Finding FNM
Protip: Even better when alcohol is involved!
If you are a Magic player, you’ve probably heard of “Friday Night Magic,” a tournament night set up at a local comic or gaming shop. The idea of going to FNM may even have occurred to you. However, if you are like me (occasionally so overwhelmed by the thought of contact of those alien creatures known as strangers that you would rather hide in your Batman snuggie than answer the door for pizza); this idea was then probably filtered through your brain and then been laughed out by a series of so many neuroses modern psychiatry would pay for front row tickets to. Hopefully you’re not like me, though, and you’re just a little shy and unsure of what to look for when deciding on a store to visit for your first FNM.
Either way, sane or insane, it’s totally worth it as a Magic player to check out FNM. It’s a ton of fun to spend a night playing Magic with new people with the bonus of loot that can include packs, special merch and awesome promo cards. Here are a couple of pointers for picking your FNM of choice.
First things first, take a look at the local shops in your area offering FNM happenings. Keep in mind that Magic events won’t always been happening on Fridays; though that’s the traditional day, a lot of stores have multiple events going on during the week. Magic players tend to be excellent regular customers, so a lot of game or comic shops will want to keep us coming in to buy product and nerd up the place. Wizards of the Coast has a pretty good calendar tool and any decent store worth its D20s will have a good website with info. If you’re already a regular at a store, make sure to inquire, especially if they carry MtG product.
If a store has a dedicated guy (or gal – in my area there’s even a ladies’ MtG night) to run their Magic events, that is an excellent sign. A dedicated event runner, whether they be a store employee or a regular customer, means there’s someone who always knows what’s going on, someone who’s job it is to keep track of rounds, prize support and events. You really need this person, otherwise Magic players will spew cards and chaos and NO YOU SEE THIS IS WHY ARBOR ELF IS CLEARLY SUPERIOR TO LLANOWAR ELVES all over the place. This is going to happen anyway, but without that dedicated person and maybe a scary-voiced volunteer (to get everybody to shut up when need be), events become way less fun. Also – for extra credit, look for an event runner that calls his or her players by name. This shows that they’ve got regulars that they’re friendly enough with to remember. The first time I walked into my store of.choice and was greeted with, “Hi, Hannah!” there was a rush of the warm fuzzies only rivaled by watching dogs sing along to Gwen Stefani.
Different stores will handle event running and prize support in a wide variety of ways. I cannot stress how important it is to be aware of event set up, rules and prize support before you start playing. Another sign of a good store is the store that recognizes new people and loudly explains the rounds lowdown. A store I will not frequent again once just handed out packs for a draft and didn’t take another hand in the game until ROUND TWO. So yeah – I’m sitting there, brand new, building my draft deck when some dude sits down across from me, puts down his deck and rolls for play/draw. I, meanwhile, am waiting for pairings to be announced, as my usual store does. Queue lots of waiting around for this guy and lots of confusion on my part – the main outcome, of course, being ALL OF THE AWKWARD THERE COULD BE; well, without pregnancy announcements and spite (which is probably something you want to avoid at your Magic location of choice).
This leads me to the other most important part of any Magic event – the other players. Regulars at a lot of stores, especially ones in smaller areas, will tend to congregate towards a particular type or two. Some crowds tend to be younger with a lot of tweens and teens and some crowds will be more mixed; there are some places where parents even bring their young children to indoctrinate them into nerd culture from a very early age. In every crowd there will be at least one person who will say, “Oh, I’ve played since Ice Age.” They probably have. HOWEVER, if they say this more than once and begin recalling their “all-Mox Black Lotus deck,” take everything else this person says with a grain of salt as they may also claim to be best friends with Richard Garfield, play in PTQs with Mark Rosewater and be Jon Finkel’s godfather.
In all seriousness, Magic players can be some of the coolest people you’ll ever hang out with. You’re looking for players who will strike up a conversation with you, who will ask you questions about your favorite card, what kind of deck you’re running, how long you’ve played for. New players will be treated to good advice and helpful tips when playing, veteran players new to the event will be able to swap stories about their favorite decks. A good crowd makes you feel welcome and like you’ve already played there for months instead of minutes. Players like this are the shining hallmark of a well-run event and fun store.
An aside: if you are a regular at a Magic event, please strive to be welcoming to newcomers. One of the worst events I ever went to was at a store where all 20 players congregated into tiny cliques, didn’t chat outside their three person circle and only one person asked my name before a round. Don’t be those guys! Magic is, at its heart of hearts, a social game.
Friday Night Magic is a great way to spend a night and I highly recommend checking one out. Be it standard, draft or some weirdo format (please, someone do an Emperor or Archenemy event!), FNM is a great way to spend a night with a bunch of fellow nerds that also spend too much money on cardboard and pretty pictures.
