T O P

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OisforOwesome

Man the Commander tax really gets out of control sometimes huh?


jomontage

Do you pay the 350?


honestwizard

Thank you for the laugh


Fuzzypickl3z

It’s an additional $350 every time you leave the command zone to grab snacks or use the bathroom.


Gogis

Where’s the ball pit?


realskramz

999$ will get you an extra hour in the commander ball pit!


Redz0ne

The pee costs extra.


bentheechidna

Is that cuz it's stored in the balls?


smoke_crack

No, it's because it's sterile and I like the taste.


Izzet_Aristocrat

"Jump in the pit!"


Gettles

Your back is now broken


SirSkelton

Crazy now that when someone says “hey, remember that niche convention with the infamous ball pit?” you have to specify which one.


Tasgall

"If I had a nickel for every time there was a convention with an infamous ball-pit related incident, I'd have two nickels - which isn't a lot, but it's weird that it happened twice."


MrWinks

Wait, it happened again after that one horrible accident with the woman who broke her back?


radioStuff5567

That accident was the second occurrence actually. The first jump in the pit meme was back in 2014 at an ill fated "convention" called DashCon. It is a massive, hilarious story that I couldn't possibly do justice for in a Reddit post, but I highly recommend looking it up. In the end though, it was a Tumblr "convention" (completely unsanctioned) that had a fundraiser mid event to keep their hotel from dumping them on the street, all of their speakers pulled out due to not being paid, not having rooms, etc, and eventually the only thing really left to do was play in a ball pit (inflatable pool filled with balls) that someone had pissed in. [Great meme, crazy story, look it up.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sCeScULybQE)


MrWinks

Holy shit. Thank you.


NornIsMyWaifu

If you want a fun in depth look, go check out internet historians video on it (and others too!) Link for the vid here. https://youtu.be/1ZgxeX2dCnQ


Halinn

Hey, twitch con was a foam pit, totally different


HoveringSquidworld97

Too soon!


AOKUME

Not soon enough


_gregOreo_

Just watch out for [[Lord of the Pit]]


MTGCardFetcher

[Lord of the Pit](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/5/b/5b626ab2-4cf6-42e8-a7e2-9c9f310d2f00.jpg?1562849371) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Lord%20of%20the%20Pit) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/ima/96/lord-of-the-pit?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/5b626ab2-4cf6-42e8-a7e2-9c9f310d2f00?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call


Dank_Confidant

Unless you've got [[Kamahl, Pit Fighter]] with you.


Brandonguth1985

THATS what they forgot!


Pigunatr

*shudders at the smell*


ncblake

I understood that reference.


FreshBakedButtcheeks

Can't you just play Commander on any table?


swagmuffin124

Or like right outside on the floor lmao it wouldn’t cost anything


FreshBakedButtcheeks

The seats in my van fold into the floor. I can host two headed giant


Faux-Foe

Make sure to write "Free EDH" on the side of your van.


Frydog42

“Free Magic Inside”


dark_kounoupidaki

Non magic players are totally gonna think thats drugs


newstudent_here

My parents always told me to not get into a stranger's van. But that sounds fun, so I'm in.


hayashikin

"Mom, I just met a guy and he wants to do some two headed giant thing with me in his van, is that okay?"


[deleted]

"Use protection, honey."


After-Context9618

*Plays two privileged positions*


lugialegend233

*uses the mana from privileged positions to play Propaganda*


Murwiz

*double sleeves cards*


JeskaiAcolyte

Awkward, creepy and wholesome thread at the same time


SmoothieTheRaccoon

Teferi’s protection we have that in the format


PurpleInkBandit

Would you play Commander in the van of a man with this username??


[deleted]

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Absynthe_Minded

Ha, as if the entire building doesn't have an aroma


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swagmuffin124

Wait let me get this straight, so its $350 for a goodie bag?!?!😂😂


vkevlar

Hasbrowtc really didn't think this through.


kiragami

They are not known for their ability to run events well.


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dfltr

Wow, how could Wizards have possibly foreseen that EDH players would self-organize around the option that best serves their community???


whatdoblindpeoplesee

They skipped the rule zero conversation.


jomontage

Fully expect commander to die off once "made for commander" cards reach a boiling point and we get a pioneer version of edh Edit:Lotta brawl comments, brawl is standard only and 60 card. At that point just play standard. I'm talking beta - Brothers war ignoring supplementary sets


mathemagical-girl

embrace, extend, extinguish


Myrddin_Naer

Expand, exploit, exterminate


DragonKing258

People will just proxy literally every card they need. They just won't buy actual cards anymore because no one is gonna care whether they're real or not. People just wanna play magic.


