Weekly Events December 2 - 8
Written by Jim Ziegler Wizards of the Coast just revealed their newest holiday promo card, Eggnogger’s ‘Stache, featuring the baby Fomori Loot messily drinking a large mug of eggnog. It’s an adorable image, but one that adds fuel to the fire of the most recent controversy in the community: Who is the mascot for Magic: The Gathering? Some Magic players have embraced Fblthp as Magic’s defacto mascot, and WotC seemed to be leaning into that, with several art treatments, new cards featuring him (including the entire Extra Life 2024 secret lair), and numerous product tie-ins. Fblthp was even the defacto mascot for MagicCon Vegas 2024, which included a scavenger hunt to find him, secret pins, a tiki mug in his likeness, and a featured drink named after his first appearance. More recently, the focus has shifted to Loot, who was first introduced in Outlaws of Thunder Junction, a set which, notably, included Fblthp, Lost on the Range as a promo card. Loot, and adorable little furry gremlin, was the treasure that Jace assembled a team of outlaws to acquire for him thanks to his ability to map Omenpaths. Jace and Vraska immediately adopted Loot, but lost him immediately, as revealed in the Bloomburrow and Duskmourn stories. In just a few months since he was revealed, Loot has been printed as two different legendary cards and has shown up in eight different sets of art, including one of the Foundations basic Forest. You can buy fuzzy Loot deck boxes, and playmats, and follow his adventures through the stories of three separate tentpole sets. For comparison, it took six years for Fblthp to be printed as a creature after appearing in background art since he was first introduced, and he appears on 33 cards over eleven years. Some people feel like Loot is being forced upon them, the same way they complained that Kellan felt forced. But Magic has never really had a mascot the way Pokemon has Pikachu or Yu-Gi-Oh has Yugi and Dark Magician. They used Hurloon Minotaur for several years, and even had a giant statue in the WotC headquarters, but you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone who remembered that era. The early Planeswalkers, especially Jace, seemed to be an attempt to put a face on Magic, but they’ve pulled back from printing as many as they had before. Magic doesn’t need a mascot, though. Unlike Pokemon, it’s a game first and a franchise second, and it doesn’t have or need the brand recognition of other trading card games. Whether you’re team Loot or team Fblthp, the important part is the gathering. FIRST FRIDAY RED & WHITE NIGHT Friday, 5:00 PM Stop by Gam3Escape and check out the First Friday Market vendors! TCG Vendors include @tcg808marketplace, @shakacardz, @tcghawaii, @tcg808rips, & @porygontrainer. @shaylax.ink will be there with her games and kawaii stickers. @daanimehub will be there with their awesome anime and collectibles. @filedabahiadohavai will be there with Brazilian plates! There will be Pokemon, Lorcana, and other cards, including slabs, stickers, anime items, and collectibles, ono Brazilian plates and delicious desserts! IN THE WORLD OF POKÉMON Pokémon TCG League Challenge Saturday, 6:30 PM 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 5:00 PM. Late and illegible deck lists may not be accepted. Prizes include packs, promos, and other Pokémon merchandise. Entry fee: $7.00 Pokémon TCG League Cup Sunday, 11:30 AM Best of 3 format, 50 minute matches, age divisions honored as much as possible based on participation. Deck lists are required, and must be submitted by 11:00 AM. Late and illegible deck lists may not be accepted. Prizes include packs, promos, playmats, and other Pokémon merchandise. Entry fee: $15.00 Pokémon League Casual Play Monday and Saturday at 6:30 PM, Sunday at noon Receive a pack of your choice from any in the store, as well as a promo pack. Participants are entered into the end-of-season prize pool. Entry fee: $10 Pokémon GO Scavenger Hunt Grab an achievement sheet in-store and GO out to collect them! Complete the scavenger sheet to earn a booster pack and a promo pack, and to be entered into a drawing for an Elite