I had the pleasure of attending Reedpop and Wizards of the Coast, the new location of their popular trading card game convention, MagicCon, in Chicago. As both an avid convention goer and Magic the Gathering card game enjoyer, it was one of the smoothest conventions I have ever attended.
This year's MagicCon in Chicago took place at the McCormick Place, by the way the largest convention center in North America, and having attended multiple conventions at the McCormick Place I feel like I unlock a different area in a video game every time I attend a different convention.
MagicCon was no different as it took me past the regular familiar areas I usually stop at while attending C2E2, another pop culture centered convention that takes place in Chicago every year, and walked me into a part of the building that I never knew existed.
As I walked through the security gates at the mouth of a sky bridge leading into the convention's main hall, I was greeted by Chandra, Vraska, and Ashiok, some of my favorite Planeswalkers from the card game, in cardboard cutout form.
The initial hall you enter had a brilliant stage setup for live games, industry players, and some of Magic the Gatherings biggest celebrities all in one place. It was a grand foyer inviting me to enter the main showroom at my own pace, all while transporting me into a world for the next few hours I was about to stay.
As you finally enter the main showroom, it had the meat and potatoes of your standard convention. Food vendors, an artist section, and vendors selling you various Magic related wares from dice, playmats, and deck boxes, to exclusive packs and single cards valuing over 10,000 dollars for its rarity and value in a deck.
What set this convention apart from other general pop culture conventions, is that it really centered around its play floors. Being a place where you can buy merch, talk releases, and meet your favorite players in the game, of course there were going to be PLENTY of places to bring your deck and play a game yourself.
I got to get a game in but unfortunately I could only attend for a day or else I would’ve loved to play for longer. This convention spanned from February 23-25th all with after hour activities and tournaments for prizes.
All in all if you are a fan of Magic the Gathering and from the area, it was a great event that seemed like it was already very familiar with the venue for how well it took place.
For more information about future MagicCons or if you’re interested in learning a new TCG visit https://magic.gg/
You have a recommendation for the next convention I should cover? Email me at jrodriguez@lakeshorepublicmedia.org
