April 22-28 Weekly Events
Written by Jim Ziegler It seems like BINGO is one of the most popular games at Gam3Escape. Pokemon BINGO is a big draw, with holiday variants and even other businesses taking note of how many players show up for it. It’s fun for the kids, who get to win shiny new cards, and educational for the parents who may not know the difference between a Palpitoad and a Polteageist. Magic players can’t miss out on the fun, so once a month the Planeswalkers get together to embark on epic quests to complete their BINGO sheets at the Commander table after their Standard Showdown. We’re still on Thunder Junction, so bringing commanders in boots and chaps and cowboy hats will earn you extra tickets. Whether you’re playing a Cat in a Hat or a Snake in Boots, there’s plenty of fun to be had while chasing some Loot out on the range. Even with all the Western tropes, Magic managed to avoid including any guns in the game so far, except in the Warhammer 40K crossover. A crossover that’s going to be repeated this Saturday, when the generals of the armies of Warhammer converge on Gam3Escape in the morning, with their Tantum est Fortis tournament likely overlapping with the Standard Showdown. Maybe they’ll join a Magic pod if they see a Necron deck in play. Or maybe they’ll give you a lesson in wargaming. Just be cautious asking about female Custodes. GATHER FOR MAGIC Magic Booster Draft Friday, 6:00 PM Play Magic the way it was intended in a Booster Draft! Crack a pack, pick the best card, and pass it on. Build a deck with the cards you draft and compete for packs and promos. Entry fee: $25 Outlaws of Thunder Commander Bingo Saturday, 6:00 Gam3Escape's Monthly Commander BINGO Event, plus Outlaws of Thunder Junction Commander Party. Receive an extra ticket for playing an Outlaws of Thunder Junction Commander. Entry fee: $10 Standard Showdown Saturday, 3:00 PM It's boots and chaps, it's cowboy hats. It's spurs and latigo. It's the ropes and the reins, and the joy and the pain and they call the thing Standard Showdown! Bring your best deck, and battle it out for fun and prizes. Stick around afterwards for Commander BINGO and Outlaws of Thunder Junction Commander Party.! Entry fee: $7. Casual Commander Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday at 6:00 PM. The most popular format in Magic, Commander, is back on the table. Bring your favorite deck, or playtest a new one against other magicians. No entry fee: These battles are for honor, not prizes! IN THE WORLD OF POKÉMON Standard Constructed Tournament Sunday, 3:00 PM Show everyone that you’re the best! Like no one ever was! Join the battle at the weekly Standard Constructed Tournament! Regulation F, no deck list required. Entry fee: $6 Pokémon League Casual Play Monday and Saturday at 6:30 PM, Sunday at noon The $6 entry fee comes with a pack of your choice from any in the store. TIME TO DUEL! Yu-Gi-Oh! Advanced Constructed Tournament Wednesday, Thursday, & Friday, 7:00 PM Duel for supremacy in the Yu-Gi-Oh Trading Card Game. Earn OTS Tournament Packs while demonstrating your skills as a duelist. Entry fee: $5 A WHOLE NEW WORLD Into the Inklands Lorcana League Monday & Saturday, 6:30 PM The adventures in the Inklands continue with Locana League. Bring your sealed deck, or join the fun! The initial entry fee includes a starter deck of your choice, a booster pack, and a 200-card deck box to keep your sealed cards from getting mixed up with your collection. Entry fee: $25 (one-time charge) THIS MEANS WAR(HAMMER)! Tantum est Fortis Gam3Escape's April Warhammer 40k Tournament Saturday, 11:00 AM Prepare for battle! Bring your 2000-point army and plenty of fluids, because this battle will go on all day. 10th Edition rules, army list required. Store opens at 10:30, tournament begins at 11:00. Entry fee: $35 Warhammer 40K League Sunday, 5:00 PM In the grim darkness of the far future, there is only war. At Gam3Escape, there is only Warhammer! Whether it’s a Tyranid terror or a Blood Angel battalion, stage your army and prepare for battle at the weekly Warhammer 40K League. Check out Jim's latest posts on The Gamer: https://www.thegamer.com/magic-the-gathering-mtg-budget-deck-guide/ https://www.thegamer.com/magic-the-gathering-mtg-obeka-splitter-of-seconds-commander-deck-guide/ https://www.thegamer.com/pokemon-tcg-gardevoir-ex-league-battle-deck-guide/
