One of the best Vintage events of the year returns!
What:
N.Y.S.E. Open V
15 playtest card, non-sanctioned Vintage tournament.
The top eight will be drafting eight pieces of power nine based on the final standings in the event! This means that you'll have a chance to draft the following cards if you make the top eight:
1st-8th:
Unlimited Black Lotus
Unlimited Ancestral Recall
Unlimited Time Walk
Unlimited Mox Sapphire
Unlimited Mox Jet
Unlimited Mox Ruby
Unlimited Mox Emerald
Unlimited Mox Pearl
But since this is the N.Y.S.E. Open, the prize support doesn't just end there!
9th-12th:
Mishra's Workshop
13th-16th:
Revised Underground Sea
Revised Volcanic Island
Revised Tropical Island
Revised Tundra
The price on power and other assorted Vintage staples continues to go up, year after year, but maintaining the prize support of the N.Y.S.E. Open is something that I believe to be critical, and I am happy to offer that support again in 2017!
When:
Saturday, June 24th, 2017
9:00 am player check-in
10:00 am start
Where:
The Four Points Sheraton
333 South Service Rd
Plainview, N.Y.
11803
(516) 694-6500
Pre-Registration and Late Registration:
There is a quiet tension between the many parts of a tournament; the prize support, the venue, the judge staff, the security staff, the giveaways and all the other hidden costs that most players aren't going to see (hello high-speed internet, photocopies, pens, table numbers, etc., etc., etc.).
Last year, in order to maintain the prize support, I sacrificed with the venue, hoping that we wouldn't pay for it too dearly. We did, and that's my fault. I'm not going to make that sacrifice this year; for those of you who were there for N.Y.S.E. III, I am going back to that venue. I want all the players to be comfortable at the venue, and that will be assured there, as A/C won't be an issue, there is a restaurant/bar upstairs, and there are many affordable hotels within a short drive.
In order to keep the prize support, improve from lats year's venue, keep the judge and security staff, keep giveaways and all the others things that people have come to expect, the entry fee has to go up. This year, pre-registration is $125. I'm not happy about this, but it's necessary in order to make the math work on everything.
Additionally, and this is important, registration will be capping at 152 players. This is a hard cap. We had 157 players last year, and the attendance at the N.Y.S.E. Open has gone up every year; there will be players who want to play, and who are unable to play.
In order to afford a venue in which I wouldn't have to cap attendance at 152, major sacrifices would have had to be made with either the prize support, or a major hike would have been required with the entry fee. I did not want to raise the entry fee as it is, so raising it enough to compensate for what some of the other (significantly more expensive) venues would have run, a considerable hike would have been necessary. This was unacceptable. In addition, as previously mentioned, the prize support (especially the top eight support) is something close to sacrosanct for me. If power and Workshops don't go out, it isn't going to feel like an N.Y.S.E. Open, and I'm not sure that I want to run that other iteration of an event.
The N.Y.S.E. Open has not been run as a for-profit venture. Last year saw me take a hit on the day, and while I'm not happy about that, the event is run to effectively break even.
When we went to major Vintage events, we spent a significant amount of time and money in order to get to the event. We spent for our travel, accommodations, meals and more. We did it because we were afforded the opportunity to spend a weekend with friends, enjoying their company as we competed for a prize that was worth competing for. I promise you that nobody is more upset about the entry fee hike than I am, but I hope that you can all understand that it was done out of necessity, and done in order to maintain the integrity of the event.
If, at the close of pre-registration, there are still spots available, there will be a late-registration available for those remaining spots. Registration for the event, once pre-registration has closed is $150.
All registration is non-refundable, so please ensure that you are able to make the event before you register. If the event hits max capacity, you are no longer able to make it, and there is someone else who is looking to attend, please reach out to me, and we will see what can be done to switch your registration to become their registration.
Once the event maxes out, a wait-list will be put up. It is first come, first serve. If people who have previously registered to the maxed out event are unable to make it, making a spot available, the first person on the wait-list will have the opportunity to effectively buy their registration.
Pre-registration will be up later this week. Pre-registration will close on Monday, May 29th at 12:00:00 (this means that you need to pre-register by Sunday, May 28th at 11:59:59). Regular registration will close on Thursday, June 22nd.
Karn Alters!
