Thanks to everyone who came by the store this season and enjoyed our hockey cards, hockey action figures, and the various promotions and sales we ran this year. Here is our winner of our Toys on Fire Stanley Cup Playoffs Hockey Card Contest!

We will of course still have all of our figures and cards still in stock for the summer for those of you who get the hockey itch year-round!

Also kudos to the Boston Bruins for winning Lord Stanley this year. You definately ‘Bruined’ Vancouver’s chance

We’re giving away Playstation 3! A Playstation 3 that comes with Call of Duty: Black Ops. Want to win it? You can! Every $10 you spend at Toys on Fire will get you a ballot*! We’ll be drawing for the Playstation at our 6th Anniversary Party! So you have until now to July 16th to get as many ballots as you can.

*No purchase necessary. To obtain a ballot without spending $10 please submit in store a 300-word, hand written essay describing why you think you deserve to win a PS3.

We are offering pairs of advance screening passes for Fast Five to anyone who comes into the Ottawa store, mentions this blog post, and joins our email newsletter(while supplies last, we only got a few).

If you are already a subscriber, don’t worry, we have a contest happening on the newsletter as well.

The advance screening will be the evening of Wednesday, April 27th.

As you can see in the snapshot from www.nhl.com the match-ups for the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs have been decided. Here at Toys on Fire we are celebrating this by doing two promotions, a fun Hockey Card Contest for all the young collectors out there and also a Sale on our famous collection of McFarlane NHL Action Figures.

NHL Action Figure Sale
The way it works is this, for each round of the playoffs, which ever teams just got knocked out will be on sale until the next round. So, for round one, which starts today, all figures of players in jerseys of teams that didn’t make the playoffs(that means you Ottawa Senators) are now 10% OFF until round 2. Once round 2 starts, all the figures of teams that got knocked out in round 1 will be on sale. When round 3 starts, all teams that got knocked out of round 2 will be on sale, and so on, until the cup is claimed by the only team not to go on sale!

Hockey Card Contest
We will be running this for the entire duration of the 2011 Stanley Cup playoffs.  To participate, simply come into the store and purchase any pack of hockey cards and open it in the store. If you get a player in your pack who is currently in the playoffs, you win a prize. If you can manage to pull out of your packs 2 players who are currently facing off against each other, you get an entry into our raffle for the All-Mighty Grand Bucket-o-Prizes. As the playoffs go on and teams get eliminated each round, it will become harder and harder to get players in your packs that are in the playoffs. So, as each new round of the playoffs begins, the prizes will get better!

Well we’ve nearly got all the prizes set for our Hootenanny, and they’re piling up! How do I win prizes, you ask? Easy! We have three ways of getting a prize:

#1: Wear a costume and enter our Costume Contest from 3:00pm to 4:00pm to win great prizes like gift cards and movie theatre tickets, and even tickets to a Top Secret New Years Party that we aren’t even allowed to talk about yet, and I think I’ve already said too much!!!

#2: Come and hang out at the store, and don’t forget to get a free Hootenanny ticket, because while you’re talking to our exhibitors, getting pictures taken with the 501st Legion, or playing games, we’ll be handing out hourly prizes from our local sponsors to ticket holders!

#3: when you make a purchase, big or small, bring your receipt to our prize table to have your pick of a selection of gift prizes from our distributors. And of course, what’s Halloween without free candy?

The second annual Barrhaven $5000 Shopping Spree ended on Sunday.  Thank you to over 100 members of the Barrhaven BIA who participated, by displaying a Spree kit for their customers.

This year, our winners are:

1. $2500- Susan Dicola who entered her ballot at Barrhaven Veterinary Hospital , 2900 Woodroffe

1. $1500-  Elaine Jette who entered her ballot at Barrhaven Family Chiro practic & Wellness Centre, 900 Greenbank

1. $1000- Gail Logan who entered her ballot at Lovely Nails, 3560 Strandherd

Winners are obligated to spend 10% of their prize in the place of business where the ballot was entered.  Of course, all prize money must be spent at Barrhaven stores and offices.

That was a fun demo day here on Saturday! People came out and got to try either Kookeys or Tracksters and it was crazy. We brought out all the laptops gave away a ton of prizes! In fact, there were a bunch of winners that didn’t even know that their name’s were drawn! Here they are:
Hannah
Jessica
Caitlynn
Jason
Kory
Dylan
Brad
Simon
Juliana
Alex
Wyatt
Madeline

So if your name appears on this list and you haven’t got your prize yet either come into the store, or give us a call at 613-825-0688! Congratulations everyone! Here are some pictures!

A couple rules clarifications for those of you who get stuck sometimes when the official rules aren’t too clear. This information is to help you find the true meaning of Bakugan, which of course is to have fun. Hope this helps guys and girls! Have fun and play fair, I hope to see you all at the March Break Mega Bowl!

1) My ball didn’t open up on the card, does it count as standing?
If the magnet is stuck onto the card, regardless of whether the Bakugan is open or not, it counts. If the magnet is not stuck on the card, it doesn’t count..

