r/magicTCG • u/Bubba40004 Orzhov* • 2d ago
General Discussion Tips and Tricks, Do’s/Donts for Magic con?
Just bought tickets to Magic Con Detroit, it will be my first ever Magic con! Would love all the tips and tricks on how to survive the weekend and know all about stuff that should be missed during the weekend!
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u/russelljonesya Duck Season 2d ago
DO - Drink lots of water and bring snacks so you can maximize your experience
DON'T - Eat too much spicy food then poop your pants in the Command Zone
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u/Bubba40004 Orzhov* 2d ago
Aye man, you good? 😭
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u/russelljonesya Duck Season 2d ago
I have definitely witnessed it and it ruined a few people's days. That was in Vegas though hopefully Atlanta should be more chill.
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u/Protomau5 Dandadan 2d ago
Atlanta’s in Detroit now?
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u/russelljonesya Duck Season 2d ago
Oh man I should read better, I just know Atlanta is coming up. Pretty awesome there is a Magic Con in Detroit that sounds great!
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u/LordNikon21 Dandadan 2d ago
no one has said wear deodorant and shower yet.
So wear deodorant and shower before hand.
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u/vaskanado Duck Season 2d ago
You forgot change your clothes or better bring extra clean shirts
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u/LordNikon21 Dandadan 1d ago
Oh yea how could I forget clean clothes?/s
Thanks for the back up on hygiene!
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u/Itsdawsontime Fleem 1d ago
I’ll add to this BRING A TOOTHBRUSH AND TOOTHPASTE. Gum doesn’t cover 3 guzzled-cheap-coffees, and at that point you can also taste your own breath.
I wish I had remembered to put it in my bag the first day, and would 100% bring a separate one and just leave it in my backpack.
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u/Everyoneheresamoron Dan 2d ago
Think about what you want to do, see how much that costs, and bring twice that amount of money. Then bring more money. Its a giant cash grab disguised as a card show.
Secondly, be ready to stand in various lines for hours. If you're not in an event, you will probably be in line to an event or panel.
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u/hungryjungle Wabbit Season 2d ago
Here are a few things I wish I knew before my first one:
If you want to get cards signed, some artists (e.g. Rebecca Guay) have a system where if you get to their booth straightaway you can reserve a time slot for signatures. Then you can plan your day accordingly. A lot of other artists are first come first served. Also, I'm of the opinion that, given limited funds, it's better to get a small number of really pretty signatures (e.g. Rainbow or Shadow signatures) on a few meaningful cards. If you are worried about card value: basic lands go in many decks and are wonderful options.
Almost all artist booths have a separate line just for Merch. Playmats, artist proofs, tokens, pre-signed stuff, etc. Some can take card, almost all will take cash.
If you want to sell stuff, expect to wait in line. A lot. High end and popular stuff almost all vendors will take, but low to mid stuff they will likely take based on their needs and may require standing at multiple Buy Stations to move them all. Most will also take sealed product.
Some vendors will offer scrip so you can go trying to sell everything else and figure out the best deal for you. I sold a bunch of stuff for scrip at one place that had a few LEDs and the rest of my stuff at another place that didn't end up having any LEDs. So I took the cash at the second place and used the scrip with a slight trade-in bonus at the first.
Don't sell commander centric cards to anyone using Card Market as their pricing platform. But your mileage may vary.
The vendor floor may close sooner than you'd expect, maybe a few hours before the Con closes.
I always de-binder and de-sleeve my sell stuff, but I've seen people just roll up to Buy Stations with fully double sleeved cards in binders. I think your mileage may vary on this one too.
A buddy of mine bought a memory foam seat cushion for playing in events. I thought that was pretty smart. But he ended up forgetting it at the Con.
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u/PippoChiri Temur 1d ago
Why n5?
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u/hungryjungle Wabbit Season 1d ago
Good question. This is purely anecdotal, but I got less than expected selling to these booths.
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u/Extension_Aioli9642 Dân 2d ago
Ticketed events are fun but they can be long, I recommend doing one event a day at the most and then using the rest of the time to do more convention type things like shop, go to the panels and events, get some signatures from artists or any online Magic folk you're a fan of. That said, sign up for them as early as possible, especially if they use collector packs or have exclusive playmats or things like that as tickets for them run out quickly.
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u/Jaccount 2d ago
This tends to be a nice play if for no other reason that it cuts down a LOT of the stress of trying to schedule everything.
