Every card game now runs some version of the same event: you turn up, open the new set before anyone else can buy it, build a deck from what you opened, and play. It’s the friendliest thing the hobby does — nobody has a better deck than the packs gave them — and it’s the event a shop gets to run first. Here’s what each game calls it and how it works.
Magic: The Gathering — Prerelease
When: the weekend before a set’s street date, starting from noon on the Friday. Shops in the Wizards Play Network run as many events as they like across that window. What you get: a Prerelease Pack — six Play Boosters, a stamped foil rare or mythic promo, a spindown die — from which you build a 40-card deck. Prize packs come from the shop’s allocation. How it runs: thirty minutes or so to build, then three or four rounds of Swiss. Casual enforcement; nobody is going to call a judge on your first turn. Two-Headed Giant (teams of two) is common on Sundays. Worth knowing: WPN stores can sell the whole set from prerelease day, a week early. And the packs are allocated to the shop by its past attendance, so a full room this time means more seats next time.
Pokémon — Prerelease
When: up to two weeks before a set releases, at approved Play! Pokémon stores. What you get: a Build & Battle Box — a 40-card ready-to-play deck built around one of four alternate-art promos, plus four booster packs. One kit supports ten players. How it runs: open the box, tune the deck with the packs if you like, then three rounds of single-game matches with four Prize cards. Three age divisions — Junior, Senior, Masters — each with participation prizes for every finisher. Minimum four players; a judge is recommended, not required. Worth knowing: the shop’s kit allocation is literally its average attendance at the last two prereleases, divided by ten, plus one. Every seat you take this time is a seat that exists next time.
Disney Lorcana — Prerelease
When: a full week before the set hits shelves, at Ravensburger’s organized-play stores. What you get: a Prerelease Box — six boosters, one of six promos, a deck box, four dice and a set-specific extra — at $39.99 suggested retail. How it runs: either Sealed (six packs, a 40-card deck, no ink limit, thirty minutes to build) or Pack Rush (two packs, a 24-card deck, draw five, race to fifteen lore — about as fast as it sounds). Casual level; eight players and three rounds makes it an official tournament.
One Piece, Dragon Ball, Digimon, Union Arena, Gundam — release events
Bandai doesn’t use the word prerelease, but each game runs a release event in the set’s first fortnight through the Bandai TCG+ app. Formats vary — constructed or sealed for One Piece, constructed for Dragon Ball Fusion World, sealed for Digimon, a “five-pack battle” for Union Arena — and every entrant gets a tournament pack with a chance at a foil winner card. Kits come to the shop through its distributor and are sized to eight players, so seats are scarce; register in the app the day it opens.
Yu-Gi-Oh! — Premiere!
Konami’s version runs at Official Tournament Stores on the set’s launch weekend. Buy five or more packs, get a Field Center card and a drawing for a Game Mat or a Secret Rare promo. Less a tournament than a launch party, and open to anyone.
Riftbound — Pre-Rift
The League of Legends card game runs Pre-Rift the week before each set. A sixteen-player kit gives every player a fifteen-card mini deck, five boosters and a promo, with a booster display for prizes. Sealed format, registered through the Riftbound Gaming Network.
How to get a seat in Miami
Kits are allocated, so shops can’t just order more when a set is hot. Three rules:
- Reserve early. The moment a shop opens registration. At GH Games, use the request form with the set name and “prerelease” in the note, and we’ll hold a seat and take payment when the kit’s confirmed.
- Bring sleeves and a way to keep score. Everything else is in the kit.
- Say you’re new. Every one of these events is built for first-timers, and the room is at its friendliest on prerelease night. Ask for help building; you’ll get it.
What it costs
The kit price plus the shop’s margin for prizes and staff. Lorcana’s box is $39.99 retail; Magic and Pokémon kits usually land between $30 and $45 at the counter; Bandai release events are often priced at the packs you buy. GH Games prices prereleases at the kit plus a flat few dollars for prize packs, and prints that on the event listing rather than at the door.
Every set on the calendar, across all ten games, is on the events board, with the Florida ones flagged.