Last October, a light went out in the Magic community. Jordan Aisaka unexpectedly and suddenly passed away due to a brain aneurysm. The ripples of grief from this event were felt far and wide; while Jordan may have been a Seattle local, his love and enthusiasm for the game left an impact well outside his hometown.
While Jordan did play all kinds of Magic, he was most well-known as a competitive Legacy player, and helped shape and grow the Seattle Legacy scene into a powerhouse. Legacy players far and wide grew to know Jordan as one of the main faces of the Mox Boarding House Legacy stream, appearing often as a commentator when not competing (and often winning or placing highly) in the events themselves. Well-known for his boisterous and infectious attitude, he was equally known for his careful, analytical style of play, often favoring tricky tempo-control builds that relied on near-perfect piloting to put up the results he was often achieving.
Jordan was a good friend and a part of the Card Kingdom family, and we wanted to do something to honor him and his impact on our community. And so, on July 15th, we’ll be holding the Jordan Aisaka Memorial Tournament at Mox Boarding House Bellevue, benefitting the Brain Aneurysm Foundation. Full information can be found at the tournament page, but here’s a quick rundown:
This will be an unsanctioned Legacy tournament, run at the equivalent of Comp REL. As the tournament is unsanctioned, playtest cards will be allowed, with the following stipulations:
- Playtest cards cannot make up more than 50% of the decklist.
- Playtest cards must meet the Wizards of the Coast definition for playtest cards (details of which can be found here).
The entry fee is $40, with $25 going directly to the BAF and the rest going to staffing and prizes. The event is capped at 72 players, with 7 Swiss rounds (assuming we sell out) leading to a cut to top 8. The prize structure in Store credit is as follows:
- 1st: $360, and 3 30th Anniversary Boosters
- 2nd: $240, and 2 30th Anniversary Boosters
- 3rd/4th: $120, and 1 30th Anniversary Booster
- 5th-8th: $60
- 9th-12th: $40
- 13th-16th: $20
There will also be additional giveaways and prizing in the form of Magic product provided by Wizards of the Coast. Each attendee will also get a custom foil token with a depiction of Jordan.
Lastly, we will be streaming the event at twitch.tv/cardkingdom. Join us in remembering our friend while playing the format he loved the most. And remember: Cowards can’t block warriors.
The event is sold out, but if you would like to donate directly to the Brain Aneurysm Foundation in Jordan’s honor, please use this link: http://give.bafound.org/goto/GamersEngaged
Chris is the Marketing Communications Coordinator (and editor of the blog) at Card Kingdom. He would like to apologize to his son for not holding onto more cards from when he first started playing, as that likely would have paid for college. He enjoys pretty much all formats of Magic, but usually ends up playing decks that make other people dislike playing those formats with him.