Another day, another episode. Rhett is back into trading stocks on Hollywood Stock Exchange after a 20 year haitus. With the US opening back up, Michael gets back out into the world a little, visiting two of his old favorite lunch spots back to back. Michael shares how he once made Ernie Hudson cry. We discuss the progressive nature of the roles of…

If you've been missing discussion of collective nouns, hyper-local references you have no chance of recognizing, and two of three guys attempting to navigate the Star Wars Card Trader app for the first time in years, then today is your lucky day. Join us, Tommy, Rhett, and award-nominated podcast host Michael, as we hit record for a while and talk.…

Af Card Trader Illuminerdy

A beloved franchise, with a new historically significant episode, years in the making. An episode not without controversy, both in what's come before and what may lie ahead. Yes, it's another edition of this podcast, where we discuss an upcoming movie. We don't discuss any leaked The Rise of Skywalker spoilers or rumored spoilers, but if you've eve…

It's been 4 years since the TOPPS Star Wars Card Trader app was unleashed upon the world. Since it's the reason we're here as a podcast, we give it its due. Rhett literally phones in the episode, accidentally doubling as our "from the WWII front lines" correspondent. We discuss cards that have been under represented in the app: - "Capes of Calrissi…

"This episode has more fan service than Solo". Topics include: - Real-life totsicles - When will we see a set of cards based on card trading podcasts? - Highlights magaine - Deleting 20,000 tweets...and if it's possible to keep tweets deleted on a rolling basis - State of the studio discussion and speculation about Lucasfilm - The Last Jedi charact…

Warning! This discussion is full-on Solo spoilers. Rhett, Michael, and Tommy are joined by Earl, recording right after we saw Solo in the birthday party room of the movie theater. Bonus attendee DaveSecura walks in mid-way through and sticks around even though he hadn't seen it yet(!). We stay remarkably on topic...for us, thanks to Earl's valiant …

With summer fast approaching, what better way to beat the oncoming heat than a new episode recorded when it was still winter? Complete with current-event jokes riffing on Trump being spanked with a magazine (remember that?) and discussion of the untimely passing of The Cranberries' lead singer Delores Rearden. We come up with a reality show pitch: …

With Topps accidentally flooding people's accounts with millions of crystals, temporarily shutting practically all of the app's store, it raises many questions about what happens behind the scenes that leads to mistakes like it. We were able to interview someone that we hoped could give some insight. Rhett unfortunately was not able to join us unti…

We saw the movie and had to get our thoughts aired. Joining us this week, possibly from the 1940s, is our friend Earl, who some of our listeners may recognize from The Deucecast Movie Show. Don't listen if you haven't seen the movie. Even if you don't care about it being spoiled, it just won't make any sense. Maybe that's par for the course, though…

It's that time of year...grab your box of Canto Bites to snack on and head to the theater! Michael's under the weather, but that's not stopping us from getting out an episode. In no particular order: - Cats that look like Wilford Brimley - Chickens as pets - How saving a wild rabbit could work - What's fun to chase in the app - App woes - Rian John…

Where do you get more bacteria exposure? Hotels? Airplanes? Movie theaters? Which condiments work to be consumed standalone? We address these questions and more, including coverage of raclette, and pickled foods. We give the app some love, too. Rhett's spending is ramping up, which he's working to keep under control. He's working on completing most…

Happy Force Friday II. Here's an episode to enjoy while trying not to drown in the endless retail porg-sea. Rhett gives a post-eclipse debrief, having driven to view totality. We discuss Star Trek transporters: how do they work? We compare and contrast Blizzard customer service with Topps Series 5: we're overall not enjoying the aesthetics yet, and…

A new episode with lots to cover, both in-app and out. Not official yet, but we talk about the probably Obi Wan standalone movie. In-app, we discuss the new pay-only currency, Crystals, and what we've seen so far of the look of Series 5. Also, of course, happy eclipse day; hopefully you're able to get a glimpse of it where you are. But safely! We d…

Logo contest: we want your logo submissions! If yours is chosen, you get a complete Commemorative set. Contact via Twitter DM, @CT_Illuminerdy. If you're not on Twitter, 1-1 LeftyTheHutt about it in the app. We toss around some new card trading app ideas. MTV VJs? World leaders? Imagine hoarding Margaret Thatcher or Manuel Noriega. Michael shares s…

As seen on Twitter, the Kenner marathon set has done it -- pulled Rhett back in the app. He hasn't taken out a second mortgage on his house (yet), but he's not F2P, either. Will it last? Also, we discuss tattoo technology, and some of us are looking forward to My Little Pony: The Movie. For the kids, of course.…

An NSA contractor who was arrested for leaking confidential information happened to be named Reality Winner. Does a person's name lead to a certain Destiny, or is it just being born in a socioeconomic environment where a name is common that makes it so? What's available at the modern public library? Rhett's opinion of them moves from indifferent to…

