Asgard Gear Deck Box Review

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Today, we want to provide our unbiased review for the hand-made Loki Deck Box from Asgard Gear.  We've been rocking with this box for about a week now and have traveled with it from our lair thrice to develop an opinion. 

MATERIALS

• Exterior Casing  - material is natural wood - specifically Walnut.  We've exposed the box to our regular use and have certainly Rustled the Jimmies.  The shell is solid, durable and has not scuffed or taken on any visible signs of wear.

• Joints -  Not that that kind.  Given the thickness of wood, through dovetail joints are not very practical, so Asgard Gear went with box joints.  All joints have wood adhesive and we're impressed with the work with the tricky work required for clamping.

• Finish - Tung Oil.  Walnut is a beautiful wood but unless it gets appropriate finishing, it could look just kinda meh.  Tung oil makes the lovely grain here just pop.  Benjamin Moore has been producing Tung Oil (from the Chinese Vernicia fordii tree seed_ since about the 1930's.  In our opinion, this environmentally considerate oil delivers the very best finish availble.

• Embellishments - All exterior wood parts are laser cut giving a very clean look. The crisp Asgard Gear logo, and Beta model marking are aesthetically pleasing.

• Interior Casing - Acrylic plastic. Perfect choice of material to protect cards, sleeved or not, from acquiring any undesirable wear.  Sleeved cards fit perfectly and slide out easily like snot on hot glass.

• Closure - Separate flush-fitting top sliding closure secured with two neodymium magnets.  These rare earth magnets provide a strong fastening.  we could not get the lid dislodged with a highly scientific drop test from the height of a gaming table.  We have preference to mag closures over exterior clasps which are more prone to damage.

USE

• The Asgard Gear Loki holds our sleeved 100-card Commander decklist perfectly.  At the moment, it is holding our Emmara Tandris list and the literal crap-ton of tokens this list generates - beasts, snakes, saprolings and elves are all house comfortable inside and perhaps there is a comparative to Doctor Who's TARDIS somewhere here.

SUMMARY

This is a great deck box and we love the look of it.  The price for the Deck Box is about what we would expect to pay for a high quality card storage box.  We do not have any complaints at all but would suggest that Asgard Gear should consider looking into offering  gamers the opportunity personalise the deck box with their name, deck name or perhaps even a simple graphic.

GIVEAWAY !!

This weekend at the Magic: the Gathering - Aether Revolt PreRelease at OMG! Games here in Barrie, Ontario, there are a number of very cool random prizes up for grabs including the Asgard Gear Loki Deck Box.  There will be draws every event for free entries to regular weekly events at the store, as well as a chance to win an Aether Revolt Planeswalker Deck (2 available), and the Deck Box.  

OMG! Games will be running events all weekend long -
• Saturday - 12:00 am (Friday Midnight), 10:00 am, 3:00 pm, and 7:30 pm

• Sunday - 11:00 am, and 4:00 pm (Two-Headed Giant)

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FNM Promo Round-Up

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Happy Friday MTG peeps,

We don't care how snowy, cold, or otherwise nasty it is outside right now, we are definitely planning to get across to the other side of Barrie tonight to OMG! Games to get some Friday Night Magic gaming in.  There is not to many chances left to win one of those juicy / icky Brain Maggot FNM promos and we hope to get a Top 8 under our belt tonight.

Speaking of Friday Night Magic promo cards, the mothersite revealed the February 2015 card - 

Regular Khans of Tarkir Common, illustrated by Svetlin Velinov

Friday Night Magic Promo, illustrated by Svetlin Velinov

We are liking the promo card art that Velinov had provided over his earlier.  As we are wrapping up the remainder of the year rather soon, we should do a re-cap of this year's FNM promo cards.

FNM Promos for

November / December / January

2014 Friday Night Magic Promo Cards

January: Warleader's Helix
February: Elvish Mystic
March: Banisher Priest
April: Encroaching Wastes
May: Tormented Hero
June: Dissolve
July: Magma Spray
August: Bile Blight
September: Banishing Light
October: Fanatic of Xenagos
November: Brain Maggot
December: Stoke the Flames 

These were all very decent choices and we're more than pleased with WotC and their picks - all decent standard legal cards that see play (some more than others - Encroaching Wastes and Fanatic of Xenagos were weird but still OK).

In other news, it looks like a card image of the colourless Ugin, The Spirit Dragon is circulating the interwebs.  This card is expected to see print in Fate Reforged but we are of the opinion that the card is fake until additional proof is provided.  Anywhoos - have a great weekend y'awll !
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Theros PreRelease Event

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Happy Wednesday MTG peeps,

This weekend, Magic: the Gathering players will converge upon local gaming stores around the world to participate in the Theros PreRelease event.  Similar to the Return to Ravnica block sets, gamers will have the opportunity to choose one of five Theros PreRelease packs which will contain just about everything you need for an amazing afternoon (or morning) of great gaming.  A few players we know will be attending more than one event to collect additional PreRelease Promos, cards, and a chance to win prizes.

