Gathering ‘Magic’ in Atlanta

Eric Damain Andrews of Sophiatown will be the only South African competing at an international play-off tournament in Atlanta, Georgia this week. This ‘pro-tournament’ is held three times a year and the top players of the enormously popular CCG strategy game Magic the Gathering: Duels of the Planeswalkers compete against each other for the grand prize.

Andrews cemented his spot in the tournament in Atlanta by winning the local play-offs against 120 other South African hopefuls in January.

“It’s a huge deal,” Jonathan Meintjies, Andrews’ employer at Innovation Alliance in Melville confides. Twelve million players across the world strive to be chosen for this privilege, and only the cream of the crop are selected to compete in the televised three-day competition. At the pro-tournament players can compete for large cash prizes – $250 000 is up for grabs in this competition.

Andrews, whose colleagues describe him as ‘self-effacing and humble’ said that he was feeling quite nervous about the approaching tournament in the USA.

“I’m excited, and I also feel cautious. In the worst-case scenario, even if I come last, I’ll be able to take memories back home with me.”

“It’s difficult to explain the game to the uninitiated,” he admitted.

“I suppose I’d describe it as a mix of chess and poker, except you’re controlling thousands of pieces. In short you’ve got sixty cards, lands with resources to control and there are hundreds and hundreds of strategies to use. Every game is different.”

The popularity of the game has even prompted 20th Century Fox to make a franchise film deal with the creators of Magic the Gathering (colloquially known as MTG,) and they expect the films to be as popular as Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings. MTG is available on Xbox, PC, Playstation, network, Ipad and Android, but Andrews says players gather at game centers to play it as well. People in other parts of the world play the game professionally.

“If I was a pro-player, I would never be late for work,” Andrews joked.

South-Africa doesn’t have the internet infrastructure to support professional players of the game though.

“I’m going to try and win. I want to win. But there are more than 400 professional players there (at the tournament) and then there’s little old me. Winning the tournament has never been achieved by a South African. In fact, no South African has ever made it to day two, the second phase of the tournament.”

“I’m really excited for him, it’s a wonderful opportunity,” Meintjies enthused. “And it’s not just because he’s going overseas, but because he’s competing against the world’s best. I think he’s got a good chance, knowing him as I do. We’re wishing him the best. I want to see a trophy when he comes back.”

“I’m impressed beyond speech,” Peter Nickles, one of Damain’s colleagues interjected. “And Jonathan is gibbering with excitement. It’s a life changing experience, and,” he grinned, eyes twinkling, “We’re not going to miss him very much at all.”

CP: “You know, us geeks never expect the hype,” Damain Andrews said when asked how he felt about winning his place in the international gaming tournament.

The tournament starts on 16 May will be streamed live and can be watched on DailyMTG.com.