Pokemon TCG enjoys resurgence

MANILA, Philippines – Pokemon has had a major impact in the past and the present, may even also impact future generations. When the series first came out, the Pokemon craze touched all walks of life, from games to fashion, to food items and collectibles. The brand has “evolved” since audiences were first introduced to lovable characters Ash Ketchum and the electrifying Pikachu.

One such aspect of Pokemon that has followed the brand since its release is the Pokemon Trading Card Game (TCG), which had multitudes of children going to different stores looking for a pack of cards to collect and show off to their friends.

But like many during the height of COVID-19, the Pokemon TCG community saw a decline during the years of the pandemic. With things back to normal, Pokemon TCG is experiencing a resurgence in popularity, not just from the generation that grew up with Pokemon from the start.

"Two years ago, when we had our town leagues, usually we had 30-60 people. Now, it doesn’t fall under a 100 people. It grew so much for the past two years," said player Aira Pineda, who recently competed in the International Pokemon TCG tournament at the Asia Sports Collectors Convention (ASCC) in Macau at the beginning of this month.

Pineda finished third while her teammate Jimbo Santiago finished No. 1 among 87 players across the continent.

Compared to the country's previous events, Pineda recalled how last year's national circuit had a total of 106 attendees, but now that number is the norm for small town leagues, with the attendees doubling going into regional leagues.

A lot has changed in the Pokemon TCG world in a span of two years. Many cards have reached their expiration form the tournament legal standard. The meta of the game constantly changes with the introduction of new cards per quarter plus the new tournament circuit format that now guarantees four Filipinos qualification to the Pokemon World Championships.

"Before, you had to be one of the best in Oceania Region (Southeast Asia + Australia + New Zealand) to win a free trip to the Worlds Championships. Now you just have to be the best in your country," explained Pineda.

Compared to other trading card games out there, Pokemon TCG appeals to a very wide generation. Pineda recalled how she herself has played with younger competitors and that the Pokemon World Championship has a specific juniors category for those aged seven to twelve.

"Pokemon is multi-generation. You could be playing with a seven-year-old or a 30-year-old and you’re all understanding the game," shared Pineda.

Because strategy is just one aspect of Pokemon TCG, a majority of it, like any other card games boils down to one thing: luck, something that could go either way whether you are a young, inexperienced player or a veteran.

"In other competitions, you train and you play until you’ve reached a certain skill level but in trading card games, it really depends on your opening hand. That could dictate how your entire game is going to go. There’s a certain luck component to it. In the Macau tournament, I matched up with the No. 1 player in Hong Kong. He was supposed to win. He played it really well. The Hong Kong community is bigger than the Philippines, they’re ahead. He was supposed to win but I had a small chance. There were two cards in my deck that could make me win but my deck still had 30-plus cards. On my last turn, I got that one card out of 30 and I won," recalled Pineda.

"It’s really a balance of how you manage your deck, how you strategize and a lot of it is luck. If you have a bad hand, a bad starting hand, you’re doomed from the start. Even if you think of a lot of ways to maneuver it, if you’re not lucky with your draw, it’s game over. I think a lot of it is based on luck also. At the end of the day, while you have sixty cards, you only get to draw seven at the start," added Santiago.

Santiago had only started playing Pokemon TCG at the midpoint of the year, having gotten back to collecting the cards at the start of 2023, which he had previously done as a child. As he started collecting, Santiago joined different groups on Facebook with the same interest and started making friends in the community who taught him how to play the game and that started a snowball effect.

"It was the middle of October and I was in Australia for vacation and I tried looking for Pokemon events. I saw this hobby shop was having this pre-release event. I joined just for the fun of it. I was there and I wanted to try and play with other nationalities... and I won first place. It was a pre-release event. So you buy a kit which contained a couple of cards from the new set, then it’s random. Then you play with what you get. Literally, I just joined for fun because I was there. Surprisingly, I won with a deck I’m not familiar with." shared Santiago.

Looking ahead on what is in store for the Pokemon TCG community in the Philippines, both Pineda and Santiago hope that more kids get to know the game.

"It’s mostly the adults in the community. I think the majority of the players are at the 25 to 40 age range. I feel like it’s because of nostalgia. A lot of the players now were previous players of the original Pokemon games. I think what got them into playing and collecting or joining the hobby is because they resonate with the characters, and they remember it from their childhood. I hope the younger generation also starts to play, probably influenced by their parents who were Pokemon kids. At the end of the day, Pokemon is marketed for kids. There’s a huge following for us due to nostalgia but if we want to keep the hobby going, it also has to start with a new generation. If a new generation starts playing, then they can pass it on," said Santiago.