Battle & Board — Attraction in Raleigh

“Battle & Board: The Last Sanctum” An Account from the Eternal Archives of the Planeswalkers' Guild

Tucked between the shifting veils of Raleigh’s concrete and spell-drift lies a portal to another plane—one not listed in any Codex or Planar Atlas. You’ll know you’re close when the air begins to hum like an untapped land and the scent of cardboard and possibility hangs thick in the aether. This is no mere shop. This is Battle & Board—a sanctum carved from mana and myth, where decks clash, stories bloom, and legends awaken.

Within its walls, the multiverse unfolds. Planes converge. Decks ignite. And from every color of mana come warriors, mages, rogues, and brewers—each drawn by the same current: the pursuit of legend.

But the Sanctum does not stand by spells alone. It is held together by one figure—The Owner. Not a king. Not a merchant. A presence. A legend in his own right. Cloaked in chill like an Ice Age breeze and sharp as a Lightning Bolt, he presides over Battle & Board not with arrogance, but with effortless cool. There’s no gatekeeping here—only gateways. He greets all who enter not as strangers, but as future champions.

His vibe says it all.

And oh, the vibe.

Battle & Board thrums with the energy of a good draw and a great laugh. The people who gather here? They’re the real deal. Veterans trading tales of tournaments past, newcomers learning to cast their first spell, rogue deckbuilders testing chaos incarnate—everyone’s welcome, everyone’s seen, and everyone’s part of the story.

The Saturday afternoon drafts (1pm to those of the common realm) are spells unto themselves—easygoing, but infused with raw fun and fiery plays. You’ll find no pressure here, just the joy of cracking packs, slamming bombs, and building strange little masterpieces. It's where Planeswalkers of every level sit side by side, forging decks from the chaos and laughing at each other's luck—or lack thereof. Even the misplays feel like part of the magic.

Conversations here spark like Storm triggers. Games are fierce but friendly—high-stakes duels that end in handshakes, rematches, and shared awe at that one perfect top-deck. It’s the kind of place where a Commander pod feels like a fellowship, and where trading cards feels like exchanging arcane secrets.

And when the last spell resolves and the battlefield clears, you won’t just remember the wins or the wild top-decks—you’ll remember the feeling. That rare sense that you weren’t just passing time, but stepping into a living saga. At Battle & Board, every card played adds to a shared mythos, and every player is both witness and hero. This isn’t just where the game happens. It’s where the story lives.

To walk into Battle & Board is to planeswalk into a realm where stories are forged with every draw step and victory is measured not only in life totals but in friendships gained.

Verdict: 5/5 Mana Crystals A legendary land—untapped, unspoiled, and absolutely...

Caution: If you’re looking to sell Pokémon cards and aren’t sure what they go for or what the market values is … avoid Battle & Board at all costs.

I was very transparent walking in letting the owner (I believe) know that I have these old cards and just don’t know what they are worth. I also let him know that I was looking to sell them.

He is either not up to speed with the market or he was looking to make a quick pay day. In either case, I don’t think that’s in the best interest of any customer walking in to this store. I completely understand that there is overhead he has to pay for his business and that he needs to make a certain margin on cards he buys but I’m thankful that I didn’t leave all my cards with him.

Long story not so short, I brought in roughly 100-125 Pokémon cards with about 15 Halo Cards and miscellaneous unique cards that I was hoping to learn more about and ultimately sell. He skimmed through them, pointed out a couple that “could have been valuable” if the condition was better and then proceeded to offer me roughly $60 for the entire lot of cards. He then offered me a “second offer” for a smaller portion of cards for $35. Something didn’t feel entirely right but he said he had an emotional connection to one of the cards, wanted it for his wife, so in the moment I figured I’ll let the small portion go and keep the majority with me.

I proceeded to visit 3 more stores the same day and came to find out that the total market value of the cards I had, minus what I sold to Battle & Board, was actually worth roughly $500-700. I ended up selling a total of 12 cards to Underworld Card and Games for $305 and went home with the rest of my cards to list individually after they took the time to explain to me how much certain cards are worth.

You live and you learn but I do wish I had skipped Battle & Board overall. I visited this store first based on the glowing “5.0” reviews and unfortunately regret leaving the portion of cards that I did with the owner, something tells me they were worth significantly more than $35.

I hate leaving 1-Star reviews, especially for small business owners, but the difference in value wasn’t $20, $30, or $40 … the difference was $100s of dollars - that’s...

MTG, Pokemon folks, if you are in the north Raleigh area or beyond, this is the spot. Beyond being stocked with the lastest card sets, this store offers a cozy vibe to just come hangout and collect or play your favorite TCGs. They even have a whole library of free to play board games perfect for any game night.

Beyond just running his business, Robert (owner) seems genuinely interested in building a community and giving them a space where all feel welcome. Beyond standard events like drafts, sealed pre releases and such, he's always receptive to what kinds of events his customers want to participate in, and tries his best to cater to his community in any way he can.

The latest event I participated at B&B was MTG FF pre-release and it was a blast. Best one I've been to by far. Not only was everything priced extremely fair, but rather than just make a quick payday as much or fast as he could, Robert made sure to limit purchases on highly in demand items so that everyone who walked through door had a chance to participate that night. On top of that, B&B when above and beyond with a pizza party halfway through event. It was awesome!

This kind of care and attention towards its small but growing community is why I cannot recommend Battle & Board enough and why it's become my LGS of choice whenever I feel like plainswalking through...