Channel Fireball Game Center

PROS
— Competitive players
— Mtg singles selection
— Plenty of space
— Friendly sales staff
CONS
— Poor A/​C.
— My friend got a match loss for being literally 52 seconds late to the first round of a Thursday night standard tournament. Not a game loss or warning, but a match loss. Then his opponent got repaired. There was no players meeting and the tournament started 20 minutes late.
— Tournaments tend to start late.

Unless you are coming for a Magic tournament, avoid this place in favor of the much more diverse game stores, like Game Kastle literally down the road, or Isle of Gamers, or Legends.
Seriously, even ordering pickup from this location isn’t worth it and I live 5 minutes away.
First off, the parking lot will always be a completely packed. Even hours before a tournament on a weekday and not during a major release, I have had trouble finding parking. Note to the staff: maybe have a 15 minute pick up spot right near the front? I’d say 10, but let’s be honest, no non-​tournament patron is able to get in and out in less than 15.
Second, the interior will always be a madhouse. This is the largest Magic gaming store in the Bay Area, so their tournaments will get over 300+ people for the major releases. But how they have designed the store, if you are looking to make a purchase or pickup, there isn’t an easy corner to grab and go. No, the main register and counter is smack in the middle, so you’ll constantly have people hurrying to get to their seat or friend, trying to squeeze past you if they have any social skills; just going through you if not. As others have mentioned, AC is non-​existent, especially in the summer. 300+ people, 90+ degrees outside, it gets uncomfortable.
Third, most of the staff sucks. Look, I get that LGS will get cliquey with the regulars, but most will make sure to service paying customers in order of their arrival. Don’t have a conversation with the person in line behind me, while not helping the person in front of me. On my last trip there, I had ordered pickup. After waiting in line to pickup my order, the clerk behind the counter couldn’t find it, even though I told him it would be in the larger box on the bottom row to the right. He proceeded to look through every other box, and just as another clerk who had previously been doing nothing was about to help him, he found it in the box I told him to look. Yay! That said, some of the staff on slower days are really nice and helpful, but it can be a crap shoot to arrive when it is quiet.
If you are a hardcore Magic tournament player, this is your place (and have probably scoffed at my casualness). And they do have a lot of great sales during the year on singles and sealed products, so I do enjoy the selection. I’m fortunate that I’m moving to San Francisco so I have an excuse to order stuff for delivery and never have to deal with the actual store again.

This is the best place for all of your MTG (Magic the Gathering) needs. They pretty much have everything you would need, and have really competitive prices. CB usually hosts tournaments every single day which can get pretty chaotic. I typically order online (they have slightly better prices there) and pick up in-​store. As a tip, if you order before 3PM they usually are able to ship to the store same day.
The only reason they do not get a full 5 stars is due to their staff at the counter. They are nice people but not always helpful since they are SO busy. I get it since it can be stressful/​hectic but for someone who is just getting into MTG getting to just talk to someone with a little bit of knowledge and time makes a huge difference.

Everyone in the store was extremely snobby. Waited around forever to get help. Feels like they dont care about the little person anymore.

Channel Fireball the business is the absolutely best trading card place in the world. Their staff is the most awesome staff I have experienced anywhere. Very open, gracious, courteous, kind and enjoys your business no matter if you’re spending money or trading cards in. Everybody I have every dealt with here has been nothing short of amazing and I continue to do so much business with Channel because of it. If you’re looking to sell some cards Channel offers you very fair prices unlike other places in the Bay Area and if you’re looking to buy Channel has some of the lowest prices. They are truly a juggernaut that has built an empire with the entire foundation being customer satisfaction.
Channel Fireball the place to play Magic: The Gathering at is one of the worst places in the world but that’s no fault of their own. Since Channel is one of the biggest distributors of Magic their game room attracts the absolute worst Magic players. The extremely arrogant douche bag players that you just want to drag out of the store and beat their faces in. Again, not their fault that is what they attract — when you’re a huge name in anything that revolves around competition you’re always going to bring in the absolutely douchiest people. I’m too old and no longer have any patience to deal with people like that so I taking my gaming to other places, but as far as my business, Channel gets a lot of it and they’ve earned it and they continue to earn it. Their approach to business is all business is welcomed. It’s a shame other places aren’t like that.

