Holiday Gift Shopping

by Terence Jason Dorman

The holiday season is certainly upon us and, as usual, holiday shoping is a high priority for many of us. While some people may be craving the latest smart phone or a really fancy pair of boots, us Spoils players are probably itching to unwrap some Spoils goodies this holiday season.

If you happen to know a Spoils player you'd like to shop for this season, or would just like to treat yourself to a few Spoils related items, consider today's article a buyer's guide to The Spoils for the 2012 holiday season.

Sealed Product

Most Spoils players I know love cracking sealed product, be it to expand their collection or right before a limited tournament. As such, buying your favorite Spoils player some sealed product is probably a safe bet.

But what do you get? There are quite a few options when it comes to sealed Spoils and they are hard to choose from.

If you are buying for an experienced Spoils player, I would definitely suggest a Seed 3: Fall of Marmothoa boxed set. The Seed 3 box contains one of each of the 30 cards found in Seed 3, plus a handful of fun cards that can be used for multiplayer and casual play. It is also the latest expansion released for The Spoils, so it is a safe buy if you know your player hasn't completed his playset of these cards yet.

If you happen to be purchasing for a newbie, I would say it is a toss up between a booster box of Second Edition and a booster box of Seed: Children of the Lingamorph. Seed arguably has more powerful cards, if that is your concern, but it is my personal opinion that the cards found in Second Edition give a better feel for the game and its quirky flavor. Plus, the cards found in Second Edition are the ones that started it all, so they also serve as a bit of a history lesson.

Sleeves

Anyone who knows me knows that I have a Spoils sleeves problem. Every CCG/TCG deck I own is sleeved in Spoils sleeves, which totals to roughly forty-five decks. It is pretty obvious, then, that I would suggest buying Spoils sleeves for your favorite player.

Spoils sleeves, in my opinion, are one of the highest quality sleeves on the market today. Add in the fact that they are absolutely stunning and you have a winner. Plus, they always draw the attention of players of other games, so they also serve as a way of drumming up interest in this great game!

Spoils sleeves currently come in four different colors: blue, red, purple, and green. Blue is the standard sleeve found at most local and online retailers. Red and green are reserved for special promotions and tournament prizes and, sadly, can usually only be found through those events or traded for. Purple sleeves are provided as one of the compensation options for people who write articles for this lovely website, so be sure to write some articles if you want to get your hands on them!

Also, keep in mind that some of the various Spoils singles websites carry the different colored sleeves, though they are usually extremely hard to come by for the reasons mentioned above.

Singles

Speaking of singles, why not pick up some of them? Some players have collections that don't really warrant the need for sealed product and your gift-receiver may be one of those players. If that is the case, try to find out which cards she needs to complete her deck and grab them online!

To my knowledge, there are currently three major Spoils singles websites and each of them is fantastic. The three sites you can check out, if you are so inclined, are Hour11.com, TeamCovenant.com, and ClockmanCardVault.com.

If any of my readers happen to know of other Spoils singles websites that I don't know about, be sure to let me know and I'll amend this article.

Accessories

The Spoils has a lot of fun peripherals that aren't necessary for gameplay but certainly enhance it, including playmats, Micromajig tokens, and various apparel. This very website even has a link over to left that takes you to a great Zazzle store that features officially licensed Spoils merchandise, which includes drinkware, phone cases, office products, and even more apparel.

If you don't see anything that tickles your fancy on Zazzle, head to the trading forums to see if you can wheel and deal for some of the various playmats and apparel that have been given out as tournament prizes in the past. The Spoils community is very kind and generous, so if you are looking for something in particular you should have little trouble finding someone willing to part with it.

I hope this holiday shopping guide makes finding the right gift for your favorite Spoils player just a little bit easier. Also, be sure to have a happy and merry holiday, whichever it is you are celebrating!