NDC Butler Events Oct-Dec

Ongoing Events
    Monday: 5-9pm D&D: If interested please come in to talk to the GM.
    Tuesdays: 5-9pm Magic Commander: We have a regular Tuesday night meet-up for fans of the commander format. Grab your favorite stack of 100, or 5 of them, and come check us out. Casual atmosphere, welcome new faces.
    Wednesday (first, third, fifth): 5-9pm Yu-gi-Oh free Play: Join others to play, trade, talk shop, etc.
    Wednesday (second, fourth): 5-9pm Demolay Gaming group.
    Thursday: 5-9pm Magic Casual Play: Any of the following is welcome: 60 card casual or kitchen table decks; League Play; Playtesting in any format; Impromptu draft/sealed.
    Friday: 5:30-9pm; Friday Night Magic (see below for schedule)
    Saturday: 11-2pm Pokemon League: Free Play. Come to play, talk shop or trade pokemon cards. We also usually have someone able to teach the game or help with deckbuilding.
    2-8pm Boardgame Club: A place to enjoy and share Boardgames. Play in a game demo. Bring one of your own games. Meet others who enjoy board games.
    Sunday: 3-5pm D&D:  If interested please come in to talk to the GM.

October Events

     Halloween Comic Fest
10/26 - Sat

     Throne of Eldrane Events
10/6 -Sun 12:30pm: $16 Launch Draft; Throne of Eldrane
10/26 -Sat 2:30pm: $6 Brawl Weekend; Throne of Eldrane

    Friday Night Magic:
  4 -$20 Launch Draft; Throne of Eldrane
  11 -$14 Minimasters
  18 - $6 Standard
  25 - $12 Modern; 6pm

November Events

     Black Friday
11/29 -Friday: All Day

    Friday Night Magic:
   1 -$6 Commander
   8 -$12 Modern; 6pm
   15 -$14 Draft
   22 -$6 Standard
   29 -$12 Modern; 6pm

December Events

    Friday Night Magic:
   6 -$6 Standard
   13 -$12 Modern, 6pm
   20 -$20 Chaos Draft
   27 -$12 Modern, 6pm

NDC Butler Events July-Sept

Ongoing Events
    Monday: 5-9pm D&D: If interested please come in to talk to the GM.
    Tuesdays: 5-9pm Magic Commander: We have a regular Tuesday night meet-up for fans of the commander format. Grab your favorite stack of 100, or 5 of them, and come check us out. Casual atmosphere, welcome new faces.
    Wednesday (first, third, fifth): 5-9pm Yu-gi-Oh free Play: Join others to play, trade, talk shop, etc.
    Wednesday (second, fourth): 5-9pm Demolay Gaming group.
    Thursday: 5-9pm Magic Casual Play: Any of the following is welcome: 60 card casual or kitchen table decks; League Play; Playtesting in any format; Impromptu draft/sealed.
    Friday: 5:30-9pm; Friday Night Magic (see below for schedule)
    Saturday: 11-2pm Pokemon League: Free Play. Come to play, talk shop or trade pokemon cards. We also usually have someone able to teach the game or help with deckbuilding.
    2-8pm Boardgame Club: A place to enjoy and share Boardgames. Play in a game demo. Bring one of your own games. Meet others who enjoy board games.
    Sunday: 12:30pm Magic Modern: Modern format $6 entry. 3-4 rounds.
    3-5pm D&D:  If interested please come in to talk to the GM.

July Events
    Not at Comicon Day: July 13.

    Magic 2020 Core Prerelease: All events $30 sealed deck. Prizes 1 pack per match point. Fixed to 3 rounds.
    5 -Friday 5pm – Regular sealed deck
    6 -Saturday 2:30pm – Regular sealed deck
    7 -Sunday 12:30pm – Two-Headed Giant Sealed Deck.

    Friday Night Magic:
    5 – $30 Magic 2020 Prerelease (see above)
    12 - $20 Launch Draft
    19 - $14 Mini-masters
    26 - $6 Standard

August Events
    Butler Anniversary Event: Aug 3.