Happy birthday, America! Seems like as good a time as any to release an episode. Rhett cracks some Star Wars packs! Not Card Trader, but Star Wars: Destiny. A card and dice game that he's keen to recruit Michael into playing as well. We discuss remote controls. Is a fake remote a good place to hide valuables? I.e., would it be taken in a robbery? D…

May the fourth be with you...it's a good excuse to release a new episode. In this one we ask a lot of questions. We go over the May the 4th bundle sales in the app, and are they good enough to tempt Rhett to update his app and open it? 105K credits for $4.99 is a phenomenal deal, and Rhett is quick to ask why would buy the 300K bundle for $24.99. A…

After our last mini-episode, we come back with a whopper. An exciting opening, with Tommy on the road and a technical snag all in the first 7 minutes, but full steam ahead after that. Some points of discussion, definitely not in this order: -We're having a legit giveaway: Leave us a review on iTunes before the end of the month to be in the running …

Rhett forgot we were supposed to record. Tommy didn't know Michael was recording the conversation about Rhett forgetting. But even though only one of us was intentionally podcasting, we still had more actual Star Wars Card Trader discussion than there's been in who knows how long. The rest of the conversation centers around the Star Wars Celebratio…

We discuss in-depth the nature of the Force; does it have a will of its own, and use beings to achieve it? Or is it purely something passive to be tapped into to bend to one's own will? Did Shmi really conceive through the Force itself or someone manipulating it, or was there just not good sex education for slaves on Tatooine? Rhett floats his theo…

Michael's back in the Star Wars Card Trader app, adding a thin veneer of legitimacy back to our podcast. Tommy spends hundreds of thousands and 30 packs to pull a Fans Choice (with a 0.12% chance of that happening, it's his luckiest pull in the app). Rhett is in awe of the amazing things people can do from watching "People are awesome" compilations…

Nominations are up for Star Wars Podcast Awards! Nominate here! Michael still can't get logged back into Star Wars Card Trader, so he shares his experience with a game that he's tried in the mean time: Survive - Wilderness Survival. Who knew "Wilderness Simulation" was a genre? Also, we discuss what we'd do if we had unlimited money at our disposal…

We come out of the gate strong in 2017! We don't have the theme music working, and thanks to Michael's micro resolution, he can't actually log into SWCT. His goal, though, is to stay with SWCT, and stay free-to-play, leaving behind the other apps. He's still the Poggle guy. Rhett still hasn't opened the app, and Tommy is not chasing much, but there…

At one time, Rhett out-pulled and out-spent almost all of us, and he knew all the cards like the back of his hand. Now, it's been so long since he's even opened the app that he hasn't even seen Base 4, so we spend time describing to him what the Base 4 cards look like: the parallels, and the variety of characters and ships that the cards feature. I…

We break tradition and discuss heretofore verboten Topps apps as Rhett poses a hypothetical question: which would you be more likely to download first: Kick or Skate? Bunt, too, gets some air time, as the World Series is underway. And SWCT is not forgotten; we discuss the handling of the introduction of Base 4. In the post-show Michael and Rhett ta…

Rhett has a man-cold, but takes his meds and powers through the episode. We discuss if it was worth giving up on Series 3 so soon. And the Highlander movies. We then discuss what amounts to using the cards as emoji, communicating in an encoded form based on the cards you offer and counter for; useful, for example, to discover if the person at the o…

Legal settlements and contractual hiatus obligations have finally been met so it's time for an episode! Michael shares how Google surveys have provided away to stay F2P but buy the occasional bundle as needed. We say good-bye to base series 2 and TFA series 1, and mention a few of the sets that have come and gone since..."Awaken Your Memory."…

It's a new episode! We talk about cards, the lack thereof in SWCT (the app has made a good faith effort actually since we recorded this), and expand/improvise on some of our favorite topics, not surprisingly food related. Rhett shares his experience in a Dolly Parton-shaped vacation destination (in the sense that she shaped it, not that it's shaped…

The Contour set gave us 9 cards covering the Three Most Iconic Star Wars Villains. The Ultra-Limited version of this set sees it grow exponentially. As Rhett says, he can't quite put his finger on it, but even though all of those dozens of cards are low count, something about that translation loses his interest. We also discuss the TapJoy-for-Inser…

It's seemed like a relatively quiet week in the app, but we find plenty to talk about. Rhett feels disengaged from the app, but after enumerating what he does chase, it turns out to be pretty much everything that doesn't require a pay bundle. Still, it's interesting that he feels that way, even while passively chasing so many cards. The drop in Kic…

We're back from a week off; life and scheduling conflicts happen, but card trading goes on. We talk about how close Rhett came to Olympic greatness, and the Olympics in general. The mediocrity of Ruby Tuesday inspires a surprising amount of passion. And the cards, of course; we discuss how both open sets and ultra limited sets may as a net effect m…

