Yeah, like they have to charge money for entry because they are being charged for the convention space, its not like LGSs who own the space and then run events in it to generate revenue. A lot of people would shit a brick when they find out just how expensive convention space is for a weekend event. If all you want is a limited event, go support an LGS. People are buying into the cons so they can attend all the stuff on the con floor AND play some magic,
However SCG does charge for entry into the command zone, which has a large “free to play” area. Typically if you are going to an SCGCon, it’s to play in one or more of the larger events. For those larger events..your event fee is your entry fee.
Commandfest are a different animal. you can walk in go see the artists, go see the special guests..drink from the water station, and then play pickup games of commander the entire weekend. Artists, guests, space, water…all costs money. There is a non-trivial number of players that show up and just play pickup games.
Maybe not a rip off but the value is absolutely not there in my opinion. Compared to SCG con which is free to enter and enjoy artist alley and vendors. There are also areas for free play.
When I went to Commandfest Dallas the price of entry was closer to 90 after fees and tax. On top of that, the venue for Dallas was disappointing and small. Half that of SCGcon which again, is free to enter.
You could even count another event like HBMO, but I won’t since that’s a charity event so the “free entry” to the event matters less. I know people go there to spend money and support the cause.
All in all, ripoff? I don’t know, I willingly paid to go, and they did have things that a local lgs wouldn’t have so I guess not? Worth it for the value? Absolutely not. Maybe it’s just the Dallas con, but I don’t plan on ever going again. Much better off supporting your LGS.
Even other Command/Magic fests have been better. I think the whole weekend for MTG Vegas was like $75, or $40 a day, and you got entry cards that were worth a significant chunk of that.
The free play commander areas required a ticket at SCG Hartford (unless you mean the food court tables?). You had to buy into the commander Celebration to use that space, but it came with tickets to enter into several commander events so it was worth it if you were interested in those. They werent super strict about making sure everyone in the commander play area had a badge, but tables were limited by the large competitive events so they enforced it during peak play times.
If that's all you want to do it sounds like you'd be better served by attending an event at an LGS instead. Commandfests are great for the variety of events they offer, getting to jump from MH3 to mystery boosters to a commander game and then a Balders gate draft is where the appeal comes in along with the vendors that are attending. Getting to meet artists and personalities is a big draw foremost looking to attend a larger event like a commandfest.
I think everyone collectively misses the spot that GPs used to fill where we could draft all day for $10/draft, sell our cards easily, have some cool events like chaos drafts, etc. That doesn’t exist any more since WotC doesn’t subsidize it any more, or at least, their subsidies are not in a way that lowers prices. There’s currently no large event that is priced fairly, and I’m always astounded by how many people are still willing to pay.
SCG con in Atlanta a month ish ago was a great value. Free to enter like 15 vendors, 2hg events all weekend long , solid artists awesome super fun event for outlaws of thunder junction Prerelease.
Except they are, just not to the players.
If Wizards subsidizes part of the fees for the venue, that still likely won't change the end cost for the attendees, but it does make it viable for someone to actually run the event for them.
I don't think people appreciate just how much large venues and administration cost.
If it wasn't viable for them to run at before (at the price it's currently at) but is now, surely that's just reduced the price at which it can be run?
I think it depends on what you are attending for. I used to go to about 5 GPs per year and preferred those over MagicCons. Free entry to the hall, lots of vendors, great main events, side events used to pay out very well in boosters, lots of table spaces for free play and lots of locations to travel to. I would say the only thing I really like about the MagicCon's is the retro sealed/draft events. If you are into commander, then the cons are probably better for you. The prize wall pay-outs are significantly worse now.
MagicCons are also fewer and further between and more often than not far more crowded.
I don't find that enjoyable, nor do I find the need to drive 5+ hours to book a flight all that great.
GPs were more local and generally more comfortable... you didn't end up with people having to play in a hotel lobby because the venue was over-full.
I'm glad there are people that are happy with how the new system works, but well, saying it's better is just wrong.
We just had one in San Francisco. I only wanted autographs, so didn't pay an entrance fee or an event fee. I got value cards and personal favorites signed by the artists, and even better got some amazing stories from Margaret Organ-Kean, Pete Venters, and Kaja Foglio (who is genuinely one of the nicest people).
I then played some casual games with friends for free.
If you're going to win, it will be a different experience.
Oh man, I am so absolutely jealous of you!
We don't have these in my country unfortunately and there are som many MtG artists that I would love to meet and have sign cards! :)
Whenever a Con comes to my area, I always look up if the artists have done any cards. I have some signed by much lesser known artists like Tom Fleming and Glenn Fabry.
West coast commandfest are combined with an event called MXP, which is free. I heard the in San Fran wasn’t really checking badges due to the fact there was a paid event and an unpaid one at the same location. But they also did t play and paid events, which likely required a badge other than the mxp main events.
you needed to Badge to get into the command fest zone but the rest of the hall is open for free.
command fest zone has commander related events.
the Sealed event for MH3 in the next MXP will not be zoned off so you can register as needed and play
I'm curious if that's gonna change for the Tacoma one, the next one that Laughing Dragon will present. Just kinda hard to guess the experience when it varies vendor to vendor.
Yes! I've been to two commandfests (Richmond and baltimore) and while I didn't notice in Richmond, in baltimore you only needed a badge to get to the commander play area. Most of the vendors and some tournaments were outside that space and could be attended for free
Kaja Foglio was the model for [[Autumn Willow]].
Margaret Organ-Kean was the model for [[Implements of Sacrifice]] and she's wearing the [[Amulet of Kroog]].
Because of the risks involved with artist rights in early Magic, one potential artist asked for far too much money up front or said he would never work for WotC. Flashforward to the game being a success and the artist slinking back to ask for work, only to be told off.