In keeping with N.Y.S.E. Open tradition, there will be a pair of altered Karn, Silver Golems given away at the event! Earl Grant De Leon's (Poxy14's) Karn alters have added a wonderful touch to the event, and I look forward to sharing them with you as soon as images are available.
One Karn, Silver Golem will be presented to the winner of N.Y.S.E. Open V, and a second Karn will be given out to the best sportsman of the event!
For some great examples of Earl's work, check these out:
If you're interested in having a commission done by Earl, you can reach him here:
Trophies!
The N.Y.S.E. Open wouldn't be the same without one of the best (alright, the best) trophy in Magic:
Will Andy Markiton and the Canadians defend their title? We'll have to find out!
Team Event:
Magic is a great game, but most of the time it's a solitary one. Team events are some of the most fun events in Magic (unless they're Limited!), and as with tradition, there will be another team event at N.Y.S.E. Open V.
Entry to the team event is free! The winning team wins the team championship trophy!
Points are calculated by adding up the total number of match points that the three members of the team have throughout the event (including the top eight). Let's consider a team that has three players who finish with the following records:
5-2-1
4-3
4-3
That team would earn three points for each match win (13 wins amounting to 39 points from wins). The team receives no points for losses, but does earn another point for its one draw, bringing them to a grand total of 40 points earned.
In order to register for the team event, all you have to do is have the three team members write your team name on the top right corner of your deck registration sheet. P.C. team names are a must, so please don't use anything offensive/dirty.
Qualifiers:
There will be fewer qualifiers available this year, in part because it's difficult to schedule them and make them work for other T/Os (where there are no date conflicts).
Qualifiers for NYSE Open V are currently sold out.
Please see the list below for a list of the scheduled qualifiers.
N.Y.S.E. Open Qualifier Victors:
- Top Deck Games - February 18th
- The Bearded Dragon - February 25th
- Black Magic Gaming - March 4th
- Top Deck Games - TBA
- Black Magic Gaming - TBA
- The Comic Book Depot - May 28th
- The Comic Book Depot - June 11th
Playtest Cards:
Most everyone on these forums knows what a playtest card is. A playtest card, for the N.Y.S.E. Open, will be defined as the following:
A Magic: the Gathering card with the full name, card type (instant, sorcery, land, artifact, creature, enchantment, planeswalker), full mana cost and text clearly displayed on the front of the card. This can be done in one of two ways:
-
Use a Sharpie, not pen or pencil, to fill in the required text on a card where it can clearly be read. (Revised lands are excellent for this, new commons and uncommons aren't usually, as they're darker, and far tougher to read.)
-
Use acetone to remove certain text from a card that's close to the intended playtest card (i.e. Lotus Bloom, with certain words removed to become a Black Lotus, Ancestral Visions with certain words removed to become an Ancestral Recall).
Take pride in your playtest cards! Your opponents should know at all times what they are.
Using 15 Swamps to make your playtest cards is a bad idea, as it's going to create confusion. If you're making Moxen, please use a land from each appropriate color to make a playtest card for each according Mox (i.e., your Mox Sapphire is on an Island, your Mox Jet is on a Swamp, your Mox Pearl is on a Plains, etc.).
Please use your best judgment when creating your playtest cards; we know what will and what won't be easily recognizable.
Your opponents should not ever be at a disadvantage because you don't own the cards. There is nothing wrong with using playtest cards as you slowly pick up the cards that you need to play Vintage, but please consider your opponents while you're making them, as we're out to make this an enjoyable experience for everyone involved. One of my favorite aspects of the Vintage community is that we look out for each other, whether it's constant vigilance to counter potential thievery, or the day to day stuff that mostly goes unnoticed. Let's all do what we can to make this event as special as we can for our fellow aficionados of Magic's greatest format.
Using paper printouts of card faces and gluing them to cards is not acceptable! This alters the thickness of the cards, making the cards marked for all intents and purposes. Please don't do this, as the judges will be instructed to consider these as marked cards, and enforce punishment according to DCI Competitive REL event standards!
If you're worried that your playtest cards may not pass muster, please speak to the head judge of the event before the event starts. Leave enough time to create new ones.
