If you’re anything like me, the idea of Cloud Strife swinging his Buster Sword on a Magic: The Gathering card has you more excited than a first-time Planeswalker casting Lightning Bolt.

The Final Fantasy x MTG Universes Beyond prerelease is finally here on the weekend (June 13 is the actual release date, and it can’t come soon enough), and it’s not just another event—it’s a crossover we never thought we’d get. Whether you’re a seasoned drafter or just showing up to see if you can summon Bahamut turn five, here’s how to get your game face on before launch day.

First, let’s talk cards. Prerelease kits will likely have six set boosters and a promo-stamped rare or mythic—standard fare but with a whole lot of FF flair. Take a few minutes before the event to check out the spoilers. Not to memorize every line of text, but to get a feel for which characters (hello, Sephiroth) and mechanics might swing the game. Rumor has it that the new “Tiered” mechanic lets spells scale based on your devotion to specific job types—like Black Mage or Warrior. That could change how you draft and build during the event.

Next: sleeves and deck box. I know, it’s a small thing, but there’s something about sleeving up your deck with some Chocobo-yellow card sleeves that feels right. Bring your own, and make sure your lands are sorted ahead of time. Most venues provide lands, but they’re usually basic—no Midgar landscapes or Zanarkand sunsets, unfortunately. If you’ve got themed lands that fit the FF vibe, bring them. It’s all about the mood.

Don’t forget your essentials—pens, dice, snacks, and hydration. The events usually run a couple of hours, and the last thing you want is to top-deck Odin while your stomach growls louder than Ifrit. Also, bring a trade binder if you’re into post-event deals. A lot of casual fans will show up for this crossover, so it’s the perfect chance to snag some shiny pulls or swap for a foil Aerith.

Most importantly, just enjoy it. This crossover is the stuff of fan dreams, and it doesn’t matter if you win every match or whiff completely—though let’s be real, pulling a Limit Break foil is a chef’s kiss. Play the characters you love, crack some packs, and take in the moment. We don’t get events like this often. See you at the prerelease, and may your opening hand be full of mana and magic (and maybe a summon or two).

There’s magic in the excitement of a Magic: The Gathering prerelease event. Opening fresh packs, the edges crisp, just as brand-new cards should feel. Diving head-first into an unexplored format, based on your Sealed card pool: that’s fun. Anticipation builds as the players sort their pools, testing synergies, and dreaming of the powerful play with new and never-before-seen mechanics.

Whereas a deck of cards, crafted skillfully, and built with much care in tuning, is challenging at every turn for the player, a Prerelease deck is strategic, with a touch of improvisation. The excitement isn’t just about the competition; it’s all about the discovery: each played card is that first step into a brand-new MTG experience.

Beyond the strategic draw, Magic: the Gathering Prerelease events really represent a sense of community not replicated elsewhere in the game, from casual fans to grizzled veterans looking to explore what the latest set has to offer.

There’s nothing quite like playing with new cards for the very first time, pulling off an unexpected combo, casting that flashy mythic rare, or simply seeing how new mechanics work together in real time. Every match was like an experiment that usually enjoyed much more pleasure in testing and exploring rather than actually trying to win.

This weekend’s Aetherdrift Prerelease seems to be normal for me, though I expected many participants. Sadly, it was a lesser number this time. I played Saturday at the LGS where I got my store points so I used them for the event entry. I will detail soon about my prerelease experience in a separate blog post.

In conclusion, being there to try to get good results, or look out for pulls and enjoy shared hype from the people there with you. That is what it truly means. A Prerelease event is celebrating just about everything great in Magic: The Gathering gameplay, and being the most popular trading card game in our era.

In every upcoming Magic: the Gathering set, I usually preorder an MTG prerelease kit or join our local gamestore prerelease event provided that the products arrive on time. It is a great feeling to try out the new cards and mechanics and experience them in a physical scenario.

