Unpacking the Dragon's Den

So many people who do not live local have asked us what the store looks like and what type of product we carry. So not wanting to keep everyone in the dark, here is an unpacking of the Dragon's Den!

As you walk down the hall of the Poughkeepsie Plaza, we are located at the end of the hallway at the North end of the plaza. 

When you look into the store, you will find many great items located on our island.  You are also presented with a choice, left or right...

If you walk straight in and look in the front two cases you will find some interesting items, including bumper stickers and ...

and CANDY! Notice that most of the candy is branded!

So I decided to turn to the right and make my way along the comic book wall.  We have a nice lite display for the comic books, all sorted alphabetically from left to right with tabs behind all the new books.At the end of the rows of comic books, there is a lite display with all the comic glasses, banks, and pop fun figures.  We carry Marvel, DC, Image, Dark Horse, and more.  If you are looking for comic books, then you might want to browse our wall.

Opposite the comic wall, and inside the island you find all the collectible card games (CCG) and sports cards.  This is where all the boosters, starters, and singles for the different CCGs.  This is also where you will find the card sleeves, deck boxes, and play mats.  With games like Magic, Yu-Gi-Oh, and World of Warcraft we have plenty of CCGs for the players to enjoy.

Rounding the corner by the BCW spinning rack which houses top loaders, penny sleeves, and binders, you see the gaming area. We can set the area up in multiple configurations for card games, miniature games, or role playing games.  Across the back wall of the gaming area is a wall of board games and card games as well as Yoda above one of our demo video game systems.

Right in the corner of the gaming area is our role playing games (RPG) section, which usually has a table set up for RPG games. We keep our boosters of miniatures, RPG books (New and Used), and maps.  We carry many different RPG titles like D&D, Pathfinder, Legend of the Five Rings, Eclipse Phase, and so much more!

At the back of the island, facing into the gaming area you find our miniature paints, dice, CCG binders, some play mats, and darts.  Oh, yes DARTS!  So many people play in leagues in the area, but there are so few places to find flights, shafts, tips, and other dart accessories.

The wall opposite the comics and around the other side of the island you find miniatures and video games.  Starting at the back of the store, you run into the miniature section of the wall.  We carry game companies such as Games Workshop (Warhammer and Warhammer 40K), Privateer Press (Warmachine and Hordes), Spartan Miniatures (Uncharted Seas, Dystopian Wars, and Firestorm Armada), and some other titles like Battletech, Malifaux, and Infinity.

As you move down the wall, you will see all the video games, and video game systems.  We carry new games as well as retro.  Looking for Nintendo (Nintendo, Super Nintendo, Gamecube, and Wii), X-box, X-Box 360, PlayStation (1, 2, and 3), Sega (Master System, Genesis, CD, Saturn, and Dreamcast), or even Atari... we've got it!  We also have a tech in the store who can fix most problems with current and older systems.  In the island across from the wall we keep the hand held games.  These range from the original Nintendo Gameboy to the 3DS.  We also have PSPs, Sega Game Gears, and even a Nomad!

Right next to the register we have some more snacks.  Here we keep some of the really cool imports from Japan and Ireland!  Drinks, candies, chips, and cookies! We also have energy drinks in this case, as well as in the mini fridge right behind the counter if you want one cold.

So now you have had the grand tour.  I did not have space to put in all the pictures of the store or all the cases, but I wanted to leave some mystery or intrigue so that you are enticed into stopping by and checking us out.  And if you are curious, we run events on those tables every night of the week, and you should check out our calendar for more information.

Sean "Striderlotr" Banks

MtG Dark Ascension Pre-release Weekend

This weekend was the Pre-release of the latest set of Magic the Gathering from Wizards of the Coast called Dark Ascension.  We had so many players for the last Pre-release that we set ourselves up for the players and even got the empty store next to us for our Saturday events.  We had 4 events on Saturday starting at Midnight.  We always get a good crowd for the Midnight events and having an empty location to use made it feel open and spacious for the players.  Here is a list of our times on Saturday and Sunday with how many players we had for each.

