Full Grip Games

Downtown Akron's busiest game floor — Wednesday Magic and Pokemon Standard nights, Japanese sleeves, graded cards, and wall-to-wall singles.

Full Grip Games sits right on East Market Street in downtown Akron, and on any given evening the play tables are the loudest part of the room. This is a community-first game shop where organized play drives the calendar: Magic the Gathering Standard fires Wednesdays at 6:30pm and Pokemon Wednesday Night Standard follows at 7pm, with a packed weekly schedule beyond that.

The retail side keeps pace with the events. Singles bins run deep, sealed Pokemon and Magic product lines the shelves, and the case holds graded cards and Japanese sleeves for collectors who want the harder-to-find stuff. Board games fill out the back, making it as much a hangout as a card stop.

With more than 600 reviews averaging four and a half stars, Full Grip has earned a reputation as one of the most reliable trading card destinations in Akron. The staff are known for accurate card conditioning and treating newcomers and grinders the same way.

Doors are open every day from noon to 8PM, which makes drop-in browsing easy, but Wednesday is the night to come if you want the full tournament atmosphere. Anyone searching for an Akron card shop with real weekly events and a downtown location should start here.