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Grand Archive TCG

Grand Archive: Silvie, Slime Sovereign Re:Collection Box Review

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I was able to snag a Silvie, Slime Sovereign Re:Collection box at MSRP. The prices are going down on TCG player so if your LGS ran out, you can snag one on TCG Player using my affiliate link.

Whats in the Box?

The recollection box gets you:

  • Slivie preconstructed 60 card main deck and 12-card material deck
  • 100 ct. Silvie Dragon Shield art Sleves
  • A set of cards to compete the playsets for your Main Deck
  • Damage Counter
  • Art Deviders
  • 3 x Mercurial Heart Booster Packs

Thoughts

I didn’t pull any of the collector secret rares, I will never be that lucky, but I am happy with the product. The box is very nice and sturdy. Mine came a little dented, but its going to get beat up anyways. I am a huge fan of the magnetic latch and a bigger fan of the art on the inside flap.

The box is a little too small for my taste. It doesn’t fit any of my regular deck boxes like a Pokemon ETB does, but this isn’t a deal breaker. The box does fit three sleeved decks without a box including side board with enough room for dividers and counters, but I feel like pulling out a deck is more convenience. You can fit about three of the included Dragon Shield cardboard deck boxes which is fine, but the deckbox is only big enough for a sleeved main and material deck. You’ll have to find another solution for your sideboard.

The included deck box is fine. It has cute matching artwork and you can label the top, but it is cardboard. Although it is somewhat sturdy, you’re going to replace it. Mine is dented, but it is a valid solution for now. Again, not a deal breaker since I can buy a better solution.

The included sleeves are great! I love the art on the mat back. Dragon Shield makes great quality sleeves, and these are no exception.

The Re:Collection boxes are a great product, and I am glad I bought mine. I haven’t had a chance to try out the decks, but as a collector, I am satisfied. They boxes look great, and they will look amazing on your shelf, sealed or not. A playset of the main deck cards is a nice little bonus. Most importantly, the recollection boxes are the only way to get your hands on the Tristan and Silvie collector rares. I wasn’t so lucky, but maybe you will. Either way, I am happy with my purchase and can’t wait to bust it out!

digimon tcg

Digimon TCG: The Beginning Observer Alt Art Cards are so Pretty!

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Beginning Observer comes out this Friday, May 24th, and it has some alt art cards you’re going to want to chase. This set does a good job at highlighting Digimon I had forgotten about or overlooked. Make sure you always support your LGS, but you can always pick up Beginning Observer or any other Digimon Card Game product on TCG Player through my affiliate links.

If you enjoy these updates, please leave a like, comment, and share this with your friends. Don’t forget to follow the socials!

video game reviews

S.O.L. Search of Light is an Interesting Little Puzzler

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I was sent a free copy of S.O.L Search of Light to review for my blog. While I am very grateful for the opportunity, I won’t let it sway my opinions of the game. This will be my honest review. If you enjoy my reviews, please leave a like, comment, and share this with your friends. If you’re looking for a good budget gaming headset, check out the Fifine H9s using my Amazon Affiliate link. You can check my full review here. 

Don’t forget to follow my socials! 

What is S.O.L. Search of Light?

S.O.L. is a puzzle adventure game with unique tower defense mechanics to keep things interesting. The game is out now on Steam, Switch, and PlayStation. 

You find yourself alone in a dark and strange world. As you make your way through your journey you will uncover strange new technology that will help you find a brighter future. Build your base, search for resources, solve puzzles, and fight off monsters. Most importantly, keep your base safe. What secrets will you uncover in the darkness?

Gamplay

S.O.L. is split into three phases: build, adventure, and defense. 

In the build phase, players use their farmed resources to bolster their base’s defenses. They can construct buildings, upgrade existing ones, or assign roles to their hired drones. This stage is pretty straightforward. I don’t believe you’ll need a build guide, but you should be mindful of your resources. Resources are limited, and wastefulness will be punished.

Once a player is done with their build phase, they can set off on adventures. Adventures are set up in typical randomized roguelike fashion. Players have the choice of paths and activities they can do. They can solve puzzles for coins and materials, fight monsters for resources, or recruit drones to work at their base. There are also randomized events that will either grant a player a boon or give them a punishing debuff. Resources do influence a player’s decision, but the game never feels like a railroad. Most importantly, the RNG seems fair and the runs never feel repetitive. 

