If you’re reading this, you’ve probably also told yourself this would be the month you don’t buy more Pokémon cards. Same. And yet here we are, staring down another lineup of Elite Trainer Boxes and tins like they’re life choices we already regret but will definitely make again.
Scarlet & Violet sets keep dropping bangers, both visually and competitively, and unfortunately for our wallets, some of these boxes are actually worth ripping open.
Pokémon TCG: Azure Legends Tin – 5 Packs
This one’s weirdly solid. You get five booster packs from a really good mix of sets — Surging Sparks, Stellar Crown, Temporal Forces, and Obsidian Flames — and one promo featuring either Kyogre, Dialga, or Xerneas. It’s basically Pokémon’s version of a loot box, and yeah, I bought two. Between the chase cards across the included sets (Pikachu ex, Terapagos, Raging Bolt, take your pick), the odds of hitting something fun are actually decent. I don’t even like tins, and I’d still grab another one.
Pokémon TCG: Stacking Tin (Q1 2025) – 3 Packs, Stickers (Random Design)
I wasn’t expecting much. I bought it for the sticker sheets and the vague promise of a Surging Sparks pack. And it delivered. Three packs, one of which might cough up something like Pikachu ex or Latias ex, and a tin I now use to hold exactly nothing. I can’t even be mad. There’s a tiny chance you’ll pull a Milotic ex or Ceruledge ex if you get lucky with the packs, and if you don’t? Well, you paid twenty bucks to roll the dice and got some vaguely useful storage in return. That’s more than I can say about half the cereal I’ve bought this year.
Pokémon TCG: Scarlet and Violet: Paradox Rift: Elite Trainer Box – Roaring Moon
I got this one for the sleeves and stayed because Roaring Moon ex is basically what happens when a Pokémon decides it’s done playing fair. If your goal is to end games in one violent swing and look great doing it, this is your guy. Paradox Rift doesn’t have as many chase cards, but the ones it does have— like Iron Valiant ex and Groudon— feel like they were drawn by someone who knows we’ll all stare at these like cave paintings in 30 years.
Pokémon TCG: Scarlet and Violet: Temporal Forces: Elite Trainer Box: Walking Wake
The Walking Wake Elite Trainer Box comes with a full-art Flutter Mane and nine more Temporal Forces packs to roll the dice again on the best art of the Scarlet & Violet era. This version leans into the ancient side of things, and I picked it up mostly to increase my odds of pulling Walking Wake ex. Is it playable? Debatable. But it looks like it wandered out of a dream I had after eating too much sushi. With vibrant blues and prehistoric drama, the vibe alone was worth the price. Also, the sleeves are clean, and I pretend I care about those.
Pokémon TCG: Scarlet and Violet: Temporal Forces: Elite Trainer Box: Iron Leaves
Iron Leaves ex pulls off the rare combo of being both playable and beautifully drawn. It looks like it’s mid-leap out of a sci-fi anime, which is exactly the kind of energy I want from my pulls. The other heavy hitters — like Iron Crown ex and Gouging Fire ex — either hit like a truck or look like they’re about to. Raging Bolt ex steals the show, though. It’s loud, dramatic, and perfectly balanced between “meta staple” and “thunder god cosplayer.”
Pokémon TCG: Scarlet and Violet Shrouded Fable Elite Trainer Box
Shrouded Fable can quietly slip in cards like Houndoom (the kind of illustration that makes you lower your voice in reverence) and Persian, which looks like it’s plotting something appropriately cinematic. The promos and sleeves are nice, but I really wanted this box for the Illustration Rares that don’t just look cool — they tell a story. Fezandipiti ex, for example, is the Swiss Army knife of support attackers, and Cassiopeia is straight-up character drama in a foil rectangle. The art direction in this set is borderline pretentious, and I mean that as a compliment.
Christian Wait is a contributing freelancer for IGN covering everything collectable and deals. Christian has over 7 years of experience in the Gaming and Tech industry with bylines at Mashable and Pocket-Tactics. Christian also makes hand-painted collectibles for Saber Miniatures. Christian is also the author of “Pokemon Ultimate Unofficial Gaming Guide by GamesWarrior”. Find Christian on X @ChrisReggieWait.
Path of Exile 2’s largest update yet, Dawn of the Hunt adds a ton of new content and changes the game in many ways. IGN and Maxroll have teamed up to bring you lots of new, helpful guides and builds to take on the daunting swatch of new stuff that we will do our best to summarize here: Patch 0.2.0 brings more ways to play with the all-new Huntress Class along with 5 Ascendancies, Azmeri Wisps to chase, shiny new Uniques to hunt for, and a revamped endgame experience.
