It's official! Due to the great response of our battle roads tournament - York, Pa  will be hosting a Pokemon City Tournament this year. Thank you to everyone who came out and made our battle roads tournament such a great success.

I expect an even better turn out for the city tournament;  as such we will be doing a pre-registration. There is no cost for the battle roads tournament, but as seating is limited we want to be fair to everyone. We will have a sign up sheet at the Comic Store West  by Monday 11/9/09. Signing up for the tournament will only reserve you a seat if you are on time to register your deck. If you are not on time your seat will go to anyone on the waiting list.

I highly recommend that you start working on your deck for this tournament now. Get it polished and make sure it's legal for tournament play. (See my previous post.) If you have any questions about the tournament deck requirements, or even just how to build a stronger deck - please feel free to e-mail me, or bring your deck into a regular league day and ask me.

Matt McDunnell
York Pokemon League Leader
Yorkpokemonleague@gmail.com
Yorkpokemonleague.com
717-332-8301

I wanted to take a few minutes to talk about sportsmanship and Pokemon. I have seen several events in other game groups I belong to where people seem to have lost their perspective on the purpose of a game. Of course the goal of the card match is to win, but the purpose is to have fun. It's not only important that you have fun, but that you make sure your opponent does as well.

Why is it important that your opponent have fun? Well if they don't you may find that the number of people you have to play with will shrink. If you are not fun to play against, why would people continue to play with you?
 
My biggest concern is in experienced Pokemon veterans playing new inexperienced players. I have noticed in the league that the newer players tend to pair off and the veteran tend to play each other more. This is expected, but I have been concerned when the veterans play the new kids at the league.

Think about what it is like for someone new to the game who only has a starter deck and a few booster packs to build their deck from. What is it like for them to go up against your polished and honed deck full of Level x's and trainers? Yes it can be a valuable learning experience for them to see your deck in play, but they are not going to keep coming back to get beaten by the same deck over and over.  I'd like to suggest that if you are in a league you seek out opportunities to strengthen the skills and decks of the newer and less experienced players.

Why should you help someone else become a better player? Because if you have stronger opponents it will force you to be a better player as well.  I know winning is fun, but I think it's much more fun when you have to fight for the victory. Here are some ideas for casual league games with less experienced players that can help you both to enjoy the game.

1) Offer to explain to the other player how you assembled your deck and why you chose the cards you did., Explain the synergies and the importance of the trainers, supporters and stadiums.

2) Ask the other player if they would like suggestions on how you would make the deck stronger.

3) Try playing a game against a newer player using only a starter deck, or if you are comfortable with it - trade decks and let them use your deck to battle you. You may have spent a lot of time creating and tuning your deck, but playing with an unfamiliar deck, or one that is not as well built will force you to think harder when playing. Playing against your own deck you may find flaws or weaknesses that you were unaware of. This will also help the new player see how a strong deck functions, and the importance of good deck construction.


That's all the time I have for now, please share your thoughts as well!

I remember when I first found out there were leagues set up for pokemon. I was so excited that my kids could have the opportunity to meet other pokemon fans and have casual games on a regular bases. Many of the people who call me about the league ask- how much does it cost? They often ask twice just to be sure. When I found out it was free I thought it was too good to be true!

Today's blog is to remind you of our host for the league, The Comic Store West, and their part in the equation. Bret, Brian, Scott, and the team out there really provide us with a great game area. It is a clean, organized, safe space that I feel comfortable bringing my children to. There are other stores who DO charge game clubs for the use of their space, but we get to use it rent free.

In the age of the internet and discount stores I know that you can find your pokemon cards elsewhere cheaper. Maybe you buy them by the case, or buy singles on e-bay. Maybe you buy the tins at Walmart or Target. I'd like to suggest that it's good business to support the store that supports our club instead. Even though I do buy items online, I make it a point to spend some of my paycheck at my friendly neighborhood game store every week. They provide a great place for me to game and I'd hate to try to find a replacement.

If you appreciate the space that we are given to play in- make sure to pick up a pack of cards, some card protectors, or a comic book the next time you're in the store. If there is an item you are looking for, but don't see, ask - they can probably get it. if there is enough interest I might be able to talk Brett into giving us a club discount on a bulk order for the next pre-release. If you are interested let me know.

Matt

If you've made it to this blog through google you may not know about our main site. Google isn't indexing it properly yet! Check us out at YorkPokemonLeague.com

I've had several questions now regarding tournament deck building regulations. While this information is available on go-pokemon.com, I thought I would make it easy for you to reference while preparing for our upcoming tournament. Please be sure to bring a deck list to the tournament! You can download one at http://go-pokemon.com/op/tournaments/docs/2008-2009/Generic_POP_Decklist.pdf  Our tournament will be a Modified Constructed event. In a nut shell it means you can use cards from standard releases from Diamond and Pearl sets, as well as Platinum Rising sets. Please reference the information below.

1.1. Constructed
In a Constructed event, players arrive at the tournament with a 60-card deck. The cards used to
build the deck come from each player’s personal collection. Decks may not contain more than
4 copies of a single card, as defined by the card’s English title, with the standard exception for
basic Energy cards. Matches are played for 6 Prize cards.

2. Standard Deck Construction Rules
All cards from Pokémon Trading Card Game expansion sets with the standard Pokémon TCG card back
or the Japanese Pokémon TCG card back that have been released in the United States, including
promotional cards, are legal for tournament play unless listed otherwise. Cards from collector’s sets,
such as the Pokémon World Championship decks, and cards with the words “NOT TOURNAMENT
LEGAL” printed on them, are not allowed in tournaments. Specific formats may include additional rules
restricting which card sets are allowed. Each card in a player’s deck must either have the same card back
or be sleeved in a manner that the design on the card back is not visible.

3.1. Modified Format
The Modified format is the standard tournament format for Pokémon Organized Play events.
This format will be used at all premier events unless specified otherwise. The Modified format
for the 2008–2009 tournament season contains the following:

Diamond & Pearl
Diamond & Pearl – Mysterious Treasures
Diamond & Pearl – Secret Wonders
Diamond & Pearl – Great Encounters
Diamond & Pearl – Majestic Dawn
Diamond & Pearl – Legends Awakened
Diamond & Pearl - Stormfront
Platinum
Platinum - Rising Rivals
Diamond & Pearl Trainer Kit
POP Series 6 Promo Cards
POP Series 7 Promo Cards
POP Series 8 Promo Cards
POP Series 9 Promo Cards
All Black Star Promos numbered DP01 & higher

In addition, future Pokémon USA, Inc., releases will become legal as they are released, per
the Pokémon Organized Play Tournament Rules.
With the exception of basic Energy cards and previously printed cards that appear in Modified legal
sets, players may not use cards from Pokémon sets prior to  Diamond & Pearl. Players
using previously printed cards that appear in Modified-legal sets must play those cards using
the wording of the most recent printing of the card. New sets are allowed as soon as the
product has been released in that rating zone. In events that include multiple rating zones, such
as the Pokémon TCG World Championships, the format of the United States will be used
 

So here's the first blog entry. We'll see if it works. My big quandry of the moment.... The league has been growing and our first toutnament is comming up. How do I know if we'll have enough players to divide into age brackets? I'm pretty sure most of the older players don't want to play the 5 year olds in a tournament setting. Would feel like stealing their lunch money I guess.  Any feedback or suddestions would be welcome. If you are a league member- please post your thoughts!


MM

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