TexasCon 2026: Old School Magic in Texas for Charity!
TexasCon Overview
TexasCon is a multi-day, in-person gathering in Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas, featuring "Texas Old School", Four Horsemen, and X-Point Old School Tournaments exploring emerging and rapidly growing Old School Magic formats with catered Tex-Mex food, beverages, and alcohol included! TexasCon runs April 25 - 26, 2026, at the “The Ranch” - Doubletree Ranch Pavilion at 310 Highland Village Rd., Highland Village, TX 75077.
TexasCon is celebration of emerging formats, slinging old cardboard, and charitable giving. Founded in September 2025 by a coalition of format leaders, this event supports a meaningful charitable cause through raffles and donations while offering a vibrant set of mainstream Old School events, and spotlighting the creativity of the broader Old School ecosystem showcasing rapidly growing formats.
TexasCon offers attendees a unique and immersive experience that complements 1993-1994 Old School Magic focused on emerging formats! TexasCon features 1993-1994 draft experiences, multiple Old School Magic tournaments, evening parties with live music performances by Dallas-based musician ISHI, featured Old School Magic artists including Ken Meyer, Jr., Magic sellers, charity auctions and raffles benefiting our charitable cause, Children's Medical Center of Dallas, and more!
Special Honored Guests Magic the Gathering Artists!
We will also be graced by the presense of the amazing Old School Magic Artist, Ken Meyer, Jr.!
About Four Horsemen
The Four Horsemen Old School Magic community of over 580 Members strong has been built on creativity, inclusion, innovation within the Old School Magic landscape, and with resilience. Over the past four years, we’ve hosted 25 free tournaments, given away thousands in prizes, and built a format that celebrates the forgotten corners of Magic’s history allowing cards that rarely see play, see lots of action on the spell mat with Four Horsemen Old School Magic.
About Texas Old School Magic
Texas Old School Magic is a new format developed by Brian Weissman, Michael Scheffenacker, and Four Horsemen Founders, with the goal of addressing the inherent challenges and the 'solved' nature of the mainstream Old School Magic formats, which have effectively been solved since 1994 by "The Deck", Created by Brian Weissman. Check out Texas Old School Magic at https://www.facebook.com/groups/texasoldschoolmagic.
Why TexasCon?
-
💖 Charity: Support meaningful causes through raffles and donations!
-
🤝 Community & Camaraderie: Connect with fellow Old School Magic enthusiasts, format creators, leaders within the community, and collectors!
-
🌟 Innovation: Main Event Tournaments Texas Old School, Four Horsemen, & X-Point Old School, plus 1993-1994 Draft Experiences!
-
🎨 Culture: Enjoy custom card showcases, guest artists, and and great food and beverages!
SCHEDULE
SAT APRIL 25, 2026:
-
9:00 AM Exhibit Hall Opens
-
10:00 AM "Main Event" - TEXAS OLD SCHOOL Tournament
-
3:00 PM Special Event: 4HM Arabian Nights Old School Magic Block Proxy Draft with "Arabian Nights II Custom Set!
-
9:00 PM Awards & Prizes Ceremony & Charity Auction & Raffles
-
9:30 PM Mixer Party II with Special Guest Performing Digital Artist, ISHI
-
11:00 PM Day 1 Wrap Up
SUN APRIL 26, 2026:
-
9:00 AM Exhibit Hall Opens
-
10:00 AM "Main Event Old School Magic" Four Horsemen Old School Magic Tournament
-
3:00 PM "Side Event" - X-Point Old School Tournament
-
5:00 PM Awards & Prizes Ceremony! & Charity Auction & Raffles
-
6:30 PM Day 2 Wrap Up & Farewell Address
TexasCon Costs & Tickets
2-Day All Event Access Pass: $75 gets you entry into all tournaments, events, and parties AND INCLUDES ALL BEVERAGES, ALCOHOL, & TEX-MEX CATERED FOOD!!
Refund Policy: All purchases are Non-refundable. However, if you are unable to attend after registering we'll happily transfer your entry to a designated person of your choice. Please give adequate notification to make changes to the player registry.
