Just seems like overkill for what is literally the most casual sanctioned Magic even a player will ever attend.
Agreed. I can understand being slightly nervous for your very first prerelease event (especially if you're unfamiliar with basic rules and/or younger than most competitors), but the OP seems to be excessively concerned with preparation which is only going to fuel his own apprehension.
Honestly, it's not as if we're training for a marathon, the olympics, or a battle royale! For Christ's sakes It's only a few casual exhibition matches against other players who are probably not even competitive to begin with nor familiar with the new mechanics and cards they're about to play with.
Just pay, build, play, socialize, have fun, and learn from any deckbuilding and/or gameplay errors. Anything else (ie: winning prize packs, trading for that card you really want after the event, etc) is icing on the cake.
Anyhow, the best I can come up with myself is a game in the top 8 of a PTQ back during Urza block in which we were starting game 3 with time already expired, so the tiebreaker rule was that whoever had more life after 3 turns would win. And I lost to... healing salve.
Ever hear the term "your mileage may vary"? That applies here. We're talking about an event that can (and often does) has a higher turnout than weekly Constructed or Limited events (combined). The sheer size, number, and variety of prerelease events is enough to justify a thread like this.
No one is saying prereleases are tougher than premier events, but why can't we treat them seriously just the same?
You can do what you want.
But I would hate for a new player who hasn't attended one to read this thread and come away with the wrong impression. Reading the OP you would think that the typical Prerelease was like a major event, a Magic marathon where that kind of prep really is important. In reality Prereleases are extremely casual and laid back, and usually not tests of endurance. (at least not now that they have moved to the small/local model)
I would hate for a new player who hasn't attended one to read this thread and come away with the wrong impression. Reading the OP you would think that the typical Prerelease was like a major event, a Magic marathon where that kind of prep really is important. In reality Prereleases are extremely casual and laid back, and usually not tests of endurance. (at least not now that they have moved to the small/local model)
Exactly. If I was new and saw that list, I'd probably be so intimidated and worried about forgetting something (and possibly being penalized as a result upon arrival) that I'd likely end up losing track of time and getting there late because I was too busy triple checking my bag and finding the perfect game face in my bathroom mirror before leaving home.
Anyhow, the best I can come up with myself is a game in the top 8 of a PTQ back during Urza block in which we were starting game 3 with time already expired, so the tiebreaker rule was that whoever had more life after 3 turns would win. And I lost to... healing salve.
Sorry, guys, but I don't buy it. The majority of the responses have been positive, including from players who don't self-identify as veterans. The ONLY complaints have been from posters supposedly speaking up for hypothetical "intimidated newbies" who simply don't exist.
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I'm officially proposing we retire the word "insane" from the MtG vocabulary.
"The best way to be different is to be better" - Gene Muir
My midnight pre-release goes something like this. Got to the regular lgs for FNM as usual, because I like my insanity. Do the midnight release, which probably means one round and out, since the midnight event is single elimination. The Sunday event is swiss, but the midnight one would never get done before dawn otherwise. I do study the cards beforehand, but I've never gotten a great card pool for a release so it really won't matter. And, of course, caffeinate heavily!
Mary
This is a funny thread. Sounds like the OP has been reading TWoo's articles about prep for major events like GP's and thinks that the same level needs to be taken to a Prerelease level event.
This so much. Sealed pool events come down to who opens the most on color playable rares/mythics. If joe cool fraiser that doesn't suck opens 5 on color good rares/mythics and joe blow smith who is the best magic player ever opens 2 akroan horses and 3 pyxis of pandemonium as well as a **** assortment of uncommons then well, sucks to be him.
Seriously I opened 0 zero playable rares in the theros pre-release. Got to top 8 and got hate****ed out of existance by a guy rocking 2 stormbreaths and 3 other playable rares.
Sorry, guys, but I don't buy it. The majority of the responses have been positive, including from players who don't self-identify as veterans. The ONLY complaints have been from posters supposedly speaking up for hypothetical "intimidated newbies" who simply don't exist.
That's cool. Just be sure to stay hydrated out there. Half day of sitting around playing Magic...really takes it out of ya.
I plan on finishing FNM at my club early, like 11:00 or so. We'll stop at the all night place for a snack, then go to our store and trade until midnight. At that point, I'll tear open packs, build a Sealed pool, go 3-0-1 (hopefully) and then go out for breakfast. By the time this is over, I have to drive home to help my parents out with some stuff.
