Unknown Event

Unknown Event

 

2023 list of event cards

 

2024 list of event cards

 

For the Black Lotus VIP event, see Planechase Unknown.

The Unknown Event is a regular surprise event run during MagicCons and hosted by Gavin Verhey. Each event has a unique theme and set up with a few recurring elements.

Decks are constructed using a unique chaos sealed deck that includes packs from the latest set release but may also include non-draft booster packs (e.g. Set Boosters), Mystery Booster boosters, and/or boosters from other sets. All card pools also include a selection of playtest cards designed specifically for the Unknown Event.

Players use a "rolling pairing" system to reduce waiting times. Player pairings occur on an ad hoc basis as players approach the judge after deck construction, after a round, or after they've taken a break. By pairing players as they are ready to play, attendees are free to move between convention events and the Unknown Event. Each event consists of three rounds.

The event is run twice during the MagicCon (one event per day over two days) with the Saturday event usually run in support of a charity.

2023

Philadelphia

The Philadelphia event was themed after Mirrans vs. Phyrexians. Players were assigned to either team and played chaos-sealed matches with Mystery Booster and Phyrexia: All Will Be One boosters, along with a "handful" of cards with playtest stickers, featuring unique designs for the event. The latter were 62 newly designed test cards designed solely by Gavin himself.

The charity supported by the Saturday event was Black Girls Code.

Minneapolis

The event returned to Minneapolis with new, unique designs for the test cards. Unlike the bare test card stickers used in Philadelphia, the stickers now have the regular card frame to help distinguish the test card from the base card used.

Chaos-sealed decks were built using three March of the Machine draft boosters, one March of the Machine set booster, two Mystery Booster boosters, along with a "handful" of playtest cards. A total of 62 new cards were designed for this event, as well as 11 playtest planes. While matches were occurring one of six playtest plane cards affected all players in the event. The planes would rotate after approximately 20 minutes but if players were in the middle of a turn when that occurred, the plane wouldn't take effect until the beginning of the next upkeep.

The charity supported by the Saturday event was The Trevor Project.

Barcelona

The event at Barcelona used a unique chaos commander sealed deck format. Decks were 60 cards with a commander but matches were played 1v1 with players starting at 30 Life, in a similar set up to Brawl. The card pool consisted of three draft boosters of Commander Masters, two draft boosters of The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth, one Tales of Middle-earth set booster, and ten Unknown Event playtest cards. As with Commander Masters draft, all eligible commanders with one or fewer colors in their color identity were treated as if they have partner. A total of 62 new cards were designed for this event.

Gen Con Indiana

A special one-off Unknown Event was run at Gen Con Indiana. Due to the short time frame between MagicCon Barcelona and Gen Con, the Unknown Event used the same format and playtest cards as MagicCon Barcelona. The only new card introduced was the event prize card.

Card name	Code	Card text	Notes
Gen, Confider of Ages	MZ03	Legendary Creature — Human Wizard Gen gets +1/+1 for each different year of release among other nontoken permanents you control. (For example, if a card was released in 1993, that's one year of release. Specific editions matter.) Whenever Gen attacks, if its power is 30 or greater, you win the game. Prize Card for the Unknown event at Gen Con, August 3rd, 2023. 0/0	Prize card for the Unknown event at Gen Con Indiana.

Las Vegas

As the last event of the season, Las Vegas used a modified format with players receiving two test card packs. A "Vegas" pack with new card designs and a "Barcelona" pack that was a repack of previous fan favorites. Prior to the event, Gavin hosted a "You Make the Unknown Card" panel where attendees were able create three special cards for what, at the time, they believed would be a future Unknown event. A twist reveal meant the cards were actually designed for the Las Vegas event and each player got a copy of one at random. A total of 31 new cards were designed for the event in addition to the three created at the panel.

The event used the same chaos commander sealed deck format as Barcelona. Players received three draft boosters of Commander Masters, three draft boosters of Wilds of Eldraine, one pack of playtest card reprints from previous Unknown events, one pack of playtest cards designed for the event, and one of the three cards design at the "You Make the Unknown Card" panel at random.

The charity supported by the Saturday event was Extra Life.

2024

Chicago

Prior to MagicCon Chicago Gavin previewed an Unknown event card on the Tolarian Community College series Shuffle Up & Play. The card was a hint to the theme of the legendary creatures in the event — each one representing a Magic: The Gathering content creator.

The Chicago event built off the previous year's format by using a chaos commander sealed deck format. Decks were 60 cards with a commander but matches were played 1v1 with players starting at 30 Life, in a similar set up to Brawl. As with the 2023 events at Barcelona and Las Vegas, players were able to use the "monocolor Partner" rule — where all eligible commanders with one or fewer colors in their color identity are treated as if they have partner. To capture the mystery theme of Murders at Karlov Manor, all players started each game with their commander face down and only reveled them when they were cast for the first time.

The card pool consisted of three draft boosters of Commander Masters, two draft boosters of The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth, one Tales of Middle-earth set booster, ten Unknown Event playtest cards, and one of the three cards designed at the "You Make the Unknown Card" panel at random. Thirteen of the playtest cards were reprints from previous events that had worked well and been popular. 48 cards were new designs, for a total of 61 playtest cards.

The charity supported by the Saturday event was The Trevor Project.

Amsterdam

The event in Amsterdam continued the trend of using a chaos commander sealed deck format. Decks were 60 cards with a pair of commanders but matches were played 1v1 with players starting at 30 Life, in a similar set up to Brawl. Unlike the Chicago event, all commanders were able to be played as though they had Partner.

In a twist from the Chicago event, players attending the "You Make the Unknown Card" panel designed cards that were not intended to be used at Amsterdam, but were saved for MagicCon Las Vegas.

The card pool consisted of three draft boosters of TBA, two draft boosters of TBA, one TBA set booster, and ten Unknown Event playtest cards. TBA playtest cards were reprints from previous events that had worked well and been popular. 28 cards were new designs, for a total of TBA playtest cards.

The charity supported by the Saturday event was SeriousFun.

Gen Con Indianapolis

A one-off event was held at Gen Con Indianapolis on Sunday, August 4th. This event primarily re-used test cards from previous events but included two new cards designed during a "You make the card" panel on the Thursday prior. The event was a chaos commander sealed deck format. Decks were 60 cards with players starting at 30 Life. Unlike normal commander decks, the decks in this event could include cards that were outside a commander's color identity.

The card pool consisted of one draft booster of Dungeons & Dragons: Adventures in the Forgotten Realms, Dominaria United, three play boosters of Modern Horizons 3, one Commander Legends: Battle for Baldur's Gate collector booster, a Lightning Bolt and a pack of Unknown Event playtest cards. TBA playtest cards were reprints from previous events that had worked well and been popular. Two cards were new designs, for a total of TBA playtest cards.