[Rule #1 in our sub rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/magicTCG/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_1.3A_this_subreddit_is_meant_to_be_a_friendly_and_welcoming_community) requires that all posts foster a "friendly and welcoming" atmosphere. This post does not meet that standard and has been removed. Particularly egregious posts may also result in a 7 day(or longer) ban from the subreddit at the moderators' discretion.
Commandfest is a con. You're paying con entry, so you need to take advantage of all the amenities for it to be worth it. I went to the ones in Portland and Seattle last year, and they had artist alley, vendors, prize wall, and I played in several events plus way too much free-play commander. That makes it worth it
Interesting. I opted to go to the Retro Game Expo at PDX that same weekend last year instead, because not only was the price of admission $25 cheaper, but there were things to actually do at the Expo for free. I didn’t feel like I had to spend money, in order to enjoy myself at that event. When I explained to my GF what a Commandfest was, she also opted for the Expo, even though she’s a newer Commander player.
What, you're not excited to pay $100 a day for the privilege of buying from rude vendors (that you can just buy online), standing multiple hours in line to pay even more for signatures, or play pickup casual EDH that you can do for free any night of the week at any LGS?
I went to the one in SF and it turns out entry is actually free and my $50 ticket was just to have access to free play tables, but I didn’t know that until after I arrived.
Lots of the events required a badge as well. My kids and I wanted to do Team Trio full box sealed and it would have been nearly $400 ($225 entry and $150 in badges) to do it and we didn’t want to do any of the other Commander things so we left.
I went to the one in Dallas. It was the first time for me and a friend. We made the same mistake.
The only good limited events at commandfest, imo, was the Precon game because "free" Precon. Outside of that we came to realize it would have been better if we'd done normal events.
It's not a ripoff, it's just better if you know what you're going in too. Hell, we came to realize that there were several free tables of people just playing.
Edit: tbf you are also going to a MH3 event, so the cost is already higher
What was so bad about that one? My experience with their events is they don't have enough employees or table space, but I'm thinking if it's at Canada Place then space shouldn't be an issue.
Yeaht the smaller one day tour stops arent really worth it due to lack of space. But the big ones like next week in Van run fine. Way more table space and staff there.
The Commandfest I attended in Seattle was ass. Expensive entry for two event tickets and prize wall was aggressively mediocre. Maybe the TO has since upped their game and made the offering a better value for the time.
CommandFest is a branding name meaning there’s some attachment to WotC for the event, but different CommandFests are run by different Tournament Organizers depending on geographical region. The Vancouver CommandFest is run by Face to Face Games, whereas CommandFest Atlanta coming up in a few weeks is run by CoolStuffInc. Different TOs will have different types of events, different costs, and different philosophies in how they run their CommandFests
It is a little pricey. But I had a lot of fun. Met people in my area that I wouldn’t have met otherwise. The vendors were fairly priced. Met artist and had them signed my cards. Would most definitely get a day pass again
I recently went to a CommandFest in San Francisco while traveling in the area from Boston. Had no idea it was going on, but I had some decks with me and decided to splurge a bit and grab a 3 day pass bundle (I wanted the play mats too)
I was pleasantly surprised to see there was a whole other side to the event with 60 card and competitive play going on. Was great to wander the artists and grab some signed Artist Proofs, and see them create custom art on the back of others APs. I thoroughly enjoyed watching the 60card formats which has sparked a joy to play standard again after not touching it since Origins era.
On top of all that I was able to make some really good trades for some old revised lands in great conditions with the vendors. Which, while talking of vendors, it was incredible seeing essentially every pack available for purchase as well as rare cards and oddities Ive only heard of online. And the vendors were super helpful, many would look over collections to buy out on the spot. Which I would LOVE to take advantage of since my LGS's have ass selection of cards.
All in all I had a blast and walked away with a bunch of APs of some powerful commander staples, custom tokens for my blinged out Chatterfang deck, new playmats, and a new joy for standard.
One complaint, and this is 100% on me, and no fault of the event or people, is it was massively anxiety inducing. I struggle with even going to my LGS to play (I mostly play MTGO and with my close group of friends In person and on spelltable) commander, and hoped an event like this would make it easier. And boy was I wrong, I could feel myself in a heightened state the whole time I was there and only stayed for a few hours a single day, but I'm thankful for the challenge and experience all the same
Short answer: yes, especially nowadays.
Long answer: it is mostly the prize support that is bad so that is why it feels bad to go. For some events, specifically Commander, there is no bonus for winning. There is a cedh version where you can potentially win more tickets but those don't fire often. In the cons I went to, the casual pods filled up fast. Reaching triple digits. Cedh barely gets past 25. The artists and cosplayers are really cool though. The entry free comes with some vouchers but you don't make it last enough. Overall, if you go with friends it is an cool experience. However if you just want to draft, then go to an lgs.
I won’t pay for entrance to one again. Such a waste of time and money.
Playing commander with a bunch of randos at all different power levels was very unfun.
The only rounds that I enjoyed and didn’t end with at least one player super salty were the cEDH games.
Everything with magic feels like a ripoff now. If you're still paying for product and not totally F2P on arena, well that's your choice but I personally wouldn't do it.
That is sort of how I am interpreting the responses. GPs were obviously subsidised but this just seems like a cash grab and a way to get a ton of free publicity by inviting content creators. Which if you are one, good for you.
depends, but from my experiences, ABSOLUTELY NOT WORTH IT! is it a scam? i don’t think so … more like bad planning all around. seriously, what does $75 get you? the command fest i went to, all i got was some tables space, a playmat, sol ring promo, and foil lands that i will never ever use. most people there brought cEDH decks so … yeah, that happens. so if you think a playmat, sol ring promo is worth $75, have at it. if you play cEDH game is your thing then it will be fun for you … probably.
for me, i would just go to my LGS or friends house to play casual commanders. i will not make the same mistake twice, that is for sure. yes, i wholeheartedly think that cEDH players ruins Command Fest for casual players. 🫶
Ripoff implies that the price set is unfair or higher than it should be.