April 15-21 Weekly Events
Written by Jim Ziegler There’s a lot going on at your favorite game escape this week. With the recent release of Pokémon’s Temporal Forces, Magic’s release of Outlaws of Thunder Junction this week, and next week’s Legacy of Destruction for Yu-Gi-Oh, everybody is getting something new to add to their decks. But new cards aren’t the only thing to get excited about: There are plenty of big events to look forward to, too! Pokémon players trying to earn enough points to participate in the World Championship in August will only get a couple more chances, including the League Challenge on Sunday at 3:00. For those who have already earned their points or are looking for a chance to test out their post-rotation decks in a competitive setting, this is another excellent opportunity before the final League Cup of the season on May 19th. Meanwhile, Magic players have had a chance to familiarize themselves with Thunder Junction, which means it’s time for a release draft! There’s no need to bring your own cards, since you’ll be building on the spot. Meanwhile, the new Commander decks will be on the shelf, offering new tools to add to your collection, or playable decks if you don’t feel like building your own. Personally, I’m looking forward to the Desert Bloom deck. Things could get messy this weekend with the store’s first Lorcana Store Championship event. Following the story deep into the Inklands, you’ll battle other players for Lore… and for awesome promotional materials like a Store Championship playmat and Stitch promo cards. And if those Illumineers track some ink back into the store after their adventure, maybe Chad can use it for the miniature painting workshop, back in the store on Sunday. Take your pick of any Reaper player figure in the store and use the provided paints to make it yours. Come early for the best selection, or you might end up with a gnoll. MINIATURE PAINTING WORKSHOP Sunday, 1:00 PM The popular miniature painting workshop is back! Pick and Reaper character miniature in stock and get it ready for play, with brushes and paints provided. Chad will be teaching advanced painting techniques, so come ready to learn! Entry fee: $6.00 GATHER FOR MAGIC OTJ - Outlaws of Thunder Junction Draft Friday, 6:00 PM Get ready for a rootin’ tootin’ good time in the Outlaws of Thunder Junction release draft. Your entry fee gets you three packs to draft from, packed full as a tick with outlaws and introducing the new Crime, Saddle, and Plot mechanics. There’s Loot for the takin’, so don’t miss your chance to take part in the next big heist. Prizes based on entries. Entry fee: $25 Standard Showdown Saturday, 3:00 PM It's boots and chaps, it's cowboy hats. It's spurs and latigo. It's the ropes and the reins, and the joy and the pain and they call the thing Standard Showdown! Bring your best deck, and battle it out for fun and prizes. Stick around afterwards for OTJ Open House and Commander! Entry fee: $7. Outlaws of Thunder Junction Open House Saturday, 5:00 Curious about Magic? Come in for the Open House event. See the newest set, Outlaws of Thunder Junction, meet other players, and ask for a lesson on how to play the game. Entry fee: $5 Casual Commander Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday at 6:00 PM. The most popular format in Magic, Commander, is back on the table. Bring your favorite deck, or playtest a new one against other magicians. No entry fee: These battles are for honor, not prizes! IN THE WORLD OF POKÉMON League Challenge Sunday, 3:00 PM The first League Challenge of the 2024-2025 Standard format sees the loss of “E” regulation cards, so make sure your deck is updated! Best of 1 format, 30 minute matches, age divisions honored as much as possible based on participation. Deck