Pokémon World Championships 2023 is a revitalization of the brand. A celebration of a storied history returning to where it all began, the three day event features the best of the best competing in every competitive Pokémon offering available. While the VGC and Unite remain spectacles in their own right, however, it’s the overall presentation and approach to the Pokémon TCG that’s made this trip so memorable.
As someone who collected Pokémon cards from the first set all through childhood, it’s tempting to view the TCG as a primarily collectible-driven endeavor. There’s certainly no shortage of variants - it’s hard to find a popular Pokémon that hasn’t received interesting art treatments across multiple sets. Behind the allure of these cards, though, there’s a very competitive, intriguing, and intelligent game that is thriving in 2023.
All of this isn’t really news to anyone who has already become enamored with the Pokémon TCG brand. But as someone who drifted away from the game after a childhood spent hoarding cards but never attempting to build a deck, it’s a breath of fresh air. I’ve followed the video games without missing a beat since Pokémon Red, but the TCG became a blind spot as I pushed to play Yu-Gi-Oh! and later Magic: The Gathering. Now that Pokémon has returned to Japan for its World Championship and begun its festivities around the achievements of each of its games, I’m realizing how big a mistake that was.
Beyond the enjoyment of the card game itself, the Pokémon TCG also treats its players in a way that makes it feel like they’re appreciated. Watching competitors post about their travels to Japan, the massive slew of side events and offerings that exist in between rounds, and the respect with which returning champions or long-time players are treated, it’s obvious that in spite of the size of this game, no one has really fallen through the cracks. Pokémon World Championships feels like esports in a way that other competitors fail to fully grasp. It’s partially the proximity to actual esports titles - Pokémon UNITE and Pokémon VGC – but it’s also more than that. There’s a sense of collaboration and excitement among competitors that really needs to be felt to be understood.
All that considered, as someone who has spent the past decade pursuing competitive card games as a hobby, I think it’s time to turn back to what started that infatuation in the first place. Pokémon World Championships 2023 fully convinced me that my time and the Pokémon TCG will both be respected in the process of pursuing them; that’s a feeling of security that is even rarer than the cards I used to covet in the schoolyard.
2023-08-11 23:00:04
Article from screenrant.com
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