Episode 308 - RCQ Lookback from an LGS and Judge Perspective

We finally have the 2025 RCQ schedule and format information, answer a number of questions that we've had as players, LGS's, vendors, and the like. This week we break down the timing, format information, TOs, and hopeful future of the system. https://www.magic.gg/news/play-in-rcqs-earn-secret-lair-promos-and-qualify-for-pro-tour-3-in-2025

With a continuously shifting landscape, the removal of Pioneer as an RCQ format to Universes Beyond being standard legacy, LGS operations and MtG Finance on the whole have become rather difficult to manage. Anything can be reprinted at any time, so how do you handle an impending price crash on your foil Patrick Starfish while also worrying about the five Standard sets. So, this week we took at step back and began to discuss what it's like at the LGS level now. What are ways that people are insulating themselves from the whims of WotC and Hasbro profiteering. How can we, LGS's and financeers alike, survive and get ahead in the current environment that WotC has set in front of us.

We went to Collect-A-Con so you don't have to! But you should because it's awesome. https://collectaconusa.com/ This week we discuss what is was like at Collect-A-Con Chicago 2024 as a gaming vendor. What kind of a event was it, what expectations did we set. What had we learned in the past that we put into practice, what were some of the take aways. And, most importantly, is it worth it to add Collecet-A-Cons as part of your list of shows to vend as either an LGS or a vendor.

We've had the pleasure of experiencing cEDH from multiple points of view over almost a decades worth of play and thought, what better way to discuss the format than to try and bring together all of that. With the experience of judging one of the largest cEDH events on the East Coast barely in the rear view, we talk about what cEDH means to players, judges, the LGS, and vendors. What is the impact the format has on all the aforementioned people and where we see the format heading. This episode was planned out well in advance of initial cEDH RC issues, giving us an even more interesting insight into the format as we get to marry together player sentiment prior to those events, all the way through the recent bannings.

This week, wes set off to discuss Duskmour: House of Horror and the hype cycle surrounding it. What cards shone bright during spoiler season, what seemed to fall through the cracks? What references did we pick up and like the best? Join us on our review of the Spoop-tacular set, with your hosts with the mosts.

With each set, we look at cards that we think are underrated or overrated during the prerelease period. Taking into account what we've seen from these cards over the SEVEN WEEK period between set releases, we cut through what happened in order to hold ourselves accountable. Utilizing the notes we took from that episode we reflect on where we went wrong, where we went right, and evaluate why that was the case to help improve our abilities in making correct picks during prerelease.

Prior to the Spotlight Series announcement, there was a light push for standard play at the LGS level and though meaningless as there were no competitive reasons to play, it did pave the way for the return of Standard at the LGS. Now, with buying from WotC, from large TOs, and, hopefully, a least one RCQ season a year, there are a multitude of reasons to engage with the Standard format. So. Are we seeing a return of Standard at the LGS in any meaningful capacity?

The Spotlight Series announcement was one that was received rather well. The return of a WotC sponsored competitive event series with a clear path to the Pro Tour, a clear prize structure, and a clear tournament structure is what players have been clamoring for, for years dating back to the GP era. But, as with everything, we take a look at some of the good things and some of the bad things within this announcement and what it means for various players around the world. https://magic.gg/news/announcing-the-magic-spotlight-series https://x.com/raff_sputin/status/1827748727844434320 https://commandersherald.com/organized-play-cant-exist-without-judges/

The long awaited August 26th Banned and Restricted announcement was delivered and touched a number of formats, as players expected. We gave it about a week, for MODO and paper results to roll in before diving in and discussing what we've seen, what people are saying, and how we feel about this particular announcement. https://magic.wizards.com/en/news/announcements/august-26-2024-banned-and-restricted-announcement https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1wxR3iYna86qrdViwHjUPzHuw6bCNeMLb72M25hpUHYk/edit?gid=1611466830#gid=1611466830 https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1PxNYGMXaVrRqI0uyMQF46K7nDEG16WnDoKrFyI_qrvE/edit?gid=1611466830#gid=1611466830 https://twitter.com/karsten_frank/status/1829178288893505574

With a change in the Ban & Restricted announcement timings, WotC created a problem of their own design: A B&R shortly after a set release yields few, if any changes. This lead to two, lame duck, announcements in back to back months, allowing most contructed formats to start to fester. We discuss what the timing changes mean for players, for WotC, for the health of the game, and, importantly, for the trust that plays have in WotC to do right by them.