Where to play Pokémon TCG in Dublin

Pokémon is the card game most people in Dublin already own without knowing where to play it. There is a binder in the house, or a battle deck that came in a Christmas stocking, or a collection that came back out of the attic when the 30th anniversary started trending. Thursday night here is for all of those people, and this is the guide to it: what the formats mean, what a first night is like, what is coming up, and who else in Dublin runs the game.

The formats, in plain words

Standard. The format Locals is played in and the one every official event uses. A 60-card deck built from the recent sets. The small letter in the bottom corner of a card tells you whether it is still legal, and the list of legal letters changes about once a year. If you are not sure whether your deck is Standard, bring it in on a Thursday and we will go through it with you at the counter.

Free play. Any cards, any deck, no points. Locals is Standard and free play side by side, so the person with the battle deck from the stocking has a table too, and so does the person who just wants to try the cards out of a booster box.

League Cup. A proper tournament. Championship Points, a Pokémon Trainer Club account, and a written decklist on the day. A step up from a League Challenge, and the one to aim for once Thursday nights feel easy.

Prerelease. The opposite of a League Cup. You turn up with nothing, open a kit from the new set before it is in the shops, build a 40-card deck from what you opened, and play a few rounds. Nobody has a better deck than you because nobody has seen the cards yet. If you have never played at a shop, a prerelease is the gentlest way in.

Thursday Locals here

Every Thursday at 7pm. It is €6, walk in, no booking, and there is room for about eight players. Standard format and free play, so bring a deck, or bring the binder and build one with whoever is at the table.

Thursday is locals night, with Star Wars: Unlimited running at the next tables, and there are participation promos for everyone who plays. If it is your first time, say so when you pay at the counter. There is always someone there who loves the game and will sit down for a slow first game.

The League Cup and the Delta Reign prerelease

Two bigger Pokémon days are coming up, and both are on the events page.

League Cup, Sunday 25 October, 12pm. €25, and your order confirmation is your ticket. You need a Pokémon Trainer Club account in good standing with the Play! Pokémon programme and a paper decklist. Tickets are on the League Cup page.

Delta Reign prerelease, Monday 26 October, 12pm. That is the bank holiday Monday. €30, you get a build-a-deck kit from the new Mega Evolution set, build on the spot and play rounds of swiss for a chance at more packs. Beginner friendly, everyone welcome. Tickets are on the prerelease page. The set itself is out on 6 November.

What a first Thursday is like

You arrive a bit before 7 and pay at the counter. The tables are usually settled by seven, a coffee and a deck box each. Games are one-on-one and most of them take twenty or thirty minutes, so you get a few in over the night, and between games there is the shelf of 700+ board games if you want a break.

If you only have the cards and no deck, say so. Someone will help you put 60 together from what you have, and a Standard deck does not need to be expensive to be fun. If you lose every game on the first night, that is normal. By the third Thursday you will know what everyone at the table is playing and you will have a plan for it.

Cards, selling and grading

We do not sell Pokémon singles online yet, so for sealed product and singles ask at the counter and we will tell you what is in. If you are chasing one card for a deck, we can usually say where to get it.

The other direction is busier. We buy Pokémon cards, and the card value checker prices a whole binder against Cardmarket in euro before you come in, with an instant offer in store credit or cash. There is a longer guide to where to sell Pokémon cards in Ireland, and if you pull something good out of a prerelease kit, we are Ireland's only official PSA dealer, so ask about grading before you sleeve it.

Other places to play in Dublin

Dublin's Pokémon scene is spread around the county, so here is who else runs it. Days and times are from their listings on Play TCG Ireland on 15 October 2026, so check before you travel.

• Gamers World, 1 Jervis Street, Dublin 1. The city-centre option. Pokémon on Tuesday at 6.30pm.
• The Warchest, Hardy's Lane, Dún Laoghaire. Just down the road from us. Pokémon on Friday at 7pm.
• Otter Space, Holmpatrick Shopping Centre, Skerries. The north county option. Pokémon on Sunday at 12pm.

Official League Cups, Challenges and prereleases for every shop are on the Pokémon event locator. If you are south of the city, the DART stops a few minutes from both our door and The Warchest's, so Dún Laoghaire gets you Pokémon on Thursday and Friday without going into town.

Where to start

Come on a Thursday with whatever you have. It costs €6, you need nothing but the cards, and by the end of the night you will know whether a League Cup is something you want. If you would rather start with a clean slate, the prerelease on 26 October is the better first night: everyone builds from the same kit.

We are at 75 York Road, Dún Laoghaire, open till 10pm Monday to Thursday and 11pm on Friday and Saturday. If Magic is more your thing, our Magic: The Gathering in Dublin post covers the Friday draft.