Pokémon TCG: Sword and Shield—Brilliant Stars

Want to get back into pokemon...but not a fan of the community?

R

rt24

New Member
Hello all,

I have a bit of a predicament right now and I'd like to get opinions on it.

I played pokemon about a year and a half ago for I'd say a solid 8 months. I really enjoyed it a lot. Building decks, practicing, buying/selling/trading, etc.. It was a really fun hobby. I even won my first battle roads which was pretty surprising, but was very exciting to say the least. After 8 months, I found it was just taking way too much of my time, and I wasn't enjoying it as much as I did, so I decided to quit.

Currently right now I have a bit more free time and I've been looking into pokemon again. The idea of building decks again and all that is appealing. I'd like to start playing again but...the main problem is that...

I really don't enjoy the community in my city! I don't know what it was, I just felt that they didn't like me! The people weren't very friendly, most of them were very socially awkward, and simply put I didn't feel very welcome. I was about the average age of the players as well, if not slightly on the older side (I'm 22 currently). I just didn't get it, I tried to be very friendly with everybody, I was very nice, yet I still just had this feeling that it just "wasn't my crowd". Now this is just 1 main league, I could drive out about 40 mins to another league but that's quite far away. I'm sure obviously not all leagues are the same, but the fact remains that I'd probably be going back to these people to play.

I'm really wondering whether or not it's worth it to get back into pokemon. I enjoy the hobby itself, but this specific community isn't making it an easy decision.

I'm curious whether or not other people have had this kind of problem before. If you have any opinions or want to share any experiences, I'd like to hear them!

PS

Mods I wasn't sure where to post this, hope this is the right sub-forum.

Edit:

I did make SOME friends, SOME were friendly, but very few.
 
Last edited:
You could focus on the online aspects of it if you wished, while waiting for life to inevitably happen and for the community to either change or for you to move.

Or consider just driving the extra distance if League is long enough to be "worth it".
 
Manifesto said:
I'm a new player also and so far this is the first community I've been part of that is very ego driven.
Click to expand...

I think part of this stems from the fact that some players are at an important developmental period in terms of their lives. Think about it, a lot of the player base is teenagers to early adult players. There's a lot of stuff happening during those years in terms of development.

Also, you have to consider that for some folks, this game, and the desire to do the best they can is a very extensive, if not focal point of their lives. It is something that they become very good at and winning (at the expense of others sometimes) is what drives some players.

Competition brings out the best in some, and the worst in others. I can look back personally and can tell you that I am not proud of some of the ways I treated players and members of this community.

The best thing I can tell you (and the OP) is if you pick the game up as a hobby, play for yourself, for the enjoyment of the game. If you can make a handful of friends, the game becomes more than a game and instead a vehicle for connecting and meeting new people.

Winning always takes care of itself.
 
I collect Pokemon cards as well as Magic and Yugioh, and I often play with my brother. The city I reside in is not that big in Pokemon TCG. Pokemon TCG is probably third most popular TCG in North America. In the city I live in, the most popular TCG is magic, then Yugioh, then World of Warcraft TCG. Pretty much tournaments are non-existent in my city. So the best bet is to talk about Pokemon TCG in forums like these, or play Pokemon TCG online.

Pokemon TCG is probably more popular in the schoolyard, or lunch hall at schools where little kids play the game. Older people are not that fond of the game, and would rather play WoW, Yugioh, or Magic, and even for me, with Yugioh and Magic, I don't really play in tournaments, and elect to play in the kitchen with people I closely know.
 
You may wish to consider starting your leauge, that way you can set the personality and temp of the league and attract like minded players. We started ours 6 years ago and it has grown to one of the larger ones in our state.

Just find a local card/game shop or possibly a library to host and you will be all set.
 
That's very strange. The only reason I stuck with Pokemon is because of the community. Everyone around is always pretty friendly and inviting around here, and unlike at other TCGs I've played, I've never felt harassed. I'm really sorry to hear the people in your league aren't what you expected :(
 
Swordfish1989 said:
That's very strange. The only reason I stuck with Pokemon is because of the community. Everyone around is always pretty friendly and inviting around here, and unlike at other TCGs I've played, I've never felt harassed. I'm really sorry to hear the people in your league aren't what you expected :(
Click to expand...

Agreed. The only reason I spend the most time in Pokemon, play Magic casually, and dropped YGO all together is the playerbase.