This is probably not the case as we know a lot of the financials involved in these events that is to SCG being somewhat transparent in the past.
If I go to a SCIFI convention (as I have done regularly), I know that the guests usually charge $30-50 for an autograph. This is a high price for 20 seconds of their time. It’s also the market price and fair because of the expense they have to take on spec.
In the case of a command fest, a lot of people don’t realize the eye watering costs involved with renting venues that are large enough. It’s exponential, not linear, and magic out grew the smaller spaces.
Add to that the cost of judges and staff. It was cheaper in Ye Olde Dayes because WotC was maying them by tossing foils or a box or two at them. This was wrong for many reasons, and no longer really happens so the cost of labor is much higher (although still arguably way under paid).
So, yes CommandFests are expensive. But they are not a “ripoff” in that the prices seem reasonable when you know the expenses
If I was going to Commandfest for the purpose of playing as much Commander as possible as easily as possible, how many games would I reasonably expect to play in a day? And what is the process of finding those games like, in practice?
Eh, it's reasonable to market it as a convention.
Their issue is that they have lots of people that remember what their previous offerings were like and due to that are disappointed that they're now paying much more for less.
I had exactly the same feeling.. We have the Magiccon in Amsterdam this summer and I just couldn't get myself to buy a ticket (badge) just to be allowed to spend money on a ticket (the events).
Furthermore, the badges were on sale (and sold out) before the prices of the tournaments were known and the timetable of the events was released. Added to that the main formats for me are Modern and Pioneer. The main tournaments are modern and it being just after the MH3 release the tournament to me feels like a spending spree bingo. Did you manage to get the best cards within 2 weeks after release and did you pick up the new T0 deck (I hope this is doomsaying but the power level of the set seems to be up there).
For me, I don't care that much about panels, weird drafts or cosplayers. So I decided to accept the FOMO (a group of my close friends is going) and just accept that this is not for me and I won't enjoy it as much as the amount of money I have to spend. I can add that to my MH3 wishlist instead..
I went to MagicCon Vegas last year and CommandFest Dallas this year.
MagicCon Vegas was much more worth my time and money than CommandFest Dallas was. I'm pretty sure the badge was even cheaper, but I'd have to go back and look.
You're right, it's not really worth it for a single day entry for a single sealed event, but that's just how this specific event is set up.
However, the 159 option for the three days sounds much more reasonable overall, OP, especially if you live close - you get 3 promos and and 5 free event entries which you should be able to trade/sell with other attendees (or sell on the secondary market for the promos) to put towards your sealed entry (or use - constructed events are still fun!).
The inflated prices for Sealed events are because the prizing is also inflated - if you go 2-1 or better you get a significant amount of tickets for the prize wall.
A decade ago I would have been all about the 3 day badge but really its a stretch to spend a whole weekend playing Magic at this point in my life. Honestly, the price for the sealed events is fine its the badge with frankly garbage throw-ins that I am not into.
While I understand and generally agree with your comment, it wasn't always the case that you had to pay just to get in for events at a convention hall. When I would travel to Grand Prixs in the early/mid-2010s it was free if you just wanted to show up and play casually. It only cost to register for the official event or the side events/drafts.
And back then Wizards subsidized the cost, which they don't anymore, and those costs were reasonable, which they aren't anymore.
Each table costs a fee. Each chair. Each pipe and drape. The labor to sweep the event floor, empty garbage, provide security, open concession stands, stock bathrooms. Those aren't just "included."
An Internet drop capable of streaming event coverage runs, on average, $8-10k per day at most venues. For one drop. Before factoring any other costs to streaming in. Or the IT needs for scorekeeping, registration, etc.
Wizards isn't running loss leader events any more. Tournament organizers need to make money to justify the costs of running events. They need to make a minimum amount of every head that walks in the door, so they've started badging at events where there isn't a large-scale, high-entry fee main event tournament to carry that burden in disguise.
If you want a place to walk in, sit down and play, that's your LGS or your buddy's kitchen.
I highly recommend messaging popular convention centres in your region and asking them about the cost to run an event that you're expecting 1000 people. Ask them how much they charge for tables and chairs, electrical help, wifi. The costs will boggle your mind, then factor in prize support, and figure out what you want to charge (keeping in mind that you may only hit 500 people, and you have to hire judge, event and con staff). The con hosting parameters have changed alot in the past 20 years.
That’s just not a reality. The cost of the event hall full of tables to play at is makes it unrealistic. That’s not including any vendors, guests and anything. That being said I do wish that they were reasonably priced and provided tons of value to players.
Does SCG not do this several times a year?? You can get in free and you can play casually at tables for free. I haven't been to a magiccon so this isn't a gotcha, I'm genuinely curious what the difference is
SCG is running a large scale, high entry fee main event to substitute the need to charge for a badge.
They also are drawing in other games to their cons, running main events for Flesh and Blood as well as Lorcana, presumably because Magic alone can't fill their hall to the point of justifying the event.
The other card games is a great point I hadn't considered. The large scale event with high entry fee is something magic players want so that one is easily fixable
I'm not sure I agree. I judged an SCG Open in Modern several years ago that drew over 1,000 players. When they came through this winter to the same town, the same format didn't even pull 350 players for a $20k prize pool.
Standard and Limited are dead in paper. Much to my chagrin, because I love limited. Every LGS table that used to support it hosts a commander game now.
Ah yes because 20 years ago every thing was the same as it is today? The market on event space has changed. Costs are different what worked 20 years ago may not be feasible or smart today. I still think they should try and make events that provide value to players, but honestly gone are free cons.
I mostly go for artist signatures/proofs and to hang out with friends. If your value is mostly from playing just a few limited events then you probably aren't the target demographic
Not if you go to play more. The one I looked at gave you a couple of entries into events and promos.
