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October 19, 2017The best quality you can have in any community is inspiration. The ability to inspire others is infectious, challenging your community to create for the sake of excitement and bettering what we can accomplish. In Commander, I’ve found inspiration is the best quality amongst the playgroups I’ve seen or participated... -
October 17, 2017Community is one of our core values here at Card Kingdom, and we believe in giving back to the communities that support us. That's why our retail division, Mox Boarding House, includes a charitable giving branch (Mox ENGAGE) that runs yearly fundraising events in our local game stores. For... -
October 16, 2017Judges are some of the hardest-working members of the Magic community. They build and maintain healthy communities at local game stores, set and enforce equitable tournament policy, and make sure Magic's largest events run smoothly. Over the years, I've been especially impressed by the judges I know who regularly... -
October 12, 2017Two years ago, we launched our in-house product line with Battle Decks: a series of casual 60-card decks. Battle Decks were created for enfranchised players looking to play some fun games of Magic on a budget, and we soon realized that there was a need for a separate, beginner-friendly... -
October 5, 2017As I mentioned in last week’s article, Ixalan has done a lot to change the way Magic players approach creature tribes. This week, we’re going to explore not only the power of our new Pirates, but the possibilities of combining them with additional tribal support as we look at... -
October 4, 2017APNAP (Active Player/Non-Active Player) is one of those little rules things underpinning Magic that serves to hold everything together without drawing too much attention to itself. It’s one of the many bits that lets the game function without becoming a tangled mess of unclear priority passes, garbled timing, and…The... -
September 28, 2017The world of Magic: the Gathering is finally getting its full share of pirates and piracy on the high seas, with the introduction of Ixalan. It will finally possible to play a tribal Pirates deck in Standard, Commander, or the format of your choice. Before we set sail for... -
September 27, 2017Somewhere in Ixalan’s never-ending, Neverland-esque Pirate-Dinosaur skirmish, our imagination, childhood, and hearts were smitten with the possibilities of some of the most refreshing designs to date. And boy, they didn’t disappoint! While most have been taken with the overabundance of new creature types, the biggest win for me is... -
September 26, 2017My goodness, this preview season has been a doozy! And with the first rotation in what feels like years pushing the Battle for Zendikar and Shadows over Innistrad blocks out of Standard, it looks like there’s a wide open metagame just waiting for dinosaurs and pirates to invade. Between... -
September 25, 2017To call Hour of Devastation Standard a success for the Red Deck would be quite the understatement. Over the past three months, loyal red mages got to see their deck vault into the top tier, culminating in Paulo Vitor Damo da Rosa's convincing win (amidst a Top 8 with... -
September 22, 2017We’re just one week away from the release of Ixalan, and you know what that means… it’s prerelease time! Prerelease is an exciting time regardless of how much experience you have playing Magic, and we’ve created this primer to help players of all levels prepare and have as much... -
September 21, 2017Valakut, Scapeshift, and Primeval Titan are the best of friends. Since its inception, the Valakut Scapeshift deck has been a powerful yet fringe strategy, and more recently, Valakut-centric "Titan Shift" decks are at the forefront of the Modern format. As a perpetual MTG grinder, I was particularly excited that... -
September 20, 2017Some say we should save the best for last. I don’t know if we’ve done that, but I can definitely say, without a doubt, that we’ve saved the strangest. With Inalla and Mairsill keeping most brewers busy, our last installment of Let’s Brew for Commander 2017 has taken a dip... -
September 18, 2017Have you ever looked at your Magic: The Gathering collection and thought to yourself, “Gee, I only have one copy of each of these Legacy staples! I wish I had enough to build a full deck!" Well, I have a solution for you! I want to take a moment to... -
September 14, 2017Welcome back to Let's Brew: a weekly deckbuilding mini-series exploring legendary creatures from Commander 2017. We've already given Nazahn some toys to play with and assembled a legion of Licia's soldiers, and today, we're going to build a home for one of C17's most colorful legends: O-Kagachi, Vengeful Kami. WHY... -
September 12, 2017In May of 1997, there was a new set being released for my favorite game. It was Weatherlight, the set that would kick off a new, ongoing narrative in Magic's storyline, and I was super excited. As it happens, I was on vacation with my friend in Hawaii at the time,... -
September 11, 2017When it comes to Magic, I fully subscribe to a school of thought that isn’t the most…friendly: Magic is inherently a zero-sum game. In any given game, there’s a certain amount of fun to be had, and I want to make sure that I have the most fun that... -
September 7, 2017Deck boxes are Magic's most indispensable accessories. Regardless of where and how we play the game, we need ways to bring our favorite decks from one place to another, and we want to make sure we get the best boxes for the job. Here are some of the newest... -
September 6, 2017Of the many places we begin when we build decks, one of my favorites is inspiring artwork. As a writer and storyteller, the ability to understand, appreciate, and communicate what is compelling has become very important to me, and its influence is paramount in most of my favorite deck... -
August 31, 2017We're pretty excited for the release of Ixalan here at Card Kingdom. So excited, in fact, that we took it upon ourselves to answer an age-old question: Who would win in a battle between pirates and dinosaurs? Watch the epic showdown in our latest video, and preorder Ixalan from...
