Growth

We've experienced a surge in attendance over the past two weeks mainly because we added other formats to our usual Standard offering. We still haven't perfected running multiple events and our customers have suffered as a result but better planning and execution should solve most of the issues. I expect Sunday to go smoothly with two Level One judges overseeing things. We're also starting earlier, one hour to be exact from 1pm to 12pm. This is to accommodate the extra rounds required by a Grand Prix Trial and Game Day.

It's also gladdening to witness our community engaging in cosplay. It has added a dimension to our weekly gathering that makes everyone smile. Hopefully we can have more people engaging in this fun activity at a future big event.

Offering new things isn't easy and success isn't guaranteed but standing still is not an option. Customers deserve fun and competition that can't be beat and we will work hard to provide both. It is up to my team to do their best in coming up with as many ideas to add value to the customer experience and to run our events professionally. Being boring and disjointed are capital sins in this business. We don't want to commit them because we love our community.

We are currently laying the foundation for growth, developing new players and judges. New blood means the game will survive longer and new judges mean the community has more leaders to take up the cudgels from us. While progress has been haphazard, the most important thing is to TRY ANYTHING AND EVVERYTHING to make Magic the most respected and played card game in the country.

Preparing for Growth

We've been getting more players the past two weeks.  This is due in no small part to the word of mouth from our homegrown community.  They talk about the raffle prizes like Mana Confluence or Athreos or the new Commander system we unveiled two weeks ago.  They're having fun experiences and they're sharing that with others.

Our responsibility is keep giving them what they want, what they deserve.  We must work hard to serve their needs for timely recognition, good rewards, and awesome events.  It is in this vein that we are concerned with the time allotment at our venue.  With more people participating, it means more rounds of play and thus an earlier start which might not be possible.  

What is clear though is a trend indicating growth and we must prepare for that or risk being surprised in a bad way and letting down our player base.

About Yesterday...

People liked the new Commander offering.  Paying P20 for a round/pod and earning five points or kills was and is easy to do.  As it turned out, it provided lots of fun times for the regulars at Padi's Point every Sunday.

The first person to win a pack (and an Opal Palace donated by Joey Hernandez) was Robert Flores.  It only took him three rounds or pods to kill five people and thus win a pack.  Following close on his heels was Kira Manaloto who secured the second pack of the day, helped by her 4-0 wipeout of a pod.  I was personally rooting for Portia Placino to be the standout player of the day especially when she was the first to eliminate someone with Bruna.  After that though she was closely guarded by the others which limited her effectiveness.

 

We were astounded by the support for this product/service.  Although only seven people participated in the three pods, there were other Commander players closely watching and cheering.  They were intrigued by the possibilities Robert's accomplishment represented: for sixty pesos he got a pack and an Opal Palace.  Better yet he still had a point leftover which meant that adding four more points would yield him another pack.

 

* * *

Modern wasn't such a good story.  In fact, we didn't push through with it as no one showed up.  We didn't know whether this was due to a lack of information dissemination and a poorly conceived prizing scheme.

 

Despite the failure, it only fueled our motivation to get it right next Sunday.

 

* * *

Draft, too, was another missed shot.  Like Modern a couple of people showed up but that wasn't enough to get a sanctioned tournament going. While the prizing scheme was attractive (one pack per win) and the cost was lower (550 pesos), the dearth of promotion activities doomed it.

Maybe replacing this with Pack Wars would be better.

* * *

Standard was an absolute hit.  We had thirty players.  Lucky for them, our generous sponsor Comic Quest provided Mana Confluence in a raffle.  Jorrell Ang won the highly coveted card and it led to people asking if there would be more surprise rewards in the future.  Knowing our home store, the answer was a definite yes.

So we've announced the addition of three new formats to our Sunday offerings.  There will be draft, whether it is an 8-man or a pack war sort of thing.  Also, Modern will take its rightful place beside Standard as the flagbearers of Magic competition.  Lastly, Commander will move out of the fringes and assume a more prominent place.

Hopefully these new wrinkles will revitalize the community and attract members.  Even if they don't pan out, we won't regret trotting out stuff that we feel gives fun experiences to our people.

More Tournaments and Formats

I would love to do more tournaments and experiment with new formats. If I am an event organizer worth his salt, then I should be willing to make mistakes as long as I learn from them.  It is time to shake up the scene and there is no one else better qualified to do the job.  (That's because I am shameless and stubborn.)

Anniversary

After I created an event on Facebook for Easter Sunday, I realized that a year had passed since I took on the role of tournament organizer for Comic Quest.  It was a moment that served as a reminder of where and when I started especially since I never expected to survive beyond the first month.  I had committed several mistakes that could have spelled the end but through it all the community of players stayed with me.  They were the reason I endured the difficulties and hurdled the challenges.

Letter to Santa

Dear Santa,

     I think that I have been reasonably well-behaved this year so I can ask for a couple of things from you, right?  Great!  Here they are in no particular order (and yes, they're all Magic-related):

     1.  A truly competitive Event Deck.  I don't mind paying close to two thousand pesos if something is as good as it's advertised.  So far, none of the offerings have any power so they sit on shelves gathering dust.  Please don't waste this opportunity to do something great as a lot of people want to get into competitive Magic but they can't because products like an Event Deck don't deliver as promised.  Use one and you'll get walloped at your FNM.

     2.  Enough supplies of Commander products.  Despite announcements saying that more were printed this time, the sad truth is that the format's players were unable to get their hands on the goods.  Worse, the stores sold them with huge price spikes.  In the end, the rich got richer and the poor got poorer.

     3.  Not just a Grand Prix but an annual Grand Prix.  I don't know why the DCI took away the one elite tournament we all looked forward to especially in the light of Wizards' decision to increase the number of Grand Prix events.  What I want to know is how we can get it back and fast.  And better than it was before.  Please bring this back!

     4.  More coordination among the stores and tournament organizers.  In the lingering absence of a Grand Prix, the local scene should gather together and put up something to equal what was lost.  The Sparta Cup this year was a good attempt.  But what I want is in the order of a Starcity Open Series and the Invitational.

     5.  Less bickering.  Instead of fighting each other, we should be doing more to make the game's atmosphere, its culture really, as classy as possible.  No one wants to deal with crass and impossible people.  Let's elevate not just our skills but also our tolerance for differing points of view and unique personalities.

     6.  An Asian Championship.  This one's a bit of a reach but I think it can be done.  We should really promote the game among ourselves in the region and not just look up to American or European pros all the time.

      I think this is enough for now.  I know you got a lot on your plate.  But if you do this, I'll be grateful not to mention excited for the year ahead.

Yours truly,