Image courtesy of The Command Zone

Next week, there's a Magic: the Gathering tournament taking place at King's Court Gaming in Taunton, Massachusetts. Entry costs $35 and there's a 96-player cap. The format is Premodern.

On its surface, it looks like any number of local events held at game stores across the globe on any given weekend.

But the Coastal Tower Classic, as it's known, is something more than that. Every net dollar from tournament entries and raffle tickets goes directly to the TSC Alliance, the leading nonprofit supporting people affected by Tuberous Sclerosis Complex (TSC).

The event's the product of a father's plan to mobilize his community through Magic to fight a disease that indelibly shapes the lives of those who live it, but it's not the first time Magic and TSC have intersected.

What is TSC?

Tuberous Sclerosis Complex is a rare genetic disorder that causes tumors to form in multiple organs; primarily the brain, eyes, heart, kidneys, skin, and lungs. Its effects vary widely from person to person.

According to information from the TSC Alliance, some people with TSC live independent, healthy lives and hold demanding careers. Others require continuous, complex care. Even within the same family, siblings and identical twins can have entirely different experiences of the disease.

The neurological impact tends to be the most significant factor in quality of life. TSC can cause seizures, developmental delays, intellectual disabilities, behavioral challenges, and autism. There's no cure. At least two babies born in the United States every day will have TSC, and an estimated one million people worldwide are living with the condition, with roughly 50,000 of them in the United States.

Despite those numbers, public awareness of the disease remains limited, a gap that those closest to it are working to close.

The TSC Alliance

The TSC Alliance was founded in 1974 when four mothers, each navigating the disease within their own families, came together to offer one another fellowship and to push for more knowledge and awareness.

The idea that community can act as a driving force for progress in the face of a difficult diagnosis has defined the organization ever since. Today, the TSC Alliance, based in Silver Spring, Maryland, funds research, facilitates clinical trials, maintains a biosample repository and natural history database, and provides families with educational resources, advocacy support, and connections to care.

The Coastal Tower Classic

Brandon Todesca, founder of the Coastal Tower Classic and father to a son diagnosed with TSC, has been playing Magic since Fourth Edition. After a hiatus of nearly two decades, he returned to the game and found himself drawn to the Premodern format, a competitive scene built around cards printed between Fourth Edition and Scourge. What struck him, beyond the format itself, was its culture.

"I was inspired by the Premodern scene's rich history of community support and giving through events and tournaments throughout the country," Todesca said. "In creating the Coastal Tower Classic, I now have my own opportunity to echo that giving mentality both by building a great event for a community that has provided an outlet for me, while supporting an organization that has done so much for my son and my family."

The TSC Alliance, he said, has been with his family at every turn, They were the first resource as his family learned about the disease, they facilitated The Todescas' involvement in multiple research studies, they provided invaluable education to the family on new developments and treatments, and the TSC Alliance Advocates have played an "indispensable" role in navigating Todesca's son's entry into school. The tournament isn't just a charity event, but a show of appreciation as well as a bid for visibility.

"One of the biggest challenges in navigating life with TSC is society's lack of awareness," Todesca said. "So, in addition to raising money for the TSC Alliance, I hope this event can trigger people's interest to learn more about the disease."

A Serendipitous Network

Todesca's event connects Magic with TSC, but it isn't the only thread tying the two together.

Lauren Shillinger, a TSC parent who joined the Space Cow Media team in 2025, has found herself at an unexpected intersection of her professional and personal worlds.

"Since joining the Space Cow Media team last year, I could have never imagined how my personal experience with TSC would have connections to Magic," Shillinger said.

Shillinger has also been working with Todesca, arranging a Space Cow Media donation to the event and sending swag for the event's raffle. "Serving in a role at Space Cow Media that makes these charitable contributions, for a cause that is so near and dear to my family as a TSC mom, is really remarkable," she said. "It's been serendipitous to see the way my job has provided connections and support in the TSC community that were so unexpected, but so meaningful to me personally."

Shillinger said that as a TSC/rare disease mom, she and other moms like her have spent a lot of time over the years at doctor's appointments and in the hospital for surgery. "For our daughter, so much time was spent watching movies, but I have come to learn that Magic is a wonderful game many play to pass the time and to take their minds off what they are going through," she said. "To be able to be part of what we do at Space Cow Media and see how we are putting the magic in paying it forward is so rewarding, and allows us to be a part of the community in a different way."

Space Cow Media's Lauren Shillinger with her family at a TSC Alliance event.

Evan Moss and The Command Zone

Shillinger pointed out another unexpected connection between TSC and Magic, in the story of Evan Moss's Make-A-Wish experience with The Command Zone, one of the most prominent Magic: the Gathering podcasts and content channels.

Evan's a Magic player through-and-though well before Make-A-Wish, so when the time came, his choice was clear. "Evan has loved playing Magic for years, and when he was granted a wish through the Make-A-Wish Foundation, he knew he wanted to have an MTG experience," said Lisa Moss, Evan's mother. "Josh Lee Kwai and Jimmy Wong at the Command Zone created an incredible dream-come-true Wish, and even had Mark Rosewater from Wizards of the Coast join!"

Lisa Moss said that for Evan, playing a game of Commander with these three was incredible, "and we will all cherish those memories!"

The Moss family aren't the only ones with those positive memories, either. Josh Lee Kwai, co-host of The Command Zone, reflected on what the experience meant from his side of the table.

"It was such an honor for The Command Zone to get to host a Make-A-Wish for Evan," Kwai said. "He's such a huge MTG fan and player, and seeing the joy he had just getting to play and talk about the game with us was among the most fulfilling experiences that I've had as a creator."

Kwai said that "honestly, I feel like we got more inspiration from him than he could ever get from us."

Seeing the Joy

The Coastal Tower Classic on March 28 is, in one sense, a PreModern tournament with prizes, pairings, and everything else you'd expect from a local Magic tournament. But in another sense, it's the Magic community using the game to do good in the world.

If you're in the area, head out to the Coastal Tower Classic and battle it out for a good cause. And if you'd like to support the TSC Alliance, you can do so here.

Heard of any other ways Magic has been used to support positive causes? Let us know below!

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