March 19, 2026 · 1:01 pm

Big Heroclix and Dungeons and Dragons Minis Haul

I totally forgot about Cool Stuff Inc until recently I saw that they had a huge sale on all their miniatures including Heroclix and the Wizkids Dungeons and Dragons minis. They were 75% off so most of the minis were just $0.25! They are likely getting out of that market so there weren’t too much in stock. But I am still excited about what I got.

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My Dream figure from the Sandman Iconix box was fresh on my mind so I got any characters that might work with him on a team including anything themed around sand, anything revolving around dreams or just having the cosmic or mystic keyword. I also think I got enough figures for a Guardians of the Galaxy team. It is nearly impossible for me to find a game of Heroclix but I really, really want to try it again.

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D&D minis were also on sale and I got a lot of interesting figures. I probably won’t use most of the them but it is always good to have a random collection just in case as a DM. I was really surprised how big the Kirin figure was and I definitely want to write something with it asap.

This haul ended only setting me back about $14 (which includes the shipping). You can’t beat that! Four of the figures (1 Heroclix & 3 D&D minis) were broken in transit though. Two were repaired easily with crazy glue, one I can leave alone (the green hag figure was missing a hand but I can write that into her back story) but 1 figure was not repairable, Vargouille Reflection which is a bit of shame because it is a really weird figure but I don’t really mind since it was just a quarter.

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March 13, 2026 · 8:39 pm

Building a Commander Deck with Only a 1000 Count Magic Cards Bulk Box

I played EDH/ Commander in the early days and it was the format where you can use weird old cards and random draft chaff that you can’t play elsewhere. It was a fun deck building exercise and nowadays it is not the same with all the cards design specifically for this format (although it is still very fun).

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I think the easiest way to recreate the magic of the early days is building a commander deck with only a 1000 count Magic bulk box. I got my box for like $15 plus shipping so in total maybe a little over $20. It has a 1000 commons and uncommons. There are some bulk boxes/ lots that guarantee rares, foils etc but I kind of just went with the cheapest possible.

The quality of these bulk boxes can vary. I was just hoping for a good diversity of cards and hoping for less duplicates. The box I got was middle of the road. I did get a good mix of new and old cards and a good mix of the colors but there are still a bunch of duplicates. The most copies of a card I think I got was 15 but I have heard it can be a lot worse. If I had to guess, maybe 20% of the box are duplicates. Also luckily I did pull a bunch of legends to potential be my commander.

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I think the only two viable choices are Aron, Benalia’s Ruin and Uurg, Spawn of Turg and ultimately I went with the frog. One because random green commons/ uncommons tend to be better than random commons/ uncommons in other colors in a multi player format and two I can just play a lot of lands instead of just filler. I also have a few cards that synergizes with Uurg by dumping lands in the graveyard. I add a few pump and evasion spells so the main strategy is get a big Uurg, protect it and hope to win with commander damage.

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Overall, I am pretty happy with the deck and it has a good curve. I like sorting cards and building deck with restrictions so this is a fun challenge for me. My friends tend to play low power decks a lot of times so I definitely will be trying this deck out very soon.

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March 8, 2026 · 4:43 pm

What’s Inside the Pokemon Gaming Cards Exclusive Mystery Bundle?

I was drawn to a new type of Pokemon TCG repack solely due to it being packaged rather oddly. It is the Pokemon gaming cards exclusive mystery bundle from UCC Distributing (which is a company I haven’t heard of before) and it has 9 cards packed in a 9 card binder page. It was $6 a pack and I have very, very low expectations for it since it doesn’t even tease the chance of bigger pulls like exs or Vs like most repacks (but it does guarantee a holographic card).

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As expected, all the cards are basically worthless bulk. The cards are all from the Sword and Shield era and I wouldn’t be surprised if they came from the same pack with a random holo tacked on. Oddly though, a foil Rapid Strike Milotic was a card I might need since I am building a Rapid Strike water Gym Leader Challenge deck. Milotic might not make the cut though but I am still just gathering all the Rapid Strike cards just in case. So I guess I got lucky even though I basically got $0.50 worth of cards at best for $6.

The weird thing about this repack is still the fact it is packaged in a card binder page. It is was a pain to carry back home since I was worried about the cards bending in my bag. I also imagine it was a pain to packaged too since I don’t think a machine can put the cards in binder page so you have to have someone do it. But I guess, the binder page is an added bonus.

All in all, don’t get this. It is probably worse than some of the Presstine repacks.

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March 3, 2026 · 6:27 pm

Thrift Store Haul: A Place for All My Books Board Game, Sandman Iconix & More!

The thrift store I frequent the most only had kids board games or just games I owned already last month but I did come across one good find.

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I got A Place for All My Books board game sealed for $6. I think is a great deal and it is a game that has been on my radar for some time now, mostly due to the unique theme. I haven’t play it yet but I have high hopes for it. It has a lot of mechanics I do enjoy like tile laying and worker placement.

