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Introduction

Note: This article was written before the full spoiler for Ravnica had been released.

With the Ravnica Pre-Release happening on 24th September, it is a great opportunity for those who are not familiar with the tournament side of MtG to get involved. The first sanctioned tournament I was involved with was the Tempest pre-release and it was a lot of fun. At that time I didn't really know what I was doing but was there more for the ride.

What makes it such a fun day? The excitement of seeing new cards, friendly competition and getting to know new people will make for a very fun day. You might find a new person to play MtG with! Or even the opportunity to meet a lot of the MtGParadisers in person.

Discovery is the key to a Pre-Release.

People are exploring new cards, new combos, new possibilities!

Player A: Wow… what does that do?
Player B: It does X. Overpowered, huh?
Player A: Yeah.
Player B: Hey… what does that do?
Player A: Oh it does Y. Not so good…
Player B: But you can combo Y with Z…
Player A: Awesome, I didn't think about that!

There's usually a lot of trading going on so it shouldn't be too difficult to arrange a deal or two. When trading, be careful of anyone who seems too "pushy". Not everyone is scrupulous and it's better to let a deal slide if at all unsure rather than being ripped off. That being said, you will find that most people are usually pretty fair and you might just pick up a good deal.

What happens?

For the Ravnica Pre-Release you will get 1 Starter and 2 boosters. From that you will be required to build a 40 card deck. [Editor: Minimum of 40 cards actually, but 40 card decks are optimal.] You have unlimited access to basic lands (within reason).

A good distribution of cards is usually:

• 17-20 lands
• 10-15 creatures
• 5-10 other spells

The above numbers are a guide but remember that in most cases it will be creatures that will win you games. Hence removal spells (eg. Terror) are usually very effective so try to incorporate them into your deck.

Hint 1:
When building your deck, it is important to take advantage of the mana curve. This is the casting cost of the card - have cards which you can cast early, mid-game and a few late game "expensive" cards.

Hint 2:
In most occasions try to stick to two colours to prevent colour screw. However Ravnica has already been promoted as a multi-colour set so see the opportunities to best take advantage of this.

Hint 3:
Understand the mechanics of the set. What will make your deck stand out from the rest is abusing the mechanics that the set provides. Every set has a particular theme and if you build to that theme you can usually take advantage of the synergies.

For example in Champions of Kamigawa splice was new mechanic. Running various Arcane spells allowed you to reuse certain spells and gain card advantage (the biggest culprit here is Glacial Ray).

Hint 4:
Take the time to read the cards. If you misunderstand a card, you may not use it to its full potential or even worse still, accidentally use it in the wrong situation.

Some other details:

The information below relates specifically to Sydney. Check with your own Tournament Organiser if more information is required.

In Sydney, there are two tournament choices.

Serious
Prizes are distributed towards the top half of the tournament with the winner usually getting a substantial portion of the boosters.

Casual
In casual you are playing for the glory of winning. Everyone wins three boosters of Ravnica whether they come first or last.

Remember to pre-register for the event. Every flight you pre-register for earns you an extra booster pack. There's also an Under 16 flight in the morning so if you are younger and you believe you would feel too intimidated playing against the "older" players, sign up for this one!

So for your entry fee of $35 you will get a Ravnica starter, two boosters, one extra booster if you pre-register and three boosters as prizes in the casual flight (I sound so much like a salesperson here!). Also included is a special RARE FOIL card with the date of the Pre-Release. The Pre-Release card is tournament legal and you can use it for constructed deckbuilding! That's a lot of product for a relatively low amount of money.

Best of all, the Pre-Release is usually two weeks before Ravnica hits the shelves. If you really enjoyed your experience at the Pre-Release you can do it all over again the following week at the Sneak Peek. Sneak Peeks are almost identical to the Pre-Release and are held at your local stores.

Conclusion

If this is your first major tournament, I am sure you will have a great time. Be sure to say "Hi" and thank your friendly Tournament Organiser and Judges. There's Magic bingo to win extra boosters, there's Fox Murdoch dressing up like in a Ninja (just like at the Betrayers Pre-Release) and other fun happenings! For all returning players in Sydney, I look forward to seeing you there!