May 26, 2026 · 11:08 am

What’s Inside the Gaming Emporium 50 Magic Card Lot?

I picked up another Magic card repack the other day. This one comes from the Gaming Emporium via Amazon. I got it on sale for $5 and it has 50 cards, 45 commons/ uncommons and 5 cards rare or better including possibly foils and mythics.

I never expect anything valuable from these bulk repacks but I do hope for an interesting lot of cards and no dupes which I think I got. Most of the commons are from recent sets and the rares are a bit older. I did get one token card though. Still for $5 I think these repacks are fun to draft with and if you get a bunch, do a deck building challenge with.

I built a commander deck with just a 1000 card bulk lot recently and that was a lot of fun. I am doing any other challenge for myself with a bunch of these 50/100/250 card lots and I already have a foundation of a deck around Black Waltz No 3. This repack has some weird red and black cards like Mindblaze and Fear of Burning Alive but even with the limited card pool, they are just maybes. Although I wished Mindblaze was like 3 or 4 mana because it has potential as a fun commander card. Guess a card in an opponents deck, looks through the whole deck and deals 8 to the face sounds like fun to me!

The Gaming Emporium has a bunch of other repacks like 25 cards + 1 pack and 500 cards + a box of Dragon Shield sleeves which is interesting to me…

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May 18, 2026 · 10:36 pm

Thrift Store Haul: Zombie Teenz Evolution, Age of War & More!

After a dry spell with thrift stores near me, I finally got a couple of good board game finds this month.

First up, I admit I only picked up Zombie Teenz Evolution because it was just $2. Zombie Teenz Evolution is a legacy kids co-op game. I was a bit worried about an used copy of a legacy game since the gimmick is the game changes with every play and this copy was about half done. But I reviewed the rules and the new changes and it should be easy enough to pick up where the previous owner left off. The game reminds me a bit of Forbidden Island. This might be a game I might give away or break it down for parts but I’ll definitely give it a shot first.

I also got Raptor for $2. It is a 2 player game so it will be hard for me to get to the table. But still it is design by Bruno Cathala and Bruno Faidutti (two big names in the hobby) and I think I remember reading good things about it in Game Trade Magazine. But ultimately it might be another game I probably just break down for parts. I am actually running a Jurassic Park D&D one shot and I can use the board and minis from this game (although they were a bit smaller than I was expecting).

Finally, I picked up Age of War for $3. The box has a bit of wear but the components are like new. Age of War is a push your luck dice game and it is actually game I already own but somehow misplaced. But it is a proven fun filler and I looked it up and it worth of pretty penny since I guess it has been out of print for some time. So if I do find my other copy I can just sell it.

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May 12, 2026 · 10:41 pm

Random Pack Break: MTG Streets of New Capenna

I kind of overlooked the Magic the Gathering Streets of New Capenna set when it first came out. I was collecting mostly Pokemon at the time and in my mind, it was a weaker set. I have since grown to like the set and in fact, I think it is one of more imaginative and unique worlds introduced to Magic. I am always a fan of the gilded age and 1920’s mobster/ gangster movies and I am surprised the gilded age but with fantasy elements world trope isn’t used more often. Anyways, I have 5 draft packs of Streets of New Capenna.

I have been pretty lucky with Magic packs lately. I am surprised to find Jetmir’s Garden and Xander’s Lounge are still worth about $18 and I really love the art deco inspired variants. In fact, the art in general in this set is very eye catching in general. It makes me want to build a commander deck with mostly New Capenna cards or maybe even picking up a booster box to draft. Raffine, Scheming Seer and Rocco, Cabaretti Caterer can be interesting commanders and I think I have a good start for a Cabaretti deck…

If I am not mistaken, Streets of New Capenna wasn’t a popular set so it would unlikely have a Return to New Capenna set in the future which is bit of shame. I do enjoy it now more than other new world Magic have introduce recently like Edge of Eternities, Aetherdrift or Duskmourn.

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May 5, 2026 · 2:11 pm

Heroclix Marvel Comics Strange Tales & Bioshock Infinite Pack Break

My local gaming shop had a big Heroclix sale, 50% off anything Heroclix. I haven’t play Heroclix in like 10 years but I still find them fun to collect. I picked up a bunch of Heroclix stuff already recently so I was trying to narrow down which set to get. I decided to find a set that had fun figures I can use for Dungeons and Dragons too and I narrowed it down to Marvel Comics Strange Tales.

