Zombie Planet

With 900-plus reviews and twice-weekly restocks, Zombie Planet is Albany's busiest TCG and comic shop — Magic, Pokemon and a separate tournament venue down the road.

No card shop in the Capital Region comes close to Zombie Planet's footprint in the local scene — more than 900 Google reviews at a 4.6 average, which is roughly four times the volume of any competitor on Central Avenue. The retail floor covers Magic: The Gathering singles and sealed, Pokemon TCG, Yu-Gi-Oh!, Flesh and Blood, Digimon, Dragon Ball Super and Riftbound, with comics and graphic novels running upstairs and Warhammer 40K, Star Wars Legion and Battletech miniatures filling out the tabletop side.

The operational detail worth knowing: almost nothing happens in the store itself. Zombie Planet runs a separate event center, the Fortress of Gaming on Railroad Avenue, and its own event listings note that unless stated otherwise, tournaments are held there. Friday Night Magic in both Modern and Draft, Commander nights, Yu-Gi-Oh! Speed Duel and Tag Duel tournaments, Battletech Wednesdays, D&D Adventurers League and Pathfinder Society all live at that address. If you are coming for organized play rather than shopping, check which building you want first.

Restocks land twice a week, every Wednesday and Friday. That cadence is publicised and regulars plan around it — the difference between a Thursday and a Saturday visit for sealed product is real. Event pre-registration runs through the store's Square shop.

Customers reliably single out breadth over price. "Incredibly well-stocked; I can't imagine how much diligence it takes to manage the Warhammer stuff, the board games, the card game accessories, and the comics upstairs," one recent reviewer wrote. In fairness, the recurring criticism runs the other direction: a number of reviews flag Pokemon sealed pricing as above market compared with other Albany card shop options. Worth a price check if you are buying an elite trainer box rather than singles.

Hours are simple and consistent — 11AM to 7PM Monday through Saturday and noon to 5PM Sunday. The Central Avenue storefront has its own lot, and special orders through their distributors are available for anything not in stock.