lists are required, and must be submitted by 2:30 PM. Late and illegible deck lists may not be accepted. Prizes include packs, promos, and other Pokémon merchandise. Entry fee: $6.00 Pokémon League Casual Play Monday and Saturday at 6:30 PM, Sunday at noon The $6 entry fee comes with a pack of your choice from any in the store. TIME TO DUEL! Yu-Gi-Oh! Advanced Constructed Tournament Wednesday, Thursday, & Friday, 7:00 PM Duel for supremacy in the Yu-Gi-Oh Trading Card Game. Earn OTS Tournament Packs while demonstrating your skills as a duelist. Entry fee: $5 A WHOLE NEW WORLD Into the Inklands Lorcana Store Championship Saturday, 6:30 PM Come into Gam3Escape to go Into the Inklands for the first Lorcana Store Championship. This tournament will be a core constructed format, so bring your 60-card deck (no more than two colors), put on your Mickey Mouse ears, and sing your way to victory. The winner will receive a booster box, top two will earn a Stitch playmat, and top four will earn promo cards. Full tournament rules can be found here. Entry fee: $35 Into the Inklands Lorcana League Monday & Saturday, 6:30 PM The adventures in the Inklands continue with Locana League. Bring your sealed deck, or join the fun! The initial entry fee includes a starter deck of your choice, a booster pack, and a 200-card deck box to keep Also check out Jim's articles on The Gamer. Here are his latest: https://www.thegamer.com/magic-the-gathering-mtg-outlaws-of-thunder-junction-desert-bloom-commander-precon-deck-guide/ https://www.thegamer.com/magic-the-gathering-mtg-outlaws-of-thunder-junctions-most-wanted-commander-deck-guide/ https://www.thegamer.com/magic-the-gathering-mtg-commander-vraska-the-silencer-deck-guide/
April 8-14 Events at Gam3Escape
Like the gold rush of ‘49, folk are flocking to Magic: the Gathering’s Thunder Junction to stake their claim. A largely uninhabited, desolate plane linked to many others by the newly formed Omenpaths, Thunder Junction is a prime location for trade routes, with access to countless other planes available to anyone with feet. Or a mount. Thunder Junction introduces Mounts as a new creature type, which each come with the Saddle ability. Saddle functions a lot like Crew, except that creatures can attack unsaddled just fine. Saddling them, however, confers some nifty extra effects, such as impulse draws or copying the creatures that were tapped to saddle it. For a more detailed explanation, check out my Mount and Saddle guide. But the set isn’t called Mounts of Thunder Junction. It’s Outlaws of Thunder Junction. Outlaws aren’t another new creature type, instead being a catch-all term for Assassins, Mercenaries, Pirates, Rogues, and Warlocks are outlaws. There are a lot of new cards that check for outlaw status in this set, so keep an eye out on that to be a major archetype in both Sealed and Draft formats like the ones scheduled for this weekend. Speaking of outlaws, Pokémon players will want to stay legal by updating their decks immediately: As of April 5th, regulation mark “E” cards are no longer legal. While nobody is going to rustle up a posse to hunt you down for bringing playing a Battle VIP Pass, it will get you disqualified from future tournaments. Thankfully, Professors Jim and Jonn will be in the store on Sunday, April 14th at 1:00 PM to help you update your deck or build a fresh one. GATHER FOR MAGIC OTJ - Outlaws of Thunder Junction Prerelease Friday, April 12th & Saturday, April 13th, 6:00 PM Get ready for a rootin’ tootin’ good time in this week’s Outlaws of Thunder Junction prerelease events. Your entry fee gets you six packs to build your sealed deck from, packed full as a tick with outlaws and introducing the new Crime, Saddle, and Plot mechanics. There’s Loot for the takin’, so don’t miss your chance to take part in the next big heist. Entry fee: $35 ($30 preorder) Casual Commander Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday at 6:00 PM. The most popular format in Magic, Commander, is back on the table. Bring your favorite deck, or playtest a new one against other