The Huntress
A new class joins Path of Exile 2’s roster of characters, the Huntress. This Azmeri lost everything when she used a Virtue Gem to defend her home. So now she wields new skills in addition to her trusty Spear. The Huntress is a Dexterity class that shares a starting area with the Ranger in the lower-right portion of the Passive Skill Tree. Spears have a mix of close-range melee strikes and long range projectiles with bonuses that incentivize the use of both. Create an elemental surface with Frostbolt, drop a Whirling Slash, and unleash a flurry of Twisters, before leaping back in to do it all again. Another new item class is Bucklers, a special shield with the ability to Parry regular attacks. When you Parry an enemy you put them off balance increasing the attack damage they take. Unlike Souls games, there is no Parry window and you can use the Parry to animation cancel other skills making it quite agile. However, each time you Parry your stun meter increases and when the bar is full you are heavy stunned for 2.5 seconds, which is likely to result in your untimely demise.
In addition to the new Huntress class, Dawn of the Hunt adds 5 new Ascendancies to Path of Exile 2. After completing a Trial of Ascension, your Ascendancy further specializes your class by unlocking new synergies and catering to unique playstyles. The Huntress has 2 Ascendancies to choose from, Ritualist and Amazon, and the Warrior, Witch, and Mercenary each get one new option.
Ritualist
The Ritualist learned in the depths of the Wildwoods, that power is achieved through sacrifice. You can steal bonuses from Rare monsters, or sacrifice a portion of your own health for a random bonus. With Corrupted Life Force, you gain a skill causing nearby enemies to grow Volatile Blood Boils, slay them to infect surrounding foes with Corrupted Blood a powerful degenerative effect that deals Physical Damage. The Unfurled Finger Notable grants a third ring slot, this is especially potent when paired with Mystic Attunement and a high-end ring. Lastly, the Ritualist has a variety of charming bonuses making it easier to combat dangerous elemental effects.
Amazon
An Amazon strikes swiftly. Elemental Infusion consumes charges to add elemental damage to your Attacks, and Infused Avatar gives a chance for your projectiles to benefit from the infusion without consuming it. Critical Strike and Penetrate further scale damage, based on accuracy rating, which is particularly notable because Dexterity classes have easy access to accuracy. Defensively, Mystic Harvest opens up access to leech, a recovery layer usually limited to Physical damage, and Azmeri Brew makes Flasks far more versatile. Lastly, her Predatory Instinct and In for the Kill Notables grant massive bonuses against Wraeclast’s most dangerous foes.
Smith of Kitava
The Smith of Kitava wields the Devourer’s power to his own ends. This ascendancy is harder to nail down, as many of the bonuses like Temper Weapon, Maifest Weapon, and Fire Spell on Hit are the sort of thing you need to play with to truly understand. However, Coal Stoker and Forged in Flame provide some of the most powerful defenses in the game. With Coal Stoaker, you need to dedicate less of your suffixes to resistances, meaning there’s more of them to use for damage. Maximum resistance is incredibly potent, with even as little as +5% Maximum Resistance mitigating around 20% of the elemental damage you take. Lastly, there’s Smith’s Masterwork, the ability to forge yourself a custom chest piece at the cost of some Ascendancy points. How useful this is depends on where Living Weapon, Against the Anvil, and Heat of the Forge fall as you only get 8 Ascendancy points to distribute amongst all the passives. With that said many of the passives including, Dedication to Kitava, Support Straps, Flowing Metal, Molten Symbol, and Kitavan Engraving all have potential.
Lich
A Lich wields forbidden power, even at the cost of her soul. First, there are some fan-favorite nodes from the original Path of Exile in Rupture the Soul and Dominion Over Flesh. Being able to curse enemies to make them explode into piles of loot is always a good time. Soulless Form provides a unique way to solve mana by increasing your maximum life. It also splits damage between your life and energy shield which is useful when you have easy ways to recover both. Eternal Life further enhances this effect, because your life cannot change while you have energy shield any damage split to your life is ignored so long as you have energy shield active. Atziri’s Distain splits damage to your life allowing you to ignore even more damage. Then there’s Necromantic Conduit and Blackened Heart, a way to provide a significant damage buff to yourself or allies, and what better allies exist than the mindless dead bound to your command? Lastly, Crystalline Phylactery, Price of Power, and Eldrich Empowerment offer solid bonuses to a variety of builds.
Note: there is a slight error in the graphic, Blackened Heart should be the node after Necromantic Conduit and Dominion Over Flesh should be the node after Rupture the Soul.
Tactician
The Tactician never works alone. This is a support-focused Ascendancy for the Mercenary class. It provides a variety of bonuses focused on Auras and buffs. A Solid Plan is particularly noteworthy as it’s normally difficult to scale your Spirit without using Sceptres. With Suppressing Fire and Right Where We Want Them, you can Pin foes to prevent them from acting, adding another crowd control effect to your party’s toolkit. Unleash Hell! Is a unique skill that gives you personal artillery, summon them to unleash a barrage of withering fire onto the battlefield.
