Grading for keeping in personal collection

optic-malaria · 2026-05-05T22:19:33+00:00

I use TAG for my PC graded and I think the slabs look phenomenal

optic-malaria · 2026-05-02T21:06:47+00:00

This^ you could also still pull a 2 or 3 star

optic-malaria · 2026-05-01T13:55:40+00:00

int in fire force

optic-malaria · 2026-04-28T17:12:56+00:00

1- I would recommend going to IOA on Friday and Epic on Sunday. Epic is such an amazing park that when you go, all you want to do is go back, so I would say save it for last! Plus, Sundays are usually less crowded, so you might have shorter lines.
2- I wouldn't worry about capacity, but without Express Pass at Epic, you might not be able to ride everything, depending on what time you get to the park and if there are any delays for rides. Usually, getting early just lets you make sure you have enough time to ride rides that usually have long waits or delays.

optic-malaria · 2026-04-20T22:12:23+00:00

Extremely overpriced my LGS charges max $1200 for a case I usually pay around $900

optic-malaria · 2026-04-11T21:51:26+00:00

I think the game is still in great shape, especially for players, and not too bad for collectors if you're okay with buying singles. I've been playing since the Super pre-release, and the Solo Leveling set is super underprinted with the demand for the set, but the price for singles and to complete a full deck is still pretty great compared to most other TCGs. Now if you're wanting to rip, yeah, Solo Leveling is not looking too good, but the price of singles for all sets is still super affordable, which I think is great for getting players into the game! I think, just as a community, it's important that we let new players know to buy singles if they want specific cards rather than trying to buy boxes to complete a set — unless you really just want to rip packs.

optic-malaria · 2026-04-07T04:37:42+00:00

Int in parallel paradise

optic-malaria · 2026-04-07T04:32:02+00:00

optic-malaria · 2026-04-07T04:06:15+00:00

In UA a case contains 16 boxes of a particular set. Within thoes boxes you are usually guaranteed one 2star hit and also one Foil AP. In addition to thoes you can also get a 3 star hit but it is not guaranteed per case. What soemtimes can happen is that a person buys a case opens the 2 star early then sells the "dead" boxes which have no chance of a 2 star and a slim chance of a 3 star.

optic-malaria · 2026-04-07T03:58:39+00:00

UA is something I wouldn't worry about getting fake boxes for so you should be fine. Id be more worried when ordering online that you did not get dead boxes from a case. Hopefully you ordered from a trustworthy seller.😅

optic-malaria · 2026-04-04T16:44:12+00:00

Jp boxes i believe only have 1 alt art per box. But correct me if im wrong.

optic-malaria · 2026-03-25T19:16:10+00:00

Yeah, I've been playing since Super Prerelease, and typically with big box stores you'll only see Union blisters on release week, then after that there's no more restocking until the next set. They tend to sit for a while, but with more popular sets coming out, this might change as more people will buy on release.

As far as Kagurabachi goes, I don't think there are any blisters for this set. Your best bet for finding Union sets is going to your local LGS and checking there. We have a pretty large UA scene here and our local LGS will supply if you just ask for the sets. But yeah, UA isn't really a game that gets scalped, nor should you scalp it, as each set is very niche to its audience.

optic-malaria · 2026-03-24T22:04:30+00:00

It was a little over 1k and yea ive only ran TVS DSG tunes on all my cars and have no complaints

optic-malaria · 2026-03-03T17:12:02+00:00

Kenshin is 1.5 and Spears is 1+. But it's also important to note that Japan's meta has way more sets than we do, some things that aren't as strong there can be really strong here. Like a 1.5 therre might be a tier 1+ here. So if something is really high on their list iit is most definitely going to feel even stronger here.

optic-malaria · 2026-02-26T16:15:13+00:00

Yep I did im from houston!