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The comic book store closest to me is closing for a few months for renovations/ expansion and they had a 60%- 75% off sale on most things in the store! I picked up a bunch of comics/ graphic novels, both Eberron Dungeons and Dragons books, a ton of card sleeves (which is always useful to have around), two Pokemon books for my nephew and a Heroclix Iconix The Sandman Dream figure. I used to collect Heroclix here and there but it is just been too expensive especially the Iconix line. I honestly was hoping to find the Dungeons & Dragons Iconix figures but the Sandman is still good find for $10. Although for a premium product, the paint job is still pretty mediocre…

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February 27, 2026 · 10:53 pm

My Small Haul from Pokemon Day 2026

Today is Pokemon Day and it is a big anniversary, the 30th anniversary! Every year my friends and I hop from shop to shop just see what’s going on and pick up some cool merch. But honestly I was a bit disappointed this year. I am mostly excited about the TCG side of things and there weren’t a lot to look forward too.

We start at the Nintendo store every year and oddly for such a big anniversary there was a lot less things going on than even last year. There were photo ops and meet and greets with Pikachu and friends (which happens every year) but in the past, you can battle the employees, get demo decks, etc. Also you usually could count on some fun giveaways and/or gifts with a purchase. But this year they were only giving out a poster (which honestly is just an ad on nice paper) and a tiny sticker. I miss the days you can buy a few packs and get a Pokemon Day promo card. I also think both the 30th anniversary merch and the new “celebration” TCG set teased are uninspired. It really feels like they are just recycling what the Pokemon company did in the 25th anniversary.

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Oddly, the one freebie I did get was from Five Below which was a pleasant surprise. They were hosting a Pokemon trading card event which I was a bit early for but they said I could still get a promo card which a purchase of anything Pokemon. Unfortunately they didn’t have any Pokemon packs so I had to get a Presstine repack… Anyways, I got another copy of the Illustration contest cards (last year’s promos) so I have now have one that I opened and one I will keep sealed. Oh I also got some My Hero Academia cards that caught my eye.

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As I hinted above, the biggest reason Pokemon Day was a big disappointment is that you can’t find Pokemon packs (for retail) anywhere. I thought the supply was getting better during the holidays but this past month I only saw packs/ boxes for like double sometimes triple the MSRP or stores with bare shelves on the Pokemon section. I think I visited like five card shops and many stores didn’t even have many singles available. I did get a few cards from bulk bins, card vending machines and even made a small trade. I am building a Team Rocket deck for the rotation and I think I now have everything I need.

One trend I do notice is more signings for voice actors and Poke influencer’s stream in stores during Pokemon Day and they are very popular. In fact, the biggest Pokemon Day event in NYC was organized by eBay and featured some Youtubers even I follow. But I can’t help to think that these events just celebrate the Poke finance on things and not the game so I guess it is just not for me.

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February 20, 2026 · 12:47 pm

Highlights/ The Best Games from the No ICE in Minnesota Itchio Bundle

Itch.io has these mega bundles from time to time and I usually get them all. No ICE in Minnesota is the latest Itchio bundle and there is still a few more weeks to get it. It has 1439 games so it can be a bit overwhelming. I picked out a few highlights for me. Of course, I only tried a fraction of the games so there is definitely still hidden gems for me to discover and I am definitely open to suggestions.

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Baba Is You

Baba Is You is probably the most popular video game in the bundle and it is probably worth the $10 minimum donation alone. In fact, I first came across this game from watching Youtube shorts and it always piqued my interest. It is a very clever and unique puzzle game. It can be quite challenging but it is always fun to get that aha moment.

Shindig

Shindig is a point and click adventure probably best described as cozy and heart warming. It is just a bunch of fetch quests but it is really a game about being a good friend. It has great music and a cute art style.

The Ruins of Castle Gygar

I actually needed a low prep dungeon to run the other day and I ran one of the floors of The Ruins of Castle Gygar, Stygian Gate. It is an old school essentials mega dungeon and it has some interesting ideas. From what I ran, it was a lot of fun. Although, this was made as “a make a dungeon room a day” challenge so honestly some of the rooms were a little random and sections lacked a cohesive theme but I just combined or omitted some of the rooms to flow better.

Return to Blacktail Harbor

I am usually not into the solo RPGs/ journal games but Return to Blacktail Harbor drew me to it with its theme, itchio page and hype video. I love murder mysteries and the system it uses has just enough for you created your own story without feeling like a Choose Your Adventure book. It was a great way to kill some time when I was sick and stuck at home. It uses the system of another game in the bundle, Sinister Semester X. I am going to check that out soon too but honestly this theme isn’t as big of a draw for me.

I kind of wanted to write this post before the bundle ended so it can be sort of useful so I didn’t get to try as many games I would have like. But here is a list of games I only briefly checked out and liked what I saw. Paramonsters and the Haunted Escape Room (visual novel), Nekomancer of Nowhere (puzzle game), Skeleton Wizard #1-3 (RPG zines with 5e one shots), Balloon Tomb of the Ancient Aeronaut & Crypt of the Muscle Mummy (RPG dungeons) and Undying Corruption (A 5E Korean world book). There were also a bunch of Mothership RPG stuff. I liked Mothership but my group decided to switch to other systems but I now have a lot of material to go through if I do play it again.