Trainer Box and other prizes. Entry fee: $10 GATHER FOR MAGIC Foundations Jumpstart Tournament Friday, 6:00 PM Shuffle two Jumpstart boosters together and you’ve got a deck, ready to go! Entry: $20 Casual Commander Monday, Tuesday, 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! Commonder-ish League Thursday, 6:00 PM. Build a commander deck using only commons & uncommons in the 99. Build from in-store bulk, or bring your deck, and compete against others with similar decks. Each week you’ll earn a pack and a pull to add to the deck. Ban list applies, proxies not permitted (but c’mon, they’re commons), and deck list required. Entry fee: $10 TIME TO DUEL! Yu-Gi-Oh! Advanced Constructed Tournament Wednesday, Friday, 7:00 PM Duel for supremacy in the Yu-Gi-Oh Trading Card Game. Earn booster packs and OTS Tournament Packs while demonstrating your skills as a duelist. Entry fee: $10 A WHOLE NEW WORLD Azurite Sea 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) STAR WARS: UNLIMITED Casual Play League Tuesdays, 6:00 PM, Saturdays, 1:00 PM, Sundays 5:00 PM Whether you’re an aspiring Jedi, a sinister Sith, or a bounty hunter looking for your next score, Star Wars: Unlimited has all the excitement of your favorite space opera in cardboard form. Constructed Tournament Saturdays, 1:00 PM Constructed format. Entry: $10.00 THIS MEANS WAR(HAMMER)! Casual Warhammer Friday & 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 Casual Warhammer event. CARDFIGHT! VANGUARD! Divinez Constructed Tournament Monday, 5:30 PM Bring your cards and get ready to fight! Cardfight! Vanguard is back with weekly tournaments, every Monday night. Entry fee: $6 Check out Jim's articles at The Gamer: https://www.thegamer.com/author/james-ziegler/ and like, follow, and subscribe to his Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@Alolan_Professor
Weekly Post November 25 - December 1
Written by Jim Ziegler Thanksgiving is a time to get together with your friends and family, to celebrate all the amazing things life has given you, and to celebrate a good harvest with a feast. Turkey, mashed potatoes, yams, cranberry chutney, and pumpkin pie are all classic Thanksgiving dishes, but have you thought about what Pokémon trainers like Ash and Professor Oak would eat for Thanksgiving? Early Pokémon art showed a handful of normal animals in the Pokémon world, like cats and mongooses. As the franchise evolved, these normal animals faded into obscurity, eventually disappearing entirely. That means there are no cows for beef, pigs for pork, or chickens for… chicken. Is everyone in the Pokémon world vegetarian? We’ve seen characters in the anime eating sausage and drumsticks. The video games usually skirt the issue by using “bean ham” and other plant-based ingredients, but the Pokédex tells a different story. There are several Pokémon that have parts harvested for food. Children peel the skin off of Appletun to snack on, and Team Rocket famously chopped off Slowpoke tails to sell when they were low on funds. Jessie and James tried to catch a Farfetch’d to cook, using its own leek as a garnish. They weren’t the first, either: Farfetch’d is rare in the Kanto region because so many people hunted them for food. Even Ash and Brock dreamed about Magikarp sashimi. If the hero does it, it must not even be taboo. A few Pokémon produce food that they happily share with humans, like Chansey’s eggs and Miltank’s milk. Along with some honey from Combee, that covers staple foods and can be used to make bread. But the Paldean Pokédex takes it a little farther. Apparently the Paldean diet is packed full of Pokémon, and the Pokémon of the region have evolved to shed parts that humans like to eat. Slowpoke shed their whole tails, Klawk claws break off and regrow, and Toedscool drops flaps of mushroom-like flesh for humans to enjoy. Veluza even (somehow) drops entire chunks of flesh and regrows them, allowing humans to fish already cut fillets out of the water. This Thanksgiving, be thankful that you don’t live in the Pokemon world, where you might be eating your partner for Thanksgiving dinner. GAM3ESCAPE is closed Thursday, November 28 for