This place is the best source for MTG in the bay area. Well done tournaments, great staff, and same day pickup on online orders if you place it before 2pm. I’ve done prerelease and just casual gaming here. Could be a little better ventilated, but everyone is usually polite.
The judges are fantastic and need more praise. I’m a pretty new player and they have been extremely helpfuk, as has the crowd that comes in. Don’t be shy, stop by and play.

As someone who lives in San Jose and commutes to SF for work frequently, I really love the fact I can order online and do in-​store pick up. Nothing is more satisfying that ordering a huge stack of cards and then dropping by on my way home.
I like CFB for their wide selection of cards and MTG related products. The store is a good gaming environment with ample table space, available judges, and enough product for on-​spot purchasing.
Regarding staff, that’s something left to be desired.
When calling in to check on order availability, I’ve had conversations much like this over the phone:
Me: «Hi! I was wondering if I had an order come in. «
Staff: «Okay. What’s your last name?»
Me: «Cedilla. C-​e-​d-​i-​l-​l-​a.»
Staff: «Oh. Cedilla or like whatever?»
Me: «…Yeah. That’s it.»
The staff member’s tone sounded like a mix of apathy and annoyance.
In person, it’s not so much the conversation as it is how staff treat you. On several occasions, I’ve stood at the cashier waiting for help while staff members have non-​business related conversations at the display case. After trying to make eye contact with one staff member several times, I had to say, «May I receive some help please?»
I also once asked about their EDH Sunday gatherings. When I asked a simple question about what the gathering looked like/​how it worked, I was given the same answer repeatedly: «It’s not a sanctioned event». Needless to say, I ended up not coming to CFB on Sunday and instead went to Facebook searching for EDH playgroups.
Yikes. Seems like CFB isn’t too keen on their customer service department or training.
Despite the lackluster interpersonal skills of staff members, I’ll keep coming back to CFB because they’re reliable, fast to ship cards, and have decent prices.

I’m not into MTG but I often buy card sleeves/​card accessories for my board game hobby. Game Kastle down the street has more variety in terms of sizes (i.e. American Board Game size or European Board Game size) but I always grab my favorite card sleeves, KMC Perfect Fit from Channel Fireball. They have it in bulk, it’s cheaper than other online stores and it’s available for local pick-​up.
I ordered online and paid through PayPal. Pick-​up is pretty easy, but they were swamped the day I went, so try to come when they’re not hosting a tournament.
They close late too ~10−11pm or whenever their tournaments end.

Channel Fireball is a really cool place for great game paraphernalia, especially Magic stuff. Parking is difficult sometimes because of the small lot, but you can park on the street and walk, too. Their space is set up well for gaming tournaments, and their selection is expansive. We arrived during a tournament check-​in by accident once, and they weren’t too friendly about telling us to wait until after everyone was checked in. In fact they seemed really overwhelmed and unwelcoming. We didn’t know the tournament was taking place or we would have come a different time. We waited patiently for service though and eventually someone helped us. So it is cool there — just try to find out when they host tournaments or else you will be there a while.

What a way to get back into Unilocaling…
Anyway after a semi-​hiatus I’m sort of regressing into what I’d like to call my second childhood.
This place is known to most MTG fans as a mecca for those in the Bay Area (specifically for South Bay players).
LSV and many nationally acclaimed players rep this spot. I was fortunate enough to have visited and saw the layout of the store. It was a bit limited (no pun intended) in terms of occupancy and parking (hence the lack of a perfect rating). However like many MTG Retailers their prices are pretty competitive and they have a select array of singles for anyone to get into.
My only other con of this place is the trade off for bulk cards. I get it, you’re a business and a lot of times when you open packs (especially a booster box’s worth) you really don’t get a ton of the good stuff unless you’re selling it for wholesale. I guess that’s the allure of having that Christmas kid morning mentality. Bring home a fresh box and rip em open to see what the fuss is all about.
Overall, it was nice to get a feel for what this new generation sees in a classic card game of such a niche popularity. I hope they continue to grow in the future, cheers.

