The Boise Blast 2027 date TBD somewhere late July!
The Boise Blast 2027 date TBD somewhere late July!
The Boise Berserkers had a wonderful time hosting our second annual Boise Blast. This year we were proud to raise money for Guardian Paws Service Dogs. This is a local organization that helps unite veterans and first responders with dogs they train to help these amazing men and women regain their independence. This is a local charity that means a lot to us. This organization was brought to our attention by one of members, Mike, who proudly served our country.
After our first event, just last September, we immediately began planning for this year’s Boise Blast. We decided to add a western theme to our gathering. This year we hosted the Bounty at the Blast! A local artist, Keith, made us a new art piece of our favorite berserker ditching his chef’s hat, coat, and bag of potatoes for a poncho, pistol and trusty bowie knife.
Similar to last year we hosted our gathering over two days packed full of excitement, entertainment and exquisite food. Well, we thought it would be a two-day event, however, we had a good number of people that traveled from out of the area that got into town on Thursday. This called for a special event! Geno and I hosted Brian, Carson, Jeff, Lance, Tommy, and Watte for tacos and spell slinging. This was a chill night to kick off an incredible weekend. Looking down the table watching games of Premodern, Old School and Sorcery all happening at once was a stunning sight to see.
Our venue was the Idaho Outdoor Association Hall in Boise. This is a wonderful location that is convenient for travelers, spacious for plenty of guests. Friday began with people showing up early to visit with old friends and meet new ones. For our meet, greet and eat we brought in delicious pizza from the Idaho Pizza Co.
With full bellies it was time to jam some cards. We had a great turnout with over 20 wizards joining to exceed our previous year’s attendance. Attendees came from Vegas, Arizona, Colorado, Bend/Portland Oregon, So Cal, and as far away as Texas! Friday night was laid back with us dividing up to play Premodern and 93-94 OS X-Point! A big congratulations to our Friday Night Magic winners! Donning their berserker chef’s hat, we crowned Chris Tolar and Brian Vegso as champions of Premodern and X-Point, respectively.
Saturday the big day had arrived! We started our day early with coffee, juice, fruit and more wizards appearing for the main event. Sadly, a few had last minute conflicts that prevented them from joining. They were greatly missed! This year we didn’t get things coordinated with an original Magic artist; however, we were over-joyed to bring in two local artists Keith and Chris as well as local vendor Matt. This really provided a great atmosphere to our experience.
With everyone enrolled we got our games underway with 26 magicians ready to cast their best spells. Our theme Bounty at the Blast was accompanied by a wanted list with traditional tactics like “Bolt the Bird,” “Turn one ritual + hypnotic specter,” and “Pay 8 life to Sylvan Library.” This added a playful twist to the games. At our closing ceremonies each vigilante was able to claim their reward for bounties collected throughout the day. At the start of rounds, we had door prizes raffled off. This included classic artist prints, and donated cards with incredible alters.
A day in the west wouldn’t be a thing without some BBQ and brews. Following a few rounds, Chef Geno treated us to a mouthwatering meal of burgers, hot dogs, and chicken. Although we sat before a feast to feed a village, we still had more Magic to play.
The remaining rounds were filled with enthralling games that provided exhilaration for everyone. Our feature final round brought together two astounding players showcasing two amazing decks, Chris Tolar on “The Deck” and Justin Droba on “Twiddle Vault.” In the end, Chris Tolar earned his second chef’s hat crown as the victor of the Berserkers’ Bounty at the Blast 2026! Congratulations Chris for a well-played day of Magic! Chris won a very cool Underworld Dreams altered with Spawn done by the daughter of Aaron with The Horde.
With all of this we thought we had brought all of our attendees a very special gathering, however we still had more. While we really enjoy bringing people together to relax, meet up with friends and play some Magic, it is a real blessing to do this and raise money for a great cause. This year we had a staggering amount of donations for our fundraising raffle. This included comics, artist prints, alters, playmats and boxes of boosters! Everyone’s generosity helped us raise $1299 for Guardian Paws Service Dogs! It was an incredibly moving moment meeting the individuals that this program helps. Thank you all for your contributions!
We look forward to seeing you and many more at the next Boise Blast!
Main event video links:
Round 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=30voyJKPb-U&t=287s
Round 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CcwbbW9Iqdk&t=13s
Round 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eg3AGetlD1o
Round 4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qrV6zndJX0A
Round 5 - Finals: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dgm18eTp0mw
We use cookies to analyze website traffic and optimize your website experience. By accepting our use of cookies, your data will be aggregated with all other user data.