Opinion: What has Play Pokemon Been Doing?

by Pikkdogs ~ April 25th, 2011.

Hey everyone in Omar Nation, this is Pikkdogs here with a piece of news and an opinion article on Play Pokemon.

We just had an announcement from Play Pokemon, that let us know that a HGSS-on rotation could happen in July, just before US nationals.  Here is the link to the announcement:

http://www.pokemon.com/us/news/op_bw_modifiedformat-2011-04-25/

While I think that a rotation is necessary for the format, I disagree with the recent announcement by Play Pokemon.  If they did not announce a rotation at the launch of the Black and White, why wait a couple of months?  People have already spent about a month not planning for a rotation, and now Play Pokemon plays the “maybe” game with us.  They are wasting the time of all the players by possibly forcing us to prepare for 3 different formats in the span of just 3 months.  If I wanted to play 3 different games, I would do so, but I only want to play 1 game at once.

Lets back up a little bit.  Last fall Japan’s organized play announced a rotation and a rules change that will effect their format alongside the release of their Black and White sets.  The rules were kind of strange and included things like being able to use Trainers and Supporters on the first turn and having Supporter cards go straight to the discard pile.  Fast forward to April 4, 2011, when it was announced that we also get the rules changes but not the rotation that Japan got.  This meant that we will have a format that had a lot of donk decks. A lot of people were upset by the rules and lack of a rotation.  They stated that the format had forced players to rely  more on luck than skill.

I was not happy with the new rules, and I was even less happier with the lack of a rotation.  If they would have just rotated 4 sets, all of the donking problems would be solved, but no, they decided to have a donk happy format.  I thought that this was weird, but since Play Pokemon has been great in the past I let one slip.  I began to get excited about donking, and how to prevent it.  Then 3 weeks later we get this new announcement.

In the past I have always stuck behind Play Pokemon, but I can’t just continue to sit by and keep silent about what they have been doing in the last couple of months.  The rule changes were wrong to begin with, then the lack of a rotation was wrong, now leaving us up in the air while they play a waiting game is even worse.

This announcement also means that we could have an entirely different format for Spring Battle Roads as we do for Nationals.  That means that Play Pokemon had decided to use Battle Roads as their practice field.  Are you kidding me?  They want us to do their job for them?  Its their job to set a fair format, this involves testing and predicting the decks that people will use.  So why are they going out early for happy hour while we have to waste our Battle Roads season doing their job for them?  I love Battle Roads, it is a great way to socialize with friends and to play the game.  Why are they ruining it by making it have a weird format, unlike that of any other?  Pre-Releases are known for having weird formats, not Battle Roads.  The Spring Battle Road tournament is supposed to prepare us for nationals, how can it do that by having a completely different format?  (Also, can I add any more question marks in one paragraph?)

Now I am not saying that the game is in bad shape.  I think Pokemon is just as fun as it has ever been.  I still love to play the game, and will play it no matter what kind of format there is.  I am also not saying that I am not looking forward to the future. I am really looking forward to a HGSS-on format, it should be really balanced and fun.  I also love the new Black and White cards.  I think the future for Pokemon is bright.

I am simply saying that in the past month Play Pokemon has made every mistake they can make.  Play Pokemon must be strong, not flimsy.  They should do their work and select the best rules and cards for the game and then stick with it.  You want your organized play committee to be strong and to commit to their decisions.  I think that this new wait and see approach is terrible.  When a pretty teenage girl goes to a dance, she does not dance with the nervous wall flowers, but she dances with the strong confident boys.  The real world is just like the high school dance, consumers don’t like companies that change their strategies on their own whims.   I think its time for Play Pokemon to grow a pair and step up to represent the faithful Pokemon fans that support them.

I understand that I have said some controversial things and I may be getting a letter from Play Pokemon for telling them to “grow a pair”, but I don’t write on this website because I want to be a stooge to any company.  I am not writing anything that every single player isn’t thinking.  I love Pokemon and just want to make sure that the game stays the best darn trading card game ever.  Hopefully Play Pokemon can learn from their mistakes and make a great format for years to come.

So long and thanks for all the fish!

Category: Opinion | Tags: ,
«
»