Open Invitation to Join Us at TexasCon
We invite all Magic Artists, Card Vendors and Sellers, Old School Magic Players, and Tournament Judges and Tournament Managers to please Contact Us to volunteer to join us for this worthy charitable cause and celebration of the early 1990s Old School Magic, legendary artists, and charitable giving! We offer free tables to artists! We have sponsorship plans available for card sellers and vendors as well! Contact Us today to join us!
TexasCon Links
Special Guests
-
Special Honored Guest, Artist: Ken Meyer, Jr.
-
Digital Artist, Musician & DJ: ISHI
-
Head Tournament Judge, Level Three: John White
Featured Tournament Formats
It is important that attendees have time for casual pick up games, camaraderie, drinks, and mingling. Our schedule is intended to provide a good mixture of organized Old School Magic Format tournaments, but to also allow for casual social aspects of this event; Primarily Drinks and Camaraderie!
-
Main Event Tournament Formats:
-
Texas Old School Magic (TXOSM) - https://www.texasoldschool.com,
-
Facebook Group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/texasoldschoolmagic
-
Discord - https://discord.gg/Q3Dzyz4fr7
-
-
Four Horsemen (4HM) - https://www.fourhorsemenmagic.com, https://bit.ly/4HMRULES
-
X-Point Old School (X-Pt) - https://xpointoldschool.com
-
-
Four Horsemen (4HM) Old School Magic Block Proxy Draft
-
Free to all attendees, first come, first served
-
Location & Venue: THE RANCH - Doubletree Ranch Pavilion
About THE RANCH
The Ranch at Doubletree Ranch Park, located at 310 Highland Village Road, Highland Village, TX 75077, is a versatile public park and event venue managed by the City of Highland Village Parks and Recreation Department.
Venue & Location
The Ranch is situated in Highland Village, Texas, and the facility is also known as the Sgt. Dennis Oliver Event Center, which is within the famous barn style building. This rustic-style venue is easily accessible, featuring two large parking lots and wheelchair-accessible entrances and restrooms. The Ranch offers a unique blend of recreational amenities and facilities, making it a popular location for family outings, community events, and private functions. The facility allows for catering with self-contained warming units (no on-site cooking) and is available from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m.
Features of The Ranch
The Ranch venue comprises several rentable spaces, including the Main Barn Room (Open Area) and smaller Party Rooms. Amenities include spacious rooms with heating and air conditioning and large ceiling fans, ensuring comfort for guests regardless of the weather. The facility is equipped with tables and chairs for events.
Park Setting & Scenery
The park is designed to offer a beautiful natural Texas experience. Visitors can enjoy nearly a mile of walking/hiking trails, a large pond for fishing (with a fishing pier), and open green spaces. The outdoor areas, including a huge splash pad and playground, are family-friendly and provide a picturesque backdrop of nature. The overall scenery embodies a serene park atmosphere with natural areas, perfect for a range of activities and events.
Ken Meyer, Jr. - Special Honored Guest Artist
Background & Overview
Ken Meyer, Jr. is an accomplished illustrator with a significant focus on early 1990s artwork for Magic: The Gathering, making his debut in the game's first expansion set, Arabian Nights. His style in this period is characterized by vibrant colors and a blend of realism with fantasy elements, which helped shape the game's initial visual identity.
Key Career Highlights:
Meyer's involvement with Magic: The Gathering occurred while he was simultaneously active in the comic book industry, working for publishers such as Marvel, Dark Horse, and Caliber. Throughout the early to mid-1990s, he maintained a busy freelance illustration business, balancing work for role-playing games, comics, and other clients.
Following his debut in Arabian Nights, Ken Meyer, Jr. contributed artwork to one other major early Magic expansion:
Beyond illustrating cards, Gelon has also served as an art director for several RPGs and contributed to the graphic design of many Magic sets, including the creation of logos and packaging. While he has focused on graphic design and art direction in recent years, Gelon is still involved in the gaming industry through Funko Games' Prospero Hall studio.
Artistic Style and Influences:
Gelon's art, especially his earlier Magic work, reflects the influence of early 20th-century children's book illustrators like Arthur Rackham and Edmund Dulac, with a focus on capturing a sense of magic and whimsy.