Thanksgiving IN THE WORLD OF POKÉMON Pokémon Standard Constructed Tournament Sunday, 3:00pm 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: $7. Pokémon League Casual Play Monday and Saturday at 6:30 PM, Sunday at noon Receive a pack of your choice from any in the store, as well as a promo pack. Participants are entered into the end-of-season prize pool. Entry fee: $10 Pokémon GO Scavenger Hunt Grab an achievement sheet in-store and GO out to collect them! Complete the scavenger sheet to earn a booster pack and a promo pack, and to be entered into a drawing for an Elite Trainer Box and other prizes. Entry fee: $10 GATHER FOR MAGIC Foundations Jumpstart Tournament Friday, 6:00 PM Shuffle two Jumpstart boosters together and you’ve got a deck, ready to go! Entry: $20 Casual Commander Monday, Tuesday, 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! TIME TO DUEL! Yu-Gi-Oh! Advanced Constructed Tournament Wednesday, Friday, 7:00 PM Duel for supremacy in the Yu-Gi-Oh Trading Card Game. Earn booster packs and OTS Tournament Packs while demonstrating your skills as a duelist. Entry fee: $10 A WHOLE NEW WORLD Azurite Sea 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) STAR WARS: UNLIMITED Casual Play League Tuesdays, 6:00 PM, Saturdays, 1:00 PM, Sundays 5:00 PM Whether you’re an aspiring Jedi, a sinister Sith, or a bounty hunter looking for your next score, Star Wars: Unlimited has all the excitement of your favorite space opera in cardboard form. THIS MEANS WAR(HAMMER)! Casual Warhammer Friday & 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 Casual Warhammer event. CARDFIGHT! VANGUARD! Divinez Constructed Tournament Monday, 5:30 PM Bring your cards and get ready to fight! Cardfight! Vanguard is back with weekly tournaments, every Monday night. Entry fee: $6 Check out Jim's articles at The Gamer: https://www.thegamer.com/author/james-ziegler/ and like, follow, and subscribe to his Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@Alolan_Professor
Weekly Events November 18 - 24
Written by Jim Ziegler The Temple of Elemental Evil was originally a small, stone temple occupied by bandits and evil humanoids from which they raided nearby villages. As the bandits grew more bold an army was sent to destroy the temple, but found the forces defending it to be far more powerful than they anticipated. Eventually the temple was destroyed, leaving a labyrinth beneath which attracted adventurers looking to loot the ruins. Three separate times cultists tried to use the temple and artifacts therein to release the god of death, Tharizdun, from imprisonment, but each time they were thwarted by adventuring parties. You would think that after the third time, someone would think to destroy the remains of the temple. But here we are, revisiting it once again in 5th edition. Destroying an underground labyrinth may be more difficult that you think. You could flood it, or cart gravel and boulders in to fill it, but even then the structure would remain in place. Filling it with cement may work, but they don’t exactly have trucks full of the stuff in Greyhawk. What you really need may be a volcano. There is a spell to create volcanos in Dungeons & Dragons, but you can’t use it. Mavin’s Create Volcano is a tenth-level spell, but magic only goes up to level nine. Long ago, mages could cast tenth, and even eleventh-level spells, using powerful magic to create floating cities from the inverted peaks of mountains. These powerful mages could have created a volcano on the site of the Temple of Elemental Evil, collapsing the ruins as they filled with lava until the volcano went extinct a year later. Mortal access to such power was lost when a great archmage, Karsus, crafted a twelfth-level spell designed to steal the power of a god. Karsus used the spell to try and become the god of magic, killing Mystryl in the process and causing The Weave to collapse, resulting in the spell’s sudden failure. The floating cities fell to the ground as magic left the world until Mystryl was reincarnated as Mystra, who blocked mortals from ever being able to use any spell close to the same level of power. Lacking the means to destroy