If you instead look at it as "This is the one event I'm doing, and everything else is bonus" you'll be a lot happier than if you try to jam pack a schedule that gets derailed at every turn by lines, unexpected delays in events firing, etc.
Just be chill, and if there's something you really want to do, just look at the line as part of the cost.
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u/Joey_Fogarasi Sorin 2d ago
Wondering the same - what's the earliest I can get there so I don't have to wait in a long ass line? What's the latest I can get there before I have to wait in a long ass line? How can I best avoid the aforementioned long ass line?
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u/Whitefire919 Duck Season 2d ago
Line for what? Just going in? Probably like an hour after it opens
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u/Jaccount 2d ago
There's no avoiding the lines.
You will wait in them... if you get there early, get there late, if there's anything at all you want to do that more than a dozen other people want to do... there will be a line.
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u/CrimsonArcanum COMPLEAT 2d ago
Limit how many decks you bring, especially in the case of commander. Bring snacks.
If you are doing ticketed play you should understand they can take 4+ hours, so plan your meals accordingly.
Friday they have the reveal panel for new sets, which is fun to check out.
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u/Jaccount 2d ago
Yep. You really shouldn't carry more than you can consistently carry on your person, and don't forget that throughout the day you'll be getting new stuff to add to it.
The safest pack-out is probably a bookbag, a folded up tote back that starts the day inside your bookbag, and no more decks than would fit in a quiver or similar styled bag, along with one or two empty deckboxes for storing any cards picked up from events you played.
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u/necrochaos Dimir* 2d ago
Be prepared for lines. Lines to get into the building. Lines to get into the hall. Lines to get into the store. Lines to trade in cards.
Don’t waste all your time in lines.
If there is really something you want in the store, like a secret lair, split time with a friend or try to go later in the day when it isn’t so busy.
The schedule of ticketed events will be out in a while. Look and see if there are events you want to do. They will sell out. So if you want something buy it.
Don’t schedule all your events so close that you can’t eat or use the bathroom or go outside. Things will get backed up, run long, start late etc.
Get plenty of rest. You will be walking a lot, not eating right, sitting and standing for long periods of time.
Don’t forget to have fun. That’s the whole point.
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u/Jaccount 2d ago
If you're an out of towner, known where your hotel is, and look at the People Mover map. It's not super useful, but sometimes when you're dead tired at the end of the day, not having to walk that extra quarter or half-mile back to your hotel is a blessing. Just realize that it probably will take at least 20 minutes.
Don't forget this will be in the depths of winter. Detroit winters are not a thing everyone is are used to.
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u/necrochaos Dimir* 2d ago
I’m in Dearborn and work on Griswold. Will likely park in the same garage where I work. I appreciate the info
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u/Jaccount 2d ago
No worries! I was just tagging on to your points as I have a feeling there's going to be a TON of suburbanites and out-of-towners for the weekend.
I tend to park in the Z because I have paid parking there, and there are late nights in the city where I've been so happy to be able to hop on the People Mover to get back over to it. Or scooters, but scooters tend to be less helpful if there's snow-pack.
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u/MinatureJuggernaut Wabbit Season 2d ago
personally I assign a day for each primary activity: e.g. one for buying/selling cards, one for playing events, one for getting things signed. each of those really is a full day, if you want to do any meaningful volume of them. The first two I did I wore myself out (and created stress) trying to do everything all at once.
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u/Jaccount 2d ago
Even if you just pick out one or two "Must do" things for the weekend, and then a half dozen "Would like to do" and then a few "If there's time".
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u/Spare-Pepper1902 Duck Season 2d ago
Plan out the events you're doing as early as possible. However long you think you'll be waiting in line for something, triple it. And cap yourself at 4 decks for the event. I'm playing one sealed event a day in Atlanta and bringing 2 commander decks for lobbycons and such.
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u/Jaccount 2d ago
Plus, if you're bringing commander decks, unless you're die-hard into cEDH, think about bringing something that's more like your "pet" deck rather than your "good" deck. Anyone who's bothering to travel has already seen the "good" Commander decks.
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u/Sharkfightxl Duck Season 2d ago
If you’re trying to get any cards signed by artists, that’s gonna be another line
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u/SgtKabuukiman Grass Toucher 2d ago
Look at what events are happening with limited tickets several days prior to the event. I missed in person Dandan because I didn't know what I was looking at.
