Psst. Let’s chat about poorly kept secrets, Assassin sightings & other summer MTG Community Updates at Zulu’s.
In case we haven't met, my name's Eric and I'm the Tournament Organizer for Magic at Zulu's. I love Magic and am happy to say that the Zulu's Magic community is huge and healthy, with lots of room for more players and fans of every format. I only interact with a small percentage of you at these events, but I'm happy to share them here with you and look forward to meeting you.
Before we start: go grab your calendar. Zulu’s has a ton of Magic the Gathering events underway & in the pipe that you won’t want to miss, including a few you’ve probably never heard of! I’ll summarize them here and include links to deep-dive into when you find one that resonates with you. When in doubt, check our calendar, check our discord or call the store (425-818-8122). We want to see you at the magic tables!
Convention Magic
If you are reading this in the Pacific Northwest region, look for Zulu’s at Geekfest (downtown Everett) & PAX West (downtown Seattle). Expect an insane prize-wall and formats that will make you want to play all day. Here’s a link to event tickets. Plus there’s a commander play area… Oh and speaking of Magical….have you seen the Artist lineup for Geekfest!? Come get some signatures and amazing prints. They are collocated with Zulus.
Summer Draft Series & Championship
Every Wednesday and some Saturdays we draft our favorite sets with an eye on winning invitations or earning series point to get into the Summer Invitational Championship. We’ve just finished with MH3 and are about to dive into Bloomburrow. This is a great community and the rotating formats help keep the magic fresh.
Modern
We’re playing consistently on Saturdays, leading up to a Modern RCQ in Sept. (We tried playing Friday nights but didn’t get enough players. We’ll restart Fridays leading up to the RCQ.) This eternal format has gotten new energy thanks to the release of Modern Horizons 3!
Youth and Beginner Magic
Every Friday and on Open House Saturdays we celebrate our newest and younger players. With close expert supervision, we have an emphasis on making Magic fun while learning the associated skills needed to play in any setting. Really new players jump right in with JumpStart. Once those skills are mastered, we draft the latest set. Bonus promos for perfect drafts and booster packs for everyone who plays at least one game.
Lynnwood Magic
In one of the worst kept secrets ever, Zulu’s is opening a new location in Lynnwood, with Sean (far left) & Gar (far right), proprietors! Located in the site of the former Gamer’s Heaven, it will be your next home away from home for FNM and gaming.
We’ll deep dive into all the juicy details in a dedicated announcement, but for now we assure you you’ll be able to FNM to your heart’s content at a date soon to be announced (hint: rhymes with rawgust)
Friday Night Magic
Speaking of FNM, this weekend we’re doing something special for FNM and then repeating it on Saturday at 7pm for folks who couldn't play (or want to play again). It’ll be super fun, so you won’t want to miss it.
Since it came out, we’ve been doing experimental Assassin’s Creed Beyond drafts. And, despite this set not being meant for draft, we’ve locked on a winning formula. Don’t worry, we’ve done enough of these to be confident that you’ll have fun. This powerful format uses 4 x Assassin’s Creed (ACR) beyond boosters + one each from Kamigawa (NEO) and Murders at Karlov Manor (MKM). Players will combine two ACR boosters and draft from them, passing left. Then they’ll crack a NEO booster and pass right. Then an MKM booster to the left, followed by two more ACR boosters going to the right. From these 6 boosters players will build 40 card minimum decks and play 3 rounds of swiss 1 v 1.
Note: ACR is not a color balanced set, and green is underrepresented. So expect a huge number of evasive Assassins and decks built around them (+ freerunning), equipment, Historic / Legendary matters and disguised/cloaked creatures (introduced in MKM). Each draft pod will probably include a green player who gets their choice of those cards, or players will just splash the good stuff.
Prizes will be in ACR beyond boosters.
Cube and Legacy
These eternal formats get lots of players on Tuesdays in the main store. Tickets are available at the counter and all the details you might want can be found on the associated Cube and Legacy Discord channels.
Commander free play
Commander players basically take over Zulu’s on Thursdays. Everything from precons to CEDH (competitive Elder Dragon Highlander) can be found. The energy is great. And there can be only one…
Zulu's loves & celebrates Two-Headed-Giant
Zulu’s is one of the very few shops in the area that embraces 2HG play, where teams have twice the fun as ‘regular’ magic. Back in June when MH3 released, we broke our previous (LotR) record with 62 players. Your next chance to play will be 2pm both Saturdays of Bloomburrow prerelease and release weekends.
Old School
Have you even heard about Old-School Magic? Prepare to be amazed. This format celebrates the beginning days of Magic, when creatures were bad and mana burned you at the end of steps and phases. Ouch! This is also the format where you’re most likely to see a Black Lotus or Time Walk casually played. Zulu’s is proud to host the Emerald City Trolls, who can be found playing all throughout the Pacific Northwest region. At Zulu’s we play on the first and third Thursdays of each month.
Did we miss anything? Pauper and Standard are a thing but aren’t played much at Zulus. If that's your jam, you're welcome to use our Discord to organize and play.
I look forward to seeing you at the Magic table!