In between adventures, monsters will invade a player’s base. Players must defend their base against a wave of enemies. The portal closes when all enemies are defeated. Hopefully, your base doesn’t get too destroyed and you don’t die. Dying or losing your base means restarting from zero. This stage is very manageable, and I always felt there was enough time to prepare between invasions. My only complaint is that the AI for the drones is dumb, and they will run into enemies and die. In a game where resource management is important, this can be a bit annoying. This isn’t a deal breaker, but it is a noticeable issue. 

Combat in this game is pretty basic. Players have access to a basic melee attack for adventure and defense phases. In the defense phase, towers and traps will do most of the damage, but well-placed melee attacks are appreciated. Enemy AI can be outsmarted, which is nice. 

The puzzles in this game are challenging without being impossible. I love puzzle games, and S.O.L. is no exception. The blend of genres keeps the game refreshing. My only complaint is that it is possible to get stuck in a puzzle where you have to reset the whole game to get free. I wish there were a way to reset just the puzzle, but that would take away some of the pressure from the survival aspect of this game. 

Review

The game is fun and addicting. I was either stressed about building the perfect base or stressed about staying alive. This stress made the game engaging, and even though I wasn’t good enough to make it to the end, I had fun trying. 

If you’re looking for a unique puzzle game with neat flavor and interesting mechanics, S.O.L. Search of Light is a solid choice. Its cute, its fun, and its different in a good way. S.O.L is the type of game you want to pick up for a fun couple of hours, but don’t want a long term commitment.

You can buy your copy of S.O.L. Search of Light Steam, Switch, and PlayStation for $19.99.

Grand Archive TCG

Check out Full Mercurial Heart Visual Set List – Grand Archive TCG

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I know I’ve already posted the Mercurial Heart set list, but I thought I would upload a better-quality version of the list with a cleaner order. This set has some cards you definitely want to pull, especially the collector rares. I won’t ever pull these, but congratulations to everyone who does. If you haven’t bought any Mercurial Heart, go pick some up at your LGS. My LGS still had a couple. You can always use my TCG Player affiliate link if that isn’t an option. 

Collector Secret Rares

Set List

video game reviews

Action Fubuki was Okay, but not Really Worth the Time or Money

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I was sent a free copy of Action Fubuki to review for my blog. While I am very grateful for the opportunity, I won’t let it sway my opinions. This will be my honest review. If you enjoy my reviews, please leave a like, comment, and share this with your friends. If you’re looking for a great budget headset, pick up a pair of the Fifine H9 Gaming headset using my Amazon affiliate link. Check out the full review here. 

Don’t forget to follow the socials!

What is Action Fubuki?

The Evil Elon Dusk, CEO of the EXE Company, is using his power and influence to conduct harmful experiments on innocent people. You have been recruited by the Special Action Agency (SAA) to stop his plans and save his victims. Armed with your famous Goro Taijutsu, you must fight your way through hordes of his minions. Do you have what it takes to save the world from his wrath?

Gameplay

Action Fubuki has a simple gameplay loop. Players enter a room where they must defeat all required enemies before advancing to the next stage. The difficulty increases between rooms, and progress is reset after death. Combat is chaotic, full of explosions and flashy animations, but the performable actions are limited. While there is some story for flavor, it doesn’t matter. The goal of Action Fubuki is to get as far as you can without dying while collecting all the points. 

Impressions

While Action Fubuki has some charm, I can’t recommend this game. None of the overly flashy animations can distract from the fact that this game isn’t finished. Combat feels clunky and unoptimized. While I had fun for the first few minutes, it got old quickly. Once you look past all the explosions and flashing lights, you really aren’t doing anything. There might be skill involved in this game, but the lack of optimization will ruin runs. I saw noticeable dips in the game’s performance when I tried to record it, and the game crashed a few too many times for my liking. It isn’t an unplayable piece of shovelware, but you can be spending your money elsewhere. 

I didn’t hate this game, but it’s not worth recommending in its current state. What’s more, Action Fubuki seems to be an abandoned project. The game’s official Twitter has been deleted, and the game’s last update was in February. I am all for supporting the little guy, but this gamble doesn’t seem worth the investment. At least not for $11. 

You can pick up your copy of Action Fubuki on Steam for $10.99, but I wouldn’t bother. 

Grand Archive TCG

Grand Archive TCG: Re:Collection Shadowdancer card list

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Story Time!