Opening Magic: The Gathering (MTG) Prerelease kits offer several advantages for players and collectors alike:

1. Early Access to New Cards: Prerelease kits are typically available before the official release date of a new set. This provides players with the opportunity to get their hands on new cards before they become widely available.
2. Limited Format Experience: Prerelease events are often held in Limited formats like Sealed Deck or Draft. These formats challenge players to build decks from a limited pool of cards, fostering creativity and adaptability in deck construction.
3. Exclusive Promotional Cards: Prerelease kits include exclusive promotional cards that are not available in regular booster packs. These cards can be collectible and may have unique or alternate art, making them sought-after by collectors.
4. Community and Social Interaction: Prerelease events bring Magic players together, creating a sense of community and camaraderie. Players can meet new people, discuss strategies, and enjoy a shared experience.
5. Casual and Relaxed Environment: Prereleases are often more casual and less competitive than other tournaments. This makes them an ideal entry point for newer players or those looking for a more relaxed gaming experience.
6. Chance to Win Prizes: Prerelease events typically offer prizes based on performance. Winning packs or other prizes can add an extra layer of excitement to the event.
7. Exploration of New Mechanics: Prerelease events are an excellent opportunity to explore and learn about the new mechanics and themes introduced in the latest set.
8. Personal Growth and Skill Development: Playing in Prerelease events can help players improve their deck-building skills, adaptability, and strategic thinking as they navigate the challenges of a Limited format.
9. Trading and Collecting: Prerelease events often involve trading cards with other players. It’s a great way to acquire cards you need for your collection or to trade for cards that fit your deck strategy.
10. Support for Local Game Stores: Participating in Prerelease events supports local game stores, which are essential hubs for the Magic community. These events help stores attract and retain players.

Here below is an unboxing video of my Prerelease kit from the recent set Wilds of Eldraine.

Overall, opening MTG Prerelease kits offers a unique and enjoyable experience for Magic players. It combines the thrill of discovering new cards with the fun of playing in a social and relaxed environment. Whether you’re a seasoned player or new to the game, Prerelease events provide a memorable and rewarding experience.

I am trying to find some card value hits for every new Magic: the Gathering set released and included in my preorder list is the set’s Prerelease kit. A Magic: the Gathering prerelease kit is a special package that is released before a new set of cards in the Magic: the Gathering collectible card game. The prerelease kit typically includes several booster packs of the new set, a special promotional card, and other materials such as a spindown life counter, a deck box, and a guide to the new set.

Prerelease kits are designed for players who want to get an early taste of the new set and start building decks with the new cards before the official release date. Prerelease events are held at local game stores and provide players with an opportunity to play with the new cards, meet other players, and participate in a tournament-style event.

The Phyrexa: All Will be One set has their PR kit products arrived on time (finally!), and so I was able to do an unboxing video of the kit I purchased from our local gamestore ProReis Place here in Iloilo City. Here below is the unboxing video I recorded last week.

Based on the video done by Gavin Verhey in opening a Streets of New Capenna Prerelease kit, the promo foil card is random and won’t likely align with the crime family you have chosen. In the video which I watched the morning before going to work, he got a foil PR promo Titan of Industry wherein the Green color is not aligned to the family he chose, though in the deck-building he can try to add it to the list.

This change was already reflected during the Strixhaven Prerelease where the school factions can be chosen from the kits. Before, during the latest Ravnica block Prerelease, guild color aligned promo packs including the promo rare so the players usually were choosing the one with the strongest or most expensive card in the set. Remember choosing Golgari for the chance of opening Assassin’s Trophy? Yes, I am one of them.

Anyhow, having this minor upset on the Streets of New Capenna Prerelease kits is not a big deal if you can still open cards from the draft booster packs that can synergy well with a definite deck build. Best of luck and enjoy your Prerelease this weekend guys and gals.

Until the next blog post.

I just want to share today my Guilds of Ravnica Prerelease report since it has been a while since I played in a Prerelease event due to my DURP classes were held mostly on Saturdays and even Sundays last Summer semester. Anywho, it was a good thing that there is a second game store in your area with a Sunday schedule for these types of events. The venue was at Critical Hit’s new shop location in Festive Mall in the Megaworld area. It was also my first time going to that mall, months since its opening. Manol.

