After a delay in the release due to everything that is going on, Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths is finally set to release on May 15th! Just like with all new sets, this means it's time for our next corporate league! Just like everything else now though, we'll have to adapt our league to ensure the safety of all the people participating.
What is a Magic League?
A league in Magic is a month long tournament using sealed packs from a given set. Each player starts with the same number of packs, and builds a 40 card deck. Over the course of the month, people may add more packs one per week, and one for each 3 losses up to a cap of 12 packs total. Games are played best of one, and players are encouraged to not play the same person twice in a row.
This format works well for networking! Everyone is on an even playing field, whether you are new to the game, or have played for years we all have the same number of packs. With best of one games, and not playing the same person twice in a row, games are quick and you end up playing a large variety of people.
At the end of the league, we have typically held a tournament for players from all companies to come and compete for the company trophy and the glory that comes with being the corporate champions of that set. We still plan to determine the corporate champions of Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths, but as things unfold we will determine the safest way to do that by the end of the league.
For this league, games will begin Monday, May 18th and run through Friday, June 12th. Weekly packs go out on May 25th, June 1st, and June 8th.
How will this league be different?
First, many companies typically start the league with drafting their first 3 packs. This is where each person sits around the table with 3 packs of cards, opens the packs one at a time, takes one card at a time, and then passes the pack around the table. Considering the circumstances, this isn't really a viable option right now. So instead, we are going to kick off the league with prerelease kits! This means each player will be able to start by picking up a prerelease kit containing 6 packs of Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths, a 20 sided die, a deck box, and a promo card. This is your starting pool of cards for your 40 card deck. From there, they may add packs in our typical way, one per week and one for each three losses until they reach the cap of twelve packs opened.
Second, playing games in person may be difficult for some at this time. Some people are starting to go back to work, while others are still continue to work from home. To help with this, we have teamed up with Game Grid in Lehi to run games through their Discord channel. Game Grid has a variety of offerings on their server, but we have several dedicated channels to help people in the league find others to play, ask questions, and better network. Once you join the league, please reach out to TechNetworkingAndGames@gmail.com to be added to the Tech Networking and Games channels on the Game Grid Server. In addition, we will be putting up standings for the league on our website, check here as we get closer to see details.
Finally, in the past we invited companies to join the league, asking for a minimum of three participants. With this, anyone who didn't have a group who played at work weren't able to join. Now however, with games available to be played over Discord, we are happy to invite independants to join. As such, if you are not a part of a company, you are not eligible for the final corporate trophy, unless you can team up with other independents as a team. However, if you can't find others to create a team, you are still welcome to join in the final tournament for the networking. For any group planning to compete, please register your company or team by sending an email to technetworkingandgames@gmail.com.
How do I join?
If you are interested in joining, reach out to technetworkingandgames@gmail.com to get your name on the list. You will need to purchase a prerelease kit + 6 additional packs. How and when those packs are opened are determined as stated above. Hope to see you on Discord!