tSn.TCG - Competitive Pokemon TCG Team

-- By Nikki X We have been very quiet in our blog but we have been working behind the scenes to ensure you guys we will come back with more content! We started our youtube channel and it's slowly been getting there. I have finished moving but I'm on a work vacation so I haven't been around to write up some content and Elijah (Your favorite blog writer) has been on a book tour and Victor has been killing it locally. There's also changes coming internally for Team SKYNITE in general. So for a quick note of what to come for the TCG side of things: Esport support for Digimon Card Game and Star Wars Unlimited (In a trial based just to see how it goes) General SKYNITE Merchandise for folks to buy/win during community events (or requests!) More consistent blogs/write ups Attend more Regionals! New Blog Platform (In Discussion) I am planning on migrating over to a different blog platform for more control but that's something that's just up in the air as of right now but...

The man that needs little to no introduction, let me introduce you to Victor. If you ever play or meet Victor for the first time you might think he's nervous and quiet but really he's calm, cool, and collected. As you are sitting there thinking you got an easy win, Victor is calculating every strat possible from the number of cards in his hand. While a monster in his own right, Victor has taken home several locals and also dabs in Gym Leader Challenge.  Victor has been a regular at Odyssey Games where tSn.Pokemon practice at. It wasn't until recently he was interested in joining Team SKYNITE. With his track record, why wouldn't we accept him. He's familiar with the game and he knows the team as well as other players from the local scene. From Southern California, Victor set foot in the game recently much like the other players we know (Be it, returning post-covid or new to the game all together). Victor has what it takes to help Team SKYNITe reach the big league. So...

BY ELIJAH DOURESSEAU     Another Pokémon season is coming to a close. Worlds is not super far away (hope the grinders trying to make it into this summer’s main event do!), which also means standard rotation is fairly close. It technically is next month.   Most players feel rotation in one way or another. A lot of us are looking forward to a fresher meta scene. Some of us are anxious about losing key staples for most decks.   This rotation cycle feels big. It’ll be the first rotation since the Pandemic. I don’t have to tell most of you that the last three years have felt like seven. For anyone going to Portland Regionals, like myself, the rotation will also occur right before we face off in May. For a player of my caliber, who loves to play the spice and the rogue stuff more than anything, I’m excited to make decks from a new pool of standard cards.   Most who go to Regionals consider themselves competitive, in one way or another, so an eve...

THE DAY OF THAT BIG TOURNEY: WHAT I DO FOR PREP – Elijah Douresseau Today is the day. You’ve practiced and practiced, and though you are aiming for the top spot in whatever high-stakes tournament is kicking off in a few hours, you are loose and prepared to play at your best, no matter the outcome. You're thinking clearly, strategizing effectively, and are minimally fouling with misplays. You, Trainer, are ready to compete.     But how else do you get ready for the big tournament? How crucial are the 24 hours before, along with the few hours leading up to round one on the day of? As promised, I’ll outline some of my rituals for bigger events and hopefully, you get some encouragement for creating a functional system for yourself.    Some immediately might scoff at these introductory paragraphs and think, “It’s just a game!” But the competitive and semi-competitive community sees the Pokémon TCG as something more. That classic opening sequence for the 9...

– By Elijah Douresseau The ’23 Pokémon TCG and VGC Championship season is upon us! It is full-fledged and updating to include even more dates and destinations for what feels like will be a stacked events window. That thing you’re smelling in the air? It’s the renewed spirit and determination of Trainers far and wide to make something of themselves in the great CP race. Thousands of Trainers are making their plans, and checking them twice, to play in Regionals around the country and around the world. In turn, plenty of players in your local communities are also hungry to get scores of games under their belts. They’re looking to break in the dimensions of their next prized list that will storm the premier competitions. If you’re anything like me, you’re into practicing and simulating more than one component of the bigger Trainer contests. I’m also a foodie, and as such, I have a mind to worry about not only the decks I use in high-stakes events but also the provisions I carry a...

BATTLE DIARIES: Playing in a Split-a-Case Tournament – by Elijah Douresseau I played in a split-a-case (SAC) Sunday. Figured I’d share the match-by-match action I encountered, in a greater attempt to practice in high-stakes scenarios for the San Diego regionals early next year. A SAC is one component of Covid-era programming stores utilized in the absence of sanctioned Play! Pokémon events. Along with $1k prize money tourneys, SACs give players an opportunity to duke it out for a majority share of a case of booster boxes. A case is the retailer-sized order stores place with product distributors to sell individual booster packs. A booster box doesn’t get distributed individually. To take advantage of bulk and wholesale pricing, most distributors sell a “case” of six booster boxes to stores. This is what we played for. A lot of stores putting on this event need a certain amount of support to award booster boxes. As a result, admission pricing tends to be a little higher for thes...

  Pokemon 2023 Championship Series has been announced and more dates to follow! Unfortunately, local CP events such as League Cups/Challenges are still postponed but we at Team SKYNITE are feeling hopeful for an early 2023 announcement for the return. But nonetheless, more regionals this year with good average number of 20+ events across the globe! Follow the Pokemon Link for more info but a quick rundown is below: (source Pokemon.com) *Note: This is for Pokemon TCG, GO, VGC, and Unite! (And hopefully Pokken makes a return!) Get a First Look at Plans for the 2023 Pokémon Championship Series Junior Division: Born in 2011 or later Senior Division: Born in 2007, 2008, 2009, or 2010 Masters Division: Born in 2006 or earlier North America Regional Championships Schedule Date Location Game(s) September 16–18, 2022 Baltimore Regional Championships Baltimore Convention Center 1 W Pratt St Baltimore, MD 21201, USA Pokémon TCG Pokémon GO September 29–October 2, 2022 Peoria Regional Champions...