A Years End Review

As 2023 ends, I cannot help but feel grateful for the Old School 93/94 Magic community. I joined Old School at the beginning of 2020, and since then, I have made friendships I think I will have to the end. This year, I visited a handful of community-organized events, and I want to give out some made-up awards that are 100% subjective based on my experiences and mine alone. Wear these awards like a badge of honor and know a fictitious award such as this is better than any award the Academy could give.

First up, the club patch I represent, The Sin City’s Fallen Angels event, “The Sin City Open 2023!” This year, we hosted our event at a new location, “Joe’s Place.” While not the most exciting location in terms of atmosphere or name, it makes up for it in the food and beverage department. The location was cozy for 54 players, our support team (Damyan Brunson and my wife Kelly), Anson and Brinda Maddocks, and our two tableside servers for drinks. Nothing says “Vegas.” like cocktail waitresses bringing you a Jack and Coke mid-card game. Brian Vegso changed up the typical “Spice Award.” With the Old School Car(d) show. Instead of spice decks being judged by a single person (like I am doing now to your events), the awards were determined by the attendees by placing a Spicey pepper in a red solo cup next to the decks that were displayed in a car show manner. Since then, a few clubs have adopted this method, and because of that, the Sin City Open 2023 received the “Spice Innovator award.”!

This next event was the one that started it all for this website, The SoCal Deep Spawner’s “THE RISK 2023”! For the last couple of years, this event has been held at Margarita Ville in Palm Springs, California. Chris and Denni Peppin do an outstanding job at making this a family-orientated event and making your spouses feel welcomed and not just a “plus one.” The event space used for the Risk is bigger than some SCG events I have attended in Vegas. We had a private bartender all day who did an excellent job with those heavy-handed pours, and the food catered was on par with a good wedding. Drew Tucker was the artist at this event, and while I met many artists at the Old School event, this was the first event that the artist went out and partied with us all night. There were multiple family meals where everyone got together and got to know each other’s better half and enjoy the intimate setting. Because of this event’s inclusion for your family, The Risk 2023 is awarded the “Family Banding Award.”

The Horde’s “Battle of the Roses.” in Portland Organ was one of my favorite events this year, and I will most likely not be able to attend in 2024, unfortunately, as it is my birthday weekend. I found myself in a constant state of awe while walking the halls at Kennedy School. The rooms for Friday and Saturday were the opposite of The Risk as it was an extremely tight squeeze, but it was acceptable, as the building was built in 1915 and just added ambiance. Out of the rooms was a different story. Each room was completely immersive, with plenty of room to mingle. Jesper Myrfors was in attendance and was an absolute joy to work with. He was very open to signing and altering cards at this event. The number of altered cards available to take home at this event was also insane. I thoroughly enjoyed this trip at the venue and just being a tourist in Portland altogether. The Horde’s “Battle of the Roses.” Is awarded “Best 2023 Venue.”

The Emerald City Troll’s one-time weekend special-themed event, “RAGNAROK!” was one for the books as far as creativity goes. The Friday night Twilight of the Gods special event was held at Rooftop Brewing on the lower floor, which was half private event space with a complete tap room and half supply room. It was interesting but worked well for the event. During Twilight of the Gods, you summoned the powerful god avatars by paying tribute through sacrifice. All the gods altered the battlefield differently, making for an intriguing play. The main event was held during the summer solstice at the Seattle Swedish Club, and we were accompanied by multiple artists such as Jesper Myrfors, Julie Baroh, Mark Tedin, Daniel Gelon, Margaret Organ-Kean, Nicola Beeson (Leonard), Anthony S. Waters, and Heather Hudson. The Emerald City Trolls received the “2023 Artist Alley Award.” for the best artist set up at an Old School event.

Desert Twisters could finally host the Showdown after it had to be postponed to 2020 due to COVID-19. The Showdown was held at the Mammoth Steakhouse in the Goldfield Ghost Town outside Mesa, AZ. It was a blistering 100-plus degrees outside, and the venue had no working air-conditioning besides ceiling fans. On most MTG occasions, this would be a no-go, but due to the event’s theme, it felt necessary and authentic. Like Ragnarök, the event leaned heavily on its theme, and like Ragnarök, it was done very well (the comparison comes into play soon). Each round, you earned bullet counters for resolving orb flips on selected cards with a weekend erratum. You could also compete for a one-time cash-in bounty each round as well. Old School events aren’t easy to plan; I know as I assist with our club planning, but a themed event is entirely different. Due to the deep dive into this theme from location, outfits, unique cards, fake money, and even a genuine, almost bar fight, I award the Desert Twisters the “2023 Braingyser award.” for the most creative event. ECT, you guys were a close runner-up!

Shining the spotlight on one of the newest clubs in the North American Old School scene is the Rockey Mountain Yeti. Jared Miller impressed the hell out of me with this year’s “Yeticon.” Held at the Green Mountain Brewery in Denver, Colorado, Yeticon had something to offer from start to finish. From a snack table when you first walked in, catered BBQ halfway through, to late-night pizza. The swag was also primo! Seasonal playmats, drink tickets, mini yeti, yeti pin, 93/94 Pogs, stickers, weekend cards, and a cool playmat ring. Margaret Organ-Kean was also the artist in attendance with various Artist Proofs from Magic and Sorcery. The Yeticon raffle table also didn’t lack in support. Even though I didn’t win anything (because donating to the cause is important), I couldn’t stop eyeing all the potential loot I could win. Because of the $75 entree fee and all that was included, the Rockey Mountain Yetis take home the “Biggest Bang for Your Buck award.” I’m proud to call you my Chalice roommate, Jared!

Deep in the Redwood Forest, bound by trees, is a weekend that some would say reconnects you with yourself from the first time you opened a Magic: The Gathering booster pack. Yes, I’m talking about Chalice. The sheer magnitude of this event takes a planning committee several months to create, and it shows from the second you get to the event ground. From Jeff Liu’s entire weekend drafting experience, Urza’s Ante, painting classes with the weekend’s selected artist (Ken Meyer for 2023), Mono Green in the Woods, The Dark Ritual, Tap’s retro gaming and VHS experience, Jeremy Justin and Jomar throwing down on the flattop for Midnight Snack, to nightly wine and whiskey tastings Chalice has it all for a 93/94 weekend getaway. Because of what Chalice offers, it’s easy to see why I gave it the award of “Best Event of 2023.“

Each event was tremendous and stood on their own in their way, and I’m grateful, like I said, for the people in this community and the TOs who put in the time and effort into making these events happen yearly. I look forward to the events in 2024, but more importantly, the people I’ll spend it with. I hope everyone had a great year in 2023.

ROLL PHOTOS!