Weekly Discussion #4: 2011 in Review

[Riskbreakers]

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TCG Weekly Discussion
Week #4 - 2011 in Review​

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Background Information:
Much like the real world weekly discussions, the TCG Weekly Discussions are threads posted to get a good discussion going about various aspects of the Pokémon TCG. If you have any ideas for topics we could discuss in the future, please PM me or leave a profile comment.

Discussion Starter:
The year 2012 has started. In this year, we will get our first set of the year in Next Destinies, but before we dive in topics about the new set, let's look at the past year first. How did you guys find the year 2011 for Pokemon TCG? Were the cards better? worse? Was there any competitive balance? Were the decks more varied? Discuss the various events that happened this year in terms of set releases and major events.

Personal Take:
I can only account my experience from half a year of playing. I quit playing during the SP-era and returned when BW was released. I personally hated the MD-BW rules because of how Sableye ruined everything. Now, the did one of the first major events which was the first ever mid-season rotation which slightly balanced the game more. The cards were now a bit slower and more luck reliant as compared to before. (Electrode Prime being a top deck while relying on luck comes into mind) The decks on the other hand, we just have as much playable decks as during the EX days where there are a ton of playable decks though some may miss the mark. 2011 also introduced a new way for us to play TCG and this is through PTCG Online or PTCGO. Overall, I would find 2011 to be a healthy year for Pokemon. It showed us that the guys up there do listen to their fans to an extent and the introduction of PTCGO is ground breaking for the Pokemon TCG.

This discussion started on 01/13/2012.

 

[Glace]

We have had an interesting year for TCG.

The introduction of Championship Points is a huge thing. Not only is it a way so players can go to events and not lose points, but it also shows that Play! Pokémon is listening to us. Communication between players and Play! Pokémon was something that a lot of people were upset about, but this shows that the people in charge of Pokémon are listening to the players.

The release of PTCGO also shows that the Pokémon Company is getting "more into the game" by providing use with useful online resources. The articles that are on the Pokémon website are also actually more informative. They are finally no longer writing articles on some random rare card being good, but newer articles such as the one on Durant which will help newer players get into the game and get competitive. Also, the Worlds Decks are no longer named names such as "Happy Luck", but are actually called MegaZone or TyRam/Reshiplosion.

New sets that are coming out also change the game a lot. Probably in hope for a better metagame, the EX mechanic is returning. This also means that they are listening to requests for a better meta.