A Quest for Legitimacy

Where Northern Mages Get Spells, Creatures, and Equipment

     A couple of years ago I started playing Magic with a bunch of awesome guys in SM North. We tested decks on the floors and on tabletops.  We would order food and drinks at restaurants and coffee shops just so we could indulge in our favorite game.  However, other people misunderstood what we were doing and shooed us away, treating us like second-class citizens.  But we persevered.

     In fact, we decided that the game and its players should be recognized and respected.  To do that, we would have to find a sponsor.  Enter Comic Quest.

     We had been staging tournaments all over SM North at this point.  Whether it was at the food court or a friendly restaurant, players showed up and endured whatever hassle came their way because their love for Magic was inextinguishable.  So when Comic Quest agreed to help us, they looked for a venue and found:

The Battlefield in the North

     Both of these stores guaranteed that we would have a place where we could learn to play better, to find cards we needed, and to meet new lifelong friends.  We were now legitimate, a regular fixture every Sunday to the people passing by Sky Garden.  For two years, we grew from six friends wanting Magic to be appreciated by a lot more people into a larger community known beyond SM North as the CQ Academy.  We introduced 7-man teams, Christmas Magic Mayhem, Academy Points (before there was Planeswalker Points), and other innovations that are now commonplace.  It was a wonderful time to be in the thick of things, to be influencing how Magic was viewed by the players and the masses alike. 

     Then the tournaments ended and the Academy members scattered.

     For almost a year, we were preoccupied with other things.  There was life to be lived after all.  Everything couldn't be just fun and games.  But in the backs of our collective minds, we knew that the community would resurface.  That Magic and the bonds we had fostered because of it would not go away.

     So we are back.  Finally.  Comic Quest and Padi's Point are once again with us, supporting our journey to reach new levels and goals.  I can't wait to see what happens next.  These are exciting times indeed.