the temple, the ruins beneath it remain intact, ready for the next generation of cultists and adventurers to battle for the fate of the world. MINI GAMERS SWAP MEET Saturday, 1:00 PM Gam3Escape is excited to host a very special event for our community. It’s a great way to get holiday gifts for gamers in your life! Various vendors including TCG, Anime, stuffed animals, snacks, cookies, jeweled stainless steel water bottles, toys, collectibles, hand made items, original art, Warhammer models, and other items. There will be Pokemon, Magic, Yu-Gi-Oh!, including slabs! There will also be face painting and balloon animals for the kids. DUNGEONS & DRAGONS D&D 50th Anniversary Play Series—2024 Dungeon Master’s Guide Sunday, 1:00 PM Beneath the Temple of Elemental Evil lies a labyrinth of tombs and ritual chambers. For years, these dungeons have lain in ruin. Now forsaken souls return, raising an army of evil to destroy the world. Pre-made 4th level characters are provided, featuring the 2024 Player’s Handbook rules. Entry: $10 ($5 for monthly members or with purchase of the 2024 Dungeon Master’s Guide) IN THE WORLD OF POKÉMON Pokémon Standard Constructed Tournament Sunday, 3:00pm 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: $7. Pokémon League Casual Play Monday and Saturday at 6:30 PM, Sunday at noon Receive a pack of your choice from any in the store, as well as a promo pack. Participants are entered into the end-of-season prize pool. Entry fee: $10 Pokémon Scarlet & Violet VGC Casual League Thursday, 6:00 PM Explore the Paldea region in Pokémon Scarlet & Violet. Meet new Pokémon, and battle it out with other Trainers at Gam3Escape’s VGC Casual League. Entry fee: $5 Pokémon GO Scavenger Hunt Grab an achievement sheet in-store and GO out to collect them! Complete the scavenger sheet to earn a booster pack and a promo pack, and to be entered into a drawing for an Elite Trainer Box and other prizes. Entry fee: $10 GATHER FOR MAGIC Foundations Jumpstart Tournament Friday, 6:00 PM Shuffle two Jumpstart boosters together and you’ve got a deck, ready to go! Entry: $20 Commander-Ish League Thursday, 6:00 PM Build a commander deck using only commons & uncommons in the 99. Build from in-store bulk, or bring your deck, and compete against others with similar decks. Each week you’ll earn a pack and a pull to add to the deck. Ban list applies, proxies not permitted (but c’mon, they’re commons), and deck list required. Entry fee: $10 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! TIME TO DUEL! Yu-Gi-Oh! Advanced Constructed Tournament Wednesday, Friday, 7:00 PM Duel for supremacy in the Yu-Gi-Oh Trading Card Game. Earn booster packs and OTS Tournament Packs while demonstrating your skills as a duelist. Entry fee: $10 A WHOLE NEW WORLD Azurite Sea 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) STAR WARS: UNLIMITED Casual Play League Tuesdays, 6:00 PM, Saturdays, 1:00 PM, Sundays 5:00 PM Whether you’re an aspiring Jedi, a sinister Sith, or a bounty hunter looking for your next score, Star Wars: Unlimited has all the excitement of your favorite space opera in cardboard form. THIS MEANS WAR(HAMMER)! Casual Warhammer Friday & 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 Casual Warhammer event. CARDFIGHT! VANGUARD! Divinez Constructed Tournament Monday, 5:30 PM Bring your cards and get ready to fight! Cardfight! Vanguard is back with weekly tournaments, every Monday night. Entry fee: $6 Check out Jim's articles at The Gamer: https://www.thegamer.com/author/james-ziegler/ and like, follow, and subscribe to his Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@Alolan_Professor
Weekly Events November 11 - 17
