[WotC] Ice Age to Premiere in Sealed Deck Tournament
lia...@wizards.com
AN ARCTIC BLAST! IN JUNE
NEW CARD SET TO BE A HOT NUMBER AT CANADIAN COMPETITION
Renton, Wash. (April 25, 1995) -- Alongside Canada's inaugural
National Magic: The Gathering(tm) tournament in Toronto this June, the
world premier of cards from the next Magic expansion, Ice Age(tm), will
sizzle.
Wizards of the Coast, Inc., the publisher of the trading card phenomenon
Magic, is holding its first-ever Ice Age sealed-deck tournament at the
Canadian Comic and Card Spectacular, June 3-4. Ice Age is unique in being
both a standard Magic expansion set and stand-alone game.
The tournament, which is not connected to the Canadian National Magic
event, is expected to draw more than 1,000 curious competitors, even
though it isn't sanctioned by Wizards of the Coast's Duelists'
Convocation. "Since Ice Age won't officially be released until shortly
after the tournament, this will be the first time players will have seen
cards from the expansion," says Skaff Elias, Magic Brand Manager. As a
result, security around the cards will be tight. Wizards of the Coast
will use Royal Canadian Mounted Police to guard and dispense the cards at
the tournament.
There are a number of reasons Wizards of the Coast is holding the first
Ice Age tournament at the Canadian Nationals. One is the event coincides
perfectly with the expansion's release date. "This is also a way of
showing the world that Magic is indeed an international phenomenon," says
Elias. Organizers expect participants will particularly enjoy the
challenge of playing with cards they've never seen. "In this tournament,
skill will outweigh experience and card collection size," says Elias.
Because Ice Age is a stand-alone game, it will be sold in both starter
decks and booster packs. To participate in the Ice Age tournament,
players must buy one Ice Age deck and two boosters. Participants will
compete for four prizes: a diamond-studded Ice Age medallion worth $1,000,
another worth $750, and two worth $500. Wizards of the Coast is planning
several similar future competitions.
The Ice Age tournament will run at the same site as the Canadian National
Magic tournament. The National event is expected to draw more than 1,000
players from Canada. The top players of the National tournament will
advance to play at the World Title competition. A site for the world
event hasn't been announced.
####
Charles Keith-Stanley
Cyberspace Liaison
Wizards of the Coast, Inc.
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