Azmeri Wisps
With each new league, comes a new league mechanic, and for Dawn of the Hunt it’s Azmeri Wisps. Follow the lights and slay any monsters they empower. Each Wisp enhances the rewards of any monsters it empowers while giving them a variety of lethal bonuses. For example, a Cat Wisp gives empowered monsters Critical Hit Chance, whereas a Sacred Wisp upgrades the monster’s tier, turning Rares into Unique Bosses! Each time you encounter a Wisp it seeks out a Rare or Unique monster to infuse, greatly increasing the creature’s strength and its rewards.
Rogue Exiles
You can encounter Rogue Exiles, NPC invaders who fight like players and even wield powerful items. If you’re able to slay them, you get all the items they’re wearing, but be warned, if they slay you they escape and take their riches with them. Rogue Exiles provide a different kind of challenge since their builds work like a player’s, with a wide variety of skill combinations on offer. These foes tend to be more agile than most bosses, but aren’t as tanky. Keep an eye on their Unique items as these can be extremely valuable, and may make the encounter much more difficult!
Endgame Revamp
Dawn of the Hunt brings sweeping changes to Path of Exile 2’s endgame experience. The goal is to make mapping more exciting by providing players with more random encounters while reducing tedious busy work. You can now use up to 3 tablets in each Tower, this reduces the amount of busy work needed to enhance the nearby maps and maximize your loot. To balance this, fewer Towers spawn and they have been revamped to be more rewarding. Mechanics can spawn in Towers and they are guarded by a Unique Boss.
The Corruption mechanic has also been changed, you now choose between clearing each corrupted map, or rushing to the center to purify the cluster, changing the rewards, and unlocking the new purified map type. You can choose to farm the corrupted zones, slaying additional enemies in hopes of gaining currency and rare items. Alternatively, you could rush to the nexus to purify the zone in hopes of obtaining more Fraturing Orbs. This is a crafting currency that locks an affix on an item with 4 modifiers, making it unmodifiable by any means.
There’s a wealth of content to explore. In addition, Unique Maps present special challenges, each is difficult but rewarding. The Fractured Lake (pictured above) rewards you with exclusive base types that have more Prefixes or Suffixes than are normally possible.A Crystalline Cavern presents you with a room full of Essences to claim. Each one you defeat further empowers the boss, making the challenge at the end both more lethal and rewarding. Or you could explore the Feral Megaliths, a 10-round boss gauntlet that drops tons of loot and exclusive Runes.
Beyond just endgame content, crafting also got numerous changes. You can use Corrupted Essences to craft items with special effects. When encountering Rituals to the King in the Mists you’re now guaranteed an Omen, and Omen rewards are more common. If you explore Expedition you can now use your currencies to Recombinate items, merging 2 bases in hopes of keeping desirable affixes.
Patch Notes
It’s almost easier to talk about what didn’t change than it is to list everything that got tweaked, adjusted, or reworked for Dawn of the Hunt. When GGG said to forget everything you already knew about Path of Exile 2, they weren’t kidding. In particular, outlier builds like Archmage Spark Stormweaver and Attribute Stacking Hand of Wisdom and Action Monk saw heavy nerfs.
Path of Exile 2 Beginner’s Guide / Leveling Walkthrough
Whether you’re a veteran looking to improve or a new player trying to get into Path of Exile 2, Maxroll’s Comprehensive League Start Leveling Guide holds your hand with step-by-step instructions throughout the leveling process. This covers an efficient leveling path, how to get good gear, tips to increase your damage and defense, and how to solve common problems.
Maxroll Planner
Maxroll’s PoE2Planner is updated for Dawn of the Hunt and better than ever. You can now import your characters directly into the planner and share your build in just a couple of clicks. The PoE2Planner lets you quickly assemble the passives, items, and skills used in your build. You can also add more details like which bonuses to take from the campaign, outline a skill rotation or link to a custom loot filter on FilterBlade.
On the other hand, if you’re looking for something to play, check out the Maxroll Builds section for planners made by the experts on Maxroll’s Path of Exile 2 team, or browse Community Planners for more builds put together by the community.
Builds
Dawn of the Hunt has brought a huge shakeup to the build meta! The increased difficulty nerfs to meta builds, and buffs to underperformers have resulted in a lot of changes. The Amazon, Lich, and Smith of Kitava have been absolutely dominating the meta during the first few days of the league. Here are a few of the builds being cooked up by the experts at Maxroll.
Amazon
Rake is a travel skill that easily rips through packs of monsters when combined with Stomping Grounds, with this planner from ZiggyD you can unleash carnage across Wraeclast. Rake has great mobility, decent single target damage and satisfying bleed pops thanks to Herald of Blood. As you keep progressing, you can continue scaling your build using Goratha’s endgame Bleed/Rake Amazon.
