Scheduling: Between November 15, 2024 – February 6, 2025 (with a key play weekend November 15 – 17); use the Magic Academy: Learn to Play scheduling template

Format: New Player Event

Rules Enforcement Level: Casual

Pairing Method: Player List Only

Material Support:

• Welcome Decks for participants
• Learn-to-Play Brochure and pocket reference card for participants
• Sticker Sheets for new and experienced player participants
• Gift-with-purchase for Magic: The Gathering Foundations Beginner Box, Magic: The Gathering Foundations Starter Collection, Starter Kit or to players who purchase 6 Play Boosters at the Deck Building event
• Magic Community Tutor pins by Pinfinity AR for the most helpful, friendly players (given at your store's discretion)
• Promos will be included with your Magic: The Gathering Foundations seasonal promo kit
• All promos are available while supplies last. For complete promo details, refer to the Promo Usage & Policies hub.

What is Magic Academy: Learn to Play?

Magic Academy: Learn to Play is the first of a two-part series that takes Welcome Decks and additional material support to create an awesome new player experience. Brand new players will learn how to play with a video demo then be paired up to play friendly games.

Experienced players can use this event as their opportunity to teach family and friends and help welcome the next generation of Magic players into the Gathering.

Think of this event as an upgrade to the Open House events we’ve offered in the past, now with more resources and a two-part series you can invite new players to join in. You can schedule and run Magic Academy: Learn to Play as many times as you like. We encourage you to schedule in advance in Wizards EventLink or created as needed to support reporting walk-in customers who request a demo.

Magic Academy: Learn to Play will be the primary demo event experience your store has to offer. Whenever you demo Magic to a group of 1-3 players or more, add them to this event and report the results in Wizards EventLink.

How to Run Magic Academy: Learn to Play

You may schedule as many Magic Academy: Learn to Play events as you'd like during the event period of November 15 – February 6, but we recommend scheduling one during the kickoff weekend of November 15 – 17; we will drive players to stores for that weekend to celebrate the launch of Foundations, and we want your store to be the top of your community's list for a place to play!

Before beginning the event, we strongly encourage that you let players know that they must register with their Wizards Account in order to receive the free-of-charge event materials and participate. If the player doesn’t yet have an account, help them register, set up the Magic: The Gathering Companion App, and enter the event using their Wizards Account.

Start your Magic Academy: Learn to Play event by showing your participants the introductory video. It reviews gameplay basics and showcases what makes Magic such an awesome game. Two players will run through a demo game so newbies can see the rules in action!

After the video, provide each player with a Welcome Deck, a Learn-to-Play brochure, a pocket reference card, and a sticker sheet. As Welcome Decks are only available in English, if your community prefers to learn in another language, we encourage you to use the guided deck experience from the Beginner Box instead.

Upon checking in with the event organizer, players will rate their experience with Magic on a scale of 1-3:

1. Brand New – "I’ve never played Magic before"
2. Intermediate Beginner – "I’ve played a game or two, but I'm still learning as I play"
3. Advanced Beginner – "I've learned the core rules of the game, and am ready to hone my skills"

Event organizers will pair players—by level whenever possible—to practice Magic using their Welcome Decks. Brand new players are encouraged to stick with the mono-colored Welcome Decks; more advanced players can shuffle two Welcome Decks together to try color combinations.

If possible, have a staff person or experienced player available to answer questions or even play a friendly demo game with a new player if there is no one else for them to play with.

Players who purchase a Beginner Box, Starter Collection, Starter Kit, or 6 Play Boosters in-store at any point during the event receive a gift-with-purchase promo!

At the end of the event, encourage new players to keep playing—whether that’s taking home a Beginner Box, practicing on Arena, coming back to check out FNM, or playing more practice games with friends at the kitchen table. Let them know about the next event, Magic Academy: Deck Building, and invite them to return with a friend to keep learning.

Retailer Run & Report Reward Details

WPN retailers that run and report at least one of each Magic Academy event with a minimum of two players—Learn to Play and Deck Building—will receive a sales incentive item to be used during a future play season after Foundations. The reward will be delivered with the promo materials kit for a future play season after Foundations.