Last night I left a pub in Kings Cross with a massive smile on my face as over the course of a few hours I was transported back to my childhood to play Pokémon: The Trading Card game. Here are my impressions of the evening.
Full disclosure, I am a huge Pokémon fan. I collected the cards as a child and have played every handheld version of the game up to date. Pokémon is a special thing to me and some of my dearest memories stem from the worldwide phenomenon. So when I was given the opportunity to go to an event based around the trading card game I was in 100%!
I arrived at the pub not quite knowing what to expect and found a room heaving with fellow Pokéfanatics. I was actually pretty surprised by the enthusiasm they were showing for the card game I hadn’t look at since I was 12. I was asked to pick a deck between a Pikachu and Mewtwo set. The purist in me wanted Pikachu but the competitive side made the decision for Mewtwo. Once that incredibly difficult decision was made I was paired up with a fellow attendee and was taught the basics.
The game itself initially looked pretty complex but is actually pretty simple to get your head around. It actually reminded me a lot of playing Yu Gi Oh on my PS4. With that in mind I took on a slightly more experienced player than myself (@LauraKBuzz) and was crushed. Laura was extremely kind to me though and took me through each step to make sure I was comfortable and aware with each of my moves! As I was told at the time, Pokémon Trading Cards is a “gentlemanly game”!
I did come very close to defeating Laura however in a follow up game but she was unceremoniously taken from our duel to take part in the tournament of the night. I, as a complete newcomer to the game, declined to take part myself and watched on as the passionate bunch of players battled through the night.
I really have to say, the overall event was absolutely fantastic and I do not have a bad word to say about it or the game itself. I was provided with some additional packs to play with outside of the event. Will I actually play the game? It’s unlikely, as fun as it was. However knowing that there is a digital version intrigues me. If they were to create an iOS/Android version of this then I can honestly say that they officially have me as a player, being able to play a quick game on the go and store a collection digitally.
Regardless of whether I carry on playing, as a 26 year old man, I can honestly say that Pokémon: The Trading Card game was a wonderful trip down memory lane and I even walked away with an amazing Pikachu soft toy for my attendance!
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