Green Potion Games

Salinas hobby store built for play, with Magic and Pokemon league nights, Warhammer tables, and afternoon-to-late hours seven days a week.

Green Potion Games on North Davis Road is a player's shop first and a retail counter second, and the schedule tells you so — the doors don't open until late afternoon on weekdays because the real action is evening league play. For anyone looking for a Salinas card shop that doubles as a gaming hall, this is the spot regulars name first.

The tables run a full slate of games. Magic: The Gathering draws the steadiest crowd, Pokemon has its own sanctioned league night, and Yu-Gi-Oh and Warhammer 40k round out the calendar, so a given evening might have a draft pod, a kids' Pokemon group, and a couple of grizzled 40k generals all sharing the room. Retail leans into what the players need: singles, booster packs, sealed product, and the sleeves and supplies to protect it all.

The vibe regulars describe is patient and welcoming rather than cutthroat — staff who'll teach a new player the ropes and price things fairly. Inventory can run lean on niche items since the focus is organized play, so it's worth a call ahead if you're chasing a specific sealed box.

Weekend hours are the most generous, with noon-to-ten Saturday and Sunday giving plenty of runway for all-day events. If you want Pokemon cards Salinas players actually battle with rather than just shelf, come on a league night and bring a deck — you'll leave with new trades and probably a few new opponents on speed dial.