As an avid Magic: The Gathering player, this facility boasts what I confidently will say is the best Magic: The Gathering play area in the entire South Bay. With tons of tables as open play space and a digital system for arranging event matchups, it has never been terribly crowded for the weekly events that I attend. Speaking of weekly events, ChannelFireball hosts events ranging from draft to standard to even Modern, all at incredibly competitive prices.
My favorite event has to be the Thursday night Sealed, however. For a mere $ 15, you get 6 packs to crack for a sealed tournament of 3 rounds, with a pack per win. At that price, even without any wins, you’re paying $ 90 for a booster box, which is more than reasonable, even a bargain.
The ChannelFireball buylist is also quite extensive, and they buy anything from Moxen to that shiny new Soul of New Phyrexia you open at Sealed night. At times, you can even trade in what you open and win that night for enough credit to cover your event + future events, which, as a low-​budget player, I find incredible.
The players at ChannelFireball can be either a positive or negative aspect. On one end, they are incredibly friendly, willing to help with almost anything. They also come from all walks of life, and speaking with them can be quite an eye-​opener. Trade binders are aplenty, and they often hold powerful cards; I even saw a couple players with Alpha duals in their binders for trade! However, being ChannelFireball players, they are also quite competitive, and finding an easy win at ChannelFireball may be quite difficult.
As for the environment, there IS a certain… odor that you experience when entering the building. However, for better or worse, you will become acclimated to the air quality within a few minutes.
Ordering cards may be the only difficult portion. Buying the best cards from ChannelFireball may have some delay, as they stock most of their cards in a warehouse off to the side.
Final Verdict: Large play space, friendly and knowledgeable players, and fair-​priced events every day of the week make this my number 1 pick for Magic: The Gathering shops in the South Bay.

I want to say that I do play magic and they have a lot of tournaments here. That’s the positive. The negatives are as follows:
1) Many of the staff members are completely aloof and are as unhelpful as possible. Some of them are friendly and helpful but at least half are rude and unhelpful.
2) At every large event the store is complete chaos. There are no signs telling you where to go. Every tournament I end up standing through some long line only to be told I’m in the wrong line and need to go stand in a different line.
3) The air quality in the building is terrible. There will be 300 people packed in the space for a magic tournament and there is no outside air. I asked about turning the HVAC unit on and was told it was «broken». You can imagine how hot, nasty, and smelly the place is by the end of the night.
4) They are always out of the hottest cards. Everytime I come to buy a card to finish my deck and play they are «sold out».
I like the fact that they hold large tournaments here but everything else about the place sucks.

i come here almost every week and its a great store. I like everything a lot, especially the huge selection. They probably have every card ever printed except the $ 1,000+ ones like Black Lotus and Underground Sea. I do wish they would display prices on the cards’ sleeves behind the counter so you wouldn’t have to repeatedly ask how much each card cost. This can be fixed by looking up prices on your phone. Try not to refer to an instant-​speed ability as an interrupt or else you will be told, «for your information, interrupts are no longer a thing. The proper way to say it is ‘any time you could cast an instant.’» But who cares? It’s the same thing! If you’re a casual noob magic player like me, i recommend coming here to draft, because the standard and modern decks most people play are scary professional. The employees and customers are perfectly decent and i haven’t encountered one jerk (excluding the interrupt thing above). I like how these stores are careful about what people they let in, because two strangers playing a card game might sound like a hit-​or-​miss situation. Even if you don’t win anything or buy many cards, you can still trade with lots of players, as the professional-​level ones have hundreds of standard-​legal rares and mythics they’re willing to trade with anyone. If you play MTG and you come here to draft or trade cards, you’ll have an amazing time at this epic store.

They have tournaments 7 days a week. Channel Fireball sell and buy prices are fair. I liked their old location a ton, but this place works too. They provide a wide selection of Magic as well as some selection of other games. I recommend ordering online, and then picking up the next day as many of their products are only stocked at their warehouse.

