Eternal Weekend for the first timer

Grendal76

So i've never gone to Eternal Weekend, in fact quite honestly the last real tournament I played in was Origins 03' in which I did quite well, haven't had much of a real tournament since, since parting with a vast majority of my collection.

So here is my question(s)...

1.) As it pertains to the tournament, how many rounds can one expect it will be, I saw some readings of past tournaments being close to 10 rounds, is that likely to be the case this time as well?

2.) I know it starts in the AM, but when if you were to play all the rounds would it likely end, is it safe to assume that this would/could possibly go late into the evening?

3.) Aside from "Old School" which unfortunately I am not setup to play, what type side events are there for vintage play, and what's the chance of just a casual pickup game of vintage?

4.) Last but not least... any tips for a first timer to Eternal Weekend?

Grendal

DanL15243

Re. 1), plan to be there all day and at least 9/10 rounds if you want to play the whole thing. This also depends on, for example, what record you'd have to make you consider dropping. I plan on staying in regardless of how poorly I'm doing, as I'm a fairly novice vintage player and am just happy for the opportunity to use my cards.

Re: 3.), all of the side events are now posted at http://www.cardtitan.com/eternal_weekend

JonHammack

It depends on attendance. I would expect 8 or 9 rounds, but guidelines are as follows:
65 - 128 players - 7 rounds
129 - 226 - 8 rounds
227 - 409 - 9 rounds
410+ 10 rounds
A conservative estimate is 1.5 hrs per round including turnover time, so @ 8-9 rounds rounds, you are looking @ 12-13.5 hrs. Player meeting is @ 9a, but first round might not actually start unitl 10a, so a 10-11p finish time is possible.
They have a ton of side events that you can find on www.cardtitan.com/eternal_weekend, but for vintage specifically:
Thursday
1p: Vintage Champs Trial, 5 rds single elim, $30 entry
4p: Vintage Champs Trial, 5 rds single elim, $30 entry
Friday
9a: main event
2p: Vintage Rebound, 4 swiss rds, $40 entry ($20 if you played in main event)
6p: Vintage Bounty, 4 swiss rds, $30 entry
Saturday
10a: Vintage Challenge, 4 swiss rds, $30 entry
4p: Vintage Bounty, 4 swiss rds, $30 entry
Sunday
9a: Vintage Top 8
10a: Vintage $5k, Swiss based on attendance w/ cut to top 8, $50 entry
3p: Vintage Challenge, 4 swiss rds, $30 entry

Grendal76

@jonhammack Are the rounds the traditional 50 minute rounds or are they longer at EW?

Grendal76

@jonhammack And is there a break in there somewhere for lunch?

JonHammack

@grendal76 50 min rounds and no planned lunch break

Prospero

It's the best event of the year. You're going to be in a room with hundreds of people who all love the format, who have flown from all across the globe to play. Compete, play to the best of your ability, but enjoy the moment.

rikter

@grendal76

8 or 9 rounds for Vintage main event
If you play all the rounds out I would expect to finish between 8 and 930pm.
For a first timer, I would recommend talking with and meeting as many new people as possible!

@Prospero @iamfishman This is the best event of the year after NYSE and TMD open

Prospero

@rikter Thank you, sir.

nedleeds

I would advise that you understand the most played cards in the format and be prepared to play against some competitive players. I would wager that this is the most competitive sanctioned Vintage event of the year. This means if you forget your Dark Confidant trigger I'd expect that a good chunk of the field will not allow you to put it back on the stack. So understand competitive REL as best you can if you aren't familiar with it or if you are a MTGO only player. Communicate super clearly and that should favor you win or lose. I point this out because while Vintage is superficially portrayed as a friendly community, players want to top 8 this event.

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thecravenone

@grendal76 said in Eternal Weekend for the first timer:

4.) Last but not least... any tips for a first timer to Eternal Weekend?

For big tournaments in general:

If you have the option of sitting vs standing, sit. Lots of people stand around talking between rounds and then complain about sore feet later in the day.
There's no lunch break and food options in and around venues tend to be iffy at best. Bring something real to eat. IE, bring granola or a sandwich, not doritos and candy bars
Similarly, bring a water bottle.
Bring a thin top layer (American Apparel hoodies are great) because the venue will probably be cold as fuck when you get in. Don't bring something heavy because then you'll have to lug it around
If you have any questions at all, call a judge
Up to you but I prefer to carry as little as possible. For example, my bag at Vintage champs will likely be 75 cards, some dice, paper, pens, water, and snack. I used to carry a camera, trade materials, other decks but, at least during the big tournament, I stick to only the things I absolutely need.

Will

@thecravenone said in Eternal Weekend for the first timer:

If you have the option of sitting vs standing, sit. Lots of people stand around talking between rounds and then complain about sore feet later in the day.

I may be in the minority, but I found the opposite to be true assuming I’m not carrying around a 20 pound bag on my back. Standing and more importantly walking around keeps the blood flowing and lets me stay loose. To each their own though, but I’ve never experienced sore feet at a tournament from standing but I have had a sore back and a tension headache from sitting hunched over and carrying a heavy backpack around.