As is our normal Midnight fun, we got pizzas and sodas for all the players to enjoy before the event began.  We ended up about 16 pizzas and not a single slice was left when it was game time! The drinks normally last a little longer, but even they were gone before the end of the event. 

 

Saturday
1. Midnight: 88 players
2. 11:00am: 32 players
3. 3:00pm: 15 players
4. 5:00pm: 16 players
Saturday total: 151 Players

Sunday
1. 11:00am: 8 players
2. 3:00pm: 15 players
Sunday Total: 26

Total players for the weekend: 177

This was a great weekend with lots of players having a great time and playing tons of Magic.  We did a few extra things this pre-release that we have not done in the past.  We had our resident Magic card painter, Marc, altering cards for players as they played.  He also did a few for us to use as random door prizes for each round of the Midnight.  He also did a full art of Sorin for a player... and it might have been the first to be altered.  We also rented several table and chairs so we would have extra and everyone would have more room to play.

Next pre-release I'm hoping to see if one of the local Magic artists would be willing to come in during one of the time slots and do some signings or custom alters for players.  I know that there is one guy very local and several closer to the city, so it would be great for the players to meet some these great artists.

Don't forget about the Launch Party for Dark Ascension this Friday night at 6:00pm.  It will be a Draft for $15 and the first players on the list will be guaranteed a promo card.  What to check out the rest of our calendar of events?  Check out our calendar! We run many Friday Night Magic events, Monday Night Magic, and now Star City IQs!

Sean "Striderlotr" Banks

Welcome Dark Ascension to the Dragon's Den

Today is the day before the Dark Ascension Prerelease for Magic, and people are already quite excited…none more so than certain coworkers of mine, who get to see and hold the new product ahead of everyone else!  For those of you not working in a hobby store, here’s a peek at the newest products from Wizards of the Coast.

Here you can see every Magic item we received today; Booster Packs, Intro Decks, and even our store’s new and improved Land Station. Fat Packs are only available for the Release, so that update will have to be next week.

Hopefully, since this new Land Station has an open top and can hold about 200 of each color Mana/Land, this will make it far easier for players to grab what they need. Previously, we used 500 ct. cardboard boxes.

The Booster Boxes are fairly standard, with there being 36 packs per box, and 15 cards per pack. The only difference seems to be that they have only chosen 3 illustrations for the boosters, whereas usually they have 4-5 separate cover illustrations.

There are, however, still 5 different Intro Decks. Each contains a 2-color 60 card deck, a foil card, a Dark Ascension booster, a learn-to-play guide, and a strategy insert that shows the deck-lists of all the Intro Decks. Below I have put the name of the Intro Deck, which 2 colors it has, and what the foil card is.

Dark Sacrifice has a foil "Fiend of the Shadows", and is a Black/White deck.

Monstrous Surprise is a Red/Green deck, and has a foil "Flayer of the Hatebound".

Grave Power contains a foil "Ghoultree" and is a Green/Blue deck.

The Relentless Dead deck is Blue/Black and it's foil is a "Havengul Runebinder".

Swift Justice is a White/Red deck, and has "Requiem Angel" as it's foil card.  

Now, I know what you're wondering; what about all the other great Dark Ascension themed products that I can actually buy this weekend? Don't worry, they're here too!

Once again, Ultrapro has created numerous items for those Magic players who love the illustrations from the new sets. Not only do we have an 80 pack of sleeves and vertical deck box for "Sorin, Lord of Innistrad"...

...but we also have the beauty from "Deadly Allure" gracing her own 80 ct. sleeves and horizontal deck box. Each of the deck boxes are $3.99 and the sleeves are $9.99.

As for playmats, we have 2 wonderfully illustrated ones available. Sorin graces one with his picture from the Prerelease cardboard standup...

...and here we see the mysterious woman from the "Fires of Undeath" card. Both are wrapped in a nice plastic hanger, and are $21.99.

That's pretty much it for now. Be sure to check back for our other posts on Saturday, when we tell you about how our Midnight Dark Ascension Prerelease event went. We're offering free soda and pizza, have lots of prizes to give away, and expecting over 140 players, so check our Twitter and Facebook accounts for hourly updates!

