New DCI-Sanctioned Tournament Enables Players To Experience "Magic" On Friday Nights January 31, 2000 (Renton, Wash.)--The DCITM players' organization for officially sanctioned Magic: The Gathering® tournaments today announced a new series of events, called Friday Night Magic®. The program is designed to bring a new level of support to local Magic: The Gathering tournament play. These special Friday night events will feature a different premium black-bordered prize card each month from the ClassicTM (Sixth Edition) card set. The first Friday Night Magic events are scheduled to begin February 18, and the program is slated to run indefinitely. Although players will still be able to develop ratings and rankings in the worldwide community of Magic players by participating in Friday Night Magic events, the emphasis of the program is more on the social aspects of the game. Each month, a different prize card will be distributed that will be drawn from the uncommons and commons of the Classic set, done in premium, foil-enhanced format with black borders. The card for February, the first month of the program, is River Boa, a Classic card that has never before been printed in a premium format. "We want to provide Magic players of all ages with the chance to compete against other players in a relaxed, fun atmosphere, while at the same time giving players the opportunity to win premium cards and earn DCI ratings," said Joe Hauck, Magic brand manager at Wizards of the Coast Inc. Approximately 1,350 premier stores in the United States and Canada will have the opportunity to host Friday Night Magic events. Magic players who participate will earn DCI ratings and have three chances to win premium cards every Friday. Categories of the weekly prizes include: Tournament Winner--the Magic player who wins the Friday Night Magic event; Most Sporting Player--the Magic player who demonstrates the best sporting behavior of the night, as voted by the players in the tournament; and a door prize--every Magic player who participates in Friday Night Magic or the side events will be eligible to win a premium card in a random drawing that night. The prize cards will first be available through Friday Night Magic events. "Friday Night Magic will provide a positive socializing forum to build new friendships with other Magic players of all ages," said Hauck. "We expect the new program to become extremely popular with Magic players." "The Friday Night Magic program is one way the DCI players' organization supports the Premier Store program. Each premier store can choose to run the weekly tournament using the Standard, Sealed-Deck, or Booster Draft format," Hauck said. More info about the program can be found on the Web at . Premier stores who wish to host Friday Night Magic tournaments may email lindar@wizards.com or call Linda Roberts at (425) 204-7346. With an estimated fan base of more than six million players, the Magic game is played in social and competitive settings, including the prestigious $1 million Magic: The Gathering Pro TourTM circuit. Played in more than 52 countries worldwide, the Magic game is supported by the DCI players' organization, the governing authority for all officially sanctioned Magic tournaments. Helping both amateur and professional Magic players track their rankings, the DCI currently sanctions more than 60,000 Magic tournaments around the world per year. Wizards of the Coast, a subsidiary of Hasbro Inc. (NYSE: HAS), is the worldwide market share leader in the trading card game and tabletop role-playing game categories. A leading developer and publisher of game-based entertainment products, as well as the owner and operator of one of the nation's largest specialty game retail chains, the company holds an exclusive patent on the play mechanic of trading card games (TCGs) and produces the world's best-selling PokémonTM* and Magic: The Gathering TCGs. Publisher of adventure games, family card and board games and electronic media products, Wizards of the Coast is also one of the world's leading fantasy and science fiction book publishers. The company's retail locations, many of which provide game-play areas, include a growing number of Wizards of the Coast® specialty game retail stores as well as 53 The Game Keeper® stores. Headquartered near Seattle, Washington, Wizards of the Coast has international offices in Antwerp, Paris, Milan, London and Beijing. For more information on Wizards of the Coast, visit the company's website and electronic retail store at .