Pre-release events

Since getting back into Magic, the only officially sanctioned events I have attended have been prerelease events. These have been very fun for me, and actually beneficial on each one I have attended. I've gone to Battle for Zendikar, Shadows over Innistrad, and Eldritch Moon. In each case, I have won at least 2 packs. Two of the events I attended included lunch in the $30 cost, and was very well organized. The other place was $25, but it was not as sane and no lunch.

Here are the best pieces of advice I have acquired for attending a pre-release:

• Take some water in a tight container
• Take a HEALTHY snack, it is a 2-3 hour event
• If you are sleeving your deck, pre-sleeve your basic lands, I do 10 of each. That has saved me twice!
• Don't take anything you don't need to play in the event. 
• Unless you are planning to do trading, or meeting friends before/after, there is no need to bring extra
• Make sure you understand any new mechanics, even if you don't want to be spoiled with the cards. KNOW how the new stuff works! 
• Have fun, this is a low pressure sort of environment. Or at least it should be... Heck, I once ran in to a guy's bachelor weekend. He was out playing the pre-release with a couple buddies.

     Even though the entire set is usually spoiled the week before pre-release weekend, I can never study up too much. I don't play mock sealed via Cockatrice. I go in knowing the new mechanics mostly. Thats the most helpful thing. Twice I tried to study up on the commons, and both times I got almost none of the ones I was hoping to get. That and I didn't use the colors I was expecting.

     I also have not landed a bomb (aka HUGE creature/spell towards the end of game) in the one time I had one in my pool. Two of my better decks were super heavy flyer decks. The only things that defeated me were a deck that seemed to pump creatures out faster than I could deal, and horrible drawing. Otherwise, little flyers always got me there. They had no answers. Loved it.

I make sure I put the weekend of the pre-release on the family calendar, just to make sure it is noted WELL in advance that I will be disappearing for a few hours.