I had so much fun with the draft we did at Epic Games last month that Dan and I decided we’d do it again, only try to make it more accessible to people. So, we’re going to be going back to Epic Games (in West Valley Utah) to play again this weekend. A few things are different this time.

1. It will be at a reasonable time. 2:00 p.m. instead of midnight. 🙂
2. This time it won’t be a pre-release, so the place won’t be so packed. We’ll have plenty of space to sit and play.
3. I’m going to arrange it so that everyone who comes to play with me specifically gets a chance to play me in a game or two. (See below.)

Q: WHAT WILL WE BE PLAYING?

My goal is to do a draft (probably the new set, but maybe the three Mirrodin sets). I’ll sit in a group of eight, plus me, so we draft with nine people. Then, we’ll have a regular draft tournament with the store’s prizes. However, I will SIT OUT of the tournament and play at the sidelines with anyone who has a moment between games or who doesn’t have a match at the moment.

My games will have different rewards. I still have a few of the prizes that Wizards sent me, so I’ll be giving those out to everyone who plays me. Plus, if you beat me, you’ll win other cool stuff. There should be at least one copy of THE ALLOY OF LAW up for grabs.

The format for playing me will be to use your draft deck; I’ll use mine. However, I will ALSO bring my Commander/EDH deck, and we’ll plan on at least a few multiplayer Commander battles.

Q: HOW MUCH WILL IT COST?

Playing in the draft will have a cost, whatever the normal drafting cost is at the store. Somewhere between $10–$15, I can’t remember. Playing me has no cost, though I’ll spend the first hour or two drafting. Also, I’ll probably bring hardcovers of my older books that I will be trading in exchange for cards. (Maybe even some rare foreign editions.)

Hopefully, this will be a fun time for all. I worry that last time, some people came to play with me, but because of the nature of the draft tournament (where you don’t end up playing everyone, but instead end up playing according to your win record) didn’t get the chance. We’ll fix this time by having all of my games be exhibition games for prizes, rather than part of the actual draft tournament.

Q: I’M A NEW PLAYER OR I HAVEN’T PLAYED IN YEARS. IS THAT A PROBLEM?

Not at all. This tournament will be casual. If we have enough people, maybe we’ll do a ‘less experienced’ tournament and a ‘more experienced’ tournament, but that will be really the store’s call. Either way, this will be very relaxed, and by the nature of the tournament you’ll eventually be playing people around your own skill level. Beyond that, games with me are just for fun anyway. If you’ve never tried drafting, it’s a lot of fun, and I’ll give a primer lesson to those who haven’t done it before.

(Sometimes, I even situate myself next to those who haven’t played before so that they can ask me for advice. Last time, the person sitting next to me hadn’t drafted before, and I helped him build a deck that placed in the top three in the tournament.)

So, if you have time, come play!

Epic Puzzles & Games
3612 W 4700 S #4
Salt Lake City, UT 84820
801-982-0167
Saturday 10.22.2011, starting at 2:00 p.m.