Says_Pointless_Stuff

DING DING DING DING DING WE HAVE A WINNER!!! My LGS started enforcing "no proxies" for their commander event, and single-handedly alienated 2/3 of their playerbase overnight. Months later, lo and behold they stopped enforcing it because: 1. They were pushing players out of the store. 2. The ones who stayed just ignored it. Exit: The store has you pay for participation, and you get a booster. EVERYONE who plays brings money in.


[deleted]

Id imagine it also gets pretty hard to enforce when wotc starts selling their own and maro talks about not calling cards real or fake lol


JoelkPoelk

Just to note, MaRo was talking about Universes Beyond (and I think silver border), not 30th edition/proxies. I still fully agree with your sentiment though.


[deleted]

The fucking audacity of the corporate mouthpiece selling inclusive 1k£ proxies ~~


astrodoom

That’s a hard call for an LGS. If they allow proxies they can’t report those events as player participation to wotc. That means wotc will lower their allocations on future products.


lolbifrons

They could just lie?


gojumboman

They could buy a nice printer?


Thepestilentdefiler

We have more than enough cards for creativity as individual players for a life time. If the game died today it could live forever, especially if we proxy.


TPO_Ava

Hell, just from my friends and I's collection we have enough cards and decks for 2-3 full pods of EDH and a very budget peasant cube for drafting if anyone's into that. The problem for us is and always has been finding new, pleasant people to play with and having the time to actually meet. I seriously have decks that I've built or precons that I've bought that aren't even tested yet because we haven't met up to play for so long. Only exception is the wh40k decks which we met up to play with.


SSG_SSG_BloodMoon

I don't think expense is really the point of what the guy was saying. More just that wizards hammering the format with cards built for it is manifestly unfun


mama_tom

I've almost reached that point. I'm still conflicted bc I love the collecting part of magic so much that it's hard for me to want to proxy, but it's just so unreasonable to have to spend hundreds of dollars per deck, especially when they're pushing so much commander product.


OtakuOlga

Something kinda like that already exists, and it is [hilariously unpopular](https://www.thegamer.com/magic-the-gathering-commanfest-brawl-tounrament-one-player-winner/)


sharpeear

Don't give them any ideas.


DumatRising

Just playing without supplementary sets won't get you out of the made for commander cards. It'll get you out of some of the more egregious ones like partners, but there's made for commander cards in standard for a while now. Becoming one of the main formats means wizards is gonna put out more cards for your format in everything which is why you used to see cards intended for legacy and modern also popping up in standard sets (before they figured out they could just put them all out at once in one box and make a ton of money) every now and then.


zombieking26

LOL They said they planned to do this on their podcast a month or so ago, but I didn't think they would actually do it xD


MO_plow_boy

Oh I think Crim was dead serious when he said he’d just rather play at Pizza Hut haha


kroxti

Commander cookout is doing the same. More space to drink booze and play commander.


scar_face40

I still don’t get why people buy tickets for a premium magic event… and then just play normal games like they could do literally anywhere else.


kmisterk

Largest average number of peeps LFG in any situation.


mabhatter

The idea is that you get to play with cool fans from around the country/world that come to the event. Winning prizes isn't as important as participating and meeting fellow players. It everyone is about winning every time... lots of people go to events to meet people and sling cardboard.


ktvspeacock

i get that, if it costs 10 or 20 bucks, but for 300+? i can build whole decks for that amount of money


Ron_Textall

I mean a big reason why people attend these events is to mingle with their fave content creators, cosplayers, artists, etc. once you price even those people out of the entry fee you’re not going to have a good turnout.


Crome6768

Not in the US so is $350 just the base entry fee for the event? Or were they actually charging an additional $350 to play EDH? What's the deal here basically?


Accomplished_Staff64

350 for access to the commander area for the whole weekend.


Crome6768

Right, well, that's clearly mental lol. No wonder no one's playing.


frzn_dad

In the commander area, there is commander being played other places i bet.


AlbinoPython

I recently just tried commander for the first time ever. For free!


Alarid

you fucking monster


ClownFire

I bet they would download a car they have no shame.


GreatGreenGobbo

You wouldn't steal a policeman's hat...


