Pokemon fans, I come before you to gripe today. We all know about the modified format, correct? Yes, well, you see, Wizards seems to have this nasty habit of changing what sets and cards are and are not legal for play in the Modified format (which I will be referring to as MMF, since it is sort of commonly called that and is easier to type =D). Their reason? To let newcomers, newbies, new players or what have you be able to "Catch Up" with us, the folks who have been playing for years. They say that they buy the new cards, so older cards are too "Cheap" or "Broken" and they can’t beat them. It makes more sense to me that the new players would just buy the OLDER cards, which are cheaper anyway. But hey, that’s just stupid little old me, right? Oh, and don’t tell me their to hard to find. That’s a total crock. Any halfway decent store has them. A KayBee toy store near me was going out of business. A box of: Base Set, Jungle and Team Rocket. Guess how much I paid? $40. For ALL of them. That’s like $13.33 for a BOX. I dare you to beat that. Can’t get them? Please.

Let me tell you why this is such a problem. It means we buy a box or two of a new set when it comes out, to get the good stuff, then a year later, WHAM! We can’t use it anymore. Now we have our cool looking cards, and they can only be played in Unlimited. Which looks like Sneasle/Slowking/Murkrow type stuff is always going to rule. Don’t talk about Steelix. Or any other thing. The don’t stand up. They just don’t. I don’t care wether they get you third or fourth, weather the "Performed pretty well". If it don’t win 1st, it ain’t gonna work. At least not for me. Think about this. The next rotation is in September. Skyridge is gonna be out in like a month or two. Another set will follow soon. So by September, we should have like four E-Card sets out. Which means we will most likely go to "E-Block", meaning everything before Expedition will be banned. They may keep Legendary, but big whoop. We got what from that set? Bill. That’s about it. Muk, but no body plays him. Alakazam. Same there. Dark Dragonair. I know one person who plays him. And apparently I am the only one who plays Dodrio =/ And if it happens as I predict? Guess what some of the stuff we’ll be losing is. Gold Berry, Cleffa, Focus Band, Steelix, Typhlosion, Feraligator, Espeon, Entei, Magcargo, Double Gust, Dark Gengar, Misdreavous, Dark Scizor (AKA the poster-boy for underrated pokemon cards), Dark Feraligator, Kingdra, and so the list goes on. While, admittedly I am rather happy seeing Kingdra and Double Gust go, things like Gold Berry and Cleffa? What am I supposed to do without them?

I know several people who feel the same way I do. Even some newbies. The decide they want to play the game, so we tell them, "Trade for Gold Berries and Cleffas and Typhlosions, they rock!" So they do so. They get the cards, spend their money, and their time, only to realize they can only use them for a few months? No, no, my friends, this is not a good thing. Here is their reaction. "What? We can’t use them? We have to spend even MORE money getting the new stuff? No way, man, I ain’t rich. It’s a fun game, but it isn’t worth all the time, effort and money. Besides, even if we get the new stuff, we can only expect to be able to use it for like, what, a year? Thanks but, no thanks." Not a pretty picture, right? At least they reprinted ELM!

But it’s not all doom and gloom. We do have one prayer...

The Best Promo Collection!

Hey, Wizards can’t screw up all the time, can they? Well, there is the Hitmonchan HP thing, but let’s get past that, shall we? Electabuzz was a wonderful choice, and Hitmonchan should help revive fighting a little, although stuff that would REALLY affect the game won’t ever be reprinted, such as Blastoise, Professor Oak and Computer Search. But if it is, hats of to Wizards big time. We’ll just have to wait and see. Things like Scyther, Wigglytuff and guys like that could be expected. Eventually, they should get to Genesis, and reprint Gold Berry and Cleffa and stuff. But if they don’t, well, sheesh, I may have to just, like quit. Really, if Cleffa doesn’t qualify as a Best Promo Card then I will personally eat my couch. And it’s a big couch, too.

But the thing about all this that bothers me the most is the fact that it just seems like there is an ulterior motive behind all this. Like, oh, I don’t know, ban the old stuff to force people to buy the new merchandise maybe? Hmmmm... maybe I’m wrong. Maybe money ISN’T the most important thing to this giant corporate power. But on the assumption that Wizards is like most companies, I’ll close with this. Pokemon fans: Voice your opinion. And Wizards? This is a dangerous game you’re playing here. I have seen more than a few players quit the game based on your decisions. And now that Yu-gi-oh is sucking people’s brains out, WOTC, you guys need to be extra careful what you do.

But Yu-gi-oh, well, that’s a whole other article.

Till next time Poke’people!

Brian Stevenson