A new trading card group looks to expand its Magic: The Gathering meetings

A NEW community group of trading card enthusiasts is searching for a permanent home in Ballina as its Magic: The Gathering sessions continue to attract new players.

The group currently meets at Ballina Fair Shopping Centre every Tuesday night and has built a following of more than 70 people online.

The group hopes to find a larger and more visible venue to support its growth.

Created in 1993, Magic: The Gathering became a global phenomenon and is marketed as the world’s most popular trading card game.

The game involves players building decks of cards featuring creatures, spells and magical abilities before battling opponents in strategic contests.

“It started off with a discussion with one of the managers at EB Games who sells the cards, and the fact that there’s no place in Ballina to actually play and get a group together,” group founder Stephen McQueen said.

“I thought I’d talk to the centre and put it out to see if there was an interest and it’s just gone from there.”

McQueen said he was grateful to Ballina Fair Shopping Centre management for providing a venue.

However, the group’s current location is no longer ideal as attendance continues to increase and organisers look to attract more players.

“I have to thank Louisa and the staff there, we wouldn’t have got it off the ground without them,” McQueen said.

“The space that I had it in has now got a pop-up shop, so they’ve given me their conference room for a Tuesday night.

“It’s great that they’re providing me a space to do it, but it’s not quite in the face of people walking past. We need that walk-by traffic to get noticed.”

The game appeals to a broad range of people and shares similarities with fantasy role-playing games such as Dungeons & Dragons.

Its popularity shows no signs of slowing, with major events attracting huge crowds around the world.

“They just had a MagicCon in America, and 120,000 people went through the doors over one weekend,” McQueen said.

“I was introduced to it at Comic-Con when I took my son there quite a few years ago and they had a table set up to introduce the game.

“I’ve played it on and off since then and I’m quite excited to get back into it and learn a bit more about the game with the group.”

Anyone interested in learning the game is encouraged to attend a session, with organisers welcoming both beginners and experienced players.