Planeswalkers and Avengers alike – assemble now for the biggest blockbuster release on this year’s Magic calendar!
Marvel Super Heroes has finally arrived, bringing the star-studded superhero roster of Marvel’s comics and movies to the tabletop arena. Your first opportunity to get in on this multiverse-shattering debut is also one of the best ones: attending an official prerelease event at your local game store between June 19th and June 25th!
Prerelease events are a chance for everyone to experience the new cards and enjoy some friendly, low-stakes games. They bring all players together, regardless of experience level or what formats they usually play, and so they’re also the best way to witness the fun and camaraderie of the Magic community.
Plus of course, everyone who attends gets to be a week ahead of the curve when it comes to learning, opening and mastering the new Marvel Super Heroes set! How could anyone turn down that kind of deal?
SUPER HERO LANDING
First question you might be asking is: where are these Prerelease events actually being held? Is there going to be one in my area?
Your local WPN (Wizards Play Network) accredited store will be your hub for the Marvel Super Heroes Prerelease. Most board game/card game retailers that stock Magic (other than big box stores) are part of the WPN, so if you already buy cards from a local store then you’re probably in luck.
If you aren’t familiar with your local WPN locations already, then that’s no problem! You can find out which participating venues are near you and how to contact them using the official Wizards Store Locator page.
Every participating store decides their own unique schedule for the weekend, with their own mix of sub-events to enter (called “flights”) and their own prices and prizes. It’s definitely worth looking up all the options in your area before choosing where to register, and check which format of Magic will be played in each flight (more on that later).
Once you find a venue you like which is running the right flight at the right timeslot, ask them if you can pre-register for it. Not only does this save you some stress and bother later, but it helps the store promote that flight to other players and ensure a good turnout on the day!
A NEW KIND OF CROSSOVER EVENT
I want to back up for a second and discuss those different kinds of “flights” – essentially the different flavors of games which your local venue is holding across the prerelease window. There’s a wide variety to choose from when you’re signing up to play at your local event this weekend, and it’s worth thinking about what appeals the most to you.
The main way to play on the weekend will be Sealed flights, which is the classic prerelease experience for any new Magic set. Marvel is no exception: your entry fee buys you a Prerelease Pack with 6 Marvel Super Heroes boosters plus a bonus rare foil promo card. Once the flight starts, everybody opens those booster packs and tries to build the best deck they can using only the cards found inside!
A lot of players only play Sealed when it’s at these prerelease events, so I’ll take a moment to explain exactly how it works and offer some general tips.
What are you signing up for:
Each Sealed flight at a prerelease is its own short round-robin tournament. You play 3-4 matches over as many hours, plus another 40 minutes for deckbuilding.
What deck do you play with:
Your deck must have at least 40 cards – but that usually includes roughly 17 basic lands, which are provided for free by the venue.
Other than basic lands, all the cards in your deck must be ones you opened in your Prerelease Pack. Even other Marvel Super Heroes cards you buy or win during the event aren’t allowed. That’s the fun and challenge of Sealed!
Will I get to play with my friends at the event?
Sealed flights are built around 1v1 matches and use seeded pairings. If you’re lucky (and have similar win-loss records) you could get matched up against friends who enter the same flight. But there’s no way to guarantee it – unless you wait until after the event and play off with the same Sealed decks in an unofficial showdown!
If you know you want a more social experience though, there is another kind of Sealed flight called Two-Headed Giant (2HG). In 2HG, you and a friend share cards while deckbuilding, and then play a modified form of 2v2 Magic against other teams in the flight instead of 1v1. It’s my personal favorite way to enjoy a prerelease, and I strongly recommend it if you have another “head” to enter with!
If you enter a 2HG flight (check with the store, as these events run at different times to solo Sealed flights) you will each pay your entry fee and each get a Prerelease Pack. You each build 40 card decks as before, but your decks can use cards from both your Prerelease Packs mixed together.
The actual matches are best-of-one game against the opposing team, with you and your partner playing in unison. You take your turns at the same time (each untapping, drawing, going to combat etc. together), you can both use creatures to block whenever either of you is attacked, and you share a life total.
Other than that, you’re still considered two independent players. Cards your partner plays won’t count as ones “you control”, and you can’t use your lands to help pay for their spells. But you can look at the cards in eachothers hands whenever you want, and talk with your partner to coordinate your strategy and time attacks just like any great hero (or villain) team-up!
Is playing with a new deck and new cards against strangers actually fun?
Magic is a competitive game at heart, but understandably a lot of players just don’t have a desire to play cutthroat 1v1 matches against opponents who may be taking things much more seriously, or have a huge edge in experience.
To those players, I want to reassure you that a prerelease Sealed event is as casual as playing Magic can ever be. 99% of attendees are just there to relax and will happily help you understand the new cards if you’re unsure of rules, plus there are judges in attendance you can ask for impartial help.
Having paired matches and a round timer at Prerelease is really just a way to keep games organized so everyone gets to play a few rounds with different matchups. The stakes are just a couple of booster packs per win – and some stores choose to just hand those out as participation gifts so games are 100% for fun.
TAKING COMMAND OF YOUR MARVEL EXPERIENCE
There’s just no better way to get involved with your local Magic community than to attend a Prerelease. Even in times where I’ve been less invested in the game, these events give me a way to stay involved and get a feel for the new cards: more than once, they’ve been the spark that makes me realize the next deck I want to play!
Speaking of new decks: if you’ve been hanging out for the Marvel Commander precons specifically, those are also on sale for the first time during the Prerelease, along with all other Marvel Super Heroes products.
There’s no special events for Commander players on this weekend, but there are some coming down the pipe following the full release of Marvel Super Heroes on June 26th. And of course, you’re free to jam games with them all you want in the meantime!
Whatever part of this massive set you’re most excited for – Commander, Jumpstart, Standard, or just cracking a ton of Collector Boosters for those awesome showcase cards – why bother waiting for it? See you in stores this weekend.
Tom’s fate was sealed in 7th grade when his friend lent him a pile of commons to play Magic. He quickly picked up Boros and Orzhov decks in Ravnica block and has remained a staunch white magician ever since. A fan of all Constructed formats, he enjoys studying the history of the tournament meta. He specializes in midrange decks, especially Death & Taxes and Martyr Proc. One day, he swears he will win an MCQ with Evershrike. Ask him how at @AWanderingBard, or watch him stream Magic at twitch.tv/TheWanderingBard.