Vol. 1, Issue 6 - The State of the Pokémon TCG
Our first opinion piece, and a reminder of the Wii U and 3DS eShop store closures
The Pokémon Trading Card Game (TCG) was the very first thing I was introduced to when I learned about the series back in 1999. I would look at each of the cards to learn their names, element type, moves and lore. I especially appreciated their fantastic artwork, and it made me want to collect them all together into a folder, and preserve them as a sort of mini gallery. The excitement of opening each booster pack for the chance to pull a holographic card is as enjoyable today as it was when I was a child.
In recent years, I have seen a noticeable shift in attitudes towards the TCG, fuelled in part by notable online personalities across certain streaming platforms who purchased significant numbers of rare cards and sealed TCG products, and brought it to a wider audience. It’s hard to identify the specific date of when the frenzy began, but around November 2020 I saw a huge number of people selling off their old cards and making huge amounts of money doing so.
In November 2019, I began to purchase the remaining few cards I needed to complete the Base, Jungle and Fossil sets I collected as a kid, and was able to do so for prices that I felt were fair and reasonable. I realised a year later how lucky I was to have chosen that moment to complete those Wizards of the Coast sets. As a collector and fan, I was saddened to see how people were willing to give up their childhood memories for some quick cash, and while I respect that not everyone has the same attachment to their belongings as I do, I can’t be the only one who feels this way.
This led me to write the first opinion piece for the Johto Times: The State of the Pokémon TCG. I hope that you will give it a read by clicking the link below, and sharing your opinions in the comments, even if you disagree!
Finally, I wanted to share another reminder that the Nintendo 3DS and Wii U eShop’s will be closing on March 27th at 23:59 UTC. I felt it was particularly important to do so again after one of our readers (Brian) got in touch with me last week to confirm that he didn’t know about the closure, and was able to pick up Pokémon Bank and Poké Transporter, thanks to our update.
In relation to this, I thought it would be fitting to share a recent tweet from Serebii.net that includes a short video showcasing the different Pokémon products that you may want to grab before the eShop closures:
I remember that during the beginning of the Covid, it was so popular in the famous Youtubers to seals the cards, playing and selling the cards for huge amounts of money. However, they sold very important part of themselfs - their childhood.
Thank you for reminder of the e-shop closing! I still have old Version of TGC on my Wish List, which I didn't purchase yet!