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Benjamin Macready

My name is Ben, and I am a Gold Standard NCTJ certified journalist. I specialise in pieces about gaming and the culture surrounding it. I believe that games, whether they are played digitally or on a tabletop, are unambiguously art. Games can tell branching stories that wouldn’t be possible in other mediums. I aim to document and critique them on their own terms.

Wargamer •

MTG Secrets of Strixhaven's most valuable uncommon is the latest in a line of busted draw spells

A blue draw spell from the latest Magic: the Gathering set has risen dramatically in value and is now worth several dollars despite only being an uncommon. That's the crux of our story today, but if you were playing in 2025, you might be getting a sense of déjà vu since a similar sleeper hit uncommon blue draw spell spiked in value back then. Last year, we were talking about Stock Up from Aetherdrift, but today we'll be looking at Flow State from Secrets of Strixhaven.
For two mana, one of which...
Wargamer •

New cards from the Pokémon TCG's Abyss Eye expansion reward you for discarding your own hand

A renegade new Slowpoke from the upcoming Japanese Abyss Eye Pokémon TCG expansion encourages players to get rid of their own cards.Whether you're playing the Pokémon TCG, Magic: the Gathering, or just about any other card game, card advantage is an incredibly important concept. The more cards you have access to, at any given time, the more resources you'll have at your disposal to take down your opponent and pull off a win. Some newly revealed cards from the upcoming Japanese Pokémon TCG set Ab...
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Beedrill ex buzzes into the Pokémon TCG's Chaos Rising expansion

We've gotten some new reveals from the upcoming Pokémon TCG Chaos Rising expansion, including an impressive looking Beedrill ex card.The new Pokémon TCG expansion, Chaos Rising, releases in less than a month now on May 22nd. Yesterday, The Pokémon Company revealed a batch of new cards from the set, including an all new ex Pokémon.
Beedrill ex made its English language debut alongside several support cards for Mega Floette ex. Appropriately enough showing off a bee alongside a selection of flower...
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These massive MTG Incarnations from Lorwyn Eclipsed have plummeted in price.

A few months ago, the 5 evoke elementals were some of the most expensive cards from Lorwyn Eclipsed, now they're a lot less pricy.Back in January, the cycle of 5 elemental incarnations with evoke were some of the most hyped cards from our then upcoming return to the MTG plane of Lorwyn. Two of them made it into our list of the 8 biggest Chase Cards in MTG Lorwyn Eclipsed. In the months since, the excitement surrounding them has gradually died down, and they've become increasingly affordable.
The...
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The Pokémon TCG's most subtly tragic playmat is now back in stock

The official Pokémon Center store has just restocked one of the Pokémon TCG's most quietly upsetting playmats, featuring a crying Cubone.The Pokémon Center store offers a wide variety of Pokémon TCG accessories. Like many Pokémon TCG products, they tend to sell out quite quickly, so every once in a while, the storefront restocks with a selection of accessories from the past. They've recently relisted one of the most tragic card playing surfaces in the TCG, the Substitute Playmat.
At first glance...
Wargamer •

This surprising scholar is currently more valuable than the Elder Dragons from MTG's Secrets of Strixhaven

When thinking about chase cards from the new MTG set Secrets of Strixhaven, the elder dragons are probably the first cards to come to mind. After all, they have incredibly powerful effects that soup up all of your instants and sorceries, not to mention the fact that they're freaking elder dragons, and that's just inherently cool. There is one card from the set that currently outvalues them all, though, Emeritus of Woe.
Excluding cards from the Mystical Archives bonus sheet and cards with fancy a...
Wargamer •

There's a missing Elder Dragon in the new MTG Strixhaven Commander decks

The five new Magic: the Gathering Secrets of Strixhaven Commander decks contain plenty of rare reprints, but there's one glaring omission.The new Secrets of Strixhaven Commander decks are packed with plenty of valuable MTG reprints. From Moonshaker Cavalry to Faerie Mastermind, there are a lot of appealing cards returning here. The decks also contain the versions of the Elder Dragons that appeared in the original 2021 Strixhaven: School of Mages. Well, four out of the five decks do. One deck is...
Wargamer •

