A new card game shop opened in Rexburg on Sept. 12, with the goal of creating a space for gamers to enjoy their hobbies. Although not yet registered obn Google Maps, the shop is located at 31 College Ave in Rexburg.

Puzzles, Board Games, Dungeons and Dragons Guides, and most importantly for many patrons, TCG packs are all sold there.

Out of the available TCGs for sale, customers will notice at least 3-4 different options. The shop, Cards of Ruin, began three years ago, when Chase Clark, the owner, had a simple quest: to enjoy his favorite hobbies for cheaper.

You can listen to the whole story in detail, leading to the shop's creation here:

The name, "Cards of Ruin," was inspired by a specific element of Chase's relationship with his siblings growing up.

"I have very competitive family members," Chase said, "And when I would play board games with them, it was either you hate them because you lost, or they would hate you because they lost. So it's very much, 'How do I ruin my rivals in board games?' [The name] was just funny because I wanted something unique. So we promote competitiveness; but with the name, I don't want to promote table-turners or people that get so upset that they lost. So it really was kind of how I felt about playing board games with siblings."

The slogan was inspired in the same breath as the name: "Lay waste to your rivals with your Cards of Ruin."

Collin Cronin, a regular customer at Cards of Ruin, praised the shop as a great space to play Magic: The Gathering with his friends. "There's tons of space, and it has everything that we would need," said Cronin. "We used to gather at one of our apartments to play Magic, but now we do it [at Cards of Ruin]. We love the atmosphere."

A Card Game shop opening in Rexburg, in and of itself, is likely not a surprise to anybody. It is, however, a small indication of a much larger global trend.

The United States is the most profitable nation for card games by far, with 857 million dollars of revenue made in the card game market in 2024, according to Statista.

The data speaks for itself: there are plenty of gamers out there to create demand for TCG shops. And stores like Cards of Ruin are made to meet supply.

Chase Clark's mission is to cater to the gamer's needs.

"Regardless of having more competition of TCG stores, I like having more stores so that players have more opportunities to play and/or win promos," Clark said. "My goal is always going to be for the players to have the most opportunities to enjoy their hobby; and we will coordinate with our neighbors to ensure that [our game competitions won't] conflict with other game store's schedules."

Cards of Ruin regularly hosts events and competitions for various card games. Their hours are 3-9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 3-10 p.m. on Fridays and noon to 11 p.m. Saturdays. The shop is closed on Sundays.