If you don't go to play commander at commandfest, you aren't going for the right reason and be better served at a different event.
First off: they’re absolutely not a ripoff when compared to certain other Magic/tcg conventions. Look up posts about tcg-con if you want to see a genuine ripoff/scam.
Second off: I went to the Dallas one and it was fun. Yes, having to pay for limited on top of an entry fee sucks, but it is *command*fest. You can basically think of the entry fee as a pass to get to play Magic as much as you want to with a bunch of different people all day. I have no regrets about buying my pass.
I passed on going to commandfest when it was in Dallas, but IIRC, you get a voucher for one constructed event.
I'm going to stick with my LGS for sealed events.
Sounds like How the west coast does it is better than the East coast.
west coast we get commandfest combined with a magiccon so it’s crowded but we have free entry for the hall and paid for commandfest related stuff
I spent \~$83 for my commandfest ticket to play two days. I received 4 reliquary towers, two foil two nonfoil. I sold those for \~$72. I played 15 games of commander and traded up into a ton of good shit including a jeweled lotus, a scroll the one ring. I also got tickets to trade in and got a box of brothers war which I also got my value out of. If you want free events, this was about as free as I could get. MH3 is pricing people out everywhere, not just commandfest, so please don't make a comparison for a premium product.
Sadly not for the Atlanta Commandfest. Badge is required for entry, I think the Richmond might have been an SCG event who have figured out that more people come when there is a lower barrier to entry.
My pod and I went to one this year and we literally just played commander together and got a couple of games in with randos. We got to meet artists and content creators we're fans of, and we also got some deals that were at a "convention discount".
Might not seem worth the money from that, but we had a great time and will be going back next year because it was a good chance to meet up, spend some time away from our homes, and have a day out surrounded by our favourite hobby. It was great fun, but if I was going on my own and only wanted to enter one event, it absolutely is not worth it.
Renting out convention centers and paying staff ain't cheap, buddy. If an event is popular, it demands a higher price. Other people are going to pay that much, whether you want to or not is entirely up to you.
I may be an old man yelling at the clouds here, but yeah, very likely you are.
It wasn't that long ago GP were 65-90 for the main event. Entrance was free. Drafts were 15. Etc. Just about everything came with a well sought after promo.
Now that 80 is only for privilege to walk inside. They don't let you play your own side games of anything since all the tables are reserved. Not sure how much various events cost now, but as far as I'm aware they aren't doing anything different to justify all these costs. Just basically that they can and people still pay it.
That's good, my friends were at one recently and one of their gripes was paying all that money just to be so damn crowded it took them 3 hours just to walk around the shops, let alone sit and play
Absolutely. You can literally play commander anywhere with exactly the same quality of opponents and prizes. The only reason to attend a command fest is if you're using commander to build a personal brand, and very few players are in that subset.
You’re going for an experience, not value.
Why do people go to concerts to hear music they already own and pay inflated prices on drinks?
Because it’s fun.
I am not inviting random people to my house via facebook or craigslist. I also have a normal group they just do not tend to go to big events so I was trying to understand the deal.
Then make an event and meet them somewhere else. Idk what else you’re expecting people to say when you’re complaining about paying to play. Your options are pay and play at the big event, or don’t pay and play at a smaller event. I’m sure you’ll figure it out
Thanks. I think you missed the point of my post. I was really just trying to get info about the event and peoples feelings around paying a ton just to be at the event. I think at this point I am aware the event is not for me.
I do not expect to play magic for free at a convention but I also don't want to be ripped off and frankly a badge on top of the normal fees to draft or play sealed is a bit much when it is exclusively a Magic Convention.
DragonCon which features way more than just Magic takes place partly at the same hotel and has cheaper badges for 5 days (assuming you buy early) and frankly cheaper events as well.
If you just want to play a single sealed event, probably not worth it, no.
Yeah, like they have to charge money for entry because they are being charged for the convention space, its not like LGSs who own the space and then run events in it to generate revenue. A lot of people would shit a brick when they find out just how expensive convention space is for a weekend event. If all you want is a limited event, go support an LGS. People are buying into the cons so they can attend all the stuff on the con floor AND play some magic,
SCG pays for the convention space and does not charge an entry fee.
SCG has been on the brink of bankruptcy multiple times and has pulled back on their event operations
Thanks for some objectivity. I think people dont realize how wildly expensive it costs to run a convention in 2024
They dont charge for the con floor, but the play areas were ticketed
However SCG does charge for entry into the command zone, which has a large “free to play” area. Typically if you are going to an SCGCon, it’s to play in one or more of the larger events. For those larger events..your event fee is your entry fee. Commandfest are a different animal. you can walk in go see the artists, go see the special guests..drink from the water station, and then play pickup games of commander the entire weekend. Artists, guests, space, water…all costs money. There is a non-trivial number of players that show up and just play pickup games.
Maybe not a rip off but the value is absolutely not there in my opinion. Compared to SCG con which is free to enter and enjoy artist alley and vendors. There are also areas for free play. When I went to Commandfest Dallas the price of entry was closer to 90 after fees and tax. On top of that, the venue for Dallas was disappointing and small. Half that of SCGcon which again, is free to enter. You could even count another event like HBMO, but I won’t since that’s a charity event so the “free entry” to the event matters less. I know people go there to spend money and support the cause. All in all, ripoff? I don’t know, I willingly paid to go, and they did have things that a local lgs wouldn’t have so I guess not? Worth it for the value? Absolutely not. Maybe it’s just the Dallas con, but I don’t plan on ever going again. Much better off supporting your LGS.
Even other Command/Magic fests have been better. I think the whole weekend for MTG Vegas was like $75, or $40 a day, and you got entry cards that were worth a significant chunk of that.
[удалено]
Huh. Wonder if I rose-colored glasses'd that.
