I still remember my first booster pack. It was about two years ago. I dropped the two dollars and handful of change on the counter at the local comic shop, in exchange for a little blue pack of cards. I tore through the roaring Blastoise image on the front, and to my amazement I removed my first rare card: a first edition Charizard. It then struck myself, and the other players around me, that in my hand was paper gold. Immediately a crowd surrounded me. All I could hear was "Wow! Can I see it?" or "Hey, I'll trade you so-and-so for it?" Ahh... those truly were the days. I still remember when everyone was so naive that they would trade their whole collections for whatever the hot card was at the time. Nobody cared about trainer denial, card advantage, or energy ratios. The game was all about seeing who could get the biggest baddie on the bench, as fast as they could.

Then came Jungle, and with it the Haymaker. Soon tournaments were being dominated by Hitmonchans, and Scythers, rather than the Nidokings, and Charizards of old. Players began to actually care about the outcome of the game. Various combos emerged, bringing the game to a whole new level over the traditional flip-a-coin, rock-paper-scissors gameplay that had defined the Base Set. The thought of a deck without any evolutions was hard to swallow for players like myself. Yet, as the environment changed you would have to adapt, this was a fact many didn't want to admit. So in turn I also gathered up my fast hitters, and Plus Powers, and trudged into the local tournaments every week. By this point I was a full fledged Pokemon aficionado. I would use any, and all, of the money I could get my greedy hands on to add to my ever growing collection of cards. I'm not sure what it was about the game that was so addictive, but whatever it was, it would wear off soon enough.

I realized at that time, thanks to the miracle of opinionated teenagers, that I was growing too old for not only the game, but Pokemon in general. I would find myself playing less, and less in fear of someone I know seeing me playing a card game with a five year old. My reputation was at stake. I really didn't want to be known as "that guy who plays the kiddy game." I really hate to say it, but Pokemon truly was just that: a kiddy game to most people. I gave up playing at the comic shop, partly due to the new "14 and under" age limit put on tournaments after complaints from the parents of younger players. I would now only go over to a fellow die hard players house to play. There we could exchange combos, and in depth strategy without fear of ridicule. The five of us played through Team Rocket, and exchanged deck ideas we had for the upcoming Gym Series. Yet none of us would ever open a pack of it.

I still remember the day now. We were sitting at the table when we collectively decided that this would be our last time playing. We were frankly not pleased with the direction the game was going. We were tired of playing the same people every day. We were tired of hiding at peoples houses, playing in garages, and on kitchen tables. The thrill of beating a total stranger, with a crowd of people packed around your game table, had completely vanished from all of us. Not to mention the fact that we were all flat broke. So the next day we packed up our tubs of cards, and strolled into the comic shop. We sat down at the nearest table, unloaded our cards, and set up a small sign reading: "FREE."

The ironic thing was that soon after that Wizards began to limit cards in decks. A move many players saw as an attempt to remove the trainer heavy decks of the time. When in reality they were bringing the game back where it belonged, in its Base Set roots. I applaud Wizards on this move. Kids of all ages, no matter how rich or poor they were, or how many cards they had, could play together on an even playing field. Most importantly, though, they were having fun again.

I recently stopped by the Pojo again on a whim. I applaud you on your new expansions into other games, and cartoons. Had I not stopped, I would have totally forgotten the only card I kept. My reminder of what the game was, and what it became. My Base Set Charizard. I've argued over selling it many a time, but I just can't. I see it as the last scrap of the 800+ dollars I've spent on the game. I don't regret playing Pokemon. Not one bit.