How Thornberry Collectibles Voted in the First-Ever TCG Awards

The inaugural TCG Awards recognize the best games, creators, artists, accessories, local game stores, and events across the trading card hobby. After reviewing every category, here's how Thornberry Collectibles cast its ballot, along with the reasoning behind each vote.

Whether you're collecting Pokémon, sleeving up a Magic deck, chasing One Piece manga rares, or diving into newer games like Riftbound and Star Wars: Unlimited, there's never been a better time to be part of the trading card hobby.

That's what makes the first-ever TCG Awards so exciting.

The inaugural TCG Awards recognize the best games, creators, artists, accessories, local game stores, and events across the trading card hobby.

For the first time, a single awards program is celebrating the people, products, and communities that make this hobby what it is. Instead of focusing on one game, the TCG Awards recognize excellence across the entire trading card landscape.

Rather than simply listing the nominees, we thought it would be more interesting to share how Thornberry Collectibles voted and explain the reasoning behind each pick. You may agree with every choice, disagree with all of them, or fall somewhere in between, and that's part of what makes awards season fun.

About the TCG Awards

The TCG Awards were created to recognize excellence across the trading card hobby, from the year's biggest games and expansions to the artists, creators, local game stores, and accessories that help bring the community together.

Organized by Card Sports League and Hana Sports & Entertainment in partnership with eBay Live and SPIEL Essen, the awards combine community voting with industry expertise before the winners are announced live at SPIEL Essen in Germany.

Now, let's take a look at how we voted.

Game of the Year

There wasn't an easy choice here.

Magic: The Gathering continues to define organized play, Disney Lorcana has become one of the fastest-growing games in years, Star Wars: Unlimited continues to gain momentum, and Riftbound has impressed almost everyone with its launch.

In the end, though, we kept coming back to One Piece.

Very few games have managed to satisfy competitive players and collectors at the same time. Between beautiful manga rares, strong organized play support, exciting set releases, and an incredibly active community, One Piece continues to feel like one of the healthiest games in the hobby.

If there was one game that best represented the excitement surrounding trading card games this year, this was our pick.

Newcomer of the Year

Launching a brand-new trading card game today isn't easy.

Players already have dozens of established games competing for their attention, making it incredibly difficult for new titles to stand out.

Riftbound accomplished exactly that.

Backed by Riot Games, the game arrived with polished gameplay, gorgeous artwork, and a level of production quality that immediately earned the attention of collectors and competitive players alike. Origins proved that Riftbound wasn't simply another licensed card game. It entered the market looking like it belonged.

Set of the Year

First impressions matter.

A debut set has to introduce a new game's mechanics, establish its identity, and convince players that it's worth investing both time and money into.

Origins did all three.

The artwork was memorable, the gameplay felt polished, and the excitement surrounding the set helped Riftbound become one of the biggest stories in tabletop gaming this year.

Accessory of the Year

This was probably the easiest decision on our ballot.

We've handled countless sleeves while researching our own sleeve recommendations, and Dragon Shield Matte Sleeves continue to be the product we compare everything else against.

Excellent shuffle feel, impressive durability, and consistently high manufacturing quality have made them a favorite among players for years.

Gamegenic deserved multiple nominations, but Dragon Shield still sets the standard.

Artwork of the Year

This may have been the hardest category of the entire ballot.

There were phenomenal illustrations representing Pokémon, Magic, Alpha Clash, and Riftbound.

Baron Nashor ultimately earned our vote because of its dramatic composition, incredible use of lighting, and level of detail. It's one of those illustrations that immediately catches your attention, even if you've never played Riftbound before.

Event of the Year

MagicCon has evolved into far more than a tournament.

It's become a celebration of the hobby itself.

Between major product announcements, artists, content creators, exclusive merchandise, and thousands of players gathering in one place, MagicCon represents what a flagship tabletop gaming event should look like.

Local Game Store of the Year

Local game stores are the foundation of the trading card hobby.

They're where friendships are built, leagues are organized, and new players learn their first game.

While we obviously haven't visited every nominated store personally, Battle Bear's reputation for community building and organized play made it our selection.

Content Creator of the Year

Great content creators do more than open packs.

They educate.

They entertain.

They challenge the community to think differently.

Pleasant Kenobi has consistently done all three while becoming one of the most recognizable voices in Magic: The Gathering and the wider trading card hobby.

Equality Impact of the Year

The best hobbies are welcoming hobbies.

While every nominee has made meaningful contributions to growing and supporting the tabletop gaming community, Magic Presents: Pride stood out for its visibility and its ongoing effort to create inclusive events where more people feel comfortable sitting down at the table.

Recognition for programs like these helps remind everyone that trading card games are ultimately about bringing people together.

The TCG Hobby Keeps Growing

One thing became clear while filling out our ballot.

There weren't many easy decisions.

Every category featured nominees that have helped grow the hobby in different ways, whether through incredible artwork, innovative products, memorable events, educational content, or simply creating welcoming spaces for players to gather.

That's probably the biggest success of the inaugural TCG Awards.

Rather than celebrating a single game, they recognize the people, companies, artists, creators, and communities that make the trading card hobby what it is today.

Whether your ballot looked exactly like ours or completely different, we'd love to hear about it.

Which category do you think we got wrong, and who would have earned your vote instead?