    Friday Night Magic:
    2 - $6 Standard
    9 - $12 Modern
    16 - $14 Draft
    23 - $6 Standard
    30 - $12 Standard

September Events

    Throne of Eldrane Prerelease: All events $30 sealed deck.
    27 -Friday 5pm - Regular sealed deck. 1 pack per match point, fixed to 3 rounds.
    28 -Saturday 2: 30pm - Regular sealed deck. 3-5 rounds based on attendance.
    29 -Sunday 12:30pm - 2 Headed Giant sealed deck. 1 pack per match point, fixed to 3 rounds.

    Friday Night Magic:
    6 - $6 Standard
    13 - $20 Chaos Draft
    20 - $6 Standard
    27 - $12 Modern

WPN events War of the Spark (Apr-June)

WPN April Events
    Magic: The Gathering

Commander: We have a regular Tuesday night meet-up for fans of the commander format. Grab your favorite stack of 100, or 5 of them, and come check us out. Casual atmosphere, welcome new faces.
    Tuesdays 2,9,16,23,30; 5-9pm

Friday Night Magic: Our weekly tournament series for Magic the Gathering. All skill levels welcome. All events run Fridays 5:30-9pm
    5: $6 Standard
     12: $14 Draft
    19: $6 Standard
    26: $12 Modern

Prerelease: War of the Spark. All events $30.
    Saturday 27; 2:30pm. Sealed Deck.
    Sunday 28; 12:15pm. 2-headed giant Sealed Deck.

Magic League: Join the league for $10. Get 3-packs, jam games against other league participants for a month. Get promos and discounts for participating. Prizes may also be available. League games can happen anytime two or more players want to game, but official league days are thursdays.
    Thursday 4,11,18; 5-9pm

WPN May Events
    Magic: The Gathering

Commander: We have a regular Tuesday night meet-up for fans of the commander format. Grab your favorite stack of 100, or 5 of them, and come check us out. Casual atmosphere, welcome new faces.
    Tuesdays 6,13,20,27; 5-9pm

Friday Night Magic: Our weekly tournament series for Magic the Gathering. All skill levels welcome. All events run Fridays 5:30-9pm
     3: $20 Launch draft (4 packs)
     10: $12 minimasters
    17: $6 Standard
    24: Special Limited Event (TBA)
    31: $6 Standard

Magic Open House: War of the Spark. Learn how to play magic. Get a free deck. Promos just for showing up. We'll cover all game basics, including limited deckbuilding. Free Event 5pm.
    Saturday 4; 2-7pm

Draft Weekend: Just in case you can't make it to the set-launch on the 3rd, or need to jam more limited, there is a second draft just for you.
    Sunday 5; 12:15-5pm $14.

Magic League: Join the league for $10. Get 3-packs, jam games against other league participants for a month. Get promos and discounts for participating. Prizes may also be available. League games can happen anytime two or more players want to game, but official league days are thursdays.
    Thursday 9,16,23,30; 5-9pm

Standard Showdown: $6 standard constructed event. Promotional items available to participants. Geared towards experienced players.
    Sundays starting the 12 th; 12:15-5pm

Magic Weekend: Enjoy a magic celebration. War of the Spark event. Promos for all participants.
    Saturday 25; 2:30pm Standard $12.

WPN June Events
    Magic: The Gathering

Commander: We have a regular Tuesday night meet-up for fans of the commander format. Grab your favorite stack of 100, or 5 of them, and come check us out. Casual atmosphere, welcome new faces.
    Tuesdays 3,10,17,24; 5-9pm

Friday Night Magic: Our weekly tournament series for Magic the Gathering. All skill levels welcome. All events run Fridays 5:30-9pm
     7: $6 Standard
     14: Modern Horizons Event
    21: $12 Modern
    28: $6 Standard

Standard Showdown: $6 standard constructed event. Promotional items available to participants. Geared towards experienced players.
    Sundays ending the 9 th; 12:15-5pm

Magic League: Join the league for $10. Get 3-packs, jam games against other league participants for a month. Get promos and discounts for participating. Prizes may also be available. League games can happen anytime two or more players want to game, but official league days are thursdays.
    Thursday 6,13,20,27; 5-9pm

WPN events Ravnica Allegance (Jan-Mar)

WPN January Events
    Magic: The Gathering
Commander: We have a regular Tuesday night meet-up for fans of the commander format. Grab your favorite stack of 100, or 5 of them, and come check us out. Casual atmosphere, welcome new faces.
    Tuesdays 1,8,15,22,29; 5-9pm

Friday Night Magic: Our weekly tournament series for Magic the Gathering. All skill levels welcome. All events run Fridays 5:30-9pm
    4 th: $7 Standard
     11 th: $16 Draft
    18 th: $10 Modern
    25 th: $20 Launch Draft

Magic Open House: Ravnica Alliegence. Learn how to play magic. Get a free deck. Promos just for showing up. We'll cover all game basics, including limited deckbuilding. Free Event 5pm.
    Saturday 12; 2-7pm

Prerelease: Magic Alliegence. All events $30 Sealed deck. Please pre-register to get your guild of choice: Azorius, Rakdos, Gruul, Simic, Orzhov.
    Saturday 19; 2:30pm.
    Sunday 20; 12:15pm. 2-headed giant.

Magic League: Join the league for $10. Get 3-packs of Core 2019, jam games against other league participants for a month. Get promos and discounts for participating. Prizes may also be available. League games can happen anytime two or more players want to game, but official league days are thursdays.
    Thursday 31; 5-9pm

Draft Weekend: Just in case you can't make it to the set-launch on the 25 th, or need to jam more limited, there is a second draft just for you.
    Sunday 27; 12:15-5pm
   

WPN Feburary Events
    Magic: The Gathering
Commander: We have a regular Tuesday night meet-up for fans of the commander format. Grab your favorite stack of 100, or 5 of them, and come check us out. Casual atmosphere, welcome new faces.
    Tuesdays 5,12,19,26; 5-9pm

Standard Showdown: $6 standard constructed event. Promotional items available to participants. Geared towards experienced players.
    Sundays 12:15-5pm

Ravnica Weekend: Enjoy a magic celebration, D&D, and all things Ravnica
    Saturday 16; 2:30pm Standard $12.

Friday Night Magic: Our weekly tournament series for Magic the Gathering. All skill levels welcome. All events run Fridays 5:30-9pm
    1: $10 mini-masters
     8: $6 Standard
    15: $12 Modern
    22: $6 Standard


WPN March Events
    Magic: The Gathering
Commander: We have a regular Tuesday night meet-up for fans of the commander format. Grab your favorite stack of 100, or 5 of them, and come check us out. Casual atmosphere, welcome new faces.
    Tuesdays 5,12,19,26; 5-9pm

Standard Showdown: $6 standard constructed event. Promotional items available to participants. Geared towards experienced players.
    Sundays 12:15-5pm

Friday Night Magic: Our weekly tournament series for Magic the Gathering. All skill levels welcome. All events run Fridays 5:30-9pm
    1: $14 Draft
     8: $6 Standard
    15: $14 Draft
    22: $6 Standard
    29: $12 Modern


WPN April Events
    Magic: The GatheringCommander: We have a regular Tuesday night meet-up for fans of the commander format. Grab your favorite stack of 100, or 5 of them, and come check us out. Casual atmosphere, welcome new faces.
    Tuesdays 2,9,16,23,30; 5-9pm

Friday Night Magic: Our weekly tournament series for Magic the Gathering. All skill levels welcome. All events run Fridays 5:30-9pm
    5: $6 Standard
     12: $14 Draft
    19: $6 Standard
    26: $12 Modern

Now Announcing …

Now Announcing …
    I'd like to talk about how a set of effective announcements can curb or eliminate certain problems. To do this I'm going to review some of my standard announcements, and what goal they accomplish. A set of announcements needs to be brief, clear, and target specific needs of the players, the staff, or the event as a whole. In the interest of full disclosure, I don't have a hard 'script' for my announcements, but I do have an outline, which makes sure I hit the same major points in every event I head-judge.