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August 30, 2017Deckbuilding, for me, is a struggle between crafting both great gameplay and compelling narrative. Having built upwards of 200 different decks, this task can be frustrating, as it is not just about being creative, but also about doing something different – something that will not only surprise and challenge... -
August 25, 2017It's Battle Deck Day once again, and we have three more must-have decks to tell you about! First up is Day of Doom, which is not your average red-white deck. Our in-house deck designers went all-in on Imminent Doom, an enchantment from Hour of Devastation with the power to decimate... -
August 23, 2017Last weekend marked my first time playing in a Regional Pro Tour Qualifier (RPTQ) in person. While I had played previous RPTQ's online, and with minimal outside support from my testing group, this would be my first time testing with a group of fellow Magic players who shared my... -
August 21, 2017In many ways, Magic is a game about change. In Magic's storyline, we meet new heroes and explore an ever-evolving Multiverse with them. In playing the game, we acquire new skills as we try out new cards and strategies. And sometimes, in order to ensure that these new cards... -
August 17, 2017What makes a great deck? What makes a deck someone’s favorite? The answer is narrative. Of all the things that make Magic magic, it is the stories we create that establish connections. Loving the cards we play and playing the game we love isn't just about how good the cards... -
August 16, 2017We’re less than two weeks away from the release of Commander 2017 (which, incidentally, you can preorder here), and players are already asking questions about new cards and mechanics. As a rule, when I’m judging an event, I try not to answer too many questions from whatever Commander games... -
August 11, 2017At Card Kingdom, we're constantly churning out ideas for new exclusive products and looking for the best Magic accessories to add to our inventory. Today, we're going to give you the inside scoop on some of our newest arrivals. CK Exclusives Mana Base Land Kits Mana Base Land Kits...
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August 9, 2017The release of Commander 2017 is nearly here, and with these four decks will come a whole slew of new legendary creature cards. While many will rejoice over the new mechanics and color combinations, those of us who have followed the Magic storyline for years will be overjoyed to... -
August 4, 2017Ramunap Red is the hottest deck in Standard right now, but it may not stay dominant for long. While Pro Tour Hour of Devastation unfolded in Kyoto, stateside Standard players had a few extra hours to tweak their decks before heading to their local Friday Night Magic or PPTQ,... -
August 3, 2017Over the years, one of the things I’ve heard a lot is that Mono-White is “just a support color,” or “not good enough” to hang in Commander – a format where Green, Blue, and Black have taken over with game-breaking card advantage. However, things seem to be looking up, as... -
August 2, 2017Pro Tour Hour of Devastation has come and gone – and what a whirlwind it was! When we left off before the Pro Tour, there were over ten potentially viable decks putting up numbers. While the limited data from Magic Online showed strong results for aggressive Mono-Red decks, I... -
July 27, 2017It’s been a few weeks since Hour of Devastation was released, and the new format is in full swing. Teams have begun their testing gauntlets, and Standard leagues continue to be some of the most popular tournaments on Magic Online. With the Pro Tour looming on the horizon, I... -
July 26, 2017The shadow of Nicol Bolas looms large over the history of the Magic storyline. The elder dragon planeswalker has been part of the game's rich lore since Legends in 1994. Alongside the Eldrazi and the Phyrexians, he's considered one of the three greatest threats to the multiverse. In Hour... -
July 24, 2017Once more, with feeling! We’re looking at layers again today, mostly because there’s still a lot of weirdness that goes on with the different layers interacting with one another. Getting the order of operations down can be a little tricky, but it’s worth hammering home. So, to start, a quick... -
July 21, 2017Happy Battle Deck Day! This month, we've created a trio of tricolor decks that you'll want to add to your Battle Deck collection. If you enjoy Junding your opponents out (as our friends LoadingReadyRun would say), pick up a copy of Consume the Weak! This deck features an assortment of... -
July 20, 2017I have to admit that I’ve been in a bit of a Magic rut lately. I started out this year with my best GP finish ever at GP San Jose; then, I went to several PPTQ’s in the spring, but never even made top 8. I attended two more... -