The free play commander areas required a ticket at SCG Hartford (unless you mean the food court tables?). You had to buy into the commander Celebration to use that space, but it came with tickets to enter into several commander events so it was worth it if you were interested in those. They werent super strict about making sure everyone in the commander play area had a badge, but tables were limited by the large competitive events so they enforced it during peak play times.
If that's all you want to do it sounds like you'd be better served by attending an event at an LGS instead. Commandfests are great for the variety of events they offer, getting to jump from MH3 to mystery boosters to a commander game and then a Balders gate draft is where the appeal comes in along with the vendors that are attending. Getting to meet artists and personalities is a big draw foremost looking to attend a larger event like a commandfest.
I think everyone collectively misses the spot that GPs used to fill where we could draft all day for $10/draft, sell our cards easily, have some cool events like chaos drafts, etc. That doesn’t exist any more since WotC doesn’t subsidize it any more, or at least, their subsidies are not in a way that lowers prices. There’s currently no large event that is priced fairly, and I’m always astounded by how many people are still willing to pay.
SCG con in Atlanta a month ish ago was a great value. Free to enter like 15 vendors, 2hg events all weekend long , solid artists awesome super fun event for outlaws of thunder junction Prerelease.
They only have one draft event listed for the entire weekend and its a weird throwback one?
You could sign up for drafts on demand.
Sounds like the Mtg portion of Gencon
$20 to draft.
> their subsidies are not in a way that lowers prices This does mean not really subsdises
Except they are, just not to the players. If Wizards subsidizes part of the fees for the venue, that still likely won't change the end cost for the attendees, but it does make it viable for someone to actually run the event for them. I don't think people appreciate just how much large venues and administration cost.
If it wasn't viable for them to run at before (at the price it's currently at) but is now, surely that's just reduced the price at which it can be run?
I consider it to be a fair price. MagicCons especially are way better than GPs ever were.
I think it depends on what you are attending for. I used to go to about 5 GPs per year and preferred those over MagicCons. Free entry to the hall, lots of vendors, great main events, side events used to pay out very well in boosters, lots of table spaces for free play and lots of locations to travel to. I would say the only thing I really like about the MagicCon's is the retro sealed/draft events. If you are into commander, then the cons are probably better for you. The prize wall pay-outs are significantly worse now.
MagicCons are also fewer and further between and more often than not far more crowded. I don't find that enjoyable, nor do I find the need to drive 5+ hours to book a flight all that great. GPs were more local and generally more comfortable... you didn't end up with people having to play in a hotel lobby because the venue was over-full. I'm glad there are people that are happy with how the new system works, but well, saying it's better is just wrong.
Pfft LMAO
We just had one in San Francisco. I only wanted autographs, so didn't pay an entrance fee or an event fee. I got value cards and personal favorites signed by the artists, and even better got some amazing stories from Margaret Organ-Kean, Pete Venters, and Kaja Foglio (who is genuinely one of the nicest people). I then played some casual games with friends for free. If you're going to win, it will be a different experience.
Oh man, I am so absolutely jealous of you! We don't have these in my country unfortunately and there are som many MtG artists that I would love to meet and have sign cards! :)
Whenever a Con comes to my area, I always look up if the artists have done any cards. I have some signed by much lesser known artists like Tom Fleming and Glenn Fabry.
Are you able to get in without a badge?
West coast commandfest are combined with an event called MXP, which is free. I heard the in San Fran wasn’t really checking badges due to the fact there was a paid event and an unpaid one at the same location. But they also did t play and paid events, which likely required a badge other than the mxp main events.
you needed to Badge to get into the command fest zone but the rest of the hall is open for free. command fest zone has commander related events. the Sealed event for MH3 in the next MXP will not be zoned off so you can register as needed and play
I'm curious if that's gonna change for the Tacoma one, the next one that Laughing Dragon will present. Just kinda hard to guess the experience when it varies vendor to vendor.
Yes! I've been to two commandfests (Richmond and baltimore) and while I didn't notice in Richmond, in baltimore you only needed a badge to get to the commander play area. Most of the vendors and some tournaments were outside that space and could be attended for free
Share some of the stories, please!
Kaja Foglio was the model for [[Autumn Willow]]. Margaret Organ-Kean was the model for [[Implements of Sacrifice]] and she's wearing the [[Amulet of Kroog]]. Because of the risks involved with artist rights in early Magic, one potential artist asked for far too much money up front or said he would never work for WotC. Flashforward to the game being a success and the artist slinking back to ask for work, only to be told off.
[Autumn Willow](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/9/d/9d0a2c3b-ab86-44af-919e-c95c8751157e.jpg?1559592427) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Autumn%20Willow) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/me1/113/autumn-willow?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/9d0a2c3b-ab86-44af-919e-c95c8751157e?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [Implements of Sacrifice](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/a/a/aa5deb95-79a6-4398-b82a-c1df169550d9.jpg?1562926815) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Implements%20of%20Sacrifice) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/fem/88/implements-of-sacrifice?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/aa5deb95-79a6-4398-b82a-c1df169550d9?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [Amulet of Kroog](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/5/5/55540bd5-e0aa-40aa-8b98-2dfb4762b498.jpg?1562915001) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Amulet%20of%20Kroog) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/me4/179/amulet-of-kroog?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/55540bd5-e0aa-40aa-8b98-2dfb4762b498?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
Using “con” instead of “convention” may cause a bit of confusion here 😅👍
[удалено]
[Rule #1 in our sub rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/magicTCG/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_1.3A_this_subreddit_is_meant_to_be_a_friendly_and_welcoming_community) requires that all posts foster a "friendly and welcoming" atmosphere. This post does not meet that standard and has been removed. Particularly egregious posts may also result in a 7 day(or longer) ban from the subreddit at the moderators' discretion.