Stasi "Dengirl" King

Grand Prix Trial Baltimore 1/21/12

Today we ran our Grand Prix Trial (GPT) for Baltimore.  We ended up with a pretty good turnout even with the snow falling all morning and keeping many players at home.  So we got 10 players, which ends up being 4 rounds with a cut to 4.  Here is the standings going into the Top 4:

1. Paul Lake
2. Casey Madrick
3. Doug Kimball
4. Jonah Acosta
5. David Haass
6. Carl Naumann
7. Alex Sherman
8. Nick Langella
9. Dave Oppenheimer
10. Evan Odden

In an effort to help more players with deck construction and play, I've decided to publish the top 4 deck lists here on our Blog.  I've listed them:

Doug Kimball
5x Swamp
7x Forest
1x Mountain
2x Kesig Wolf Run
4x Inkmoth Nexus
1x Dragonskull Summit
1x Rootbound Crag
1x Glissa the Traitor
1x Olivia Voldaren
4x Solemn Simulacrum
1x Acidic Slime
4x Primeval Titan
4x Grave Titan
2x Geth's Verdict
3x Doom Blade
2x Green Sun's Zenith
2x Black Sun's Zenith
2x Ancient Grudge
1x Ratchet Bomb
4x Sphere of the Suns
4x Rampant Growth
Sideboard:
1x Go For The Throat
2x Ancient Grudge
1x Ratchet Bomb
2x Garruk, Primal Hunter
3x Curse of Death's Hold
2x Batterskull
3x Nihil Speelbomb
1x Black Sun's Zenith

Casey Madrick
4x Delver of Secrets
4x Snapcaster Mage
3x Giest of Saint Traft
3x Invisible Stalker
2x Merfolk Looter
2x Runechanters Pike
1x Sword of War and Peace
1x Sword of Feast and Famine
4x Ponder
4x Mana Leak
3x Vapor Snag
3x Gitaxian Probe
2x Gut Shot
2x Midnight Haunting
1x Plains
9x Island
4x Glacial Fortress
4x Seachrome Coast
3x Moorland Haunt
Sideboard
3x Dissipate
2x Oblivion Ring
2x Flashfreeze
1x Vapor Snag
2x Mental Misstep
1x Phyrexian Metamorph
2x Celestial Purge
1x Negate
1x Dismember

Jonah Acosta
UW Delver
4x Glacial Fortress
9x Island
3x Moorland Haunt
1x Plains
4x Seachrome Coast
4x Delver of Secrets
4x Giest of Saint Traft
3x Invisible Stalker
4x Snapcaster Mage
4x Gitaxian Probe
3x Gut Shot
4x Mana Leak
1x Oblivion Ring
4x Ponder
2x Runechanters Pike
2x Sword of War and Peace
4x Vapor Snag
Sideboard
2x Dismember
3x Dissipate
2x Divine Offering
1x Mental Misstep
1x Oblivion Ring
2x Phantasmal Image
3x Timely Reinforcements

Paul Lake
U/W Delver
4x Delver of Secrets
4x Snapcaster Mage
3x Giest of Saint Traft
3x Invisible Stalker
2x Merfolk Looter
2x Runechanters Pike
2x Sword of War and Peace
4x Ponder
4x Mana Leak
3x Vapor Snag
3x Gitaxian Probe
3x Gut Shot
2x Midnight Haunting
9x Island
4x Glacial Fortress
4x Seachrome Coast
4x Moorland Haunt
Sideboard
2x Divine Offering
2x Dissipate
1x Negate
1x Phantasmal Image
2x Oblivion Ring
1x Vapor Snag
1x Mental Misstep
2x Timely Reinforcements
1x Ratchet Bomb
1x Celestial Purge
1x Marrow Shards

Heading into the first Round of Top 4, we saw Paul Lake vs Jonah Acosta and Casey Madrick vs Doug Kimball.  They all played well, and with no time limit still finished in about 50 minutes.  Paul Lake and Casey Madrick moved on to final 2 players after winning the first round.  Paul Lake and Casey Madrick then sat down to play the final round of the GPT Baltimore, the winning of this event would then recieve a 3 round bye at the Grand Prix in Baltimore.

