The Joy of Cosplay
The Joy of Cosplay
Have you ever dreamed of meeting your favorite planeswalker or getting a photo op with the biggest villains in the multiverse? Whether it’s a lifelong ambition or a goal you realized you have just now, MagicCon Vegas is your chance to make that dream a reality!
Cosplayers do the incredible work of bringing our favorite Magic characters to life with a blend of talent, vision, and performance that’s unparalleled. There are four featured cosplay guests – Andrew Alandy, Roman Pivec, Sakkumi, and Utahime Cosplay – competitors in the Cosplay Contest, and so many more!
We’re not here to spoil any surprises so we won’t spill what cosplays are coming to Vegas, we just want to let you know that if you haven’t experienced the enchantment of cosplay yet, come to MagicCon: Las Vegas prepared to be amazed (and to take a LOT of photos).
McKenah Sobering, Bones with Calavera Cosplay, Air Bubbles, and Mbare Evans have all won awards in the Cosplay Competition in the past year and will be heading to Vegas this October. In addition to the incredible art that they make and the characters they bring to life, cosplayers are passionate and fun.
McKenah, who is from Winnipeg, won Best in Show at last year’s MagicCon: LasVegas with Ellivere, of the Wild Court and was in Chicago as Ruby, Daring Tracker. Her favorite thing about cosplay is the community.
“Thanks to these conventions I have made so many new friendships with people worldwide. Going to a MagicCon isn't just going to a convention for me, it's a time to have an incredible experience with friends that I don't get to see in person often enough.”
The same is true for Air Bubbles, a cosplayer from Seattle who most recently won Best in Show at MagicCon: Chicago with Rowan, Scion of War.
Air Bubbles as Rowan, Scion of War.
“I love the community. I've met life long friends through cosplay! I also love the push to learn new and different skills that I would've never thought of doing unless it was for cosplay. When I was learning about costume design and sewing in college, I chose that path because I didn't want to work in the scene shop as I didn't like power tools... and well now I work with lots of different power tools and even taught myself to solder! I never would've thought I'd ever know how to do the things I know how to do now if it weren't for cosplay.”
Bones, who won Best in Show Runner-Up at MagicCon: Chicago cosplaying as “Chandra Nalaar Equipped with Killer Cosplay”, loves that cosplay allows for self-expression.
Bones as Chandra Nalaar Equipped with Killer Cosplay
“You can choose a character because you feel represented by them or because they have qualities you aspire to. For me, that’s Chandra—she embodies the bold confidence I’d like to have all the time. Or, you can just pick a character because it’s fun, like playing around with in-game mechanics such as equipping an artifact like Killer Cosplay to a favorite Planeswalker. Cosplay can be whatever you want it to be.”
For Mbare, who won Best in Show at MagicCon: Amsterdam as Sorin Markhov, cosplaying is an opportunity to get away from the daily routine and relax by making the many different cosplay elements. But while it might be relaxing, he also says “cosplaying is my lifeblood.”
Mbare as Sorin Markhov
Cosplay also presents a range of challenges, no matter how long cosplay creators have been in the game.
“At the beginning of a cosplay I'm so excited to get started, my head is buzzing with ideas, and the same is true when I'm nearing the end,” McKenah said. “The hardest part is when I'm partway in and I've done so much work that don't want to give up on the cosplay play but the end just seems so out of reach. To help combat this and keep going forward I break up every element into individual smaller steps. I find that as I finish those steps and start to cross them off the list my motivation doesn't dissipate and I'm able to keep working on a project without losing traction or time.”
“The biggest challenge is translating the design into something that works in real life,” Bones said. “Illustration as a medium allows for creation of these over-the-top, physics-defying concepts, but in cosplay, it’s up to you to figure out how to make them physically possible – translating an artist’s iconic attributes of a character into a physical representation that exists in the real world.”
The unique challenges for each cosplayer also create space for them to showcase their unique skills and perspectives.
For Air Bubbles’s Rowan cosplay, “it would have to be the broken glass. It took a lot of time cutting all the glass shards on my cricut, then cutting them by hand to fit onto the armor. Painting them took even longer since I had to use a special mirrored paint that needed to 'cure' and not just dry. I love all the armor shapes and I think they look amazing! If we're just talking about work I've done in general, I am incredibly proud of the paint job I did on my Chandra armor to almost perfectly match the colors from the statue. It was also the first time I did hand embroidery and I love staring at it to this day!”
“The elements I'm most proud of are often the unique details that I add to put my own spin on a cosplay,” McKenah said. “For example, as part of my Ruby, Daring Tracker I spent about a total of 100 hours on the embroidery work alone with my favourite pieces being the cloak and vest. I often like to try to include some of my Fine Art background in my cosplay and this was no exception. I chose to embroider a 16th-century French filigree pattern on the vest as a reference to when Little Red Riding Hood (on which Ruby is based) was first published. It's a fun tidbit of art history that unless someone asks no one will probably notice but it brings me joy knowing that it's there.”
“Attention to detail, I think it's my strong point,” Mbare agreed. “Many times I make the base of the costume very quickly but I spend much more time taking care of every little detail.”
Cosplayers’ enthusiasm for cosplay makes them the perfect ambassadors for why MagicCon attendees should be excited about seeing cosplay (if you aren’t already, which you should be!). Cosplayers are also some of the biggest fans of other cosplayers.
“Cosplay brings beloved characters to life!” Bones said. “Every cosplay is crafted with care and dedication to the characters we portray. When I choose to cosplay a character, I aim to give it my all and represent them as authentically as possible.
“I love seeing other people's creativity,” she added. “Whether it's choosing a character or concept I hadn’t considered, or the way they solve challenges, the variety in how and why people cosplay is always exciting to witness.”
“What better way to see your favorite characters than to see them in real life!” Air Bubbles said. “I know personally what the champions are bringing to the table and I promise you will not be disappointed! Get excited to see how many different ways people create and craft. I learn new things at every competition because everyone thinks differently and creates differently. Get excited to see the craziness I personally will be bringing to the stage with [REDACTED]. Also, as a huge MTG fan I love seeing all the characters come to life! I can't wait to cheer everyone on and take a ton of pictures with everyone.”
“What's amazing about MagicCon cosplays is that there are always new cosplayers joining the cosplay scene and bringing with them their unique takes on characters both new and old,” McKenah said. “Attendees can look forward to and get excited about what new characters or cards will be walking around the convention floor, and thanks to the cosplay contest at MagicCon everyone at home and in attendance gets a chance to see the incredible work done by cosplayers in the community. I get excited whenever a cosplayer adds their own flair to their cosplay. It makes the cosplay unlike anyone else's and they are often most excited to talk about it and its importance to them. After all, cosplay at its core is a form of self-expression.”
Cosplay is one critical piece of the ways that MagicCons bring Magic to life, and you won’t want to miss it at MagicCon: Las Vegas. So get your camera ready, and we’ll see you there!
Check out our cosplayer’s instagram pages for more info: