The War Zone - Mattoon, Illinois

Dannah H.

Frankly, I would rather approach an employee for help if I need it than be bothered by one, and this chill shop was great for me. The cashier sat and just waited for us to browse before we interacted with him. I loved it. I cannot stand being approached as soon as I walk into a store, but if that's what you're looking for, that doesn't really seem to be the vibe here.

Matthew W.

This place is awesome! The new owner has made some changes and I'm looking forward to seeing where this store is heading. They have a wide selection of Pro Acrylic and Citadel Paints. They also have a good selection of Warhammer 40k items and Army Painter products. You get a discount on products which makes there prices very competitive with the online stores. There stock is growing and the employees are willing to help you if you need it. Would definitely recommend swinging by and checking it out. Give them a shot and support your local LGS.

Jeffrey R.

Great place to play on the weekends when they have tournaments. They usual have good selection on packs, all of there singles are ordered on a tablet or online, I enjoy being able to see cards in a case and able to go through boxes but they dont do that. There accessories are a bit over priced vs other card shops/amazon

Robert C.

Lots of magic cards accessories for painting mini game pieces, all kinds of dice. Board games . Lots of tables for game nights. I would have liked to have seen more card sets and decks from a few other popular games. Possibly loose cards for custom deck building. I still enjoyed the visit and encourage others to go check out your store.

Jacob D.

If you're even somewhat ignorant to card games and the like don't bother with this place. I went in not long ago with my SO to shop for the recent Disney TCG release. We were offered to pay an appropriate price with weird phrasing and clearly didn't understand the question. We paid extra because some other people are scalping a product, but we were clearly in to buy and play the product. If the man running the shop wasn't money hungry he would have clarified and we could (and would) have bought an additional deck.

Unfortunately the above is more of a 2-2.5 star situation, the reason for 1 star is the poor representation of the tabletop gaming hobby as a whole. People were talking poorly behind other player's backs loudly and with more curse words than you would hear on the Queen Anne's Revenge. I heard the f bomb dropped every other sentence at one point. The gosh darned Disney TCG JUST CAME OUT! I'd hope they would tone it down if a child was brought in, but I'm not convinced since the man running this shop was in the conversation. The toxicity almost reached a comical point and it felt like a parody of an LGS.

Ultimately this is not a welcoming store and dare I say it is a wolf in sheeps clothing. They likely make a bulk of their money online so they can continue to run it however they want, but it sure does make a person want for more. I can tell you that if you want a Friendly LGS, you'll be better off going 50+ miles any other direction. I will never be back, and I know the owner is probably thinking, "Good riddance!", and that says everything you need to know.

Edit to respond: we stayed in store and opened the packs. It should have been clear that there was confusion. If not, you're being willfully ignorant. Let me give you the playbook:

Sales Person: "Hey, a lot of people are buying this and marking it up excessively online! Let me tear this tab and you will get the manufacturer's suggested retail price!"

Us: "Oh, thanks! We are excited about disney in games, go ahead and give us a head start and rip that bad boy open! It is a shame about those dirty scalping rats."

It really should have been that simple. Instead, it was presented to us as if the person selling the product (presumably you, the owner) intended to crack the packs in a first draft scenario. We understood it to mean that we would get a $20 "discount" if we let this person take a gander and get a money card out of it. I've heard of these sleezy practices in the realm of card sales and we wanted to get the most out of the experience. Next time be more clear and you may demonstrate that you care about more than the bottom line. As it stands, I will just go elsewhere. I expect no reimbursement since it is just $20, but I think people should know that this is a clubhouse first, an online retailer second, and if you're looking for a mediocre game shop... you're better off going to a place that treats all customers with the same level of care and consideration.

Robert K.

The man behind the counter knew his stuff and his suggestions for buying my first setup for Dungeons and Dragons was top notch.

Weiland T. F.

No cards on display, service is awful often the owner is angry, player base is pretty toxic (they cant help that so that wasnt used in stars just worth mentioning). Trade in rates are great, sealed product is insanely expensive. The fnm is 8$ thats 8$ just to play the game and if you have a card its closer to 10. Overall its just not worth going for anything other than trades.

Yiffiny L. L. H.

Supporting and caring workers with lots of knowledge in their business. Friendly staff and customers alike. All around an amazing shop for nerds and gamers like myself. I will definitely keep going back.