tigersonthego

By Zachary Tobias

The Game Haven 1319 Bedford Ave, Pikeville MD

The Game Haven at a Glance

Walking through the double doors of The Game Haven located at 1319 Bedford Ave, Pikesville, Maryland, a clean scent fills my nostrils. The place itself is well kept, and the carpeting layering the ground is free of dirt and lint. Around me, I see posters of various Magic: the Gathering sets, boxes upon boxes of Gundam model kits, Magic: the Gathering, Pokemon, Flesh and Blood, Dungeons and Dragons, and dozens of other board and card games. 

There are about 20 players at the various tables, each entranced in their own game. Towards the back, I can see a game of Warhammer 40,000 in progress. I see four players in an intense game of competitive eternal dragon highlander, also known as CEDH, a competitive version of the format I play, commander.

The Match…

I sit down to play a high power match of the Magic: the Gathering Commander format, and I feel the plastic sleeves between my hands as my strategy unfolds. The sounds around me are a cacophony of announced game actions, pop culture discussion, and hubbub around the new Magic set. I pop some gum into my mouth and enjoy the fruity taste as I jump into the game.

My Rakdos artifact burn deck, an Azorius stax/control deck, a Grixis haste deck, and, of course, a Golgari reanimator deck. All four decks play at their full power, with each turn pushing the group further towards their respective victories. Eventually, my deck gets the necessary cards to win the game, dealing damage to each opponent, killing them all at the same time. We shake hands and begin another game.

On the cusp of victory, a mere two turns away from another overwhelming victory, I taste defeat as the Azorius stax deck draws their entire deck and claims victory with Laboratory Maniac, a card that wins him the game if he has no cards in his deck. We shuffle up and play again. If I had come a week later, I would have been able to participate in the pre-release for the new Secrets of Strixhaven, the upcoming magic set released next week. There are events almost every day, for multiple different games, throughout the entire month. The people at the shop are very nice and welcoming. After I express interest in the Grixis player’s commander, Goro-Goro and Satoru, he hands me a copy of it, mentioning that it is dirt cheap and I can have it for free.

Merchandise and Feature Cards

Trades are going on all around me, binders opening and valuable cards exchanging hands. The card shop has everything you need to play magic or any other game. Its focus lies more towards magic than anything else, with pre-constructed decks, play-mats featuring characters from the game, sleeves, deck-boxes, and packs line the walls. Rare and expensive cards are behind a glass case, their high prices and even higher power sending an alluring siren call to all who gaze at their luster and beauty. A copy of the infamous textless Cryptic Command, the extremely busted Crucible of Worlds, and even the insanely expensive white-border Copy Artifact.

On the wall behind the counter, there are long boxes containing cards from dozens of Magic sets. There are computers to look up cards to buy from the collection. I look up, ask for, and buy a copy of Anti-causal Vestige, and check prices on printings of Ad Nauseam and Peer Into The Abyss before I leave. Their library of cards is impressive. This card shop knows its stuff. As I leave the store, I notice how dark it is. I lost track of all time and spent seven solid hours in this store, playing cards. The Game Haven has established a place where different communities of players of all games can convene and play. It is truly a place that welcomes anyone and everyone to share in the enjoyment of games.