Magic: The Gathering is a game that is difficult to understand from the outside. Not only because it is a complex game, with infinite rules and whose subtleties are so deep that nobody really knows all the possible interactions of the game, but because of the sense of community that exists within it. Magic: The Gathering is definitely the Magic, the cards, and the game, but it’s also the Gathering. Getting together with other people to play, share moments and do something bigger than sharing a common hobby.
When Wizards of the Coast is most successful is when it remembers that Magic is indissoluble from Gathering. That without one there is no other and that their success is intimately related. Something that has been demonstrated after the MagicCon Barcelona was held from August 28 to 30.
MagicCon is an event organized by Wizards of the Coast on a quarterly basis, coinciding with the Protour, the second most important competitive Magic event of the year, the first being the World Cup. MagicCon Barcelona is the first time this event is held outside the US, taking place, as its name suggests, in Barcelona, specifically at the Fira de Gran Via. A first class convention that hosts commercial, artist, competitive and casual gaming booths, as well as a main area where game developers and other game-related personalities give talks related to the game. All this for three days full of experiences for all kinds of players.
We were there and the word to define the atmosphere can only be one: magic. There was magic in the atmosphere. There was excitement, interest and love for the game. The cosplays were extremely elaborate, the exhibits were amazing, you could see cards for sale that you had only seen in digital and people that live in your computer materialized in front of your eyes and even greeted you back, proving to be as charming as they look.
Of course, among all this, Lord of the Rings was the most present. It is the latest collection so far, and the most popular there has probably ever been, and they knew how to exploit it with a decoration to match. Plus a Saturday night party that, although it ended earlier than we’d like and was a little further away than was convenient for us, had us shaking our asses with Elijah Wood’s eclectic musical selection as DJ.
The amazing thing is that even spending three days there, we always had something to do. A casual or competitive game. Something to buy. A chat to watch. We attended a preview of what’s to come in Magic in all things Magic in 2023 and then had some of our favorite cards signed by some of our favorite artists before heading to an official tournament. All in the span of two hours, almost unplanned.
And, furthermore, the air of celebration materialized in the ultimate celebratory act: gifts! Sometimes people from Wizards would come up and give you an envelope. Or a letter. Or they’d open your backpack and discreetly leave a Secret Lair, a very limited and exclusive card, tucked away in there without you knowing. Why? Because it felt special, I guess. Some people only got one or two gifts. Others a dozen. Luck played a part. But pretty much anyone who spent at least a full day at MagicCon can confirm that Wizards went out of their way to reinforce that celebratory image. That there was always a reason to smile and be surprised.
That’s not to say there weren’t some snags. The prices for sanctioned events were a bit expensive. It is true that you could sit and play commander in a huge area set up for it without paying anything, but for anything else you had to find your own way. Adding to that the fact that they completely forgot about standard by not dedicating a single official event to it, a format they say they want to give importance to again, is a part that could have been done a little better.
The same could be said of the Protour. Even though it was being played in the same building, it was practically impossible to follow it from inside the building. The fair was one place and the competitors were in a completely different place. There were no screens to follow it and only the final was broadcasted on the main screen. To have been able to follow it on screens scattered throughout the venue and to have made it an integral part of the whole event would have given the importance it deserves to one of the biggest competitive events in the game.
Even so, the MagicCon Barcelona experience was absolutely magical. It lasted three days, but we would have liked it to last at least another day. We made friends, we devirtualized people, we played, we got signatures, we spent money and in general, we did two things: Magic and Gathering. Exactly what this game is all about. So if MagicCon comes back to Europe, and especially if it comes back to Spain, we would definitely come back. Because this is the real Magic: The Gathering experience. This is why we love this game so much.
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