Written by Jim Ziegler

Magic: The Gathering hasn’t always been the most inclusive environment: Some early cards contained intolerant themes and iconography against specific religious and ethnic groups, which have since been added to the banned list, and the early days of the game saw art almost exclusively featuring white men or scantily-clad women whenever humans were included. But fantasy media, including games like Magic: The Gathering and Dungeons & Dragons, has always served as something of a refuge for people who may look like everyone around them, but feel excluded on a deeper level.

 

Despite the testosterone-fueled tropes of barbarians and other burly men rescuing princesses and other scantily-clad damsels-in-distress, fantasy media has always been somewhat accepting of queer-coded characters. Sure, you’re more likely to find queer stereotypes attached to villains such as The Lion King’s Scar, but you can find casually gay themes all the way back to one of the oldest recorded stories, the Epic of Gilgamesh, and even L. Frank Baum’s Oz books prominently featured a boy who realized that he was actually a girl trapped in the wrong body, an early representation of trans identity that most missed by sticking to the movies.

 

Wizards of the Coast has been actively including representation of the LGBTQ+ community for several years now, including revealing fan-favorite characters such as Chandra Nalar and Ral Zarek as bisexual and gay, respectively. A handful of prominent Wizards staff members are gay or trans, and social media would have you believe that nearly all of the successful content creators are also members of the LGBTQ+ community.

 

This month, as part of their Pride Month celebration, Wizards of the Coast is hosting a series of Commander Pride games with a special rule: All legal commanders are treated as though they had Partner, allowing you to mix-and-match any two legendary creatures (and a handful of Planeswalkers) as your commanders. You could use this as an opportunity to make a really overpowered deck, combining two creatures with strong, synergistic effects that would otherwise exclude each other (such as Nadu, Winged Wisdom and Zada, Hedron Grinder), but why not stick to the spirit of the month and pair up two characters that you ship or would love to see together? Afterall, Pride is about love, not conflict.

YOUTH SUMMER GAMING CAMP

Monday through Thursday, 3:00 PM

Gam3Escape's Youth Summer Gaming Camp is back and it is bigger, bolder, and badder than before! We have added local businesses to our line up: We’ve added Yoga, Art, Dancing, Music, Cooking, and other activities to our roster of events. Fan favorites such as Pokémon, Pokémon BINGO, UNO, Chess, Catan, and Gaslands will be back.  We are adding miniature golf to our weekly line up.

 

YOUTH SUMMER DUNGEONS & DRAGONS CAMP

Fridays, 3:00 PM

Gam3Escape's Youth Summer Dungeons & Dragons Camp is back! The camp will include the basics such as table etiquette, learning how to play, creating characters and back stories, and playing in a full campaign over the course of the six weeks.

 

GATHER FOR MAGIC

Magic: Pride Celebration Event

Friday, 6:00 PM

Celebrate PRIDE at Gam3Escape at our special Magic event. Event only mechanics: All eligible commanders are treated as though they have the partner ability. Players may add an additional commander to a deck they already have or use a never-before-seen combination of two commanders to helm a totally new deck. Decks with partner commanders are still limited to two commanders.

 

Magic: The Gathering SCG Regional Championship Qualifier

Saturday, 1:00 PM

Take a shot at the SCG Regional Championship Qualifier. Sealed format, with the top 8 players drafting. Doors open at noon, event begins at 1:00 PM. Entry fee: $45

 

Standard Showdown

Saturday, 3:00 PM

It's boots and chaps, it's cowboy hats. It's spurs and latigo. It's the ropes and the reins, and the joy and the pain and they call the thing Standard Showdown! Bring your best deck, and battle it out for fun and prizes. Entry fee: $7

 

cEDH: Win a Revised Taiga!

Saturday, 6:00 PM

Compete for a revised Taiga at Gam3Escape’s cEDH event. Minimum 8 players required for advertised prizing. Deck lists are required. Entry fee: $45

 

Casual Commander

Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday at 6:00 PM.

The most popular format in Magic, Commander, is back on the table. Bring your favorite deck, or playtest a new one against other magicians. No entry fee: These battles are for honor, not prizes!

IN THE WORLD OF POKÉMON

Standard Constructed Tournament

Sunday, 3:00 PM

Show everyone that you’re the best! Like no one ever was! Join the battle at the weekly Standard Constructed Tournament! Regulation F, no deck list required. Entry fee: $6

 

Pokémon League Casual Play

Monday and Saturday at 6:30 PM, Sunday at noon

The $6 entry fee comes with a pack of your choice from any in the store.

 

TIME TO DUEL! Yu-Gi-Oh!

Advanced Constructed Tournament

Wednesday, Thursday, & Friday, 7:00 PM

Duel for supremacy in the Yu-Gi-Oh Trading Card Game. Earn OTS Tournament Packs while demonstrating your skills as a duelist. Entry fee: $5

A WHOLE NEW WORLD

Ursula’s Return Lorcana League

Monday, & Saturday, 6:30 PM

The adventures in the Inklands continue with Locana League. Bring your sealed deck, or join the fun! The initial entry fee includes a starter deck of your choice, a booster pack, and a 200-card deck box to keep your sealed cards from getting mixed up with your collection. Entry fee: $25 (one-time charge)

THIS MEANS WAR(HAMMER)!

Casual Warhammer

Sunday, 5:00 PM

In the grim darkness of the far future, there is only war. At Gam3Escape, there is only Warhammer! Whether it’s a Tyranid terror or a Blood Angel battalion, stage your army and prepare for battle at the weekly Casual Warhammer event. 

 

Tantum est Fortis Warhammer 40k Tournament

Saturday, 11:00 aM

Doors open at 10:30am.  2000 point armies. Any new army codices released within 2 weeks will not be applied. Please make sure not to update within that time of the event. Best Coast Pairings Link: https://bestcoastpairings.com/event/PMFM72CVFG  Entry fee: $35.00.

Cardfight! Vanguard

overDress Constructed Tournament

Monday, 5:30 PM

Bring your cards and get ready to fight! Cardfight! Vanguard is back with weekly tournaments, every Monday night. Entry fee: $6