August 2012 Notable Toys — Card Games

The Magic: The Gathering game expands every year, introducing new worlds filled with deadly perils, ancient adversaries, and fantastic new adventures. At its center is the Magic core set, the game in its purest form: evocative spells, menacing creatures, and infinite possibilities. But even at its core, the experience is ever-changing. The Magic 2013 Core Set boldly continues this tradition. Includes 249 Total Cards, 15 Mythic Rares, 53 Rares, 60 Uncommons, and 101 Commons. Launch date: July 13, 2012.
— Bryan Raddatz, manager of The Time Machine in Manchester, Conn., told TDmonthly that their best selling item is Magic the Gathering from Wizards of the Coast. They sell up to 900 units a month when a new release comes out.

Pet Frenzied™ is frantic, furry fun for the whole family, where pets hide and players seek. It’s a get up and move, hide and seek, memory card game, where Seekers grab a House card and go in search of an adorable matching Pet card. Launch date: July 2012.

Players spin the spinner on their turn, then roll the dice. Players have 3 rolls or less to match the rummy hand on the spinner – but look out for a bonus or penalty that can help or hurt. Win the most points and win the game. When players are done, they can use the dice to play a different game. Game Contents: 9 Square Shooters® dice, spinner, dice cup, and scorepad.
Awards: 2012 Creative Child Magazine Game of the Year Award; Summer 2012 Tillywig Award Winner

Crappy Birthday is the hilarious game of giving bad gifts. The goal is to choose the worst gift for each player. Laughing together at funny pictures and the ensuing banter make this game a winner.
— As of 07/18/2012 this product had 4.6 out of 5 stars from 17 reviews on Amazon.com.
Awards: Summer 2012 Tillywig Award Winner

Play Magic: The Gathering and discover why it’s the world’s premier trading card game. Start with a deck of cards filled with potent spells and fearsome creatures. Then take on the mantle of a Planeswalker, a powerful mage, and challenge friends in the ultimate battle of wits.

The Kaijudo Battle Decks are the first true test of your Kaijudo abilities: two perfectly matched 40-card decks for duelist training between you and a friend. Each deck comes in a special case replicating actual tablets from the Kaijudo dojo Library and has one of two iconic creatures: Tatsurion the Unchained and Razorkinder Puppet of Miasma Pit. Launch date: June 26th, 2012.
— As of 09/17/2012 this product had 4.6 out of 5 stars from 5 reviews on Amazon.com.

Players take turns drawing number cards and remembering a growing sequence of digits. If a player draws a Distraction card they must answer a quirky question before reciting the numbers in order. Get caught repeating the sequence incorrectly and collect the cards – the first player to run out of cards wins.

Top Trumps is a card game. Each card contains a list of numerical data, and the aim of the game is to compare these values in order to try to trump and win an opponent's card. Packs available in several licenses including Star Wars, Marvel Comics, DC Comics, Hello Kitty, and many more.

To begin, one card is randomly drawn from those not given to players. This is placed in the middle of the table, date-side up and is the starting point of a chronological line which will slowly be built by players. The first player then chooses one of their cards. If the player thinks that the invention on their card came before that of the initial card, the player places their card to the left of the initial card. The player's card is then turned date-side up. If the player was right, it remains on the table. Otherwise, the card is discarded and a new one must be drawn to replace it. Play proceeds clockwise. The more cards which are correctly played, the harder it is to correctly place new ones.
— In a February 2014 survey, Julie Steinbach, owner of Rainbow Toys in Falmouth, Maine, told TDmonthly that Timeline from Asmodee was a best-selling game at their store.
— David Stelzer, owner of Shananigans in Baltimore, Md., told TDmonthly in an October 2014 survey that Timeline was his store's best-selling tween item.
— In a February 2015 survey, two out of 11 retailers told TDmonthly that Timeline was their best-selling game.

Crazy creatures abound in this fast-paced, mixed-up matching race. Draw a card to reveal the challenge. Will players need to find the identical creatures within two differently colored frames, or do quick math once they spot the numbers? Race against opponents to spot it or solve it. The winner keeps the card. The first to collect enough cards to spell "Look Look," takes the game. Game board is comprised of eight interchangeable frames, making it a new game every time it's played. Includes 68 challenge cards. 2 or more players.