Grand Prix LA Private Old School Tournament
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Magic the Gathering
Old School Southern California Event
[/split_line_heading][divider line_type=”Full Width Line” line_thickness=”2″ divider_color=”extra-color-1″ animate=”yes” custom_height=”20″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row type=”full_width_background” full_screen_row_position=”middle” scene_position=”center” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” bottom_padding=”4%” overlay_strength=”0.3″ shape_divider_position=”bottom” shape_type=””][vc_column column_padding=”padding-1-percent” column_padding_position=”all” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” width=”2/3″ tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid”][vc_column_text]Anyone that’s played Magic during the Golden Age (1993-1994) knows how nostalgic it feels to play this format.
As a player myself since 1994, I stopped during Tempest which was around 1998 – 99. I played every here and there, but not like I did in the old days.
The new magic sets just didn’t interest me as much.
Then about a year ago, I found out that there is an Old School group of players that only use 93/94 cards. I was thrilled when I discovered them, and I was lucky enough to have kept a few of my cards from back in the day.
So I immediately tried to construct a deck and with a few cards missing, I found out the prices today were crazy! I remember thinking, “does anyone really play this format still?” “Can anyone even afford it?”
Fast forward a few months…
I met a few guys who played the Old School format
Instantly I was hooked. Playing Old School again gave me the ultimate nostalgia and playing it with like minded people made it even more fun!
One of the guys I met introduced me to another group of Old School players called the “SoCal Deep Spawners,” an awesome group of individuals who loved the game as much as I did. They were the kind of people that you can be proud to be friends with.
I got to know them better and was able to attend my first SoCal Deep Spawner event called “The Risk.” The event is held once a year and you get to play magic all day, drink beer, eat good food and have fun with friends. It was a great experience, and that’s pretty much what started it all. Shortly after that, I became an official member of SoCal Deep Spawners!
(Sorry had to tell a little back story — I just wanted to express how awesome this group is!)
With Grand Prix (GP) Los Angeles approaching, our group wanted to host an Old School Tournament for other \ players interested in playing the format we all love. The event was spearheaded by Elusiv (Chris), one of the original Deep Spawners, OldSchoolDrew, and Brian.
The venue was a challenge because we had to find a place close to the LA Convention Center where the GP was happening. And since Los Angeles is not a cheap city, our options were very limited. Up until the last minute, we thought wouldn’t have a venue. But we managed to put it together just 2 weeks before GP Los Angeles.
The place we picked was a cool restaurant and bar just walking distance from the convention center. We had to charge $50 entrance, which included dinner and prices. At first, we were worried that people wouldn’t register with an entrance fee of $50. ,But low and behold we were already at full capacity one week before the event…
With more people wanting to register!
Our private tournament went viral at GP Los Angeles, and people were approaching us, asking if they could score an invite to the event. At this point we already had about 10 – 15 people on the waitlist, so as much as we wanted to accommodate everyone, the space we rented was limited.
SoCal Deep Spawners’ Old School Los Angeles Event was the talk of the town
For us Old School players, we didn’t expect to garner that much interest but we’re happy the old school MTG format is growing!
There were a total of 32 players at the event. We did 5 rounds of Swiss and enjoyed good food, drinks and conversation. There were a few AWESOME prizes, including a complete, un-sleeved old school deck rubber band — which Elusiv himself actually rocked during the event!
Another good thing
At this event, a few of the participants got back into old school or just got into the format and this was their first Old School Tournament / event in a long while! It was great to see all the “new” old school players at our event having a blast.
It was an awesome night of Magic!
The event started at 6pm and ended almost at midnight. All in all it was a massively successful effort. Hopefully next time we can accommodate more people.
It was a pleasure playing with old friends and making new ones trough Magic. That’s the true essence of old school.
- It’s not about winning
- It’s about having fun.
- It’s about spending time with friends and making a ton of new ones!
We are very thankful for everyone that attended and excited to see everyone again for our next event!
Discover SoCal Deep Spawner events are on the scheduled here.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_position=”all” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” width=”1/3″ tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid”][image_with_animation image_url=”6451″ alignment=”center” animation=”Fade In” border_radius=”none” box_shadow=”small_depth” max_width=”100%”][divider line_type=”Full Width Line” line_thickness=”1″ divider_color=”default” custom_height=”10″][image_with_animation image_url=”6450″ alignment=”center” animation=”Fade In” border_radius=”none” box_shadow=”small_depth” max_width=”100%”][divider line_type=”Full Width Line” line_thickness=”1″ divider_color=”default” custom_height=”10″][image_with_animation image_url=”6449″ alignment=”center” animation=”Fade In” border_radius=”none” box_shadow=”small_depth” max_width=”100%”][divider line_type=”Full Width Line” line_thickness=”1″ divider_color=”default” custom_height=”10″][image_with_animation image_url=”6448″ alignment=”center” animation=”Fade In” border_radius=”none” box_shadow=”small_depth” max_width=”100%”][divider line_type=”Full Width Line” line_thickness=”1″ divider_color=”default” custom_height=”10″][image_with_animation image_url=”6447″ alignment=”center” animation=”Fade In” border_radius=”none” box_shadow=”small_depth” max_width=”100%”][divider line_type=”Full Width Line” line_thickness=”1″ divider_color=”default” custom_height=”10″][image_with_animation image_url=”6525″ alignment=”center” animation=”Fade In” border_radius=”none” box_shadow=”small_depth” max_width=”100%”][/vc_column][/vc_row]