David works on the Magic community team as a content specialist. He spends his days writing about Magic Online and trying to play too many colors at once in Limited.

Prerelease Weekends. Those special times of year when players finally get their hands on the cards they've been waiting for all preview season. But what if tragedy strikes? What if you build a deck around a sweet Ally you open early on and the deck just refuses to come together when you sit down to play? Was five-color too optimistic? (I'm looking at you, General Tazri.) Were all of those colorless creatures the way to go after all? Difficult questions—even more so if you're left to ponder them after there are no more Prereleases to compete in.

If you've ever had an experience like the one above, have I got news for you!

Oath of the Gatewatch Prerelease starts this weekend at your local game store, but that won't be your only opportunity to Prerelease. Stop by Magic Online during the weekend of Friday, January 29 for a second helping of Prerelease goodness!

Whether you wish you'd strategized differently, want a different card pool, or just want to play OGW Prerelease after OGW Prerelease, Magic Online has you covered from January 29 to February 1. And the fun doesn't end at Prerelease Events either—Release Events pick up on February 1 and continue on from there.

Magic Online lets you experience an Oath of the Gatewatch Prerelease on your schedule, whenever you want. Draft or Sealed, Swiss or Single-Elimination, Magic Online has scheduled and on-demand OGW Release Events until the start of regular OGW Events on February 17. You can relive your in-store Prerelease from the privacy of your own home, but this time you can eat turkey legs and leftover fruitcake and whatever else you like and there's no store owner asking you to please stop bringing finger foods to Prereleases. Pants optional.

Plus, you'll get this sweet Kozilek, the Great Distortion avatar just for participating in any Magic Online Prerelease or Release Event!

If you're interested in jumping in, you can download Magic Online using the link below.

Just in case you've never played in a Magic Online Prerelease or Release Event before, you'll be able to find the on-demand events by navigating to "Play Lobby"...

...then selecting "Limited Tournaments" and "Queues."

Then find your desired event in the "Results" section, double-click it, select your entry option, and get ready to play!

Full event details, schedules, and prizes can be found by visiting the links below. Good luck in the Oath of the Gatewatch Prereleases, whether you play in-store, online, or both!

Prerelease Events—Friday, January 29 through Monday, February 1

Release Events—Monday, February 1 through Wednesday, February 17