Episode 310 - Collect-A-Con Chicago Review

As we begin our yearly look back and take inventory of our processes and lessons learned, we are starting out on a personal level. Have the means by which we engage with the game changed? And if so, how? How have we navigated the financial landscape this year? Casting a critical lense as our processes, lessons learned, and heuristics is an important part of holding ourselves accountable and grow. So join us as we take a look back at a wild year of Magic.

As we head into the holiday season, we take a look at strategies employed at the LGS level to ensure a successful transition into the new year. What factors are in play in 2024 Q4 that might impact not just what we are looking to sell, but also how we market it and sell it. Are we looking to bring in more foot traffic just to increase product exposure, do we want to focus on growing our customer base permanently, are we able to host events? Each years Q4 provides an interesting look into how an LGS works and this year is no different, so join us as we break down holiday strategies for 2024.

With the 2025 release schedule announced at Worlds in Las Vegas, alongside an accompanying article and series of mothership posts, we have a good idea of what Magic is going to look like in 2025 and beyond. What sets will we see, the marketing copy, Universes Beyond, and the idea that Magic will now be 50% external IP. What a year it's going to be, and what an announcement it was. https://magic.wizards.com/en/news/announcements/the-foundations-of-magics-next-era

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'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.

From the Judges to the LGS, from the players to the formats we discuss what it's been like operating in the new RCQ system. What changes have felt impactful to each of the aforementioned elements? What are we seeing now that we haven't seen before? Do these changes to the system even feel good?

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?