Magic at Gen Con
Gen Con—one of the largest and longest-running tabletop gaming conventions in North America—is taking place in Indianapolis, Indiana, August 1–4, and Magic will be there! Magic and Dungeons & Dragons will have a presence throughout the weekend and a booth in the event hall alongside Hasbro Pulse. You can find the Wizards of the Coast booth at C114 in the event hall.
With informative and interesting panels, all sorts of play events, bigger spectacles, and more, there's going to be a lot of Magic at Gen Con this year. Let's dig into what you'll see there, starting with …
Game Knights Live!
That's right! Jimmy Wong and Josh Lee Kwai of The Command Zone—hosts of the Game Knights series on YouTube—are bringing Game Knights Live to Gen Con!
Game Knights Live has been a mainstay at MagicCon events on Fridays, filling every seat at the Mana Stage with hundreds more standing around to watch all the excitement unfold. Gen Con's rendition of Game Knights Live will bring a more intimate live experience to attending fans. The event will take place on Friday, August 2. Doors to the ballroom will open at 7 p.m. local time, and the event will kick off at 8 p.m.
Gen Con's Game Knights Live will be a ticketed event, and seating is extremely limited. Gen Con attendees interesting in being part of the fun need to sign up now. Don't wait if you want to see the show and if you're attending the convention!
Panels!
There will be plenty of panels taking place featuring Magic at Gen Con. Here's just a small sample of what will be taking place:
- You Make the Unknown Card hosted by Gavin Verhey
- A Magic AMA with Gavin Verhey
- Discovering Bloomburrow – Behind the Scenes of Magic's Coziest Set
- And more!
Many of these panels are already at their preregistered seating capacity, so Gen Con attendees should not wait if they wish to grab a seat at one of these panels.
Play!
Fancy yourself a special experience hosted by one of Magic's principal game designers? Looking to dig into the brand-new Bloomburrow release? Looking for some exciting collectible prizes and some matches of the iconic Legacy Constructed format? Or are you just looking to mingle with some Commander players in a four-person pod?
Regardless of tastes in Magic play, Gen Con's play schedule has hundreds of options for which you can register. Here's just a sample of what attendees can sign up for during the convention.
Into the Unknown with Gavin Verhey
Venture into the Unknown with Principal Game Designer Gavin Verhey! This fan-favorite event from MagicCon will be returning to Gen Con on Sunday, August 4, at 10 a.m. local time. Into the Unknown is exactly what it sounds like—what the event will be is unknown! Players don't need to bring any decks with them to participate, and all necessary boosters and instructions will be provided at the beginning of the event.
Into the Unknown at Gen Con has a seating capacity of 600 players, and this event is highly likely to sell out before the start of the convention. Attendees interested in participating should sign up in advance of Gen Con and at their earliest convenience.
Secret Lair Showdown Featuring Legacy Constructed
The Secret Lair Showdown will make its first stop at Gen Con, bringing Legacy Constructed fans some exciting collectible promos to win!
The Secret Lair Showdown is an awesome promo card showcase featuring some of the coolest Secret Lair prize cards you can get your hands on. Players will compete in qualifier events taking place on Thursday through Saturday to earn a seat at the 32-person Championship event, which takes place on Sunday and will be their shot at earning a highly coveted Secret Lair prize card.
Every participant scores a special version of Spell Pierce, featuring the art of Michael Koehler, just for playing in a qualifier event.
Players who compete in Sunday's Secret Lair Showdown Championship event get a special prize card version of Murktide Regent featuring the art of Rowynn Ellis.
Finally, there can only be one winner at the end of the weekend. And that player will head home with an elusive and beautiful variation of Dark Ritual featuring the artwork of Wizard of Barge.
Thursday and Friday will each feature a single qualifier event, with both days' events starting at 12 p.m. local time. Saturday will feature two qualifiers, one taking place at 12 p.m. and the other at 5 p.m. local time. Eight players from each event will earn qualification into Sunday's 32-person Championship event.
Seating for each event is limited, so attendees interested in competing should refer to Gen Con's event tickets page to sign up in advance of the convention.
Lots of Bloomburrow!
Gen Con coincides with the global launch of Bloomburrow, and you will have plenty of opportunities to play in events featuring the latest release. This includes Sealed events, on-demand Booster Draft, Two-Headed Giant, and much more.
So Much More!
Not sure if will have the time for one of the above play opportunities? Did the event you were interested in sell out before you could sign up? Well, there are over 400 events that you can sign up for if you're looking to play some Magic, with options ranging from Precon Commander Chaos and Win-a-Box Constructed events to Regional Championship Qualifiers (RCQs).
Head on over to the Gen Con event page to see what Magic events are taking place on the days you are attending and be sure to sign up early for whatever strikes your interest the most!
Promo Card!
Gen Con will have a brand-new Secret Lair promo featuring the art of manga and graphic novel artist Toru Terada.
Gen Con attendees can get their hands on a copy of this traditional foil promo card by doing one of the following:
- Playing in a Magic event at Gen Con that costs $40 or more*
- Purchasing a Secret Lair drop at the Hasbro Pulse booth E501
*Note: This promotion only applies to scheduled Magic events at Gen Con 2024. On-demand Magic events do not count towards this promotion.
Of note, the Secret Lair drop Burning Revelations—featuring art from renowned artist Ricardo Cavolo—will be available for purchase at the convention at the Hasbro Pulse booth, which is across the aisle from the Wizards booth.
Please note that the Burning Revelations Secret Lair drop will only be available to purchase in limited quantities, so act early in the convention if you'd like to purchase one because they may sell out before the end of the event!
You'll also be to purchase this Gen Con exclusive t-shirt with art by Colby Nichols, available at the Hasbro Pulse Booth. The heart of Magic is in the colors, and Colby Nichols beautifully brought each color of mana to life in this awesome convention keepsake.
Gen Con is widely known as one of North America's most fun and exciting tabletop gaming events of the year, and we're very excited to be part of this year's gathering on August 1–4. We hope to see you there!