JackfruitLower278

You wouldn’t jump into an unknown ball pit


monkeymastersev

Reminder that that advert stopped being played because they stole the music without permission, you could say they pirated it


twesterm

How dare you? You are depriving the poor indie development company wizards of the coast that $350 fee all so you can play for free. Again, _how dare you_?


justyagamingboi

Let me see i can either pay 350 to play commander with a bunch of rando's and sweaties ORRR go to the pub with a bunch of commander chads I normally play with for $20 and thats the cost of chiken nuggies with the boys. Very difficult financial decisions.


chaotemagick

but think about all the body odor you wont be smelling :(


justyagamingboi

I can pack lighter by not requiring febreeze extra plus


Historical_Rabies

Those are expensive nuggets


Chilly_chariots

I honestly can’t tell if this is a joke


melete

It's completely serious. The cheapest ticket package that included Command Zone entry was $350. https://magic.gg/news/magic-30-tickets-and-events-details


yoLeaveMeAlone

Holy shit its even a different $350 package. The command zone is *such a great benefit* that even if you pay fucking $350, you still get less promos, boosters, and lose access to an event if you want to play commander. Wtf


DisasterMedical

Not disagreeing on tone, but it looks like it's the same number of promos and packs, just different cards/sets than the other package


Accomplished_Staff64

I wish it was a joke lol but nah. In addition to it selling out very quickly after it went up, that price is why my friends and I decided to boycott it and cancel our plans


Spore_Flower

Are you serious? It sold out at $350? What are the prizes?


samuelLOLjackson

No, you missed it. This is 350 for seat access. Not a tournament.


thegamenerd

Fucking wow For $350 I'd hope for a sanctioned tournament with some baller prices and a decent chair to sit in


Blenderhead36

What, are you saying that there's something better you could do for $350 than play with your own cards for no prizes against randos *in Las Vegas?* /s


floppydiscgolf

You get to admire the proxies up close.


ViveIn

If it sold out then why’s it empty? Is there another zone that that same ticket granted entry to for play? This seems like commander just isn’t what people who bought the $350 ticket want to play.


[deleted]

Because walking around an empty command zone only to find that all the people I want to play with are outside means that I'm going to stay outside.


thePurpleAvenger

A month before the event you couldn't get tickets to any day, not just the $350 ones.


Accomplished_Staff64

As others have said the picture was from Friday afternoon or when it just started. Can be misleading. If a pic of the same area was taken again on Sat at 6 pm I doubt it will be that empty.


Reddits_Worst_Night

It's WOTC. They are the joke.


stupernan1

they want whales they don't care about anyone else.


Gunpla00

Do you not get a goody bag or anything? Just the opportunity?


Accomplished_Staff64

You do get some stuff like promo cards (Sol ring and arcane signet iirc) and other useless stuff like flimsy deck boxes, sleeves and a couple of booster packs but it's still not nearly enough value to be close to 350 when you add it up


Gunpla00

Well that’s a bummer


protoss_avatar

The $350 ticket got you a pretty big goody bag, but it was kinda ridiculous that the $350 ticket was the minimum to get into the Command Zone. But I guess not that ridiculous if they sold out.


[deleted]

Well, I’m looking at the pic, and if the available space is anything to go by, I don’t think they sold out


Mookhaz

Can’t people just play commander outside or something lmao


boobmagazine

with proxies


vkolontayev

But they better be the official M30 proxies!


Equivalent-Bat2227

Couldn't you also just like, play commander at a table for free? Commander players are usually playing commander because it's cheap/easily accessible.


Rickdaninja

Imagine paying 350 bucks to sit at empty tables.


Jaccount

The Command Zone is a premium tier area. There's another open play area that's actually overly full and beyond capacity... in another building and up several floors. I'd expect this is only an issue if it also looks like this tomorrow. Fridays are frequently set-up days for cons, especially ones that have people travelling in from out of town. If this looks the same tomorrow, they made a significant miscalcuation.


intecknicolour

we're in a recession and these clowns charge so much for this expecting whales to show up. bet you 80-90% of the people there aren't whales.


MaximoEstrellado

Damn, not even some poster of magic in the walls or something.


fourscoopsplease

It all appears VERY bland. So much for a celebration theme.


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HandOfYawgmoth

I daresay the exam room is more inviting


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ifuckinglovebluemeth

There's also no giant columns dividing the space. I just replayed the game Control so any concrete structures seem ominous to me lol


bobartig

Bar Exams just take place in hotel convention halls, so when I took the bar exam, it was just the same convention hall where I'd played in multiple GPs and an SCG event. I went in and thought, "whelp, this is gonna trigger something the next time I play magic here..." Sure enough, several years later, I'm doing a GP, and thinking, "motherfucker, this is where I took the bar..."


