Just Games

Just Games is a tabletop game store at 29 W Nelson St in downtown Lexington, Virginia, with a deep Magic: The Gathering program, a Pokémon booster and sealed-product shelf, and a calendar that runs from Warhammer painting nights to kids' Dungeons & Dragons. It suits Magic players who want regular Standard, Commander and draft events, and families and hobbyists who want a general game store rather than a cards-only counter.

What's on the shelves

Cards are one part of a wider tabletop stock. The store carries booster packs and singles for Magic: The Gathering, and Pokémon booster packs and other sealed products. Pokémon singles are not bought or sold. Other trading card games, miniature wargames, modeling paints and accessories, role-playing games and accessories, puzzles, craft kits and plushies fill out the floor, along with a wide range of board games, from party and cooperative games to eurogames and classics like Chess and Backgammon. Disc golf discs are ordered periodically.

Warhammer 40,000 and Warhammer Age of Sigmar miniatures are in stock with Citadel paints and tools, and any Games Workshop product can be ordered on request. Orders for board games, RPGs, trading card games and other miniatures go in weekly, so an item that isn't on the shelf can usually be ordered.

Buying Magic cards

The store buys Magic cards for trade-in credit or cash. Cards that aren't priced individually are bought in bulk at 30 cents per Mythic, 10 cents per Rare and $5 per thousand Commons and Uncommons. Cards that are priced individually must be unsleeved and brought in alphabetical order.

As a rough guide, offers run 70 percent of market for store credit and 50 percent for cash. Cards worth $1.50 to $3 carry a 30 cent buy price, and cards under $1.50 are treated as bulk. The store may pass on cards it already has too many copies of or from sets released in the past month. Condition is checked in person, and a collection may need to be left at the shop while it is processed. Store credit works for anything in the shop and for event entries.

Events and organized play

Commander, Standard and Limited are the most popular Magic formats here. Casual Commander afternoons run on some Sundays, most tournaments are Standard or booster drafts, and Sealed prerelease events run when a new set comes out. A Standard tournament is scheduled for Friday, October 30, 2026, with a $7 entry. The Star Trek Prerelease for Magic is set for early November 2026. New players can get a free starter deck and an in-person walkthrough of the rules, and an appointment helps avoid a wait while staff help other customers.

The calendar reaches well beyond Magic. It includes Lorcana, Riftbound, Star Wars: Unlimited, Gundam and Pokémon events, a Pokémon prerelease, and a Pokéween 2026 Pokémon day on October 31. Miniature gaming and painting nights run on Mondays and Wednesdays, with a Warhammer paint demo night, puzzle contests, and Dungeons & Dragons campaigns for adults and for kids. A Mah Jongg meet up runs on Thursday nights or Saturday afternoons.

Many events, especially role-playing games, need an RSVP, and seats are limited. Events can be signed up for online.

Store policies

Sealed items can be returned within 14 days of purchase with a receipt. Purchases can be shipped when the order is paid by credit card over the phone. Gift wrapping is free all year. Personal checks are accepted at the store's discretion, and well-behaved, house-trained dogs are welcome inside.

Hours and getting there

Free parking is in McCrum's Lot off S Jefferson St, right behind the shop, with no time limit on weekends.

The shop sits just off I-81 and I-64, about 40 minutes south of Staunton, 50 minutes north of Roanoke, an hour northwest of Lynchburg and 30 minutes east of Clifton Forge. On weekdays until 5 PM, street parking is limited to 2 hours and parking lots to 3 hours.

History

The store opened on September 5, 2018, in a space called The Hub that was converted from a putt-putt course into the shop and two other businesses in the Launch Lex program. In October 2020 it moved to its current downtown storefront for more room. It is owned by two Lexington residents who met on the track team at Washington & Lee University.

The local scene

Valley Card Show, about 55 miles away, next begins on November 21, 2026.