On August 15-16, the Auckland Card Show, New Zealand’s largest gathering of its kind, returned with players, artists, collectors, and gaming communities from across the region.
For Sorcery, the weekend marked its largest event to date in New Zealand. There was original artwork on display, the New Zealand Grand Contest to be decided, and plenty of people encountering the game for the first time.
As part of the Auckland Card Show’s scavenger hunt, visitors to the Sorcery booth were asked to open a pack and offer their best wolf howl. Those willing to answer the call received a Grey Wolf promo and another stamp in their show book.
It did not take much convincing! People got into it, and soon howls could reportedly be heard well beyond the booth.
For plenty of visitors, the scavenger hunt brought them to Sorcery for the first time. Once there, they opened their packs, looked over the original artwork on display, asked questions about the game, and sat down at the tables to play.
The centerpiece of the weekend for Sorcery was the New Zealand Grand Contest, which brought together 43 players from across New Zealand and Australia. The Constructed competition began Saturday, with the Top 8 returning Sunday morning to determine the New Zealand Grand Contest champion.
And there was still plenty of Sorcery to come. In addition to the on-demand Learn to Play sessions, 13 teams, totaling 39 players, returned to the tables Sunday afternoon for Team Sealed.
Spoilers ahead.
Seven Avatars at the Top
Across the 43-player tournament, 19 different Avatars made their way to the tables. Necromancer was the most-played Avatar with six players, followed by Geomancer and Sorcerer with four each. Beyond those most popular choices, the field quickly opened up, with 16 other Avatars represented by three or fewer players.
Seven of those Avatars made it all the way to the Top 8. Geomancer was the only Avatar to appear twice, joined by Deathspeaker, Imposter, Avatar of Air, Persecutor, Savior, and Bladedancer.
- Daniel “Henchmen” Mackenzie - Deathspeaker
- Antony Vlug - Imposter
- Matthew Maher - Avatar of Air
- Luke Haydock - Persecutor
- Nick Young - Savior
- Kai Malpas-Smith - Bladedancer
- Andre Bellve - Geomancer
- Richard Watts - Geomancer
In the end, it was Daniel “Henchmen” Mackenzie and his Deathspeaker who emerged victorious, earning the title of 2026 New Zealand Grand Contest Champion. Congratulations, Henchmen! Full coverage of the championship match, featuring commentary from Erik’s Curiosa, will be released later this week.
Creativity Across the Realm
Sorcery artist Lindsey Crummett joined the show following Saturday’s tournament, with a line of players and collectors waiting to meet her. Throughout the weekend, Lindsey signed cards and prints, talked with visitors, and met plenty of people familiar with her work from across Sorcery.
Original Sorcery artwork was also on display at the booth, including pieces many visitors had only ever seen reproduced on cards. Among them was a new painting from Paul Carrick, the latest artist to join Sorcery, whose first piece will appear in Frost Mage vs. Lavamancer this November.
And some of the artwork stepped right off the cards.
Cosplayers could be spotted throughout the Auckland Card Show dressed as familiar characters from Sorcery, including a wandering Druid, Ironclad, and Persecutor. Even the humble Monk depicted in Just a Rock made an appearance. Naturally, he spent the event handing out rocks.
The Contest Continues
Crowning a Grand Contest champion did not mean the end of play. On Sunday afternoon, 13 teams of three returned to the tables for Team Sealed, with two players needing to win their matches to secure the round for their team. Among them were groups of friends, community members, Erik’s Curiosa staff, and families. For Sorcery Game and Graphic Designer Sean Goodison, the event became an unexpected opportunity to share the game with his two brothers.
“Only a week before the event, my two brothers, one older and one younger, let me know they were both coming up and were going to play in Team Sealed,” Sean shared. “I was very excited. This was the first time in their lives they’d ever gone out to play a game even semi-competitively.”
“They’ve only ever played games with very close friends and family, the literal definition of kitchen-table players,” Sean said.
“And it was great. Just a great afternoon of cracking some packs and building some decks.”
Sean’s younger brother had also celebrated his birthday shortly before the event and, while opening packs with his brothers, pulled a Merlin.
“They had a blast.”
Sean wasn’t the only member of Erik’s Curiosa to get into the action. Several other members of the team joined the field, including Founder and Creative Director Erik Olofsson and members of the Sorcery design team and staff.
Rumor has it that Erik Olofsson’s team left Auckland undefeated. Consider that a challenge for the Avatar of the Realm in November.
The Road Ahead
The 2026 Organized Play season heads into a busy September, beginning with SCG CON Dallas from September 4–6 and Grand Contest Germany in Gelsenkirchen from September 5–6. The action continues at SCG CON Baltimore from September 11–13 and Magic Maze in Prato, Italy, from September 26–27.
Wherever the road takes you next, we’ll see you at the tables.
Find more at Lindsey Crummett's artist page
Share:
