If this ain´t the right place for this topic, i´d like a mode to move this to the correct section.
I´ve given very little information about myself over time when i still was playing pokemon, so i feel like throwing some random feelings here now, when i finally quit.
The year 2007 was quite magical for me, in terms of pokemon. About everything went right as planned which was lucky i guess, since i doubt the worlds would´ve been as succesfull as they were, if any one detail had changed. What also of course made the year interesting, was the "finnish cheating" thingy, even though while both me&my brother got our invites from nationals, it didn´t even touch us.
As far as i know, the whole cheating thing was, that while our tournaments often had less than 8 juniors that would´ve had to go home without being able to play one game, our TO decided that he can sanctify those tournaments with less than 8 juniors. If that´s right or wrong, you decide.
I´m not exactly sure again, but as far as i know what happened next, was that all the tournaments where our TO did this, were removed from our players - meaning, our seniors and masters lost anywhere between 1 and 250 points, that they had earned. I don´t know how i should´ve felt at the time, while many players outside europe are talking about finnish easymode invites, while our masters for example couldn´t afford more than 0-1 losses IN THE WHOLE SEASON, if they wanted to get a ranking invite. This of course so, that you have to attend every tournament in the country.
This removal happened after our nationals, and took the trip away from Esa at least. Esa skipped the nationals as he had a sure invite coming, and we two dominated finnish tournaments pretty much, Esa winning most of them maybe due skill, card material or both. Anyway, due to this, nats were the easyest tournament i had during the season.
For my own feelings, i don´t really know. Naturally, my first worlds were coming, in the greatest holiday place in the world, so i was exited. However, i had made a joke for myself, to keep myself calm - i failed last years nationals complitely due to pressure even though i wasn´t among the winner subjects, and this year i was the top one - so i kind of needed that. Due to all the finnish flaming, so serious gaming in juniors bracket, i don´t know...this joke actually became more or less real. While still very exited about worlds, training about 6 hours a day, i decided i´d quit after worlds.
About worlds i won´t speak much here, my report can be found somewhere in pokegym&we all know the outcome. Receiving a box every 3 months&being the sitting champ, it was pretty hard to quit, even though i didn´t get a change to attend tournaments apart nationals anymore. Nats were another failure to my point of view in a way. Naturally, great thing was that my GF won the masters, and was able to go with me to Florida, sad thing was my brother losing in T8 in a way that i won´t mention, since i´d just sound bitter. The results indeed weren´t sad, but i was shocked to feel the attitude of our old top senior&top master - neither didn´t really care about the game anymore, even though last year both were active&wanted to play as often as possible, I never was really an important member in our team in Hyvinkää i guess, but after i moved away, something happened there, that i doubt i´ll never hear about.
This years worlds could be a disappointment for me, or not. Result was similar to last years for starting rounds, many 4-3's did qualify, many didn´t and i think it´s just right that luck doesn´t serve the same players all the time. Also, while i had changes to win all the games i played if i flipped otherwise, or if i simply was better in playing my deck, my goal still was to be able to beat gg - and i went vs. gg 4-0, so i guess i can be just happy. Also, i´ve never been into great holiday resorts really - i like Finland so much that i considered not to leave at all - but Florida was a very good surprise. We just had the attitude that after being in honestly great Havai'i, everything else would be just crap. I admit, Florida and Havai'i can´t really be compared, but i still expected much less than i got.
I sometimes thing i´m leaving pokemon because some really strange things happening all the time - scholarship money for example is not only made for US format, it´s almost impossible to get, so the some of the prizes are just illusional. All the finnish players are punished after attending every possible tournament in Finland, in a very odd way. Finnish player disqualification at worlds, translator may not come to the place even though the player doesn´t speak good english. Now that i´m calm with the last one, slops to the senior head judge for refusing to explain it in public. If players get disqualifications like that, it should indeed be published what he did wrong, so the others can avoid doing the same. Props to the masters Head judge for giving me short explanation of it, in the middle of all the hurry.
Beside all that, i think pokemon has left mainly positive marks on me. I´ve literally had countless hours of fun, felt all the possible feelings from winning the worlds, to totally failing in nationals. Above all, i´ve had change to feel the "parent side" also, when seeing my little brother winning&losing many junior/senior tournaments. It´s true what they say belive me, you´re never as stressed while playing, compared to when you´re watching someone really close to you play.
I saw in the Ness's deck selling topic a post, where someone named me&some other WC how we never gave something to the game really. I could get a bit offended while using names like that and while the poster most likely didn´t think that i don´t really care about pokemon players in the same way outside Finland, but in the i can just say that people are different. I actually have no idea if i have met Ness personally, but i can assume he´s one of those patriots of the game, who actually have the ambition to teach&enjoy the game with many others. I´m not joking with this one, since i´ve seen that attitude though i don´t understand the enjoyment, it´s great that those people exist, since they make many things possible.
My cards have found a new happy home in Europe and most of the tropical winds are also gone. One finalist and number one trainer are yet to be sold, though as they´re bidded on, it´s a sure thing that i won´t own them in the next week at the same time anymore. I thank those people who encouraged me to actually keep the jacket and the trophy, they´re some kind of memorioes of this game that can´t be bought back. Will i return to pokemon? I doubt, even though my love to card/board games is deep. However, during those 20 years i´ve been in here, i´ve learned to never say never. I´ll thank all the people i´ve had change to get known with, meaning hundreds and hundreds of names, few really good friends from sweden, denmark&brazil. It´s possible that though i quit, some contacts remain.
The best luck for everyone with pokemon in the future.
