5th Annual Clallam County Magic: the Gathering Championship 2016

The Annual Clallam County Magic: the Gathering Championship took place on 8/20/16.  This year Anime Kat and Mark’d Body Art were the sponsors.  We had a good turn out for our small town.  A total of 17 players competed to win a part of the prize pool valued at over $1,000.  Big prizes include a booster box of Eternal Masters and a certificate for a tattoo at Mark’d Body Art.

There was a nice variety to the decks this year.  Final standings were:
1. Evan – Merfolk
2. Casey – R/G Tron
3. Connor – Dredge
4. Dan – Infect
5. Joey – Abzan Company
6. Dillon – Esper Control
7. Joel – R/G Tron
8. Jake – Living End
9. Kyle – G/B Elves
10. Colin – Storm
11. Travis – Mono Red Artifacts
12. Conan – Mono Black Demon
13. Tyler – Pillow Fort
14. Marcus – Bogles
15. Will – Mono Red Goblins
16. Troy – Soul Sisters
17. Ben – W/U Knight Control

Watch the final match between Evan and Connor.

Watch our award presentation.

 

Clallam County Magic: the Gathering Championship 2015

We just finished the 4th Annual Clallam County Magic: the Gathering Championship.  The Championship is a chance for players to participate in a Modern Format tournament to win big prizes.  This year we had over $1,400 worth of prizes from Anime Kat, and Mark’d Body Art including a full booster box of Modern Masters 2015 and a tattoo vouchers.  This year, we had 11 players.  Here is the final standing and decks the players used:

1. Luke J. – Splinter Twins
2. Kyle P. – Tron
3. Travis R. – R/G Goblins
4. Eric H. – Tezzerit Control
5. Joey K. – Dredge Devine
6. David P. – R/B Falkenrath (Friends for Dinner)
7. Colin T. – Podless Collective
8. Greg V – B/W Tokens
9. Kevin T. – Mono B, Discard/Control
10. Colton F. – R/W Heroic
11. Jake E. – Mono Black Vampires

3rd-Travis, 1st-Luke, 2nd-Kyle

Hang With Garruk; Win a Box of M15

Hey everybody.  We just finished a contest that ran from the release of the Magic 2015 Core set until last Saturday’s Magic Game Day.  The contest was simple:

1. Take a picture with the cutout of Garruk in the store
2. Post it directly to Anime Kat’s Facebook page
3. Tag yourself and anyone else in the picture
4. Add Anime Kat as the location tag for the post
5. Share the post with anyone you know.

The person with the most “Likes” would win a free box of M15.  6 of our players took the challenge and with a commanding finish of 48 “Likes,” Greg won!  Congratulations Greg with your impressive photo with Garruk.

Anime Kat’s Move to a Larger Store

It’s been two months since our last article.  We’re very, very sorry for the long delay, but we were busy in the store.  Since May of 2013, we’ve been looking for a larger location.  We outgrew our 1,000 square foot store.  It was getting harder and harder to host events, and there were products we wanted to carry (I’m looking at you board games) that we had no room for.

We had a few requirements for a new location.  We wanted a location that was at least twice the size of our last one.  It needed to be relatively square shaped to make it easier for us to keep track of everyone and everything when we’re working.  Lastly, we wanted to stay in downtown Port Angeles.

After looking for 8 months (including walkthroughs at 3 different locations), we found out that Trading Post (an antique store) in the same building as we were already in decided to move out in March of 2014 and switch to online sales only.  From January to March we prepared to move.  The entire month of March 2014 was mostly spent preparing to move.  On March 25, we received the keys to the new location and we had lest than a week for painting, building, moving, and set up (I didn’t want to pay rent on two locations at the same time).  On April 1st, 2014, we opened our new 2,100+ square foot store only two doors away from were we started exactly four years priors.  The following Friday, we hosted a grand reopening event and ribbon cutting.

Robynn and I would not have been able to move without the support of everyone we know.  Family, friends from work & church, frequent customers, and other people we can’t even think of right this second helped us.  They helped us in more ways that we can think of: emotionally, physically (so much painting and moving), financially (thanks for buying stuff from us during the last 4 years), and other ways.

Robynn and I thank all of you for the support, and hope for continued support in the years to come.

The beginning.

The beginning.

The beginning.

The beginning.

The painting.

The painting.

The painting.

The painting.

The painting.

The painting.

The painting.

The painting.

The painting.

The moving.

The moving.

The moving.

The moving.

The moving.

The setup.

The setup.

The setup.

The setup.

The setup.

The finished store.

The finished store.

The finished store.

The finished store.

The grand reopening.

Born of the Gods Prerelease

The second set of Magic the Gathering’s Theros block is Born of the Gods.  On February 1st and 2nd, players got to participate in a prerelease event where they were able to play with the newest cards before they are released on February 7th.  Born of the Gods is a smaller with only 165 cards.  The set introduces a new planeswalker: the blue/green Kiora, the Crashing Wave.  As a continuation of the Theros’ gods, the set also introduces the ten demigods of Theros.  The demigods are dual-colored and uses their controller’s devotion to both of the demiogods’ colors.  Born of the Gods will feature five of them with allied-color combinations while Journey Into Nyx (the final set of the block) will feature the remaining five.