Here at MTG Realm, we'll be going to our favourite Card Shop, OMG! Games here is Barrie, Ontario and will provide coverage of the Theros prerelease event so look for those posts after the weekend.  Anywhoos - here's the info you need to know if you find yourself in Central Ontario (just north of Toronto) this weekend -

OMG! Games
130 Bell Farm Rd., Barrie, Ontario
Close to highway 400 and Georgian College.
(705) 721-4263  www.omggames.ca
 

Date & Times
Saturday Sept 21st : 12:00am (Friday Midnight) / 10:00 am / 3:00 pm / 7:30 pm
Sunday Sept 22nd : 11:00am / 4:00pm (Two-Headed Giant)

Format - Sealed Deck — Each player receives a Prerelease Pack containing• 5 Theros booster packs• 1 seeded booster pack• 1 promo card• 1 Choose Your Path activity card• 1 Spindown™ life counter• 1 Hero’s Path Welcome Letter• 1 Hero Card

For these events, players may use the promo card included with the Prerelease Pack in their tournament deck.
Two-Headed Giant — Each team Two Pre-release packs for constructing two decks with.

Cost & Prizes
$35 For all regular sealed events
4-0 record receive 16 packs Theros
3-0-1 record receive 12 packs Theros
3-1 record receive 8 packs Theros

$60 Two Headed Giant ($30/player)

Prizes given out based on attendance.  Win against the Owners in swiss rounds and receive 2 additional prize packs.

5 Pre-Release Special – $150 enters you in any five events. 

 

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Gatecrash Game Day

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Happy Tuesday MTG peeps,

This weekend (Saturday / Sunday 23rd / 24th February) local gaming stores around the world will be hosting Gatecrash 'Game Day'.  This standard constructed tournament held at card shops everywhere are held a few weeks after the official launch of the new set.  This is a great opportunity to take a break from kitchen-table gaming and unleash your 60-card creation at the store.  For details, check out the mothersite link here.  We here at MTG Mint card have not quite settled on a deck to bring along but for now we think R.Tech might take a Simic (blue-green evolve) build and C6 might have an Orzhov (black-white extort) token build to our local slice of Gamer heaven - OMG! Games here in Barrie, Ontario.  R.Stomp is thinking about an old-skool standard Zombie build but is looking at some other lists he found on MTG Mint Card's Deck Central website.
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Anywhoos - here's the run down of what you might score at the Game Day event -participants at the Gatecrash Game Day will receive this Zameck Guildmage promo.










Those to make Top 8 during the Gatecrash Game Day event can expect to receive this Firemane Avenger promo.
 
The first-place Champion will walk away with this very slick Gatecrash Game Day Champion Play Mat featuring the card art from Merciless Eviction with art from Richard Wright.

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Bragster Magic

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Just a note about the last post . . . specifically something interesting about Dragon Whelp. This card was spoiled by Wizards via Bragster. If you haven't heard about Bragster, please don't feel left out - I hadn't either until just earlier this week.

Bragster is an online social webpage to dare your friends, record a challenge, upload evidence and brag about 'it' (whatever 'it' was) forever. Think of Bragster kind of like what would happen if Facebook meets Jacka$$ on eHarmony.

click to enlarge

Anywho, it appears that Wizards of the Coast is really exploring every online social media outlet. They had teamed up with Bragster to celebrate the release of their 2010 Core Set and upcoming Grand Prix event in Brighton, UK - in addition to witnessing the crazy a$$ dares that MTG players could dream up . . . . sounds lame but I don't mind at all really.

Here's why - - -

A few days ago, Wizards posted three 'dares' on Bragster -
* "I dare everyone to Leave a sticker or stencil the planeswalker symbol somewhere in public",
* "I dare everyone to Learn to play Magic, or teach a friend", and
* "I dare everyone to Show us how YOU rule with Magic: the Gathering!"

In response, Bragster user dragonangyle dared Wizards to spoil a Magic 2010 card exclusive to Bragster members only. Well he got his wish and subsequently, we got Dragon Whelp . . . Thanks !

click to enlarge

Why would you want to join fellow MTG players in the Bragster pool . . . ?
Apparently some very good reasons - they will be giving away "loads of cool prizes, including a netbook computer, iPod, Xbox 360". The huge awesome win - "a grand prize of a trip for you and a friend to the Magic World Championships in Rome, Italy this November!". Sign me up right now.

MTG Realm rose to the stencil / sticker challenge and tagged the former Popemobile on display at museum.

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Here's how it works :

Getting started with Magic on bragster:

1. Step 1 - If you're not already a bragster user, sign up

2. Step 2 - Send an email to magic@bragster.com with your name, address, and bragster username, so we can send you a pack of goodies to get you going. This will include 2 starter decks, playmat, and instructions so you and a friend can learn to play, and planeswalker symbol stickers and stencils to enter this dare

3. Step 3 - Get entering the open dares and win yourself some awesome prizes!

Prize details:

Grand prize
- The best entry across all 5 dares, as chosen by the Magic team, will win a trip for 2 to the Magic world championships in Rome this November. Package includes hotel accomodation, flight(s) (for both of you if you live in Europe, just you if you live further afield), vouchers for free side events, and a Kodak Zx1 HD video camera, so you can make a record of your trip to post on bragster when you get back!

Individual dare winner prizes

- The winners of the 5 dares will receive prizes for each as follows:

* Show us how you rule - your choice of either an Acer Aspire netbook computer, OR a foil, rare uncut sheet of M10.
* Learn to play - an Xbox 360 console.
* Planeswalker symbol - an iPod Nano, customised by a Magic: the Gathering fantasy artist.
* wait and see!
* wait and see!

Participation prizes
- For all the other great entries to the 5 dares, we'll be giving away a whole host of other prizes including Magic skateboards, "Here I Rule" satchels, M10 product, Magic card portfolios, and more!

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