This entry’s going to be short, because you should really just see this place for yourself, but the main point of it is this: I don’t think I’m going to another game store in Seattle as long as Card Kingdom and the Café Mox exist.
I sneaked into the private industry opening on Saturday, had many beers, and marveled that such a place existed: a giant game store with an absurd amount of play space, plus its own adjoining bar. A bar in a game store! I’ve battled Magic at other bars, and I’ve had no shame in doing so, but it is nice to go somewhere to play Magic, drink, and not have strangers inquire whether this is like Pokemon or not. Oh, and I guess normal bars don’t sell Magic singles and sleeves and other games.
I couldn’t wait for their grand opening, so on Facebook I arranged a cube draft on opening night. (Who knew it’d be so easy to get eight Magic players together at a bar to play Magic?) My deck made me feel very powerful (Pack 1 open Mox Jet, pack 2 open Library of Alexandria, pack 3 open Mox Emerald), and of course I went 3-0 ON THE BACK OF MY AMAZING PLAYSKILL. As the evening went on, the bar area filled with gamers playing Magic, other card games, other board games, or just kicking back after a (presumably) long day’s work. It was an environment I’d never been a part of. And that doesn’t count the others in the main store area gaming. I think these Tweet’s capture how awesome this place was:
@GavinVerhey Gavin Verhey: First impression of @Card_Kingdom Richard Garfield just casually hanging out in the cafe, having a drink and playing games. Seriously.
It didn’t take long for me to arrange playtesting here the next evening. We’ll try not to drink so much two nights in a row, since after I got my fifth beer during a game of EDH (in which I got crushed), a staffer put a twenty-sided die in front of me, and instructed to me:
CK staff: “Roll this twice, you have 10 seconds.”
fourouttheforty: “Huh????”
CK: “Just do it, nine, eight…”
fourouttheforty: “Okay… 1 and…. 15”
CK: “Now add them.”
fouroutthforty: “16?”
CK: “One plus that?”
fourouttheforty: “17?”
CK: “That was your drunk test.”
I certainly didn’t think I was that bad, but I guess I was lucky to roll a 1.
The only qualm about the place is the menu: admittedly, it’s sparse. The grilled cheese plate and PB & J’s I did see were rather fancy (and I bet you can request them to be cut in stars instead of circles if you ask nicely). Not a deal breaker for me, at least; my favorite bars don’t serve food, so whatever. I’m sure you can find a delicious place to have dinner elsewhere in Ballard. They do have good beer (and crappy yellow beer if that’s your style), wine, and I’m sure at some point they’ll have hard liquor (hopefully with Magic-themed shots and cocktails) but no plans for hard stuff.
The store is amazing, the bar is legitimately awesome, and I think a lot of gamers are already behind this place. As a drinking establishment, I’d rate it a worthy P1P1 Revoke Existence. As a game store that happens to have a good bar, it’s an absolute P1P1 Carnifex Demon. Check it out, chances are you’ll see me there.
:wq! fourouttheforty
Magic with fourouttheforty 