The odds for regular San Francisco men hooking up this weekend in the Marina have just dramatically improved with the arrival of the Magic: The Gathering competition tournament at Fort Mason this week (Sept 1 to Sept. 5). Three hundred of the world's top Magic: The Gathering players are busy ignoring most beautiful ocean view in the whole world in favor of huddling around round tables and dealing elaborate sci-fi cards. "It's kind of like a triathalon," one of the organizers sighs.

Check out the tournament blog for up-to-date scoring, some fine, fine pictures of geeks eating Le Petit Ecolier cookies and thrilling accounts of some elaborate gameplay, like the following:

Pardon us while SFist looks for our 20-sided die.

He then pulled a Skullclamp from his Darksteel pack, followed with Screams from Within, and then Neurok Prodigy from a terrible pack. Two Echoing Truths and two Vedalken Engineers later he was a blue mage.