(Editor’s Note: the following message is from a longtime reader and supporter of Eternal Central, who also is now organizing tournaments in Europe. Please check out this special announcement of a brand new large scale European tournament. Support Vintage everywhere!)
My name is Jan “ZUZY” Zuskac, and I am from Czech Republic. I have been playing Magic for about 14 years now. I started with Extended, and at that time I bought my first Japanese cards. Since that time I have been “pimping” my decks, and as the cards gets older they move into the realm of Vintage. I love Vintage, but it is not played as often as I would like, so I also play Legacy.
After I bought my first Power 9 cards I disappointingly found out that there were no Vintage tournaments in all of Czech Republic! That was about 7 years ago, but now there is the Czech Vintage and Legacy Series – 6 tournaments in Prague, Brno, and Pribram.
Europeans are blessed to have such great Vintage tournaments, so let’s take a moment to thank them. The promoter and organizer of the annual Ovino tournaments in Italy, Stinfo, stands out in particular. His passion for Vintage is always visible, and he is the main tournament organizer that has taken tournament promotion to the next level with his annual PIMP Vintage tournaments, which celebrate the glory of PIMP decks. You should SEE all of the cards in person – it is quite an amazing site to see, with all of the Altered, Alpha and Beta everything, Signed everything, Foreign Foil everything. Another great tournament organizer is Lois and those who help organize and promote the annual Bazaar of Moxen series. I have been there 7 times so far, and there is nothing like it in terms of sheer awesomeness and the number of Vintage players in once place. Finally, I would be remiss if I did not mention Jens, who organizes the usual Vintage tournaments in Hanau. Just a few hour drive across scenic Europe and you are playing serious Vintage with some of the best in the world! Unfortunately the tournaments between Christmas and New Years are not the best ones, because our wives and girlfriends hate us for it. : P
All tournaments are good, but even the biggest ones have their ups and downs. So I have come up with a tournament that we will strive to be the best for players, and it will be held in the heart of Czech Republic in Prague. And here will need you, the players, help with that. This tournament should be by the players, for the players. We want fair and competent judges, a comfortable space to play, affordable hotels and lodging within walking distance, and be close to public transportation like a subway. It should be the tournament that everybody has always wanted to attend.
Here is what we intend to do this summer in an awesome tournament for the players:
Time & Place
The tournament will be held in Prague (Czech Republic) on July 4-6, 2014. The area is 15 minutes from the airport if you are coming by plane. If you are driving a car it is like 10 minutes from the highway. And parking is free of charge all the time!
Playing Area
The tournaments will be played at:
MENZA of CVUT
Prague 6,
Bílá 2571/6
The maximum player size per tournament is limited to 200. We could potentially squeeze in more, but we want everybody to be comfortable. This is what we have planned right now, but if we get much greater preregistrations and player entrances beforehand we can potentially relocate to another larger site if need be.
Formats
OK, so now that you know where and when the tournament will be, be warned that if you take the wives and girlfriends (WAGs) and stay longer your tournament will cost you twice as much and you will have half the fun. Kidding, kidding. So let’s talk about the formats involved.
Friday July 4 2014 – 15:30-16:00 – registration for Friday Legacy tournament. Entry fee is 22,00 EUR. Top 8 prizes will be Legacy staples plus 80 + 40 EUR Gift Certificate to the Deja-Vu Club, to enjoy the city afterwards.
Saturday July 5 2014 – 09:00 – 10:00 – registration for Legacy Main Event. Entry fee is 22,00 EUR. Top 16 prizes will be Legacy staples and easy to sell cards.
Saturday July 5 2014 – 10:30 – 11:30 – registration for Highlander tournament. German rules apply – http://www.highlandermagic.info. Entry fee is 22,00 EUR. Top 8 prices will be playable and easy to sell cards.
Sunday July 6 2014 – 09:00 – 10:00 – registration for Main Vintage event. Entry fee is 22,00 EUR. Top 8 prizes will be Vintage cards and easy to sell cards.
Sunday July 6 2014 – 10:30 – 11:30 – registration for Modern tournament. Entry fee is 22,00 EUR. Top 8 prizes will be Modern staples and this tournament will be GP Trial.
Side events will be held all day long each day. Just come and sign.
Tournament is registered as premier event with K3 “multiplicator”. This is the same level of tournament as PTQ.
Trials
Trial tournaments are possible, but need to be done till May 3 2014 at the latest. If you are tournament organizer and want to make trial, contact me at PRAGUE.ETERNAL@EMAIL.CZ.
Prizes
No one loves the idea of prize lists like “if X players prizes will be Z.” Since this is the first year for this grand tournament the prizes will be interesting and fair. There will be a good base of prizes (still being determined, but will be announced soon), and then some really sweet bonus prizes if/when greater participants reached.
Judging
Judges are very important to a positive tournament experience, and there will be plenty on hand. The tournament is meant to be for fun and love of the game, so don’t expect any “conflicts” with judges. They are there to ensure smooth operation of the tournament and resolve any disputes between players.
Accommodations and Lodging
Safe and affordable accommodations are available 5 minutes away from the site. So you can leave your extra decks and gear in the hotel and come for them later. Or if you want to nap, go to a private toilet, etc. It is close enough. We will try to partner with local hotels to do group discount rates. Please let us know ASAP if there are specific hotels you recommend or wish to stay at. The more feedback we get from the players the better.
City Center/Party
If you want to go to the city center you have 2 choices – take a taxi or take the public transportation subway. Both will get you to the city center within 15 minutes.
But where to go? If you like good lounge club and disco club music, go to Deja-Vu Music club. You will be expected with discounted prices for Friday night partying.
You will soon get more information about interesting places in Prague – restaurants, sight-seeing and something for girls too.
Traders and trading
Normal trading will be possible at site. You don´t have to go out to sell your cards. Feel free to bring your binders with and trade/sell cards you want.
If you are real trader with case full of cards, let me know. I will reserve for you your own table and place for small amount.
If you are shop and want to support this tournament, we still have one place for shop.
Preregistraton
At the moment there is no way for preregistration. We didn´t find any suitable way for it, because everybody want to pay extra fees and in that case it doesn´t make any sense. But if you want to come, let me know on email. It will make my life a lot more easy
If you have any idea, how to make preregistration possible without additional fees, please contact me at PRAGUE.ETERNAL@EMAIL.CZ.
Everything Else
Everything what you have read above is already arranged. Now I am working on coverage, food, taxi prices, and on-site shops/sellers.
What else? Do you have some ideas or comments about everything above? What do you and don’t you want to miss at this tournament? What was the most annoying thing at your last big tournament? Feel free to express your ideas and give us lots of feedback ahead of time so we can create the best possible tournament! My email is PRAGUE.ETERNAL@EMAIL.CZ and you can contact me any time.
Remember, this tournament will be done for the players, by the players. Go to WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/PRAGUEETERNAL on Facebook to find out more. Thank you for reading, and we hope to hear from you soon!
Thank you for reading and stay tuned on Facebook.
See you there
ZUZY
PRAGUE.ETERNAL@EMAIL.CZ
WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/PRAGUEETERNAL