This week in gaming: Revisiting GP New Jersey and more

Thursday, November 20th, 2014

Welcome back to “This week in gaming!” I’m sure many of you were saddened when you came to the site and didn’t see a new issue of “This week in gaming” or “This week in Magic.” The big reason for that was because I was busy getting ready for GP New Jersey which happened last weekend. Unfortunately, I did not have the same result as I did at GP Boston-Worcester, but I did have a blast.

Many members of the Battleground Games & Hobbies family made an appearance. Some were there to get things signed, and others were there to take on the gauntlet. My final record for the day was 2-3. It just seemed everyone was very prepared for anything with red in it thanks to the growing popularity of UR Delver. I played Mono Red Burn and was punished for another deck’s success.

Still, I had a lot of fun. Due to the fact that this was a Legacy event, there were more vendors than ever, and they had all decided to show off some of their most valuable items. One of the items up for grabs was a foil, Russian Emrakul that was retailing for $3500. Right next to it was an Unlimited Black Lotus which retailed $500 less. Let that sink in for a bit.

If you ever get the chance, I highly recommend trying to make it out to a high level “Magic: The Gathering” event. Even if you don’t plan on playing in the main event, many of the venues have side events and other activities for you to take part in. Some come just for trading and others come to visit the artists that have come to sign cards.

Sadly, the season is near the end. That means the next major event isn’t until February. However, that is Pro Tour Washington, DC, and you have to have qualified for that tournament. Otherwise, if you’d like to take a road trip, there is GP Atlantic City in May. That is a Limited format tournament. If you don’t want to go there, you’ll have to wait until June for GP Providence, and that will be a Standard format tournament. This is the one I will most likely go to, if I can go.

Marvel Dice Masters

In other news, Marvel Dice Masters is a game that I have been playing. Thanks to it’s great affordability, I have bought a lot of it. Starters are going for $15 and boosters will only set you back $1.25. While I sometimes cringe at the thought of buying 10 boosters of Magic, it’s almost too easy to buy 10 boosters of Marvel Dice Masters.

If you like deck building games and rolling dice, then this is the game for you. Not to mention you get to play as some of your favorite comic book characters. Some of you who have played the game Quarriors will find the game to be very familiar. The big reason is because it’s made by the same guys and put out by the same company, WizKids.

Both, Abington and Plainville, have begun to host league nights. The first night was this past Tuesday. Starting with this week, the league began with draft and rotates formats every week. So if you can make it out next week (and you should), both locations will be hosting a free tournament. However, make sure you check out the WizKids website for the official tournament rules.

Speaking from experience, you may also want to check out the official Dice Masters forums via the WizKids website for extra rulings on some of the cards. This past Tuesday we ran into a few issues regarding the text on some of the cards and how they’re played. Also, while we didn’t have many sign up for the draft, we had plenty of people show up and play for fun. Some people were curious enough that they bought their collection right on the spot.

Some upcoming events

Are you bored at home, and have nothing to do? Well have no fear! My advice to you is to keep checking out the Battleground Games & Hobbies event page on Facebook. Mostly due to the fact I’m a Magic player, an even that stands out to me is the Pauper Commander 1v1 French Tournament.

This is actually new to me, but it sound like a lot of fun. First of all, I am already a fan of Pauper. However, I’ve never played a Pauper commander deck before. According to some of the rules posted on the Facebook event page, you are not limited to a Legendary creature as your general. In fact, you can use any common or uncommon creature. as you general. That means some of the most competitive generals include, Rakdos Cackler, Shardless Agent, and Young Pyromancer. More information can be found here.

Amateur writers gather ‘round! Nanowrimo is a month long campaign where writers try to write a complete novel in one month. Our very own, Sam, will be hosting an event to celebrate the “home stretch.” On Saturday, November 29, come hang out at the Plainville store and hang out with many writers like you who are pushing to finish that novel. The doors open at 10 AM and people are invited to show up and write all day long. For more info on the event, check out this link.

Well that’s it for now. The holiday shopping season is pretty much here. What games and other things are you hoping to receive this holiday? Leave a comment down below. Maybe someone you know will be reading and get you that sweet present this year! Thanks for reading.

About the author

Simeon is now the Community Manager for Battleground Games & Hobbies. If you have any questions or inquiries, then you can reach him at Sims@battlegroundgames.com. He is also an avid gamer who loves to play board games and video games. He graduated college with a degree in Political Science, and now serves the public by writing about games. You can check that out here. Don’t forget to “like” him on Facebook as well. It’ll update you on all of his newest content. Best of all, you can follow Simeon on Twitter (@SimeonCortezano) for some real time hilarity. Thanks for reading!

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Tags: gp new jersey, Marvel Dice Masters, nanowrimo, Simeon Cortezano
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