Do you have any friends that have interest in learning how to play? You can always teach them and just play with them. You can also check out a prerelease. I've noticed lots of new players at every prerelease and they're usually up for a chat. My testing group is made up of friends I taught how to play and people I've meet through league and prerelease.
 
Otaku said:
You could focus on the online aspects of it if you wished, while waiting for life to inevitably happen and for the community to either change or for you to move.

Or consider just driving the extra distance if League is long enough to be "worth it".
Click to expand...

I prob will just go to the other league. The online aspect doesn't appeal to me, I like pokemon cuz it gets me away from the computer haha. The social interaction is fun, but also is necessary, which is why I am careful about playing again.

JandPDS said:
You may wish to consider starting your leauge, that way you can set the personality and temp of the league and attract like minded players. We started ours 6 years ago and it has grown to one of the larger ones in our state.

Just find a local card/game shop or possibly a library to host and you will be all set.
Click to expand...

Tempting, but I don't think I have time for that. Good suggestion though.

Swordfish1989 said:
That's very strange. The only reason I stuck with Pokemon is because of the community. Everyone around is always pretty friendly and inviting around here, and unlike at other TCGs I've played, I've never felt harassed. I'm really sorry to hear the people in your league aren't what you expected :(
Click to expand...

It is strange! Whenever Battle Roads came up actually, I found I liked the new people more. Perhaps the other location is just better suited for me!

Electric Spider said:
Agreed. The only reason I spend the most time in Pokemon, play Magic casually, and dropped YGO all together is the playerbase.

Do you have any friends that have interest in learning how to play? You can always teach them and just play with them. You can also check out a prerelease. I've noticed lots of new players at every prerelease and they're usually up for a chat. My testing group is made up of friends I taught how to play and people I've meet through league and prerelease.
Click to expand...

I do have a friend actually, though I doubt he'll actually get into it. Well, I do know that a lot of people have joined and quit within the past year+, so realistically there are lots of new people to meet.

Good opinions so far people, definitely making a good case for starting again :D
 
I don't even hang around with the Yugioh or Magic community in my city, chances are that I won't even start my own Pokemon league. If I did go to a Magic event, I'm one of those guys that hangs out in the back and watches, only for a few seconds, then leave to do something else.
 
Swordfish1989 said:
That's very strange. The only reason I stuck with Pokemon is because of the community. Everyone around is always pretty friendly and inviting around here, and unlike at other TCGs I've played, I've never felt harassed. I'm really sorry to hear the people in your league aren't what you expected :(
Click to expand...
This right here. I've moved around a lot; heck, I've been to six completely different schools in the past six years. But in almost every place I've lived, I've been able to make good friends within the community. I still talk to some of the people I knew when I lived in Maryland a few times a week and test with them online even though I live on the other side of the country now.

While I've fit into some playerbases better than others, I've never had anybody be rude to me or make me feel excluded. Sorry to hear that the playerbase where you live isn't as good as the ones I've experienced.

I'd say it's worth at least trying the other league out. I drive half an hour to get to my league and I think it's worth it. Going there once would give you a better idea of what other parts of the community are like, and you're certainly not committed to go again if you go once. It's worth trying it. :)
 
I say, keep trying and give it time.

The first couple of times i went to league and tournaments i didn't really know people but i now have a lot of close friends in the game. I even went to Amsterdam with a bunch of them a couple months ago and although we went for the ECC there were 2 days free of pokemon where we just hung out.

There's also a couple of individuals that i thought were arrogant when i first met them who turned out to be lovely guys that i mis-judged or came across badly at first or were having a bad day etc,

I say stick with it, this is, from my experience, a truly wonderful community :)
 
dancingaway said:
I say, keep trying and give it time.

The first couple of times i went to league and tournaments i didn't really know people but i now have a lot of close friends in the game. I even went to Amsterdam with a bunch of them a couple months ago and although we went for the ECC there were 2 days free of pokemon where we just hung out.

There's also a couple of individuals that i thought were arrogant when i first met them who turned out to be lovely guys that i mis-judged or came across badly at first or were having a bad day etc,

I say stick with it, this is, from my experience, a truly wonderful community :)
Click to expand...

Well it wasn't really a first couple of times, it was like 8 months of playing with these people. Didn't have to do with giving people chances that's for sure.

I'll prob just go to the new league...
 
I understand what your saying some people just tend to be rude/mean/awkward to be around TBH I woul trying going to your old league one more time (see if the players/people have changed or if there are any new faces) before driving the 40 minutes to the other league
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top