The Amazon is also adept at using Crossbows, combine Glacial Bolt with Artillery Ballista to clear easily while also doing high single target damage. Because your Ballistae can attack enemies while you’re dodging mechanics this build is easy to use against bosses. Check out this planner from Palsteron on how to build a Crossbow Amazon.
If you’re looking for something different, grab a bow and bring winter to your enemies with Aer0’s Ice Shot Amazon! This build uses Ice Shot to clear and Freezing Salvo to unleash icy devastation on more difficult enemies.
Then there’s the good old explosive Gas Arrow. This was one of the most popular builds for bow leveling at the start of early access and it’s a great way to get your Amazon to maps. Check out Tenkiei’s Explosive Gas Arrow Amazon planner for some inspiration!
Lastly a more endgame build, Crouchung_Tuna’s Lighting Spear Amazon! This build captures the feel of a Diablo 2 Javazon by blasting everything on the screen with lightning. As an endgame build you need to be in maps to start playing it, so use one of the earlier planners through the campaign and then respec to this.
Lich
Chaos DoT, or damage over time skills like Essence Drain and Contagion excel at clearing the screen while providing consistent damage. This makes them the perfect choice to pair with the excellent defenses provided by the Lich Ascendancy. Check out this planner from CaptainLance9 to play your own Chaos DoT Lich.
Why fight alone when you can bring your own personal army to each battle? If that’s your preferred playstyle then HelmBreaker’s Minion Army Lich is the build for you. You get excellent defenses from Eternal Life and new Spectres provide you even more mindlessly loyal dead for your army. If you prefer infernal flame you can play a similar build on Infernalist.
Other Builds
Here are a few more builds on existing ascendancies:
If you’re looking for a hand holdy Mercenary Grenade Leveling Guide. ZiggyD’s planner takes you through the campaign and into early maps.
Stormweaver was one of the most popular builds in 0.1 and if you enjoy freezing your way through the campaign you can do so with this build from ZenM: Frost Bolt Cold Snap Stormweaver Leveling.
Monk is fast and fluid, filling the screen with particle effects while dashing to the next pack to do the same. This build from Milkybk_ helps you find your center as you progress: Invoker Monk Leveling.
The Smith of Kitava is Wraeclast’s ultimate tank, so if you’re looking to play hardcore this is one of your best bets. The Endgame HC Artillery Ballista Smith of Kitava build from Zizaran goes over everything you need to know to play this tanky artillerist.
With that said, Dawn of the Hunt is brand new and there’s still a lot to explore in the buildcrafting space so keep a close eye on Maxroll’s Builds for more ways to play.
On the Hunt
Dawn of the Hunt adds a lot of content and streamlines the mapping experience but the campaign is slower than it was before. The best players are already blasting maps and juicing towers but a lot of people are still making their way through the campaign.
It’s going to take some time for the dust to settle and for the meta to stabilize in Path of Exile 2 0.2.0 Dawn of the Hunt. If you want to know more about the best builds and most profitable currency strategies keep an eye on Maxroll’s Meta Section. Their Path of Exile 2 team is hard at work writing new Build Guides and sharing their Planners with the community!
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This article was created by IGN Staff with help from the Maxroll Path of Exile 2 Team.
Michael Sarnoski, director of A Quiet Place: Day One, is reportedly set to write and direct the live-action adaptation of Kojima Productions’ Death Stranding.
Per Deadline, Sarnoski will write and direct the Death Stranding adaptation with A24 and Kojima Productions producing, alongside Square Peg. Sarnoski directed and wrote for both the A Quiet Place spin-off Day One and 2021’s Pig, starring Nicolas Cage. He’s also the writer/director for the upcoming The Death of Robin Hood, another A24 project.
Few details were given about what the live-action adaptation of Death Stranding would entail. The original 2019 game sent players out into the wasteland to try and reconnect a scattered America amid an extinction-level event, in a world haunted by nightmarish creatures and strange happenings. It’s already good movie fodder before you factor in Hideo Kojima’s cinematic tendencies.
Death Stranding also featured a star-studded cast that included Norman Reedus in the lead role of Sam Bridges, as well as Léa Seydoux, Mads Mikkelsen, Guillermo del Toro, and Margaret Qualley. It’ll be interesting to see if these actors reprise their roles for the live-action adaptation.
Hopefully this particular Kojima-linked project forges ahead, as the Metal Gear Solid movie is still reportedly being worked on despite slowing updates. With all the stars and cinematics though, Death Stranding certainly seems poised to make the jump to live-action.
A Minecraft Move just hit theaters over the weekend and is already seeing record-breaking success at the box office. This video game movie has had the support of various toy marketing campaigns from the very beginning, like Minecraft Movie LEGO sets as well as McDonald’s toys targeted specifically at adults. But if you’re in the market for a Nerf gun after seeing the movie in theaters, you also already have quite a few options.
