An Ode to Strixhaven
A guest post about Magic the Gathering at Neighborhood Comics
Post by Gabrielle Lively - Gabby has been a book seller with us for a few months now, and has taken to the role of hosting Friday night Magic the Gathering Commander play. She’s probably the person that packed your online order. So be nice.
I often joke, “When I quit drinking, I just replaced one addiction for another.” That addiction? Magic the Gathering.
I learned how to play Magic only this past October during the release of Marvel’s Spider-Man. Longtime Neighborhood shoppers might recognize this as the beginning of Magic at Neighborhood. I will always refer to this as my 2001: A Space Odyssey “Dawn of Man” moment. In introducing the product to staff and having to learn about it, I also wanted to learn how to play it. So one Sunday afternoon, Corbin led a Magic Academy: Learn to Play event and I, 33, sat across Sal, 15, and learned … and lost. A lot. Very humbly. Very awkwardly.
Six months later, I’m still losing - but now I’m holding my own against some of the more veteran players of the shop. It’s what I look forward to every week! Researching cards and plotting decks is my new glass of wine at the end of a long day. Simply put, Magic has brought so much joy into my life. It has been the hobby I needed to carry me through hard times - something I could both ground myself in and lose myself in at the same time. Within it, I found a community at Neighborhood that not only supported and encouraged me, but consistently challenged me to do and be better. To grow.
And that’s what the Strixhaven pre-release was all about: Growth. April’s Secrets of Strixhaven prerelease was hands down the most fun I’ve had hosting yet. I hadn’t seen or felt the shop so alive before. What started six months ago as just a table of three playing in the shop turning into Corbin setting up tables on the sidewalk because we’re at capacity inside is wild growth. New faces sitting down with regulars. All ages. For many, it was their first prerelease event. That nervousness and excitement was palpable. It was loud, a little chaotic, and, at times, overstimulating. But it was absolutely perfect. Seeing everyone leaned in, smiling, laughing, I felt so honored to be a part of it all. While the world at times can feel so bleak and burning, here was a safe space for everyone to express themselves.
By the end of the night, it didn’t matter who came in experienced or not. We were all present. A reminder of what community feels like at its best. And that’s the thing about Magic at Neighborhood: you don’t have to be a specific type of player or experience level to belong. You don’t need to know every rule or card. You just have to show up.
Neighborhood Comics hosts open-play Magic the Gathering Commander nights every Monday and Friday at 1205 Bull St in Savannah, GA. Find out about pre-releases, tournaments and academy sessions at https://events.neighborhoodcomics.com.