June 24, 1998 (Seattle, Wash.) -- Wizards of the Coast has announced the 1998 Magic: The Gathering National Championships will take place in Columbus, Ohio, July 3-5, at the Columbus Convention Center. Last year's reigning champion, Justin Gary, will be among the nation's top Magic players, who will compete in this three-day event that will award more than $58,000 in cash prizes, along with the prestigious 1998 U.S. National Champion title. Additionally, the top four finishers will represent the United States as the U.S. National Team in the 1998 Magic: The Gathering World Championships, slated for Aug. 12-16 in Seattle.
As part of Origins '98, the nation's largest international adventure game expo and fair, the 1998 Magic: The Gathering National Championships will be one of the many highlighted weekend events. More than 1,000 walk-in tournament players are expected to participate on July 3, 1998, in an open competition to win one of eight remaining invitations to the National tournament. Spectators attending the National tournament will also have an opportunity to participate in various amateur Magic tournaments, as well as buy and trade Magic cards and demo other Wizards of the Coast games.
The 24th Origins International Game Expo and Fair promises fun for all types of gaming enthusiasts. More than 10,000 gaming enthusiasts from around the world are expected to attend, enjoying more than 250 exhibitor booths, 1,600 gaming activities and special guest appearances by Star Wars stars David Prowse and Jeremy Bulloch, Babylon 5's leading actress Mira Furlan, and comic artist and writer John Byrne. Passes are available for spectators for $12/day and $35/weekend, in addition to $16/day and $45/weekend for players participating in gaming events at Origins.
The Magic: The Gathering trading card game promotes strategy, mathematics, and critical thinking and has become the intellectual sport of the '90s. Developed by a math professor, Magic contains elements similar to bridge and chess and is often played in a tournament setting, with amateur and professional Magic players competing throughout the year to earn rankings and win prizes. To help players track their rankings, Wizards of the Coast created the DCI players' organization, the governing authority for all officially sanctioned Magic tournaments and events. Since its inception in 1995, DCI membership has grown to more than 250,000 players.
Wizards of the Coast is a leading developer and publisher of entertainment products, including the world's bestselling Magic: The Gathering trading card game. Wizards of the Coast subsidiaries include TSR Inc. and Five Rings Publishing Group Inc. Headquartered just outside of Seattle, Wizards of the Coast has international offices in Antwerp, Paris, London and Milan. For more information on Wizards of the Coast, visit the company's website at www.wizards.com.