Written by Jim Ziegler Magic players know all about product fatigue: Wizards of the Coast has been releasing new sets across multiple formats at a breakneck rate, to the point that “preview season” for a new set can start just a couple days after the last tentpole set, Secret Lair, or Universes Beyond precon set came out. It’s good publicity for Hasbro, though: my Twitter timeline is filled with discussion about new Magic cards, combos, and deck ideas thanks to the constant product flow, and I don’t get anywhere near as much content for Pokémon, D&D, or Star Wars: Unlimited, despite following all three. A similar type of fatigue is one of the things that makes a lot of mobile games unappealing to me: a lot of games have overlapping events in order to keep players coming back, because it’s not enough to log in a couple times a day to get your free spin or start the next construction project. Constant engagement means more opportunities to score advertising revenue, and more opportunities to sell in-game currency and cooldowns. Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket seems to be following the same model, with four active events just over a week after its worldwide launch. The Wonder Pick Event (parts 1 & 2) and Lapras ex Drop Event both added new promo cards into the game (although only two of the seven are mechanically new), while the Genetic Apex Emblem Event asks you to win up to 45 matches to earn emblems to display on your profile. Pokémon TCG Pocket can feel very pay-to-win: I got the game two weeks before most players, and still felt like every other match was against someone at a higher level and with better cards than me. But if you keep pressing on and build the best deck you can with the cards you have, you’ll hit your goal before time runs out without dropping any more money on the game. SUPER SMASH BROS ULTIMATE TOURNAMENT Saturday, 1:00 PM Gam3Escape is proud to once again host Super Smash Bros tournaments, in conjunction with the UH Hilo Super Smash Bros Club! Bring your own Joy-Con, and play in casual games between rounds. Entry: $10 IN THE WORLD OF POKÉMON Pokémon Standard Constructed Tournament Sunday, 3:00pm 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: $7. Pokémon League Casual Play Monday and Saturday at 6:30 PM, Sunday at noon Receive a pack of your choice from any in the store, as well as a promo pack. Participants are entered into the end-of-season prize pool. Entry fee: $10 Pokémon Scarlet & Violet VGC Casual League Thursday, 6:00 PM Explore the Paldea region in Pokémon Scarlet & Violet. Meet new Pokémon, and battle it out with other Trainers at Gam3Escape’s VGC Casual League. Entry fee: $5 Pokémon GO Great League Blind 3 & Trade Night Monday and Wednesday, 6:00 PM Do you play Pokémon GO? Interested in meeting up with other players and playing in sanctioned Pokémon events? Gam3Escape hosts Pokémon GO League events. Stop in from 6pm to 9pm for our Great League blind 3 casual play and trade night. Entry fee: $5.00 Pokémon GO Scavenger Hunt Grab an achievement sheet in-store and GO out to collect them! Complete the scavenger sheet to earn a booster pack and a promo pack, and to be entered into a drawing for an Elite Trainer Box and other prizes. Entry fee: $10 GATHER FOR MAGIC Foundations Release Weekend Draft Friday & Saturday, 6:00 PM Celebrate the new Foundations set with a Foundations Draft! Pick your best cards and build a deck from your draft pool. Don’t know where to start? Check out the Foundations Draft Archetype Guide! Entry: $22 Commander-Ish League Thursday, 6:00 PM Build a commander deck using only commons & uncommons in the 99. Build from in-store bulk, or bring your deck, and compete against others with similar decks. Each week you’ll earn a pack and a pull to add to the deck. Ban list applies, proxies not permitted (but c’mon, they’re commons), and deck list required. Entry fee: $10 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! TIME TO DUEL! Yu-Gi-Oh! Annual Yu-Gi-Oh! Holiday Charity Event Friday, 7:00 PM Show some heart, play some cards. Bring five nonperishable food items weighing at least 10.5 oz (about the size of a Campbell's soup can) to play! Advanced Constructed Tournament Wednesday, Friday, 7:00 PM, Saturday, 2:00 PM Duel for supremacy in the Yu-Gi-Oh Trading Card Game. Earn booster packs and OTS Tournament Packs while demonstrating your skills as a duelist. Entry fee: $10 A WHOLE NEW WORLD Azurite Sea Release Celebration Friday, 6:00 PM Set sail across the Azurite Sea! Pick up a starter deck and some boosters to learn to play, and receive a promo card for participating. Azurite Sea Starter