And be sure to join us on Saturday, 7/14 beginning at noon for our special Tenth Edition Release Tournaments, including sealed deck and mini- masters events!
X! - Magic™ reaches a tremendous milestone with the release of the Tenth Edition of the Core Set. Tenth Edition is the "Greatest Hits" of Magic, featuring some of the best and most popular cards of all-time. As a Core Set, Tenth Edition sets the standard for Magic, is the ideal entry point for new players, and forms the backbone of constructed tournament play.
New Starter Set! - The newly designed starter set is the best way to get new players into the game. The Starter Set uses actual Tenth Edition booster packs and instructs players to open their packs, choose their colors, mix in the included land, and get playing right away. And did we mention that the land pack includes sneak previews of lands from the upcoming Lorwyn™ set? Even existing players will want to get their hands on those!
More Cards! - Tenth Edition is a whopping 383-card set, with 20 more rare cards than Ninth Edition (which only had 350 cards total).
New Art! - As always the Core Set brings amazing new art to old favorites, from Incinerate to Nekrataal to Lord of the Pit.
More Power! - Tenth Edition may be the best place for a new player to start but it..s right! Tokens, previously only available in the "Un"-sets or though Magic Player Rewards, have arrived into regular Magic boosters! These Tokens sometimes appear on Tips and Tricks cards and are an extra 16th card in the booster pack. Every kind of token you can make in Tenth Edition is available – players will want to get them all!
Legends! - Tenth Edition marks the first time that Legendary creatures are in a core set. Finally, player favorites like Kamahl, Pit Fighter and Reya Dawnbringer get to step up to the big time. Each one-color Theme Deck features a legend making getting your hands on many of these favorites a breeze!
Black Borders! - For the first time since 1993 the entire run of the Core Set will have black borders. This is a huge change and one that players are very excited about. Who can resist a black-bordered Wrath of God?
6/21/07- A Game So Cool, We're GIVING It Away! Star Wars Fans!
Swing by this weekend and see the beautifully sculpted Star Wars PocketModel TCG figures.
While you're here, purchase one game pack ($4.99) and see for yourself just how cool they are, and we'll give you a pack containing an X-Wing, two TIE Fighters and two game cards absolutely free!
Purchase three game packs, or an Imperial Power-Up Pack ($14.99), and we'll give you those five items PLUS an exclusive, alternate artwork foil Darth Vader card absolutely free!
And of course, as previously mentioned, purchase a 24 pack of boosters and get the Power-Up Pack absolutely free, in addition to the above-mentioned items!
That's a whole lot of FREE stuff! If you have friends who are Star Wars fans- pass it on!
See you soon!
6/13/07- Star Wars PocketModels... Awesome, Baby!
Regardless of your interest in playing the game, if you're a fan of Star Wars you WANT this game! The Star Wars PocketModel game ($4.99) releases today and I have to say, the next generation of model plane building has arrived! These ships are not for kids to assemble- they are intricate and incredibly detailed... and they look great! In the first pack I opened for a counter demo I pulled the Space Shuttle Tyderium and an ARC-170, among other smaller ships. Each pack includes 4-8 ships, depending on their size.
Tyderium- cool. Love Emperor Palpatine... thought he got a raw deal. But the ARC-170 was the most fun to build. Small, detailed, interlocking bits make this ship amazing to look at and amazing to display!
Stop by this week and take a look at these ships! While you're here, if you decide to jump into this game, we'll be offering a FREE PocketModel Imperial Power-Up Pack (a $14.99 value) with the purchase of a 24 game pack display! The Power-Up Pack includes 30 game cards and 8 exclusive PocketModels, including an Imperial Star Destroyer!
Now, off to find the Millenium Falcon!
5/31/07- If A Pirate Fought A Transformer, Who Would Win? Remember that WotC patent we talked about last week?
Wizkids has filed a lawsuit against Wizards Of The Coast (WOTC), seeking a Declaratory Judgment concerning WOTC's patent (patent #7,201,374, referred to as "the '374 patent") on Constructible Strategy Games, specifically seeking a judgment that the Pirates game does not infringe the patent, and that the patent is, in fact, invalid anyway.
Filed May 25 in the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington at Seattle, the suit claims that WOTC contacted WizKids via a letter in May 2004 concerning the filing of the patent, and that "…WOTC asserted that WizKid's Pirates game fell squarely within many of the proposed claims of the pending patent application. WOTC warned that when the patent [was] issued, WOTC would have the right to sue WizKids for an injunction and damages. WOTC threatened that it would take legal action against WizKids if or when a patent was allowed if WizKids did not cease and desist selling its Pirates game. WizKids responded to the letter on June 4, 2004, denying that the Pirates game was within the scope of any of the then pending claims of WOTC's patent application."
