to Rule Them All: Coastal Piracy
Irrational Love: Chimeras. The Lego's of Magic.