Sunday, February 22, 2026

Passion vs. Hobby

Around a couple of years ago, I wrote a post that discussed "hobby" and "responsibility" in contrast to each other while keeping it relevant to Pokémon. The discussion was based on the views of a certain person that I also had heard at around that time. Now, I'd like to go off on a tangent and add another dimension to that, which would be "passion". This too is based on a something (specifically, a talk) that I was exposed to fairly recently, and that made me think of the earlier relation as well as how to make sense of it with Pokémon.

Like in the previous discussion, some definitions are in order. According to the talk, a "hobby" is something that one does for fun, which is also likely the only outcome, while a "passion" is something that one does regardless of whether it is fun or not so fun. Thus, "responsibility" as discussed earlier would fit right in with the latter, although as stated, it could be construed more accurately as a dimension. And then, of course, there is the matter of fitting in Pokémon and what its fans do with it into this state of affairs.

It is a given that many Pokémon fans are in it for the fun, and when the not-so-fun matters come up, they are likely to pull out or disengage. For them, Pokémon would indeed be a "hobby" since only the fun matters are relevant. Yet it cannot be denied that some people are into Pokémon with all its ups and downs - whether they are responsible for those matters or not - and for them, Pokémon is a "passion", since they are in it for enjoying the fun aspects and navigating ("weathering") the less fun aspects.

Then there are me and my Pokémon dealings, and this blog as a subset of the latter. A lot of Pokémon has been fun for me (playing, watching, interacting), but then there have been the struggles ("grinding" the games, showing off with cosplay, and - as of late - even writing posts on this blog). With that, Pokémon is a "passion" for me since I deal with the fun aspects and not-so-fun aspects amidst everything else that I do. Whether they are or aren't my responsibilities, the "passion" has to be evident.

"Hobbies", "responsibilities", and "passions" will always be relevant for many things or realms, if the talks that mention them are of any indication. The same would be true for Pokémon, where all of them can be applied in different ways. Evidently, when "fun" is involved in some way - which is something that is rather expected for Pokémon - the dimension of "passion" against "hobby" becomes very much relevant in that case. Every fan, including me, can make their own considerations (including "responsibility") for what applies.

Eight years ago: Trainer Caps, and a Teaser
Nine years ago: Back in the Park
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Saturday, February 21, 2026

Playing the TCG with Only Dice

Still on the subject of physical TCG equipment, having mentioned dice as one of the possible kinds of supplementary equipment in the previous discussion, I thought I should discuss it further. A radical proposition (by one consideration, at least) regarding this kind of equipment is that it's possible to play through entire games or matches of the TCG using only dice as the supplementary equipment. How that may be possible becomes something that can be (and in fact should be) discussed, and that becomes the point of this post.

Recall that I had mentioned a few aspects of this when I started with the local TCG such a long time ago, and those aspects are still relevant. Usage of a die to call for odds or evens in lieu of the heads and tails from flipping a coin obviously allows the former to stand in for the latter, and it can then be considered a way to obviate or supplant the use of coins. In fact, I've also seen a Pokémon-themed die with Pikachu on it that can indeed serve this purpose very well. In this way, a distinct supplementary equipment is rendered unnecessary.

Dice obviously have values on them, so they can stand in for damage counters as well, but quite (more than) a few may be needed for Pokémon that have over 240 HP (which can be represented with four regular dice showing sixes). As a "supplement" to this supplement, it may be possible to borrow the "doubling cube" from backgammon to represent greater damage in a more succinct manner. Yet for those who possess a large number of regular dice, this probably won't matter much, and the fact remains that the substitution is possible.

Then there are other markers that don't seem like they could be substituted with dice yet in fact seems quite possible. An ability that has been used could be marked with a die showing a six horizontally. Certain statuses could be indicated with dice showing certain values (or even a one for simplicity, if not many of them are in actual play) with the dice being placed on the Pokémon slightly turned to resemble a diamond. The system can totally work out and therefore make usage of only dice rather attractive. 

With the above points, it seems very much possible that a player in a TCG match could use a set of dice for their entire set of supplementary equipment - aside from the ones that affect the cards themselves - and be able to use them to represent just about everything that goes on in that match. By that account, it seems to be not such a radical proposition after all (except maybe considering the perceptions of dice themselves as game equipment), and at least in some cases, usage of only dice in TCG might just work out, and very well in fact.

One year ago: How to Say "Farewell"
Six years ago: Hobby as a Partner
Eight years ago: Quirky Raids
Nine years ago: Secret Garden
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Friday, February 20, 2026

Custom Equipment for the Physical TCG

Today is a Friday, and this is one of the days when my Pokémon TCG fellows gather for a weekly tournament. I can't be there for certain reasons, so instead, I thought about discussing something related to that. Now, besides the cards themselves, it is known that some supplementary equipment is needed in order to assist and keep track of what's going on during play. In fact, some of the equipment can be custom-made for that purpose, and that's what I want to discuss in this post for all their value. 

