Tag Archives: tabletop gaming

How the Sacramento regionals shifted the Pokemon TCG meta: The top 5 Archetypes

While we are still seeing a few familiar faces in the meta, the Sacramento regionals saw a couple of new archetypes shacking up the meta. I’ve collected the top deck list for each archetype. I’ll leave links for those who want to build them. These will be affiliate links, but I’ve been using TCG Player since before I became an affiliate because it is a great place for singles and sealed products. If you enjoy these updates, make sure you like, comment, subscribe, and share this with your friends!


1. Lugia VSTAR

Lugia VSTAR is one of those decks that always gets brought up as a strong contender for competitive play, but that hasn’t seen success until Sacramento. Congratulations to Alexander Flatos for piloting this deck to first place! This is one of those decks I’ve been meaning to try, but haven’t gotten around to.


2. Arceus

2nd place went to an interesting Arceus deck with a splash of Gyarados VMAX that I am sure many are going to want to try. Congratulations to Niccolo Abate for piloting this very neat deck and placing 2nd at regionals.


3. Lost Box

Lost Box continues to see consistent success in the meta. Congratulations to Sawyer Melban for making it to 3rd place!


4. Gardevoir EX

5th place went to what is still my favorite deck in the meta, Gardevoir EX. Congradulation to Ryan Harris for piloting the deck to a top spot!


5. Miraidon

Maraidon continues to perform well in the shifting meta. This is a solid deck for those of you who want to get started. Congratulations to Cory Laffiton on his 11th-place win.

Digimon TCG Wolf of Friendship starter deck comes out October 13. Preorder Today!

The new starter Digimon TCG starter decks, Wolf of Friendship and Dragon of Courage, release on October 13. These decks are a great jumping point for beginners and a great buy for collectors. Check with your LGS to see if they will be running the prerelease event so you can get your hands on the sweet promos tied to this release.

You can get these promos through by preordering the decks at a participating LGS.

The deck will include a reversible paper playsheet that you’ll either hang up or toss, memory counters that you’ll need to get started, and a playable 54-card deck.

The new starter Digimon TCG starter decks, Wolf of Friendship and Dragon of Courage, release on October 13. These decks are a great jumping point for beginners and a great buy for collectors. Check with your LGS to see if they will be running the prerelease event so you can get your hands on the sweet promos tied to this release.

MSRP for the decks is $15.99, but I had trouble finding it at that price. Always check with your LGS, but you can always pick Wolf of Friendship from TCG Player using my Affiliate Link. TCG Player has them for $13.42 which is a solid price for entry.

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Card List

Tsunomon (ST16-01) x4

Elecmon (ST16-02) x4

Gabumon (ST16-03) x2

Tapirmon (ST16-04) x4

Gotsumon (ST16-05) x4

Bakemon (ST16-06) x4

Meramon (ST16-07) x4

Garurumon (ST16-08) x2

Pumpkinmon (ST16-09) x4

Mammothmon (ST16-10) x4

WereGarurumon (ST16-11) x2

MetalGarurumon ACE (ST16-12) x2

SkullMammothmon (ST16-13) x4

Matt Ishida (ST16-14) x4

Lament of Friendship (ST16-15) x2

Baldy Blow (ST16-16) x4

Premium Pokémon TCG Classic preorders sell out on the first day

Pokémon just announced their premium Classic TCG set, and it’s already sold out. This set takes players back to where it all started, to the classic era of Pokémon TCG, and it is beautiful. I mean it better look nice for $400. The set comes with everything a trainer needs including:

3 Preconstructed Decks

Sets will include iconic recreations from the base set including Venasaur, Charizard, and Blastoise, along with 3 specially constructed 60-card decks of corresponding elements. Also included will be brand new cards like Ho-oh ex, Lugia ex, and Suicune ex to shake things up. Unfortunately, aside from the energies, none of the cards will be standard legal which is kind of a bummer, but at least it’s not Magic 30.

High Quality Board and Pieces

The set comes with everything two trainers need to play, but I doubt it will get much play based on the set’s availability and pricing. The game board folds out like a nice chess board and holds all the game pieces. The board acts as a game mat with printed zones and a cloth top for games, but I doubt it will get much use. I wish they would print out cheap paper versions for those of us who would love to share some of this nostalgia with a newer generation of trainers.