July 18, 2017Welcome back to the blog! Today, we'll be continuing our series on our Card Kingdom Affiliates by introducing you to our newest partner: TheMagicManSam! Sam Gaglio has been creating YouTube videos since August of 2013, and has quickly become one of Magic's most respected content creators. Whether he's expounding on... -
July 14, 2017Release Week is the busiest time of the year here at Card Kingdom. We receive thousands of preorders from customers around the world, and we aim to get the new product into players' hands as quickly as we can. A ton of work goes into a production this large,... -
July 13, 2017With new gods, a God-Pharaoh, old demons, and Crucible of Worlds on a stick, Commander is getting a handful of fresh, powerful spells when Hour of Devastation drops on Friday. While it’s easy to chase the new hotness, it’s also never too early to start speculating about sleeper cards.... -
July 12, 2017With each new set come new cards, ready to make a splash in Constructed formats. Part of the joy of preview season and new set releases is beginning to figure out what cards can slot into existing strategies, what cards can bolster fringe decks, and what cards can facilitate... -
July 11, 2017The Hour of Devastation prerelease took place last weekend, and as has become my tradition, I signed up for a few tournaments at Mox Boarding House Seattle. After nearly five years of playing tournament Magic, prereleases are still among my favorite events. It’s always thrilling to open those shiny... -
July 10, 2017Reports of the Red Deck's demise have been greatly exaggerated. While much of this past Standard season was defined by the Aetherworks Marvel in the room, my red-deck-minded associates and I were enraptured by an entirely different strategy. I am of course talking about the SaffronOlive special, Two Tix Red. Despite... -
July 7, 2017Welcome back to the CK Blog! Today, we’ll be continuing our series on our Card Kingdom Affiliates by sharing some information on one of our longest-standing partners: LoadingReadyRun. The LRR crew has been making funny videos on the internet since the pre-YouTube days, but most Magic players got to know... -
July 6, 2017With Aetherworks Marvel out of the picture and Hour of Devastation on its way, it's open season once again in Standard. Players at our most recent Friday Night Magic at Mox Boarding House Seattle were happy to dust off their favorite decks from months’ past – they cast Metalwork... -
July 3, 2017The God-Pharaoh, Nicol Bolas, has returned to Amonkhet! The Hour of Devastation is here, and he isn't horsing around! The prerelease for the newest Magic: The Gathering set is coming in a few short days, and I wanted to give you an overview of what to expect and how to... -
July 3, 2017Hey everyone! Today, we’re going to dive into a section of the rules that causes a lot of headaches for players and judges alike: layers! Yes, layers – a word that fills people with a cursory knowledge of the Magic rules with an undue amount of dread. There’s a... -
June 30, 2017Card Kingdom is proud to sponsor some of Magic’s most prolific content creators. We know that many of you came to our site because LoadingReadyRun sent you, or because Josh Lee Kwai of The Command Zone recommended us to you on Twitter. (We really appreciate it, by the way!)... -
June 29, 2017Grand Prix Vegas was a whirlwind of a weekend, so much so that it’s taken me a week to gather my wits and start analyzing the results. Modern was particularly interesting, as many players prepared to take down the big bad wolf of the format, Grixis Death’s Shadow. Contenders... -
June 28, 2017You’re facing off against your opponent in an all too intense match of Magic: The Gathering, and time gets called signaling the end of the round. The match is tied one game apiece, and you hear the judge say, "Ladies and gentlemen, that is time in the round. You... -
June 27, 2017Welcome back to another edition of Card Kingdom Commanders, the series that gives you an exclusive look at the many decks and faces you’ll find behind the scenes at Card Kingdom and Mox Boarding House. This week, I'll be telling you a little bit more about one of my... -
June 26, 2017A couple of weeks ago, the Magic world descended on Las Vegas for a Triple Grand Prix Weekend. I was there, and had a blast playing in the Legacy and Modern GP's. As an Event Coordinator for Mox Boarding House Seattle, I usually Judge Magic events four or five... -
June 23, 2017It's that time again! We've released three new Battle Decks, featuring some of Amonkhet's most fascinating cards and mechanics. First up, we have Cold Front: a mono-blue deck full of small utility creatures. Cold Front is the perfect deck for a blue mage looking to play the tempo game -... -
June 22, 2017Hour of Devastation previews are in full swing, and earlier this week, we got to see all the shiny new Masterpiece Invocations for the set. Every morning of preview season, our office is abuzz with talk about the newest cards. Here's what a few members of our staff had...