Amazon is offering new discounts on a variety of Nerf Minecraft weapons based on actual Minecraft weapons. Each of these Nerf picks have the ability to shoot darts, even if they don’t necessarily appear to be able to. They are also all fairly cheap compared to other Minecraft toys on the market right now.
The Best Nerf Minecraft Deals at Amazon Today
There are four Nerf Minecraft deals at Amazon right now, and almost all of them are at their lowest prices of 2025. The best deal within this list is the Minecraft Pillager’s Crossbow, which has only recently droppped to its lowest-ever price of $19.99. This is one of the most affordable Nerf crossbows you can buy, and it also doubles as a wonderful Minecraft gift.
Outside of this blaster, there’s also the Nerf Minecraft axe and hammer, which are each under $20 and at their lowest prices in 2025. While they don’t function as effectively as a standard Nerf gun, they look awesome and are still able to fire darts.
The last Nerf Minecraft option that is on sale is the Sabrewing Motorized Blaster. Although it is arguably the coolest thing on sale right now, it is nowhere near its lowest price of 2025. It is, however, still priced below $20 and is the most enticing actualy Nerf Blaster on this list. It also has the largest dart capacity at eight darts.
Where to Buy Nerf Ammo
After you’ve secured a Nerf Blaster, grabbing some extra darts or rounds is always a good idea. If you’ve ever played with one of these before, you know that ammo goes missing way too quickly. Luckily, a range of nerf darts are on sale. Big 100 packs for an epic war with friends or smaller, ultra-cheap sets to replace a few missing darts are all discounted right now. Just be sure to grab the right ammo.
“In this real-time tech demo, Copilot dynamically generates gameplay sequences inspired by the classic game Quake II,” Microsoft explained. “Every input you make triggers the next AI-generated moment in the game, almost as if you were playing the original Quake II running on a traditional game engine. Enjoy the experience, share your thoughts, and help shape the future of AI-powered gameplay experiences.
“This bite-sized demo pulls you into an interactive space inspired by Quake II, where AI crafts immersive visuals and responsive action on the fly. It’s a groundbreaking glimpse at a brand new way of interacting with games, turning cutting-edge research into a quick and compelling playable demo.”
All that sounds pretty impressive, but the demo itself is… well, less so.
After The Game Awards boss Geoff Keighley shared a brief video of the demo in action on X / Twitter, hundreds of people responded, with few having anything positive to say.
Microsoft has created an AI-generated replica of Quake II that you can play in browser.
“Every frame is created on the fly by an AI world model.”
“Man, I don’t want the future of games to be AI-generated slop,” said one Redditor. “There will be a point where it will be easier to use AI, and then all the greedy studios will do it exclusively. The human element will be removed.
“And the worst part is gamers will buy it. They buy skins for 100 dollars. They will buy whatever you sell them.”
“Microsoft’s boast that they want ‘to build a whole catalog of games that use this new AI model,’ despite it not being clear if the current technique will ever even be capable of letting you turn around without moving to a random point on the map let alone come up with an original game, really typifies what’s wrong with AI and the tech industry,” added another.
“I had a better experience literally just imagining the game in my head,” said another commenter.
Not everyone was so quick to dismiss it, however.
“I don’t know why everything has to be doom and gloom,” said a more cheery respondent. “It’s a demo for a reason. It shows the future possibilities. Having an AI that is able to create a coherent and consistent world is crazy. But this cannot be used to create a full game or anything enjoyable. You cannot play this. Seems like a tool for early concept/pitching phase. This can also bring improvement in other fields in AI as what it is doing is impressive.
“This is not even a product yet but a demo showing how much they’ve improved from just a few months ago.”
Epic Games boss Tim Sweeney had a rather different response:
Generative AI is one of the hottest topics within the video game and entertainment industries, which have both suffered massive layoffs in recent years. It has drawn criticism from players and creators due to a mix of ethical issues, rights issues, and AI’s struggles to produce content audiences actually enjoy. For instance, Keywords Studios attempted to create an experimental game internally using entirely AI. The game failed, with Keywords citing to investors that AI was “unable to replace talent.”
Vikki Blake is a reporter, critic, columnist, and consultant. She’s also a Guardian, Spartan, Silent Hillian, Legend, and perpetually High Chaos. Find her at BlueSky.
Pokémon TCG: Azure Legends Tin Has Two Surging Sparks Packs
The rest of the lineup isn’t filler either. You get one pack each from Stellar Crown, Temporal Forces, and Obsidian Flames — a trio that’s collectively responsible for some of the best chase cards released in the last year. Toss in a foil promo of either Kyogre ex, Xerneas ex, or Dialga ex, and this starts to feel less like a random tin and more like a targeted strike on everything cool from the Scarlet & Violet era.
