Friday 30 June 2017

Hour of Devastation Prerelease Events



Welcome to the desert oasis of Hour of Devastation, where the return of the God-Pharaoh is upon us! Four hours of observation shall take place hailing his return, followed by a fifth and very final hour.
Be the first to open new packs of Hour of Devastation. Prerelease is your first chance to play with cards from Magic'snew set, a week before the set releases.
You'll experience the thrill of opening new cards for the first time, at an event filled with other Magic players who enjoy the game just as much as you. Everything you'll need to play will be provided as part of your entry fee - you simply show up and play!
You'll build a 40-card minimum deck using the contents of a themed Prerelease pack. This play format is called "Sealed Deck."
After you build your deck, you'll be randomly paired with another player for a best-two-of-three match. Each round, you'll report who won and be paired up with a new player. If you do well, you may get additional booster packs as prizes!
For this set we will be holding three prerelease events, each of these is restricted to just 12 places. Tickets are available now both on line and in store. Please book you space as soon as possible...

MIDNIGHT Eventbrite - MTG Prerelease H.o.D. Midnight 

SATURDAY 11AM Eventbrite - MTG Prerelease H.o.D. Saturday 

SUNDAY 11AM Eventbrite - MTG Prerelease H.o.D. Sunday

We will also have a limited amount left for Prerelease Party events, which enable you to purchase a prerelease pack without the need to take part in a tournament. You can pre-order you party pack by selecting the relevant day above and choosing the 'PARTY' ticket option.

Tuesday 20 June 2017

Gyms are closed!


Yesterday, Niantic revealed what will be Pokémon GO’s largest feature update yet, an expansive rework of gyms, and a preview of how Legendary Pokémon will likely be introduced into the game. The announcement comes hours before gyms are being temporarily disabled then reactivated, though it’s unclear the precise moment this all goes live. Possibly as soon as the end of the day.

So, what’s going on with these changes? There are a number of key points that reflect some long-rumored changes to gyms. Here’s what’s happening as soon as the gym rework is live:

- Pokémon GO’s gyms now have six unique slots (no two of the same Pokemon), and enemy trainers will battle the Pokémon there in the order in which they were assigned.

- Pokémon will lose “motivation” over time, making them easier to defeat, as shown by a depleting heart. Players can feed their Pokémon to increase their motivation.

- Pokémon gyms can now be spun like PokeStops for items, some of them unique.

- Pokémon gyms will now give out badges that can be leveled up for increased rewards at gyms.

- Your Pokémon will amass more coins the longer they remain in a gym, and you will get the coins once they're defeated/unmotivated and return to you.

So that’s what’s happening immediately, but Niantic also previewed “Raids” which are indeed tied to gyms, and are almost certainly tied to Legendary spawns, though the word “Legendary” is not used, and the only Pokémon shown are existing powerhouses like Tyranitar and Gyarados.

- Raids are timed events that will have a powerful Pokémon temporarily taking over a gym. In the preview materials, a 25,000+ CP Tyranitar is shown as an example.

- To participate in a raid, you need a raid pass which can be obtained from spinning a gym, but you can only hold one at a time.

- Players from all teams can work together to take down these Pokémon (max of 20 participants), and earn new items and an opportunity to catch these Pokémon (though probably not at that CP level).

- The items earned will be Rare Candy, Golden Razz Berries and even TMs(!). Rare Candy turns into a certain type of Pokemon's candy when used on that Pokemon. The berry greatly increases odds of a wild capture and can be fed to gym Pokemon. TMs can be for fast or charged moves. Unclear if they're randomized or for specific moves. (Update: they are randomized).

- Players can form private groups as well to take on these Pokémon thanks to a new in-game code system that allows you to link up with friends (not random numbers, the example shown is three Bulbasaur icons).

Monday 19 June 2017

MTG - New Mechanics

With the prerelease for the new set of MTG only a short while away it is time to have a look at some of the new mechanics.

First up we have AFFLICT  ...

The God-Pharaoh's legions are destructive, vicious, and just generally the sorts of folks you wouldn't invite to a party. But perhaps you're just going to the wrong parties. In any case, if a minion of Bolas is attacking you, it's a sure bet something bad is going to happen. The new ability afflict ensures just that.

Khenra Eternal attacking puts your opponent in an uncomfortable position. If they don't block it, it gets through to deal combat damage. If they do block it, they're losing 1 life anyway. Different creatures with afflict have different afflict numbers and cause the loss of different amounts of life. It doesn't matter how many creatures block a creature with afflict; afflict triggers only once per combat at most.

Saturday 17 June 2017

Dobble 123

Next week we will be getting copies of the new Dobble which is called 'Dobble 123'

This is basically the same game as Dobble but is aimed at a younger audience. This version is suitable for children as young as 3. Being able to recognize numbers and shapes, it’s kid’s play! To win, you must find the number or shape in common between two cards before one of the other players does. By trying to find them, toddlers learn to identify geometric shapes and numbers, and to recognize colors.


Hour of Devastation

In only a few weeks we will be able to play with the new MTG set 'Hour of Devastation' when we will get the long awaited arrival of Nichol Bolas. Here is a quick look at the brand new trailer for the set ...

