Magic Untapped takes a look at the MagiKids charity, which had a booth at the MagicCon Las Vegas 2024.
Amongst all the card and accessory sellers at the 2024 MagicCon in Las Vegas were a few booths dedicated to the nuts and bolts of Magic: The Gathering. Introducing players to the game and teaching those attending who didn't know how to play, to play was a goal of at least one booth at the convention.
And for MagiKids, a 501(c)(3) non-profit charity and an official partner of Magic and Wizards of the Coast, they did exactly that, plus accepting donations.
"Magic teaches critical thinking, social skills, reading, computation, art, and so much more," said Matt Decker, the charity's brand manager. "These are educational resources. And we send out Magikits to educators who want to start a Magic club at their school."
Inside each Magikit are bulk and underused cards spanning back decades of Magic, as well as dice, sleeves, deckboxes, and other accessories. Along with a packet of instructions, the boxes are then sent out across the United States.
And when it comes to donations coming in, it is a lot. And it isn't just monetary support either, or things from close partners like Wizards or Ultra Pro. Decker said that five million cards are donated each year.
Jason Egginton, the CEO, said it was likely more and that, along with things like accessories and dice, they get 25 tons of donated things a year.
All of that is sorted, mainly at their Rochester, MN headquarters, then packaged all into Magikits. These are then brought into Magic clubs at schools where they can help out 10 kids to, in some cases, as many as 200 kids.
At the convention, things were in full swing, with many asking about information, and some just wanting to learn how to play. And since sets were mixed, it began with the Magic pretty much everyone started out with - pick some fun cards, build a deck, and don't worry so much about card legality. Formats like standard and legacy don't matter just yet - it's house rules when you begin.
Some of the kids who played were enthusiastic about it.
"I never played it here before today. It was really cool," said Jordan, a new Magic player whom learned the game at the MagiKids booth.
Jackson, another new player, added that "I kind of learned it from friends, but this was cool too."
One, Emily, learned not too long ago from a kit sent to her school in Arizona.
"We started off with like a dozen, but then we had about 25 people being a part of it by Christmas break. And we all went after cards we liked. I made a deck with rabbits, or mostly rabbits. The boys all went for dragons and warriors and things."
"And it was fun. And now here, me and my sister liked the rabbits from Bloomburrow and we have this love of Magic now.
"It really helped with art, and thinking quickly. My teacher described it like chess, like needing to know what you do and your opponent might do moves beforehand so you're prepared."
More on Magikids can be found at https://magikids.org/