We were out and about when we were passing my LGS. I pointed out to my wife thinking she wouldn’t want anything to do with my cardboard addiction anymore, but she pulled into the parking lot without asking any questions. The place was packed! We walked in during their Sunday events and my wife was surprised by how lively things were. As we were walking out, I saw the Tristan Re:Collection box and bought it without a second thought because they still had it at MSRP. My wife asked me if I wanted to sit down and play at one of the tables, but I think I’ll try to go in next week. I’m so excited! 

What’s in the Box?

The Re:Collection box includes:

  • Preconstructed 60 Card Main deck
  • 12 Card Material Deck
  • Tristan Dragon Shield Art Sleeves
  • A set of cards to complete the playset of cards included in preconstructed deck
  • Damage Spin Down Counter
  • Art Deviders
  • 3 Mercurial Heart Booster Packs

Impressions

The Storage and presentation for this box is so pretty. I love purple and the box has a cool design. The components are all neatly stored inside the box, and the box opens to reveal a very cool Tristan illustration. I didn’t pull the art card, but I did pull a Foil Tristan, which was an auto include in the deck. The sleeves are very cool looking, they are easy to shuffle, and feel sturdy. I also like that the deck comes with a play set of all the cards, but we’ll have to wait and see what I keep. The deck box is a little disapointing, but fair for the $50 you’re putting into it. It barely fits the sleeved up preconstructed deck, but it will do for now. The life tracker is cardboard, but the art is very pretty. It works well, but I don’t want to use it because it looks nice. I’ll be using the art dividers though because the art is cool, and there is a lower chance of them getting beat up. I haven’t gotten to play the deck yet, but I am satisfied as a collector.

Card List

Note that the box comes with a play set of all these cards, but here it the preconstructed decklist:

Material Deck
1 x Spirit of Wind
1 x Tristan, Underhanded
1 x Tristan, Hired Blade
1 x Tristan, Shadowdancer
1 x Assasin’s Mantle
1 x Curved Dagger
1 x Life Essence Amulet
1 x Poisoned Dagger
1 x Gearstride Gloves
1 x Dusksoul Stone
1 x Malignant Athame
1 x Shadeblood Coating

Main Deck
3 x Shifting Mirage
3 x Shadow Strike
3 x Shadow Resonance
2 x Haunting Demise
3 x Grim Forboding
2 x Gloamspire Headhunter
4 x Surveil the Winds
2 x Stifling Trap
4 x Sirocco Opperative
4 x Shimmercloak Assassin
3 x Cloaked Executioner
4 x Betraying Blade
2 x Arrow Trap
2 x Thieving Cut
3 x Slice and Dice
4 x Sable Remnant
1 x Mastermind Scheme
3 x Incapacitate
4 x Idle Thoughts
4 x Exploit Vulnerability

Main Deck

Main Deck

Where to buy

I would check with your LGS to see if they have any Tristan Re:Collection, Shadowdancer Box stock, otherwise you can keep checking on TCG Player.

If you haven’t picked up any Mercurial Heart, always support your LGS, but you can pick some up on TCG Player through my affiliate links. If you enjoy these updates, please leave a like, comment, and share this with your friends. Don’t forget to follow the socials!

Grand Archive TCG

Grand Archive: Changes to the Sideboard and New Ban List 05/24

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The Mercurial Heart season is here, and there are a couple of changes that you should be aware of if you’re trying to play the game competitively. There are new sideboarding rules, and the ban list has been updated. 

If you haven’t picked up any Mercurial Heart, always support your LGS, but you can pick some up on TCG Player through my affiliate links. If you enjoy these updates, please leave a like, comment, and share this with your friends. Don’t forget to follow the socials!

Changes to the Sideboard

Players are now allowed to have 15 cards in their deck as opposed the eight previously allowed. Please note that material deck cards such as Champion and Regalia take up three slots in this new system. That means that the sideboard can be made up of 5 material deck cards and 0 main deck cards, 0 material deck cards and 15 main deck cards, or a combination of the two.

Ban and Restricted List Update

Banned

There are no new bans this month, but keep in mind that following remain banned:

Category 2

Erupting Rhapsody has been moved up a category to the watch list. This means you should probably start making your decks without it in your decks because it is heading towards the chopping block.

Category 1

Chalice of blood has been added to the category 1 watch list. Category 1 is for the cards that the devs are watching as problematic, but there is no danger of a immanent ban. You can fill your decks with the following, but be mindful that a ban might come some day.