Stylish Counters and Metal Orbs

The set includes sets of premium-looking burn, poison, and damage counters. The damage counters are color-coded for ease of use, and the poison counters look nice. What is interesting about this kit is that it doesn’t include dice or a coin, but this interesting roulet system for determining turn order. While the system might be fun the first few times, I prefer using dice. I would have preferred the inclusion of a nice collectible coin.

Deck Boxes and Sleves

With an expensive set of cards, you are going to need a way to protect them. The kit comes with three specially designed deck boxes and sleeves which I have some issues with. I get that they fit the aesthetic and they won’t get much play, but they are kind of boring. The deck boxes are fine, I enjoy the minimalism, but I don’t know how I feel about the sleeves. I guess it’s fine for a product that probably will never get shuffled.

Conclusion

The set sells for $399.99, but good luck finding it at this price after today. The set looks like a premium product and something with this much nostalgia is going to attract scalpers. I wish they released a generic cheap version with a paper mat and cardboard counters for players, but I guess it would make this set a little less special.

You can keep checking the Pokémon Center site for availability or hope it comes to a big retailer or LGS. I’ll keep an eye out, but with something this big, it’s going to be tricky to find it outside of a reseller. And make sure you like, comment, follow, and share this with your friends if you’ve been enjoying these updates.

The Cards Included!

Pokémon Trading Card Game Illustration Contest 2024 is coming in October!

The Pokémon Trading Card Game Illustration Contest 2024 was just announced! Submissions will be accepted from October 12, 2023, to January 31, 2024, so start brainstorming now!

This year’s theme is “Magical Pokémon Moments” where players are encouraged to illustrate a standard or EX card for the Pokémon using the following Pokémon: Charizard, Pikachu, Eevee, Feraligatr, Flygon, Absol, Bidoof, Melmetal, Amped Form Toxtricity or Koraidon.

The contest is open to artists from the U.K., Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the U.S. and Japan. The prize breakdown is as follows:

There will also be 15 judge awards with a prize of $500. Check out the official website for all the details.

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This week on the Digimon TCG: July 25th

I know I am a little late on this update, but I just got back from vacation. The trip was great but now its time to get back on schedule. The Versus Royal Knights set has released and we got a few more reveals that have gotten me excited for the set. Always check with your LGS if they carry Digimon, but you can find the new set on TCG Player if they don’t. If you’ve been enjoying these updates, don’t forget to like, comment, subscribe, and share this with your friends.

Versus Royal Knights Box Toppers

The box toppers aren’t the most exciting I’ve seen, but I could always use some full art tamer cards. This set will feature trainers Digimon Savers.

Versus Royal Knights Alt Art Cards

This set has some very cool alt cards that I need in my binder. The gold cards in this set are sick!

The rest of the full art cards have gotten me very excited for this set. The art is so good!

More Versus Royal Knights Reveals

I wasn’t excited about the initial reveals, but they really did leave the best for last.

Beezlemon Premium Binder Set Preorder

Preorders for the Beezlemon binder set are still open. This is a cool product to buy into if you like Beezlemon and want some of the alt art cards to spice up your deck. The bundle comes with two copies of four new unique alt cards and a binder for your cards. The alt cards look sick and Premium Bandia merch always looks great quality out of the box.

MÖRK BORG is back but this time its pirates! Check out the most metal TTRPG system coming to shelves this September.

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I enjoy looking into new RPG systems even though my play group only plays D&D. I like to see what else is out there because the burnout gets too real sometimes. Who knows? Maybe one day I can convince my playgroup to dip into something new for a campaign or two, and I’ll be ready with a backlog of options.

One of the systems I considered switching to was the Swedish RPG MÖRK BORG. MÖRK BORG is a ttrpg set in a post-apocalyptic world with a solid combat system and possibly the coolest rulebook you’ll ever own. If you haven’t seen the MÖRK BORG core rule book yet, look it up. It is beautiful. I almost bought into the system just so that I could flip through the pages and appreciate the art.

MÖRK BORG is getting a pirate-themed spin-off, and it looks just as good as the base game. PIRATE BORG introduces eight new playable classes, 80+ new monsters, an easy-to-learn naval combat system, and an adventure to get you started. This book has everything you’ll need to run a pirate campaign in a cool dark fantasy system worth exploring. I mean, who doesn’t want to play in a pirate campaign? Make sure you check out the official site if you’d like to try the game for free. The publishers have a rules reference sheet, character sheets, maps, and a character randomizer.

Preorders for PIRATE BORG are now live on the official site. The core book costs $36.84 plus shipping, which is a solid price for how good this book is going to look on your table. People who preorder also get immediate access to the book in PDF so you can start your Pirate adventure before the official release on September 19. Don’t forget to check out the rest of MÖRK BORG content while you’re at it!

