Sorcery: Contested Realm has arrived, and players worldwide have begun gathering to meet for in-person gameplay. One of the first Sorcery launch events in the world took place on July 16th at Plenty of Games in Melbourne, Australia.
The 16-player event, led by Jesse Meulman-Marshall from the team at Plenty of Games (and The Winning Agenda), along with Scott and Joel, was a tremendous success. Although their official launch event was initially planned for August 6th, the excitement within the group couldn't be contained when the product arrived at the store in late June.
As a result, an additional event was quickly scheduled. Jesse explained, "We couldn't wait that long to start in-store play, so we organized this event with just a couple of weeks' notice to players. The turnout exceeded our expectations, and we sold out of tickets, which was fantastic!"
For the event, Plenty of Games opted for a sealed format with the following guidelines:
- Each player received 6 packs.
- Spellbook required a minimum of 25 cards, while Atlas required a minimum of 12 cards.
- Basic sites and Sorcerer avatars were provided to all participants from Jesse's personal collection, and everyone kindly returned them at the end.
- There were no restrictions on the number of cards in a deck, so players could include duplicates if they obtained multiple copies of the same unique card.
- Matches were best of 1, with 50-minute rounds and 1 additional turn per player after time was called.
- Wins earned 3 match points, ties earned 1 match point, and losses earned 0 match points.
All prizes were distributed randomly, with 2 Champion promotional foil cards given to random participants.
Jesse shared his excitement about witnessing players enjoy the game in the right spirit, saying, "There were lots of laughs along the way (Giant Shark with a Crossbow?). People really embraced the joy and fun depicted in the cards and in the game."
Alongside newcomers, familiar faces from local TCG communities, like Toby Firth, eagerly embraced Sorcery: Contested Realm. Toby, drawing upon his experience as a TCG player, skillfully navigated the event, adapting to Sorcery's unique tactical mechanics.
Jesse recalled an exhilarating sequence when Toby momentarily forgot about Death's Door in a match, believing he had already won. Realizing he still needed to deliver the final blow, Toby laughed, while his opponent made a last-ditch effort to escape their fate, hoping a Sea Serpent wielding a Flaming Sword could protect their avatar. Later, with an Incinerate in hand, Toby successfully contested the Realm!
You can catch gameplay from the event from Jesse on his Youtube Channel.
Plenty of Games will continue to host its Alpha Launch Celebration of Sorcery: Contested Realm with an event on August 6th. Those interested can find more details here.
Are you hosting an event for Sorcery: Contested Realm? Be sure to share your event in the Sorcery: Contested Realm Official Facebook group!