You can read the reasons for the changes on the official post.

video game reviews

Still Joking is okay at best, but a bit disappointing overall

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I was sent a free copy of Still Joking to review for my blog. While I am very grateful for the opportunity, I won’t let it sway my opinions. This will be my honest review. If you enjoy my reviews, please leave a like, comment, and share this with your friends. If you’re looking for a fantastic budget gaming headset, check out the Fifine H9s using my Amazon affiliate link. Check out my full review of the headset. Don’t forget to follow the socials!

What is Still Joking?

Still Joking is a mystery visual novel out now on Steam. Iris is the reflection of a famous actress, Selena, who only lives to emulate her prototype every time she steps in front of a mirror or reflective surface. Her last day as a reflection comes abruptly when she watches Selena get murdered in front of the mirror. Iris is now trapped between a journey of self-discovery and finding out the truth behind her primary’s murder. What will she uncover?

Gameplay

Still Joking mixes interactive fiction elements with its visual novel to create its story. Players read through the story and will on occasion be asked to make choices, ask questions, or interact with the world around them. There is no voice acting, and the game is pretty quiet compared to other games. The choices matter, but I recommend you choose for the story that is most interesting to you. 

Impressions

Still Joking was hard to get into, and even harder to recommend. The game has an interesting concept and cool art, but there are better visual novels, especially at the price point. Aside from a few sound effects and snippets of ambient music, Still Joking is a very quiet game. There is also no voice acting. I recommend you play your favorite reading music in the background if you don’t like reading in silence. I get that voice acting and music costs money, but a game like this needs something to set it apart from a book. One of the reasons I didn’t like Still Joking is that if felt like a book with extra steps. I enjoy reading books, I just don’t like having to click after every sentence to get through it. 

The few interactive moments presented feel like busy work. They don’t add to the story, and it feels like a distraction from the main story. The main story takes too long to take off. You watch the murder, and then it takes too long to set up the administrative structure of the world behind the reflection. By the time it begins to touch the mystery, I had lost all interest in the characters, motive, and anything that would have kept me engaged through the rest of the novel. I think the concept was neat, but the execution is lacking. 

If you enjoy visual novel, you have better options. I feel like if I hadn’t just finished reading something better, I would have had a better time with the title, but it would still be a hard one to recommend. If you enjoy the art and are curious about the story’s lore and concept, I would wait for the sale. 

You can pick up Still Joking on Steam for $18.99 (currently $17.09 until May 23). 

video game reviews

The Outlast Trials is the Horror Survival Game for this Summer

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I was sent a free copy of The Outlast Trials to review for my blog. While I am very grateful for the opportunity, I won’t let it sway my opinions. this will be my honest review. If you enjoy these reviews, please leave a like, comment, and share this with your friends. If you’re looking for a fantastic budget headset to play The Outlast Trials, check out the Fifine H9 gaming headset using my Amazon affiliate link. Check out my full review. Don’t forget to follow the socials!

What is The Outlast Trials?

The Outlast Trials is an online multiplayer survival horror game out now on PC. Alone and down on your luck, you’ve accepted a mysterious job that promises to change everything. But this job is a lot more sinister and twisted than you would have ever imagined. You find yourself in a game designed by a twisted man in a house full of deadly traps, and insane people who want to kill you. You and the other patients must work together to find a way out. If you can survive long enough to complete the therapy, you can go free. Do you have what it takes?

Gameplay

The Outlast Trials is your typical survival horror game. Teams of four are loaded onto a map where they must work together to solve puzzles and survive the haunt. The haunts are conducted by AI-powered monsters with unique flavors, abilities, and quirks. Monsters AI can be outsmarted, but I was always too scared to do so properly. Players can use the environment to hide, set up traps, or obstruct monsters. You win a match if you can complete the objectives. The trial is over if everyone dies. 

Impressions

I thought I was getting braver and could handle horror games, but I have never been so wrong. Getting through the tutorial was incredibly difficult, and playing with others was much worse. Huge shout to the random folks who tried to carry me. I am sorry for letting you down. 

I assume normal folks who enjoy horror games will find this game a lot more enjoyable, but the whole experience is terrifying. Right off the bat, you are loaded into this terrifying world where you are surrounded by death and danger. The game design is amazing, and I would have loved to explore the world more if I wasn’t scared of monsters popping out to chase me. I appreciate the amount of detail that was put into this game’s horror aesthetic, and it is something you need to see to appreciate. 