Notable Works:
Released in December 1993, the Arabian Nights expansion was based on the classic Middle Eastern tales of 1001 Arabian Nights. Ken Meyer, Jr. provided the artwork for five cards in this seminal set. His contributions are considered iconic and have become fan favorites. The specific cards featuring his illustrations in Arabian Nights include:
-
Abu Ja'far
-
Erhnam Djinn
-
Guardian Beast
-
Kird Ape
-
Stone-Throwing Devils
In the expansion set, Ice Age (1995), Ken Meyer, Jr., illustrated cards like Mystic Remora, Aurochs, and Thermokarst.
These pieces exemplify his style, which incorporated rich, atmospheric night scenes and detailed character designs that brought the lore of the set to life. The original paintings for these cards were typically created using traditional media like acrylic or ink before being adapted for the small print size of a trading card.
While his total number of Magic illustrations (around a dozen) is smaller compared to other legacy artists, the impact of his early work, particularly his evocative Arabian Nights pieces, remains significant. He has continued to engage with the Magic community, creating commemorative art, playmats, and artist-altered cards that often collage his most famous early works.
Our Charitable Charter
We believe that the joy we find in Old School Magic: The Gathering is a gift—and with that gift comes the responsibility to give back. Many of us are fortunate to enjoy fulfilling careers and the privilege of participating in this unique and passionate community. We channel that gratitude into action.
Our Mission: To invest in our communities, build goodwill, and grow friendships through the shared love of Magic and the generosity of its players. Each year, we select a charitable cause to support, raising funds through raffles, auctions, and community-driven initiatives.
Our Charity: Children’s Medical Center of Dallas
We are honored to support Children's Medical Center of Dallas, a world-class pediatric hospital that saved the life of one of our community members' daughters who was born with severe birth defects. Every day, this institution delivers hope, healing, and life-saving care to children and families across Texas and beyond. Together, we play not just for fun—but for purpose. This is more than a gathering. It’s a movement of kindness, camaraderie, and community impact.
Children's Medical Center of Dallas
1935 Medical District Drive
Dallas, Texas 75235
Donations, Charity Auction, & Raffles
This event is a not just a Magic Conference and Tournament event; It is a celebration of the first early years of Magic the Gathering from 1993-1994 for a charitable cause benefiting the Children's Medical Center of Dallas, which delivers hope, healing, and life-saving care to children and families across Texas and beyond and they are our charity cause for 2026. Attendees are welcome to join all of the conference presentations, tournaments, and festivities celebrating Old School Magic and Magic Artwork for a charitable cause.
Donations to Our Charitable Cause, Charity Raffles & Charity Auctions
For this event, proceeds from the auctions and raffles will be donated to our charity, Children's Medical Center of Dallas.
Charity Raffle
We will be doing numerous raffles for prizes to raise money for our charity throughout the multi-day event, and both players and attending artists are welcome to donated items for the charity raffle. Proceeds from the raffles and auctions will be requested to be donated by the raffle winners directly to Children's Medical Center of Dallas - https://donate.childrens.com/.
If you have items you'd like to donate for the Charity Raffle, please let us know via the Chat on this web site and we will provide an address to ship the prize donations to if you are not bringing it in person.
Background & Context for our Charitable Cause
The daughter of the Four Horsemen Old School Magic Players Group founder, Audrey, was tragically born amidst COVID-19 in 2022 with severe, life threatening birth defects. Audrey's esophagus was not connected to her stomach and instead had connected to her trachea in utero; a rare condition knows as Tracheoesophageal Fistula (TEF), often occurring with Esophageal Atresia (EA) that affects 1 in every 4000 babies born.
Bringing it All Together
As our event concludes with all tournaments, donations, charity raffles and auctions are compete, we will tallie and sum all of the donations and showcase a final total donation amount a the conclusion of the event.
Master Djinn of Babylon Says: "YOU MUST COME TO TEXASCON! And, Don't Forget About Our Charitable Charter!"
John White - Level Three Tournament Judge with Old School Magic Expertise
Background & Overview
For this event we have a Level 3 Judge with seasoned Old School Magic: the Gathering Experience, and a passion for the original game as it was in 1993! It is a rare combination to find a Level 3 Judge who is also experienced in Old School Magic; but that is what we have in place for MagicCon!
John White knows what it takes to lead and judge an Old School Magic event. Although John has judged everything from Prereleases to MagicCons, we are not bringing in a judge who will treat this event like the Pro Tour. John knows the Old School Magic dynamics and card pool, as a seasoned Old School Magic Player himself.