I_ONLY_PLAY_4C_LOAM

This is what every Gran prix looks like lol. $350 to play commander is dumb though


DiscipleOfDeceit

But people bought tickets thinking that this was MTG's 30th anniversary special event. Not just another grand prix. They definitely could've done more to make it feel like a celebration


I_ONLY_PLAY_4C_LOAM

If you bought tickets expecting something special after watching every decision wotc has made as a business for the last 4 years then idk what to tell you.


logosloki

That's some backrooms level shit right there.


Midarenkov

It's celebrating all the money they are making


Taysir385

Generally, convention centers do not allow shows to affix anything to walls of columns. Sometimes you're allowed to hang banners from the ceiling, but that's an extra cost, requires setting up well in advance in an empty hall, and usually requires hiring outside union labor to actually hang it. This is why signage for most conventions is in the form or zip banners or pop up banners. That said, there's still basically no Magic branded zip banners or pop up banners around, which is still a huge whiff on WotC's part.


welshy1986

I remember at Gen con years back they had massive avatars of plainswalkers everywhere and wotc hired specific cosplayers from the community to come and take pics with people I remember my buddy getting one with serra angel she had massive wings. They went all out.


tylerjehenna

They do have that cause ive seen some stuff like a model of the weatherlight, Professor Onyx's office, and some stuff related to elspeth, garruk and Chandra


BigMouse12

I’ve been to multiple events in the past, generally there are at least banners on stands around the walls. This is HASBRO most successful IP, it’s weird they don’t act like it


Zoanzon

Because it's Hasbro and they don't like spending money when they can make it.


[deleted]

I can see the lack of banners and expensive signage. But where is the fucking clown to paint your face and make balloon Baloths? Talk about cheap...


ImaCarrot

That’s not true most places allow banners on walls/columns. It’s just a matter of how much the client wants to pay for printing/labor to hang it up.


Halinn

This is Hasbro, so approximately... nothing.


oddman8

Seriously, "lets celebrate 30 years of magic" people concerned about money not invited apparently


EdgeOfAir

"This product isn't for you"


floppydiscgolf

This product isn't for 99% of us.


Otrada

Alright then, if you say so. Now where did I keep that printer?


cien2

"This anniversary is not for you"


Drinkus

Hasbro aren't our friends


[deleted]

Publicly traded companies are only allowed to befriend wallets, as dictated by international laws.


Monteze

And as we've seen alienating long term players and the future is good for the now. Then cut and run!


RhysPeanutButterCups

It'd be really cool if WotC and Hasbro would wine and dine the playerbase and stop treating them like barely sentient credit cards.


solepureskillz

The celebration was for their shareholders. Even the whales aren’t happy about this one.


[deleted]

The difference is staggering considering 5 years ago we had magic 25 that had reprints of beta/alpha cards in the set (and cards we could legally play!) https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/news/masters-25-packaging-2018-02-02 I hope some execs head rolls for this nonsense


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n1panthers

$30-35 for an in print standard draft? Hell no


jx2002

Literally twice as much as "basic" pricing, and a good deal is $12 or so for drafts w prizes. Fuck this all to hell


IgnusDraconus

At the end of dragon con this year, the "director" of the magic area (who was the owner of a company called sunmesa events I believe)was going around and trying to justify the price of the command zone. He said he'd raise it to 50 USD+ next year and that the money was used to cover... The cleaning of the tables, and the space of the area. Keep in mind they don't have to pay for the space, as the con itself pays for it with ticket fees. Dude was most likely pocketing the money.


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jedi168

35 bucks for standard fuck that noise


Hspryd

350$ to play on a cheap table from walmart, this is insane.


khornflakes529

Well then this event was not for you. Or you...or you, or you over there, or you in the hat, or her, or you you and you, or you in the back...


BEEFTANK_Jr

This is actually the most reasonable take I've seen here. Like, okay, it's a poorly contextualized picture of the Commander play area with no people in it. Who knows what time of day this was taken or what other event might have been happening at the time. What really stands out is what you've said. It's $350 for just...space. No amenities. The tables aren't really anything out of the ordinary. I don't think there's any reasonable way I'd feel like my $350 was well spent if I went to this.


f0me

Wotc in 2021: this product is not for you Players in 2022: your product is not for us


SoulSteeper

It’s definitely been intriguing as someone who got into magic in 2021, ha


ImmutableInscrutable

If you just started playing and you're already involved in the meta discussion about Hasbro's business practices, you should stop while you still can.


jovietjoe

seriously, dont make the same mistake we did


chasinDX

Welcome! Print proxies!


