Magic: The Gathering is celebrating its 30th anniversary in Las Vegas this year, and Wizards of the Coast have given players a complete rundown of everything happening at the event before tickets sales go live on Aug. 11.
From special promo cards, to unique panels and the Magic World Championship XXVIII, there is something to do for every kind of fan. Tickets for the event are broken down into multiple packages for single and multi-day attendance, with different prices for adults and children ages 6-12 (kids under 5 get in free).
Each package comes with at least a pair of promo cards and some form of sealed product. More expensive, VIP packages come with additional products including exclusive products, access to special events throughout the weekend and a 10% discount on other event-exclusive merchandise.
Exclusive products
The primary promotional cards offered at the event are a foil-etched Arcane Signet, a special Richard Garfield, Ph.D card and a traditional, foil Soil Ring. Otherwise, there are new, gorgeous playmats from Ultra Pro, special event pins, Dominaria United inspired deck boxes and even a Magic: The Gathering backpack.
Attendees will also be able to order a new secret lair named “Li’l Giri Saves the Day.” The five cards — Peek, Greed, Curiosity, Vandalblast and Last Chance — tell the story of a brave food fighter saving the day across each one.
Panels and play opportunities
All three days will feature special events for attendees, from Game Knights Live to virtual conversations with the creator of Magic, Richard Garfield. There are art panels, cosplay contests, previews for The Brothers’ War and Wizards of the Coast even gave head designer Mark Rosewater an unscripted hour to do with as he pleases.
As for chances to shuffle up and play in person, there are opportunities for open Commander play and a few special events. There are also a number of throwback sealed events each day that will take participants through the game’s long history. Even Legacy and Vintage players will get a chance to bust out their collection and test their mettle against each other.
And for those who would rather watch than play themselves, they’ll have options. The World Championship will run throughout the event, and so will the Magic 30 Championship.
Players will actually have three chances to qualify for the latter competition at the event itself, with the top 8 from each qualifier earning a chance to participate in a 32-person, single-elimination Modern tournament. Those that make it to the top 8 of that tournament will get to participate in the coveted Beta Rochester Draft.
Plenty of ways to celebrate
Even everything we’ve touched on is just a fraction of what attendees can do at Magic 30. For full details, check out Wizards’ post. And for those that can’t attend, there’s always the virtual ticket package that will let you catch all the action from the comfort of your own home.
Jason Krell is the content manager at Card Kingdom, meaning he helps make all of this possible. He is also an unabashed Esper control player, and he hopes the two things at least cancel each other out. He loves when everyone gets to do their thing in a game of Commander and spends way too much thinking about game design. Jason also comes from an esports journalism background, which probably explains a lot about his work.