hey pojo, ur site kicks and come here a lot. Thank you SO MUCH for making it easier to get ideas and advice for decks. I was thinking today, and preparing for a tournament tommorrow, when it dawned on me, WHAT HAS POKEMON COME TO? I don't want to sound like some wierdo, but just think for a second. I remember the first pokemon tournament I attended, it was a lot of fun, everyone played an original deck, that had strategy for the most part, but also had their favorite pokemon in it. But now that I've attended and won more tournaments (12 to be exact..heh) Pokemon has lost its fun. Not that I'm gonna stop going to tournys, or talking to my friend over the net about strategy, or anything, but Pokemon isn't the same anymore. There are no more original decks, all the decks used by other players at the tournament I go to are either exactly like the deck I played with last week, are exactly like the deck that was used by the champion of the other tournament in the city, or is a deck played by a little kid that is just a starter deck. The only decks that exist are haymakers, or haymakers with a couple of evolutions in them. The only evolution decks that exist are fast ones with only stage 1 guys or 2-4 of the stage 2 guys. Over obsessed parents watch their children playing matches at tournaments, giving them advice. I've played this same kid in the last 6 tournaments in the semi-finals. He's played me every tournament, he's been watched by his whole family every tournament, he's been given advice by his whole family at every tournament, i've been beaten him at every tournament, and he's been spoiled after every tournament. His parents come to me every tournament asking for advice on how his deck can be better, and I always think, "let the kid figure it out for himself, i figured it out for myself. My mom bought me a starter deck, and 8 boosters, and from there i traded, figured out what I needed, spent my OWN money on what I needed, watched the prices of cards as I figured out when I should trade them, and won cards at tournaments" I was never spoiled like this kid. Whenever this ked's parents ask me what he needs I always say something like, he should add some basic pokemon that can do more damage, because though he plays with a strong evolution deck with venasaurs and beedrills, weedle and bulbasaur suck, or I reply, he should have some bills and pro. oaks in the deck, or I say, computer search is a very good card. And after every tournament the kid always gets a bunch of boosters from Jungle and Basic Set, along with 4 of the cards I suggested, being bought from the individual card section that I am so lucky my card store has. I haven't spent ANY money on pokemon since after the third week I took playing it up, besides tournament entrance fees. I've traded for, and won at tournaments, what I needed. One of my favorite things about pokemon, is experimenting with strategys and putting different cards together. I like making completely original decks that I know will suck, playing them against my friends, and seeing what was good about them and then replacing their drawbacks with other good things from other original decks I've made. No one does that at the tournament I go to though, they all just copy the strategies and original decks that I've used in tournaments in weeks past. So I ask, WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO POKEMON???? IT IS NO LONGER A GAME OF STRATEGY, FUN, AND GOING TO TOURNAMENTS TO MEET NEW PEOPLE AND HAVE A GOOD TIME, BUT A GAME OF WHO HAS MORE CHARIZARDS THAN WHO. I KNOW LOTS OF KIDS WHO HAD 2 CHARIZARDS LONG BEFORE I GOT MY FIRST 1, BUT I WAS ABLE TO BEAT THEM WITH MY SIMPLE DECK THAT HAD ONLY 3 RARES AND 2 OF THOSE HOLOGRAMS, JUST BECAUSE OF ALL THE STRATEGY AND THOUGHT AND EDITING PUT INTO IT. And some of you might think this article is stupid, a waste of time or space on the pojo, or that I've lost my sanity. But all I ask is JUST THINK about what I am about to say the next time you and your child/parent/friend step in your local card store. PARENTS: Please think before you buy your children that second booster box. Think of the patience your children will learn. Along with the strategy they will learn from having to make a deck without 3 Charizards in it, and the business skills they will learn from trading and keeping up with the prices of the different cards. And remember this...buying your kids lots of cards won't make them love you. They'll love you just as much if you didn't spend hundreds of dollars on cards. But it will make them HATE you when you don't buy them something they want. CHILDREN: Please think about the kids your age who don't worry about how many blastoise they have, but how are their parents going to put dinner on the table. And think about people like me and my friends, who have won 12 tournaments, and are very good at Pokemon. People call us Pokemon Masters though I think that is pretty stupid. But we are good because of our brains and not how many cards we have. Lots of people think I'm spoiled becuase I have lots of cards. But you know what? All those cards I obtained by spending my OWN hard-earned money, trading my OWN cards off, and winning tournaments with my OWN skill and luck. I know lots of kids who are truly spoiled, because they have just as many if not more cards than I do, but didn't spend a penny of their own money or give up anything of their own. Their parents just bought them all the cards they wanted. Thank you for reading this. I am sorry its so long. Please reply to me with your comments. Thank you, -Stefan N. <>