The people that go here are your typical magic folk. Everyone is friendly and chill. I have played in a total of 3 events and they have everything running smoothly.
My only real gripe is the smell. They do have an HVAC system but I wish they would have some fresh air running through the place from time to time. In between matches I go outside for a breath of fresh air to be greeted by smokers. Granted I do not hate smokers but I wish they had a specific section for them away from the building.
Other than that the store is nice and has tons of space for everyone to play pick up games.
Parking is fine since the surrounding area is usually closed when they are open. All of the parking is within walking distance to the shop.
Staff/​Judges are welcoming and easy to approach.
Not my first place to go or my last. (I am a big fan of Mom and Pop shops)

Just an update.
Buying singles isn’t as easy as it used to be. There’s a bit of turnaround time since the cards are stored elsewhere. Bummertown :(

I used to play in their old location in downtown San Jose. This new location had much more parking and was still very reachable from my place. (ESSJ)
I walked through the doors and I was seriously wow’d. The place was colorful with covered tables and banners along the wall. It had glass on one broadside of the store which made it feel more open. I felt like I entered an Olympic training facility (or a planeswalker hub/​arena in the middle in the multiverse).
The staff were friendly and helpful for whenever I needed to pick up, buy, or sell goods. I have noticed that it was quite uncommon for them to make mistakes through friends of mine. Sometimes to your benefit and sometimes not, but I won’t speak further about it because it was their experience not mine.
They always had tourneys running and it got crowded to the point where the line for the register reached past the threshold of the main door, but the facility was so large that there was more than enough space for those who did not participate in the tournament.
As with most havens for my fellow geeks, the forever alone archetypes had very poor personal hygiene (go figure). The combined stench of the forever alones made the facility stank with a repulsive odor. But such people are common in places like this. I suggest a hygiene requirement for the store. (If I ran shop I would definitely enforce an anti-​poor-​hygiene rule)
All in all this shop blew my mind when I first walked though the door and continues to wow me. I am glad to have such a prominent store in the Magic: The Gathering community to be so close.
5 Stars.

Kind of ok. For a store that is such a big player in the online world, their store was kind of shocking to me. Its basically just tables for playing and a single counter on one side of the room.
They do have a good selection of magic cards, as well as a token selection of non magic related items. The service is a little lacking sometimes, but you can’t win them all I suppose.
All in all you could do much worse in the San Jose area if you are looking for a place to play magic or buy cards at.

This is the best place to play Magic: The Gathering. They have Draft and Standard tournaments set for every day of the week. They also have an EDH league. Make sure you bring your DCI number when signing up for a tournament. The staff is friendly and knowledgeable about MTG, and a few of them are judges, which make their tournaments sanctioned.
They pretty much focus on MTG, as they have boster packs from most every set, even some booster boxes, and buy and sell individual cards. They do also have a few other card games to sell, such as Dominion and Pokémon, but their selection is limited.
They recently moved locations from down-​town San Jose to a rather obscure place by the San Jose Airport, but they now have a parking lot and no-​longer need to pay for the parking garage.

This place is awesome if you play Magic competitively. But with respect to the owners and players at Superstars, Magic is something I’ve gradually became jaded with over the years. I only come to Superstars for the prerelease tournament of a new set now because I mostly just want the promo card. For transportation, I recommend taking the VTA light rail to the Santa Clara Station and just walking to N 3^rd street. Curb parking is free on Sundays in downtown San Jose, so driving is possible too.
I’ve been playing Magic since 2004, but my DCI rating is still only 1704. I’m so out of touch with the tournament scene that when I went to the Dark Ascension Prerelease, everyone was talking animatedly about «this card» or «that card,» like they were speaking a foreign language. I really cannot relate to the players at Superstars anymore, because everyone is soo passionate about the game, and I’m just there to play Sealed tournaments. Superstars is good at buying and selling singles. But I took one look at their glass shelves, and I didn’t recognize any of the new cards. It felt like the ending third Toy Story movie of what Andy does with all his toys, I’m realizing that maybe I’ve outgrown Magic?
Preregistration on the Bigfireball forums will save you some money. For each prerelease, there are a plethora of judges, and there’s strict adherence to the timer in each round. The prize structure varies with the number of rounds, but there’s no Top 8 and whatnot at the Prereleases.