Why You Should Take Your Kids to Pokémon TCG Tournaments
Almost every kid collects Pokémon cards at some point in their youth. They may only pick up a handful of cards, or they may be building a sizeable collection, but one of the things few kids have the opportunity to do is play at a local Pokémon TCG Tournament.
Here’s why that’s such a shame:
The Opportunity to Learn
When you take your son, daughter or both to a tournament, there’s a great chance for them to learn. Depending on their ages, they’ll learn different skills.
For younger kids, they’ll learn quick math, better reading comprehension, and how to be a good sport. They’ll also gain a greater understand of the gameplay itself.
Older kids have more to gain. They’ll be able to pick up on the strategy within the game,. Deck building, and even some of the subtle mind games that players use during matches to attempt to fool each other. Like younger children, they’ll also learn how to be a good sport.
Socialization
Another key benefit of these events is the chance to socialize with other kids their age. These events feature kids from all backgrounds and forming bonds with them can be quite beneficial for your children. Many times, kids will trade cards, battle each other and form friendships and rivalries that can extend way beyond Pokémon! It’s a great opportunity to make friends outside of school!
You likely don’t realize, but Pokémon TCG has a pretty large adult community too! Not only will your kids find friends, but you may connect with the parents of other children, and through it learn more about the game.
It’s Fun!
Lastly, it’s just fun! Going and competing can be a great deal of fun both for your children and yourself! The thrill of a win, and the fierce competition of a close battle can be a highlight of your families week. And, even when you lose, you’ve likely still had tons of fun during the battle!
Sometimes, like any competition, there will be frustration, but overall it’ll be a great event – one that’s fun and looked forward to by all members of the family!
How to find an event
You may be wondering, how do I find a local tournament? If so, here’s how:
- Visit Play Pokémon to find an event.
- Fill out the fields in the event locator
- Pick an event to attend!
Sometimes, there won’t be official play Pokémon events in your area. If that’s the case, look on google for a local card shop and call or stop by to see if any Pokémon TCG players regularly gather to play. If so, all you’ll need to do is show up!
Another tip: Understand formats
The only other thing you should know before attending is the different card formats. These can be important because your child’s deck may not actually be able to be used in the tournament if it doesn’t fit into one of the two categories (standard and expanded format). We’ve written on this before, so I highly recommend reading the following blog posts if you do decide to head out to a local tournament!