Spellbound Games at a Glance

History

Spellbound Games opened in October of 2022 during the pandemic. The owner, Marco Ordoñez, had a career as an engineer, but wanted to find a more fulfilling and easier way to have a positive impact on the community. Fun fact: the store name drew inspiration from Spellground playmats, and a song called Spellbound by Siouxsie and the Banshees.

Visit on 2/22/2024

With travelers coming from all over for Magic Con Chicago, Marco generously collaborated with Foil Bug for its first event. On Thursday, the 22nd of February, 24 wizards showed up to battle at the store’s weekly Legacy and a chance to win Foil Bug merch for a perfect 4-0 finish. A random door prize of 4 Japanese Foil Questing Druids was awarded to Philip Tribbia (a local Lands expert), who also turned out to be my Round 1 opponent. The evening had a very fun and chill vibe, which continued on for a round of drinks after hours offsite.

Formats

At Spellbound Games, the main formats are Legacy, Modern, Draft, and Commander. There’s also a staple Vintage event run on a monthly basis, and they’re trying to get Standard running regularly as well.

Inventory

In terms of MTG singles, Spellbound Games has anywhere from dual lands through most recent sets. They support Pokemon, FaB, D&D, and other board games, all essential to satisfying the store’s clientele.

Food Options

Almost immediately next door is Kin Sushi & Thai Cuisine, which has a good selection of Asian dishes at fair pricing. After hours, the store crowd considers Standard Bar and Grill their normal go-to for drinks & late night grub, just down the street. In this part of town, everything is much more reasonably priced.

Transportation

It is possible to take an Uber here directly from either O’Hare (ORD) or Midway (MDW), but if you do fly into O’Hare, you have the option of simply hopping onto the Blue Line of Chicago’s “L”, or elevated train for a 45 minute direct shot to the store.