IT’S MEGA TIME! ⚡🔥

Pokémon fans — hold onto your Poké Balls, because a brand-new era is coming in HOT. The Scarlet & Violet chapter is officially wrapping up, and what’s next is going to blow the roof off your PokéGym.

🔥 Mega Evolutions are back — and they’re bigger, bolder, and badder than ever. The all-new Mega Evolution series kicks off with some absolute showstoppers already revealed — think Mega Lucario ex, Mega Gardevoir ex, and Mega Venusaur ex, with sky-high HP, devastating attacks, and game-flipping presence. And get this: you no longer skip your attack when Mega Evolving. Yup — that’s a thing now.

🎨 But it’s not just about raw power — the card art is next-level. With bold new styles, dynamic posing, and full-frame illustrations, these cards feel as explosive in your hand as they are on the battlefield. Whether you're building a championship deck or a killer display binder, the new Mega cards hit that sweet spot between playability and collectability.

👀 What’s coming next?

Here’s where it gets mega exciting:

As revealed during the Pokémon Direct, Mega Dragonite is officially taking flight in the upcoming Pokémon Legends: Z-A — and we’d bet our last Prize card that it’s only a matter of time before it soars into the TCG too. 🐉🔥

Even more thrilling? The Pokémon Company has confirmed that brand-new Mega Evolutions — never seen before — are on the way. We’re talking first-time-ever Mega forms making their debut in this new era.

Whether you're a deck builder, collector, or lore-lover, this is a moment to watch. The Mega Era isn’t just back — it's evolving into something entirely new.

And the Winners Are…

On July 13th, the jury announced the winners of the coveted 2025 Spiel des Jahres awards. If you missed my corner on the nominees a few issues back, the Spiel des Jahres is a bit like the Oscars of board gaming, just with heated internet discourse instead of slaps and red-carpet drama.

The winner of the Kinderspiel (or Children’s Game) Award was a charming, clever, and, at the time of writing, German-language only game about decorating cakes which I won’t dive too deeply into here. That brings us neatly on to the Kennerspiel award for the more hobby-centric games, which went to Endeavor: Deep Sea this year. The follow up to the smash hit Endeavor: Age of Sail, Deep Sea is a cooperative game which has players heading an independent research institute, recruiting experts, researching dive sites and launching conservation efforts to preserve the fragile balance of marine life. With an average play time of 2 hours and a BoardGameGeek complexity rating of 2.9 out of 5, this is also very accessible for a “heavyweight” game.

But ofcourse the most important award of the Spiel des Jahres is the Spiel des Jahres, the Game of the Year, and this year it went to yet another cooperative game, Bomb Busters. Bomb Busters is a tense game of deduction, with players using their own limited information to guess their teammates’ cards and cut the matching wires to avoid blowing up. Its fast-paced gameplay and high level of replayability has made it a community favourite since releasing at the end of 2024, and it’s likely to be a staple on both casual gamers’ and hobbyists’ tables alike for quite some time.

Cooperative games certainly seem to be enjoying a renaissance lately, winning both the Spiel and Kinderspiel des Jahres for the last 2 years in a row, and if this is a side of the hobby you haven’t explored much this seems to be the perfect time to do so.

Legends of the Force

Greetings fellow Star Wars Unlimited fans

With the thrilling launch of Set 5: Legends of the Force, excitement is in the air — and in the booster packs! Over the next few days, many of us will still be cracking packs, sorting our pulls, and hunting down those coveted rares and legendaries.

As both a player and collector, there’s something deeply satisfying about organizing your collection, cataloguing each card, and protecting them with care. Whether you're gearing up for game night at your favourite store or simply preserving your favourite finds, having the right accessories makes all the difference.

From sleeves to storage solutions, there are plenty of great options out there. And just in time for this release, we've received some awesome new branded accessories from Gamegenic, designed specifically for Legends of the Force.

Let’s dive into what’s available!

Sleeves

The Legends of the Force sleeve range features some fan-favourite characters, giving you the chance to represent your favourite leader on the battlefield. Each pack includes 60 high-quality matte sleeves with a textured back for smooth, comfortable shuffling, plus 2 clear sleeves for your Leader and Base cards. They not only look great but also feel fantastic in hand.

Here are the available designs currently in stock (while they last!)…

Star Wars Unlimited Art Sleeves – Qui-Gon Jinn
Star Wars Unlimited Art Sleeves – Darth Maul (Legends of the Force)
Star Wars Unlimited Art Sleeves – Grogu
Star Wars Unlimited Art Sleeves – Unlimited Pattern