My Favorite Surging Sparks Cards
I want more excuses to open Surging Sparks packs because pulling something like Pikachu ex (SIR) feels like finding a winning lottery ticket, except way cuter and slightly more legal. I think the art alone justifies framing it, and its ability to hang in top-tier decks makes it that much sweeter. I also love Latias ex (SIR) for finally giving me a reason to hunt down the matching Latios and live out my “twin dragons soaring through art” fantasy. And if you’re sleeping on Milotic ex, that’s your loss. It’s stunning, shuts down Tera Pokémon like a pro, and honestly deserves more hype.
My Favorite Stellar Crown Cards
I’m chasing Terapagos ex (SIR) like it’s a gem-studded unicorn. It’s visually ridiculous and feels like the set’s “trophy card.” I think Bulbasaur (Illustration Rare) is perfect if you like your pulls with a side of nostalgia and Pidgey cameos, which I do. And Dachsbun ex (SIR)? It’s a bread dog. A literal loaf with glitter. I shouldn’t love it, but here we are. Don’t tell my competitive brain.
My Favorite Temporal Forces Cards
I open Temporal Forces hoping for Raging Bolt ex (SIR) and fully expecting disappointment, which somehow makes pulling it even better. It’s one of those cards that looks like it came straight out of a boss fight and hits just as hard. Iron Crown ex is another top-tier choice. It boosts Iron Hands ex damage, which basically means you’re stealing Prize cards like it’s a Black Friday brawl. And then there’s Walking Wake ex (SIR). In my opinion, it looks like a dream sequence in a prehistoric fever dream, and I mean that in the best way.
My Favorite Obsidian Flames Cards
I think it’s illegal to talk about Obsidian Flames without mentioning Charizard ex (SIR). It’s the card everyone wants, including me, and somehow still feels special no matter how many versions of this dragon exist. I’m also a big fan of Pidgeot ex (SIR), which is basically the MVP of utility cards dressed like it walked out of an indie graphic novel. And then there’s Cleffa (Illustration Rare) — a tiny cosmic marshmallow that looks like it wandered into a Studio Ghibli scene. I want five copies just to look at them.
Christian Wait is a contributing freelancer for IGN covering everything collectable and deals. Christian has over 7 years of experience in the Gaming and Tech industry with bylines at Mashable and Pocket-Tactics. Christian also makes hand-painted collectibles for Saber Miniatures. Christian is also the author of “Pokemon Ultimate Unofficial Gaming Guide by GamesWarrior”. Find Christian on X @ChrisReggieWait.
It looks like Nintendo Korea’s website briefly gave away what sidekick may be joining Kong in the upcoming Donkey Kong Bananza.
Though the image was quickly switched out with a less revealing one, it wasn’t quite quick enough for ResetEra, which managed to grab a screenshot before the website was changed.
In most key art associated with the game, we see Kong smashing a fist into the ground, throwing up a shower of rocks and rubble, with the purple, rock-like Odd Rock behind him. The image on the Korean website essentially showed the same, but with one key difference: Odd Rock is missing, and a young Pauline is holding on for dear life to Kong’s necktie.
This is the first time Pauline’s been acknowledged in any of the images, teaser trailers, or hands-on previews shown thus far, suggesting Nintendo was perhaps hoping to keep her appearance a surprise. Whoops!
More intriguingly still, Pauline’s young age suggests Donkey Kong Bananza could be a prequel of some sort — although again, Nintendo’s tight-lipped on that for now.
“I think Bananza is on track to be one of the most gorgeous Nintendo games I’ve seen,” we wrote in our Donkey Kong Bananza first hands-on preview. “It really does take advantage of Switch 2’s hardware — the environments are beautiful and DK’s animations are wonderfully expressive, and I left feeling like the next generation of first-party Nintendo games had truly arrived.”
Vikki Blake is a reporter, critic, columnist, and consultant. She’s also a Guardian, Spartan, Silent Hillian, Legend, and perpetually High Chaos. Find her at BlueSky.
I’ve got today’s top deals lined up and honestly, it’s a bit of a vibe. There’s a handcrafted MainGear rig that looks like it belongs in a design museum and crushes modern games, a Pokémon TCG tin that leaves your pulls up to fate, and a Humble Bundle full of giant alien bugs and unapologetic chaos.
MainGear Custom RTX 5070 PC, Pokémon TCG, and a Skyrim Dragonborn Helmet
Waiting on Nintendo Switch 2 pre-orders? I’ve found a great deal on a Sandisk 256gb Micro SD Express card too . Oh, and if you’ve ever wanted to cosplay as a Dovahkiin desk ornament, the IGN Store has something special. I think it’s a solid haul; useful stuff, actual value, no sketchy third-party sellers in sight (Although Amazon is getting a bit cheeky with their Pokémon TCG mark-ups). Let’s break it down.
