Cardboard Chronicles 2025 Q4 Edition
Star Wars Unlimited
Get ready! The sixth expansion for Star Wars: Unlimited: Secrets of Power, drops November 7, 2025. This set leans into intrigue and subterfuge, spotlighting “operatives, officials, saboteurs, and schemers” across the Star Wars saga. Expect the halls of Coruscant, ISB offices, and Senate chambers to loom large in the art and environment design.
Mechanically, Secrets of Power introduces two new keywords - Plot and Disclose - that underscore the set’s theme of hidden agendas and revelation. Plot gives players options to play cards from resources in unexpected bursts, while Disclose rewards you for revealing cards (or information) to your opponent. This expansion also makes several firsts: multiple upgrades in the set are playable only on unique units, and five of its eighteen leaders have never been printed in leader form before. Capture returns (with fresh twists), and you’ll see a strong leaning toward traits like Official, Droid, Law, and more.
From a product standpoint, you’ll see the usual fare - booster packs, a prerelease kit, and Spotlight Decks featuring Padmé Amidala and Chancellor Palpatine. For collectors, Carbonite Edition Boosters return, offering special aesthetic treatments and exclusive Prestige variants (these will not be reprinted). The set seems poised to upend some meta expectations - not through brute force, but through manipulation, secrets, and timing.
CBG will be hosting many different sealed pre-release events. Check out the detailed event postings on the website!
Lorcana
Mark your calendars! Lorcana: Whispers in the Well is slated to debut in local game stores on November 7, 2025 (pre‑release) and roll out to broader retail on November 14. This is Lorcana’s tenth major set, and with it comes a fresh mystery in the form of a new card type - Whispers, partially formed glimmers that hint at deeper secrets in the lore.
The set ships with 204 new cards (each in foil and nonfoil) Lorcana and brings some exciting new franchises into the fold — notably The Black Cauldron and Gargoyles, debuting in Lorcana for the first time. Also look for fan‑favorite faces from Zootopia — Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde — weaving in around clues, torn lore pages, and ghostly whisper glimmers.
From a product perspective, Whispers in the Well will include the usual booster packs, two starter decks (Amber/Emerald and Sapphire/Steel), and a collector‑friendly Illumineer’s Trove bundle featuring extras like dice, lore counters, and an artful storage box. For players, this set is poised to shake up strategies, as the new glimmer type promises fresh interactions, and the expanded roster opens doors for new decks, synergies, and surprises.
CBG will have its typical pre-release events on November 8th and 9th with Sealed and Draft formats at 1PM and 5PM along with Pack Rush being available all weekend long!
Magic: the Gathering
Get ready to bend the elements: Magic: The Gathering is bringing the beloved world of Avatar: The Last Airbender into its Universes Beyond line, with a full crossover set releasing November 21, 2025. This won’t just be a flavor tie‑in - the Avatar cards will be Standard‑legal, meaning they can slot directly into competitive decks alongside core MTG sets. The product lineup will include Play Boosters, Collector Boosters, Scene Boxes, a Beginner Box, and more - ensuring there’s something for both newcomers and longtime players.
What makes this set especially exciting are the new bending mechanics, each tied to one of the four elemental styles from the show: airbending, waterbending, earthbending, and firebending. • Airbending introduces evasion and exile interactions, letting you temporarily remove permanents from play with potential to cast them later. • Waterbending often ties into tapping creatures or artifacts to pay additional costs, echoing the show’s flow and manipulation themes. • Earthbending lets lands become creatures and distributes +1/+1 counters, embracing the connection between the Earth Kingdom and strength. • Firebending grants red mana when your creatures with firebending attack, rewarding aggressive plays. The set also leans into Ally creature types (making a return to Standard), Sagas that transform into legendary creatures, and thematic borderless/foil treatments that highlight Avatar lore.
The centerpiece of the set is a double‑faced Avatar Aang card that transforms into Aang, Master of Elements when you manage to bend all four elements in a turn. This design gives players a compelling goal: not just to play powerful individual cards, but to build toward that “Avatar moment.” Expect supporting versions of characters like Katara, Zuko, Toph, and Sokka, as well as evocative full‑art basic lands (featuring Appa) and scene‑based spells that evoke iconic moments from the show’s narrative. For your players, this is a great opportunity - even for those new to MTG - to dive in through the Beginner Box or Jumpstart‑style products, while experienced players will be excited to explore the elemental synergies and novel bending mechanics.
