CJ’s Cards & Collectibles is bringing Saturday Night Magic to Milledgeville.
Saturday Night Magic is a tournament night for residents of Milledgeville who play Magic: The Gathering. Magic: The Gathering is a tabletop card game that is widely popular around the world. It was originally created by Richard Garfield and was originally released in 1993 by Wizards of the Coast but was called Magic at the time. By December of 2018, there would be approximately 35 million players between the tabletop and digital versions of the game.
The game itself is strategically based and has a variety of storylines that it can take depending on the pack used to play. Players use cards in front of them to take points off of their opponents. Cards determine what will be taken from another player and also determine what each player is protected from.
“Magic is about community. Gather and play your way whether at your local game store, at home with friends or online with SpellTable,” reads the official Magic: The Gathering website.
CJ’s Cards & Collectibles recently celebrated its one year anniversary. Over that year, one of most popular items offered by the store were products related to Magic: The Gathering. This inspired the owner to host magic nights in Milledgeville. This is a special event that brings tabletop gamers of various ages together to play a tournament.
“I started playing Magic the Gathering back in the mid to late 90’s so I’m an old school player,” said Christopher Jameson, owner of CJ’s Cards & Collectibles. “I wanted to build the Magic community right here in Milledgeville that I never had growing up.”
As Jameson was growing up, there were no tournaments available in his local town. So, when he saw that his customers were interested in the game, he began to discuss with them on options of how to play. Ultimately, he decided to host the Magic nights on Saturdays and hosts casual tournaments, at the moment.
“When I started this shop, I hadn’t really gotten back into magic myself but as the Magic community grew here, I started playing again myself,” said Jameson. “There seems to be a call for at least some casual tournaments so that’s our starting point and I hope it continues to grow.”
Saturday Night Magic began about two months ago and averages about six to ten players for each tournament. Many players were students of the local colleges but, according to Jameson, older players of the general community have begun to show interest as well.
“Based on the amount of players, we typically do a draft which lasts roughly four to six hours,” said Jameson. “Tournaments begin at noon on selected Saturdays and people can sign up here in the store on Saturday or on our Facebook page. We always promote upcoming tournaments on our Facebook page.”
Tournaments are typically hosted at CJ’s Cards and Collectibles but at times, the store will partner with Dungeons and Daiquiris to host a magic night on Friday. Winners of these tournaments may win card packs or store credit.
“Right now, we are working on improving the shop and growing the community for the future of the tournaments,” said Jameson.
In the future, Jameson hopes to join the Wizards Play Network (WPN). WPN is a global community, with over 6,000 retail stores, that offers benefits and resources to support stores who fit a certain criteria. Joining the network allows both stores and players to benefit from special merchandise, promos and more.
“To get to the point of joining the network, we need to grow the community and how many tournaments are hosted,” said Jameson. “By joining the network, it impacts the community and my local business greatly and I want to offer those deals, promotionals and pre-releases to the local Magic community.”
Saturday Night Magic will be resuming on June 4. To sign up, visit CJ’s Card & Collectible’s Facebook Page or show up early on Saturday to sign up. The tournament will begin at noon.