Card shop in Portland, ME

Coast City Comics & The Fun Box Monster Emporium

★ 4.8 · 495 reviews Verified

Address

634 Congress St, Portland, ME 04101, USA

Open in Google Maps ↗

Hours

Mon11:00–20:00
Tue11:00–20:00
Wed11:00–20:00
Thu11:00–20:00
Fri11:00–20:00
Sat11:00–20:00
Sun12:00–17:00

What to expect at Coast City Comics & The Fun Box Monster Emporium

Coast City Comics & The Fun Box Monster Emporium has built one of the stronger reputations on its block — 4.8★ across 495 Google reviews is the kind of number that only emerges from years of consistent service. Players return, bring friends, and leave reviews that mention staff by name.

Primary game coverage at this shop is MTG and Pokémon TCG. Both receive regular booster restocking, singles inventory, and sanctioned event support — the core services that separate a dedicated LGS from a casual retailer.

Games at this shop

Below are the trading card games we've identified as supported at this shop, each with context about how that game plays and what to look for when you visit.

Magic: The Gathering (MTG)

Magic: The Gathering, launched by Wizards of the Coast in 1993, invented the trading card game genre and remains the deepest competitive card game in the world. Every week, hundreds of thousands of players meet at local stores for Friday Night Magic, prerelease tournaments, Commander nights, and draft leagues. The game cycles through Standard-legal sets four times a year, while eternal formats like Modern, Legacy, Vintage, Pauper, and Commander sustain deep metagame conversations across decades of card design.

At Coast City Comics & The Fun Box Monster Emporium, Magic players can browse singles by set, crack sealed product, or join a sanctioned tournament that feeds into the WotC competitive ladder.

Magic rewards deep deckbuilding, tight play-pattern memory, and metagame adaptation — more strategy chess than luck.

Event support here: Friday Night Magic (FNM) events.

What to look for in this shop if you play MTG:

  • Ask the store what the recent Commander meta looks like — every shop has its local deck trends.
  • Check if they stock foil bulk — often the fastest way to pick up playable cards at a discount.
  • See if they run prize-support draft leagues; those beat home drafts on value.

Pokémon Trading Card Game (Pokémon TCG)

Pokémon Trading Card Game, launched in 1996 by The Pokémon Company, is the most widely-recognized TCG brand on Earth. Local game stores host weekly Pokémon League play — casual games with play-for-fun prizes and a Junior-division-friendly atmosphere. Prerelease tournaments arrive a week before every new expansion. The competitive circuit runs League Challenges, League Cups, Regional Championships, and culminates in the Pokémon World Championships each summer.

Pokémon League at Coast City Comics & The Fun Box Monster Emporium runs weekly — a two-hour window to play a few games, meet other trainers, and pick up promo cards and League prizes.

Pokémon plays faster than Magic — games typically finish in 10-20 minutes, making it the friendliest entry point for kids and casual players.

Event support here: prerelease events.

What to look for in this shop if you play Pokémon TCG:

  • Pokémon League earns you free promo cards just for showing up — always worth the visit.
  • Singles prices vary wildly between stores; compare before buying staples.
  • If you have kids, ask about Junior-division separate tables during prereleases.

Local context

Coast City Comics & The Fun Box Monster Emporium has earned 495 Google reviews, a healthy number for a neighborhood LGS. Shops in this review band usually have a loyal core player base — the kind that shows up every Friday and knows which booster box release is coming next.

Coast City Comics & The Fun Box Monster Emporium occupies a storefront at 634 Congress St. Street-level independent shops like this often develop tighter community relationships than chain-plaza counterparts — a signal to look for if you want an LGS that knows its players.

The shop maintains evening hours — advantageous for after-work players wanting to run 8pm Commander pods or late Friday Night Magic events without rushing from the office.

Focused coverage on MTG, Pokémon TCG suggests Coast City Comics & The Fun Box Monster Emporium has chosen depth over breadth. Specialist shops often stock harder-to-find singles for their chosen games and support competitive-level events rather than casual-only leagues.

Plan a visit with confidence — the community vetting here is strong. Bring a deck, ask about upcoming events, and expect to leave having met at least one person you might play with again.

Frequently asked questions

Current hours are: Monday: 11:00 AM – 8:00 PM; Tuesday: 11:00 AM – 8:00 PM; Wednesday: 11:00 AM – 8:00 PM; Thursday: 11:00 AM – 8:00 PM; Friday: 11:00 AM – 8:00 PM; Saturday: 11:00 AM – 8:00 PM; Sunday: 12:00 – 5:00 PM. Hours may change on holidays or around major TCG release weekends. We recommend calling ahead for same-day visits.

You can reach the shop by phone at (207) 899-1505. For questions about event schedules, inventory availability, or grading services, a quick call usually gets the most accurate answer.

Yes — their website is http://www.coastcitycomics.com/. Most shop websites publish an event calendar, singles inventory search, and buylist rates. Check their site before visiting to confirm details.

Yes — Magic: The Gathering is one of the TCGs supported at this shop. You can expect sealed product (booster boxes, elite trainer boxes, starter decks), singles for deck-building, and typically event nights dedicated to MTG. Call ahead to confirm current inventory.

Yes — Pokémon Trading Card Game is one of the TCGs supported at this shop. You can expect sealed product (booster boxes, elite trainer boxes, starter decks), singles for deck-building, and typically event nights dedicated to Pokémon TCG. Call ahead to confirm current inventory.

Trading-card shops offer two payout paths: immediate cash or shop credit with a premium multiplier. Check Coast City Comics & The Fun Box Monster Emporium's current buylist pricing page (if published online) or ask during your visit — meta-staples fluctuate weekly, so timing matters on resale.

Grading drop-off is a value-add service: bulk submissions cut per-card fees ~30-50%. Ask whether Coast City Comics & The Fun Box Monster Emporium runs monthly submissions and how turnaround times compare to direct-to-grader mail-in.

Dedicated LGS venues keep play tables for sanctioned tournaments (FNM, Pokémon League, Yu-Gi-Oh OTS, Commander nights) plus open drop-in play. Table availability peaks on evenings and weekends.

Family-friendliness is the norm at TCG stores. Pokémon League keeps the environment kid-appropriate, and Junior-division events separate younger competitors for fair matchups.

Parking in Portland varies by neighborhood. Strip-mall locations usually include free adjacent lots; downtown and urban-core shops may require street parking or a paid garage. Refer to the map on this page for precise address and nearby options.

Nearby card shops in Maine

Data about this shop is aggregated from public sources (Google Places, Wizards Play Network, Pokémon Play!, and our own verification). Hours, inventory, and event schedules can change; we recommend calling ahead before traveling. Shop owners: claim this listing to update information.