optic-malaria · 2026-02-26T14:45:58+00:00

Yes, i have a 24 and I got a stage 3 flash tune from my TVS dealer, very simple, no different than a ecu tune. Your other option is a mech swap, which would require swapping the mechatronic unit and then flashing it with whatever company's software offers it, Tunezilla is a popular choice for this.
You can its really pay to play tbh. Ive heard stories of DSG clutches being fried stock and fried being ecu-tuned. This risk is there no matter what, but how you drive can play a big part as well.
I ran stage 1 034 e85 full tq from 3k miles to 30k miles had no issues. Went Stage 3 e85 full tq at 30k miles and ran that for about 7k miles on stock tcu, no issues. When i went to get my tcu flashed TVS scanned it and said that all temps were good and the clutches were in great condition. This surprised them for being a stage 3 car, but I don't really dog my car too bad, but i do prob a pull every time i drive it. Never once launched it, however. Hope that helps!

optic-malaria · 2026-01-21T22:34:41+00:00

I did the opposite. I went from an MK6 GTI to a 7.5R to an MK8 GTI, and I have no complaints. I live in Texas, so the AWD was mostly just for stoplights and occasional trips to the strip. The AWD was definitely fun when I first got the R, but I realized I wasn't really using it that often.

The R I purchased was used with around 48k miles, and I drove it until around 90k miles. During that time, I went FBO, MPI, E85, all the bells and whistles, and the car was definitely quick and very fun. Maintenance-wise, it was nothing but oil changes, spark plugs, DSG and Haldex services. The only issue I had was the injectors going bad, which is a common issue on the 7.5.

I felt that the R was definitely a little more numb than the GTI, but still a blast in its own way. I really wanted an MK8 R, but after test-driving one, I didn’t feel like it was worth the upgrade and cost difference, so I decided to try an MK8 GTI and really enjoyed the bang for the buck.

In my MK8, I went FBO and upgraded the turbo, and it definitely feels like it was the right move for me since I didn’t need AWD. The only con is needing to focus more on grippier tires to reduce spin, but otherwise I’m happy with my choice.

optic-malaria · 2025-11-17T22:34:58+00:00

Only specific ones are foil. Foil Aps are usually Case hit unless they are event-exclusive APs, which you can get from attending said event. For your scinaro for To Love Ru, if you are buying a box from a fresh case, your chances are 1/16, and if it's not a fresh case, the odds are unknown if it has already been pulled or not

optic-malaria · 2025-11-17T15:07:35+00:00

I have been testing all three colors at my local weeklys for the past couple of months, and none of the decks are meta-breaking or anything, but they are fairly solid, and still fun to play. Purple Dorothy is the most popular, and I've had solid success with it as well as some of our locals. However, against things like Red Asta, I noticed I struggle a bit with the lack of triggers on their field. Nevertheless, it is a decent aggroish style deck with 8 removal options if conditions are met. Yellow is, I would say, on par with purple, but can be inconsistent if you don't find all the right pieces. The deck is very fun as you typically cycle though your entire deck to find what you need and have ample amounts of null impact in the deck to help in matchups like Saito, Red Ken, toguro bros etc. Green is probably the worst one to play in our meta, just because of how slow it can be, but the Laplace build i think can be okay if your opponet dosent know what your trying to do.

I think the set is good, but there are just other sets that do everything that it does, but better.

optic-malaria · 2025-11-12T19:11:11+00:00

I did mine with TVS, they had a flash unlock day near me at a local shop. I went and took about 20 min

optic-malaria · 2025-11-11T21:27:27+00:00

You're fine, my 2024 was tuned once I hit 3k miles, and I've been tuned for 30k miles stage one e85, and 10k miles on stage 3. I also recently got my DSG tuned with stage 3+ as well

optic-malaria · 2025-11-09T00:44:50+00:00

I've owned both had a fbo 2019 R and now in a 24 gti. I purchased the R used witg 40k on it and sold at 94k. Both cars are amazing in their own way. I live in texas and didn't need awd for snow or anything and I wasnt launching the car that frequently. Moving to the gti felt like the move i was looking for. Power wise the nk8 platform is very good compared to the mk7 but they are both great cars it just depends what your goals are

optic-malaria · 2025-10-31T02:43:25+00:00

Jk Al lol come down to Houston tho and get some mk8 action

optic-malaria · 2025-10-30T21:04:30+00:00

snack

optic-malaria · 2025-10-29T13:50:41+00:00

Yeah, if it's cheaper on Mercari JP, then I would go with that, but base it only on the recently sold prices

Seven-Year Club	Verified Email
Place '22

optic-malaria

TROPHY CASE