Commandfest is a con. You're paying con entry, so you need to take advantage of all the amenities for it to be worth it. I went to the ones in Portland and Seattle last year, and they had artist alley, vendors, prize wall, and I played in several events plus way too much free-play commander. That makes it worth it
Interesting. I opted to go to the Retro Game Expo at PDX that same weekend last year instead, because not only was the price of admission $25 cheaper, but there were things to actually do at the Expo for free. I didn’t feel like I had to spend money, in order to enjoy myself at that event. When I explained to my GF what a Commandfest was, she also opted for the Expo, even though she’s a newer Commander player.
We sure had it good back when Grand Prix were a thing. GPs had all that with free entry.
What, you're not excited to pay $100 a day for the privilege of buying from rude vendors (that you can just buy online), standing multiple hours in line to pay even more for signatures, or play pickup casual EDH that you can do for free any night of the week at any LGS?
Yeah, GPs were the best :(
I went to the one in SF and it turns out entry is actually free and my $50 ticket was just to have access to free play tables, but I didn’t know that until after I arrived.
Lots of the events required a badge as well. My kids and I wanted to do Team Trio full box sealed and it would have been nearly $400 ($225 entry and $150 in badges) to do it and we didn’t want to do any of the other Commander things so we left.
Wow, that's a lot for a single event. Would the badges have let you play in things all weekend? How long was the event?
Lol Con as in Comic Con not Con as in Con Man
Yes, con as in convention vs con as in confidence scam
I had a blast at the Seattle con. Totally worth it imo. Did maybe 4 drafts and collected prizes.
I went to the one in Dallas. It was the first time for me and a friend. We made the same mistake. The only good limited events at commandfest, imo, was the Precon game because "free" Precon. Outside of that we came to realize it would have been better if we'd done normal events. It's not a ripoff, it's just better if you know what you're going in too. Hell, we came to realize that there were several free tables of people just playing. Edit: tbf you are also going to a MH3 event, so the cost is already higher
I think it’s based organizer. The face 2 face venue is free and 30$ (cad) for foil promo, weekend command zone access, and $18 in event vouchers
Yeah the CSG ones in Orlando and now Atlanta have been very expensive for some reason.
[удалено]
What was so bad about that one? My experience with their events is they don't have enough employees or table space, but I'm thinking if it's at Canada Place then space shouldn't be an issue.
Yeaht the smaller one day tour stops arent really worth it due to lack of space. But the big ones like next week in Van run fine. Way more table space and staff there.
The Commandfest I attended in Seattle was ass. Expensive entry for two event tickets and prize wall was aggressively mediocre. Maybe the TO has since upped their game and made the offering a better value for the time.
Commandfest has an entry free in Atlanta?! We are about to have a Commandfest in Vancouver this Saturday and entry is entirely free.
CommandFest is a branding name meaning there’s some attachment to WotC for the event, but different CommandFests are run by different Tournament Organizers depending on geographical region. The Vancouver CommandFest is run by Face to Face Games, whereas CommandFest Atlanta coming up in a few weeks is run by CoolStuffInc. Different TOs will have different types of events, different costs, and different philosophies in how they run their CommandFests
If it's not worth it to you, then don't pay for it.
WotC hates this one simple trick
Obviously, I was trying to understand if I was missing something.
It is a little pricey. But I had a lot of fun. Met people in my area that I wouldn’t have met otherwise. The vendors were fairly priced. Met artist and had them signed my cards. Would most definitely get a day pass again
I recently went to a CommandFest in San Francisco while traveling in the area from Boston. Had no idea it was going on, but I had some decks with me and decided to splurge a bit and grab a 3 day pass bundle (I wanted the play mats too) I was pleasantly surprised to see there was a whole other side to the event with 60 card and competitive play going on. Was great to wander the artists and grab some signed Artist Proofs, and see them create custom art on the back of others APs. I thoroughly enjoyed watching the 60card formats which has sparked a joy to play standard again after not touching it since Origins era. On top of all that I was able to make some really good trades for some old revised lands in great conditions with the vendors. Which, while talking of vendors, it was incredible seeing essentially every pack available for purchase as well as rare cards and oddities Ive only heard of online. And the vendors were super helpful, many would look over collections to buy out on the spot. Which I would LOVE to take advantage of since my LGS's have ass selection of cards. All in all I had a blast and walked away with a bunch of APs of some powerful commander staples, custom tokens for my blinged out Chatterfang deck, new playmats, and a new joy for standard. One complaint, and this is 100% on me, and no fault of the event or people, is it was massively anxiety inducing. I struggle with even going to my LGS to play (I mostly play MTGO and with my close group of friends In person and on spelltable) commander, and hoped an event like this would make it easier. And boy was I wrong, I could feel myself in a heightened state the whole time I was there and only stayed for a few hours a single day, but I'm thankful for the challenge and experience all the same
Short answer: yes, especially nowadays. Long answer: it is mostly the prize support that is bad so that is why it feels bad to go. For some events, specifically Commander, there is no bonus for winning. There is a cedh version where you can potentially win more tickets but those don't fire often. In the cons I went to, the casual pods filled up fast. Reaching triple digits. Cedh barely gets past 25. The artists and cosplayers are really cool though. The entry free comes with some vouchers but you don't make it last enough. Overall, if you go with friends it is an cool experience. However if you just want to draft, then go to an lgs.
Yes. They have the structure of a promotional event and the fees of a for profit event.
I won’t pay for entrance to one again. Such a waste of time and money. Playing commander with a bunch of randos at all different power levels was very unfun. The only rounds that I enjoyed and didn’t end with at least one player super salty were the cEDH games.
yes
Everything with magic feels like a ripoff now. If you're still paying for product and not totally F2P on arena, well that's your choice but I personally wouldn't do it.
Welcome to con prices for not con experiences.
