Hey everyone! You're probably tired of my constant ranting on the problems of
the Pokémon TCG, but here's something most of you readers will agree with it.
It concerns the Pokémon Trading Card Game League. Many trainers, including
myself, find many aspects of it unfair and flawed.
    First, there's the whole point system to earn badges. It's quite unfair.
The badges are not earned by playing ability/skill, but rather points for
irrelevant things, such as trading. Battles barely give you any points toward
the badge!! Also, the amount of time you have been in the League pretty much
says what badge you are at. The badge system needs some serious changes.  You
need FIVE badges in order to get into the next STS. This is extremely stupid.
I only have three badges, yet I'm the best player at my league. Another one
of the kids (a Gym Leader, no less), has all eight badges and can't build a
decent deck. I ran into a kid at a TCG League at Toys 'R' Us, who I
challenged to a battle. His deck had FAR less than 60 cards, and he did not
know how to play the TCG. He starts by placing a base Charmander as his
active. On his first turn, he evolves the Charmander into Charmeleon, and
then into Dark Charizard. I tell him that he's not allowed to evolve first
turn, nor can he evolve to a stage 2 that fast without a Breeder. He
disagrees with me. Then, I remind him that Charmeleon cannot evolve to Dark
Charizard. He says "fine", and evolves the Charmeleon into base Charizard
instead. Then, he attached 2 fighting energy and one Fire energy to his
Charizard-- in one turn. When I finally convinced him that he wasn't playing
right, he finally played by the rules for about seven turns, and decked out.
He didn't seem to care that he lost, because I saw him walk up to the Gym
Leader with his badge book, and he got the last ten points he needed for his
Volcano Badge! The kid didn't even know how to play the game!  I believe that
battles should give many more points, and that you must defeat the Gym Leader
in a match before you can have your badge. Sure, this would make it harder to
earn badges, but it makes a lot more sense, not to mention it's more
rewarding. It's also quite annoying when some stupid kid challenges everyone
there, forfeits on his second turn, and still gets all the points for playing
games. Battles should actually mean something in the league. I wish that
whoever is running the League would fix it. Having eight badges doesn't mean
you're a "master". It doesn't mean anything. I doubt Wizards (or Hasbro) will
do anything about it, as they have never listened to players' complaints so
far. I don't know about you, but I'll stay away from the League till it's
fixed...
-Will
(raiden9984@aol.com)