“My First Battle” Cards Revealed, Features Unique Cards, Blue Borders, and Different Backs!

[MagnaDrake]

I still think that the OG Battle Academy is the best way to introduce new players. My First Battle lacks any layer of depth and teaches you the wrong way to play. New players may like this, but I remember being fully able to comprehend Battle Academy, and enjoyed it a lot. TLDR; I agree

This is very likely designed to be played with 1st-2nd grade schoolers, or relatively older parents. I'm not one to downplay on kids; they can be very smart and if they're 9-10 they can definitely understand a Battle Academy deck, heck, maybe even the world champions deck kit, but younger kids have varying degrees of understanding, and this is both simple and engaging enough for any of them to understand.

Besides, this is just ten bucks. You pick it up, then use it to teach young, 0-experience players. If they get it, ask if they're interested with the big boy stuff. If not, no harm done and move on. If yes, grab two starter-equivalent decks and show them the real ropes again.

 

[MagnaDrake]

What a goofy and silly product. Do you really think little kids' heads will explode and not be able to comprehend anything if you give them the actual rules of the game (a 60-card deck, a 5-Pokemon bench, etc.)? It just seems weird and potentially actually confusing to give them a very slightly modified version of the game rules instead of the real ones. I would even be OK with stuff like the modified card backs and lack of weakness, retreat cost, etc. if the rules were still the actual game rules.

I might try to get that Scyther though, another great card art by Kouki Saitou. The card art in general is nice, of course.

There has been many cases in my LGS where kids come with their parents, see us playing Pokemon TCG, asks to be taught how to play, then walking away because it got confusing for them. We've tried teaching them with the very barebones starter deck and sometimes it just doesnt stick.

 

[MagnaDrake]

Maybe am blind or dumb but about the energy I see only “Find your starting Energy card in your deck - bla bla. Put this energy card in the spot labeled energy on your playmat, next to your first Pokémon”. I’m curious if it attached to firs blue border card you put on active or this energy is always attached to any active Pokémon.

Essentially works like that, yeah. Rulebook says the energy "stays on the energy spot" regardless of which Pokemon is in the active spot, and you can only put energy from hand to the specific energy spot, so any further energy you attach also stays there.

 

[chapi1979]

I know they never would, but it would be super cool if they gave these 17 card decks to shops for free, kind of like the discontinued Welcome Decks Magic the Gathering used to use. A 17 card deck, a piece of cardboard with punch out tokens, the folded up mat, and a tiny mini-rulebook. Drop the coin, produce them in mass at pennies, and give them to shops to pass out. I feel like if I'm a FLGs and want kids who are interested in the cards but don't know how to play, this is a great tool to use in shop, or send home with the children. Not every kid has a parent willing to learn the game, and this could be a cool way for children to self-teach.

They handout halfdecks - thirty cards - three flavours Lucario V / Greninja V / Umbreon V with cardboard markers and nice little cardboard deckbox with instruction sheet. It's used by Local gamestores to tech kids play and give out as gifts to participants.

 

[chapi1979]

This is very likely designed to be played with 1st-2nd grade schoolers, or relatively older parents. I'm not one to downplay on kids; they can be very smart and if they're 9-10 they can definitely understand a Battle Academy deck, heck, maybe even the world champions deck kit, but younger kids have varying degrees of understanding, and this is both simple and engaging enough for any of them to understand.

Besides, this is just ten bucks. You pick it up, then use it to teach young, 0-experience players. If they get it, ask if they're interested with the big boy stuff. If not, no harm done and move on. If yes, grab two starter-equivalent decks and show them the real ropes again.

Exactly this is a product for young 0 experience players.

I teach kids at a LGS and a game with battle academy takes more than 20 minutes it's way to long if there are more kids wanting to learn.
Halfdecks are really nice idea (the ones handed from Pokemon) as the game takes around 7-10 minutes and is optimal for kids that already seen the gameplay or are a bit older and can easily catch at least the counting part of the game. My first battle seems like will be great in a 3-5 minute game which will help keep kids attention and also allow more kids to learn without unnecesary waiting times.

As for understanding of decks - at our local store we have league play where 8 year olds are playing mew, gardi or rapid strike decks and can operate tham quite efficient.

 

[treeckonation]

I am going to make something out of this but how should I start it...

 

[Vomer]

They handout halfdecks - thirty cards - three flavours Lucario V / Greninja V / Umbreon V with cardboard markers and nice little cardboard deckbox with instruction sheet. It's used by Local gamestores to tech kids play and give out as gifts to participants.

I never knew, that's so cool! I follow Pokemon but haven't played in years, so this is awesome to hear. Hopefully they update the decks with ex Pokemon and keep doing this. I see kids all the time just randomly buying packs at the LGS I play Warhammer at and the parents have no idea what they are. You can tell the kids just open them to open them and don't know the game. Wish more kids would learn as it's a fun hobby, but I understand parents not wanting to learn and teach their kids.

 

[DadaTheNoob]

What a goofy and silly product. Do you really think little kids' heads will explode and not be able to comprehend anything if you give them the actual rules of the game (a 60-card deck, a 5-Pokemon bench, etc.)? It just seems weird and potentially actually confusing to give them a very slightly modified version of the game rules instead of the real ones. I would even be OK with stuff like the modified card backs and lack of weakness, retreat cost, etc. if the rules were still the actual game rules.

I might try to get that Scyther though, another great card art by Kouki Saitou. The card art in general is nice, of course.

Speaking as a parent this is a great product for younger kids. My first grader got into collecting last year in Kindergarten and it's all about bulk with some cool cards and getting their favorite Pokémon mixed in for this age group.

Battle Academy is an excellent product which we use as the base of our games but with short attention spans and a lack of understanding of all the elements to the games this would be great for K-1 aged kids.

It's a good value for bulk for the age group too bc you get 3 of their favorite, well know starters, more cards than you would with two boosters and when they go in their binder (which it seems is every single card as this age) they will never see the difference nor care.

8/10 cards that belong to the age range this is designed for will be bent/marked anyway so thinking competition as this point is not even a thought.

It's just about fun!

 

[Raven Zombie]

IMO, this is literally a different game... for players and collectors both...
the only similarity is to get younger than youngest kids to buy more pokemon cards.
this reminds me of all the young adults that put random cards from random sets in the 151 'order' and call it a set of cards, lol
but to each their own... you buy what you want to buy...
is it 100% fact the art is exclusive to these? im kinda tempted to pick these up, collecting wise...