How much do you play the TCG?

[PrimeCupEevee]

I'm wondering if anybody still plays the Pokémon Trading Card Game, which appears to be alive and well (In the 43 months from July 2003 to January 2007, Nintendo has released 15 different EX sets).

The latest TCG product I have is the replica of Jimmy Ballard's Eeveelutions Deck from last year's world championships. My latest tournament legal deck is the Breakthrough Deck from the set EX Delta Species. Also, I just noticed that organized play events (excluding the league) have finally restarted in my area. The City Championships were two weeks ago and the EX Power Keepers Pre-Release event is in two weeks (unfortunately, I have to be somewhere else that day; it's college-related).

Anyway, is there anybody out there who is active in the TCG?

 

[Archaic]

I play it, though not as regularly as I used to. Last year, for quite some time I was going to my local league (one I actually founded) every week, but now, between work and other commitments, I've had to cut back to just going to the major tournaments. Won my local City Championships over the weekend actually.

 

[Wolvorn]

I haven't played it since Wizards of the coast stopped making them. I had a good deck and some good back up ones for other tournaments, but after they couldn't be used in them anymore I couldn't be bothered to cough up the cash then collect for ages to get another good deck. Although I've been cosidering restarting for a while now.

Also (correct me if I'm wrong) you don't see all that many peple who do anymore, obviously theres the die hard fans but other than that there aren't many others since it lost its popularity with the masses ages ago.

 

[Archaic]

No, I'd have to say you're wrong there. The organised play now is significantly larger than it was in the WotC days. A lot of that has to do with the fact Nintendo reinstated the 15+ division, which WotC abolished.

 

[Wolvorn]

I meant more over here in England seeing as how I don't know much about the market outside of the UK other than its much more successful overall. However the hype surrounding D/P is picking up a bit so more people are getting interested in Pokemon again, and with any luck the TCG market(and all the other sections of pokemon for that matter) will get going again here in England, and if it does I'll start collecting again for sure.

 

[Warrior_Rawks]

I once picked up about half a dozen starter decks and for short time played with family and friends to test it out.

While the mechanics were decent enough no one around me was peticularly interested in the Pokemon TCG and I dident have enough money to make myself a competitive player for tournament play so it ended as a -blip- on my radar.

I know what it is, and atleast at one point understood the rules but not much beyond that.

I am suprised more people have not commented in this thread.

 

[FabuVinny]

That would be because the TCG forum here isn't that active.

Collecting the cards was the main thing I did back in the fad days. But I never actually played against anyone and I haven't got back into it since becoming a part of the online fandom.

 

[Rayne]

Depending on the location, I guess you could have more or less people interested in the game still. Why just last night, my friends were dying with anticipation when I brought back a few decks from home.

I didn't know what to be more stunned with, the fact I was re-playing the game after a 3 year hiatus or the fact they were more anxious to play than I was. Remember, I'm in a college dorm right now and Pokemon still has that 'kiddy' stereotype so to get people interested in a pokemon card game really blew me away.

It all began when I happened to mention that I had pokemon cards lying around my house collecting dust to my roommate and how I've put them off for such a long time. He became interested in the idea of a small bout between the two of us, simple and quiet, since he didn't want the idea of 'liking pokemon' to be openly broadcast.

A week later when I brought the decks, we set up a small table and began a best 3 out of 5 match. Somehow a friend caught word of it across the hall and decided to stop by as we were in the middle of a match. Over the course of the game we drew a small crowd of onlookers, more amazed than anything, into the room just curious to see the game.

No one 'bashed' the cards or the pokemon, they were just curious. In fact they even wanted a go at it so I had to bring in more decks for another pair of friends to play the game. They all admitted they had liked pokemon sometime in the past, but as it grew on, they dropped it and moved on to other things.

Effectively, I think I brought out a bunch of closet Pokemon fans; the kind who sorta got into it at the beginning: people who collected for profit or took it on as a social status, but dropped out of it when the 'fad' period was over. I'm glad they're enjoying it and getting into it, but I doubt it'll ever escalate to the point where we create a campus league of pokemon TCG players. These people just wanted to enjoy the game right then and there. I doubt they'll ever start a collection going again.

So yes, in conclusion there are people to play out there, but they may be very well hidden. I never intended to get the corner of my floor involved, and I doubted that knowledge of the game would extend to people beyond my room, but I was proven very wrong.

 

[Wolvorn]

I said I would get back into it and I wasn't lying I'm getting a Starter deck on saturday

 

[Maverynthia]

I've gotten back into the game after finding out there's a league around me. Finally other people to play with.