I might edit this post as I go through more games and if I come across something I really like.

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February 15, 2026 · 7:15 pm

Even More Presstine Pokemon Gaming Surprise Bags

I am still warning everyone against getting these Presstine Pokemon gaming surprise bags. But they were marked down to $5.50 each and I am curious if it is possible to pull a “good” card and what other mystery items you can get from these surprise bags. I got “lucky” before and got a sealed Pokemon TCG pack but I think that is very rare.

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Again, I kind of like the idea of themed repacks and the fact there are different tiers of repacks like ones that guaranteed an ultra rare, holo or code card. But I think the ultra and premium packs are hard pulls too since I haven’t gotten one in three surprise bags. The best one of the bunch that I pulled this time around is the trainers pack and the worse by far is the energy one. But in the end, all the cards are probably worthless.

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My bonus item in both repacks is a pack of 20 whites sleeves so the only real value that I got is sleeves for my next prerelease. They do feel cheaper and thinner than say Ultra Pro sleeves but at least they won’t split like the official Pokemon ones. I am just a bit worry they will rip instead if I shuffle too hard but we’ll see. Also if I am not mistaken these Presstine surprise bags retails for $10 so they can probably pack them with at least 40 sleeves. You can’t do anything with just 20 sleeves.

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I actually got another of these gaming bags after I drafted this blog post and it was the worse one yet. It had another pack of white sleeves so I now have enough to sleeve a deck but also another pack of energies and no ultra or premium packs. The most interesting card was a Slugma from 2005 (it has a hypnotoad vibe) and a Shadow Rider Calyrex Vmax League Battle Deck code card… that was claimed already. Ugh.

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February 8, 2026 · 12:31 am

Magic TCG: The Lost Caverns of Ixalan Ahoy Matey Commander Deck

I was visiting Flushing for the first time and swung by a card shop that had pretty good prices on sealed products especially Yu-Gi-Oh booster boxes. But I was actually looking for a new commander deck since my main deck at the moment, Azula, Cunning Usurper was a bit too strong for my play group and honestly the control style deck can be frustrating to play against.

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I actually just got the cheapest commander deck they had which happen to be The Lost Caverns of Ixalan Ahoy Matey commander deck. It was only $25 but I do like pirates. One thing that is bothering me a little is the whole deck is miscut slightly, most noticeably on the sides.

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The commander deck also came with a collector booster sample pack which I heard Wizards isn’t doing anymore which is a shame. It can be a fun little bonus. I actually got really lucky I pull a $55 card and probably the best card in the set, a borderless Roaming Throne and it just so happen it can fit in seamlessly to the pirates deck. So the only change I made currently is cutting Daring Saboteur (which is in my opinion the weakest/ most boring card in the deck) for Roaming Throne.

All in all, the deck was fun to play and at the power level I was aiming for. If I were to upgrade the deck, I would concentrate more on creating treasures and maybe add Revel in Riches but then again I might be in the same spot that my deck is too strong for my play group.

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February 1, 2026 · 4:35 pm

Pokemon TCG Mystery Packs with One Guaranteed Hit

One of the newer card shops near me had a bunch of these Pokemon TCG mystery packs with one guaranteed hit for $5. What’s great about them is you can see which hit you will get.

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I picked out two packs with a Team Rocket’s Crobat ex since I think it can be a fun card to build a deck around.

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I am pleasantly surprised to find that the two mystery packs had basically more than half a Team Rocket deck already. The cards including the Crobat ex probably came from someone opening a Team Rocket league battle deck and keeping only the Mewtwos. Team Rocket’s Spidops paired with the Team Rocket’s Crobat is probably the easiest way to build the deck and I think I have enough cards from the Destined Rivals set it fill out what’s missing. But Team Rocket’s Crobat ex is a pretty flexible card though and I can pair it up with a dark package with like Toxtricity and big dark attackers or with a spread deck with something like Dragapult ex.

All in all, I know you can’t pull anything valuable from mystery packs from card shops but it was only $5 a pack and I did get some useful trainers and fun build around me pokemons so it is a win for me. It is way better than anything Presstine comes out with…

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January 24, 2026 · 2:29 pm

Thrift Store Haul: Golden Heroes RPG, Unsolved Case Files Game & More

I got a couple of good gaming deals over the holidays and the weeks after. I honestly been trying to getting rid of stuff so I actually probably donated more stuff than I picked up this month.

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First off, I traded for Golden Heroes RPG set. It reminded me of the Villains and Vigilantes RPG and it was just too interesting to pass up. Though, it is a RPG game I probably never play but should still be fun to read through and perhaps borrow ideas from.

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Barnes & Nobles seems to have their biggest sale of the year right after Christmas and this year I picked up The Dungeonmeister Random Monster Generator. It is a flip book to makes all sorts of random, weird D&D monsters to use. I have already use it in my campaign and my D&D group loves it!

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Finally one of the deals I am most excited about is this Unsolved Case Files: Sandra Ivey for $4 from a Goodwill that usually prices everything fairly higher than everywhere else so I am actually quite surprised. I usually like the Hunt a Killer series of games but Unsolved Case Files are usually fun too.

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