Places to play - Kindle

EDIT: This store is permanently closed.

How to get there:
Use exit one from the subway and then turn right. You will walk past a Burger King which is set up to show them making your burger for you.

My experience:
This along with DiveDice is the main shop for foreigners now that OZ is leaving the scene. At the moment their are English drafts scheduled for 2:00 pm. 

It is very close to the Konkuk University subway stop on the light (and dark) green subway line.  I can't remember but I think the on board Korean subway system calls it something different. I am sorry I cant recall what it was.

Kindle is located on the 5th floor of the Pizza Hut building further along that main road. 

It's a very spacious and clean looking shop but is also very popular so for big events it can get pretty full.

There was a heated falling out between the Manager and a group of foreigners though and some have decided to boycott this store.

Contact Details

Phone number: 010-4588-7548

Email address: kminjjan@hanmail.net

Korean Street address: 서울시 광진구 화양동 49-18 번지 동흥빌딩 5층

OZ in Gangnam

This store is apparently moving and will no longer be stocking Magic the Gathering.

Bye Bye OZ

Places to Play: Oz at Gangnam

Update: This store is now closed.

This seems to have become the main magic centre for foreigners and there was a decent turnout for the Magic League organised through the Seoul Magic facebook group (16 plus players).

It's a pretty convenient location if your based in Seoul and the shop was nice enough and went tot he effort of stocking English cards for this event.

All the Seoul shops are a bit of a hike for me so I only went the one time and wasn't really interested in the league format* they were running  which are the only reasons I wouldn't go more often.

* I think leagues are best run as a casual thing because they are just too loose rules wise and open for abuse but the prize structure was very top heavy which would only encourage shadiness. It seems that wasn't an issue though which is a credit to the community.

Edit (26th September 2013): OZ Gangnam is due to relocate soon and apparently won't be stocking Magic the Gathering at the new location. This news came out a while ago but apparently they are stocking Theros ..... confusing.

Places to Play - The Rak (Naksungdae)

It's been a long time between drinks as the last tournament I played in was the Innistrad pre release 12 months ago.

The shop is located on the basement level and is very much like the dungeons that pass for card shops in Australia. It does have better lighting though but more photos of Anime girls. Which I guess might be a positive for some.
The customer service was excellent.
I did a major trade with the store owner (over $100 worth on each side) and he pointed out when I undervalued my Sensei's diving tops. I couldn't imagine that happening back in Brisbane!
Coincidently I have spent this week catching up on card prices. EDH was becoming a thing when I last paid attention but it has really taken off now which has revitalised a lot of the cards in my binder.
Looking forward to visiting Oz in Gangnam next for the Return to Ravnica league starting on October the 14th.This pretty poor map probably isn't enough to help you find it but it's the best I have for now.


The TO posted information about the tournament on the Seoul Magic Facebook page and went to the effort to make and print off English Spoilers for us to use.

How to get there:

Contact Details

Phone number: 010-2361-9739

Email address: donfight502@naver.com

Korean Street address: 서울특별시 관악구 인헌동 1632 - 4 번지 지하 1층

Places to Play #3 Michaels

Unfortunately I didn't get to play here as I arrived late to the tournament due to being stuck at a wedding (drinking free beer).

Place was packed with players for a different tournament so I didn't hang around. I plan to go back for another proper look later on.

It's quite small but it felt welcoming.

It's close to Gangbyeon subway stop (green line) and Techno mart. The closest franchise store is Paris Bagguette.
Like quite a few magic shops it is located in the basement level which is populated by quite a few different shops including a bar....how convenient.

Their cafe web site is http://yumazzang.cafe24.com/

Contact Details
Phone number: 010-2722-5050
Email address: michaelssh@hanmail.net
Korean Street address: 서울특별시 광진구 구의동 631-1 프라임상가 지하 1층 11.112호

And here is the map they provide which I am sure will make everything clear :)

Places to Play #2 Tic Toc

Update: This store is now closed.


The following directions probably aren't good enough to find it but I went to this store a while ago and so my memory is a bit fuzzy.


You get off the Subway at Childrens Grand park station and walk out exit 3 (Konkuk).

The shop front is very small and it's in a side street so a little bit tricky to spot. It's just a door which leads to the basement level which is where the store is.
The store interior is cafe style and they seem much more of a cafe than Dive Dice.
They had a decent range of items and have an online store called Blue Mtg which I have ordered from and was really happy with.

The store owner speaks English but the shop layout is less open and more private than Dive Dice so it's better to go as a group rather than solo.

I had no problems there but to be honest for reasons that are hard to describe in print I felt more comfortable at Dive Dice. 

Places to Play - RollingDice Hongdae

This store used to be known as DiveDice but has recently changed their name to Rollingdice.

Location

It is a few minutes walk from Hongik University subway station (exit 2) in Seoul. 

Play Experience

It's a board game cafe which means it’s a lot nicer than some of the dungeons I played at in Australia. It has good lighting and toilet facilities inside.

While they have two walls absolutely stacked with board games they seemed to know their Magic and the window blinds were magic themed (I was impressed). The guy who seemed to be the owner played in and judged the event and was friendly and helpful.

There was one other staff member at the store, while I was looking at the sleeves trying to guess which were the correct size for magic he asked me “Can I help you?”

This was not only the best customer service I have ever got in a Magic shop it’s the best in Korea as most shop staff try to avoid having to speak to foreigners (understandable).

Events

Apparently they have a couple of drafts during the week, Friday night draft and standard  (starting around 7:30 pm) and tournaments Saturday and Sunday (constructed or sealed) and usually a draft after each tournament.

Rolling Dice Hongdae also have a sister store called Dive Dice Hyehwa which apparently has some issues with customer service. I have only heard good things about  Rolling Dice Hongdae which match with my personal experience.

Contact Details

Phone number: 02-323-7455

Email address: khj@koreaboardgames.com

Korean Street address: 서울특별시 마포구 동교동 200 - 29 번지 동진빌딩 3층