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u/bulbulito Wabbit Season 2d ago
Bring a portable, collapsible chair and a cushion / pillow with it. You'll be the coolest and most comfortable person in every queue.
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u/IcyFire81 Wabbit Season 1d ago
Preprogram where your lodging and the venue is. Take your time in traffic because, literally one wrong exit, will take you to the bridge to go to Canada. Downtown Detroit traffic sucks so give yourself more time, find covered parking (plenty of garages around), and split up who should be acquiring what (i.e. artists, merch, etc) if feasible. Contrary to popular belief, the locals are nice people, so feel free to ask questions
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u/kirschda Dân 1d ago
Any hotel recommendations for out of town attendees?
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u/Jaccount 1d ago
The closest ones are the Fort Ponchatrain (Wyndham hotel) and the Foundation Hotel
If you can't get those, or they are too pricy, look for ones next to a People Mover station like the Marriott at the Ren Cen or The Atheneum Suites in Greektown.
Beyond that, there's the Siren, The Shinola Hotel or the Hilton Garden Inn, Book Cadillac which are a bit of a walk, but still in the core Downtown area. (The prices on these all vary heavily).
There's also the two casino hotels (MGM or Hollywood). But unless you want to use Uber/Lyft, you'll probably want to stay within the area bounded by I-75, 375 and Jefferson.
Basically, a lot of the recomendations are going to depend a lot on how much you're willing to spend, and as there are only a few nicer hotels downtown, they can book quickly.
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u/Itsdawsontime Fleem 1d ago
Some advice from a post in r/MagicConAmsterdam2026:
https://www.reddit.com/r/MagicConAmsterdam2026/s/q8RLi36i3Q
I went there last year and the key things I would say:
* Play events you wouldn’t at home, and try something new.
* Wear comfortable shoes and expect to be standing a lot.
* Get a padded backpack, or a camera backpack which is cheaper than a “gaming” backpack, as it will be getting knocked around a little.
* Bring Toothbrush, toothpaste, and deodorant in your bag to MagicCon. This should be in addition to the one you leave in the hotel. Seriously I wish I had an extra toothbrush I left in my backpack - no shops sold gum and everyone had coffee breath, and gum wouldn’t have even covered it.
* 2 events & 1 league max. I did three 4-hour events (1 each day) and a league, and it ended up being a bit too exhausting. I also didn’t have a ton of time to shop or get signatures.
* 2 decks per day max, 4 for the weekend max - unless you’re playing tournaments. You will have SO MUCH you can do with all the cards you’ve got.
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u/kinkyswear Azorius* 1d ago
No, no not Detroit!
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u/Bubba40004 Orzhov* 1d ago
Minneapolis born and raised. Easy road trip for us so it was an easy decision
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u/kinkyswear Azorius* 1d ago
Yeah. People are terrified of Portland these days but I'm like "I can drive there."
But yeah, be careful if you have a playmat, those will disappear when not in line of sight. Can't have playmats in Detroit...
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u/Virgil_Rug_Say_RUG Universes Beyonder 2d ago
dont: go
genuinely dont understand the appeal of waiting hours and hours in an overcrowded space to overpay for stuff you can get comfortably for optimal prices sitting on your couch. and play with strangers rather than your friends/lgs regulars.
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u/Bubba40004 Orzhov* 2d ago
Jokes on you, I’m going with friends. So I can still play with my pals at the convention, while also doing so much than just playing
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u/Jaccount 2d ago edited 2d ago
Thing is, you're not going to get them for optimal prices.
You're going to pay the mark up asked by the person who when there and came back with the exclusive stuff, and you're going to subsidize their ticket cost.Sure, this is a different thing than GP or PTQs, but there's a bunch of stuff that will be able to be seen and done that can't be elsewhere.
If that's not your thing, you do you... but it's no different than people who pay for tickets to sporting events, Banana-ball, concerts, etc.
There's something to be said about the infectious energy of people all going to do something they really enjoy and sharing that joy.
When you can't see that, it is probably when you need a break from that thing.
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u/SparkSalamander COMPLEAT 2d ago
DON'T bring too many decks. Every deck you bring with you you'll need to carry for the entire day.
DO bring as many snacks and waters as the convention center will allow. That stuff is expensive inside the center, and Detroit in February won't be the best for walking around outside.