John White is a Level 3 Judge and has been playing Magic: The Gathering since 1993 when Magic was first released. John has 21 years of experience and has been judging major Magic tournament events since 2004. John was recently the Head Judge of the main event at LDXP Tacoma.
John will be our lead as our Head Judge for MagicCon and will be leading a group of additional tournament judges and tournament event managers which will ensure a well-managed series of tournaments for all!
John has been playing Magic since early 1993. John has specific experience playing Old School Magic, which he started playing in 2015 starting with Jaco’s Eternal Weekend events. John also regularly attends the Hurricane Houston event each year put on by the Houston Falling Stars. John lives in Oklahoma City and is starting up a regular Old School group called the "Oklahoma Kobold Coalition".
Special Guest Performing Artist “ISHI”
For this Event, We Feature Evening Parties with Special Guest Performing Artist Ishi Live!
Ishi is an electronic act from Dallas, TX, known for fusing their influences of soulful dialect, housey beats, & folk ballads. They thrive on creating a positive atmosphere that allows their audience to let loose & express themselves.
-
Ishi’s Web Site - https://www.ishimusic.com/videos
-
Ishi’s Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/artist/0PuOTaQilwmrn6xRCKVsFo
-
Ishi’s YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@IshiMusic
-
Ishi’s Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/ishimusic
Awards & Prizes
We offer an Inaugural First Place Championship will be awarded to the player who plays in the most tournament events and scores the most times and accumulates the most tournament points across all events within the Top Eight Quarterfinals, Top Four Semifinals, and Finals.
Four Horsemen Arabian Nights "Islands" Proxy Made by John Ekleberry
(Not for Sale, Free Prize Give Aways Only)
Four Horsemen Ken Meyer Jr. Guardian Beast Purple Moonlight Unique Customer Artwork Play Mat. Learn More about how this playmat was made here - https://www.fourhorsemenmagic.com/projects
Four Horsemen Ken Meyer Jr. Guardian Beast Purple Moonlight Unique Customer Artwork Play Mat. Learn More about how this playmat was made here - https://www.fourhorsemenmagic.com/projects
Reprint & Proxy Policy for all Events
-
Same art/same frame including CE/ICE. Proxies allowed for the 7pts Singleton and Four Horsemen tournament events. We encourage easily identifiable proxies (no counterfeits, please).
Deck Photos, Deck Lists & Tolaria.app Tournament Coordination
We will leverage Tolaria - https://tolaria.app/dashboard/ - for all Tournament registration, management, pairings, brackets, match results reporting, points tracking, rankings, seeds, and deck lists / deck photos registrations.
-
Tolaria.app
-
All tournaments players are required to register in Tolaria.app for each event they wish to play, both Main Event and "Scrub Out" Tournaments which will be managed in Tolaria.app.
-
-
Deck Lists & Deck Photos
-
All tournament players agree to have their deck photos shared publicly on the Internet
-
Deck lists and deck photos for all tournaments are mandatory for all players and are required to be submitted in Tolaria.app prior to the tournament start times outlined in the event schedule.
-
Decks and sideboards must be finalized prior to Tolaria.app submission and tournament initiation. No alterations to decks are allowed once submitted and the tournament has begun.
-
Additional Info on Tournaments Structure
This event is an “Open” participation event with numerous optional tournaments held throughout each day of the event over a 4-day schedule, with a half day on Thursday afternoon and a half day on Sunday morning.
All tournaments are open and optional to all attendees. Players are free to pick and choose whichever Old School Magic formats and tournament events they wish to play in, according to the attendee’s preferences. Players can play in as few or as many formats and tournament events as they wish. Multiple tournaments for different formats may be running consecutively on certain days to give players options and choices as to which they prefer to participate in.
For all days of the event, there is open casual gaming where any players are encouraged to grab pick up games in between tournaments.
Swiss Tournaments Format
We will leverage Swiss tournament structure, where players compete in a set number of rounds where they are paired against opponents with the same or similar win-loss records, ensuring higher-skilled players face each other as the tournament progresses.
Unlike single elimination, players are not eliminated after a loss and all continue to play the designated number of Swiss rounds. After the Swiss rounds, the top-performing players (typically the top 8) advance to a single-elimination playoff bracket to determine the final winner.
Tournament Structure Executive Summary:
-
All Tournament Rounds will be 50-minutes.