I arrived at the game store just passed 12 noon just to make sure even though I made my reservation online via a bank payment. There were only 20 slots for the Prerelease and obviously I would choose the best guild based on the money cards, Golgari. Ace was the TO that time and there already people building their decks ahead of the actual start time. Anyhow, the lady assistant handed to me the reserved PR kit and as I rolled the cover while trying to smell the new cards, I took a peek on the foil card on the seeded pack. I almost jumped in excitement as the revealed card was the most chased rare of the set, Assassin’s Trophy.

I then opened the rest of the seeded pack and the Black Green strategy looks possible. I proceed to open the five regular boosters and the Rares weren’t that relevant aside from the Beast Whisperer. The uncommons were good spot removals of the guild and was supported by some Black Dimir cards.

I ended with this build below, a Black Green splashed White compacted with seven removals.

Here is the summary of the matchups decks and results.

Round 1 vs Naya Aggro, won 2-1
Round 2 vs Sultai Control, won 2-1
Round 3 vs Boros with Blue Aggro, lost 0-2
Round 4 vs Selesnya, lost 1-2

The mulligan and land screw were the causes of these losses even though I think I have s,huffled the deck enough. Maybe the next time I should go with a new kind of shuffling ritual, lol.

Overall, I enjoyed playing in a Sealed event again and of course experiencing the cards from the new set has opened my already brewing ideas of new build types for the Standard format.

That is a wrap of this tournament report. Lastly, here below are some of the pics I took during the Guilds of Ravnica Prerelease at Critical Hit.

Last weekend was the Prerelease for the MtG Hour of Devastation set and it was the first time that I signed up for two events on both days (Saturday & Sunday). Players old and new gathered to open and play the fresh new cards from the set and it was the Saturday event at Rob Jaro that was almost jam-packed. We expected 36 players to attend but only 28 signed up as heavy rains hit around lunch time just before the start of the event.

Anyhow, the PR started past 1 pm and I opened my kit with a Mirage Mirror promo foil. The rest of the six boosters after sorting the colors offered that Red will be my primary color due to efficient spot removals like Open Fire and the sweep card Hour of Devastation. The second color was Black with the additional removals with a splash of Blue for a 5/5 Hexproof creature. The final deck setup was somewhat midrange. Here below is a picture of the deck I played.

I initially lost to a Temur midrange with large creatures’ deck but managed to win the rest of the rounds. The MVP card was the mirror as I just copy my own creatures for additional attack damage or copy that of the opponents’ if it was bigger and just kill them with my spot removals. I finished 3-1 and won 3 HOU booster packs. I opened the packs and the relevant money card is only Solemnity.

The next day’s PR event was at Critical Hit: Comics and Games. Registration was scheduled around 12 noon and I arrived just ten minutes past that hour. About only three to four players were there and I was thinking like I was too early. I then learned that only a few preregistered and I was hoping that more players will drop by and play on the spot. It was past 1pm already and Johann decided to start the event despite having only 8 players.

I opened my kit and was surprised to see the same Mirage Mirror as my promo foil. What could this artifact copy this time? After sorting out the cards by color and checking each of the possible synergy and power-level, I came up with the deck below.

The build is Red Green based with Black as the splash color for the two spot removals. Green was used here to lower the curve because of a number of three-mana creatures and also access for a few combat tricks. Relevant cards include Chaos Maw was the bomb and of course, the mirror was added again for a few copy effect plan that I did yesterday. I went 2-1 and lost to a better RG build with Glorybringer and Rhonas.

Overall it was a fun weekend playing Hour of Devastation cards. The new set gave a huge support to Amonkhet and with the newer card interactions, I am pretty excited to try drafting these two expansions in the upcoming weeks. That might also be in time for us to practice for Nationals.

That is a wrap for this tourney report. Until the next post.