The suit goes on to mention that WOTC contacted WizKids on May 21, 2007, concerning the awarding of the patent, and stating that "…the parties would have to come to an agreement regarding the '374 patent and the Pirates game. WizKids denied, and has consistently denied throughout, that the Pirates game infringes the '374 patent."
The "Prayer for Relief" section, which lists the decisions that WizKids would like the judge to make in regards the suit, asks for, among other things, "entry of a judgment and declaration that the '374 patent is not infringed," "entry of a judgment and declaration that the '374 patent is invalid," and "entry of a preliminary and/or permanent injunction enjoining defendant [i.e. WOTC], its officers, agents, servants, employees, attorneys, and those in active concert or participation with it from accusing, threatening, or pursuing litigation against WizKids, its customers, agents, employees, or users of WizKids' methods and products as to infringement of the '374 patent."
Story developing
The suit is file stamped as Civil Action No. C07-0809MJP.
5/25/07- Remaining 2007 Star Wars Releases Announced Wizards of the Coast announced its line-up of Star Wars products for the rest of 2007, including several series of new collectable game miniatures and more updates for its Star Wars Roleplaying Game.
The first production run of the Alliance & Empire booster for the Star Wars CMG, coming out this month (see "'Star Wars CMG: Alliance & Empire'"), will sit on a special silver square Star Wars logo to commemorate the first film's 30th Anniversary. Subsequent runs will use the standard round base.
The Rebels and Imperials two-pack boosters slated for June will feature the re-release of 24 miniatures, fully randomized with varying levels of rarity. And in July, WotC is introducing the first Star Wars CMG Starter Set since 2005. The set includes six non-randomized figures (Obi-Wan Kenobi, Darth Vader, Rebel Captain, Rebel Heavy Trooper, Elite Stormtooper and Heavy Stormtrooper), battle map, one 20-sided die and a rule book.
November brings the Star Wars: The Force Unleashed expansion which will include a 60-figure booster set based on the expanded Star Wars universe from comics, novels, and videogames. The Force Unleashed is the name of the upcoming videogame from LucasArts, and at least 14 figures from the booster will be based on the game. This expansion also includes 10 "huge" figures. Galaxy Tiles, also available in November, will include six double-sided terrain tiles which are also compatible with the Star Wars RPG.
In addition to the new Saga Edition core rulebook coming in June (see "WotC's New 'Star Wars RPG') WotC is releasing Starships of the Galaxy in December. This 160-page hardcover updated rules supplement includes options for building custom starships, space combat rules and new character classes as well as schematics and deck plans from popular starships from the feature films, comics, novels and videogames. 5/24/07- Waste A Little Time And Play This Game!
A couple of weeks ago, I posted a blog about, among others, a new game from Out Of The Box called Cineplexity. Well, they just released an online demo of the game that you can play by yourself, or with friends or coworkers.
Give it a try, and if you like it come on down and ask for it! Maybe if you include the boss in your game, you'll get a raise! :)
Click here to play!
5/22/07- WotC Patent, Bella Sara Expansion, Yu-Gi-Oh! World Championships, Kingdom Hearts TCG
Kingdom Hearts TCG Coming To America!
Available in Japan for some time now, the Kingdom Hearts Trading Card Game will soon be available in an English-language version in the United States. Based on the best-selling game for the Playstation 2 game console, Kingdom Hearts combines classic Disney and Final Fantasy characters and settings. Produced in Japan by Takara/TOMY Company, Kingdom Hearts will be brought to the U.S. by ArcLight USA, an American division of ArcLight Corporation of Japan, and will be distributed by Fantasy Flight Games.
Starter decks are slated to contain 41 cards, booster packs will have nine cards each. No word is yet available on the distribution of rarity within these packs, or the number of cards in the full set. The Kingdom Hearts TCG will be available in the US hobby market during the Third Quarter of 2007, with a preview at the Gen Con game fair in mid-August.
Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG World Championships To Be Held In San Diego!
Representing countries from around the globe, the world's best Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG and video game players will meet face-to-face on Saturday and Sunday, July 28 and 29 at the San Diego Convention Center to battle for the coveted titles of Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG World Champion and Yu-Gi-Oh! Videogame World Champion.
The Yu-Gi-Oh! World Championship Tournaments will be held as a part of the 38th Annual Comic-Con International show in San Diego. In addition to the World Championship Tournament, side tournaments and activities will also be available throughout the weekend, giving fans the ultimate Yu-Gi-Oh! experience.
