DarkLordSigma
Member
I've read a good bit about the current state of the format. Though I'm not currently active in the game, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to see what's going on and why there is such an outcry over the way things are.
I've followed this game for around 12 years now. I first started collecting at the age of 13 when the original Team Rocket expansion was released. I got involved online through sites such as Pokegym, Pojo, and PTCO, eventually becoming an online tournament director for Pojo and an avid online player via Apprentice. I've played online with Jeremy Maroon before he went on to win Worlds in 2005. I eventually became a Professor, and opened the first Pokemon League in Southeast Georgia.
In all those years, and through multitudes of Modified Formats, I've seen whole seasons go dominated by a small handful of decks, and I've seen seasons of great variety with very level playing fields and minimal deck dominance. I for one feel things eventually got better for the game as a whole when Nintendo took the reigns from Wizards of the Coast (perhaps I remember Entei/Cargo and Expedition Feraligatr a little too fondly). This game will always have its ups and downs. There are a lot of very intelligent people who play this game, who will pour over cards for hours and make fantastic deck discoveries that deviate from the "norm." This is how great archetypes are born, and this is how great rogue decks and tech decks are born.
If you truly love this game as I do, my advice is to stick with it and bare the storm of unbalance. It may take a couple of rotations before balance is again realized, and even then things may not always seem fair. Do what I used to do in the meantime: spend some time pouring over cards that nobody else seems to play. Build some decks for fun, playtest them even if your chances of winning against top-tier decks are slim-to-none. Speculate over what the next Modified format will be and attempt to build some decks specifically for that format.
Most importantly, don't let the game stress you out. When a game starts to cause more stress than enjoyment, you start to lose sight of why you play the game at all. This has happened to me in the past for many games, Pokemon included. You may never win a big tournament, or create some groundbreaking deck that changes a format. But that's okay - as long as you're having fun playing the game, and not letting stress get the better of you. Keep a level head, and keep your mind open. Again, I can't guarantee that you'll go on to be a tournament champion, but by not allowing the game to stress you out, I can assure you that your chances will be greater.
I've followed this game for around 12 years now. I first started collecting at the age of 13 when the original Team Rocket expansion was released. I got involved online through sites such as Pokegym, Pojo, and PTCO, eventually becoming an online tournament director for Pojo and an avid online player via Apprentice. I've played online with Jeremy Maroon before he went on to win Worlds in 2005. I eventually became a Professor, and opened the first Pokemon League in Southeast Georgia.
In all those years, and through multitudes of Modified Formats, I've seen whole seasons go dominated by a small handful of decks, and I've seen seasons of great variety with very level playing fields and minimal deck dominance. I for one feel things eventually got better for the game as a whole when Nintendo took the reigns from Wizards of the Coast (perhaps I remember Entei/Cargo and Expedition Feraligatr a little too fondly). This game will always have its ups and downs. There are a lot of very intelligent people who play this game, who will pour over cards for hours and make fantastic deck discoveries that deviate from the "norm." This is how great archetypes are born, and this is how great rogue decks and tech decks are born.
If you truly love this game as I do, my advice is to stick with it and bare the storm of unbalance. It may take a couple of rotations before balance is again realized, and even then things may not always seem fair. Do what I used to do in the meantime: spend some time pouring over cards that nobody else seems to play. Build some decks for fun, playtest them even if your chances of winning against top-tier decks are slim-to-none. Speculate over what the next Modified format will be and attempt to build some decks specifically for that format.
Most importantly, don't let the game stress you out. When a game starts to cause more stress than enjoyment, you start to lose sight of why you play the game at all. This has happened to me in the past for many games, Pokemon included. You may never win a big tournament, or create some groundbreaking deck that changes a format. But that's okay - as long as you're having fun playing the game, and not letting stress get the better of you. Keep a level head, and keep your mind open. Again, I can't guarantee that you'll go on to be a tournament champion, but by not allowing the game to stress you out, I can assure you that your chances will be greater.
