Thread by @GavinVerhey

You all know I travel. You all know I play Magic. But it's when the two intersect that the most amazing things happen. So here's a thread about an event I ran - come along for the ride!
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I'm in New York City this week, and wanted to see a bunch of my friends from all different walks of life. So, I decided I'd do one of the things I love: set up an event! The fabulous store @HexAndCompany just opened up a new shop on Monday - and they were game to play host!

The shop was great, with plenty of playspace, games, fantastic staff, and shockingly great food and drinks (including a full bar!). Many thanks to them - you can go check it out in the Upper East Side. The shop does a ton of Magic - I am so glad our game helps create such spaces!

I had no idea how many people would show up. So I sent out invitations to the many people I've met over the years who live in the area.

The result? The place was PACKED. ❤

I saw friends from all walks of life - but mostly from Magic. And from all different places and ways. Like @dieplstks, who I first met online and I've now played and talked about Magic with for well over a decade.
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To New York stalwarts @Top8Games and @nerdtothecore. Two members of the beating heart of New York Magic. Watching Alex rise in the Pauper community has been a treat, and he never fails to greet me at an event and catch up.
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And @Top8Games - I'll never forget how me and my family met him at the airport en route to a tournament when I was 14 and he kicked me off on the path to where I am today. There are many other stories to tell... but we'll speak, hear, and see no evil about those moments them. 😉

All the way to the @meddlingmage himself, Chris Pikula, someone who I heard stories of when I was just starting out and a player who I always looked up to - and now I have the pleasure of calling a friend! (Striking our best Meddling Mage poses here!)

But it's not just names you recognize. There are so many stories! Like Chelsea and Matthew, who I met because @Top8Games told me to go eat Pizza at L&B, I tweeted about it, and these 2 wonderful strangers asked if they could meet me there to chat Magic. Yes, of course!
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To Utsarga, who I met in a GenCon hotel looby because we were both waiting all night on Sunday, roomless, to catch our flight early Monday morning... And what better to do than get to know one another?

Or Tony and Misty. It was their 10TH WEDDING ANNIVERSARY - and Magic has been such a big part of his life that they came by on such a major night. Me and Tony have known eachother for 15+ years, played, judged, and worked together. The power of this game is incredible.
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But perhaps the most impressive thing was this, one of the things that has always most impressed me about Magic: it didn't matter who you were. From draft tables casually sporting a Hall of Famer....

...To a group of Magic Twitter personalities just jamming games of Commander with someone they just met...

...From competitive and casual players taking up arms together and having a blast with Cube draft...

(Also, you have GOT to check this cube out. It was an entirely colorless cube where you had to draft colored mana sources and it was WILD.)

...To, well, me, one of the people that helps make this wild game that brings us together, just slinging some Commander.

And it really made me realize something. Though a lot of us in the community can get caught up in casual vs. Competitive divides, about what formats are good or bad, and so on... at the end of the day, we're all united under the same flag: the flag of Magic.
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At one point, a friend of a friend came up to me. "So how do you know all these people? You used to live here, I presume?"

I shook my head. "Magic." That part was easy. It took me a moment to even begin to figure out how to explain the rest. It's extremely difficult to describe.

"We all just met around the world, and also online, through our love of this game."

(I did not, then add, "...Even though yes sometimes someone blows up our lands in Commander and it can REALLY tilt some of us.")

And it was at that moment I fully realized: I was in a store that exists in part because of Magic, surrounded by friendships that exist because of Magic, in a city I would have never been to if not for Magic. And I get to help make this game happen. That is incredible.
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(And, as a party host, tip: sweet nametags designs to initiate those connections never hurt.)

So once again, sincere and deep thanks to all the friends that came out, and, moreover, all of those that help make Magic the incredible, welcoming, and truly indescribably thing it is. Also, many thanks to @HexAndCompany for hosting the event and making everything run so well!

And thank YOU for reading along and being a part of this community. ❤

I'll also say: running this has made me want to do this in more cities I have major Magic friend networks in. (LA?) So stay tuned in case I come to a city near you! But until that happens...
/FIN
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