460+ Strong

When a player rolled into town, he or she would typically find a place to stay, drop his or her luggage, and make the pilgrimage to the Indianapolis Convention Center. The streets were bustling with gamers, women dressed in fantasy gear, and street performers trying to cash in on the convention crowds. Downtown Indy is a cool collection of restaurants, bars, and entertainment establishments offering an array of activities to fill almost anyone’s time. Every time I travel to Gen Con, I discover something new and fun, and I walk away with amazing stories and great snapshots on my camera phone.

Upper Deck really came through for players qualified for the National Championship. They provided an exclusive registration spot for tournament players, allowing us to skip the 1,000-person line snaking around the convention center, spilling onto the streets, and drifting toward the hotel district. After the red carpet treatment, the officials at Gen Con provided players with free goodie bags that included samples from various game companies, dice, packs of cards, InQuest Magazine, and most impressively, a Through the Dark Portal starter deck!

As players made their way past the packed exhibit halls and through the corridors leading to the Colts’ football stadium, they turned the corner to unveil the ultimate gaming hall. There were a couple of major companies set up in the TCG hall. Banners were strewn across the ceiling; tablecloths were draped across hundreds of tables; packs of cards were stacked beside players; and binders were cracked open for deck construction and trading. Upper Deck occupied the lion’s share of the gaming hall. Immediately, players walked past the new feature match areas and noted the giant-sized banners sporting art from the World of Warcraft dangling above the tournament area.

Tons of popular faces cruised through the crowds. There were Darkmoon Faire Champions, casual players, and tons of onlookers. Judges were decked out in official judge garb as they trekked around like busy ants. There were vendors and very rare cards. There were little kids riding on their dads’ shoulders as their mothers walked around in spiked collars and miniskirts. Some people paraded through the hall dressed as pop-culture icons, while others sported shirts with gamer sayings. This was our kind of place, and the collective crowds gathered to form the social foundation for an amazing weekend.

The player base had several key experiences this week. We had a chance to see just how big our game was poised to be—over 460 players showed for the National Championship. We watched as new deck types were born, older deck types were resurrected with a new twist, and eight top players marched on to Sunday through fourteen rounds of grueling play—with one of the game’s most consistent players ultimately being crowned the US National Champion.

There were undefeated Constructed creations of Warrior decks and sly rogue creations that joined the hunt for the National crown. We watched all of the Day 2 happenings, learning the impressive nature of Mage rush builds, keen Hunter Draft decks, and the overwhelming potential of weapons in the Draft format. No matter how they finished, everyone walked away better prepared for future battles and with an improved knowledge of the skills needed to become the first World Champion