Gator Games & Hobby

Gator Games & Hobby is a game store at 4212 Olympic Ave in San Mateo, built around Magic: The Gathering and Yu-Gi-Oh! play with a strong miniatures side. The weekly calendar fills the afternoons and evenings of the week with card tournaments, a free open wargaming day and Warhammer events on weekends, so it suits card players who also paint minis or play D&D.

What's on the shelves

Magic: The Gathering and Yu-Gi-Oh! are the two card games carried, and the store keeps a searchable Magic singles inventory. Miniatures wargaming has real floor space too, with terrain and tables for Warhammer and other systems. The store marks down horror and monster themed games during seasonal sales; a recent Spooky Sale took 20% off all of them.

Buying and trade-ins

The store buys Magic singles. The trade-in rate is 60% of market, up from 50%, and cards on a standing buy list are taken at 70% of market.

Weekly play

Entry fees are plus tax, and the Tuesday and Friday events pay out in boosters and foils or promos.

Tuesday Commander runs two rounds at Bracket 3. Friday Night Magic is Modern Constructed over three to four Swiss rounds, with FNM promos among the prizes. Thursday's Yu-Gi-Oh! locals use the normal Advanced Format and guarantee at least one player extra OTS packs. Wednesday's open wargaming is open to Warhammer or any miniatures wargame, played on the store's terrain and tables.

Warhammer and other events

Warhammer events are scheduled on Saturdays and Sundays. The Warhammer 40K Incursion is a 1000 point Strike Force tournament and the Strike Force event is a 2000 point one. Both use missions from the 10th Edition ruleset, cost $10 plus tax and cap at 8 players. Armies must be WYSIWYG, and a painted army to Battle Ready standard earns 10 points. Rounds run 2 1/2 hours with chess clocks available at either player's request, and scores are reported to the ITC. Warhammer Age of Sigmar 4th Edition Spearhead events also run for a $10 plus tax entry.

A free painting class is held one Saturday or Sunday a month, with paint and brushes provided. The store also runs a D&D Adventurer's League program, and its event lineup includes league night and open gaming.

Hours and getting there

The store is at 4212 Olympic Ave, San Mateo, CA 94403, and the weekday card events start at 4 PM, which suits an after-work or after-school crowd.

The local scene

Several other stores sit within a short drive. Peninsula Sports Cards in Belmont is about 0.4 miles away, and Prairie Games and Merlion Games, both in San Carlos, are 1.5 and 2.3 miles out. Tik Games Llc is in San Mateo, 2.9 miles away.