The search begins!

I happened to work from home today, so I took the opprotunity to visit a card shop I haven't been to before. Awesome Cards, Collectibles and Games in Londonderry, New Hampshire is a cute little shop not too far off of I-93. While this blog isn't necessarily in the business of reviewing card shops, I must say that I enjoyed shopping there. While small, the shop is well stocked, clean and the lady at the counter was friendly and helpful in answering my questions.

My purpose at the store was twofold. Of course, hunting for Poliwhirl cards was my primary concern but I realized today that I had 3 copies of Dragapult ex, which just so happens to be one of the top decks in Standard at the moment according to Justin Basil as of 02-23-2025. After using my last hour and a half of my workday to rifle through my own collection I came up with a list of missing cards to track down. I found a Fezandipiti ex in the binder by the counter, and everything else (assorted trainers, a 3-3-1 Dusknoir line, Lumineon V, 4 Dreepy and 4 Drakloak) in a very well organized "staples" bin at the back of the shop in the play area. Prices were more than fair, playable commons, uncommons and rares were plentiful and 4/$1 wheras the secret rares were 2/$3. As a veteran bulk-picker, this was a massive help and more than enough to get me to come back in the future.

It was there, at the back wall of the play area where another category of bulk cards caught my eye. WOTC singles. For the unaware, Wizards of the Coast was the manufacturer and distrubutor for Pokemon cards from Base Set up until Skyridge in 2003. While the singles in the box I found only included Base Set Unlimited and Jungle cards, Base Set meant there was a Poliwhirl to find.

Today's Poliwhirl Haul

And find I did! 13 to be exact. I didn't entirely deplete the shop of their Poliwhirls, but I was very happy to find as many as I did. While I don't plan on grabbing every copy I see, for $.25 a pop, I couldn't help myself.

Overall, I would consider my first trip to Awesome to be a great success. I'm headed to a casual Standard tournament tomorrow at another shop, where I'm hoping to fill the gaps in my Dragapult deck so I can do a proper deck showcase. Who knows, I might even write a report of the tournament itself...