Magic conventions are some of the biggest events in the world of Magic: the Gathering. They have it all! Big tournaments, massive announcements, and panels on everything you could ever want to know about Magic.
Perhaps the most exciting aspect for some is the ability to get their hands on some of the rarest new promotional cards that the world of Magic has to offer. Players have the opportunity to enter the Secret Lair Showdown events exclusive to these conventions to fight for some of the rarest Promotional cards in Magic’s 30-year history.
That said, those aren’t the only new promotional cards that will be showing up at Magic Con Chicago. As long as you want to bring a few souvenirs home, or even just attend the event, you may be bringing these new MTG promo cards as well!
MTG Chicago Counterspell
Two new promotional cards were revealed today by Wizards of the Coast. These will be awarded to players who decide to attend the next MTG Con happening in Chicago.
The first promotional card revealed today is a new textless Counterspell. This iconic card finds homes all over Modern and Commander. Any formats with a smaller card pool would be completely overwhelmed by this card, and any formats with a larger one have Force of Will and Daze as much deadlier counterparts. Notably, Counterspell is currently banned in Historic.
This is far from the first Textless promotional card that Wizards of the Coast has offered. These have a common theme of looking absolutely incredible, but a few of the textless promotional cards can be rather wordy, making things a bit awkward. Omnath, Locus of Creation, for example, has a textless promotional card.
Fortunately, Counterspell does not have this issue. All it does is counter a spell, but for two mana, countering any spell is a great deal.
If the textless counterspell premiering at MTG Con Chicago looks intriguing to you, good news! Anyone attending the Chicago convention will obtain one of these. All you need to do is buy a badge.
Ponder
Alongside the new Counterspell is this new Ponder promotional card. Ponder is legal in Commander, but is a bit too powerful for Modern. That said, the card is quite popular in the Legacy format.
Ponders go for a wide range of prices on the secondary market, but you’ll find a majority of them for between $1 and $10. The recent Doctor Who printing is a bit cheaper than the rest.
This Ponder, however, may not be so cheap.
Players interested in this Ponder need to buy some souvenirs from the official Wizards of the Coast shop. Every $150 spent will grant you one copy of this new Ponder with artwork from Jay Ryan. This, combined with some exclusivity, may mean that these Ponders are a bit more expensive than average.
It is, however, unlikely to rival the most expensive Ponder of all: the foil Timeshifted one from Time Spiral Remastered, retailing for over $200.
Read More: Format-Destroying Dinosaur Causes Multiple Cards to Skyrocket in Price!
Huge Events!
For players looking to get some games of MTG in during their stay in Chicago, a few competitive events were announced. A $75,000 Standard open with seats on the Pro Tour up for grabs, the Secret Lair Showdown featuring the Modern format, and Pro Tour Qualifiers will all be firing at this event.
A quick reminder that the Pro Tour for Murders at Karlov Manor will also be happening at MTG Con Chicago. This means that Murders at Karlov Manor will be legal for these events.
It appears that ticketed events with limited seating like these ones have historically filled up quite quickly. If you’re interested in attending these events, be sure to secure your seat before they’re all gone.
$800 Entry???
If you’re interested in obtaining either of these cards, or were already planning on attending MTG Con Chicago, badges go on sale soon. There’s quite a wide range of different options depending on how much you want to spend. The most expensive badge for this convention costs over $800, even with the Cyber Monday deal. As far as these promos go, however, even the cheapest $30 option gets you a Counterspell.
Notably, the more expensive options include a $200 event all about the new MTG Ravnica: Clue Edition game. The event, according to Wizards of the Coast, includes a dinner, a special event, and a copy of the new Ravnica: Clue Edition for all the attendees. If this new Magic-ish creation is of interest to you, you can find the rest of the details here. Found there is also all the details on the various packages you can purchase for attending the Con.
Sales for the MTG Con Chicago Badges start on November 27 at 10:00 am (time zone unknown). If you’re certain that you want to attend this convention, consider purchasing your badge during Cyber Week to save a few bucks. The sales aren’t incredible, but it’s still money to save.
Ticketed events also go on sale at this time. These tend to fill up fast, so if you want to play in events with Limited seats, like the newly announced $75,000 Standard Open, keep this time in mind.
Magic Con Chicago takes place the weekend of February 23-25, 2024 at the McCormick Place Lakeside Center.
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