We talk about post-SDCC things, including the card-count-white-out. My example of using card counts to aid in judging value in a trade fails, though, when Rhett informs me that the 2500 count Santa Cruz I traded away was actually worth more than the 750 count Rebels Watercolor that I was offered. And there are plenty of random topics to go around. …

Michael talks about his enjoyment of Star Wars Celebration Europe, doing what it takes to enjoy it during a work day across the Atlantic. Rhett tries to pin down what's got him concerned about the state of affairs in the quality control and/or customer service arena at Topps. Meanwhile, though, cards keep coming, which is a good thing. Dave Filoni'…

As the nation, yea, planet, is gripped in the throes of Pokemon Go, a new app emerges to vie for our attention...and succeeds, even as we record. We talk WWE Slam, and what we look forward to seeing in it action. We also talk some of the new SWCT goings-ons, like the digital badges, the new way to correct an error-ed card, optionally, via Smugglers…

Rhett begins the long slog that will be the chase of the Chuchi rainbow. Michael talks about his experience so far with the UFC app...and even mentions considering downloading Kick (so now is as good a time as any to shore up your doomsday supplies/fallout shelters). We discuss the Medallion Marathon bundle, and while we don't have a problem with a…

We have a lot to say about the changes to the way the new marathons are being released. In addition to the cost and end of stacking marathons, we touch on separating tiny Lego pieces, inserting contacts, current Star Wars comics, and how bad Independence Day: Resurgence is. You wouldn't know it from that list, but we felt a lot more on-topic than u…

We find a lot to talk about, some of it about cards, some of it not. Michael in particular is getting tired of being on the outside looking in at the Star Trek sets in Quidd, and is hoping the Android version drops soon. He "drones on", as Rhett says, a little about Bunt. Rhett speaks out in defense of people that advertise "1 insert for two", and …

Michael's back on top of the world and tells how he was able to get the missing 1-count to fill the void in his life. We discuss roulage and the top three Most Iconic Star Wars villains. There is disagreement over whether AT-AT Driver should be among them. Warning: the post-show somehow ends up being all business. We start by joking about which wal…

We discuss the rumors that there has or will be an entire month spent on re-shoots for Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. Michael got bored enough to download Bunt and Huddle (not Kick, of course), and gets his first taste of cross-trading. Ok, maybe it's not bored as much as deflated from still being unable to obtain the 1-count Mustafar Poggle. Rhett …

We have a pairing suggesting for today's episode, enjoy it with a 2010 Riesling. Michael and Rhett start off discussing some of their cosplay exploits, to varying degrees of success and notoriety. We talk about ways to get trades going: being proactive vs. advertising and letting them come in. Via Bunt, we also discuss rewards for completing sets, …

Tune in to find out: which of our hosts was next to sustain a head injury by walking into a stationary structure? Which was better: Air Wolf or Blue Thunder? Also, some SWCT...we discuss the market for the single-digit count base variants, and especially the one count. We also talk a little The Walking Dead Card Trader, and an old Commodore 64/Appl…

What would you buy for a dollar? Rhett discusses how he'll buy anything for a dollar, a pricing weak point of his that can and has been exploited in various situations. Dollar stores are obviously his financial kryptonite, and he at least knows to avoid them. We also discuss what if anything could be done with the Smugglers Den mechanic to improve …

Happy Cinco De Mayo! We wanted to wait for a more Star Wars-specific date to drop this episode, but there didn't seem to be one, at least near the beginning of May, so we'll use this episode to celebrate something at least. Michael has said that these notes should not limit the episode in getting out in a timely fashion. So rather than withhold thi…

Michael is under the weather this week, but joins us anyway, and hangs in there like the professional he is. He may even remember some of the discussion! We keep circling back to weather the 80 card Jedi Legacy set is the largest set ever in the app (spoiler alert: No). Hope y'all have had a good week, and happy trading! Here's the airline brochure…

By the time we released last week's episode, Michael's observation that Rey fervor seemed to be dying down was already hilariously proven wrong even by our standards of mis-calls, and the 3-day celebration was just ramping up. We'd also talked about how red and blue base didn't seem to have quite the same demand with prospecting...oops. What will w…

Plenty of cards to talk about this week as we've had a number of sets drop. We round them up, from TFA: Portraits, Geo-Linear, to the ones that have kept the good ol' tradable mechanic, like TFA: Classic Art. We also discuss the rumored "gold rush" potentially happening Sunday, so if you're a prospector, make sure you get those counts up to 100. Ha…

This week we spend a surprising amount of time actually talking about SWCT...the main topic: the influx of new cards that are dropping as Untradable. Why? We can't get our heads around it completely. We discuss it in relation to the "1 pull per account" mechanic as well, and are of different opinions over how they affect things. Other discussion hi…

Every once in a while, something so noteworthy happens in the app that we just can't get our heads around it. The mini base cards certainly put us there. We headed straight to the Illuminerdy studios and hashed it out in an appropriately shorter-than-usual mini-episode. Michael doesn't pull punches, taking a strong stand against this set. "For the …