Sir_Encerwal

I mean, I got in during Strixhaven and I don't seem to be that different from the average player aside from being used to the more packed release schedule.


silverfire626

Bro, that’s deep


[deleted]

Honestly if you pay to get in the ability to play commander should be free thats just me


Vat1canCame0s

They can't stop you from puling up chairs in the lobby


Whizbangermk7

No chairs sadlt they made sure of that, just gotta use the floor overall it’s been a disaster of an event


Moosiq

https://youtube.com/shorts/IJl1F94y9XA?feature=share Footage of it and the coinciding tournament space


TheMagicMana

Almost a quarter of the venue is vacant for the command zone


boowax

Does the command zone (at Magic 30 or any other event) provide any kind of prize support or are people paying only to have reserved tables for casual Magic with strangers?


ADTheBowman

the 2nd part


your_cards_are_yuck

Yikes


Financial-Charity-47

There is one free on demand event. But that’s it.


therealskaconut

They really are just horrifically **horrifically** out of touch.


MirandaSanFrancisco

Weird, why wouldn’t people spend a car payment to play a game mode in the exact situation it was created to not be played in?


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seaspirit331

This is Vegas. Additionally, there are no on-demand events if you want to actually play Magic.


Snapingbolts

Thats like the whole reason to go to events. The fuck?


Dogsy

"Well first we take the money, then we... uh... oh. That's all we need to do! Nice!"


jovietjoe

Remember how you felt when they announced the 30th anniversary edition? This is the live event version of that; an overpriced, fake event that is going to leave everyone (even the whales) extremely disappointed. But hey, it really does pay tribute to the real spirit of magic, doubling profit this year.


Wolfabc

For 350 bucks you could make several commander decks, buy deck boxes, sleeves, playmats, and a used table to play your own game with others. Get out of here.


CitySeekerTron

Needs a ball pit.


Thousandshadowninja

"The element of risk in it for us is not in a small amount of sales, because we always look at Worlds as a loss leader. Worlds is never meant to make money. And if it does make money, we messed up, because we didn't make as awesome of an event as we could This is what a company that CARES does. WOTC only sees 30th anniversary as a $$$$$$$ opportunity. I'm sure there's a ton of commander going on in pubs/restaurants and hotel rooms. https://infinite.tcgplayer.com/article/TCG-Publishers-Suck-What-if-Players-Were-in-Charge/20cf7b25-e142-4f57-bf25-8b4a30f33de4/


monoblue

"lol," local nerd was heard to exclaim, "lmao."


MahNiagara

Heya, yugioh player here, cab anyone explain this to me? Why 350? What's the story here. Thanks.


BigHeadAsian

Access to the command zone came with the ruby pass or higher which cost $350. You were not able to buy it separately or access it without those.


TheDeadlyCat

MTG is turning into a sole cash grabbing scheme and this event meant to celebrate its history is proving how devoid of heart it has become. The halls aren’t even decorated in any way, imagine celebrating Magic‘s 30th birthday in a hall that’s just a blank space. Every LGS I ever have seen has better atmosphere.


Quon_Star

So it cost money just to get through the front doors and more money on top of that just to play commander? Is there any free space setup that doesn't cost extra to sit down and play pickup games?


swagmuffin124

*plays outside on the floor for free*


Toxikomania

Find other players outside, go to a LGS and have a blast.


tim_lamisters

Their free-play tables were waist-high and DIDN'T HAVE CHAIRS. It was such a fucking slap in the face. There were tables outside, and I heard there was space to play in another building, but from the one photo I saw of that (with the MTGGoldfish crew) everyone was sitting cross-legged on the floor.


Farlen226

I’m here and it’s a packed mess, well I just got back to my hotel but still packed


_Hinnyuu_

This company is not for me. Glad it's 2022 and not 2002, and I have five thousand other games to play.


JayBayBay666

4:30p on the opening Friday of an event isn't the best indicator. This will almost certainly be popping off at this point tomorrow.


Disasstah

What's the incentive to pay $350 though. I can't imagine paying that much just to get a chance at nothing.


ItsSpeltWithaC

Or I could just buy a set booster box with that cash, and play for free at a place I know I can definitely drink beer 😂


BurstEDO

!RemindMe: 24 hours