CBG will be hosting Saturday and Sunday sealed pre-release events on November 15th and 16th. Be sure to lookout for the ticket sales being posted soon to save your spot ahead of time! This will surely be a set to fill to capacity!
Pokemon
Get ready to set the battlefield ablaze - Mega Evolution: Phantasmal Flames is heading to local game stores on November 14, 2025. As the second set in the new Mega Evolution block, Phantasmal Flames dives headlong into dramatic transformations and high-octane power plays. Its core focus will be on Fire‑ and Darkness‑type Pokémon, with Mega Charizard X ex serving as the marquee figurehead alongside heavy hitters like Mega Gengar ex, Mega Heracross ex, Mega Lopunny ex, and others.
Despite being smaller in size than many recent expansions - only 94 cards in the main set before secret rares - Phantasmal Flames punches above its weight with depth and collectability. Once secret and ultra‑rare prints are included, the total swells to about 130 cards. The expansion line‑up includes booster packs, an Elite Trainer Box (featuring a Charcadet illustration-rare promo), as well as special collections like an Ultra‑Premium Collection that guarantees a Mega Charizard X ex promo. CBG’s pre‑release tournament will be on November 6th with limited spots available, so plan early and be on the lookout for a notification for buying your ticket.
For players and collectors alike, Phantasmal Flames promises a compelling blend of strategic depth and chase appeal. The contrast between powerful Mega Evolutions and compact set size means even casual players can chase specific cards without getting lost in an overwhelming mass of new releases. Meanwhile, the high-end artworks, special silhouettes on ultra rares, and focus on signature transformations put this set at the top of many “must get” lists.
Riftbound
Prepare your summoner’s rift! Origins is Riftbound’s inaugural set, launching globally in English on October 31, 2025. As the foundation of Riftbound’s Standard format, Origins will introduce close to 300+ cards across a mix of champions, spells, units, and items drawn from across the League of Legends multiverse. Among the champions spotlighted are fan favorites like Jinx, Lee Sin, Viktor, Yasuo, Lux, Garen, and more, giving players a wide palette of strategies right out of the gate.
Origins will be released with a full suite of products to meet both newcomers and seasoned TCG players. Among them: Champion Decks (prebuilt 56‑card decks) built around Jinx, Lee Sin, and Viktor; Proving Grounds, a boxed starter set for 2–4 players with decks for Annie, Lux, Garen, and Master Yi (and extra cards not in the main set); and booster packs (14 cards per pack) with a typical distribution of commons, uncommons, rares, foils, and tokens. Riot has stated that each booster box will average more than six Epic rarity cards and multiple alternate‑art pulls, making every box a compelling experience.
Origins offers an exciting fresh slate. With the whole Standard era beginning here, early adoption can give players a head start in building synergy and metagame familiarity. Plus, Proving Grounds offers a welcoming entry point for folks new to collectible card games.
Be sure to mark your calendar and grab your spot! This exciting Release event is slated for October 31st and is already selling out fast! Grab your spot on the website before it’s filled up!
1v1 Duel Commander
Step into the ultimate Magic showdown with 1v1 Duel Commander, the fast-paced, high-skill format that brings the depth of Commander to intense head-to-head battles! Each player brings a 100-card singleton deck built around a legendary creature (your commander), but unlike traditional multiplayer Commander, Duel Commander is finely tuned for competitive 1-on-1 play. Games are quicker, strategies are sharper, and every decision matters — perfect for players who love deep deckbuilding, powerful plays, and competitive grit.
Whether you’re a seasoned EDH player looking for a new challenge or a competitive grinder seeking a fresh metagame, Duel Commander offers an exciting blend of creativity and competitiveness. With a separate banlist and a starting life total of 20, this format rewards tight plays, unique brews, and bold commanders. Bring your best deck, challenge your rivals, and stake your claim as your LGS’s top commander duelist!
Sundays starting on November 2nd at 3PM, CBG will be hosting a competitive tournament with a small buy-in amount with top finishers receiving store credit to put towards their next deck upgrades!
