WESTERN CANADA PREMIER EVENTS
Welcome to the information site for premier Magic: the Gathering events in Calgary & Edmonton
Shards of Alara Prerelease details
Sept 27th & 28th
Calgary: Brentwood Sportsplex/Phoenix Comics
Prereleases FAQ
With Wizards of the Coast announcing a number of changes to the way in which prereleases are being run, many players have been asking questions in regards to both these changes and in what ways they can expect Alberta Premier Events to respond to these changes. The following is a run-down of some of the more common questions being asked. Please note that all answers are based solely upon the positions and opinions of Alberta Premier Events and me, Jason Ness (owner). They are NOT intended to be views expressed on behalf of Hasbro, Wizards of the Coast, or any employees of those companies.
Q: What's happening to prereleases in Edmonton?
While Alberta Premier Events is no longer operating prerelease tournaments in Edmonton, this does not mean that there will be no more prereleases there. Since local retailers now have the opportunity to operate prerelease tournaments, I fully expect that Edmontonians will have a wide variety of prerelease tournaments to attend.
Q: Will you still hold PTQs and other premier events in Edmonton?
Yes. In fact, I'm hoping to schedule the limited PTQ that will feed the Japanese Pro Tour in Edmonton for some time in November or early December.
Q: What's happening to prereleases in Calgary?
I will be running a "large," more traditional prerelease tournament at the Brentwood Sportsplex (some of you will remember it as the "old" prerelease site before we started using hotels and the U of C) on Saturday, Sept. 27th. I will also be working directly with Phoenix Comics for their Sunday prerelease.
Q: Is it true that we can't draft at the next prerelease?
Unfortunately, yes. Wizards of the Coast expressed concerns over product being widely distributed before the sale date and drafts being the agent of that distribution. They also expressed concerns over not being able to logistically manage the sanctioning of drafts for ten times more prerelease locations. As such, they have decided to forego the sanctioning of drafts at the next prerelease.
Q: Do you think this is a permanent change?
WotC is in the business of selling cards. I believe that anything they do that seriously affects that in an adverse way is something that they will look at fixing. If players across North America don't seem to mind not drafting, then I imagine that WotC will keep things as they now are. If, on the other hand, the feedback from this move proves to be overwhelmingly negative, I genuinely think that they will move to bring back drafts. If you would like to express your views to WotC on this, or any other aspect of their business operations, I would invite you to contact Wizards of the Coast Customer Service:
1-800-324-6496 9am - 6pm PST Monday - Friday
Q: Is it true that we won't be able to play Two-Headed Giant at the next prerelease?
Fortunately, no. An error was made on the format information release that WotC put out earlier. Two-Headed Giant will be an available format, and we will be offering a 2HG flights on Saturday and Sunday.
Q: Will Open Dueling Still be available?
Yes it will, but Shards of Alara open dueling will look a little differently. Preconstructed decks are no longer being produced in the same way. WotC is now making "Intro Packs" instead. As soon as details are released, I will make them available.
Q: I heard that prizes are being cut. Is that true?
Effectively, yes. Under the "old" system, tournament organizers like myself were more or less allowed to decide in what quantities we would give out prizes (within reason). Wizards of the Coast used to provide a prize allotment that allowed us to distribute a baseline minimum quantity of prizes at low cost to us. If we wanted to augment that minimum, it was within our ability to do so at our own expense (and I frequently did). Wizards of the Coast is still providing a prize allotment for all organizers. However, this allotment is smaller in quantity than it was under the "old" system. Moreover, organizers no longer have the option to increase this quantity at their own expense. Effectively what this means to Alberta Premier Events attendees is that the prizes that you have become accustomed to receiving at previous events will be cut by approximately half for the upcoming event.
Q: Can pretty much anyone hold a prerelease now?
No. Prerelease events are only sanctioned to certain retail locations and former premier event organizers (e.g. me) that are part of the Wizard's Play Network (WPN) and have a level of "Core Retailer" or higher. Moreover, organizers of advancing levels have advantages that organizers of lower levels do not have. Core stores, for instance will only be able to order a limited amount of product for their prerelease events. Once they run out of product, they will not be able to take any additional entries. They are also restricted to holding events on EITHER Saturday or Sunday, not both.
"Advanced" level retailers can run events on both days and are able to order more product than Core retailers. They, however, also have a maximum amount of product they can order. Should more people wish to enter their events than they can provide, they too will have to turn people away.
Former premier organizers, such as myself, have no fixed cap on the amount of product that we can order nor the number of sealed deck flights that we can run over the course of the two days.
Q: So does that mean there is a chance I could get turned away if I go to play at a store?
To be honest, yes. I cannot comment on how high that chance is. My feeling is that WotC will make every effort to ensure that the number of players a store is accustomed to getting for its release events and FNM tournaments will be accommodated. However, if significantly more players than a store is used to seeing show up, that could certainly be a problem. My suggestion would be to speak with your local store to see what number of players they'll be able to support and how likely they think that number will be reached.
That said, it is also very likely that a number of retailers, particularly Core retailers, may not have sufficient product to run multiple events throughout the course of the day.
Q: Could I get turned away if I play in your prerelease?
Only if attendance is much higher than we have seen at prereleases in the past (an extremely unlikely circumstance given these changes). As I have the ability to order product for as many ENTRIES as I think we might have, I still have the ability to offer players an almost certain guarantee that you'll be able to play in a sealed deck flight on each day, and will likely also be able to play in multiple flights throughout the weekend if you so desire.
Q: Will we be able to buy packs from the new set at the prerelease?
No. And any organizer selling product at a prerelease, either sealed product or singles from opened packs, will be in strict violation of their agreement with Wizards of the Coast. The same can be said of any store that runs a draft, even an unsanctioned one, with their "leftover" product.
Q: What's the deal with the prerelease foil?
There is now one "release foil" being printed for both prerelease events and release events (Launch Parties). The foil is stamped with the release date of the set (Oct. 3rd). This card will be given out to attendees of both events while supplies last.
Q: Overall what are your feelings about all these changes?
Overall, I fully understand WotC's motivations for making these changes. Their overarching goal seems to be to give more players around the world the opportunity to play in prerelease tournaments. Increasing the number of places that players can access these events seems like a logical step in that direction. It is my sincere hope that these changes will indeed lead to a larger global player base. That said, I will be honest when I say that I think the loss of draft tournaments is a step in the wrong direction, and I will continue to advocate strongly for their return to prerelease events.
Q: Where can I find more information about your prerelease?
NEW!!
Check out the Alberta MtG Forums for announcements, news, deck tech, and all things MtG related (and not so related) in the province!
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Click on the links below to get details about specific events in each province:
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CONTACT
INFORMATION:
Your feedback about events is greatly appreciated. Have a suggestion? Need to register a complaint? Please contact me personally via email or telephone using the information below.
Do you want to inquire about judge certification? Please start by checking the DCI Judge certification website, and then contact me directly should you wish to pursue certification:
Jason Ness
snoman321@hotmail.com
Tournament Organizer
DCI Level 4 Judge
(403) 851-8893
(403) 554-4388 (cell)