magicians. No entry fee: These battles are for honor, not prizes! IN THE WORLD OF POKÉMON Pokémon Day Sunday, April 14th, 1:00 PM The ever-popular monthly Pokémon Day event is back with all of your favorite activities. See Pokémon Professors Jim & Jonn to Learn To Play and for help building your new deck at 1:00, then hang around for everyone's favorite activity, Pokémon Bingo. Win packs, promos, and prizes! Remember, all players under 13 must be accompanied by a responsible adult. Entry fee: $10. Standard Constructed Tournament Sunday, April 14th, 3:00 PM The new Standard format goes into effect on April 5th, so this will be your first opportunity to test out your new deck in the new meta. Cards with the “E” regulation mark will no longer be allowed, so say “goodbye” to your Battle VIP Passes. Full details of the new format can be found here. Pokémon League Casual Play Monday and Saturday at 6:30 PM, Sunday at noon The $6 entry fee comes with a pack of your choice from any in the store. TIME TO DUEL! Yu-Gi-Oh! Advanced Constructed Grand Prix Friday, April 12th, 7:00 PM Prove your skill in the Yu-Gi-Oh Trading Card Game’s Advanced Constructed Grand Prix. This event is held monthly on the second Friday of the month. Points are accrued over the course of 2024. Earn OTS Tournament Packs while demonstrating your skills as a duelist. Entry fee: $10 Advanced Constructed Tournament Wednesday & Thursdays, 7:00 PM Duel for supremacy in the Yu-Gi-Oh Trading Card Game. Earn OTS Tournament Packs while demonstrating your skills as a duelist. Entry fee: $5 A WHOLE NEW WORLD Into the Inklands Lorcana League Monday & Saturday, 6:30 PM The adventures in the Inklands continue with Locana League. Bring your sealed deck, or join the fun! The initial entry fee includes a starter deck of your choice, a booster pack, and a 200-card deck box to keep your sealed cards from getting mixed up with your collection. Entry fee: $25 (one-time charge) THIS MEANS WAR(HAMMER)! Warhammer 40K League Sunday, 5:00 PM In the grim darkness of the far future, there is only war. At Gam3Escape, there is only Warhammer! Whether it’s a Tyranid terror or a Blood Angel battalion, stage your army and prepare for battle at the weekly Warhammer 40K League.
Gecko’s Game Guide, April 1-7 2024
Weekly Events - Gecko’s Game Guide Gecko’s Game Guide, April 1-7 2024 Written By Jim Ziegler Ever since Wizards of the Coast retired the block structure, Magic: the Gathering has felt a bit like the wild west. Not so much in terms of setting, that’s still to come. Rather, we’ve been flitting around from plane to plane like geckos on an anthill, never getting more than a cursory look at any of the new settings. We’ve got werewolves fighting robots, dinosaurs eating detectives, and a rekindling of the age-old rivalry between pirates and ninjas. And that isn’t even considering Universes Beyond. But even while it seems like WotC is rolling a die to figure out the next setting, they’ve managed to cobble together a few stories spanning multiple sets. The Brothers War took us back to the conflict between Urza and Mishra, filling in some of the blanks in old Magic lore, and then rolled into Phyrexia: All Will Be One and March of the Machines to finish the story of the Phyrexians and Mirrodin, after which we followed Kellan’s quest to track down his deadbeat dad, Oko. With the imminent release of Outlaws of Thunder Junction we’re looking at the end of Kellan’s story, with no clear sign of what we’ll see next. Bloomburrow certainly looks interesting, but it doesn’t seem likely that we’ll have a multi-set journey following a squirrel's attempt to bury an acorn like Scrat in the Ice Age films. And they definitely missed the opportunity to work Great Mouse Detective references into Murders at Karlov Manor. Still, most players probably care less about the story than about the gameplay, and Magic has been delivering novel cards for decades. Sometimes they get a little carried away: People haven’t stopped complaining about Voja, Jaws of the Conclave, and Annie Joins Up is ready to make it even