Regional tournaments for the TCG are currently being held around the world. Top Duelists from Regional tournaments will be awarded invitations to the TCG National Championship events held in their own country. Winners from these National Championship tournaments will then be awarded a seat to represent their own country at the Yu-Gi-Oh! World Championship event at Comic-Con in July.
The U.S. Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG National Championship Tournament will be held on Saturday and Sunday, June 23 and 24 at the Greater Columbus Convention Center in Columbus, Ohio.
Information on dates and locations for Regional Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG tournament events can be found at www.wannaduel.com.
Congratulations to Phoenix Games TCG player Tyler, for winning a seat at the National event!
Bella Sara Expansion Releases In July!
Releasing in July 2007, the fantastic horses of Bella Sara: Northern Lights — born in Norse and Celtic mythology — have arrived to light up your imagination! For a time these magical creatures roamed the land inspiring hearts and minds as their legend grew. Catch them before they fade like a dream.
Northern Lights, the first Bella Sara expansion, includes 28 common horse cards; 17 rare horses; 10 rare energy cards (which feature horse tack such as saddles and bridles, and are used to unlock additional games and features on the website); and 17 extra rare "shiny" foil horse cards. Bella Sara is a horse-themed combination of trading cards and a magical online world for girls. Bella Sara cards, which can be collected or used in easy-to-learn games feature uplifting messages that reinforce positive self image, such as "beauty comes from within".
Wizards Of The Coast Awarded CSG Patent!
Wizards of the Coast announced today that it has been awarded a patent on Constructible Strategy Games. The text of the announcement follows:
May 22, 2007 (RENTON, Wash.) – Wizards of the Coast, the world leader in hobby gaming, and a subsidiary of Hasbro, Inc. (NYSE: HAS), today announced that the United States Patent and Trademark Office has awarded it a patent U.S. Patent No. 7,201,374, on game play design for constructible strategy games.
Wizards pioneered the constructible strategy game category five years ago. The invention, code named "Punch Bots", combined Wizards' original repeat-purchase business model and the excitement of trading card game combat to create strategically assembled – and disassembled – models. Wizards first filed for patent protection in October of 2002. The full text and images of the patent are available at www.uspto.gov.
"The hard work of our staff was of course central to our success in securing this patent and we couldn't be more pleased," said Loren Greenwood, President of Wizards of the Coast. "We're excited to bring to market new games that will broaden the reach of this category in our industry."
The first offering by Wizards in this category is next month's much-anticipated TRANSFORMERS 3D Battle-Card Game, which releases on June 2.
5/17/07- Next Naruto Expansion Contains US Exclusives!
Eternal Rivalry, the next set for the Naruto CCG, will include 80 cards with artwork and effects that have never been released in the Japanese version. Among the new cards are powerful new Ninjas, Jutsus, Missions, and Clients. The set has 113 cards in all. Some cards that were limited editions sold in vending machines in Japan will also be included in the set.
The gameplay has been tested more than any other series they've ever released, according to Bandai America Marketing Manager Danny Satyapan. "This set rocks," he said.
The release date for Eternal Rivalry is July 27th.
Dream Legacy, Revenge And Rebirth, and other Naruto boosters in stock at Phoenix Games!
3/20/07- Massive Pet Food Recall Information
As many of you may have already heard, there has been a massive pet food recall (The wet stuff. The dry stuff doesn't seem to be affected by this recall) affecting some 93 different brands of cat and dog foods from off name brands to more "premium" brands like Eukanuba, Iams and Science Diet. These "cuts and gravy" style cans and pouches have been attributed to kidney failure in many pets and death in at least nine cats and one dog.
Pet owners, please check the complete list at the link below and the associated plant codes and manufacturing dates against any you may have at home.
The company has also designated two phone numbers that pet owners can call for information,(866) 463-6738 and (866) 895-2708 Complete Recalled Cat And Dog Food List
1/9/07- Gamer Favorite Talisman Returns In October! First released in 1983, Games Workshop's Talisman is one fantasy board game that has developed something of a cult following over the years. Now Games Workshop's Black Industries unit is preparing an October 2007 release for a new version of the vintage game with all new artwork and some new streamlined speedy play rules by Rick Priestley.
Talisman can accommodate 2-6 participants who control a number of fantasy characters ranging from warriors to sorcerers who attempt to find and claim the "Crown of Command," a magical artifact with the ability to destroy all rivals and rule the kingdom.
Back in 2002 Games Workshop made a revived edition of Talisman a Diamond/Alliance exclusive with a $75 price tag. No word yet on the price of the new version of the game that is due out in October.