It’s summer in Chicago. With temps finding the mid-80s, the Lords of the Pit assembled on a sunny afternoon on the first of June to celebrate Old School MTG jank in this, the first iteration of Solocon, a Singleton-themed event. I hopped off the 77 bus and walked down Rockwell past a complex of semi-ruinous warehouses nestled alongside the Chicago River. Our battleground was at Metropolitan Brewing’s taproom, a lovely, hidden gem of a riverside space in this upcoming part of Avondale. Several kayakers paddled past and I hoped for their sake that their shots were up-to-date as Chicago’s arterial waterway is famously toxic. We Gathered our full complement of ballers, 21 on this day, and fired at half past noon.

The Knights TAPlar of Jackson, MI recently held Kumite! II, their second annual Old School MTG event, on April 13, 2019. One of the event organizers, Paul Fiero, provided a report as well as retrospective on fostering MTG community. Many Lords of the Pit traveled to battle at Kumite! II and we are happy to share his thoughts...

The Lords' final event of 2018, the Ice Storm Social, was my first attempt at organizing a charity MTG tournament. Since I missed Eternal Weekend this year but still needed to scratch that Old School itch, I decided to use my beer industry connections to line up Lagunitas. We rented a killer lounge space at their brewery, located in Chicago’s Pilsen neighborhood, and everyone seemed to love Willy Wonka-inspired decor. Thirty three gnarly mages from around the Midwest and from as far away as Nashville participated. Beer sales from our event benefited the Jack Vasel Memorial Fund and our thirsty crew...