In the last round, Paul Lake emerged victorious and won the 3 round bye for Baltimore!  We are excited to see Paul head down to Baltimore and we are hoping he does well! 

There is another GPT for Baltimore tomorrow at our sister store in Fair Lawn NJ, The Gamer's Gambit.

Sean "Striderlotr" Banks

Dark Ascension Promo Cards

In case you missed it, here are all the promo cards coming out for Dark Ascension!  We still have some space for the Buy a Box promo, but I would hurry in to make sure you get one! 

Dark Ascension Prerelease

The Dark Ascension Prerelease is January 28-29, which seems so far away now. But it's only three weeks! Less than that, in fact. And here's what's available for playing in one. While supplies last.

Dark Ascension Launch Party

A week after the prerelease, Dark Ascension goes on sale for real on February 3. And that kicks off the Launch Party, where this foil card lives:

Just like the prerelease card, you'll get it just for participating (while supplies last).

Dark Ascension Game Day

Dark Ascension Game Day is February 25-26, and while supplies last, you'll get this for participating:

And if you make the Top 8, you'll get this!

Dark Ascension Buy-a-Box Card

Finally, here's the "Buy-a-Box" card! It goes to the first twenty people to buy a Booster Box of Dark Ascension at participating locations. We'll post the locations later, but here's the card now!

Here is the link to the Wizards article with this information.

Sean "Striderlotr" Banks

Plans for Magic at the Dragon's Den for 2012

Well 2011 is almost over and it has been a fantastic year!  I have been so pleased with the number of players and the level of play I've seen develop at the Dragon's Den over the past year.  We have seen many of our players head off to big events and do very well.  Well now it is time to try and step it up, and offer some new incentives to our players. 

Hang on to your hats as this might be a long post from me, but I think you will like what you read! Read on and help us get excited for Magic in the new year here at the Dragon's Den!

Player of the Year at the Dragon's Den

We are going to start a program to name several players of the year here at the Dragon's Den.  We will be keeping track of points earned during matches played in the store.   The points will be broken down by Competitive Standard, FREE Standard, Legacy, and Limited.  We will be taking the top 8 players of each event per week and adding them into the list.  We will be using the points that you earn during the game: 3 for a win, 1 for a draw, and 0 for a lose.  The total from the event will be added to the total from previous events. 

We will begin this on January 1st, so the Monday Night Magic event on January 2nd will be the first chance to earn points.  We will be ending the points on December 14th and we will award the Players of the Year at the Dragon's Den after Magic on Friday 21st.  If players are curious as to how they stand in the running, then you might want to read about the Leader Board next. 

Leader Board

Every week will be posting a Leader Board in the store for the 4 different Player of the Year categories.  These boards will contain as many players as we can fit on the form, but I'm hoping for at least 20 names.  It will list the ranking, name, number of points earned, and number of events played in.  We will attempt to update and post the Leader Board weekly on Tuesday or Wednesday. 

Events, Events, Events

We are planning so many great events for the year.  We will have GPTs as they become available.  We will also be run PTQs as soon as Wizards approves a location between NYC and Albany.  We are running the maximum number of Prerelease and Launch Party events for every new release.  We have now begun looking at running Star City Games invitational events as well.  We will continue to run FNM events, Drafts, Sealeds, Standard, and so much more.

We are also planning a special deal.  If you play in the 3:00pm FNM Standard event and win, you will get a FREE entry into the Competitive $5.00 FNM Standard at 6:00pm.  This is a special weekly deal to help get more players playing Competitive!

I'm very hopeful that adding in these cool add-ons will help bring in players and keep all other players excited to play weekly.  Ohhhhhh.... I did not mention what you will get if you are the player of the year.  That was intentional, you will have to play, come in, follow us, or read the blog for more information!

Sean "Striderlotr" Banks

New Paltz Gaming Convention "NPC" 2011

This past weekend was the New Paltz Gaming Convention known as NPC! For the third year in a row we have had a table and have worked with the students that organize and run the event.  We have done more then just have a table though, we have also helped run a few events.  This year we ran a Magic Casual (10 players) event, an Innistrad Draft (14 players), and a Yu-Gi-Oh constructed (10 players) event.  After talking to the students that run the Convention, the attendance was up about 25% over last year and was the largest number of individuals to attend. 

They had many cool events including some fantastic video game tournaments, mock combat with "bofer" weapons, anime viewings, and so much more!

And here are some of the players for the Magic event we ran at NPC.

Sean "Striderlotr" Banks

Gamers for the Greater Good

 Gamers for the Greater Good (G4GG)

As the holidays are approaching I know that many of the recent storms have left people in our area wanting for some basic needs.  We at the Dragon's Den have decided to plan a week of events that will help the local food banks in the Poughkeepsie area. Here is what we are hoping to do:

Every event you come in and play during this week we are asking you to bring in several non-perishable food items as a donation.  To help sweeten the deal we are going to ask several vendors to make donates and we will have raffles on the last day of the event.  To be entered in the raffle you will need to bring either 5 canned items or 3 boxed items of food per event you play in.  Even if you do not want to play in any events, you can still make a food donation and be entered in the raffles.

To make the raffle even more potent, we will add a raffle ticket for EACH group of donations you bring in! So yes that means for ever 5 canned items or every 3 boxed items you will get your name entered again!  YES, that means that every event you play in can get you an extra raffle entry. 

We are also planning some extra special events just for the week and we will have some super special offers to tie to those.

The dates for this event will be: December 5 until December 11.

Monday: Magic Modern 6:00pm

Friday: Magic Sealed 2 Headed Giant 6:00pm $20 entry plus the food donation! 5 boosters and build 2 decks. Also, if you bring a new player (one who has never had a DCI number, the top teams with a new player will win a special prize!)

Sunday: Yu-Gi-Oh Structure Deck Challenge:  Legend of the Six Samurai, $8.00 entry plus food donation!

We will update this page often as we plan more events and get more fun and fantastic information.  Stay tuned and we hope that we can help local families and have a lot of fun while doing it!

Sean "Striderlotr" Banks

NYC Comic Con... The Aftermath

NYC Comic Con

So Comic Con is now over and we have survived... although Zombie Petz are still dead and Iron Age may be Jaded (Ha, just a play on the titles... it has been a long weekend)! We had a chance to talk to MANY people from all over the area and beyond, and I thought we would share some of what we heard at the booth.  I know that our roving staff may have more to talk about the show itself, but I was trapped at the booth and have a lot to share about that experience.


One huge comment that we heard was: "How come you guys aren't at Cross County in Yonkers?" or "Are you the same Dragon's Den that was in Cross County in Yonkers?" Matter of fact, the Owner of a fantastic comedy club in Midtown called Ha, used to shop at the Dragon's Den in Yonkers! Oh and if you get down to Midtown, the Dueling Pianos at the club were fantastic!

Another huge comment that was heard many, many, MANY times was: "Where is the Wizards of the Coast booth?"  Wizards of the Coast, WotC, did not have a booth this year was the answer.  WotC did send a single staff member to run some demo games and give out some promo items.  He stopped by the booth on more then one occasion, but their lack of presence was felt and we heard about it from many people/players. Hey WotC you might want to come next year... you were missed.

I think one of the big things we are thinking about for future cons (gaming, comic, pop culture, or anything else), we will be thinking about the lay out of the booth and product.  We notice that some product moved well, and other product very slowly.  We also noticed that some product areas we were some of the only people really carrying.  There are many things I will keep the same with how the event went, but I have started the mental list on how to make it better next time! If you have ever stood for 9+ hours on a cement floor, you know what I'm talking about!

So I know that Scott is working on a review of Comic Con from his trip on the floor.  He spent multiple days walking the floor, attending panels/seminars, and doing the show... not from the booth perspective.  So stay tuned for more information about Comic Con.  We promise that there will be plenty to read.

Enjoy, and hope to see you at the show next year!


Sean "Striderlotr" Banks

Support Your Friendly Local Gaming Store

OK, I'll keep this simple.

SUPPORT YOUR FRIENDLY LOCAL GAME STORE for Magic!

