(Survival of the Fittest | Pete Venters)

A voice comes over an intercom: "Now boarding Group One." It's time to check your bag one last time before you board your plane. You see a fresh box of sleeves, a brand new deck box, and all 25 of your freshly-made Commander decks.

Have you ever played any of them? No, but that is what a Magic Con is for, right?

Plus, you must have all of these decks when taking a break between your seven events booked between Friday and Saturday. And how could you forget your front bag pocket with all of your triple sleeve and slabbed cards that you need to get signed by 15 artists there? All this leaves plenty of room for you to come home with that oversized card from the prize wall.

This might sound like a great idea, but I promise it will only make your weekend a Dismal FailureDismal Failure. I have been to a few Magic Cons and thought I would share some things I have learned to help you best "survive" a Magic Con.

My name is Nick, and you do not have to listen to all my tips and tricks, but hopefully, one of them will lead you on the road to Success!Success!

Hatching Plans

The best advice I can give anyone outside of having fun is to put a plan together for your trip. You do not need to have a full detailed itinerary planning out every minute of your day down to what time you will draw a card, but in my opinion, you should come in with at least a basic outline of how you would like your day(s) to go, otherwise you'll get overwhelmed and overplan. You may have to rely on a Backup PlanBackup Plan or a Change of PlansChange of Plans and maybe even a Contingency PlanContingency Plan by the time you get to the convention.

One of the best things I took advantage of for this year's Magic Con Chicago was to have an idea of what I wanted out of each day I was there.

I was confident in my plans, and even then, I still learned by the end that my Game PlanGame Plan was not foolproof. For an event like this, things must be done in advance, so even the most well-thought-out Long-Term PlansLong-Term Plans will not always result in success.

Playable

Magic Cons offers many options for many different types of people. Most people go to Magic Cons to do one thing above all else: sit down and play Magic: The Gathering. Heck yeah.

It doesn't matter if you're in the tank and sweating it out to try and win a last-chance qualifier or the Secret Lair Showdown. Maybe you're doing a full box Sealed or Two-Headed Giant with your best mate after a long travel day. Most people are there to sling spells, play a turn-one Sol RingSol Ring, or expertly read all the signals in the triple Homelands draft running Sunday morning.

Good times at the Commander table

This year, I knew that there were three particular things I wanted to play: Commander, Canadian Highlander, and Gavin's Mystery Event. I prioritized time each day to do these things and packed accordingly.

This leads me to my downer point for this topic: you cannot play everything you want. That might be decks, events, or even with specific individuals.

I won't tell you not to bring all 25 of your commander decks, but do yourself a favor and don't bring all 25 of your commander decks. You have a finite amount of time at these, so I urge people to take advantage and make their best personal impression of the card Time StretchTime Stretch.

Paint Me Like One Of Your French Cards

At this year's Magic Con Chicago, I hit what I will consider the artistic jackpot. I had a small list of cards I wanted to get signed, and if you have ever been to one of these, you know that sometimes that is daunting.

While I missed out on the incredible Tyler Jacobson, I got all the other cards and more signed by various artists and MTG personalities. I commend you if this is why you go to Magic Cons, and honestly, you might be the strongest among us at these events, outside of the cosplayers.

Many people in the art sphere of the game have great tips and tricks and even complete Scryfall lists of all the artists going so that you do not have to dig through your deck boxes while standing in line looking for cards to get signed.

Just know the Artist's TalentArtist's Talent does not come cheap when considering the time it can take for some lines. If you are like me this year, even your Well-Laid PlansWell-Laid Plans can be hit by the ticking clock of another commitment.

It's a Mystery

I have told you a thing or two I would suggest not doing. I have also mentioned the downside to some of those choices, but there is one thing above all of these events that I have and will not recommend to everyone who attends.

That is the Gavin Verhey Mystery Event. For years, Gavin has put on a fantastic event with a cool and unique twist, all while tricking everyone into playing the largest paper brawl event of all time.

This year was no different. Sealed decks built from Mystery Booster 2 and what I have been calling the "Gavin Pack." A pack of unique playtest cards that are everything from super funny to extremely broken to loving tributes to those who make the community great.

I never have as much fun as I do playing at this event, and it's something I will always sign up for. Highly recommended, but try to get your tickets fast as they will sell out, even long before the event.

Mistakes Were Made

Mistakes Were MadeMistakes Were Made. This is the secret of my Magic Con experience this year. I still made some errors in the tips I tried to follow and thought I had done everything correctly. The first mistake was packing my schedule too tightly from Saturday to Sunday.

I did not realize how a late night and lousy sleep on Saturday would lead to one of the most miserable experiences I have had while participating in a Commander Sealed event on Sunday.

It made me reconsider many life decisions during an event I was genuinely pumped to join in. I also made the classic blunder of waiting till the last day to try and use my little tickets at the prize wall and walked away empty-handed.

Secondly, I did not play as much Commander with friends or randoms as I wanted. I should've used my Sunday for this instead of deckbuilding and waiting for seat pairings to be announced.

Lastly, I did not get to enough panels. This was a new mistake, but it might be my second recommendation for people going. The live EDHRECast was a blast, and while I did not win my challenge against the stats, it was a great time.

The first Live EDHRECast challenged the hosts' knowledge of the stats! Photo credit: Nick Wolf

Try to play as much as you can and want and get to all the artists, meetings, and greets, but don't make my mistake of missing out on the great panels people put on in the IRL meet space rather than online.

Exceeding Expectations

I won't bore anyone with "normal" travel suggestions. Everyone is already prepared with their food plans, and people often know where they will be for the always fun "Lobby Cons" in the various hotel lobby and bar areas after the convention hall closes for the night. And while this might be a fun little article about "surviving" Magic Cons, this year did not run super smooth for me by comparison.

Luckily, this led me to some Unexpected ResultsUnexpected Results as Magic Con Chicago was full of... Unexpected PotentialUnexpected Potential. I got to chill with friends, new and old; play games with creators like Rachel Weeks and notable artists like Jesper Ejsing and Evyn Fong. 

In my mind, the most important thing about going to one of these events is maximizing the defining statement of a Magic Con: It's not about the Magic; it's about The Gathering.

I hope to gather with you at a Magic Con soon, and if you can make one, I suggest you try your best to make it out. If you want to tell me how your Magic Con went or show me what cards you got signed, you can find me here or elsewhere on the internet as nicnax96.

Check out all the other great articles here, and as a treat, if you happen to be in the venn diagram of sports fans and Magic: The Gathering fans, stay tuned in during the start of March Madness...