[GP Madrid] Coverage and Updates

[betterthenandrew]

I'm going to be there, with another guy from the states. We land on February 23, and are staying until March 3. Still not exactly sure where we will be staying, but if anyone else is going to be there extra early, or staying a bit later and wants to get some testing in, or check out some sights (respectively) drop me a PM.

Edit: We booked a pair of beds at Barbieri Hostal.

[JeroenC]

I'm actually regretting that I didn't plan to stay longer atm. Would've been great for socializing.
Meh, maybe next year.

[Mictlantecuhtli]

Me and a bunch of English players will be staying at Musas Hostel, which seems quite central, not far from the venue. Looks like they still have a number of rooms available in case anyone is looking for accommodation.

[godryk]

According to info posted on Facebook, Mark Poole is attending to GP Madrid.

[Waikiki]

I'll be there 100%

[yankeedave]

According to info posted on Facebook, Mark Poole is attending to GP Madrid.

SOOOOOOO have to get my trop islands and recall signed!

[Enigma]

The trops with Mark Pool signature are misprint, he didn't draw the card.

I had 4x Beta Island and 4x Ancestral Visions signed last time I saw him in Charlotte.

P-M

[Shugyosha]

Steve Argyle is the second artist attending. His artworks are amazing, sadly there is no staple card in his portfolio safe maybe Snuffout from Garruk vs. Liliana. Anyways altered planeswalkers are always nice, even if its only Chandra Ablaze.

[SilverGreen]

LOL! Temperature at Madrid is 5ºC in midday, is it right??? We'll freeze our butts en las tierras Madrileñas.

For the Spanish users over here, do you know some nice store where I can buy some cheap, good and WARM winter clothes in Madrid?

[mogote]

As me and a friend will be arriving a few days earlier in Madrid I conducted a DCI tournament locator research into Legacy tournaments before the GP and found the following Legacy event:

date:
2010-02-25
location:
Generacion X Fermin
"Fermín Caballero, 57"
28026 Madrid
Spain

Does any local player know this place? Maybe you could comment on it, if it's recommendable, atmosphere and so on?

[Atwa]

I'll be staying at the Stadmadrid hostel with my girlfriend from the 26th to the 2nd. I'll fly back at the 5th, but I've rented a car for the whole period, so I might decide to drive to Porto or Valencia for the last couple of days, depending on where the weather is best.

I've heard rumours at a Dutch GP once that you are only allowed to take 1 tradebinder with you at the venue. Can anyone confirm this to be true for GP's?

[Skeggi]

I'm coming with 35 of my closest friends to a hostel somewhere. I forgot the name already. I'll probably forget then too. So most likely I'll sleep in a gutter somewhere - planning to par-tay!

Most of us are likely to wear ugly orange shirts by the way

[Atwa]

Geez, please don't leave it to just me to keep up the Dutch fasional pride :) Although I suspect the people from Nijmegen will still be wearing their hats...... Like I said, will I be the only Dutch person in Madrid dressed normally?

[Skeggi]

Most likely, yes. I'm growing an awesome trucker mustache too, just for the occasion.

[spirit of the wretch]

Yeah, team SPOD will wear subtle pirate clothing =)
GET PSYCHED!

[Skeggi]

Pirate nuns ftw tbh!

[godryk]

Ok, tournaments... well, Wizards shop locator just sucks balls, you know. We made a Monday to Sunday tournament chart in our forums, but shops usually change dates. I guess I'll link you some good places to play Legacy. I know, I know, I saved your life, don't worry, just buy me a beer when you see me.


