As the second year of the Hearthstone Championship Tour (HCT) enters the home stretch, its final seasonal championship, HCT Summer, is lighting up the stage this weekend at the all-new Blizzard Arena Los Angeles. It’s a large yet intimate venue—a high-tech, 450-seat studio with a tavern-esque makeover—and attendees today were excited to experience the first day of high-level Hearthstone competition.

We’re all here because we love this game. It’s like nothing else to be in an arena full of people who know exactly what you mean when you say something like, “I can’t believe he played Coin to hit Evolve on two 3-drops instead of waiting to try and curve into Doppelgangster!” As everyone talks through the pros and cons of plays such as these, people start reaching for their smartphones and USB battery chargers—it’s going to be a full day of card dueling, both for the pros on stage and those in the stands.

Matches start early for a long day of pro Hearthstone. Anyone planning on being here for the duration is in for 12 to 14 hours of broadcast, and it starts bright and early at 8:30 a.m.—so only a select handful of truly dedicated fans were here first thing Friday. (The extra free swag for the first folks through the door probably helped.)

On the arena floor, a jam-packed Fireside Gathering is underway, with Sam Benson of KC Firesides at its helm. While the majority of the audience is zeroed in on the professional play on stage, two dozen or so fans have made their way down to occupy tables in front of the main event. They’re enjoying a social experience that includes not only watching pros play, but also playing games themselves, including the new Fireside Brawls feature, and meeting new friends through a shared appreciation of Hearthstone.

“I want to give people the classic Fireside Gathering experience,” Benson says, placing a customized prize wheel in front of the players. With a spin, they discover what rule set their table will play some friendly matches under, and it lands on Beards—so every card in their decks has to have a beard in the card art.

Meanwhile, on stage, big plays leading to Chen 'tom60229' Wei-Lin's reverse sweep of Facundo 'Nalguidan' Pruzzo draw a big reaction from the crowd, which has grown steadily since morning. Several of the fans in the stands debate what the pros should be doing on a turn-by-turn basis, and the detailed conversations are testament to how invested in the matches everyone is. Applause echoes throughout the hall as Yuya ‘uya’ Tanaka, a bit of an underdog in the competition, pulls off a series-tying reversal against Ryan ‘Purple’ Murphy-Root.

There’s a clear sense of community in the room. Hearthstone developers shake hands with fans before engaging them in fun duels as Benson’s Fireside Gathering continues unabated. It feels like you can walk up to anyone, introduce yourself, and really “pull up a chair by the hearth” at this event.

Nicholas and Joshua Botelho agree. They both traveled from Edmonton, Alberta, in Canada to be here, and they can't stop talking about what an epic experience it's been, meeting their favorite pro players, chatting with other attendees, and reveling in the championship-caliber play on stage. "The trip here has been priceless," Nicholas says. Joshua agrees, before breaking into a discussion of an earlier Highlander Priest mirror match. The debate that ensues at the table is a testament to the feeling they've described. "Hearthstone has one of the best communities," Joshua adds, as the Highlander Priest debate rages on.

With that, attention shifts to one of HCT Summer's most anticipated matches, between defending world champion Pavel 'Pavel' Beltukov and Wang 'BaiZe' XinYu, the first woman to play on the championship stage at HCT. We'll have more on BaiZe tomorrow, so stay tuned for that.

Were you with us in Los Angeles for the first Hearthstone event at the Blizzard Arena? Or did you take in the festivities from a Fireside Gathering of your own? Either way, let us know what your Hearthstone Summer Championship experience has been in the comments!