Dang, beat me to it. But to add to that, I plan on bringing 4 sets of 40 sleeves in case some of my friends forget to rbing their sleeves, and also because I like making two decks per prerelease.
My checklist:
get at least 5 hours of sleep
bring an energy drink or buy some az green teas
bring trade binders, notebook, pen, sleeves, dice, and extra decks to play with
result of last three pre releases
13th, then 2 top 8s where we all split.
Friday is a holiday for me, and one LGS is holding a big standard tournament in the afternoon, which I'll go play in. If I lose enough rounds early I'll drop, maybe have dinner/go to an FNM if I really want to play. If I'm still in it, I'll probably play it til the end/prizes. Either choice leads to the midnight prerelease, anyway.
Aside from that... read the cards, I guess? It's a pretty laid back event so not much on knowing fine lines of rules, but it's nice to know how the new cards/mechanics will be interacting with what you already know with the set.
I helped staff a PTQ so I am getting in for free. Looking to have some fun and play with some new cards. Pretty much done opening packs from RTR to THS.
Maybe I'm just a grizzled veteran, but I don't get this thread. It's a prerelease and really the biggest thing about a prerelease isn't surviving, it's enjoying it on your own terms. So there really isn't a reason to fuss, but rather play the day out as a holiday and enjoy all the fun things the event, as well as your day, has to offer.
This being said, I think I'll go to the FNM draft, after which someone bought a box for the players he enjoys drafting with the most as a holiday gift to draft for free and I'm one of those players, and then I'll do a Midnight prerelease. I have a fun night of endurance planned for me and I hope to get a few games of Vintage in between those draft/sealed events.
Why is the OP treating this like a PTQ or GP? Just stay up late the night before watching TV and on the day skip breakfast and drink all the soda and eat whatever you want, we get cake at our prereleases.
Although the bit about showering is a necessity people.
Why is there this weird undercurrent of resistance to prerelease prep? Is it suddenly uncool to be preparing for a non-premier event?
It really is a case of OP being unfamiliar with sanctioned play in general and so he's hyped this event up in his head. Perhaps this is the first time that he's playing against strangers, rather than on his kitchen table with his friends.
Not that there's anything wrong with that. The analogy here is an athlete playing in a preseason game. A newly drafted rookie might be eager to prove his worth but the veteran sees the preseason game as a chore.
That one guy that said to just show up and pay $25 was dismissed pretty quickly for contributing to the thread. But he actually did contribute, because the point is that playing in a prerelease really is that simple. Others have said they'll show up drunk, play one round and drop, and then go home with the new cards. That's pretty much it. It's literally the most casual that a tournament can get, as Golden stated.
If the OP wants to prepare for this event like it's a big event, then he has every right to do with his time as he pleases. We're just trying to let the OP know that no one else really cares, so he doesn't get the wrong idea about the level of competitiveness at the tournament.
On at whim I decided to go to a midnight prerelease nearby. I work 8hrs the next morning from 10am. So, I will get done with work at 9, go home, shower, brush my teeth, dress into the next day's outfit and head over.
Prerelease should go until 3-4am. I'm taking a local train before midnight so I'll be stuck in a city area. I'll either go to an internet cafe or 24hr McDonalds until the morning train starts running again.
So far I have been testing sealed (without the seeded pack) on Octgn. Retraction Helix is broken in limited. One pool I opened two Nessian asps. I look forward to seeing whatever I get.
Tip 1. Do not, under any circumstances, pound energy shots in order to play more. When I was at my local shop around 2 years ago, a player there had consumed at least 6 5 hour energy's, possibly more. He had a seizure and nearly died. The hospital bill he got left with, plus the close call with death was a lesson to him. Let it be a lesson to you. Don't use drugs to play longer. It isn't worth it.
Tip 2. Stay hydrated and get plenty of rest. Another player witnessing said event described above nearly had a heart attack and nearly passed out from not staying hydrated, lack of sleep and stress. Please do not push your bodies beyond normal limits for the sake of multiple flight goodness. It isn't worth risking your health over.
Has anybody gone to a prerelease while intoxicated before? I did this with the Theros midnight prerelease, and I think it actually made me play better. Even though I had a really mediocre pool, my final record was 4-0-1 or something like that.
Of course, I don't recommend doing this unless you bring plenty of water.
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Maybe I'm just a grizzled veteran, but I don't get this thread. It's a prerelease and really the biggest thing about a prerelease isn't surviving, it's enjoying it on your own terms. So there really isn't a reason to fuss, but rather play the day out as a holiday and enjoy all the fun things the event, as well as your day, has to offer.
This being said, I think I'll go to the FNM draft, after which someone bought a box for the players he enjoys drafting with the most as a holiday gift to draft for free and I'm one of those players, and then I'll do a Midnight prerelease. I have a fun night of endurance planned for me and I hope to get a few games of Vintage in between those draft/sealed events.
Oh Crap! That is tomorrow, isn't it? My plans will probably be the same as Dem's, although I may go home and sleep instead of the midnight event.
Has anybody gone to a prerelease while intoxicated before? I did this with the Theros midnight prerelease, and I think it actually made me play better. Even though I had a really mediocre pool, my final record was 4-0-1 or something like that.
Of course, I don't recommend doing this unless you bring plenty of water.
I think most of our Midnight pre-release will be intoxicated. Get off work -> Go play Standard -> Food+Booze -> Pre-release.
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“Your body is not a temple, it's an amusement park. Enjoy the ride.”
― Anthony Bourdain, Kitchen Confidential
I will always firmly stand by the belief that Magic is a game first and a collectable second.
Tip 1. Do not, under any circumstances, pound energy shots in order to play more. When I was at my local shop around 2 years ago, a player there had consumed at least 6 5 hour energy's, possibly more. He had a seizure and nearly died. The hospital bill he got left with, plus the close call with death was a lesson to him. Let it be a lesson to you. Don't use drugs to play longer. It isn't worth it.
Tip 2. Stay hydrated and get plenty of rest. Another player witnessing said event described above nearly had a heart attack and nearly passed out from not staying hydrated, lack of sleep and stress. Please do not push your bodies beyond normal limits for the sake of multiple flight goodness. It isn't worth risking your health over.
Well that guy was just an idiot. There's a reason why there are warnings about how many to drink within a 24 hour span, as well as common sense with taking anything that's a stimulant.
I do agree with it's not worth pushing yourself just to do multiple flights.
Hell, I've never bothered with a pre-release in the many years of playing Magic, until tomorrow night, just to say that I have. Otherwise I just wait until said set is released and buy a box.
Has anybody gone to a prerelease while intoxicated before? I did this with the Theros midnight prerelease, and I think it actually made me play better. Even though I had a really mediocre pool, my final record was 4-0-1 or something like that.
Of course, I don't recommend doing this unless you bring plenty of water.
I took a few shots of whiskey before attending the Theros one, By the time We got to round one it was hitting me hard and I completely messed my match up. By round 2 I was coming off of it and went 4-1 that night with round 1 being my only loss. So if you don't mind losing a few matches then sure, drink up. Several people at the event were visibly drunk and had to be asked to keep themselves together, if you plan on being that drunk I would make sure you keep yourself in check. These events do have children(even the midnight ones) so make sure you don't show up and puke all over your opponent.
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Agreed. I can understand being slightly nervous for your very first prerelease event (especially if you're unfamiliar with basic rules and/or younger than most competitors), but the OP seems to be excessively concerned with preparation which is only going to fuel his own apprehension.
Honestly, it's not as if we're training for a marathon, the olympics, or a battle royale! For Christ's sakes It's only a few casual exhibition matches against other players who are probably not even competitive to begin with nor familiar with the new mechanics and cards they're about to play with.
Just pay, build, play, socialize, have fun, and learn from any deckbuilding and/or gameplay errors. Anything else (ie: winning prize packs, trading for that card you really want after the event, etc) is icing on the cake.
You can do what you want.
But I would hate for a new player who hasn't attended one to read this thread and come away with the wrong impression. Reading the OP you would think that the typical Prerelease was like a major event, a Magic marathon where that kind of prep really is important. In reality Prereleases are extremely casual and laid back, and usually not tests of endurance. (at least not now that they have moved to the small/local model)
Exactly. If I was new and saw that list, I'd probably be so intimidated and worried about forgetting something (and possibly being penalized as a result upon arrival) that I'd likely end up losing track of time and getting there late because I was too busy triple checking my bag and finding the perfect game face in my bathroom mirror before leaving home.
I'm officially proposing we retire the word "insane" from the MtG vocabulary.