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June 21, 2017One of the marquee Magic events at our retail store, Mox Boarding House, is something we like to call Rags to Riches. It's a Pauper tournament, and the Top 8 players take home Modern and Legacy staples. Rags to Riches has been quite successful, bringing players to our store... -
June 20, 2017One of the greatest Grand Prix I ever attended was GP Portland in 2014. The format was Team Sealed, my favorite, and I have fond memories of playing with two of my closest friends. But the thing I loved most about Portland was that it was more than just... -
June 19, 2017Hello again! Last time we climbed the Tower, we went over how a card like Thalia, Guardian of Thraben works in a variety of situations. When I set out to write that article, I was thinking I was going to be able to cover more ground, but as I... -
June 16, 2017Since its breakout performance at Grand Prix Vancouver in February at the hands of Josh Utter-Leyton and team, the bold new take on Death’s Shadow has quickly made a name for itself as the deck to beat in Modern. Utter-Leyton, Gerry Thompson, and Sam Black all made Top 8... -
June 15, 2017MORE GONE THAN DEAD I’m not a competitive player, but I am a huge fan of scrolling through tournament decklists to find cards for Commander decks. Back when I first started playing Magic, it was a good way to stay engaged in Magic, learn cards I didn’t know, and focus... -
June 14, 2017Last Saturday, Mox Boarding House Seattle held a Modern 1Kinda. (Why “Kinda”? If enough players showed up, the event would pay out a total of $1,000 store credit in prizes, but since we can’t guarantee attendance, we can’t just straight up call it a 1K, so…1Kinda). Modern has been... -
June 13, 2017With GP Vegas on the horizon, I'd like to talk a bit about GP's and how you can prepare for them. Oftentimes, going to a Grand Prix is an experience - you'll carpool out to a tournament with some of your closest friends and spend every night playing Magic... -
June 12, 2017When I was still a fledgling Magic player, the thought of going to a Grand Prix (GP) seemed incredibly daunting. Those are for pro players! People who know what they’re doing, who put in extensive amounts of testing and practice! I told myself. Since I was neither of those things,... -
June 9, 2017Modern is an incredibly diverse format. With dozens of viable strategies, it's hard to go wrong when choosing a deck to learn - but you'll also want to be prepared to face a variety of strategies in your next Modern tournament. Thankfully, our own Chris VanMeter is here to...
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June 8, 2017This Throwback Thursday, we'll be trying to answer one of Magic's age-old questions: "What's the best deck?" In 2015, we teamed up with Magic Hall of Famer and Pro Tour commentator extraordinaire Randy Buehler to create several "Gauntlet of Greatness" video series, where we pit the best decks in...
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June 7, 2017Today, we'd like to introduce you to Card Kingdom's newest affiliated podcast: Kitchen Table Magic! Kitchen Table Magic is an interview-style podcast hosted by Sam Tang, a Seattle local and longtime Card Kingdom and Mox Boarding House customer. Sam launched KTM a year ago, and in that time, he's... -
June 6, 2017The Fulfillment department at Card Kingdom has doubled in size since the beginning of the year, and at lunch time, our break room can get crowded. There are usually two people on the couch, staring at books or smartphone screens, and four or five others assembled at the table, munching... -
June 5, 2017Like any other game or hobby, Magic requires that you pay some dues before you can really get the most out of it. There’s a decently high barrier to entry, as even learning the basic rules of the game can seem daunting when you’re just starting out. But once... -
June 2, 2017Last weekend, Mox Boarding House Seattle held a Legacy 1K/Grand Prix Trial for GP Las Vegas (a moment of silence for Grand Prix Trials, please). Seattle has a thriving Legacy scene, with a lot of players deeply invested in the format, as shown by the 72-player turnout. What does... -
June 1, 2017Say hello to our newest series! Whether it’s Magic that drew us to Card Kingdom, or a job that sparked a passion for the game, it’s no surprise most of us end up playing where we work. Card Kingdom Commanders is an opportunity to sit down with the people in... -
May 31, 2017Many of us play Magic: The Gathering at our local game stores. Some of us may even go to the occasional Friday Night Magic (FNM) to test our newest decks. There’s a world of tournaments outside of FNM, however, and today, I’d like to talk to you about some... -
May 30, 2017The second chapter of Gerry Thompson’s Magic career began in late 2014. After a six-month internship in R&D at Wizards of the Coast, he was back on the competitive grind, bent on earning back his Pro Tour and SCG Invitational invites. That day in November, Gerry and I had both... -
