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Who I am?

Tucked away between Crows Nest and Chatswood in the north shore of Sydney is a little suburb called Northbridge, this is where I am a Tournament Organiser. The players here are on the average less than 15 years old so that puts a very different challenge to organise tournaments. You actually have to tell people to sit down and be quiet while you explain the proceedings for the tournament. (Hmmm . . that's not really that different from a normal tournament)

Friday Night Magic was introduced a few months ago (late 2003) and assigning DCI numbers and explaining some basic tournament rules was an experience unto itself. An Arena league is still being run for less experienced players.

I stopped playing Magic a while back (1997) when my local card store closed down. I remember it was difficult to find regular players and I didn't particularly want to travel down to the city just to play magic. Fast forward to today . . I guess that's why I T.O. now, I want to provide an environment where kids can meet up on a weekly basis for a relaxed Magic tournament. (Friday Night Magic is way more fun than competitive.)

It's always important to have a place and the people to play.

It's not really whether you win or lose especially with Wizards providing extra FNM foils for a Random Prize and Sportsmanship. It gives the opportunity for a TO to reward a new player whose willing to try out a new concept or experiment with a new combo. I feel original decks should be rewarded.

There was the March of the Indestructibles deck which one kid built before anyone else I knew had it. He figured out the mana curve that 4 mana for a 4/4 Indestructible Reactor was very good!

Changing face of MtG for kids?

The most rewarding experience is to see the evolution of the players. At one stage I remarked on a particular good move by a player who finally understood that the best time to cast Thirst for Knowledge was at the end of an opponent's turn. There's still "Timmy" tendencies and big creatures still bring "ooohs" and "aaahs" but slowly the other aspects of the game are being explored. However Platinum Angel (You mean I can't lose?) is still held in awe and respect at Northbridge.

The Guru programme piloted by Wizards had the right idea and it was shame to see it ended. MtG still is very much a word of mouth game and I have to admit I learnt the basics of the game with someone teaching me rather than methodically reading through the rulebook.

Death / Evolution of the game?

Wizards have done a great job to promote its game to the "Timmy" players of the game. The popularity of Tooth & Nail will attest to that. There is nothing quite the same as putting a Darksteel Colossus into player. (Except perhaps putting a pair of them into play). I think deep inside all every Magic player is a little Timmy.

The best way to ensure the survival of the game is to take the time out to help less experienced along. It was great to note while judging at the Fifth Dawn prerelease, a lot of players would take the time after a match to mention some play mistakes or just mention perhaps they should have done something slightly differently. This removes the intimidation factor of a less experienced player playing against a regular and gives the opportunity for the opponent to improve their game.

Very recently it was fantastic to bring down Team OMG (which includes Jacky Zhang (#1 Composite Player) & James Zhang (State Champion) ) down to Northbridge. Props to Team OMG who took the time to explain certain aspects of the game as well as have a couple of really fun and exciting games. The only way to really get better is to play someone better than you.

The next step in my plan is introducing the limited aspect of the game. This will be done in their first ever Sealed event, a Fifth Dawn Sneak Peek. The lead up has been great with a little bit of time each week left to explaining how to construct a limited deck. (e.g. keep to 40 cards, have some removals, run creatures etc.)

Almost every single regular has registered for the Sneak Peek. It's an excellent chance for not only their first limited game but to get a look at the new mechanics and cards that Fifth Dawn introduces. (I have made a challenge that anyone running Sunburst decks will get a special reward.)

The best thing about the game at this point is that it provides an environment for the kids to have fun, not unlike Saturday morning soccer. There's opportunity to improve and learn. I always encourage them the Northbridge players to take part in other tournaments (e.g. pre-releases) where they can get the chance to play against other people and get some experience under their belt.

I brought one of them along to the SGC 500 Easter Cup. He went 3-0 to start but unfortunately finished up 4-3. While giving him a lift home, it was great to hear the excitement when he told his "war stories" of beating much higher ranked players, some silly play mistakes he made etc. but on the whole really enjoying the competitive side of Magic.

Trade and Trade Fairly

However there is a "dark" side though to being a new player of which I am highly protective of ... "rip-off" trades. Nobody likes the feeling of getting the short side of the deal. Unfortunately some kids don't recognise the value of an Arcbound Ravager against a Krosan Cloudscraper. The 13/13 all but seals the deal.

I monitor trades carefully as a bad trade makes you feel disgusted and takes away from the game. I know of people who have left the game after being ripped off once too often. Having a feeling that people have swindled you out of your key cards is terrible. If people leave the game it only affects the Magic community by not only reducing the card pool but more importantly by taking away one person's enjoyment of the game by a moment of selfish trading. I don't think I can stress this enough but "Trade and trade fairly".

Conclusion

I have a unique opportunity to actually introduce Magic to an entirely new audience. Magic is probably not going to die off for a while as long as new players continually enter the game. Having seen kids understand the intricacies of the game is something great to watch.

Please note however that most of the kids are becoming far better than me in their gameplay and deck construction. I am awaiting for one bright spark to come up with the rogue deck that will sweep across the metagame.

Special Thanks

Special mention and thanks to Kaz Yamanaka, Toshi Onishi, Jarrod Castaing and my brother for not only bringing me back to the Magic fold but their continual assistance in running the Friday Night Magic tournaments at Northbridge. It wouldn't be possible or half as much fun without you guys there every week.

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