MainGear North RTX 5070
I think this is one of the smartest ways to get your hands on an RTX 5070 without building from scratch or skimping on quality. MAINGEAR’s setup skips all the common bottlenecks — no mismatched parts, no airflow nightmares, no “good enough” corners cut. For $2,095, you’re getting a clean combo of a Ryzen 5 7600X CPU, 16GB of DDR5 RGB RAM, and a 1TB NVMe SSD, all assembled by people who care about things like cable management. It’s future-ready, quiet, and fast enough to leave your current rig feeling like a potato in comparison.
Pokemon TCG: Azure Legends Tin – 5 Packs
This tin is pure Pokémon chaos in the best way. You get one random promo card—Kyogre ex, Xerneas ex, or Dialga ex—and five booster packs; 2 x Surging Sparks, 1 x Stellar Crown, 1 x Temporal Forces and 1 x Obsidian Flames. It’s a fun, low-stakes gamble for collectors or casual players who want a shot at good pulls without needing to take out a second mortgage.
Humble Bundle: Earth Defense Force Collection
EDF is the kind of game where logic goes out the window and fun takes over, and this $25 Humble Bundle gives you the best of it — EDF 5, EDF 4, World Brothers 2, plus a ton of downloadable content. I think this is worth it just for the laugh-out-loud co-op mayhem alone, and it doesn’t hurt that part of the proceeds go to charity while you blast oversized bugs into space.
SanDisk 256GB microSD Express microSD Card
If your current microSD card loads like it’s on a coffee break, or if you need to expand your Nintendo Switch 2 storage on launch day, this one’s a serious upgrade. I want this SanDisk Express card purely for the ridiculous transfer speeds — up to 880MB/s read and 650MB/s write. It’s built for 4K video, gaming, and surviving every possible disaster short of lava, and it’ll likely outlive every other accessory in your bag.
Pokémon TCG: Shining Fates Collection Pikachu V Box
The Shining Fates Pikachu V Box is a great grab if you’re chasing shiny cards or just really into oversized electric rodents. You get a Pikachu V promo, a jumbo card version for display, and four Shining Fates booster packs. It’s pricey, but Shining Fates is out of print.
The Elder Scrolls Skyrim – Dragonborn Helmet – Replica
This Skyrim Dragonborn helmet replica isn’t going to protect you in battle, but it will absolutely level up your desk setup. At just under six inches tall, it’s small enough to display but detailed enough to show off. I think it’s a solid collectible if you’re still emotionally tethered to Skyrim and have no shame in displaying that fact proudly.
Pokémon TCG: Scarlet and Violet Shrouded Fable Elite Trainer Box
This Shrouded Fable ETB is the kind of set that makes you feel like you’ve got your TCG life together. It comes with nine booster packs, a Pecharunt promo, energy cards, dice, and a nice little collector’s box to keep your chaos organized. Shrouded Fable is a slept on set, perfect for trainers who are sick of chasing Journey Together and Prismatic Evolutions stock.
Christian Wait is a contributing freelancer for IGN covering everything collectable and deals. Christian has over 7 years of experience in the Gaming and Tech industry with bylines at Mashable and Pocket-Tactics. Christian also makes hand-painted collectibles for Saber Miniatures. Christian is also the author of “Pokemon Ultimate Unofficial Gaming Guide by GamesWarrior”. Find Christian on X @ChrisReggieWait.
Bungie is finally ready to show us more of its upcoming PvP extraction shooter, Marathon, with an all-new gameplay livestream slated for this Saturday, April 12 (or 13, depending where you are in the world).
Last week, the Destiny developer dropped a mysterious tweet that included a bizarre 15-second video that immediately set fans sleuthing as part of an “extensive alternative reality game.”
Players realized that within the ASCII art was “a snippet of footage from the initial trailer,” and if they looked closely, they “notice[d] it’s the runner sprinting down a hall from the trailer.”
Another added: “WHEN WILL HE RETURN ERROR ERROR ERROR HAS OCCURRED THE ENEMY RETURNED SYSTEM WARNING: PROTOCOL BREACH EVACUATE THE BASE IMMEDIATELY ALL UNITS REPORT TO STATION INITIATE EMERGENCY PROTOCOL 7 DATA LOSS IMMINENT GOOD LUCK, COMMANDER.”
“Thousands of community members across the world worked together to unlock the gameplay reveal date for Bungie’s upcoming extraction shooter Marathon,” Bungie said in a statement, before revealing this weekend’s livestream is set for 10 am PDT (San Francisco) / 1 pm EDT (New York) / 6 pm BST (London) / 7 pm CEST (Berlin/Paris) / 9 pm GST (Dubai) pr Sunday, April 13 at 2 am JST (Tokyo) / 3 am AEST (Sydney) / 5 pm NZST (Auckland).