Deck Tournament Saturday, 6:30 PM Pick up a starter deck, booster pack, and 400-count box and play against other starter decks. These decks can be used in your Lorcana League games! Entry fee: $25 Azurite Sea 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) STAR WARS: UNLIMITED Casual Play League Tuesdays, 6:00 PM, Saturdays, 1:00 PM, Sundays, 5:00 PM Whether you’re an aspiring Jedi, a sinister Sith, or a bounty hunter looking for your next score, Star Wars: Unlimited has all the excitement of your favorite space opera in cardboard form. THIS MEANS WAR(HAMMER)! Casual Warhammer Friday & 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 Casual Warhammer event. CARDFIGHT! VANGUARD! Divinez Constructed Tournament Monday, 5:30 PM Bring your cards and get ready to fight! Cardfight! Vanguard is back with weekly tournaments, every Monday night. Entry fee: $6 Check out Jim's articles at The Gamer: https://www.thegamer.com/author/james-ziegler/ and like, follow, and subscribe to his Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@Alolan_Professor
Weekly Events November 4 - 10
Written by Jim Ziegler The Pokémon Trading Card Game is one of the most popular trading card games in the world, alongside Yu-Gi-Oh and Magic: The Gathering. But it also seems to have more collectors than players, with many kids collecting cards without knowing how to play the game and lots of adults using them as an investment strategy. The Pokémon Company knows their audience, which is one of the reasons why they developed Pokémon TCG Pocket, the newest way to play the Pokémon TCG. Pokémon TCG Pocket released on iOS and Android on October 30th, but we’ve had an early look at the game. Pokémon TCG Pocket is an abridged version of the Pokémon TCG. Unlike Pokémon TCG Live, you won’t get codes for free packs when you buy booster packs from Gam3Escape unless there’s a crossover set sometime down the road like Pokémon GO had. Instead, players get free five-card packs at a rate of two per day, while players with a subscription can receive a third, and Pack Hourglasses can cut an hour off of the cooldown between packs. Speaking of packs, it turns out that the first one you choose is kind of important. Each of the three options contains a Kanto First Partner and a powerful ex Pokémon, but they also determine which illustration rare Kanto First Partner you receive from your first Wonder Pick and which tutorial deck you’ll receive when you unlock Battles. If you need help picking your first pack, I’ve got you covered. One of the most exciting features for Pokémon TCG Pocket is the ability to interact with your cards. Some cards have special effects, like the fire surrounding the Arcanine EX card, which shifts as you turn it from side to side. Others are more immersive, with full-art cards taking you on an animated trip into the art itself. Pokémon TCG Pocket is not going to replace Pokémon TCG Live or the Pokémon Trading Card, and at this time there are no indications that it will join the video games, GO, and Unite at the World Championship, but it’s a fun way to get a quick game in now and then and to scratch the itch to open packs without spending any more pocket change. IN THE WORLD OF POKÉMON Pokémon Day Sunday, 1:00 PM The ever-popular monthly Pokémon Day event is back with all of your favorite activities. See Pokémon Professor Jim 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. Pokémon TCG League Challenge Sunday, 3:00 PM 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: $7.00 Pokémon League Casual Play Monday and Saturday at 6:30 PM, Sunday at noon Receive a pack of your choice from any in the store, as well as a promo pack. Participants are entered into the end-of-season prize pool. Entry fee: $10 Pokémon Scarlet & Violet VGC Casual League Thursday, 6:00 PM Explore the Paldea region in Pokémon Scarlet & Violet. Meet new Pokémon, and battle it out with other Trainers at Gam3Escape’s VGC Casual League. Entry fee: $5 Pokémon GO Scavenger Hunt Grab an achievement sheet in-store and GO out to collect them! Complete the scavenger sheet to earn a booster pack and a promo pack, and to be entered into a drawing for