Ranger Magic
Ranger Magic
Introduced at Matcon 38 in 2019, Ranger Magic is our third iteration of a Magic the Gathering tournament. The new format is still a no-prep, draft-style event but has several advantages: everybody plays at the same time (three-on-three teams), there are no two-on-one beatings (each opponent can be attacked only once per turn), and games are quicker (about 30 minutes each). As a timed event, Ranger Magic now runs in a single evening.
Deck Construction
We start by holding a six-player draft. Each player gets 3 booster packs. At the end of the draft, everyone has 45 cards. From these, players make a 40 card deck. As always, I will provide the booster packs and plenty of basic lands.
Playing the Game
With 10 possible matches, each game begins by drawing a random chit from the bag to determine teams. Each player on a team plays at the same time (i.e., untap together, draw together, etc.). Combat is done as three 1-on-1 battles. The attacking team chooses the match-ups for the turn (i.e., Bill attacks Bob, Jeff attacks Alan, and Tim attacks Neil). Then, combat is resolved simultaneously. Teams have a pool of 50 life points each.
Each win is one point. Teams are shuffled after each game by drawing a new chit. The game plays until midnight with a goal of 5 games played in the evening. The player(s) with the highest point totals get a prize (see below).
| Past MTG Winners | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Event | Chris | Jeff | Tim | Alan | Bill | Bob | Neil |
| Matcon 39 | 1 | DNP | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| Matcon 38 | DNP | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Matcon 37 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 1 | DNP |
| Matcon 36 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 4 | DNP |
| Matcon 35 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 2 | DNP |
| Matcon 34 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 2 | DNP |
| Matcon 33 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | DNP |
| Matcon 32 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | DNP |
| Matcon 31 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 2 | DNP |
The Prize
This game is worth 100,000 experience points in the Realm. Each winning game is worth one point, and the experience pool is divided up accordingly. If you lose all your games, no experience for you!
If you are the player with the highest point total, you are allowed to choose one spell from your Magic deck to use in the D&D adventure. For example, Vince wins and chooses a Shivan Dragon (a card from his deck) as his spell to cast. During the D&D adventure, Vince may summon his dragon and, if he wants, use his magic points to pump up it's breath weapon. The DM will decide exactly how to implement spells in the D&D game and reserves the right to disallow any spell which is out of balance or out of the spirit of the game. In this case, Vince's Shivan Dragon takes out a horde of treasure-toting orcs gaining him enough experience to learn how to track indoors.
| Past Matcon Results | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Event | Winning Players | Card | Card |
| Matcon 39 | Tim Neil Bill |
Memory Theft Trapped In The Tower Outmuscle |
|
| Matcon 38 | Neil and Tim | Broken Bond (N) | Yawgmoth's Vile Offering (T) |
| Matcon 37 | Jeff and Tim | Keldon Overseer (T) | Mirari Conjecture (J) |
| Matcon 36 | Jeff and Bob | Trygon Predator (J) | Giant Tortoise (B) |
| Matcon 35 | Jeff and Alan | Vessel of Malignity (J) | Eerie Interlude (A) |
| Matcon 34 | Bill and Chris | Archfiend of Depravity (B) | |
| Matcon 33 | Jeff and Bob | Flesh to Dust (B) | First Response (J) |
| Matcon 32 | Jeff and Bob | Hysterical Blindness (B) | Back From The Brink (J) |
| Matcon 31 | Bill and Chris | Bitterheart Witch (B) | |
| Matcon 30 | Jeff and Bob | Avenger of Zendikar (B) | Everflowing Chalice(J) |
| Matcon 29 | Bill and Chris | Chain Reaction (B) | |
| Matcon 28 | Bill and Chris | Protomatter Powder (B) | |
| Matcon 27 | Bill and Chris (rock) Bob and Jeff (scissors) Alan and Tim (paper) |
||
| Matcon 26 | Bill and Chris | Havenwood Wurm (B) | |
| Matcon 25 | DNP | ||
| Matcon 24 | Jeff and Neil | Veil of Secrecy (J) | Ronin Cliffrider (N) |