Marathon was revealed in May 2023 as a reboot of the classic Bungie franchise, but with all its themes of “mysteries, eeriness, and psychological creepiness.” Set on the mysterious planet of Tau Ceti IV, Marathon will see players inhabit the bodies of Runners, cybernetic mercenaries who have been designed to survive the planet’s harsh environments. While exploring the lost colony that once inhabited the surface, players will search for valuable loot, including new weapons and gear.
Since the initial reveal, however, we’ve seen very little else. We did get a development update video in October that shed light on Marathon’s mechanics, but the studio stressed how early in development the game was.
Vikki Blake is a reporter, critic, columnist, and consultant. She’s also a Guardian, Spartan, Silent Hillian, Legend, and perpetually High Chaos. Find her at BlueSky.
The weekend is officially here, and we’ve rounded up the best deals you can find! Discover the best deals for April 6 below:
Save on LEGO Super Mario
You can save on these two LEGO Super Mario sets right now at Amazon. The first is DK Jumbo, featuring Donkey Kong riding in a unique kart, and the second is Baby Mario vs. Baby Luigi, with two karts included! If you’re a Mario fan, don’t miss out on adding these two amazing LEGO sets to your collection.
Pre-Order the Dan Da Dan Season 1 Blu-ray for $24.49
Dan Da Dan was one of my favorite anime series of 2024, and the fact that you can take home all of Season 1 for just $24.49 is an absolute steal. Following Momo Ayase and Ken Takakura, Dan Da Dan is a comedic adventure that throws together aliens, spirits, and so much more.
Disney Epic Mickey: Rebrushed for $33.99
Disney Epic Mickey: Rebrushed brought the Epic Mickey series back for the first time in years, offering new visuals and retooled combat to the original game. Right now, you can save on this memorable 2024 game, with the Nintendo Switch version priced at $33.99.
This weekend, you can save over $100 off the Logitech G915 TKL Lightspeed Keyboard. This wireless mechanical keyboard is perfect for any setup, with a wide variety of customization options available. You can expect around 40 hours of battery with one full charge, with low profile mechanical switches to deliver faster speed and accuracy with each key press.
Pre-Orders Are Live for Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter
Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter has officially opened pre-orders at Amazon, with both PS5 and Nintendo Switch copies available for $59.99. If you’re unfamiliar with the Trails series, this is a remake of the very first Trails game, making 2025 the perfect time to jump into the series for the very first time. NIS America is set to bring the latest game in the series, The Legend of Heroes: Trails Beyond the Horizon, to North America and Europe later this year, which is the first time ever the series will be caught up worldwide.
SanDisk 1TB Extreme M.2 NVMe SSD for $59.99
If you’re in the market for a new SSD, this SanDisk 1TB Extreme Gen 4 SSD is on sale this weekend for just $59.99. It’s perfect for media storage, games, or anything you need!
Pre-Order A Minecraft Movie Steelbook
A Minecraft Movie is taking over the internet right now, whether for one of Jack Black’s lines or the sold-out cinemas across the world. As the movie is out now, you can now pre-order this limited edition Steelbook from Amazon. Don’t miss your chance to lock in your pre-order for A Minecraft Movie!
Save on LEGO Animal Crossing
You can also save on LEGO Animal Crossing this weekend. These two sets are very high quality with a lot to offer! First, there’s the Dodo Airlines set, which includes the iconic airport found in Animal Crossing New Horizons, plane and all. You can also save on the K.K.’s Concert in The Plaza Set, which includes town hall, a vehicle, and figures of K.K. Slider, Isabelle, and more!
Apple AirTag 4 Pack
Why buy one AirTag when you can get four for just $69.99, down from $99? Throw one in your luggage, attach one to your keys, slap one in your backpack, and hand one to a forgetful friend. With Ultra Wideband Precision Finding and the Find My network, losing your stuff is basically impossible. This 4-pack is one of the best deals Apple offers, so grab it while it’s discounted.
$40 Off This LEGO Back to The Future Time Machine Set
You can also save $40 off the LEGO Icons Back to The Future Time Machine set. If you’re a fan of the beloved sci-fi trilogy, this is the perfect set to add some out of this world decor to your collection.
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth for $32.99
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is $32.99 at Woot right now, making this the lowest we’ve ever seen the RPG. The massive adventure across the planet to track Sephiroth was one of the biggest games of 2024, and it’s absolutely a must-play game. A 40+ hour main story awaits, with over 35 side quests available after you clear the story.
College Football 25 for $9.99
College Football 25 is only $9.99 at Best Buy right now for Xbox Series X. The world of college football is ever-expanding, and this is by far the biggest celebration ever made in a video game. Every FBS team is playable, totaling up to 134 different teams to choose from, with all unique traditions, songs, and chants implemented as well.
Sonic Prime Season 1 Blu-ray for $11.33
Sonic fans, you can take home season 1 of Sonic Prime today for only $11.33 at Amazon. All eight episodes of the first season are available in this set, which is perfect for starting your Blu-ray collection.
