Building a metagame from scratch

[raharu]

Well, there's a really large chance that I'll moving to New Mexico in the future, and I'm trying to collect information that'll help me transplant my habit into an area with a seemingly sparse community, and also help contribute something to the metagame I'm in right now (the Texas meta. although the state is wayyy to large to say it's one metagame, the individual metagames that are here aren't really well developed/ supported from my knowledge). My initial concept would be to just find a space and throw a full payout tournament with lots of exposure on the Legacy sites. The prize structure would look something like this:

First place: recieves one-half of the enterance fees
Second place: recieves one- fourth of the entranc fees
Third and Fourth place: split the remaining fourth of the entrance fees


With an entrance fee of $3, that's only $12 for an 8-man tournament (I don't think it's reasonable to expect much more in the begining), but with a $5 entrance fee the first prize jumps to $20, and third and fourth cover their entrance fees, while the rest of the players aren't really at a loss, so the $5 entery fee with the prize structure is reasonable at worst.

The larget the tournament gets, the more people would come (obviously, as money atracts money/ people), but once it reaches a fair size (something like 20 a tournament) a single individual running a tournement runs into the problem of supporting the playerbase. Without a shop, the problem of room arises, and other things of the like (that, and I don't think that the girl I'll be living with will be up for 20+ card dorks a weekend).

Also, with an actual playerbase, the question of actually developing the playerbase's players after actually creating said playerbase.

Well, there's the basic idea of the thread, and any general advice would be apreciated.

[Nihil Credo]

As I posted in the Texas thread, you could start with a full proxy tournament and then gradually reduce the allowed number until you can get sanctioning. The SLL here in Italy is doing that and the first event seems to have worked out pretty well. (http://www.mtgthesource.com/forums/showpost.php?p=240628&postcount=66)

[raharu]

As I posted in the Texas thread, you could start with a full proxy tournament and then gradually reduce the allowed number until you can get sanctioning. The SLL here in Italy is doing that and the first event seems to have worked out pretty well. (http://www.mtgthesource.com/forums/showpost.php?p=240628&postcount=66)
That sounds like a solid idea. Would the prize structure help actually advance the player from proxies to actual decks, do you think?

Also, would you be able to point me in the direction of a tournament report so I could get a better idea of what the metagame was like, instead of just the top 8?

[DrewliusMaximus]

Forgive me for being totally ignorant about this, but where is the Texas thread?

Houston has pretty much no Legacy action as far as I can tell, but I'd like to hear about elsewhere in the state.

[Horror Business]

I'm pretty sure Garland is the only city in Texas that has regularly Legacy(weekly) although not a lot of people come out all the time. It is fun and we have big tourneys randomly in the DFW area.

[raharu]

Yep, Garland has the only consistent tournaments that I know of, and I've looked. I mean I've really really looked. All different kinds of directories and whatnot. Dallas does have the random enormous tourney, though. That one a few months ago had crazy strong prize support.

Sidenote: how are the Garland tournaments, as far as the metagame and average turn-out? Because right now the team I'm with really wants some tournament action and we would be bringing a fairly sizeable group (anywhere from 3 to 6, depending on wether or not we drag a few non-members with).

[Ophidian]

Yep, Garland has the only consistent tournaments that I know of, and I've looked. I mean I've really really looked. All different kinds of directories and whatnot. Dallas does have the random enormous tourney, though. That one a few months ago had crazy strong prize support.

Sidenote: how are the Garland tournaments, as far as the metagame and average turn-out? Because right now the team I'm with really wants some tournament action and we would be bringing a fairly sizeable group (anywhere from 3 to 6, depending on wether or not we drag a few non-members with).

The average turnout is 10-20

usually 50% of the tournament is competitive, the other 50% is either casual multiplayer guys, or modified type 2 decks.

Anything and everything in the LMF has been played in the last couple months.. we have a really devoted core group of players (myself included) that always have extra decks for people to borrow.

Entry fee is $3 and there's 100% store credit payout, although we've been thinking about going up to a $5 entry fee to offset the cost of gas.

[DrewliusMaximus]

Good to know. My company may start working with the University of North Texas in which case I'd be taking trips to Denton every so often. Is there a standard time/place for the tournaments?