This week in the Digimon TCG 2023: June 11th

We’ve had another exciting week of reveals for the Digimon TCG. I have done my best to organize the reveals and announcements in a way that makes sense. I love the art of this set. The colors and the art style are really going to pop in my binder! Maybe I’ll even make a blue deck. There were also a few tournaments that might have shifted the meta.


Alternative Being Spoilers (EX4)

This set will be in stores June 23, so make sure you put in your pre-orders in and check to see if your LGS is running any pre-release events. The set is also introducing a new ability Alliance which might be worth reading on:

Alliance: When this Digimon Attacks, by suspending 1 of your other Digimon, this Digimon adds the suspended Digimon’s DP and gains <Security Attack +1> for the attack

This is a super cool ability to beef up your attacks. Check out the FAQ for more details:

This Terriermon is so sick! It has a search ability and it is eating a burger? I need it!

I love the art style for this one with all the divine Digimon fighting with Cherubimon. The color scheme is very serene, and the Alliance ability is a very nice touch for flavor and gameplay. You also get access to a nifty little debuff for using your Alliance ability? Sounds good to me.

This Renamon is so cool. I love the big full moon in the background and how it casts such a dramatic light on the figure. The smoke and energy coming off her as it fades into the dark is such a cool effect. I love the pinch of green she holds with her energy, it really makes this image pop. Not to mention that it has a solid on play effect and Inherited effect.

I love the painted style of this Gaogomon. The subtle colors and soft background really do it for me. That bounce ability and inherited memory gain on doesn’t hurt the appeal either.

This has a really nice bounce ability, but the vibrant colors and the art style are just so cool!

This is a such a cool looking card. The colors, the Digimon, the background! You get removal and either a discard spell or memory gain for a 3 cost? That’s a solid add to any green and purple deck.

Events for June – September 2023

Its going to be a busy couple weeks as the road to the 2023 Championships and the Ultimate cup continues. Make sure you check out the official page for events close to you! And make sure to check with your LGS to see if they are running the Store Championship.

Regionals

Ultimate cup

Regionals Prize Support

Canoweissmon is the latest card to be announced as prize support for participating or being the top players in regional. Make sure you check the calendar for events near you!

Ultimate Cup Meta

And for those who enjoy keeping up with the meta, here is what has been shaping the Ultimate Cup. I always find it interesting how the meta shifts between regions.

Europe

Latin America

Oceania

Regionals

Here how it is shaping up in regionals!

Europe

Upcoming Releases

Bandai has graciously given us a roadmap for what is to come in the future. Lots of exciting releases, I can only hope my wallet can handle them all.

Thanks again for tuning in to enjoy the hobby with me. If you have been enjoying these updates, don’t forget to like, comment, subscribe, and maybe share this with a friend or too. I think I’ll be doing these every Sunday. See you then!

Candela Obscura: The Macrabre System You Should Be Trying

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Like a lot of people, I got into Dungeons and Dragons because I enjoyed watching Critical Role. I’ve since stopped following the show as closely, save for the animated series on Amazon, but have been playing with the same group of randoms I met three years ago. I love D&D, but I am always looking into new systems to try. I like to borrow mechanics from other systems, but mostly, I like to see what’s out there. 

I wasn’t surprised when I heard that Critical Role was changing systems. There has been speculation about the move for a while now. I think the drama with Hasbro getting too greedy had its part in the transition, but I also think they were looking for a new system that allowed them to focus on the narrative. Critical Role has been a catalyst for D&D’s recent popularity, and I am curious to see how this move affects the player base. 

Their newest campaign, Candela Obscura, will use the Illuminated Worlds system. I won’t be covering the campaign, but I have read the quick start guide and thought it was worth some attention. For those interested in running a campaign of Candela Obscura, download the quick start guide from the official site.

In Candela Obscura, players will face off against the paranormal as they investigate the macabre and the mysterious. While there are many opportunities for combat, the system’s focus is building a compelling narrative through its checks and player interactions.

The best way to learn about this game is through the quick start guide. It has easy-to-learn mechanics, a prewritten adventure, and pregenerated character sheets to get you started. Best of all, you can play it for free. Do note that you are getting a simplified version of the RPG, but it is enough to get you a taste of the system. I think it is a neat system to try. I particularly like how it handles checks and the flavor of its world. The guide is free, so you have nothing to lose if you try it today.

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