-This two places are very well located, close to the city center and near to the GP location:

Evolution Store
One of the best places, they have big Saturday events. The store has a big (but not cheap) stock and is a nice place to play in, but a littlle small por big torunaments (+50). It's located in the city center, very near to Opera metro station, just 5 minutes away from Sol. They sometimes held Monday Legacy events. I had linked tou to the Tournament's section of his web, they update weekly,so just check next week.
Plaza de Santa Catalina de los Donados nº 2, local.
http://www.magicevolution.com/nosotros.php#

Metropolis Center
They usually held Legacy events on Wednesdays, but as the GP approaches, they have been organizing more LEgacy for testing purposes. This week they are doing Legacy torunaments from Tuesday to Thrusday. Very well located, near to Opera station as well, the shops is a collection fo rooms but it's well fitted out and looks very nice, just like Evolution. Place for like 80 people. Check their webpage next week to find their torunamant schedule.
Calle Espejo, 9.
http://noticias.metropoliscenter.es/...=134&Itemid=27


-Not very far from the center (relatively in the center, but not in the historic city):

Arte 9
A comic store with a fancy basin ruled by one of the most famous spanish eternal geeks (the basin, not the shop, yeah!). He's been doing Friday afterrnoon and Saturday morning Legacy events. The place is kind of small and can hardly host +20 people, but it's a great place to play in. Their February schedule shows Legacy for Friday 19th. Close to Manuel Becerra metro station.
Calle Doctor Esquerdo, Nº6
http://arte9online.blogspot.com/2008...mo-llegar.html

Katán
A small and nice place to play in, though may be a little hard to find. Nearest Metro station is Piramides. They had Friday Legacy. Just check their website.
Calle Las Naves, 25, Local 3
http://www.katan.es/cgi-bin/home.cgi...ode=comollegar


There are other very nice shops in the suburbs, usually hosting nice Legacy events at weekends, but you'll get lost and isn't much to do on working days. Generación X has several stores but isn't a popular place for the Legacy community. They had a cool place with a nice underground dungeon for testing purpose in the city center. However they don't usually hold many events, which usually take place at Fermin Caballero. Remeber, check tehir websites, as they'll probably schedule more Legacy events for next week.

Remember, use the Metro network.


EDIT: It's being a cold week, hope weather improves next week. Though spring arrives fast, winter can be pretty cold.

[Skeggi]

The only tournament I'll be attending will be the GP itself. Got any tips on stuff we should see, places where we should drink?

[godryk]

Meh, it depends on your likes/dislikes. If your into art, the two main Madrid's museum are Museo del Prado (Goya, Velazquez, El Greco, blahblahblah) and Museo Reina Sofía (modern art aka the place you go to see Picasso's Guernica), college students and unemployed people have free entrance. Tourists just hang out around the historic center, around Sol, Plaza Mayor and Palacio Real. It's a great place to wander, with many shops and tapas bars. Follow the taller and whiter people. Football geeks could also go to Santiago Bernabeu stadium (Santiago Bernabeu station, yeah, that was a difficult one).

Where to drink... almost impossible to say, too many places to go... For "bars", near Sol you can go to Huertas area (around Plaza de Santa Ana) and La Latina quarter (near Plaza Mayor, around La Latina station). Near to Gran Via you have Malasaña (around Tribunal metro station) and Chueca (around Chueca station, kind of gay district, a nice place to go and have fun, not every bar is a gay place but not a very nice place if you are offended by the sight of some drag queens). Near Malasaña you have the Alonso/Bilbao area (metro stations named the same) with bigger places of the club/disco type. A pair of kilometers to the west you have Moncloa (around Argüelles and Moncloa stations), the universitary area, with lots of cute 18-year girls with mini skirts in her first year at Madrid (yum). You can walk through all these areas, as they're all near Gran Vía and Sol, you'll see Gran Via busy with hundreds of people at all times of day and night. The Santiago Bernabeu area has a lot of bars and clubs too, check out Avenida de Brasil.

If you don't mind where to go you can always hang out around Gran Via and Sol and follow the people: most of the storic center is a party area. It'll be too difficult for me to address you to specific places.


EDIT: This can be a a decent map to demarcate the different quarters on storic district.
MA=Malasaña
CH=Chueca
AL=Alsonso/Bilbao
HU=Huertas
LA=La Latina

[DeppChef]

Does anybody know if there are any last chance trials on friday before?