Episode 360 - Tinfoil Hat Theory: Aging up the Player Base

In the past we've discussed what we hoped Hasbro and WotC would do, we've done annual retrospectives on if we ran Hasbro, and some of the biggest blunders made in a given year.This fall, with the end of a relentless onslaught of Standard sets on the horizon, we take a look back at the entire year and also a bit of a look forward and discuss some of the things that we're thankful for.With Thursty now back at the LGS level, that brings with it a new perspective and appreciation (or not) for what is happening at the ground level for Magic, and other game.So join us as we take some time and muse about what make us happy in 2026 and a few things we're looking forward to in 2027.Picks of the week: https://goo.gl/2hHEfdFind us on Patreon: https://patreon.com/MTGCabalCastiTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mtg-cabal-cast/id1439847289?mt=2Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/78wBQ3FZyg3dTquca3dxNZStitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/show/mtg-cabal-cast

With the triumphant return of Thursty to the LGS ecosystem at a time when there are ton of new up and coming games, we thought it would be a great time to discuss what it's like working with distributors and why that relationship is one of the most important ones you can cultivate.In this episode we discuss the vendors that an LGS works with directly, what they specialize in, and why it's important to work with your rep, directly, at each distro.And these aren't just elements of business relationship building that LGS's require, but even vendors and big box retail require similar relationships as well, so this information translates all the way up the totem pole.Picks of the week: https://goo.gl/2hHEfdFind us on Patreon: https://patreon.com/MTGCabalCastiTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mtg-cabal-cast/id1439847289?mt=2Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/78wBQ3FZyg3dTquca3dxNZStitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/show/mtg-cabal-cast

Reality Fracture, the 112th Magic the Gathering expansion is on the horizon, which means it's time to review our "hype" assessments for The Hobbit.How accurate were we? Were we off base or was it the children who were?Picks of the week: https://goo.gl/2hHEfdFind us on Patreon: https://patreon.com/MTGCabalCastiTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mtg-cabal-cast/id1439847289?mt=2Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/78wBQ3FZyg3dTquca3dxNZStitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/show/mtg-cabal-cast

With the triumphant return of Thursty to the LGS ecosystem at a time when there are ton of new up and coming games, we thought it would be a great time to discuss what it's like working with distributors and why that relationship is one of the most important ones you can cultivate.This week we cover some of the basics, like why you want to order from a number of distros, and some of the more important things, like why you should be ordering from multiple distros.And these aren't just elements of business relationship building that LGS's require, but even vendors and big box retail require similar relationships as well, so this information translates all the way up the totem pole.Picks of the week: https://goo.gl/2hHEfdFind us on Patreon: https://patreon.com/MTGCabalCastiTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mtg-cabal-cast/id1439847289?mt=2Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/78wBQ3FZyg3dTquca3dxNZStitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/show/mtg-cabal-cast

This week, a month after going into effect, we look back at the August 10, 2026 ban list and how each of the impacts formats have responded.Have new metagames arisen? Are there new decks being played and new strategies forming? Have the newest sets started to shine through in meaningful ways?Or is it all just business as usual and problems layered on top of problems?Picks of the week: https://goo.gl/2hHEfdFind us on Patreon: https://patreon.com/MTGCabalCastiTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mtg-cabal-cast/id1439847289?mt=2Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/78wBQ3FZyg3dTquca3dxNZStitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/show/mtg-cabal-cast

The Hobbit, the 112th Magic the Gathering expansion is on the horizon, which means it's time to review our "hype" assessments for Marvel Super Heroes.How accurate were we? Were we off base or was it the children who were?Picks of the week: https://goo.gl/2hHEfdFind us on Patreon: https://patreon.com/MTGCabalCastiTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mtg-cabal-cast/id1439847289?mt=2Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/78wBQ3FZyg3dTquca3dxNZStitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/show/mtg-cabal-cast

After a number of weeks of coast to coast travel, we've finally returned. Older. Wiser. And with new knowledge and insight from various collectors markets thanks to a pop over at Fanatics Fest!This week we discuss what it was like to go from Collect-A-Con to Fanatics Fest and back, the kinds of things we saw at each location that made them unique. It wasn't just a show of Pokemon, Magic the Gathering, and Sports collectibles, it was a showing of the collector community.Picks of the week: https://goo.gl/2hHEfdFind us on Patreon: https://patreon.com/MTGCabalCastiTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mtg-cabal-cast/id1439847289?mt=2Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/78wBQ3FZyg3dTquca3dxNZStitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/show/mtg-cabal-cast

We worked the July 2026 Collect-A-Con together for Level Up Games, had a great time, and were able to record at the end of each day.In this episode we discuss what we expected, what we saw, and some of the trends from the Collect-A-Con series this year.Picks of the week: https://goo.gl/2hHEfdFind us on Patreon: https://patreon.com/MTGCabalCastiTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mtg-cabal-cast/id1439847289?mt=2Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/78wBQ3FZyg3dTquca3dxNZStitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/show/mtg-cabal-cast

We know that the player base for Magic is increasing, Hasbro has called this out for two years in a row in their Financial review but... what if... it's been a plan all along. What if Hasbro has been pushing to increase the average player age for the last 30 years, from the mid-to-high teens towards 40.Join us this week as we don our tinfoil hats and discuss how Hasbro might be doing this and possible "whys" behind this push.https://www.ign.com/special/generationsinplay/https://www.polygon.com/magic-the-gathering-universes-beyond-defense/Picks of the week: https://goo.gl/2hHEfdFind us on Patreon: https://patreon.com/MTGCabalCastiTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mtg-cabal-cast/id1439847289?mt=2Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/78wBQ3FZyg3dTquca3dxNZStitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/show/mtg-cabal-cast

Marvel Super Heroes, the 112th Magic the Gathering expansion is on the horizon, which means it's time to review our "hype" assessments for Secrets of Strixhaven.How accurate were we?Were we off base or was it the children who were?Picks of the week: https://goo.gl/2hHEfdFind us on Patreon: https://patreon.com/MTGCabalCastiTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mtg-cabal-cast/id1439847289?mt=2Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/78wBQ3FZyg3dTquca3dxNZStitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/show/mtg-cabal-cast