We want to thank everyone that came out to the store for the prerelease event.  A special thanks to the players who came to our Sunday event (Go Seahawks).  Hopefully, next year Wizards of the Coast won’t schedule the prerelease during Super Bowl weekend.

Wizards University 2013

By Drew S.

On November 14, 2013, I had the opportunity to go to Wizards University.  Wizards U was a retailer only event put on by my Magic the Gathering supplier, Magazine Exchange.  Wizards U was a day filled with fun, spending time with other store owners, and learning how to strengthen my relationship with Wizards of the Coast to improve the store.  There were about 120 people with store owners as far away as Rhode Island and Florida.

The entire day was filled with opportunities to learn new things to improve the store.  For those curious, I’ve list the schedule and some of my thoughts on how I can use the ideas presented to better Anime Kat and the community:

8:00 to 9:00 AM: Breakfast

It’s always nice to start of with a nice bacon and eggs breakfast…especially if it’s provide for me.

9:00: Introduction from Roger of Magazine Exchange Inc.

It was nice to put a face to a name in my email’s inbox.

9:15 to 10:00: “Community Building & Engaging the New Customer” with open discussion: Mark Price of Wizards of the Coast

Wizards of the Coast did a study: How do new players prefer to learn Magic – read the instructions, one on one instruction, or using the How To of Duels of the Planeswalkers.  What they found was 2/3 of new players preferred learning using Duels of the Planeswalkers.  Players preferred using Duels of the Planeswalkers because it engaged the players with the back store of the game, it scaled difficulty with the new players abilities, and each match revealed new rules.  I want to see about getting Duels of the Planeswalkers in the store for new players.

The discussion also lead to community outreach.  One of the ways is to get involved with the Boy Scouts of America.  The Boy Scouts offer a merit badge in Game Design.  I’m already a Scoutmaster for a local Boy Scout troop.  I’m now also a registered merit badge counselor for the Game Design merit badge.  If you or anyone you know would be interested in earning this merit badge and live near Port Angeles, WA, please contact me at Anime Kat, and I will gladly help you.

10:00 to 10:15: Ultra-PRO Presentation

Ultra-Pro told ups about some of the new product that will be coming out soon.  There are two product that I’m on the look out for.  The first is a new premier sleeve.  The sleeves are said to out perform Dragon Shield.  I was allowed to play with a deck sleeved in them.  The welded seams appear strong than in a normal Ultra-Pro.  I’m a mash shuffler.  I separate a deck in half and then push the stacks back together.  The new sleeves made this method very, very smooth with no catching of corners.  When the deck was placed on the table, none of the cards slid.

The second product is a new deck box.  The boxes are leather-like and have your choice of Planeswalker or different mana symbols.  A magnet keeps the deck box closed with a soft inner liner.  Unlike the ones we already have, the new ones holds up to 200 sleeved cards.   My favorite part is the adjustable divider that allows the dual compartments different sized decks and room for oversized cards.

10:15 to 10:30: Break

10:30 to 11:15: “Beyond Advanced – Running Premier Level Play”: Mark Price of Wizards of the Coast

Anime Kat is not an Advance level store yet.  However, we are very close to meeting the criteria.  Once we do, we can run Premier events.

11:15 to 11:45 Araca Group & Red Monkey presentations

The Araca Group is who makes the licensed Magic t-shirts.  The interesting thing I learned was that although Walmart carries Magic shirts, they are not the same ones I can order.  Red Monkey makes lifestyle products.  The make beautiful, hand made in Portland, wallets, leather goods, messenger bags, and other items.  Even if we don’t have any of these items in the store at the moment, I will gladly show you some pictures and place a special order.

12:00 to 1:00: Lunch

1:00 to 1:15 Store Improvement Scholarship Program: Roger of Magazine Exchange Inc.

Magazine Exchange is offering 5 – $1000 store improvement scholarships.  I don’t want to ruin the surprise if I’m awarded the scholarship, so I’m not telling exactly what I’m planning.

1:15 to 2:15: “Wizards Play Network Tools & Resources” with open discussion: Mark Price & Stephanie Speece of Wizards of the Coast

We were given time to complain about what we didn’t like about the Wizards Play Network to the guys at Wizards.  Most of the suggestion revolved around the software store owners use to run Wizards events.  Even if everything suggested is put into practice, it’s unlikely players will ever see any changes.  Everything focused on making it easier and faster for us to use the software.

2:15 to 4:15: Magic Event with live Wizards Even Reporter demo: Hosted by John Grant of Wizards of the Coast

During Wizards U, we had a chance to play a free, causal, sealed Theros event.  Sadly, I didn’t pull very good cards (or I don’t know how to work with what I did pull) and didn’t do very well.  But, I did have fun and met new people and that’s the whole point of playing card games.

4:15: Closing comments and Raffle Prizes

Everyone had a lot of fun, and learn new things to take back to their stores.  What better way to end a day than with raffle prizes and gift bags!  I won a From the Vault: Realms among other things.