- Tom Roos
I´ve given very little information about myself over time when i still was playing pokemon, so i feel like throwing some random feelings here now, when i finally quit.
The year 2007 was quite magical for me, in terms of pokemon. About everything went right as planned which was lucky i guess, since i doubt the worlds would´ve been as succesfull as they were, if any one detail had changed. What also of course made the year interesting, was the "finnish cheating" thingy, even though while both me&my brother got our invites from nationals, it didn´t even touch us.
As far as i know, the whole cheating thing was, that while our tournaments often had less than 8 juniors that would´ve had to go home without being able to play one game, our TO decided that he can sanctify those tournaments with less than 8 juniors. If that´s right or wrong, you decide.
I´m not exactly sure again, but as far as i know what happened next, was that all the tournaments where our TO did this, were removed from our players - meaning, our seniors and masters lost anywhere between 1 and 250 points, that they had earned. I don´t know how i should´ve felt at the time, while many players outside europe are talking about finnish easymode invites, while our masters for example couldn´t afford more than 0-1 losses IN THE WHOLE SEASON, if they wanted to get a ranking invite. This of course so, that you have to attend every tournament in the country.
This removal happened after our nationals, and took the trip away from Esa at least. Esa skipped the nationals as he had a sure invite coming, and we two dominated finnish tournaments pretty much, Esa winning most of them maybe due skill, card material or both. Anyway, due to this, nats were the easyest tournament i had during the season.
For my own feelings, i don´t really know. Naturally, my first worlds were coming, in the greatest holiday place in the world, so i was exited. However, i had made a joke for myself, to keep myself calm - i failed last years nationals complitely due to pressure even though i wasn´t among the winner subjects, and this year i was the top one - so i kind of needed that. Due to all the finnish flaming, so serious gaming in juniors bracket, i don´t know...this joke actually became more or less real. While still very exited about worlds, training about 6 hours a day, i decided i´d quit after worlds.
About worlds i won´t speak much here, my report can be found somewhere in pokegym&we all know the outcome. Receiving a box every 3 months&being the sitting champ, it was pretty hard to quit, even though i didn´t get a change to attend tournaments apart nationals anymore. Nats were another failure to my point of view in a way. Naturally, great thing was that my GF won the masters, and was able to go with me to Florida, sad thing was my brother losing in T8 in a way that i won´t mention, since i´d just sound bitter. The results indeed weren´t sad, but i was shocked to feel the attitude of our old top senior&top master - neither didn´t really care about the game anymore, even though last year both were active&wanted to play as often as possible, I never was really an important member in our team in Hyvinkää i guess, but after i moved away, something happened there, that i doubt i´ll never hear about.
This years worlds could be a disappointment for me, or not. Result was similar to last years for starting rounds, many 4-3's did qualify, many didn´t and i think it´s just right that luck doesn´t serve the same players all the time. Also, while i had changes to win all the games i played if i flipped otherwise, or if i simply was better in playing my deck, my goal still was to be able to beat gg - and i went vs. gg 4-0, so i guess i can be just happy. Also, i´ve never been into great holiday resorts really - i like Finland so much that i considered not to leave at all - but Florida was a very good surprise. We just had the attitude that after being in honestly great Havai'i, everything else would be just crap. I admit, Florida and Havai'i can´t really be compared, but i still expected much less than i got.
I sometimes thing i´m leaving pokemon because some really strange things happening all the time - scholarship money for example is not only made for US format, it´s almost impossible to get, so the some of the prizes are just illusional. All the finnish players are punished after attending every possible tournament in Finland, in a very odd way. Finnish player disqualification at worlds, translator may not come to the place even though the player doesn´t speak good english. Now that i´m calm with the last one, slops to the senior head judge for refusing to explain it in public. If players get disqualifications like that, it should indeed be published what he did wrong, so the others can avoid doing the same. Props to the masters Head judge for giving me short explanation of it, in the middle of all the hurry.
Beside all that, i think pokemon has left mainly positive marks on me. I´ve literally had countless hours of fun, felt all the possible feelings from winning the worlds, to totally failing in nationals. Above all, i´ve had change to feel the "parent side" also, when seeing my little brother winning&losing many junior/senior tournaments. It´s true what they say belive me, you´re never as stressed while playing, compared to when you´re watching someone really close to you play.
I saw in the Ness's deck selling topic a post, where someone named me&some other WC how we never gave something to the game really. I could get a bit offended while using names like that and while the poster most likely didn´t think that i don´t really care about pokemon players in the same way outside Finland, but in the i can just say that people are different. I actually have no idea if i have met Ness personally, but i can assume he´s one of those patriots of the game, who actually have the ambition to teach&enjoy the game with many others. I´m not joking with this one, since i´ve seen that attitude though i don´t understand the enjoyment, it´s great that those people exist, since they make many things possible.
My cards have found a new happy home in Europe and most of the tropical winds are also gone. One finalist and number one trainer are yet to be sold, though as they´re bidded on, it´s a sure thing that i won´t own them in the next week at the same time anymore. I thank those people who encouraged me to actually keep the jacket and the trophy, they´re some kind of memorioes of this game that can´t be bought back. Will i return to pokemon? I doubt, even though my love to card/board games is deep. However, during those 20 years i´ve been in here, i´ve learned to never say never. I´ll thank all the people i´ve had change to get known with, meaning hundreds and hundreds of names, few really good friends from sweden, denmark&brazil. It´s possible that though i quit, some contacts remain.
The best luck for everyone with pokemon in the future.
- Tom Roos