-
All Tournaments will be four (4) rounds of Swiss and then cut to Top 8.
-
All tournaments are under “Thunderdome Rules”: "Two men enter, One man leaves." Ties will be determined by Chaos Orb/Falling Star Flips!
-
Upon “Time in the Round”, it will then be an active turn, plus five turns remaining. Afterwhich, Chaos Orb/Falling Star Flips begin!
How Swiss Rounds Work
-
Pairing: In the first round, players are paired randomly or by a seeding system. In subsequent rounds, the pairings are based on cumulative match points (wins, losses, and draws).
-
Match Points: Wins award 3 points, losses 0 points, and draws 1 point.
-
Opponent Matching: The goal is to pair players with identical scores. For example, players with a perfect record will play each other, and players with one loss will play each other.
-
No Elimination: Players continue to play in every round, even if they have lost some matches.
-
Round Structure: Each round typically consists of a best-of-three match that lasts between 50 and 70 minutes.
-
Tournament Software: We will utilize https://tolaria.app/ to organize the tournament, do Swiss Pairings, manage Tournament match results and points, brackets and Top 8 Seed.
Moving to the Top 8 Quarter Finals:
-
Cutting to the Top: After the final Swiss round, the top-performing players are ranked based on their match points and tiebreakers.
-
Single-Elimination Bracket: We will cut to Top 8 Quarter Finals based on seeds calculated from the points from match results. The Top 8 players will then be placed into a single-elimination bracket.
-
Moving to the Top 8 Quarter Finals:
-
Cut to Top 8: After the Swiss rounds, the top 8 players based on their final match points and tiebreakers are selected for the single-elimination bracket.
-
Single-Elimination Bracket: This bracket proceeds like a traditional playoff. The players are seeded 1 through 8.
-
Round Pairings: The pairings are set by seeds (1st vs. 8th, 2nd vs. 7th, etc.).
-
Advancing: The winner of each match advances to the next round (Quarterfinals to Semifinals, then Finals).
-
Best Two Out of Three: All playoff matches, including the semi-finals and final, are played as best-two-out-of-three matches.
-
Determining the Champion: Players in the single-elimination portion are eliminated after one loss of a best two out of 3 Games within the match. The top performing last player standing is declared the tournament champion for that Old School Magic format!
Key Differences from Single Elimination
-
No Early Elimination: In a Swiss tournament, you won't be knocked out after a single loss.
-
More Playtime: Players get to play more games and match up against opponents with similar skill levels.
-
Fairer Outcomes: The system allows for more consistent ranking by giving more high-performing players the chance to play each other.
Four Horsemen Old School Magic Block Draft Overview
Four Horsemen (4HM) Proxy Block Draft + Custom Player-Made with "Arabian Nights 2.0” Set
Playing in the Four Horsemen Block Draft special tournament will give you the Experience of what it was like to play Magic in a Draft format in 1994! This will be an and Old School Magic Tournament using proxies as a cube draft. We have a printer lined up who will print special card backs with the Four Horsemen Logo and will print cards easily identified as proxies from the 93/94 expansions sets of Magic the Gathering including: Arabian Nights, Antiquities, Legends & The Dark, plus special basic lands and Duals Lands will be designed to look like Arabian Nights Lands.
Special Event - Four Horsemen (4HM) Old School Magic Block Draft
-
-
Block Draft tournament with the 93/94 expansions sets: Arabian Nights, Antiquities, Legends & The Dark, plus Basic Lands and Duals Lands. Experience drafting in 1994 with proxies emulating booster packs.
-
All players keep their draft proxy desks as free prizes. First come, first serve until we run out of proxy boosters.
-
Four Horsemen Block Draft proxies provided to participants by event coordinators
-
Rumor has it that Richard Garfield allegedly privately confessed there is an unreleased "Arabian Nights 2.0" expansion set of cards which did not make it into the original Arabian Nights Expansion, composed of 88 unique, new and amazingly flavorful Old School Magic cards from the 1992 period of Arabian Nights development! Dr. Garfield recently unearthed this brilliantly spicy and dynamic set, which we will be sprinkling into the Four Horsemen Expansion Sets Block draft!
To wet your whistle, here are a sample of just a few of these amazing "Arabian Nights 2.0" unreleased expansion set of cards!