    “Welcome everyone to 's . I am Dan, and I will be your head Judge today.”       
    I start my announcement with a very basic introduction. Where are we? What kinda magic are we playing today? Who am I who is speaking to you? The risk that someone sat down in the wrong event space is slim, but I have had at least one player slink away during announcements. Some people like to stick a joke (or bad pun) here in the beginning. I personally don't do that, but if your player's expect it, it helps grab attention, elicit a response (a quiet chuckle, or groan), and gives you something to hook your audience. So, good for you if you can be that creative.

    “The first thing I would like you to do is take a look at your deck lists. Please make sure that your NAME is somewhere on your deck list. Also be aware that your main deck should be at least 60 cards, and that your sideboard should be somewhere between 0 and 15 cards.”
    Hopefully the player's have done their due diligence and have correct and legal deck lists to submit. The reality is there's one player somewhere frantically scratching out something to re-write it. Also mentioning 'name on deck list' has probably saved me more than one headache of having to figure out who deck list X belongs to by process of elimination. Also please note that I direct the player's attention to their deck list first, because I often don't collect it until I finish with announcements, which often gives those frantic players a full minute-or-two to correct whatever they need to correct.

    “This event is Competitive REL, so please be slightly more precise. Maintain good communication with your opponent about how and when you wish to act. Please refrain from asking for or giving play advice for any match in progress.”
    These 3 sentences have probably been my best friend over the last few years. A quick reminder to 'be slightly more precise' cuts down a lot on sloppy play and random GRV, at least in the early rounds. Maintaining good communication with your opponent has a similar effect. That last sentence about play advice, pretty sure that one comment is the reason why I haven't had to field an outside – assistance penalty since I started to include it in my announcements. Outside assistance comes with a match-loss penalty, which is a pretty serious deal and likely to ruin somebody's event.

    “If you do encounter a rules question, or any other issue or problem arises, please raise your hand and call JUDGE! I will do my best to resolve the issue. Also please be aware that use of electronic devices that can take notes AND access the internet are restricted during a match (boogie boards are fine).”
    These comments are really just about setting expectations. Hopefully everyone present knows how to call a judge, but I still demonstrate by raising my own hand and trying to project the word 'judge' a bit louder than the rest. Players have yet to get into the groove of being in a magic event, or they may be a bit self-conscious about calling a judge. The announcement about electronic devices is just enforcing tournament policy. Usually I don't have to speak to people about using the wrong device at the wrong time, so I judge it to be mostly effective.

    “To make the most out of today DO NOT offer anything in exchange for a match result. Also please resolve your matches using sanctioned magic, and not some other means like rolling a die, revealing cards from the top of your library, or mud wrestling.”
    I think just about every event I've ever been to has had some announcement that has attempted to help players avoid bribery and improperly determining a winner. This is also something that if it happens, somebody's day is over. I like to tell players what TO do, in addition to mention a few things not to do. Also I like including the bit about revealing cards from the top of the library, since that can be a gray area (did they already concede or not?)

    “There are players in today's event. We are looking at swiss rounds followed by a cut to top <4>.  My tardiness policy for today is minutes game-loss, 10 minutes match-loss.”
    I save these comments for last, because (1) they don't fit with the other categories of information that I've established in the rest of my outline, and (2) They are perhaps the most relevant to the actual progress of the tournament, which we are just about to get to.

    “Are there any questions?”
    I rarely get any questions at the end of my Head-Judge announcements. OK, I rarely get any serious questions, there's one player that likes asking me 'how are you?' at my home store. But I leave this at the end to try to cover anything that a player feels they need to know, but is not in my outline. Like I said, I rarely get questions, but the opportunity is there if I need it.

    Speaking of which, I'll open the floor to questions and comments. Is there anything in my outline you would leave out for brevity? Anything you feel you need to add?