This Saturday is the Prerelease for a new Magic the Gathering set, Innistrad. I personally think it looks great and I know that while not everyone is a fan on the new 2 sided transform mechanic cards, I give WotC credit for trying new rules and ideas to keep the game fresh! However, that is not the point of this post...

If you do not buy your Magic cards and play in your local game store for these types of events, then you are hurting both yourself and the Magic community has a whole! Why you ask? I'll give you a few simple reasons.

First, your local game store gives you a place to PLAY! You can't play on-line with that great new box of Innistrad you just got off the web at a few bucks cheaper than your local store, can you! Yet, here is your friendly local game store (FLGS) giving you table space to hang out for FNM and many other times during the week. That table space could be replaced with a pool table or a new product line of model train accessories that would make your FLGS money.  Buy your Magic at your FLGS to help your FLGS provide PLAY SPACE FOR YOU!

Second, who is there for you when you need help with your deck or when you wanted to learn how to play in the first place? Yeah, you might have learned from your friends or family but when you really needed unbiased advice on your bud's really annoying mill deck or how do I beat Red Deck Wins, I bet your FLGS was there to help. I'll even bet the guys and gals at the FLGS didn't even charge you to ask those rules questions or help you adjust the mana ratio of your new deck. Go find that service for free on-line! Buying your Magic and playing in FLGS store events helps to keep that resource alive for YOUR FUTURE NEEDS!

Third, your FLGS helps find you new people to play with. Tired of beating your kid brother for the 347th time? Come in for FNM and see if your "unbeatable merfolk" deck does so well against a former state champ. Hey, maybe you get to draft with a Pro Tour player or win one game against the guy who won GP Providence this year. Chances are, these other players won't be dropping by your kitchen table to play with you. Looking to trade an extra Stoneforge Mystic or 4? Well, these guys are more likely to need them than your mom. You might even make some new friends - ones that like playing the same game you play! In short, you get to be PART OF A COMMUNITY!

Last, and this may not mean much to some of you but buying and supporting your FLGS is good for your wallet. The money you spend locally goes back into making your town a better place to live. Maybe you want a job at your FLGS. Maybe your friend already works there. Maybe you like the hot chick who works there (Yeah, they do work at FLGSs and I have pics to prove it!). It would be a real shame if your FLGS closed because johnny internet was $5 cheaper for a box of Innistrad (Bet you forgot to add shipping) and now you have to wait for it to be delivered instead of cracking those minty fresh packs at midnight on release day! In other words, keeping your FLGS strong HELPS YOUR LIFE!

So, when it comes time to buy your Magic, stop and think about the secondary benefit to you and your friends, family and neighbors and SUPPORT YOUR FRIENDLY LOCAL GAME STORE otherwise, you might be home on a Friday Night playing Magic with, I mean by, yourself!

Good Luck with Innistrad!

Dave

PS. Yes, I own a FLGS and may have a biased view BUT, I can prove each of my points objectively so I would love to hear from you folks out there.

PPS. Support Your Local FLGS is a nod to two great James Garner movies done in the 70s, Support Your Local Gunfighter and Support Your Local Sheriff. If you are unfamiliar with these flicks or James Garner, I am sure Netflix can help you out.

Innistrad Magic Events at the Dragon's Den

Innistrad

As we are getting closer to the release of Innistrad for Magic the Gathering, we wanted to post some quick information about the events we will be running over the next few weeks.  We have events at the Dragon's Den for the pre-release, the launch, and a games day all set and ready to go.  So read on and learn about all the different Innistrad events that are coming up!

Pre-release:

We have 4 different Sealed events that are coming up for Innistrad.  All the sealed events are $30.00 and include 6 packs, plus the promo card (while supplies last).  Prizes will be determined by the number of players that sign up for the events.

Sealed #1
Midnight 9/24/2011
Special at the midnight only: FREE pizza and soda!

Sealed #2
Noon 9/24/2011

Sealed #3
Noon 9/25/2011

Sealed #4
5:00pm 9/25/2011

Launch Party:

The official Launch Party for the release of Innistrad will be held Friday night on 9/30/2011.  We will be running a draft at 6:00pm as the official event!  The cost of the event is $15.00 and will include 3 packs and a promo card (while supplies last). Prizes will be determined by the number of players that sign up for the events.