That is sort of how I am interpreting the responses. GPs were obviously subsidised but this just seems like a cash grab and a way to get a ton of free publicity by inviting content creators. Which if you are one, good for you.
depends, but from my experiences, ABSOLUTELY NOT WORTH IT! is it a scam? i don’t think so … more like bad planning all around. seriously, what does $75 get you? the command fest i went to, all i got was some tables space, a playmat, sol ring promo, and foil lands that i will never ever use. most people there brought cEDH decks so … yeah, that happens. so if you think a playmat, sol ring promo is worth $75, have at it. if you play cEDH game is your thing then it will be fun for you … probably. for me, i would just go to my LGS or friends house to play casual commanders. i will not make the same mistake twice, that is for sure. yes, i wholeheartedly think that cEDH players ruins Command Fest for casual players. 🫶
Waste of money. Go to an lgs
Yes.
Ripoff implies that the price set is unfair or higher than it should be. This is probably not the case as we know a lot of the financials involved in these events that is to SCG being somewhat transparent in the past. If I go to a SCIFI convention (as I have done regularly), I know that the guests usually charge $30-50 for an autograph. This is a high price for 20 seconds of their time. It’s also the market price and fair because of the expense they have to take on spec. In the case of a command fest, a lot of people don’t realize the eye watering costs involved with renting venues that are large enough. It’s exponential, not linear, and magic out grew the smaller spaces. Add to that the cost of judges and staff. It was cheaper in Ye Olde Dayes because WotC was maying them by tossing foils or a box or two at them. This was wrong for many reasons, and no longer really happens so the cost of labor is much higher (although still arguably way under paid). So, yes CommandFests are expensive. But they are not a “ripoff” in that the prices seem reasonable when you know the expenses
If I was going to Commandfest for the purpose of playing as much Commander as possible as easily as possible, how many games would I reasonably expect to play in a day? And what is the process of finding those games like, in practice?
They are ripoffs, yes Wotc managing to market it as a con is the real miracle. In truth commandfest are a different type of con
Eh, it's reasonable to market it as a convention. Their issue is that they have lots of people that remember what their previous offerings were like and due to that are disappointed that they're now paying much more for less.
I had exactly the same feeling.. We have the Magiccon in Amsterdam this summer and I just couldn't get myself to buy a ticket (badge) just to be allowed to spend money on a ticket (the events). Furthermore, the badges were on sale (and sold out) before the prices of the tournaments were known and the timetable of the events was released. Added to that the main formats for me are Modern and Pioneer. The main tournaments are modern and it being just after the MH3 release the tournament to me feels like a spending spree bingo. Did you manage to get the best cards within 2 weeks after release and did you pick up the new T0 deck (I hope this is doomsaying but the power level of the set seems to be up there). For me, I don't care that much about panels, weird drafts or cosplayers. So I decided to accept the FOMO (a group of my close friends is going) and just accept that this is not for me and I won't enjoy it as much as the amount of money I have to spend. I can add that to my MH3 wishlist instead..
I went to MagicCon Vegas last year and CommandFest Dallas this year. MagicCon Vegas was much more worth my time and money than CommandFest Dallas was. I'm pretty sure the badge was even cheaper, but I'd have to go back and look.
You're right, it's not really worth it for a single day entry for a single sealed event, but that's just how this specific event is set up. However, the 159 option for the three days sounds much more reasonable overall, OP, especially if you live close - you get 3 promos and and 5 free event entries which you should be able to trade/sell with other attendees (or sell on the secondary market for the promos) to put towards your sealed entry (or use - constructed events are still fun!). The inflated prices for Sealed events are because the prizing is also inflated - if you go 2-1 or better you get a significant amount of tickets for the prize wall.
A decade ago I would have been all about the 3 day badge but really its a stretch to spend a whole weekend playing Magic at this point in my life. Honestly, the price for the sealed events is fine its the badge with frankly garbage throw-ins that I am not into.
IMO if you can't get into the door for free and play casual games for free it's not worth it.
Yeah they should just rent a massive venue and let you rock up and use it for free, what arseholes.
SCGcon had tables for free play last time I went and did not charge anything for entry.
SCG Con has main event tournaments with high entry fees to carry the burden of revenue generation that most cons cover through badging.
While I understand and generally agree with your comment, it wasn't always the case that you had to pay just to get in for events at a convention hall. When I would travel to Grand Prixs in the early/mid-2010s it was free if you just wanted to show up and play casually. It only cost to register for the official event or the side events/drafts.
And back then Wizards subsidized the cost, which they don't anymore, and those costs were reasonable, which they aren't anymore. Each table costs a fee. Each chair. Each pipe and drape. The labor to sweep the event floor, empty garbage, provide security, open concession stands, stock bathrooms. Those aren't just "included." An Internet drop capable of streaming event coverage runs, on average, $8-10k per day at most venues. For one drop. Before factoring any other costs to streaming in. Or the IT needs for scorekeeping, registration, etc. Wizards isn't running loss leader events any more. Tournament organizers need to make money to justify the costs of running events. They need to make a minimum amount of every head that walks in the door, so they've started badging at events where there isn't a large-scale, high-entry fee main event tournament to carry that burden in disguise. If you want a place to walk in, sit down and play, that's your LGS or your buddy's kitchen.
I highly recommend messaging popular convention centres in your region and asking them about the cost to run an event that you're expecting 1000 people. Ask them how much they charge for tables and chairs, electrical help, wifi. The costs will boggle your mind, then factor in prize support, and figure out what you want to charge (keeping in mind that you may only hit 500 people, and you have to hire judge, event and con staff). The con hosting parameters have changed alot in the past 20 years.
Yes they definitely should. It's a tournament not a convention.
That’s just not a reality. The cost of the event hall full of tables to play at is makes it unrealistic. That’s not including any vendors, guests and anything. That being said I do wish that they were reasonably priced and provided tons of value to players.
