Lincoln Commander League (LCL)

Lincoln Commander League

A competitive Commander-format league for Magic: the Gathering, meeting at HobbyTown Lincoln on Mondays at 6:15pm. There are prizes every week, plus more at the end of each season!

ABOUT

The Lincoln Commander League (LCL) will play from 6:15pm to 8pm every Monday at HobbyTown Lincoln in pods of three or four players, and players will earn points via attendance and victory. At the end of each League Season, top players will be awarded HobbyTown gift cards!

Date: Every Monday
Time: 6:15pm
(registration starts before 6pm, 6:10pm is the last call to get in line)
Entry: $5
Format: Commander

Standings:

LCL Summer 2023 Standings (June 19th-August 28th, Playoffs start September 4th)

FAQs:

  • How does the point system work?

We’re using a modified swiss tournament structure utilizing a point based system where a win = 3 points, a draw = 1 point, a loss = 0 points, and playing in a pod = 1 additional point. Standings and pairings are based on total points earned with tie-breakers for strength of schedule and win percentage.

  • How long is the league?

The league will run on Monday nights at 6:15pm for ten weeks each season, after which there will be one or two-week playoff depending on league attendance.

  • Is there an entry fee?

Yes, there will be a $5 entry fee plus tax to play in the league each night. This will go towards supporting the store, playoffs, and also weekly prizes.

  • What rules do I need to follow for deck-building?

We follow the Commander RC banned list, (https://mtgcommander.net/index.php/banned-list), and Wizards of the Coast specifically do not allow proxies to be played in the league.

  • When are cards legal for play when a new set is released?

To keep things consistent across all HobbyTown events, cards from new sets are legal in-store starting on the release date, (generally one week after the pre-release)

Cards are now legal for play in Commander starting with the set’s pre-release date.

  • What if I can’t make it one night?

Not a big deal – you aren’t required to play each and every week. However, remember that playing weekly will get you at least one point for attending.

  • Are there any weeks where I am not supposed to play?

No, not at all – you are free to join and play at any point in the regular season and also the playoff weeks. It’s usually recommended that newer players start during the playoffs as competition should be lower and there are also more prizes during these weeks. The first few weeks of the league can be a little rough for new players so be aware you may want to join later.

  • What can I expect on a typical night?

Show up to the store around 6:00 pm and make your way to the back register to pay your entry fee. Last call for sign in will be announced at 6:10pm and the week’s pairing/seating will begin at 6:15pm. We’ll make an announcement after this process and you’ll be given a table to sit at with other players.

Players will be grouped based on points/standing and pods will be created based on those players. Sit down at your assigned table and randomly determine the starting player and then resolve mulligans as necessary, (First mulligan is free then London). Play and complete your timed match after which you’ll record your results and turn them back in.

  • What happens if we run out of time during a match?

Round length for regular league games is 90 minutes. If the match time limit is reached before a winner is determined, the player whose turn it is finishes their turn and up to three additional turns are played in total, (one for each other remaining player). Excluding the player whose turn it is each -other- player will normally get one additional turn, but a player taking extra turns may affect this. If there is still no winner after these additional turns, any players who have not been eliminated will be considered to have drawn, with the weekly prize going to one of them randomly. Any players eliminated prior to the end still receive a loss as per usual.

  • How do prizes work?

We’ll distribute prizes nightly to winners as well as random door prizes based on attendance. Then at the end of the ten weeks we’ll have a playoff where you’ll have a chance to win even more prizes. Prizes are usually in the form of promotional cards and store gift cards.

  • What if I didn’t make the playoffs?

Even if you didn’t make the playoffs you can still attend and play for a chance to win additional prizes, as we’ll have a side-event running alongside the playoffs.

It’s still a good idea to attend these weeks even if you didn’t make the playoffs because we may have a player that was supposed to be in the playoffs not be available which means we’ll need to pull the next player available. So there’s still a chance that you do end up making the playoffs.

  • What if I -did- make the playoffs?

First off, Congratulations! Standings from the regular season will determine your table and seat for the playoffs and also determine turn order. The better you do in the regular season, the lower (better) your seed will be for the playoffs:

Week 11, (Semi-Finals):

  • Table 1 – Seed 1 will go first playing against Seed 14, Seed 15 and Seed 16 with Seed 14 playing second, Seed 15 playing third and Seed 16 playing last.
  • Table 2 – Seed 2 will go first playing against Seed 11, Seed 12 and Seed 13 with Seed 11 playing second, Seed 12 playing third and Seed 13 playing last.
  • Table 3 – Seed 3 will go first playing against Seed 8, Seed 9 and Seed 10 with Seed 9 playing second, Seed 12 playing third and Seed 13 playing last.
  • Table 4 – Seed 4 will go first playing against Seed 5, Seed 6 and Seed 7 with Seed 5 playing second, Seed 6 playing third and Seed 7 playing last.

Week 12, (Finals):

The winners from the top four tables in the the previous week will move onto the Finals and play in the winner’s bracket. Decklists are required for these players, you can build your decklist using moxfield and submit those in an email to Joel Teply.

The players who didn’t win the previous week among the top four tables are paired against each other at random at the next three tables and will play for additional prizes.

For each week in the playoffs seat and turn order are determined by player seed where the lower seed goes first.

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