May 25, 2017(Editor's Note: Welcome back to the CK Blog! Since we revamped Mox Boarding House's website, we've received a bunch of questions about the fate of our old blog posts. We took a look through the archives and found some pieces that stand the test of time, and we'll be... -
May 24, 2017In October 1997, I received my monthly issue of the Duelist magazine. This was a time before the internet was a thing, and all the news, strategy, card lists, and articles about Magic were only available in monthly publications. Obviously, I was super stoked to read the new issue, and... -
May 23, 2017Community is one of Card Kingdom and Mox Boarding House's highest priorities. We build community here in Seattle at our gaming cafes and, more recently, we've cultivated an online community by partnering with content creators who share our values. It seemed fitting that we invite a few of those... -
May 22, 2017Hey all, welcome back to Judge’s Tower! Enough of you liked the last one of these I wrote, so as promised (or threatened, depending on your point of view), today we’re going to deal with one the bigger “rules headache” cards out there – Blood Moon! At first glance, Blood... -
May 19, 2017Each month, we add two new Battle Decks to our growing selection of exclusive products – but this month, we’re releasing THREE! If you’re looking to expand your Battle Deck collection, check out Monumental Force, an aggressive mono-white tokens deck featuring Oketra’s Monument; Counter Revolution, a mono-green deck that beefs up... -
May 18, 2017A few weeks ago, Card Kingdom partnered with EDHREC, one of my favorite Magic: The Gathering sites. EDHREC is a crowdsourced repository of Commander decks and ideas – users submit decks, and EDHREC runs the numbers to tell you which cards are most popular in various lists. It’s a... -
May 17, 2017Of all the formats you can play on Magic Online, Momir Basic is undoubtedly the strangest. Players start the game with 60 basic lands and a Momir Vig, Simic Visionary Avatar, and throughout the game, they take turns discarding lands to generate token copies of random creatures. It’s a... -
May 16, 2017Welcome to The Judge Corner, a column designed to explain some things in that happen in the Magic Judge world and show how those things are important to you, the players. We'll cover new mechanics, changes to rules and policy, why and how judges do deck checks, and other... -
May 15, 2017With Felidar Guardian out of the picture, all eyes were on Pro Tour Amonkhet to see what might be next for Standard. If you’re looking to dive back into Standard at Amonkhet Game Day or your next Friday Night Magic, here are some cards and strategies you should keep... -
May 12, 2017A Chaos Draft is always a treat for a Limited playgroup, but choosing the right packs can be tricky. How will old vanilla creatures match up against their newer, more aggressive counterparts? Will the set mechanics mesh or clash? Should you even bother to pick up a pack from an... -
May 10, 2017Hi, I'm Adam, and I've been playing Magic for over twenty years. I also enjoy creating things, and I've spent much of my spare time designing custom cards, mechanics, and sets. I also love to create new ways to play Magic and building new and exciting decks for unexplored formats.... -
May 9, 2017Whenever a new set comes out, we hope for some shakeups in the Standard format. Existing strategies get some new options, and with a little luck, some entirely new strategies will leap to the forefront of the format and keep everyone on their toes. Amonkhet was released a week and... -
May 8, 2017Hello, and welcome to the Judge’s Tower! Judge’s Tower is a Magic format for self-deprecating people (more info about which can be found here: http://judgetower.pdxmtg.com/), the point of which is that everything you do must be done absolutely correctly within the rules; the only way to lose is the get... -
May 5, 2017Welcome to Flashback Friday! At the end of each week, we'll be looking back at recent goings-on in the Magic: The Gathering community or here at Card Kingdom. To start off, we wanted to share a video we recently created about our Battle Decks - ready-to-play 60-card decks brewed... -
May 4, 2017(Editor's Note: Welcome back to the CK Blog! We hope you enjoyed our feature on the hottest red cards in Amonkhet and their applications in Standard and beyond. We're still talking Amonkhet cards today, but we've called on Aaron, Card Kingdom Fulfillment Specialist and resident Commander fan, to share... -
May 3, 2017(Editor's Note: Welcome back to the Card Kingdom Blog! As we explained yesterday, we'll be creating more content than ever before this year, thanks in part to our talented staff, who will be contributing articles and other creative work to this blog. Today, you'll be hearing from Simon from... -
May 2, 2017Six years ago today, CardKingdom.com moved its offices to 5105 Leary Ave NW in Seattle – a space we still occupy today. Things have changed quite a bit in that time: we now have two retail stores and restaurants in the greater Seattle area, and our online business has...
