Vancouver Magic Grand Prix

Filming videos is fun and all, but you know what the LRR crew really likes to do? Play Magic: The Gathering! This time, however, we also wanted to take a look at what a Grand Prix is like for all the other people there, who aren’t playing the game. We talked to an artist, a vendor, a floor judge, an administration judge and a member of the coverage team. Check it out!

This video follows us as we traveled across the water to compete in the Vancouver Grand Prix. While the title “Grand Prix” makes it sound very fancy and super competitive, it was actually a very laid back competition. While there were over 800 people there from Canada, the U.S., and beyond, not everyone there was aiming to win – many folks just came out to play Magic and have a good time. Which was good for me, because as usual, I didn’t do very well.

I tend to have bad luck when opening boosters at this kind of event, and the Vancouver GP was no different. I had a delightfully even mix of cards in all five colors, which combined with a lackluster pool in general (no format staples like Mist Raven, Trusted Forcemage, Druids Familiar, Seraph of Dawn or even Homicidal Seclusion … ) meant I had to go into three colors. I did pull three mythics though – a Griselbrand that I couldn’t run because I didn’t have a Blood Artist, a Bloodflow Connoisseur or any removal (but I did get three Predator’s Gambits … yeah …), a Primal Surge, which is … bad in the format, and Malginus, which I did run and is still isn’t that good. My deck was widely acknowledged by my friends to be “the best it could have been” – i.e. bad. I ended up 1 and 4, so I dropped and spent some quality Canadian time drinking beer with some local friends in the city. However, despite my pretty miserable record, I had fun and everyone I played was nice. If a Grand Prix event is coming to your city or a city near you, I heartily recommend going. You don’t have to win to have a good time at all.

Trivia:

• Jer did very, very well, making it all the way to the second day and finishing 87th overall. Although he didn’t finish in the top eight, someone else from Victoria did, so it was nice to see our city represented in some way.
• Aside from Jer, here’s how we placed out of 848: James, 203; Graham, 209; Kathleen, 731 (ouch)
• The Vancouver Convention Centre cost a billion dollars. That’s a lot, and its even more when you know it was originally planned to cost half that – $500 million. As someone who lived in Vancouver during its construction, the ballooning cost was a big point of contention among taxpayers. While it does have lovely water views and a “green roof”, I’m not sure those alone justify the pricetag. I’m just glad I get to use it now.