Over the past couple of years, Magic: the Gathering has undergone a massive change. With the pandemic affecting the entire world, Magic has had to adjust and pivot into a nearly fully digital atmosphere. This has caused the game and players to lose out on one of the things that made Magic, Magic; the Gathering. Well, this weekend kicks off the first of many official Wizards of the Coast “first party” events, DreamHack Dallas!
DreamHack Dallas
So what is DreamHack exactly? DreamHack is a worldwide recognized Gaming and Esports event. Originally being a show to showcase competitive Esports titles like StarCraft 2 and CS:GO, the event has shifted quite a bit. DreamHack has been named the official Magic: the Gathering Regional Organizer for the Pro Tour, and Dallas is DreamHack’s first running into the space of TableTop.
TableTop!
Since Dallas is the first show, there isn’t exactly a Regional Championship or anything, but DreamHack has come out swinging! This is the prerelease weekend for Commander Legends: Battle for Baldur’s Gate, so there’s TONS of events happening for that, one of which we’ll be talking about in depth more tomorrow!
There’s also a Modern 10K event that’s happening as well as various limited and Pioneer events as well! The Magic section of the hall was filled with people today (Friday), and I expect there to be many more people in the hall tomorrow!
What’s awesome is that this really feels like old MagicFests and Grand Prix events used to feel. A bunch of tables, people playing games, a buzz in the hall, it’s all here! And while there isn’t nearly as many people here for Magic at DreamHack as there would be for an average sized Grand Prix, it’s the first event so it will hopefully grow!
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The Gathering
Now the TableTop play and events are definitely a big part of the “Gathering” returning to the game, but to me, there’s something that’s even more important. Today alone, while signing up for an event, ran into a few fine folks looking for a commander Pick up game. They needed a 4th, so I jumped in and had a great time!
I also got to meet a few friends who I’ve made during the Online only phase of Magic, Jaffer, TheOneJame, and VeggieWagon. I only knew these guys through their streams, Twitter and the occasional online tournament that I’ve either played in or helped run. But getting to meet these guys in person was a truly awesome experience, and it had felt like nothing was awkward. The connection to people is the big thing that’s returning, and it has me excited for what the future of TableTop Magic has in store, as well as DreamHack!
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