an Elite Trainer Box and other prizes. Entry fee: $10 GATHER FOR MAGIC Foundations Prerelease Friday & Saturday, 6:00 PM Experience the new Foundations set, which will be legal in Standard until 2029. Build a 40-card deck from six packs and compete for prizes! Entry: $35 Standard Showdown Saturday, 3:00 PM Adorable bunnies mix with nightmare monsters in the Duskmourn Standard Showdown. Standard constructed format. Entry fee: $10 Commander-Ish League Thursday, 6:00 PM Build a commander deck using only commons & uncommons in the 99. Build from in-store bulk, or bring your deck, and compete against others with similar decks. Each week you’ll earn a pack and a pull to add to the deck. Ban list applies, proxies not permitted (but c’mon, they’re commons), and deck list required. Entry fee: $10 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! TIME TO DUEL! Yu-Gi-Oh! Quarter Century Bonanza Release Celebration Advanced Constructed Tournament Saturday, 2:00 PM It’s been a quarter century since the Yu-Gi-Oh! Was released in Japan, and we’re celebrating with a bonanza! Join the party and compete for a promo playmat. Each player also receives three Quarter Century Bonanza booster packs. Entry fee: $18 Grand Prix Series Advanced Constructed Tournament Friday, 7:00 PM Participate in the 2024 Yu-Gi-Oh! Advanced Constructed Grand Prix Series. Earn booster packs and OTS Tournament Packs while demonstrating your skills as a duelist. Entry fee: $10 Advanced Constructed Tournament Wednesday, 7:00 PM Duel for supremacy in the Yu-Gi-Oh Trading Card Game. Earn booster packs and OTS Tournament Packs while demonstrating your skills as a duelist. Entry fee: $10 A WHOLE NEW WORLD Shimmering Skies 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) STAR WARS: UNLIMITED Casual Play League Tuesdays, 6:00 PM Whether you’re an aspiring Jedi, a sinister Sith, or a bounty hunter looking for your next score, Star Wars: Unlimited has all the excitement of your favorite space opera in cardboard form. THIS MEANS WAR(HAMMER)! Casual Warhammer Friday & 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 Casual Warhammer event. CARDFIGHT! VANGUARD! Divinez Constructed Tournament Monday, 5:30 PM Bring your cards and get ready to fight! Cardfight! Vanguard is back with weekly tournaments, every Monday night. Entry fee: $6 Check out Jim's latest articles on The Gamer at: https://www.thegamer.com/author/james-ziegler/ Here is one of his latest articles on Pokemon TCG Pocket's limited Wonder Pick Event: https://www.thegamer.com/pokemon-pocket-wonder-pick-chansey-meowth-event/
Weekly Events October 28 - November 3
Written by Jim Ziegler Halloween is nearly upon us, but there’s no need to be scared: Gam3Escape is running their annual trick-or-treat event this Thursday night. Halloween was my favorite holiday when I was a kid. Not because of the candy (although it was always somehow better than Christmas candy) or the costumes, but because it was a time to celebrate all the spooky things I loved as a child. Heck, the first book I ever read by myself was The Berenstain Bears and the Spooky Old Tree, and I bought every Goosebumps book I could get my hands on. My mother was adamant about my sisters and myself not watching horror movies, so I was starved for horror until I set out on my own. In the meantime I got into fantasy as a way to satisfy my craving for the monsters and adventure, getting deep into Piers Anthony’s Xanth novels and Robert Asprin’s MythAdventures books long before discovering Magic: The Gathering. “Satanic Panic” reached my mother and grandmother in the mid nineties, and I grew up hearing every day that roleplaying games like Dungeons & Dragons were tools for tricking kids into devil worship, as were card games like Magic: The Gathering because they taught people how to use magic spells. Once I started playing Magic in high school I had to hide my collection or risk it being destroyed. Halloween was like a safe time, where I could enjoy the things I was interested in without fear, ironically. Thankfully, when my church decided to start hosting protest “Halo-ween” events my mom started to realize that the whole