[Tournaments] June 12, 6:30 p.m. @ Dream Wizards, MD *EVERY MONTH & SANCTIONED*

[The Archivist]

Dream Wizards Friday Legacy #1

FORMAT: Sanctioned Legacy constructed

DATES: Fridays, June 12, July 10, Aug. 14, and Sept. 11, 2009

LOCATION:
Dream Wizards
11772 Parklawn Dr.
Rockville, MD 20852
www.dreamwizards.com

CONTACT: Phone: 301-881-3530 (for directions) or message me (The Archivist) on this forum.

ENTRY: $8

REGISTRATION: 6:00; play begins at 6:30

ROUNDS: 3

PRIZE:

If 8 players register:
6-4-2-2 pack prize, with additional packs based on attendance

GENERAL INFO:

-in an attempt to encourage sanctioned Legacy play in a relaxed, friendly atmosphere, we are introducing a series of tournaments on the 2nd Friday of each month. These tournaments are a great way to introduce new players to the format and experiment with new creations!

-this tournament will run concurrently with regularly scheduled FNM events

***
Don't forget to check out our large tournament on June 14th! See the other thread for details!
***

Bring a friend or two and come on down!

-Dream Wizards

[The Archivist]

In an effort to keep the post itself concise, I've chosen to elaborate a bit on the philosophy of these tournaments here.

I feel it is extremely important for tournament organizers to walk the line between supporting competitive Legacy and catering to new players who may not have the resources to engage the format at the highest level. The approach to this solution varies considerably from region to region, and my current efforts represent one attempt to engage this issue.

1) In order to encourage new players to sleeve up Legacy, they must see it being played. This strongly influenced the decision to hold the new monthly tournaments concurrent with FNM. These tournaments should also be sanctioned, so as to effectively convey that Legacy is a legitimate format.

2) Such "gateway" tournaments need to be relaxed and friendly experiences with relatively flat prize structures and low entry fees. Although dual lands are great Legacy prizes, they are poor for low-barrier events. Pack prizes have better synergy with Standard and Extended players who frequent FNM, in addition to being cheap and more distributable as prize.

3) That said, these tournaments need to feed larger events that generate excitement for the format. For our store, this means 40+ person events with dual lands as prizes. Although it would be terrific if all these too were sanctioned, it is my belief that a 10-proxy structure is an effective transitioning tool that allows new players to gradually participate in competitive Legacy. Interspersing such tournaments with sanctioned tournaments of a similar size (we haven't done one yet, but will) allows new players to get into the format, win some staples, and eventually engage in high level, sanctioned events.

The alternating proxy / sanctioned tournaments are the second stage of a three-stage model:
1) Friday Night Legacy (casual/competitive) -->
2) Alternating 10-proxy / sanctioned Legacy (competitive) -->
3) SCG 5K circuit Legacy (competitive)

I stress that this is regional experiment, not a model that I necessarily would suggest at this point for others to emulate. I do not condone continuous or long-term use of proxies. That said, you cannot go from 0-60 in a store where Legacy had not been played in seven years prior to this past November. It is an attempt to answer the question: "How do we encourage the growth of Legacy?"

It is our job as tournament organizers to actively engage this issue.

[Parcher]

Thank you for doing this, Chris. Propagating the format is one of the most important things any of us can do, and I know how hard it is in this area. We'll do what we can to support.

[The Archivist]

Now just a week away! Hope we'll see people spinning something other than Tops all night long...

[nitewolf9]

*Slow clap*

Finally, some regular legacy tournaments at Dream Wizards. I'm all about this, and I'll be coming by whenever I can make it.

[The Archivist]

Tournament kicks off at 6:30. Hope to see some of you folks tonight!

[Michael Keller]

I'd like to know who plans on attending these events so we can meet up or something. I've been to Dream Wizards several times since moving to the D.C. area and I've yet to meet any Source Legacy players. I'd like to know who else plans on showing up to these tournaments (Sourcers). It'd be nice to meet some of you guys and play on a regular basis there.