more difficult to deal with. But overall they’ve been fairly consistent about delivering a fun, social game, and that doesn’t seem to be ending anytime soon. CHAOS RPG DAY Sunday, April 7th, 1:00 PM Chaos RPG Day is back! Bring your ready-to-play 5th Edition character (level 3, Adventurers League rules). Be ready to switch tables, games, and roles as you play Dungeons & Dragons and other tabletop RPGs all afternoon. Have a short game ready to DM, and if you’re bringing something other than D&D be sure to bring at least seven pre-made characters to play. Entry fee: $5 GATHER FOR MAGIC FNM - Friday Night Magic Friday, April 5th, 6:00 PM This week’s FNM will be a Standard Constructed format. Standard deckbuilding restrictions apply, and the current list of legal sets can be found here. This will be your last chance to play before we go West into Thunder Junction, so bring your A-game! The grand prize for this event is a copy of Polluted Delta, a perfect addition to your next Dimir deck. Entry fee: $15 Standard Showdown Saturday, April 6th, 3:00 PM Solve the mystery in Karlov Manor in this week’s Standard Showdown. Bring your best deck, and battle it out for fun and prizes. Stick around afterwards for Pioneer and Commander! Entry fee: $6. Pioneer Constructed Saturday, April 6th, 6:00 PM If you’re still itching for a fight after the Standard Showdown, stick around for Pioneer. A more complex format with a deeper card pool, Pioneer follows the same rules as Standard but allows cards from all the way back to 2012’s Return to Ravnica. Your Standard deck will still be legal, or you can purchase a Pioneer Challenger Deck at the counter. Entry fee: $7 Casual Commander Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday at 6:00 PM. The most popular format in Magic, Commander, is back on the table. Bring your favorite deck, or playtest a new one against other magicians. No entry fee: These battles are for honor, not prizes! IN THE WORLD OF POKÉMON Standard Constructed Tournament Sunday, April 7th, 3:00 PM The new Standard format goes into effect on April 5th, so this will be your first opportunity to test out your new deck in the new meta. Cards with the “E” regulation mark will no longer be allowed, so say “goodbye” to your Battle VIP Passes. Full details of the new format can be found here. Pokémon League Casual Play Monday and Saturday at 6:30 PM, Sunday at noon The $6 entry fee comes with a pack of your choice from any in the store. Pokémon Go Don’t forget to redeem your code for ten free Purified Gems this week in Pokémon Go! Code: 7B3ELFUMKLP4G TIME TO DUEL! Yu-Gi-Oh! Advanced Constructed Tournament Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays, 7:00 PM Duel for supremacy in the Yu-Gi-Oh Trading Card Game. Earn OTS Tournament Packs while demonstrating your skills as a duelist. Entry fee: $5 A WHOLE NEW WORLD Into the Inklands Lorcana League Monday & Saturday, 6:30 PM The adventures in the Inklands continue with Locana League. Bring your sealed deck, or join the fun! The initial entry fee includes a starter deck of your choice, a booster pack, and a 200-card deck box to keep your sealed cards from getting mixed up with your collection. Entry fee: $25 (one-time charge) plus weekly entry which includes a booster pack. THIS MEANS WAR(HAMMER)! Warhammer 40K League Sundays 5:00 PM In the grim darkness of the far future, there is only war. At Gam3Escape, there is only Warhammer! Whether it’s a Tyranid terror or a Blood Angel battalion, stage your army and prepare for battle at the weekly Warhammer 40K League. About Jim Ziegler: Jim is an OG Pokémon fan. He's the guy who got his first job to buy a Game Boy and a copy of Pokémon Red, and never stopped playing. He's played just about every TCG under the sun, but views himself as a lifelong learner who's always looking for new games and new tricks. Jim is also a Pokémon Professor and judges at Gam3Escape's Pokémon events. You may catch up with him on casual commander nights, time permitting. He is a writer for The Gamer. Follow him there and check out his articles.
