As we all expected, the mid-season rotation would occur as per this news report by the official site of Play!Pokemon

“Pokémon Organized Play is dedicated to providing a fun, positive tournament experience for all Play! Pokémon members.

With this in mind, we have been carefully evaluating our competitive environment to ensure that it remains as fair and balanced as possible.

After careful consideration and review of our competitive environment, Pokémon Organized Play has decided that as of July 1st, 2011, we will rotate to a Modified format that will include only expansions from HeartGold & SoulSilver through the most recent expansion.

We appreciate our players’ understanding throughout this process!”

As a TCG player, I find this rotation as one of the best moves done by P!P and would make the metagame a healthier one.

~Ranger Deric/Riskbreakers

Source: http://www.pokemon.com/us/news/op_2011_rotation-2011-06-08/

And amidst the intense pressure, raging heat, and electric atmosphere that was the Pokemon TCG National Championship 2009, a champion was named among the throngs of hopefuls.

May 24 was not a usual “Major Event” Sunday in Robinson’s Galleria–it was in a very different level. TCG Players from all over the country (namely players from Fairview, ATC and of course, Galleria) gathered to take a shot at becoming the Philippine National Champion. The Master’s Division (Masters) was the focal point of this event, it being competed in by players 15 and above. This division was home to intense strategies and heart-stopping combos that dominated the tables. There were 36 players in the Masters–a huge number compared to normal Major events.

The first match pairings were on at around 1:30 PM. As expected, most players used Team-Galactic-inspired decks and other famous ones like Machamp, Gengar, Dusknoir, Torterra, Kingdra and Rhyperior with some variations in individual lists. After a few coin flips and damage counters set on the table, intense friction pervaded the air. Headaches are common within matches in the Masters, especially when one is up against Sir Rhian Famaran (two-time TCG National Champion), former Ranger Ranie Romano (2007 TCG National Champion), Lawrence Gueco (2008 TCG National Champion) and Joshua Doctolero (2007 World Championship Competitor).

A Shot on the Juniors/Seniors Tables.

A shot on the Juniors/Seniors Table.

On the other hand, the Junior and Senior divisions were merged due to the number of participants. This was mainly because as players grow older, they eventually end up to the higher age division. Some of the last year’s Seniors are now Masters and therefore caused a decrease in the amount of players in the two divisions.

What is pleasant about the Junior and Senior divisions are the players per se. At a young age, players from the Lower Division (Juniors and Seniors) are developing their competitive nature in terms of play. In addition to that, their parents also watch, encourage, and support their children in their hobby.

Six PM–the elimination rounds closed and the Top 8 determined. Machamp and Galactic Decks dominated the Top 8. The Master’s Division ended with Lawrence Gueco being the 2009 TCG National Champion. He was last year’s champion and this is his second in a row! On the second spot was Joshua Doctolero and John Cris Joson came in third. The Champion and the Second Placer earned invites to the TCG World Championship to be held in the USA come August.

Congratulations to all the winners and we wish you luck on your way to the Worlds!

The recently concluded Pokémon TCG Platinum Sealed Major Tournament was a success! Thanks to all participants, spectators and of course the guardians and parents that made the event possible.

Here’s my overview of what had happened on the said event.

The event started at about 1:30 pm at the Ground Floor of Robinson’s Galleria near the food court area (where TCG players of different games gather, like Magic the Gathering and VS System players). There were 12 participants; each was given 6 boosters. Since the event is in Modified-Limited format, the players are to create their 40-card decks for 30 minutes from the cards they will get in their boosters only, plus the addition of Basic Energy Cards. No card from a player’s own collection may be added on the deck.

There were familiar faces in the tournament, namely, I, Angelo de Villa (a.k.a. RexRazor), Prof. Raymund (a former Ranger), Ranie Romano (former Ranger and 2007 TCG National Champion), Deric Tan (a.k.a. RiskBreakers), Vincent Galang (a.k.a. vincikun) Lawrence Gueco (2008 TCG National Champion) and other players from the leagues in Alabang and Fairview.

The deck-building started out with hopes of great cards to be on their boosters and some rants about not getting the right cards for the right strategy. It was the most exciting part of the event (for me) since the players, old and new, interact with each other from card checking to Energy Card sharing to even play testing. This part is where the lines like “May extra Water Energy ka?”, “Pahiram ng Psychic [Energy] mo…”, “Aw, may Beautifly at Wurmple ako, wala namang Silcoon…”, “Ako may Silcoon, trade? Joke… bawal!” and “Waaaaah! Deck ba ito?” are too prominent. ^^,

And so, the matches were up. In the middle of the elimination, the Tournament Organizer and acting Judge, Mr. Patrick Bueser of NG Galleria League, made a raffle of Promo Cards and Pokémon TCG stuffs. The best item on the raffle was an Infernape designed Card Binder which was given to our lucky PKMN-ph member vincikun. After four rounds of eliminations, the Top 8 was revealed. Upon reaching the Top 8, each player then receives 1 extra Booster Pack and another pack for every win. This gives the Top 8 more motivation to win. In the end, PKMN-ph member vincikun made it to the Top 2 and earned an invite to the prestigious Pokémon TCG National Championships.

TCG Platinum Sealed Major Tournament Winners:

1st – Lawrence Gueco (2008 TCG National Champion)

2nd – Vincent Galang (a.k.a. vincikun)

3rd – Ranie Romano (former Ranger and 2007 TCG National Champion)

A heated battle between Ranie Romano, 2007 TCG National Champion (in white) and Vincent Galang, PKMN-ph member vincikun (in green) on Table 1 of the final elimination round.

A shoot on the match between Moab, a League player (upper) and the 2008 TCG National Champion, Lawrence (lower). What a crowded board that is... ^^,

In between matches, some players test their real Decks between each other. This one is a match between my teammate, AJ and former PKMN-ph Ranger, Prof. Raymund.

A Sealed Tournament like this is mainly based on luck, but still it’s the essence of TCG that really topped this event: the camaraderie of players, and fun of playing TCG!

Until next event!

Ranger RexRazor Reporting.

Special thanks to Patrick Bueser, shadow_song23 of Neutral Grounds forums, for sending the tourney results via SMS.