Would-be wizards matched wits in the Parks, Culture, and Recreation multipurpose room on January 4th in Unalaska's first official 'Magic: The Gathering' tournament. 18 middle and high school competitors faced off in the strategic card game where players collect cards, build decks, and duel their opponents. The local tournament was designed by PCR coordinators Carlos Tayag and Andrew Miller to reflect the Magic: The Gathering sanctioned rules and structure. Unalaska's reigning champion with the winning combination of strategy and luck was Kei Kawada followed by Johnny Khongsuk in second place. 

Magic: The Gathering is the premier strategic fantasy card game of its kind, and has inspired myriad other games which have been modeled after it since its inception in 1993. The game has held onto its popularity for over 20 years, and was recently announced to have a film adaptation underway. The basic premise of Magic pits players against each other to battle with spells, enchantments, artifacts, creatures, and weapons of varying strength to defeat their opponents. The depth of strategy at tournament level has been compared to that of a chess match. 

Carlos Tayag says the game of Magic has picked up some recent popularity with the middle and high school youth in Unalaska over the past three months. "Our goal at PCR is to catch trends early on and develop relevant cultural programs, as well as provide opportunities for kids to interact directly while encouraging positive hobbies." Carlos is a veteran wizard, or "planeswalker," in his own right and began playing with Magic cards about eight years ago. He brought his cards when he moved to Unalaska and was happy to introduce the game to PCR after being approached by local teens to get a club started. For interested newcomers, PCR will be holding a how-to-play clinic on February 22nd and the next official tournament is scheduled for March 1st.