Tuesday 13 June 2017

X-Wing C-Roc Cruiser


"You owe me, remember? I gave you information, and it saved your Jedi friend. I am calling in that favor."
–Cikatro Vizago


The galaxy's Scum and Villainy are about to demand what they are owed. And then they're going to go Epic…

Designed for use in the game's Cinematic Play and Epic Play formats, the C-ROC Cruiser Expansion Pack contains one C-ROC Cruiser miniature, one M3-A Interceptor miniature with an alternate paint scheme, seven ship cards, thirty upgrade cards, and all the maneuver dials, damage decks, tokens, and game pieces that you need to fly your C-ROC Cruiser and its escort to battle. Additionally, the expansion includes a new campaign for Cinematic Play in which your C-ROC draws the ire of either the Galactic Empire or Rebel Alliance.



The C-ROC cruiser was a favorite vessel of traders, smugglers, privateers, and crime lords all across the Outer Rim. It utilized the same frame as the Empire’s Gozanti-class cruiser, but its extra cargo space, three additional engines, and modified armor lent it a distinctive profile. Fitted with weapons and specialized equipment, the C-ROC often served as the workhorse at the heart of both merchant convoys and pirate fleets, hauling cargo, supporting smaller ships, and even flying into the fray to engage enemy craft directly.


The C-ROC Cruiser can also serve as the workhorse of your X-Wing Scum fleet. It can soak a tremendous amount of enemy fire with its four shields and ten hull, especially when you consider that it can make use of the reinforce and recover actions—the first of which can reduce all damage against either its fore or aft sections, and the second of which can remove much of the damage it may suffer. Importantly, it does all this at a base value of just thirty-five squad points, making it a fantastic bargain for a faction that's all about the credits.

Of course, you're not likely to field your C-ROC without one or more upgrades. For starters, you'll probably want to equip a Heavy Laser Turret in order to fire back at your assailants, and then you'll probably find plenty of good ways to take advantage of the ship's many upgrade slots—two crew, one hardpoint, one team, and three cargo.

Even if you're not entirely certain which upgrades will serve you best, you could just load your C-ROC with Cikatro Vizago, Azmorigan, and the Merchant One Title. Taken together, these cards allow you to transform your C-ROC even in the heat of battle, making certain you'll benefit from the most useful upgrades in your collection—so long as they cost no more than the crew, team, or cargo upgrades your C-ROC has already equipped.

The C-ROC and Standard Play
Even though the C-ROC arrives to X-Wing as a huge ship that's too large for the game's Standard Play format, it still arrives at the game's standard 1/270 scale, and it is accompanied by an M3-A Interceptor escort with an alternate paint scheme, four new M3-A aces, and a host of new upgrades. Taken altogether, these tournament-legal materials stand poised to make a major impact upon the game's Standard Play format and its vibrant tournament scene.


The C-ROC Cruiser Expansion Pack comes with one M3-A Interceptor with an alternate paint scheme.

For starters, you'll find a copy of the "Heavy Scyk" Interceptor upgrade reprinted with its recently issued erratum. For just two squad points, this upgrade grants your M3-A Interceptor an extra point of hull, as well as the ability to equip a cannon, torpedo, or missile upgrade. But while the "Heavy Scyk" Interceptor Title has long defined the different ways you could outfit your M3-A Interceptors for battle, the C-ROC Cruiser Expansion Pack also allows you to modify your "Scyk" in an entirely different direction.

The "Light Scyk" Interceptor Title transforms all of the fighter's bank maneuvers to green maneuvers and reduces the ship's squad point cost by two. It does this at the cost of flipping all damage cards dealt to the ship faceup, but since the introduction of the "Light Scyk" Interceptor Title will mean that you can swarm your opponents with as many as eight Cartel Spacers, the "Light Scyk" Interceptor's inherent risk is one many Scum players may be willing to take.

Do you miss the Core Set?

If like me you have missed the MTG Core Set since they change the launch program, then this may be just the news you are looking for ...

Wizards of the Coast are changing the way things are done and this will include the return to a yearly core set and 3 large sets are year.

Metamorphosis 2.0

Monday 12 June 2017

Pokemon Tins

Due in tomorrow are the Pokémon TCG: Island Guardians Tins


Stand ready with the strange and fearsome Pokémon of Alola in each Pokémon TCG: Island Guardians Tin! Choose the electric mischief of Tapu Koko-GX or the relentless vines of Tapu Bulu-GX. Each of these beautiful tins contains all the astonishing power of a strange and mysterious Pokémon-GX who stands as a defender of the land!

In each Pokémon TCG: Island Guardians Tin, you'll find:

  • 1 of 2 foil Pokémon-GX cards: Tapu Koko-GX or Tapu Bulu-GX
  • 4 Pokémon TCG booster packs

Friday 9 June 2017

Archenemy: Nicol Bolas Unboxing

Coming next week...

Tabletop play Mysterium

The latest edition of Tabletop Will Wheaton plays Mysterium.

"Wil believes that ghosts aren’t real, mediums don’t talk to departed spirits, and psychics are full of crap. But, just this once, he’ll set those beliefs aside and welcome them all as real for a fun game of Mysterium! Joined by David Kwong, Laura Bailey, and Shannon Woodward, the four attempt to solve a murder by communicating with the departed.