Hey guys, so herewith the topic for this week’s blog submissions -

Avacyn Restored

That’s right, the latest set in Magic and the third and final installment of the Innistrad block.

From a competitive point of view, what has been the impact of this release? Or perhaps you are purely a fan of the angel creature type, and this new set has been a dream come true for you… or maybe, you want to advocate the plight of the dark hordes in their eternal struggle with the forces of good and this new saga has been yet another blow in this ancient and titanic battle…

Whichever way you view it, let us know about your take on things. The topic is yours to explore from any angle you should choose.

We look forward to reading your submissions, and come Monday, so too will the rest of South Africa.

Good luck everyone!

We would like players in the community to submit articles about a range of topics related to your thoughts on, and experiences in Magic: The Gathering.
Once a week Treveshan and Stefan will pick two winning submissions to be posted right here on the blog – winning submissions will be rewarded for their efforts with foil/full art promo cards!

We want to showcase player knowledge revolving around the game, and as such would like to have two types of articles – one about first-hand player experiences and the other about current trends and hot topics on the competitive scene.

The articles have to be between 500-1000 words and the topic themes will be posted every Thursday, here on the blog. Submissions have to be sent to either treveshan@blowfishentertainment.co.za or stefan@blowfishentertainment.co.za by the following Sunday evening. The winning entries will be uploaded every Monday.

The specific arrangements for the delivery of the reward cards will follow in due time.

Good luck everyone, you might just become famous!

Dominique Baxewanos has written a great article for the lifestyle section of JHB Live about Magic: the Gathering in Joburg (2 awesome stores in particular; Outer Limits Melville and The Underground).

Check out the article here! Be sure to Facebook “like” it at the bottom!

I have some great news, there is an amazing new Magic: the Gathering venue in Johannesburg!

Animeworx in Brightwater Commons has taken on organised play and will be kicking off their inaugural tournament this coming Sunday.

To celebrate this, Animeworx (aka AWX) will be having a raffle for two R200 vouchers that can be used in store! On top of that, the tournament will be free of charge and will be Modern format so that any players who already play Standard or only have cards from 8th Edition upwards can take part!

Event Details:
Venue: Brightwater Commons AnimeWorx
Time: 10 am
Format: Modern
Entrance: Free
Prizes: 2 Raffle Prizes: R200 AWX Vouchers

Please contact Tournament Organiser, Suashini (Suash for short) Naicker if you require more information.

E-mail: suashini.n@gmail.com

Please support this new venue and their efforts to promote Magic: the Gathering in South Africa.

Click here for the Facebook event page.

What do you think of our new Innistrad block inspired skin?

If it isn’t showing up on your browser, try hitting F5 or clearing your browser’s cache.

Next up…

World Magic Cup Qualifier: Cape Town!

The guys at The Battle Bunker are gearing up for an awesome event down in Cape Town. The 2nd World Magic Cup Qualifier is taking place on May 27th, and is your second last chance to earn your spot on the South African World Magic Cup team.

Even if you haven’t qualified for the WMCQ (you can check the qualification list here), there are plenty of side events and the Avacyn Restored Game Day to take part in!

Have a look at the Facebook event page for more details!

Pro Tour Avacyn Restored has kicked off today in Barcelona, Spain!

This Pro Tour sees the best of the best going up against each other in Block Constructed (Innistrad – Avacyn Restored) and Draft.

As the winner of the Pro Tour Qualifier, Morne Lombaard flew up and is representing South Africa at the Pro Tour.

Unfortunately, Block Constructed is a format that isn’t played very often in South Africa, so we can only hope Morne managed to get some deck-testing in before the Pro Tour.

We wish Morne the best of luck!

If you would like to see live webcasts of the Pro Tour, click here!

I have some exciting news – Duels of the Planeswalkers will be returning this year!

The release date is June 19th, and the game will be available for download on X-Box Live Arcade, Playstation Network, Steam (PC) and for the first time, the iPad!

I know the events calendar has not been fully updated. We have been experiencing some technical problems, but all has been sorted out now. The event dates will be up from tomorrow.

The release of Avacyn Restored has been great! Lots of fun (and useful) cards, lots of great combos emerging, and now some awesome Wizards of the Coast pre-cons!

The Avacyn Restored Event Decks won’t be on sale until the 25th of May, but Wizards of the Coast have decided to give us the deck lists!

I personally can’t wait to get my hands on the “Humanity’s Revenge” one!

Wow, what a great weekend of Magic!

I had a blast at the pre-releases, and I hope you all did too! Opening the Helvault was fun, and opening Avacyn Restored boosters was even more fun!

Here are the total attendance numbers from the weekend:

Western Cape: 147

Eastern Cape: 32

Kwa-Zulu Natal: 84

Gauteng: 316

Look and Listen at Fourways Crossing will be hosting their first ever Magic: The Gathering Tournament on the 5th of May 2012.

Entry is FREE and there will be prizes for everyone.

You can pre-book your spot as there is limited space available. Drop me a mail at stefan@blowfishentertainment.co.za to avoid disappointment.

Registration opens at 10:00 am and play kicks off at 11:00 am and the format is Standard.