"The best way to be different is to be better" - Gene Muir
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Mary
This so much. Sealed pool events come down to who opens the most on color playable rares/mythics. If joe cool fraiser that doesn't suck opens 5 on color good rares/mythics and joe blow smith who is the best magic player ever opens 2 akroan horses and 3 pyxis of pandemonium as well as a **** assortment of uncommons then well, sucks to be him.
Seriously I opened 0 zero playable rares in the theros pre-release. Got to top 8 and got hate****ed out of existance by a guy rocking 2 stormbreaths and 3 other playable rares.
BEEEES!
Rabble Red
Modern
Burn
Infect
That's cool. Just be sure to stay hydrated out there. Half day of sitting around playing Magic...really takes it out of ya.
You can find me on MTGO. My username is gereffi.
Dang, beat me to it. But to add to that, I plan on bringing 4 sets of 40 sleeves in case some of my friends forget to rbing their sleeves, and also because I like making two decks per prerelease.
get at least 5 hours of sleep
bring an energy drink or buy some az green teas
bring trade binders, notebook, pen, sleeves, dice, and extra decks to play with
result of last three pre releases
13th, then 2 top 8s where we all split.
Aside from that... read the cards, I guess? It's a pretty laid back event so not much on knowing fine lines of rules, but it's nice to know how the new cards/mechanics will be interacting with what you already know with the set.
This being said, I think I'll go to the FNM draft, after which someone bought a box for the players he enjoys drafting with the most as a holiday gift to draft for free and I'm one of those players, and then I'll do a Midnight prerelease. I have a fun night of endurance planned for me and I hope to get a few games of Vintage in between those draft/sealed events.
It really is a case of OP being unfamiliar with sanctioned play in general and so he's hyped this event up in his head. Perhaps this is the first time that he's playing against strangers, rather than on his kitchen table with his friends.
Not that there's anything wrong with that. The analogy here is an athlete playing in a preseason game. A newly drafted rookie might be eager to prove his worth but the veteran sees the preseason game as a chore.
That one guy that said to just show up and pay $25 was dismissed pretty quickly for contributing to the thread. But he actually did contribute, because the point is that playing in a prerelease really is that simple. Others have said they'll show up drunk, play one round and drop, and then go home with the new cards. That's pretty much it. It's literally the most casual that a tournament can get, as Golden stated.
If the OP wants to prepare for this event like it's a big event, then he has every right to do with his time as he pleases. We're just trying to let the OP know that no one else really cares, so he doesn't get the wrong idea about the level of competitiveness at the tournament.
Prerelease should go until 3-4am. I'm taking a local train before midnight so I'll be stuck in a city area. I'll either go to an internet cafe or 24hr McDonalds until the morning train starts running again.
So far I have been testing sealed (without the seeded pack) on Octgn. Retraction Helix is broken in limited. One pool I opened two Nessian asps. I look forward to seeing whatever I get.
Tip 2. Stay hydrated and get plenty of rest. Another player witnessing said event described above nearly had a heart attack and nearly passed out from not staying hydrated, lack of sleep and stress. Please do not push your bodies beyond normal limits for the sake of multiple flight goodness. It isn't worth risking your health over.
Of course, I don't recommend doing this unless you bring plenty of water.
Modern: Kiki ChordWBRG
TokensWB
EDH: Kuon, Ogre AscendantBBB
#FreeContractfromBelow
Oh Crap! That is tomorrow, isn't it? My plans will probably be the same as Dem's, although I may go home and sleep instead of the midnight event.
I think most of our Midnight pre-release will be intoxicated. Get off work -> Go play Standard -> Food+Booze -> Pre-release.
― Anthony Bourdain, Kitchen Confidential
I will always firmly stand by the belief that Magic is a game first and a collectable second.
Well that guy was just an idiot. There's a reason why there are warnings about how many to drink within a 24 hour span, as well as common sense with taking anything that's a stimulant.
I do agree with it's not worth pushing yourself just to do multiple flights.
I took a few shots of whiskey before attending the Theros one, By the time We got to round one it was hitting me hard and I completely messed my match up. By round 2 I was coming off of it and went 4-1 that night with round 1 being my only loss. So if you don't mind losing a few matches then sure, drink up. Several people at the event were visibly drunk and had to be asked to keep themselves together, if you plan on being that drunk I would make sure you keep yourself in check. These events do have children(even the midnight ones) so make sure you don't show up and puke all over your opponent.