The game’s terrifying aesthetics, creepy soundscape, and light and dark mechanics generate the appropriate amount of tension to drive this game. What makes the game truly terrifying are the monsters that chase you. The Outlast Trials has some incredible-looking monsters chasing you. These creatures are not only creative, flavorful, and hungry for blood. I am sure more level-headed players will have an easier time navigating the AI, but I never could. The haunts were always too much for my anxiety, but they were always the most fun I’ve had with this type of game.

The challenges and puzzles in this game are manageable if you can find competent level-headed folks to complete them. Sneaking, setting up traps, the chases, and even fighting back are all well designed, and run incredibly smoothly. My problem with these types of games is that they always feel clunky, but when I managed to keep my eyes open, the game seemed to run smoothly. 

While I may not be ready for this type of horror, I recommend it to everyone who is. Playing this game with friends would be awesome, but I don’t think it would necessarily make things easier. If you don’t have enough friends, the game has a decent-sized community. I didn’t have trouble finding a game, but it could definitely use more love. If you enjoy these types of survival horror hunt games, The Outlast Trials is a solid addition to the genre. 

You can pick up your copy of The Outlast Trials on Steam now for $39.99. 

video game reviews

MULLET MADJACK is a Welcomed Chaotic Kick of Nostolgia!

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I was sent a free copy of MULLET MADJACK to review for my blog. While I am very grateful for the opportunity, I won’t let it sway my opinions. This will be my honest review. If you enjoy my reviews, please leave a like, comment, and share this with your friends. If you’re looking for a new budget headset, I got to try out the Fifine H9s and liked them. Check out my full review. Don’t forget to follow the socials!

What is MULLET MADJACK?

MULLET MADJACK  is the fastest and most chaotic FPS you’ll ever play on PC.

The year is 2090, and the world is run by the super-rich A.I. robots known as the ROBILLIONARES. 2090 is also the birth of a new kind of man. One that has become integrated with the internet and lives his life 10 seconds at a time. These new men must now kill for entertainment if they want to live. the more likes they earn, the longer their life is. You are MULLET MAD JACK, caught in this twisted game. Fight your way through hordes of enemies and live to fight another day. Do you have what it takes?

Gameplay

MULLET MADJACK is the most intense game of DOOM you’ll ever play. You start each level with a basic weapon and fight your way through the colorful cyberpunk-themed maze. You start each run with only 10 seconds of life and earn time by killing enemies. After each run, you earn random weapons or power-ups for the remainder of the run. The RNG is fair. Most of the times I died were due to lack of skill poor planning and not the choices available. If you run out of time or if your hit points drop to zero, you lose. 

Runs are insane and chaotic. The world around you blurs with enemies, explosions, and color as you rush to the exit, or are desperately seeking for that next kill. Levels in this game are randomly generated. While some levels may feel familiar, there is enough variation between each run to keep things feeling fresh. Eventually, you’ll have a boss fight. These fights are creative, but that time limit keeps things intense. 

While MADJACK has a story and some terrific flavor, it isn’t going to be important to keep track of. I enjoyed the flavor and lore around the city, but it is hard to keep things straight when you only have 10 seconds to live. 

Impressions

This game became my obsession. MULLETT MADJACK is the high-octane, nostalgic kick you didn’t know you needed in your life. I am a huge fan of the ’90s anime aesthetics and retro pixel art style. The music, the color, flashing lights all come together to create this beautiful unintelligible chaos that you won’t be able to put down, even for a second. Let’s not forget about the phenomenal voice acting and some of the most amazing cheesy one-liners ever. This game goes all out to create its fun and flavorful world, and I appreciate all that effort. 

One thing to note is that this game feels incredibly chaotic in the beginning. Everything moves quickly, there are explosions everywhere, and the timer feels too short. As you get more comfortable with the mechanics, the time becomes less of a problem. The game never lost its intensity, but the chaos started to make sense. The game is fun when it is all explosions and chaos, but it got more fun when I started to get farther in a level and I got to notice some of the unique flavor of the world around me. 

MULLET MADJACK is a fantastic retro-feeling boomer shooter with amazing vibes and aesthetics. If you’re looking for a new game and don’t mind any of the chaos, go play it today!

You can pick up MULLET MADJACK on Steam for $19.99 (currently $17.99 until May 24). There is also a demo available if you don’t believe me.