Category: News?

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Win-A-Box! Blissful Eternity

Are you ready?

It’s time for us to host our very first Win-a-Box Event. Honestly, looking back on it, I have no idea why we haven’t done this sooner!

We finally found an open slot on the schedule, and we are locking it in for this Friday. We’re also switching things up from our usual late-night schedule—instead of our signature midnight kickoff, we are starting a lot earlier. We’re looking at an official start time of 10:00 PM.

And yes, we are taking over our usual haunt at Mr. Gyros once again!

🎁 The Grand Prize & Prizing Structure

What’s up for grabs? First place takes home a full, sealed Blissful Eternity Booster Box.

If you’ve been to any of our events, you already know the golden rule: nobody walks away empty-handed from Kardboard Korner. Even if you have a rough night and place dead last, you’ll still walk out the door with at least 3 booster packs in hand just for coming out and playing.

Is that all? Of course not.

We are firing off this tournament with a minimum of 4 players. To make things even sweeter, we will be adding another full Booster Box to the prize pool for every 3 additional players that show up! The bigger the crowd, the more packs our runners-up get to crack open.

📍 Event Details & Summary

  • Date: This Friday

  • Start Time: 10:00 PM

  • Entry Fee: $20.00

  • Venue: Mr. Gyros — 9229 S. Cicero Ave, Oak Lawn, IL 60453

Are you coming out to claim the box this Friday? Drop a comment on the blog so we can get an accurate head count before we set up the tables!

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What a weekend we just had!

While everyone else was out enjoying the 4th of July, we were dealing with a different kind of fireworks—tech problems. Once again, an SSL malfunction reared its ugly head, and we spent the holiday weekend trying to get it sorted out. From the looks of it, everything is finally back to normal and the site is stable. It is always incredibly frustrating when your website goes down out of the blue, especially when you are actively trying to prep the shop for a major set release.

Speaking of which, the Blissful Eternity Midnight Prerelease is right around the Korner! We are officially 25 days away from Friday, July 31st. We will be dropping more specific venue details later this week, but if you’ve already been to one of our midnight events, you already know what kind of hype is in store.

The Great Windows 11 Document Headache 🖥️

In other tech news, I finally got a new work computer, and I’ve gotta say: I am absolutely not liking Windows 11 right now.

The biggest issue? They completely stripped away native support for Rich Text Documents (.rtf). Since the vast majority of our operational files, lists, and templates were built using Rich Text, it’s created a massive headache. Now, I have to go through the painstaking process of converting all those old files into simple text documents or finding a workaround just to access our data. If you’ve got a smooth trick for handling this transition, my inbox is wide open.

Lorcana Flash Sale (And How We Got It) 🧚

If you’ve been keeping an eye on our TCGPlayer store over the last few days, you might have noticed some Disney Lorcana singles hitting the shelves. Well, blink and you missed them, because they have been absolutely flying out the door. We had one massive batch of listings that completely sold out before morning!

Does this mean Kardboard Korner is officially breaking into Lorcana? Probably not. We aren’t planning to stock it regularly, but I definitely won’t second-guess buying a collection next time someone brings one to the table. We actually almost turned this specific batch down entirely, but it was bundled into a much larger, high-value Final Fantasy TCG collection that we just couldn’t pass up. Our loss is your gain, and the local Lorcana community wasted no time clearing it out!

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World Cup Fever & Going All In on Soccer Bulk!

There is nothing quite like World Cup fever, and when the kids get hooked, you know you’re locked in. That family blaster box ritual sounds perfect—splitting 7 packs means everyone gets their 3, and dad gets the leftover “draft pick” right from the table. It’s the best way to open cards.

And man, I feel your pain on the Coke Zero. Panini and Coca-Cola really knew what they were doing putting those exclusive 2026 World Cup stickers right underneath the bottle wrappers. If it takes drinking a mountain of zero-sugar soda to finish that dedicated Coca-Cola album page, then hey—it’s a sacrifice for the collection!

You guessed it, though. We’ve dabbled in soccer cards before, but with the excitement in the air, Kardboard Korner is officially jumping into the soccer market with both feet! 

We’re already big Soccer fans, it only makes sense to

We Want Your Soccer Bulk! ⚽

Whether it’s MLS, UEFA, or any international soccer cards taking up space in your boxes—we are buying. We want it all, and we’re keeping our standard bulk pricing simple:

  • Our Bulk Rate: $10.00 per 1,000 cards

  • What we accept: MLS, UEFA, World Cup inserts, base cards, and anything in between.

🚨 Grail Hunt: Mike Magee Rookie Card

On a personal note, I am actively hunting for a Mike Magee Rookie card. If you’ve got one sitting in your collection or a binder that you’re willing to part with, let’s make a deal.

How to Turn Your Cardboard into Cash:

If you’ve got bulk soccer collections to clear out, or that Magee rookie card ready to trade, hit us up directly:

📨 Email us at: kardboardkorner@gmail.com

Pack up those unwanted cards and let’s get them out of your closets and onto our digital shelves!

Are your kids hunting for any specific players in those blaster boxes, or are they just trying to complete the Panini sticker album before the matches kick off?

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The Scions Return: Heavensward Starter Set Incoming

We’ve got some massive news to tack onto the Memories of Life hype train—a brand-new Custom Starter Set is officially headed our way!

Starter sets are always the perfect entry point for new players, but veteran deckbuilders know they also pack some serious heat. The cards inside are built to synergize perfectly right out of the box. Given how dominant Final Fantasy XIV decks have been in past metas, this new release might be exactly what the Scions need to climb right back to the top of the competitive ladder.

Here is the breakdown for the upcoming FINAL FANTASY XIV – Heavensward Custom Starter Set, along with a first look at what these new cards can actually do.