Security:
Site security, as with all N.Y.S.E. Opens, will be present, and will be tight. Wristbands will be issued to all players and staff members, granting them access to the ballrooms in which games are being played, in addition to granting them access to the two dealers on site. Individuals who have come looking to deal with our dealers will have a separate wristband that will grant them access to the dealer-area, but not the play-area.
There are cameras in the rooms, there are cameras in the halls, and theft is going to be taken exceptionally seriously. If you are caught stealing, you will be banned from all future events I run, you will be arrested, you will be prosecuted. This is a very serious matter, and it will be taken seriously at the event. You will not be able to leave the venue with any bag(s) that don't match the wristband(s) that you are wearing, so please plan accordingly.
In four N.Y.S.E. Opens, we have had zero thefts. That streak will be kept alive.
Custom Playmats:
Greg Fenton is the master behind the iconic images that you see for each N.Y.S.E. Open playmat. He has done incredible work for this event in the past, and I look forward to sharing this year's image with you once it's available.
For an idea as to the quality of Greg's work, check out some of Greg's play mats:
Greg will have a limited number of playmats with him the day of the event, priced at $40 each. If you are interested in a playmat, I highly recommend purchasing one from him as soon as you see him that day. Greg will have a station set up at the venue with the mats. Once they're gone, they're gone!
Custom Shirts:
Jason Jaco has been responsible for creating some great t-shirts for the past two N.Y.S.E. Opens! Here are last year's shirts:
There will be an N.Y.S.E. V t-shirt this year. As soon as the image is made available, I will share it.
N.Y.S.E. Dice:
In keeping with tradition, and thanks to the efforts of Will Magrann, there will once again be commemorative dice available at this event!
Last year's dice looked like this:
This year's dice will look nearly identical, with the only difference being the change between Roman numerals.
If you'd like to purchase dice, they are $1 per, and will be available the day of the main event, at a separate table.
While the main event of the N.Y.S.E. Open is the apex of the weekend, the N.Y.S.E. Open is not meant to be a solitary event, but rather a weekend of Magic with friends...
Video Coverage
As with the last two years, there will be video coverage of the event, in large part thanks to Mike Lupo.
A Twitch stream will be set up before round one. Once the link is good, it will be posted here, on Facebook and on Twitter.
Friday Night Vintage:
As with past years, there will be a Friday Night Vintage tournament held at The Comic Book Depot!
What:
$10 entry, 15 playtest card, non-sanctioned Vintage tournament.
Where:
The Comic Book Depot
2847 Jerusalem Avenue
Wantagh, NY 11793-2016
(516) 221-9337
When:
Friday, June 23rd, 2017
6:30 pm registration
7:00 pm (sharp!) start
All entry fees will add a commensurate amount in store credit to the prize pool. At the end of four rounds, credit will be split between the players who finished with 4-0, 3-0-1 and 3-1 records.
This event will be complete before 11:00 pm, giving you an opportunity to jam some Vintage and practice for the event all while you don't sacrifice your night's rest.
Sunday Old School Magic at the Depot!
Finally, there will be an Old School tournament on Sunday to close out the N.Y.S.E. Open weekend!
Where:
The Comic Book Depot
2847 Jerusalem Avenue
Wantagh, NY 11793-2016
(516) 221-9337
When:
Sunday, June 25th
11:30 am registration
12:00 pm (sharp!) start
What:
$20, un-sanctioned Old School tournament.
For information on rules, sets allowed, and any other queries, please check the link below:
http://newyorkoldschoolmtg.com/
Prize structure for twenty people:
1st: $200 credit
2nd: $100 credit
3rd/4th: $50 credit
$20 credit will be added to the prize pool for every entrant beyond the twentieth. Depot has a wide selection of great cards, and will provide any victors with a great chance to pick up some cool stuff to add to their collection.
Miscellaneous:
Card Titan and Black Magic Gaming pay to vend at the N.Y.S.E. Open. We all love this game, but love alone doesn't pay the bills; their support makes the N.Y.S.E. Open possible.
There will be absolutely no buying and selling of cards at the N.Y.S.E. Open unless you are dealing with one of the two authorized vendors. Trading is acceptable, but no cash, PayPal, Venmo, Bitcoins, krugerands, etc., should be trading hands. Dealers deal, and the payoff is that we have places to play. Please help make this a great day for everyone.