Modern Games

Old Mill District game store in Bend's Box Factory with a resident MTG card wizard, Pokemon trade meetups, a 200-title game library and craft beer on tap.

Modern Games has occupied a corner of the historic Box Factory in Bend's Mill Quarter since 2015, and the wide-open entrance lets you take in the whole floor at once: Magic and Pokemon cases up front, hundreds of board games along the walls, and big tables in the back where wargamers set up terrain. Owners Peter and Lindsay built it as a friendly local game store first, but the card side has grown into what reviewers call the best place to play Magic in Bend.

The staff make the difference for card players. A resident specialist who has played Magic since 2003 handles the singles cases and runs prereleases, and a Pokemon specialist organizes the collect, trade and battle meetups that bring families in on weekends. Commander nights fill the tables midweek, prerelease weekends draw the largest crowds, and the calendar also includes Blood on the Clocktower sessions, paint-and-sip evenings and library game nights held with Deschutes Public Library.

The game library holds more than 200 titles available to play in-store, and the shop sells craft beer, which turns an afternoon of cracking Pokemon packs into a full outing. Warhammer kits, hobby paints and D&D books share space with puzzles and used games, so it is a reasonable one-stop for anyone whose household spans several hobbies. An online store supports in-store pickup for MTG singles and new releases.

Hours are generous by Bend standards: 11AM to 8PM Sunday, Monday and Tuesday, and 11AM to 10PM Wednesday through Saturday. Parking is in the shared Box Factory lot, and the surrounding shops and breweries make it easy to combine a visit with dinner. Modern Games is the right pick for Pokemon cards in Bend if you want to play as much as buy, and for a Magic community that welcomes newcomers with a posted code of conduct and loaner decks.