Key Details & Release Date

Mark your calendars—this pre-constructed deck is themed around the critically acclaimed Heavensward expansion and is locked in for release later this autumn:

  • Release Date: October 9, 2026

  • Elements: Ice & Lightning

  • Format: Ready-to-play right out of the box, featuring an intuitive learning curve for beginners alongside high-level strategic options for seasoned competitive players.

What’s in the Box?

This deck isn’t just a standard 50-card pile; it comes fully equipped with a modern setup, including a dedicated Limit Break deck:

  • 58 Cards Total

  • 1 Main Deck (50 cards)

  • 1 LB Deck (8 cards)

  • 2 Quick Start Guides

Newly Illustrated Cards & Card Text Breakdown

The Heavensward set introduces 12 brand-new cards. Collectors take note: 5 of these cards feature exclusive, newly drawn artwork capturing iconic heroes and villains from the expansion.

Even better, we now have a look at how these new cards operate on the field, and the FFXIV tribal synergy is off the charts:

Newly Illustrated Cards (5 Total)

  • [30-121S] Haurchefant (Includes 1 Full Art Premium version!)

    • He breaks an opponent’s Forward if you control 5 FFXIV Characters. Plus, you can send Haurchefant to the Break Zone to completely reduce the next damage dealt to a Forward of your choice to 0. A true protector!

  • [30-127S] Tataru

    •  A pure value engine. If you have at least 4 FFXIV Characters on the field, she draws you a card.

  • [30-128S] Ysayle

    •  Magnificent as always. If you have a full board of Scions or any FFXIV Characters established, she’s highly likely to freeze your opponent’s entire board. Talk about a lockdown piece.

  • [30-129S] Alphinaud

    •  When he enters, he reveals the top 2 cards of your deck and lets you add one to your hand, provided it’s an FFXIV Character. Great consistency tool.

  • [30-130S] Estinien

    • Just Estinien being Estinien. If your opponent controls a Forward with over 9000 power, he gains Haste. Even crazier: every time he attacks, if you control at least 4 FFXIV Characters, he instantly breaks one of your opponent’s Forwards.

Additional New Cards (7 Total)

  • [30-119S] Yeti

  • [30-120S] Emmanellain

  • [30-122S] Nidhogg

  • [30-123S] Count Edmont de Fortemps

  • [30-124S] Dragon-King Thordan

  • [30-126S] Cid Garlond

  • [30-125S] Coeurlregina

The Verdict

Whether you’re a collector chasing that gorgeous Full Art Haurchefant, an FFXIV fan loyal to the Ishgard crew, or a competitor looking to break the Ice/Lightning meta wide open with Estinien and Ysayle, Square Enix is delivering on their promise. This set elevates both visual appeal and on-board power beyond any starter deck we’ve seen to date.

We can’t wait to get these into the shop and onto your tables this October!

What do you think of these card effects? Does Ysayle look like a mandatory inclusion for Ice/Lightning, or are you more excited about Estinien’s Limit Break utility? Let us know in the comments!

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Memories of Life

We’re jumping straight into the big news today—Opus XXX : Memories of Life has been officially revealed! This set is breaking tradition in a few ways and looks like a massive love letter to Final Fantasy IX.

Here is the breakdown of what we know so far:

Pack Art & Themes

For the first time in FFTCG history, we are getting three different pack designs in a single set! All three feature characters from Final Fantasy IX, confirming that this legendary title is the centerpiece of the set. Personally, I’m crossing my fingers that we finally get some Tantalus cards to round out the FFIX roster.

The Gold Signature: Shantotto

Our Gold Stamped Signature card for this set is the legendary Shantotto.

I’ll be honest—at first glance, I didn’t recognize her! I thought it was one of the Tarutarus from Opus XIX: From Nightmares, and I was genuinely confused why they’d give a Tarutaru the Full Art Signature treatment. But now that the dust has settled, I can say it is an absolutely gorgeous card.

The Return of Noir & Legacy Cards

The Noir collection continues to grow! This time, Sephiroth is getting the black-and-white treatment. Since both Noir cards so far are Final Fantasy VII characters, I’m starting to wonder if they are slowly reprinting the cards from the exclusive Noir art book.

We also have a killer lineup of Legacy cards:

  • Tifa (Dawn of Heroes)

  • Cyan (Beyond Destiny) — That Cyan card is definitely the standout for me.

  • Vegnagun (Tears of the Planet)

Multi-Element Comeback

Multi-Element cards (the non-Limit Break versions) are officially back! It’s been 11 Opuses since we last saw these in From Nightmares, so it’s about time they made a return to the meta.

 

Card Spotlight: Shantotto (30-080L)

Let’s look at the math on this new Shantotto, because it is potentially terrifying.

  • Cost/Power: 8 CP / 9000 Power

  • Element: Lightning

  • The “Free Play” Potential: Shantotto’s cost is reduced for each Lightning Character you control. If you’ve built your board right, she can effectively be a Free Play.

The Board Wipe: When she enters the field, she deals 1000 damage to all Forwards (excluding herself) for every Lightning Character you control.

The Math: If you have 8 characters out to make her free, she enters and deals 8000 damage + 1000 for herself = 9000 damage to the entire board.

The Value Engine: As if a board wipe wasn’t enough, every time she attacks, you reveal the top card of your deck. If it’s Lightning, it goes straight to your hand. She clears the path and then refills your resources.

Refia or Sephiroth?

Aside from Shantotto, the other card art revealed so far is top-tier. I’m currently torn between the new Sephiroth and Refia for my favorite art in the set—both look incredible.

What do you think of the new Shantotto? Is she a guaranteed inclusion in your Lightning decks, or is 8 CP too much of a gamble?