Heroclix Marvel Strange Tales and Maps

I am actually very happy with my pulls. The sculpts are pretty good in general but the poses are boring at the same time. The Mindless One and Bloodstorm are two figures that I was hoping to get when I went through the set list. The Mindless One just looks like a cool villain that is super easy to write in any encounter. Also I have been drafting up a storyline where I basically stole the plot of Blood Hunt where the vampires found a way to block the sun and super powered vampires run amok. So I might as well just write Bloodstorm in. I wish the rest of the Blood Coven had figures now and I don’t even know how to get the bystander tokens.

In addition, I picked up a bunch of old Bioshock Infinite packs. I actually have the whole set already when it first came out but I can’t seem to find them. I am planning a Bioshock Infinite inspired D&D campaign too and I was really hoping to get the Motorized Patriot. Luckily, I did get it!

I also got 3 Heroclix maps for free as a little bonus. I have been noticing more and more Heroclix sales lately and I hope the end of the game isn’t coming soon. It is a very expensive game though even with half off so I guess I am lucky there isn’t anywhere to play Heroclix in NYC because I can’t imagine how much I would have to spend to stay competitive.

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April 28, 2026 · 9:08 pm

Random Pack Break: Pokemon TCG Vileplume 2 Pack Blister & MTG Lorwyn Eclipsed

The Target near me is kind of annoying to check for cards. You have to get on a line that usually moves glacially slow and more than 50% of the time they don’t have anything but it is near Trader Joe’s that I shop at so I check in at least every other week. This time around they did have a Pokemon TCG Vileplume 2 pack blister. There is a limit of one Pokemon TCG item so I picked up a pack of Magic Lorwyn Eclipsed too.

The blister pack has a pack of Mega Evolution, a pack of Phantasmal Flames, a Oddish, Gloom and Vileplume galaxy foil variants and I think a Diance coin. I did OK with the packs and pulled one hit, a Shuckle illustration rare whose art I do love. The Vileplume is an odd choice to make a product around. The cards don’t seem notable in any way.

I am pretty happy with the Lorwyn Eclipsed pack too. I thought Wizards reprinted the shocklands a ton of times but I am slightly surprised it is still worth a little something, something. But I know Lorwyn is super popular but honestly it isn’t my favorite MTG world and this new set didn’t do much to change my mind.

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April 21, 2026 · 6:05 pm

Thrift Store Haul: Pokemon TCG Battle Academy, RPG Zines & More!

I find myself with less free time lately which sadly means I have so many games unopened and unplayed so I have been pretty picky in picking up new games which includes games I find in a thrift store. I was tempted though. Just off the top of the my head I passed on a Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective for $8 and Mages and Macrophages (a 5E set for kids) also for $8.

A game I did picked up though is the Pokemon TCG Battle Academy for $4. I am teaching my nephew the game so it is quite fortuitous to come across it now. I rarely see any cards in thrift stores but I know it will likely to be missing cards. The thrift store was crowded while I was shopping so I couldn’t thoroughly look through it but at the time I knew the Pikachu V was missing but the Cinderace V and Eevee V was there along with three “decks” and all the accessories which was worth the risk to me. The decks all ended up being slightly altered with some cards missing and some random cards thrown in and each deck was short a few cards. But I still have more than enough to have two decks and to even slightly upgrade them.

One of the gaming stores near me is still doing some cleaning which means they have been uncovering a lot of interesting gaming stuff, some for free and some for sale. I am pretty excited about this RPG haul. In particular, they had a lot of Dungeon magazines and I admit I was in the store for quite a while to narrow down to just one to buy. I did also get a bunch of old Free RPG Day freebies and I am probably most excited about the dice towers.

This gaming store also had Heroclix for sale but I save that for another blog post.

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April 15, 2026 · 12:55 pm

Random Pack Break: Pokemon TCG Perfect Order & MTG TMNT

I have been finding Pokemon TCG Perfect Order packs here and there but there is usually a 1 or 2 pack limit or priced at double MSRP. I actually didn’t know the Target near me had packs until I saw someone asked for it in line before me so I guess I got lucky too.

Pokemon TCG Perfect Order Packs

I got two packs of Perfect Order and pulled a Mega Skarmony ex. Not bad but not great either. I have 2 Skarmonys now so I wonder if a deck revolving around Metang and Mega Skarmony ex is worth building.