[raharu]

Well woot woot, I presume it's time for Battletoadz to get our collective magic on. Although it would be good to expand the meta, it's always wonderful to have a 12+ person tournament, which is rare in the area I'm in.

[Ophidian]

I actually live just outside of Denton lol

CBC just moved to the corner of Belt Line Rd and N. Garland Ave.

Legacy Tournament is every Saturday at about 5pm. They had 12 people last Saturday, and 5-6 of the regulars played at Regionals.

BTW, I didn't know people played Magic in Azle.

[Nihil Credo]

That sounds like a solid idea. Would the prize structure help actually advance the player from proxies to actual decks, do you think?

Well, it would depend on how long it goes on - both because a player has more chances of winning money, and because he's going to grow more attached to the league and be willing to spend for it. BTW, to that end you could also try setting up informal weekly testing sessions.

The SLL is going to run full proxy for all the summer, before restricting the allowed number. As for prize structure, it currently has a 5€ entry fee and prizes of 25€ / 15€ for the Top 2 (for 10-20 players) or 40€ / 25€ / 15€ for the Top 3 (for 20+ players).


Also, would you be able to point me in the direction of a tournament report so I could get a better idea of what the metagame was like, instead of just the top 8?I haven't seen reports so far (and either way, they would be in Italian).

[arsenalpow]

South Texas (Corpus Christi/Kingsville) has a pretty solid legacy and vintage community. Currently no tourneys are happening but we will travel if the prize support is worth it.

Myself and a teammate drove to Garland for their last Mox tourney.

[raharu]

I actually live just outside of Denton lol

CBC just moved to the corner of Belt Line Rd and N. Garland Ave.

Legacy Tournament is every Saturday at about 5pm. They had 12 people last Saturday, and 5-6 of the regulars played at Regionals.

BTW, I didn't know people played Magic in Azle.
Well, there's actually a really large player-base (something like 12+ players that I know of), it's just that 1/2 of them are scrubs :\ We're working on developing the meta right now, but it's slow progress.

[Firebrothers]

In Austin we have a lot of sleeping legacy players, 15+, itching at a chance to play some competitive magic. No stores are stepping up to the plate though, we are thinking about making our own organized play group Link (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dci/wopn). Maybe get some larger tournaments together to revive some of the competitiveness between cities that Texas is known for.

[Internet Hate Machine]

On a side note, providing the cards I ordered get here, about four of us from Azle were actually planning a trip to garland for the next saturday tourney, the main problem is gonna be transportation, but if we can get that were all set.

[DrewliusMaximus]

I'd love to know about any games in Austin. I have to travel there fairly frequently anyway.

[Ebinsugewa]

Denton

I hear the best ever death metal band is out of there.

As for making Legacy happen, I'm a proponent of the "scrumdogg" model, being that, as long as there is a preexisting Magic community, like a decent-sized FNM, a combination of getting stores to run events and then lending out every single possible card you can to keep those tournaments running will ensure long-term success. Just four years ago Massachusetts had little to no Legacy. Now one could argue it's overtaken New York/Virginia for best area in the world to live in as a Legacy player. So believe in the grass-roots approach, and find a store that believes in it too. Judge the events and coordinate them yourself. Do what has to be done, and people will spread the format.

[Nihil Credo]

Just four years ago Massachusetts had little to no Legacy. Now one could argue it's overtaken New York/Virginia for best area in the world to live in as a Legacy player.
Uhm, make that best area in America. If I were to choose a region to live in solely on the basis on Legacy tournaments, my first three picks would probably be Sauerland, Emilia, and Catalonia.

Your advice on growing a Legacy scene is sound. Most of the competitive players I see come from the T2/Draft formats, rather than being completely new to tournaments.

[superscrub]

In Austin we have a lot of sleeping legacy players, 15+, itching at a chance to play some competitive magic. No stores are stepping up to the plate though, we are thinking about making our own organized play group Link (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dci/wopn). Maybe get some larger tournaments together to revive some of the competitiveness between cities that Texas is known for.

The Ninja Pirate in Pflugerville (Austin Area) has been hosting a Legacy Tournament every Saturday at 6PM. If you guys show up they will run it.

[heroicraptor]

Virginia

Where in Virginia?