movement was ridiculous, but it was Harry Potter that finally broke through to her. I introduced my family to Harry Potter shortly after the release of The Prisoner of Azkaban, and to this day I think those books are all my younger sister reads. My mom loved the series, too, so when my grandmother started citing the pastor on TV who said it was a tool for recruiting readers to join covens, my mother finally had enough and dropped the whole thing. So enjoy the season of spooks, whether you’re Trick-or-Treating, attending a costume party, or just watching a scary movie at home. GAM3ESCAPE’S ANNUAL TRICK-OR-TREAT EVENT Thursday, 5:00 Celebrate Halloween at Gam3Escape! Come in costume and participate in @tcg808marketplace & @shaylax.ink’s costume contest, pick up free candy and BOOster packs, and participate in the Pokémon Pull game! IN THE WORLD OF POKÉMON Surging Sparks Prerelease Monday, Friday, & Saturday, 6:30, Sunday 3:00 Celebrate the newest Pokémon TCG set with an early look during the Surging Sparks prerelease event! Each player receives a Build & Battle Box from which to build their deck, and then competes for prizes. Entry fee: $30 Pokémon League Casual Play + Pokéween Monday and Saturday at 6:00 PM, Sunday at noon Receive a pack of your choice from any in the store, as well as a promo pack. Participants are entered into the end-of-season prize pool, and also receive a Halloween BOOster pack. Entry fee: $10 Pokémon Scarlet & Violet VGC Casual League Thursday, 6:00 PM Explore the Paldea region in Pokémon Scarlet & Violet. Meet new Pokémon, and battle it out with other Trainers at Gam3Escape’s VGC Casual League. Entry fee: $5 Pokémon GO Great League Blind 3 & Trade Night Monday and Wednesday, 6:00 PM Do you play Pokémon GO? Interested in meeting up with other players and playing in sanctioned Pokémon events? Gam3Escape hosts Pokémon GO League events. Stop in from 6pm to 9pm for our Great League blind 3 casual play and trade night. Entry fee: $5.00 Pokémon GO Scavenger Hunt Grab an achievement sheet in-store and GO out to collect them! Complete the scavenger sheet to earn a booster pack and a promo pack, and to be entered into a drawing for an Elite Trainer Box and other prizes. Entry fee: $10 GATHER FOR MAGIC Duskmourn Commander Party PLUS Monthly Commander Bingo Saturday, 6:00 Gam3Escape's Monthly Commander BINGO Event, plus Duskmourn: House of Horror Commander Party. Receive an extra ticket for playing a Duskmourn: House of Horror Commander. Entry fee: $10 Standard Showdown Saturday, 3:00 PM Adorable bunnies mix with nightmare monsters in the Duskmourn Standard Showdown. Standard constructed format. Entry fee: $10 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! TIME TO DUEL! Yu-Gi-Oh! Advanced Constructed Tournament Wednesday, Friday, Saturday 7:00 PM Duel for supremacy in the Yu-Gi-Oh Trading Card Game. Earn booster packs and OTS Tournament Packs while demonstrating your skills as a duelist. Entry fee: $10 A WHOLE NEW WORLD Shimmering Skies 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) STAR WARS: UNLIMITED Twilight of the Republic Pre-Release Saturday, 2:00 PM Celebrate the newest Star Wars: Unlimited set, Twilight of the Republic at Gam3Escape’s prerelease event. If you’re interested but haven’t picked up the game yet, start with the beginner’s guide, and work from there! Entry fee: $35 Casual Play League Tuesdays, 6:00 PM Whether you’re an aspiring Jedi, a sinister Sith, or a bounty hunter looking for your next score, Star Wars: Unlimited has all the excitement of your favorite space opera in cardboard form. THIS MEANS WAR(HAMMER)! Casual Warhammer Friday & 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 Casual Warhammer event. CARDFIGHT! VANGUARD! Divinez Constructed Tournament Monday, 5:30 PM Bring your cards and get ready to fight! Cardfight! Vanguard is back with weekly tournaments, every Monday night. Entry fee: $6 Jim writes articles for The Gamer. You can check out his latest articles at: https://www.thegamer.com/author/james-ziegler/ Here is one of his latest articles for the upcoming Pokemon Pocket: https://www.thegamer.com/pokemon-tcg-pocket-how-to-battle/
