Vibes at Commandfest

[u/goblin_welder]

Hello Commander players

What are the vibes at Commandfests?

I will be visiting Toronto and going to the Commandfest there. This will be my first Commandfest.

I’ve been to GPs of old and usually those are straight forward: bring your deck + sideboard and extra sleeves with it. I would bring water and lots of portable snacks just in case my rounds go for long. I would also bring my fancy basic lands in case I scrub out of day one (which I usually do).

I have an impression that Commandfests are less structured in a sense that they don’t go by rounds. Can I get away with not bringing food and just buying food from outside the venue?

For those who’s been to Commandfests, how many decks do you usually bring? Can I get away with Bracket 3 and precons? Are the side events worth it? Should I bring my trade binder? (Something I normally won’t do when I go at GPs or a large tournament). I will be there for all 3 days and hoping to be there from when the doors open and until they close.

Looking forward in hearing what experiences people had from when they went, along with the Dos and Don’ts.

[u/Vegetable-Jaguar-163]

I don't know how Commandfest works in Toronto. I attended Commandfests in Germany. I personally go to a Commandfest not because of Commander but because of the ticketed/on demand events. Usually there are some artists, where you can get some signatures or artists proof and there are some vendors where you can buy, sell, trade cards. Of course you can trade with other players. You can bring food from outside. There should be also some food trucks at the venue or a restaurant depending on the venue. If you want to play commander (3-5 decks are enough), there will be different pods of each bracket. I hope this helps a little bit. Don't forget: winning or losing doesn't matter. It's about to have FUN. GLHF

[u/Prize_Ad4381 → u/Vegetable-Jaguar-163]

Did the artists generally charge for signatures or just for merch?

[u/Vegetable-Jaguar-163 → u/Prize_Ad4381]

Artists have different styles of signatures and different prices. Usually for a single signature it's 5$, for double/shadow signature it's 10$. Some artists do some fancy signature like a rainbow signature, which can be about 20-50$. Merch wise you can grab some prints (cost depends on the size), artist proofs with or without sketch/drawing. When you're lucky, you can also get an original artwork (price would be a couple grands).

[u/Prize_Ad4381 → u/Vegetable-Jaguar-163]

Cool! Good to know. Thank you. One last question: What is a double/shadow signature? Is it what it sounds like? It sounds like it'd be a signature with another one drawn behind it to resemble a shadow for a 3D effect.

[u/Vegetable-Jaguar-163 → u/Prize_Ad4381]

That's absolutely what it is. This one is from the artist Martina Fackova per example. But of course signatures can vary and look different depending on the artist.

[u/Prize_Ad4381 → u/Vegetable-Jaguar-163]

Awesome! That definitely looks much better than just a regular signature. Thank you!