"Well, folks, it's that time again."

To eat candy?

            To watch X-Files?

    To play Nintendo?

"No, it's time for the Wheel of Morality!"

Wheel of Morality
Turn, turn, turn
Tell us the lesson
That we should learn...

"And the moral of today's article is:  Sometimes you just have to open your mouth and let the words come out."

*******

Now I may not be the most prolific writer when it comes to Pokémon, but I've cranked out some articles in my time.  Over the course of the past year-and-a-half, I've been keeping an eye on the things people write on Pojo.  I make my comments when I feel they are warranted, and then I step back into the shadows to watch again. (Kind of like that guy on Highlander, only not so obnoxious or scary...)  It's time for me to come back into the light, and make my viewpoints known.

TOPIC 1:  "Prop15-3c"

Enough already.  Most of us realize that this isn't the best solution for the current state of affairs.  It hurts some decks more than others, but I don't think Wizards realized that they weren't hurting the ones they wanted to enough for it to matter.  Their "extensive playtesting" must have been done by the same people who built the pre-cons.  If they really wanted to playtest these different propositions, they should have gone to the champion players and had an invitational with special rules to see how people who know what they're doing when it comes to deck construction can abuse a given format.

TOPIC 2:  Errata

I started playing Pokémon in May of 1999.  After I left for college the following August, I also took up Magic: the Gathering because there were several people on campus who played.  My spatiality in Magic quickly became evident:  I could find a combo with any card.  The problem I ran into is that many of the combos I found in my early days of Magic were illegal because of errata I didn't know about.  Errata, while a good idea, CAN and DO get out of hand.  A single erratum (it's Latin, deal with it) is just the beginning.  I agree certain cards are VERY broken in Pokémon, but I don't think that errata is really the path we want this game to take.

TOPIC 3:  Banning

Banning, on the other hand, is one of my personal favorites.  (MTG SIDE NOTE:  I have a framed copy of an Unglued card called "Look At Me, I'm the DCI,"  look it up if you don't know what it does ;-) )  Banning, when used in moderation, may be just what this game needs.  I wouldn't go as far as to say "BAN WIGGLY!  BAN CHAN!  BAN OAK!"  After the WCSTS and the ECSTS, we can see what cards are heavily abused, and adjustments to legality should be made accordingly.  At the very least, restriction is a good idea.  One Oak per deck, one Chan, one MP Mewtwo, one Wiggly, one Comp. Search... think of the effect that only have one of any of these would do to current archetypes.  It would at the very least slow them down, or force them to diversify.  And as for the argument that kids would understand, how hard would it be to tell a kid "You can't use more than one of those."  The kid would say "Good, I only own one because I don't have a job and I have decent parents who don't buy me every toy I want."

TOPIC 4: Anger Management

I myself am known for having a temper problem.  That does not mean that I can go on websites and bash the living daylights (easy Bond reference) out of someone's article without being constructive.  Between the message board wars on the UBB and the responses to some Card Tip articles, there is a LOT of anger running around.  In the future, maybe we will find a way to harness the power of anger for the betterment of mankind, like as an alternative to gasoline in cars.  Until then, people need to just relax.  THIS IS A GAME.  THIS IS NOT A REASON TO GET SO ANGRY YOU HURT OTHERS.  I see the same thing when I see people at tournaments, or even in casual play.  It is not the end of the world if you lose.  Take it from someone who refuses to run one of the major Archetypes and pays for it--losing a game is NOT the end of the world.

TOPIC 5:  YOUR Opinion

You didn't really think I'd rant about all this and not sign my name, did you?  If you agree with me, that's great.  If you don't agree with me, feel free to email me at ericwilliamson@hotmail.com.  I'd love to get into some sort of a debate about Prop15-3c, but I haven't found many people who support it. ;-)

Just remember, this is all MY opinion.  You don't have to agree with me, you don't have to love me.  All I ask is that you give me the time to tell you what I have to say.