Pokémon TCG players in Asia are going to get a new Mega Delphox promo card

A Mega Delphox ex card was recently revealed. Unfortunately, though, it's only available for Pokémon TCG players in Southeast Asia.Greninja is getting a lot of focus at the moment. This is unsurprising, given that it's the star of the upcoming Chaos Rising Pokémon TCG expansion. Kalos has two other final form first partner Pokémon, though, Delphox and Chesnaught. Just like Greninja, both of these starters were given a new mega form in Pokémon Legends Z-A. While we've had no news on when Mega Che...
Wargamer •

MTG players mourn the death of Strixhaven's grossest li'l guy

The death of Blex, Vexing Pest in Secrets of Strixhaven has sent shock waves through Magic: the Gathering’s social media ecosystem. Blex, Vexing Pest was a legendary bog monster from the original Strixhaven: School of Mages set. He lurked in the campus's detention bog, hiding away from prying eyes and living his best pest life. Now, in a narrative bombshell unrivaled since the Phyrexian invasion, Blex is dead, and the Magic: the Gathering community is grieving.
There are candlelight vigils being...
Wargamer •

Some Pokémon TCG customers will be eligible for a new early access system

An upcoming Pokémon TCG early access program will make products more easily available to eligible customers who meet certain criteria.Many Pokémon TCG fans know the frustration of seeing products go live on the official Pokémon Center store, and then watching it sell out effectively immediately before they have the chance to put in an order. Well, it looks like the Pokémon Company is planning to take some steps to address this by implementing a new early access system.
On April 10th, the Pokémon...
Wargamer •

This new cycle of Secrets of Strixhaven MTG cards fixes one of the game's worst mechanics

The new 'Paradigm' cycle from Secrets of Strixhaven reworks an unpopular Magic: the Gathering mechanic from more than 20 years ago.The new Magic: the Gathering set Secrets of Strixhaven features 5 sorceries with the new 'Paradigm' mechanic. Paradigm spells go into exile when they're cast, and then replay themselves on each of their controller's subsequent main phases at no cost. This has the potential to be pretty powerful, but it's actually inspired by an infamously underwhelming mechanic from...
Wargamer •

These vacation themed Pokémon TCG accessories make me wish I could really go to Unova

The Pokémon Center store sells not only Pokémon cards, but also an eclectic collection of TCG accessories that often aren't available anywhere else. From polypropylene Snorlax playmats to an anniversary celebration collection depicting Nidorino and Gengar duking it out. The team they have brewing up new accessory ideas must be pretty busy. If they're looking to go on holiday, their latest offering shows a variety of Pokémon destinations they could potentially travel to if only they were actually...
Wargamer •

The new MTG set features a story arc about an overworked frog

The new Magic: the Gathering set Secrets of Strixhaven is full of stories. From the upcoming Omens of Chaos book to the selection of online chapters in the Strixhaven story. Sometimes, though, the cards themselves can be used to tell tales, and two spells from this set come together to give us a look into the life of an incredibly stressed out frog.
Procrastinate is a sorcery that costs X and a single blue mana. It taps a creature down and then places X stun counters on them. This is a pretty fl...
Wargamer •

Despite standard rotating, most versions of this Charizard ex Pokémon card are rising dramatically in value

The rising value of Charizard ex from Obsidian Flames demonstrates the lack of impact that standard rotation has on Pokémon cards.Standard rotation hits the Pokémon TCG on the 10th April. This means that all cards with the regulation mark G in their bottom left hand corner (in other words, cards released between the March 2023 set Scarlet and Violet and the January 2024 set Paldean Fates) will no longer be playable. Despite this, many variants of the rotating Charizard ex card from the August 20...
Wargamer •

These new Strixhaven cards rival some beloved MTG staples

The upcoming MTG expansion - Secrets of Strixhaven is full of cards that reference the game's past, including these two creative callbacks.We've gotten some pretty strong cards spoiled for Magic: the Gathering's next set, Secrets of Strixhaven. There are new legendary dragons that make your instants and sorceries do some frankly silly things, there's a duo of powerful new planeswalkers, and then there are the two cards we'll be talking about today. Both of them possess effects that may sound fam...
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Lego and the Pokémon TCG collaborate for a card design challenge

