I just got done reading Pokemaster’s article, and I’m somewhat disgusted. Not at him personally, just the state of mind. Let me remind you all, we are in the midst of what will be the pivot year for Pokemon. If it is successful, it will continue full force. But if it isn’t, we will not see another Challenge Series after 2003. We won’t see another Worlds. We probably won’t see anything like that anymore.

Now isn’t the time to bicker. It is March 2003. The Challenge Series will be announced sometime this month (most likely), and it’ll be underway. Super Battlezone was great, and everyone who participated enjoyed it (except in a couple situations). We’re looking at an excellent season. Of course there is the 15+ predicament, but I think most of the people have grown to accept it, including myself. We’re realizing that the game is now the most important factor.

The funny thing is, Pokemaster didn’t complain about the Professor Program, which is the usual target of such articles, but he complained about Modified! Modified for cripes sake!

Does Modified force people to buy new product? Of course it does! That’s the point. Wizards needs MONEY to run a business. Wizards needs to SELL product, not let it sit there when all you need is cards from a couple core sets to win. Modified DOES encourage new players. If it wasn’t for Modified, all these new players (whom there are very few of I might add) would be discouraged because they think they’re playing great Scizor (from Aquapolis) decks, but they don’t understand why they keep losing to Slowking/Sneasel. They don’t realize that there is a better Scyther from Jungle.

I can prove it. I play Magic, and I see new people start playing all the time. If Magic played unlimited, you’d see all these alpha-beta decks dominating the environment. I don’t even own any alpha-beta cards. So of course, new players would be discouraged.

Modified is the best idea Wizards has ever come up with in their 5 years of owning Pokemon, and it was actually borrowed from Magic! Type 2 has been a successful format for a long time now, and Magic is still going strong… for 10 years now.

Be ready for an exciting year. With new sets, a new format (after September 2003), a new challenge series, and new innovations, Pokemon is going to be very cool. Don’t give up, guys. It can still survive.

~ RaNd0m

PojoRaNd0m@hotmail.com