The Magic: The Gathering club remains popular with students as plans develop to drive engagement and attract new members.

Chase Gallentine and Aiden George, club president and vice president, respectively, organize MTG club meetings once a week.

The Magic: The Gathering (MTG) club received a steady rise in membership over the last semester as interest in the card game increased. Gallentine and George said these new members are regarded as one of the club’s great successes in recent history.

“I didn’t know how many people were interested in this card game,” George, a sophomore political science major from Walnut Ridge, Arkansas, said. “So many people from the community and from A-State show up to our nights and play and have fun with other people.” 

Noah Anselmi, a sophomore general studies major from Bradford, Arkansas, said he was introduced to the game through friends affiliated with the MTG club.

“I was just in the cafeteria one day and I was sitting with Chase and he was talking about it,” Anselmi said. “I said ‘you know what, I want to build a deck, just for fun’ and since that day I’ve just been playing.”

George said the MTG club has found members mainly through word of mouth. Gallentine, a sophomore creative media major from Hoxie, Arkansas, said the club has recently branched into social media, such as Instagram. The club also occasionally tables in the student union. 

As a part of driving engagement, the MTG club routinely hosts tournaments in which players compete against each other. Gallentine said these tournaments attract both seasoned players and newcomers.

“So far we’ve only had three tournaments,” Gallentine said. “But last semester, we had like 30 or 40 people show up for a tournament. It was the most because our first tournament, I think only 10 people showed up to.”

George said many members of the club also attend an independently organized event called “Magic at the Museum.” The event is hosted monthly at the Bradbury Art Museum by BAM registrar Juan Montes-Guantes. George said he endorses “Magic at the Museum,” even though the MTG club does not organize it.

George said roles in the club have shifted frequently.

The club is training a new treasurer since the previous one graduated and George plans to assume the role of president next semester. 

Gallentine said the MTG club is looking to host more events throughout the semester and hopes to host another tournament in May.

Schedules, meeting times and other updates can be found at the MTG club Instagram at @astate_mtg_club.

Categories: Life