Fans of Pojo, I, Dark Paladin, am stepping away from Pojo after a long and much enjoyed time bringing information to you.  I'm very honored to have been such a big part of this all for the time that I was, but it's time to pass the torch to the next generation of Pojo.  So I'm handing over the reigns to Baneful, to uphold the legacy and greatness this site represents.  I will still be around from time to time, and I may even start writing again somewhat frequently.  I want to send a huge thank you out to Pojo himself for giving me the opportunity to be here, and all the other writers and reviewers here on the site I've known over the last ten years.  

Dark Paladin...gone, but never forgotten

Featured Writer/Card of the Day Reviewer

2003-2014

Good bye my friends

Baneful's Note:

Dear readers of Pojo,

First of all, I just have to stand in applause at Dark Paladin's commitment to the Pojo.  He's been writing for 10 years on it.  A decade.  He's a real Pojo patriot, and I just feel like saluting a giant flag to him.  He held up the fort for a long time.  I just remember myself as a young 14 year old boy reading Pojo with such a sense of reverence that carries onto today.  I'm a still-young 22 year old.  

But to hear Dark Paladin's voice on the phone and talk to him, is like a nostalgic trip.  I felt a little bit starstruck.  I explained to him my disagreements and I'm grateful that he responded in such supportive way to my ideas.  Yes, I've disagreed with his opinions on the game at times, but there's no denying the respect I have for him.  

The old Pojo cast from the 2003-2007 era were like the Founding Fathers and Dark Paladin is the very last shred of its original core that its had left.  He's the standing survivor of an internet generation that has made a profound mark on Yugioh and gaming.

I am happy and humbled to be the new head of the COTD team and writing on Pojo.

But I've been reading many of the comments on the forum.  Lots of skepticism, anger and ridicule.  I totally hear you all.  You guys want change.  You all want a meta-relevant perspective on the game from competitive-minded players.  

I am here to bring Pojo into a brand new direction.

There have been reviews published on this website that were inaccurate and scored differently than competitive play reflects.  I seek to improve these flaws and to ensure the reviews on this website are of high quality.

I am firmly establishing myself as the front of the pack as the lightning rod.  When something goes amiss, I am to be held accountable.  If I (or any other reviewer) ever makes an error or a mistake on a review, I want to be chewed out and I want that constructive criticism.  I want to acknowledge errors and fix them.  I want to change Pojo and make it grow.  I'm striving to make Pojo the beacon of gaming it was during the era of Jaelove, ExMinion and the like.

So, as I'm inducted to my new position, there are several changes I would like to make to the COTD process:

#1 - Improved Communication

From the beginning, COTD has simply been writers working alone to write reviews.  However, I have realized what good things could come from people working together.  Inaccuracies can be prevented with proper communication.  We all forget every now and then, but instead of writing a review whilst unaware of a certain blind spot we have, we can have other reviewers catch the flaws in advance and nip them in the bud.

#2 - Quality Over Quantity

I want to end a precedent of reviewing every card on every single day.  No one knows a ton about every single card and shouldn't be expected to review them.  It's perfectly okay to skip a review.  And by example, I won't bind myself to review 5 days a week if there is a particular card I am unsure about, though I'll stay consistent nonetheless.

#3 - Thorough Hiring

From here on out, we're not just going to hire anybody who walks in and asks.  We are going to make sure that they are capable of bringing an original perspective to the table.  Also, we want to ensure that they have a strong working knowledge of the game and its competitive strategies.  We will interview all candidates before approving them.

#4 - Professionalism

We want to maintain an air of professionalism throughout the website so we are asking that writers use correct grammar and proofread their writing.  Of course, everyone makes a little typo here and there, but overall, we want to keep our writing fluent and well articulated.  

Also, we want to avoid other problems that have plagued the site in the past such as excessive plugging and advertising by reviewers.  Ideally, a proper picture for a reviewer would be tasteful (optional suggestion: a picture of themselves).  We want to avoid reviewers who use personas or anything misconstrued as a troll or gag.

#5 - No Copy-Paste Filler

Most of the reviews should be in our own words.  Copying and pasting the card effect, whether in full or in segments, is alien to what we want here at Pojo.  Original unique perspectives from people that exude their own personality.

#6 - Depth

We don't want to just write what a card does at Pojo.  We want to explain how the card works, how the card is used, what other cards combo with it, how to counter it and the like.  We want to say things about these cards that the average consumer can't deduce themselves.  Because we owe it to our readers to ensure that customers who are buying cards get an accurate assessment of what exactly they are buying.

#7 - Constructive Criticism

Most importantly, if criticism is constructive, we will be happy to listen to it.  Everyone makes mistakes at times, but what matters most is a willingness to improve upon them and make sure they don't happen again.  While we won't adopt every suggestion, if its for the best interest of the website and the community, we would be happy to implement it.

So...

What's there to say now?  A mouthful.  I want to thank Christian Moss for helping me be a part of this website's transformation.  We've launched the Crossover forum on the message boards and hired some qualified writers.  I've taken a good bit of initiative in writing original content in my Column and all around the site.  We have lots of goals to help transform Pojo in the future, including a Youtube/Podcasting project.  But going, full circle, I just want to speak on Dark Paladin again.

Dang.  What a patriot.  Ten years.  We need a 21-salute in the air, a parade of marching soldiers, some animals, instruments and a giant cake.  This is a real transformative moment this right now.  As the torch gets passed from his generation of Pojo to mine...  I definitely look forward to see what he'll write for the site next, but right now I just want him to have an amazing farewell party here by the Pojo family.  

Thanks to all the Pojo readers, new and old.  I hope you all "take a chance on me" and that you like the meta-focused route I plan to bring to this site.  Peace out, Paladin.

- Baneful