Game Day:

Game day is a constructed event so it is open for players to try and build the best deck.  The event will be run on Saturday 10/29/2011 starting at noon. Everyone who players will get a promo card and the top 8 will get a special promo card. The cost of this event will be $5.00 and prizes will be determined by the number of players who sign up.

Sean "Striderlotr" Banks

Magic the Gathering Celebration

Are you ready to celebrate with Magic?!?!?

We are! 

So what is this Magic Celebration you may be asking... Well it is a fantastic and fun way to experience Magic the Gathering with friends in a casual format! We will be running this free, yes I said FREE, event here at the Dragon's Den and we are hoping that you come and join us.  So here are some details about the event:

What: Magic the Gathering Celebration
Where: The Dragon's Den
When: Saturday September 10th at 12:00 noon
Event Type: Mini Master
Cost: FREE

What is a Mini Master Event you ask? Well, I'll be happy to explain this format to you.

Everyone who plays will receive a 2012 booster pack and 15 basic lands (3 of each type). You then pull out the tip/token card and shuffle the land and booster pack together... remember, no peaking! You then play out the game as normal; drawing 7 cards, having 20 life, and having fun. We will be running the event as 16 player pods and 4 rounds.  If we get more then 16 players, we will create another pod. 

So now that we have covered the basics, would you like to learn some more? You would! GREAT!

If you win your round you will get another booster pack for FREE! You will then have a few minutes to modify your deck with the new cards.  Winners will then be able to make a 40 card deck with as much land as they like.  With 4 rounds, players will have a chance to modify their decks as they win.

We will also have a few special promo cards to give away.  These cards are not for the Magic card game, but for the Duel of the Planeswalkers 2012 video game.  There is a digital item code on each card that will unlock a digital item for your account on the chosen gaming platform.

There will also be a FREE, yes I keep saying that word, T-Shirt for the first several people who purchase a Deck Builder's Toolkit! Supplies are limited and once they are gone, they are gone.

Speaking of supplies being limited, each of these items and the event are on a very limited quantities.  If you are interested in being a part of this Magic Celebration, then you want to get to the Dragon's Den and get ready to have some fun!

Sean "Striderlotr" Banks

Magic Innistrad Corrected Information

Welcome Magic players! 

So I'm here to talk to you about the stupidity of some of the newest (or oldest) posts that now have players in a tizzy over what might or might not be in Innistrad.  We have had many players come in freaking out over the new 8 card format for booster packs, as well as the new rarity or time shifted add  into the set.  As an Advanced Level TO who can call Wizards and ask silly questions about this, I'd like to set the record straight.  So if you would like some new info, read on... if you would like to stick your head in the sand and believe the nonsense then stop right here.

8 Card Boosters:

 

 So here we have a picture of the new boosters... or a clever fake.  First off, as confirmed from Wizards, there will not be a 8 card booster pack.  Second, do we think that Baron Sengir, Apocalypse Chime, and Willow Priestess will be the cover art for the set? Come on players, I think we can be a little smarter and not just blindly believe everything that some dope posts on a website to get players excited.  Remember that we will have the boosters and events here at the Dragon's Den... and they will be 15 cards not 8!

New Color Rarity:

Well here it is, I see 5 colors with purple just like a Time Shifted card from Timespiral... but wait, that can't be correct... can it??? NO it is not correct! Again, after contacting my rep at Wizards to confirm or deny these crazy stories, I have found that there is no truth in these wild tales.  So we will only have the normal 4 levels of rarity, there will NOT be any time shifted cards or a new rarity! Come on players, do I have to spell it out for you?!?!

So I hope this helps clear up some questions and helps players to calm down and relax.  I'm glad that so many players have come in concerned about these possible changes and brought this to our attention so we can try and answer the questions and kill the bad rumors.  As we run many events at the Dragon's Den, we really do try to give our players some good information and have great events.  So stop in and play a (real) game!

Public Service Announcement:

Please do not believe everything you read on the internet! We have called Wizards and asked these questions to get correct information. If any of this information is faulty, then it is faulty from Wizards, the people who MAKE MAGIC!