Lego and the Pokémon TCG are coming together to host a design competition where fans can construct their own customized Lego trading cards.Lego Ideas is a website that allows fans to submit their own custom Lego sets that can get turned into official products if they become popular enough. The site is currently collaborating with the Pokémon TCG to run a contest inviting users to submit their own personalised Lego Pokémon cards. While this isn't the first time that Pokémon and Lego have come tog...
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This MTG Thanos promo is tied to a $150 subscription

Thanos is going to show up on one of Magic: the Gathering’s most infamous removal spells, but it will cost $150 to get a copy of him.A new Thanos promo card has wandered over from the Marvel Cinematic Universe into the MTG multiverse. During his quest to wipe out half of all life, Thanos discovered that power always comes at a price. In this case, that price is 149 bucks.
PSA, or the 'Professional Sports Authenticator' is an American company that grades the condition of trading cards. They also...
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This quirky, under evolved Pokémon TCG deck lets you dual wield swords

One major way that the Pokémon TCG is different from its digital monster collecting counterpart is that Pokémon that aren't fully evolved have much more of a chance to shine. In the RPGs, unless you're plotting something sneaky using some eviolite, your best bet when heading into battle is to bring a team of fully evolved Pokémon with you. In the TCG, meanwhile, you need to evolve into your heavy hitters during the fight. Sometimes, though, there are stage one and basic Pokémon that offer a uniq...
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Secrets of Strixhaven continues a charming MTG tradition

Charm spells are a beloved part of Magic: the Gathering’s history, and we’ll be getting another cycle of them in Secrets of Strixhaven.Secrets of Strixhaven spoiler season doesn't officially begin until March 31st, but Magic: the Gathering players who went to PAX East this week got a sneak peek at a new cycle of cards that continue a long lasting MTG tradition. Strixhaven has its very own cycle of charm spells.
Charms debuted in the set Mirage in 1996, which was the ninth MTG set. Every color re...
Wargamer •

Here are the best Pokémon TCG deals in the Amazon Spring Sale.

The Amazon Spring Sale is in full swing. For the savvy Pokémon TCG shopper, that means that you'll be expecting some big restocks and some potentially valuable deals. I've had a browse through what's on offer, and here are three sealed products that I would recommend grabbing if you're in the US, and in the mood to expand your collection.
 The highlight is definitely the Perfect Order Booster Display Box. Perfect Order is the newest of all Pokémon sets, it only launched yesterday, and if you're...
Wargamer •

Magic: the Gathering is getting an official coloring book

Artistically inclined Planeswalkers will be pleased to see an official Magic: the Gathering coloring book is due to release on April 28th.Color is a core component of Magic: the Gathering. Of course, there are the five colors that form the core of the game's mechanical identity, but beyond that, the game is renowned for its jawdropping artwork. If you've ever wanted to color in a few pieces of MTG art yourself, you're in luck, because an official Magic: the Gathering coloring book is due to rele...
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This cozy bug may be the most relatable Pokémon card of all time

Perfect Order features many powerful new Pokémon cards, but the artwork of this cozy little Spewpa hits home in a way few cards can.Cocoon Pokémon never get any love. Beedrill has a mega form, and Butterfree can Gigantamax, but Kakuna and Metapod are condemned to spend their days lying immobile, spamming the move harden until they're ready to evolve. Well, when Perfect Order, the new Pokémon TCG expansion, comes out next week, we'll finally get a cocoon Pokémon that's unashamedly aspirational an...
Wargamer •

The new MTG Strixhaven set isn't out, but 1000+ people have already built decks for this legendary dragon

Secrets of Strixhaven is more than a month away, but the Magic: the Gathering community is already cooking up some magical dragon miracles.Secrets of Strixhaven doesn't release until April 24th, but that hasn't stopped eager Magic: the Gathering players from brewing builds for all of its currently revealed commanders. The five legendary creatures who will be taking the helm of the Strixhaven preconstructed decks have already been revealed, and we've even made a list ranking them alongside their...
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New anime crossover Pokémon cards are coming - but only in China

The Pokémon TCG's Gem Pack volume 5 gives us a series of fully illustrated anime crossover cards, but they'll be available in China.China gets all sorts of sweet Pokémon TCG goodies, from figurines to exclusive alternative art cards. When it comes to unique Chinese Pokémon products, though, Gem Packs are the shining crown jewel. They're Exclusive boosters, produced only in simplified Chinese, that contain only four cards, but which are guaranteed to be full of exclusive holofoils. The fifth set...
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