Bakugan Loose B2 Bakuswap Series: Black (Darken) B2 Exedra 660G Power Very Powerful G Regular Price $34.95 Our Price $24.99

Bakugan Loose B2 Bakuswap Series: Black (Darken) B2 Exedra Regular Price $24.95 Our Price $17.99

Bakugan Loose B2 Bakuswap Series: Black (Darken) B2 Lars Lion Price $14.95

2) What is the best/most powerful/coolest/most awesome Bakugan?
The one that wins the battle! Seriously though, every Bakugan is good at different times if you use it well. The highest G-Power Bakugan is generally considered the “best” but there are lots of times when smaller is better. Even the lowest G-Power Bakugan can win on Duck and Win. Personally, I like Preyus and Skyress cause they just look so cool…

Bakugan Loose B2 Bakuswap Series: Black (Darken) B2 Oberus (Black Head & Gray Body) 490G Power Price $19.95

Bakugan Loose B2 Bakuswap Series: Black (Darken) B2 Oberus (Gray Head & Black Body) 550G Power Price $24.95

Bakugan Loose B2 Bakuswap Series: Black (Darken) B2 Wavern 580G Power Price $19.95

3) Can I play with both Series 1 and Series 2 cards?
Sure. This is your game, so as long as you and your opponent both agree, feel free to use both cards. A few of the Series 1 Gate cards will be really over-powered if you play this way, but they will still work. If you decide to go this route, I would ignore HSP and stick with the Series 2 victory condition of winning 3 Gate cards. Over time, you’ll likely stop using Series 1 cards as the game moves forward and more folks play with Series 2 rules. Series 1 Bakugan will work well in either set of rules. If you want to update your game play to Series 2, the most affordable way to do it is to buy one of the “card-only” products (one of which comes with a whopping 30 new Series 2 cards!).

Bakugan Loose B2 Bakuswap Series: Blue (Aquos) B2 Frosch Price $9.95

Bakugan Loose B2 Bakuswap Series: Blue (Aquos) B2 Oberus 550G Power Price $14.95

Bakugan Loose B2 Bakuswap Series: Blue (Aquos) B2 Tuskor Price $14.95

4) How do I use the attribute switching Preyas?
Use it as normal. Each time it opens up, it will change to a new attribute. The player doesn’t get to change it by hand during the game by spinning it – it will change all by itself, so whatever attribute symbol is shown when it opens is the one it is for that battle.

Bakugan Loose B2 Bakuswap Series: Brown (Subterra) B2 Evolved Dragonoid (Brown Head & Gray Body) 450G Power Price $19.95

Bakugan Loose B2 Bakuswap Series: Brown (Subterra) B2 Evolved Dragonoid (Gray Head & Brown Body) 620G Power Very Powerful G Price $24.95

Bakugan Loose B2 Bakuswap Series: Brown (Subterra) B2 Evolved Dragonoid 620G Power Very Powerful G Price $22.95

5) What is the highlight around one of the attribute bonuses on the Gate card for?
You can safely ignore that… for now… That is called the “highlighted bonus” and there will be cards that come out in the future (as well as Bakugan) that will use that number. When playing a collectible game like Bakugan, things will get updated from time to time, and some things that might not currently make sense (or that might seem really weak) will get updated to keep the game fresh and exciting. If you’re playing for HSP as well, you can use the highlighted value as the HSP value for the card, but remember, the HSP value will always be lower then Series 1 cards.

Bakugan Loose B2 Bakuswap Series: Brown (Subterra) B2 Oberus Price $14.95

Bakugan Loose B2 Bakuswap Series: Gray (Luminoz) B2 Apollonir Price $17.95

Bakugan Loose B2 Bakuswap Series: Gray (Luminoz) B2 Lars Lion 620G Power Price $19.95

6) Rolling Bakugan is hard.
OK, this isn’t exactly a “question” but it seems that lots of folks want to know the “best” way to roll a Bakugan. There is one really good trick to getting Bakugan to open up on cards – when you roll the bakugan “spin” it like a top with the magnet side down while flicking it towards the Gate cards. This small trick is a HUGE help in getting Bakugan to open up on cards as the magnet will almost always make contact with the metal in any card it touches! Advanced players can use this trick to curve a Bakugan so that it hits the Gate card that is furthest away as well. But the only way to get really good at getting your Bakugan to open up is to practice (which is fun all by itself anyway!).

Bakugan Loose B2 Bakuswap Series: Green (Zephyroz) B2 Wavern Price $12.95

Bakugan Loose B2 Bakuswap Series: Luminoz / Pyrus (Grey Head & Red Body) Apollonir Price $17.95

Bakugan Loose B2 Bakuswap Series: Pyrus / Luminoz (Red Head & Grey Body) Apollonir Price $17.95

7) Can you send me a Bakugan?
Unfortunately, we can’t. Sadly, we don’t have enough for ourselves!