If you are curious about what else I’ve learn, or you have suggestions, feel free to contact me via Facebook, our website, or stop in a talk to me.

Halloween Port Angeles 2013

Greetings ghouls and gals!  Every year, the downtown Port Angeles merchants pause their normal day to day activities to pass out candy to all the trick or treaters downtown.  Thousands come downtown to trick or treat in the safe and familiar downtown stores.  This year Anime Kat gave out almost 2,200 pieces of candy and Magic: the Gathering cards (we track how much candy we give out).  We want to thank all of the kids and parents who stopped by our store for candy and a thank you to the fellow businesses to gave out candy.  Happy Halloween to all!

Queen Paula is in charge of handing out candy and Magic: the Gathering cards.

Waiting for candy and Magic: the Gathering cards.

Trick or Treating in downtown Port Angeles.

Trick or Treating in downtown Port Angeles.

Trick or Treating in downtown Port Angeles.

Theros Prerelease Events

With the Magic 2014 Core Set release still fresh, we are diving head first into the newest Magic the Gathering block, Theros.  According to Wizards of the Coast, the plane of Theros is ruled by a pantheon of all-powerful gods.  Krakens, minotaurs, and other monsters threaten the safety of walled cities.  Heroes rise to battle, bolstered by their devotion to the gods.  Theros is a very dangerous land outside of the walled cities Meletis, Akris and Setessa (which are inspired by Athens, Sparta and the legends of the Amazons).  Nyx is the night sky, and home of the gods, it moves around each night.  The five main gods are: Heliod (white), Erebos (black), Nylea (green), Thassa (blue) and Purphoros (red).  The gods can take multiple forms and walk among mortals.  The planeswalker, Elspeth Tirel, will fight a Hydra and attracts the attention of Heliod.  Elspeth doesn’t want to be a hero and does not believe she will be called on to be a leader in a world of gods.  Minotaurs are the rampaging savages of Theros.  The Merfolk of Theros are called ‘Tritons’. Thassa (goddesss of the sea) favors appearing as a Triton when she’s among mortals.

Waiting to get inside Anime Kat to register for Theros.

With every new release, there is a prerelease.  Anime Kat had a more limited than usual number of available player slots for this prerelease.  We did sell out and had to turn away hopeful players from our final event.  Players were able to get their hands on the newest cards before the official release date.  Congrats to all who came to Anime Kat to kick off the new Theros block.

2013 Magic Celebration

On September 7th, Anime Kat was of many game stores that hosted the Magic Celebration.

Magic Celebration is a free, yearly event courtesy of Wizards of the Coast.  Each Magic Celebration player received one Magic 2014 Core Set booster pack.   After opening his or her booster pack, the individual was able to choose a Magic 2014 Core Set Sample Deck to add cards from your booster pack to.  That created the deck players were able to use for the event.

When players were finished playing their matches, they received an additional Magic 2014 Core Set booster pack as a prize.  We had enough booster packs for only 18 players and we had every slot filled.  Thanks to Wizards of the Coast and our players for making this a great event!

Magic Celebration 2013 at Anime Kat

From Wizards of the Coast to Anime Kat to You: Part 4

By Drew S.

Sorry for the delay since the last article about running Magic the Gathering prereleases and releases.  If you are just starting to read the “From Wizards of the Coast to Anime Kat to You” articles, I suggest you start with Part 1.  The very reason I’m behind in writing is the subject of today’s article.  There are at least two events that go on after the prerelease and release for a new Magic the Gathering set is releases.

The first event after the release is the formation of a league.  For the most current set, we ran the Dragon’s Maze League.  The league is Sealed Deck event.  Players receive a set number of booster packs to build their decks.  Unlike a normal Sealed Deck event, the league lasts over the course of five weeks and new players may join at any point of the five weeks.  During each new week of the league, players may one more booster pack to supplement their league deck.  The players’ decks remain at Anime Kat for the duration of the league, and players may not trade or buy individual cards to supplement their league deck.  Only the league booster packs may be used.

Each participant must play three matches per week, for a total of fifteen over the course of the league.  Players joining the league late or players that missed a match can play extra matches to catch up to the current match cap of three times the current total of weeks of the league.  There is always an “official” league night, but players may play league matches at any point at Anime Kat.  At the end of the five weeks, we give out prizes to the top players.

Pentagon of the colors of Magic: The Gathering. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The other main event after the release of a new Magic the Gathering set is Magic Game Day.    Magic Game Day is always run a month after the last set release.  The event features the Standard format and is designed to showcase the newest cards available.  Special commemorative foil cards and are given to each participant and Top 8 competitor while the supplies last.  We typically have a few extra prizes as well.  For many players, the best part is we run the Magic Game Day as a free event.

It has taken be about two months to explain what I work on each time a new set of Magic the Gathering cards is slated for release.  That is about how much time I spend of each prerelease and release.  As soon as one set if finished (and usually before the League is finished) I’ll start work on the next set release.  It keeps me busy, but I wouldn’t be doing it if it wasn’t fun.