BIRMINGHAM ALL DAY STANDARD EVENT SATURDAY 11th OF OCTOBER 2008
Hello again everyone,
The Stafford Shards of Alara Release Event went well with a good turnout of 24 players. After five rounds of Swiss our champion was Jonathan Randle, well done Jonathan! Everyone received Shards boosters, promo cards and some lovely alternate art Jace prints. The special shard rule in force prompted some player feedback and I hope that these players will in turn send this on to Colin Smith as I’m sure that Colin would appreciate the feedback. Our top eight was dominated by Naya and Jund players with the other three shards far less popular.
We ran one draft after the main event which was won by Baljeet Samra, well done Baljeet!
In other news, Ticket to Ride the card game was enjoyed by the event staff. Pete was 3-0 for the weekend. Ho hum.
Want is the latest www.magicgeek.co.uk news?
Well, Shards of Alara has hit and has so far proven to be extremely popular. Single cards are now on the website but you already know that if you have a customer account and signed up to receive the newsletter. Mythic Rares do seem to be quite elusive, averaging about 4 to a box of boosters but all are currently in stock.
On to the next event:
BIRMINGHAM ALL DAY STANDARD EVENT SATURDAY 11th OF OCTOBER 2008
This date in the calendar was booked as one of two possible dates for the upcoming PTQ Kyoto which is instead happening in November. As a result I have a spare date and I wondered what to do with it. I decided that in a flood of limited events, a standard challenge day might be something that people might want to take part in. As usual, Standard Challenge works like this: You pay an entrance fee of £5 for the day and from there you enter as many 8 player single elimination standard events as possible from 09:30 when I open until I close at about 6 to 7pm. Booster prizes are awarded to the finalists in each event. Booster drafts will also be available for those wishing to take part.
As a special incentive to arrive early to get the day going as quickly as possible, those players that arrive before 10:30am and pay to enter the Standard Challenge Day will receive one free Shards of Alara booster.
As a second incentive, players involved in the Standard Challenge Day can get a special £2 discount from their first draft of the day.
Hope to see you there!
Here are the usual event details:
BIRMINGHAM ALL DAY STANDARD EVENT SATURDAY 11th OF OCTOBER 2008
VENUE: Quality Hotel Birmingham, 166 Hagley Road, Birmingham, West Midlands, England B16 9NZ
The venue is probably only about 15 minutes from the city centre easily accessible from New Street Station. Road links are very good from the M6 and the M5 as you will see on the map.
If you are travelling by car, there is parking for over a hundred cars but most of the spaces are at the back of the hotel. Drive towards the red barrier at the right hand side of the venue and it will automatically open. Parking is free if you have used the hotel facilities, so there will be no parking charge for players attending the event.
PUBLIC TRANSPORT: According to locals, as far as trains are concerned, it’s quicker to go to Five Ways station if possible, walk to the Five Ways shopping centre and then just walk down Hagley Road. From New Street Station the 128 and the 129 buses from Corporation Street (1 min walk from New Street) go down the Hagley Road (and I’m sure there must be others too). If you are travelling by train and you are running late I’d suggest just getting a taxi to the venue. I suspect that it is less than a 10 minute drive from New Street Station.
Website: http://www.quality-hotels-birmingham.com/
Directions: These are available from the Hotel’s website:
http://www.quality-hotels-birmingham.com/details/GB605%20large%20map.jpg
START TIME: Enrolment from 9:30am onwards.
FORMAT: The format for the event is Standard Constructed.
Rules Enforcement Level: 1
ENTRY FEE: £5.00 for main event
Cost of entry includes as many Standard events as you manage to enter!
PRIZES: Per 8 player event.
SIDE EVENTS: Triple Shards of Alara Booster Draft side events available all day long.
ENTRY FEE: £8.00 for Booster Drafts (12 Boosters as prizes split 5/3/2/2)
TO PRE-REGISTER FOR AN EVENT:
Send an e-mail to this address: stephen DOT avann AT ntlworld DOT com with your FULL NAME and DCI NUMBER (If you have one) BEFORE 5:30PM on the FRIDAY NIGHT before the events, as this is the last time that I will check my e-mail before the tournament. Alternatively I can be contacted on my mobile from 6:30pm until 10pm on the following number: 07989201808. Please don’t try to phone me before 6:30pm as I will be busy.
Hope to see you at the event,
Steve
PTQ Kyoto
As I will be limiting this event to 96 players I think that early pre-registration to guarantee your place in the event is essential. Pre-registration is now open so please feel free to contact me with your name and DCI number to reserve your space.
Big Bag Draft
Similarly, as this event is limited to 40 players I think that early pre-registration to guarantee your place in the event is essential. Pre-registration is now open so please feel free to contact me with your name and DCI number to reserve your space in what is usually one of the most fun events of the year. As well as the usual boosters, a trophy and bragging rights, this year’s winner will also receive a sealed set of the extremely hard to track down From the Vault: Dragons that I have squirreled away for this event. Mmmmmmm….. foil goodness.
The Big Bag Draft marks the end of my events for 2008 and is always a great day as we look back over the past year’s campaign.
Thanks for reading,
Steve
FUTURE EVENTS 2008
November – Saturday 8th – Birmingham – PTQ Kyoto
The November Birmingham event has been confirmed as my PTQ slot for Kyoto. Pre-registration is open now for those of you that want to get in early and book your place.
November – Sunday 16th – Stafford – Big Bag Draft
The Big Bag Draft is the usual way to end the year. This year in response to player demand I have moved this iconic event into November so that players can manage to fit it in around the demands of the festive season. This year the places will be limited to probably about 40 players so when registration opens for the event make sure you get your name down as soon as possible.
NOTE: I have a set of From the Vault: Dragons to give away as part of the prize fund for this event!
December – No events are currently booked for December.
FUTURE EVENTS 2009
January – Saturday 31st – Birmingham – Conflux Pre Release
February – Sunday 1st – Stafford – Conflux Pre Release
The first events of 2009 are the Pre-Releases for the second set in the Shards block, Conflux. It may seem a long way away but try to get these events in your diaries now! More details as they appear.
February – Sunday 8th – Stafford – Conflux Release
As usual the Release event will take place on Sunday at Stafford. This is the first chance to buy Conflux singles, boosters, boxes, intro packs and fat packs.