Bakugan Loose B2 Bakupearl + Bakuclear Series: Blue B2 Tentaclear Price $12.95

Bakugan Loose B2 Bakupearl + Bakuclear Series: Clear B2 Rattlenoid 530G Power Price $14.95

Bakugan Loose B2 Bakupearl + Bakuclear Series: Gray B2 Bee Striker 500G Power Price $12.95

When I win a battle, do I get to keep my opponent’s card/Bakugan forever?
Definitely not! The gate cards are used to keep track of who is winning (first player to win 3 battles wins the game), but after the game, all game pieces are given back to their owners.

Bakugan Loose B2 Bakupearl + Bakuclear Series: Gray B2 Sirenoid Price $9.95

Bakugan Loose B2 Bakupearl + Bakuclear Series: Gray B2 Tentaclear 550G Power Price $14.95

Bakugan Loose B2 Bakupearl + Bakuclear Series: Gray B2 Tentaclear Price $9.95

9) I have only bought booster packs, how do I play this game?
Go here and download the rules. (Wow, that was an easy answer…)

Bakugan Loose B2 Bakupearl + Bakuclear Series: Green B2 Harpus Price $9.95

Bakugan Loose B2 Bakupearl + Bakuclear Series: Green B2 Monarus Price $9.95

Bakugan Loose B2 Bakupearl + Bakuclear Series: Red B2 Fortress 680G Power Extremely Powerful G Price $19.95

10) Can you play with 2 Bakugan that are the same?
Sure. You’ll still need to have 3 to play the game, but if 2 of them are the same or if your opponent has one just like yours, that’s fine. It all just depends on how you want to play.

Bakugan Loose B2 Bakupearl + Bakuclear Series: Red B2 Monarus Price $9.95

Bakugan Loose B2 Bakupearl + Bakuclear Series: Red B2 Tentaclear Price $14.95

Bakugan Loose B2 Bakupearl + Bakuclear Series: Tan B2 El Condor Price $14.95

11) Who wins in a tie?
It goes into Sudden Fury! Each player in the tie take turns rolling until one lands on the card that was flipped up. When one person’s Bakugan stands, the other person gets once chance to land his bakugan on the card. If he does, continue Sudden Fury! If not, the person who got thier bakugan on the card wins.

Bakugan Loose B2 Bakupearl + Bakuclear Series: Tan B2 Rattleoid 600G Power Very Powerful G Price $14.95

Bakugan Loose B2 Bakupearl + Bakuclear Series: Tan B2 Sirenoid Price $9.95

Bakugan Loose B2 Bakupearl + Bakuclear Series: White B2 Dragonoid 610G Power Very Powerful G Price $17.95

12) When I play an ability card that gives a G-Power bonus does my opponent also get the bonus?
No. The card should always tell you how things work pretty clearly. For instance, it will say something like “…Your Bakugan gains G-Power based on its Attribute.” – so it only affects your Bakugan. There might be cards in the future that affect all Bakugan battling, but the card will clearly state that.

Bakugan B2 Bigger Brawlers Loose: Black (Darkon) B2 Ravenoid Price $9.95

Bakugan B2 Bigger Brawlers Loose: Black (Darkon) B2 Wormquake 400G Power Price $9.95

Bakugan B2 Bigger Brawlers Loose: Black (Darkon) B2 Wormquake Price $7.95

13) How many times can I use an Ability card in a game?
Once. Then they go to your “Used Pile.” There are some clever ways to get a card back from your used pile to use again, but generally, just one use of an ability card per game.

Bakugan B2 Bigger Brawlers Loose: Blue (Aquos) B2 Preyas 2 610G Power Very Powerful G Price $19.95

Bakugan B2 Bigger Brawlers Loose: Blue (Aquos) B2 Preyas 2 Price $14.95

Bakugan B2 Bigger Brawlers Loose: Blue (Aquos) B2 Rattleoid Price $14.95

14) Can I play with all of my Ability and Gate cards?
The current rules are that you play with 3 gate and 3 ability cards. This makes choosing what to play with an important part of your strategy. But as I always say, if you and your opponent agree, you can play however you want. But as a warning, playing a game with 100 ability cards could take all day…

Bakugan B2 Bigger Brawlers Loose: Blue (Aquos) B2 Storm Skyress Price $9.95

Bakugan B2 Bigger Brawlers Loose: Blue (Aquos) B2 Tentaclear Price $14.95

Bakugan B2 Bigger Brawlers Loose: Blue (Aquos) B2 Warius 480G Power Price $12.95

15) When I play the Doom card do I get to keep my opponent’s Bakugan for good?
No. The Doom card just takes your opponent’s Bakugan out of the game, not into your pocket!

Bakugan B2 Bigger Brawlers Loose: Brown (Subterra) B2 Blade Tigrerra Price $9.95

Bakugan B2 Bigger Brawlers Loose: Brown (Subterra) B2 Hammer Gorem 440G Power Price $12.95

Bakugan B2 Bigger Brawlers Loose: Brown (Subterra) B2 Hammer Gorem 610G Power Very Powerful G Price $14.95

That’s it for this edition of Frequently Asked Questions. Happy brawling!