I also got two packs of Magic the Gathering Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles from Barnes & Nobles nearby. I am actually pretty excited to pull The Ooze, Cool but Rude and a boarderless Metallic Mimic. I was going to skip the set honestly but there are some interesting cards from Commander. But the Ninja Turtles look so weird too to me but I guess I am just used to the 90’s cartoons.

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April 9, 2026 · 1:31 pm

One More Time: Presstine Pokemon Gaming Surprise Bags

A discount store near me had a bunch of these Presstine Pokemon gaming surprise bags, probably fresh out of the box so I got first pick of them. They were priced at $6 and they are usually bad buys but you do get a bonus item which can be a original sealed Pokemon pack (the chase). Out of maybe 30 repacks though I found just one repack with a Pokemon pack but I also got one with a premium repack which I am curious about too. These packs have a window on the front so they are super easy spot what’s inside which again can be a good or bad thing.

I admit these gaming surprise bags are kind of fun to open. As expected, I got a Paradox Rift pack and various theme repacks.

Whoa, I actually got something good in these repacks! I pulled a beautiful Yveltal illustration rare from the Paradox Rift pack. So I guess the packs aren’t searched or resealed. The repacks come in bunch of different tiers. The energies one is clearly the worse and the premium and the ultra pack (with 1 ultra rare card) are the best. I have bought a few of these Presstine repacks already and haven’t pulled a premium pack before and honestly it is a bit of a letdown. It is just 3 cards that are holos or a rare and got 2 common reverse holos and a Kyogre rare from the Celebrations set. One thing I do look for are anything cards from old sets but no such luck this time around.

I should probably stop getting these even though I got super lucky this time around (maybe even 1 in a million chance) but I haven’t pulled a ultra repack yet…

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April 1, 2026 · 7:29 pm

Random Pack Break: Pokemon TCG Mega Evolutions Raikou 2 Pack Blister & MTG Avatar Packs

I am so glad that Ascended Heroes, Perfect Order and probably Chaos Rising will have little impact on the Standard format because packs are still very, very hard to find. I am lucky I got basically everything I need to build decks from the Perfect Order prerelease. Anyways I was feeling a bit under of the weather and was looking to open some packs for fun. I went to my go to for Pokemon packs nowadays a specific Duane Reade near me. This Duane Reade and only this Duane Reade has a lot of packs maybe every 2 weeks or so. This time around I got a Mega Evolutions Raikou 2 pack blister.

Unfortunately I didn’t pull anything notable. I just got the same rare in both packs and it isn’t even a good card, monetary or game play wise, Dialga.

So the packs were a bit of a downer so I picked up 4 play boosters of Magic Avatar The Last Airbender from my local hobby shop too. I am happy I did because I pulled not one but two of the the best card in the set, a Wan Shi Tong, Librarian (one foil and one not). The foil is going straight to my U/B Azula control EDH deck along a few other thematic cards I pulled.

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March 27, 2026 · 2:54 pm

Thrift Store Haul: Year of the Horse Lego Set, D&D Magazines and More!

I admit all the deals I got this month weren’t actually from thrift stores but I am excited about them nonetheless.

KPop Demon Hunters Monopoly Deal

First off, I saw the KPop Demon Hunters Monopoly Deal game at Marshalls like a month ago and decided I will get it once it got a red clearance sticker. It didn’t take that long and I picked it up for $8. Monopoly Deal isn’t my favorite card game but I wouldn’t mind playing from time to time and plus a lot of my friends are fans of Kpop Demon Hunters so it shouldn’t be too hard to get on the table.

Random Board Gaming Magazines and Magic Comic
2016 Free RPG Day Zines

The board game store near me was doing a bit of cleaning and I got a huge haul of random board game magazines, Dungeons & Dragons magazines, a Magic comic with the promo card and some Free RPG Day stuff from 2016 for just $10 (some of it was printed price, some of it was half off and some of it was free). The Level Up magazines was especially a huge find for me. On a side note, I am sad that the Game Trade Magazines are being discontinued. I just love flipping through magazines and I remember always getting the Wizard, InQuest, Scrye magazine when I was younger and if I am not mistaken, GTM was the last magazine in the tabletop gaming hobby which is such a shame.

Year of the Horse Lego Set

Finally I picked up the Year of the Horse Lego set at Book Off for $15. I got the Year of the Rat, Ox and Horse now so I am a few sets if I aim to collect the whole set.

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