Does SCG not do this several times a year?? You can get in free and you can play casually at tables for free. I haven't been to a magiccon so this isn't a gotcha, I'm genuinely curious what the difference is
SCG is running a large scale, high entry fee main event to substitute the need to charge for a badge. They also are drawing in other games to their cons, running main events for Flesh and Blood as well as Lorcana, presumably because Magic alone can't fill their hall to the point of justifying the event.
The other card games is a great point I hadn't considered. The large scale event with high entry fee is something magic players want so that one is easily fixable
I'm not sure I agree. I judged an SCG Open in Modern several years ago that drew over 1,000 players. When they came through this winter to the same town, the same format didn't even pull 350 players for a $20k prize pool. Standard and Limited are dead in paper. Much to my chagrin, because I love limited. Every LGS table that used to support it hosts a commander game now.
lol worked fine for 20 years
Ah yes because 20 years ago every thing was the same as it is today? The market on event space has changed. Costs are different what worked 20 years ago may not be feasible or smart today. I still think they should try and make events that provide value to players, but honestly gone are free cons.
20 years ago, you could buy a house for the price of 3 moldy turkey subs. Also WotC brought litteral pallets of product to TOs.
I mostly go for artist signatures/proofs and to hang out with friends. If your value is mostly from playing just a few limited events then you probably aren't the target demographic
It's not a magicfest where you can grind limited sidevents anymore.
Absolutely
Not if you go to play more. The one I looked at gave you a couple of entries into events and promos. If you don't go to play commander at commandfest, you aren't going for the right reason and be better served at a different event.
First off: they’re absolutely not a ripoff when compared to certain other Magic/tcg conventions. Look up posts about tcg-con if you want to see a genuine ripoff/scam. Second off: I went to the Dallas one and it was fun. Yes, having to pay for limited on top of an entry fee sucks, but it is *command*fest. You can basically think of the entry fee as a pass to get to play Magic as much as you want to with a bunch of different people all day. I have no regrets about buying my pass.
It really depends on who’s hosting it. The shop in charge seems to have a lot of discretion in regards to pricing.
I passed on going to commandfest when it was in Dallas, but IIRC, you get a voucher for one constructed event. I'm going to stick with my LGS for sealed events.
It’s for the experience.
Mh3 sealed at 55$ is probably 5 to 15 less then what you would expect, it's going to be very expensive
I heard nothing but good things about the experience at Dallas. I recommend giving it a shot.
Sounds like How the west coast does it is better than the East coast. west coast we get commandfest combined with a magiccon so it’s crowded but we have free entry for the hall and paid for commandfest related stuff
You get vouchers that you can use to “pay” for the event.
I spent \~$83 for my commandfest ticket to play two days. I received 4 reliquary towers, two foil two nonfoil. I sold those for \~$72. I played 15 games of commander and traded up into a ton of good shit including a jeweled lotus, a scroll the one ring. I also got tickets to trade in and got a box of brothers war which I also got my value out of. If you want free events, this was about as free as I could get. MH3 is pricing people out everywhere, not just commandfest, so please don't make a comparison for a premium product.
Commandfest Richmond was free to attend but you had to pay for the events. I believe you can pay by event once you get there
Sadly not for the Atlanta Commandfest. Badge is required for entry, I think the Richmond might have been an SCG event who have figured out that more people come when there is a lower barrier to entry.
This is why I look for other commander events where the prize support actually lines up with the price tag.
My pod and I went to one this year and we literally just played commander together and got a couple of games in with randos. We got to meet artists and content creators we're fans of, and we also got some deals that were at a "convention discount". Might not seem worth the money from that, but we had a great time and will be going back next year because it was a good chance to meet up, spend some time away from our homes, and have a day out surrounded by our favourite hobby. It was great fun, but if I was going on my own and only wanted to enter one event, it absolutely is not worth it.
Renting out convention centers and paying staff ain't cheap, buddy. If an event is popular, it demands a higher price. Other people are going to pay that much, whether you want to or not is entirely up to you.
I may be an old man yelling at the clouds here, but yeah, very likely you are. It wasn't that long ago GP were 65-90 for the main event. Entrance was free. Drafts were 15. Etc. Just about everything came with a well sought after promo. Now that 80 is only for privilege to walk inside. They don't let you play your own side games of anything since all the tables are reserved. Not sure how much various events cost now, but as far as I'm aware they aren't doing anything different to justify all these costs. Just basically that they can and people still pay it.
Most of the CommandFests do have space for free play once you're inside.
That's good, my friends were at one recently and one of their gripes was paying all that money just to be so damn crowded it took them 3 hours just to walk around the shops, let alone sit and play
I’m looking forward to it. It will be my first magic event. Can’t wait to play MH3.
Value is entirely subjective.
Absolutely. You can literally play commander anywhere with exactly the same quality of opponents and prizes. The only reason to attend a command fest is if you're using commander to build a personal brand, and very few players are in that subset.
You’re going for an experience, not value. Why do people go to concerts to hear music they already own and pay inflated prices on drinks? Because it’s fun.
100% worth it to me. I don’t even play the events. $75 prices out the cringe crowd
make an ad on facebook or craigslist and invite new people to play magic for free at your house.
I am not inviting random people to my house via facebook or craigslist. I also have a normal group they just do not tend to go to big events so I was trying to understand the deal.
Then make an event and meet them somewhere else. Idk what else you’re expecting people to say when you’re complaining about paying to play. Your options are pay and play at the big event, or don’t pay and play at a smaller event. I’m sure you’ll figure it out
Thanks. I think you missed the point of my post. I was really just trying to get info about the event and peoples feelings around paying a ton just to be at the event. I think at this point I am aware the event is not for me. I do not expect to play magic for free at a convention but I also don't want to be ripped off and frankly a badge on top of the normal fees to draft or play sealed is a bit much when it is exclusively a Magic Convention. DragonCon which features way more than just Magic takes place partly at the same hotel and has cheaper badges for 5 days (assuming you buy early) and frankly cheaper events as well.