If starter kits for playing the game serve as guides, the basic supplementary equipment is composed of coins, status indicators, and damage counters. The last and the first of these are certainly the most frequently used among the three, so they will be needed in some form. Custom coins and damage counters could then stand to be made, and the latter doesn't even have to be in the form of "counters", as in specific numbers; they could be in dice form, something that can be discussed separately due to the broad scope.

As for status indicators, many decks don't have Pokémon that can inflict statuses, so many players can actually get by with or without the indicators. Having them - ones that are custom-made, certainly - would then be more for posterity and completeness. Yet it should be noted that some cards have abilities that can only be used once (implied or not), so a custom "ability used" indicator is actually useful for this purpose - and in fact, some of my fellows do have such indicators, affirming their usage potential.

Card sleeves are in some ways an unspoken necessity for this and other TCG realms, and they can be custom-made as well, as some players can attest. They can be as simple (or not) as an insert for some sleeves, or they can be the sleeves themselves, the latter of which is definitely convenient. Either one will certainly demand some effort in their creation, but custom ones can surely even be had, especially with regard to Pokémon. They're perhaps the equipment that reflects the custom nature the most.

Yet with all this custom talk, it should be noted that when official tournaments are the destination, the custom equipment may not fly for them. Players may be asked to keep their equipment either official (from the sets themselves or from, say, Pokémon Center) or generic (as in clear card sleeves or plain dice or markers). Therefore, usage of the custom equipment may only be reserved for tournaments that are less official in nature or just for casual play. It's still fine to have the custom equipment in these other cases.

Regardless of that last fact, the realm of equipment for Pokémon TCG is a broad one, and in that broadness, there is also the presence of custom equipment. Their purpose in assisting play and keeping track of things that go on in it remains something that cannot be denied, even if their scope may be kept in check. For my TCG fellows as well as any other TCG player out there, the equipment remains necessary for good play, and the choice of having that custom-made may still be a good one.

Five years ago: Pokémon Go Tour: Kanto
Six years ago: Living with My Buddy
Seven years ago: Poké-Tourism
Eight years ago: Pokémon "Cover Songs"
Nine years ago: Venice and Alto Mare
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Thursday, February 19, 2026

Item Earnings and Limits in Pokémon Go

The topic I'm about discuss in this post seems obvious enough - which is probably why it seems to have eluded discussion for some time - but it has quite a few finer points that in many respects do need to be discussed, so there's no better time than now. As many players (Trainers) in Pokémon Go can attest, they can and do need to earn items in the game in order to succeed. Yet in doing so, they also have to work with and around some limits in doing so, notably their own item bag limits. The discussion revolves around both points and how they can take advantage of them in various circumstances.

Most commonly, every Trainer knows of spinning PokéStops to get items to fill and overfill their item bag. However, what they may not know is that they can still spin PokéStops when their item bag is filled to its exact capacity, and if they haven't claimed a free raid pass - that comes one at a time - they can spin the Gym photo to earn items and the free raid pass, regardless of whether their bag is filled or overfilled. This last bit is incredibly useful as it still counts as a PokéStop spin and can be taken advantage of while a Trainer still has an overfilled item bag, for example after leveling up and getting items that way.

Gifts from other Trainers are a certain source of items, and they'll certainly fill and overfill item bags as well. Opening a Gift to get items when the item bag is filled to its exact capacity is also possible, but opening Gifts after that point will only award Stardust as has been the case since a few years ago, or if consent hasn't been made for that to occur, just a simple "item bag full" warning. This is certainly one case where Trainers really have to work with their item limits to ensure what and how many items they can obtain.

Certainly, there are the game shops as sources of items. Bonus items such as those from the Reward Road and purchase of some ticket/event packages can be earned regardless of item bag content, but actual packages (boxes) of items - especially those with very many items in them - including the Daily Free Box will require sufficient item bag space to obtain them, and a warning to make space for them (if not already implied by a "bag full" warning) will be given otherwise. It's something to consider when planning the purchase.

What remains quite evident is that items are necessary to be obtained in Pokémon Go in any way possible to make things progress. Some limits - as the item bag limit primarily - may affect how Trainers can obtain items in all kinds of situations, but it can be seen that there are still ways to work with and around them to obtain the necessary items. After that, it's just a matter of using the items for the best of successes.

Nine years ago: Let's Get Ready to Rumble
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Wednesday, February 18, 2026

The Use (or Non-Use) of Rental Decks in TCGP

On the side of actual TCG gameplay, the implementation of TCGP has a unique aspect, in that one can choose to play (in single-player modes) with what are called "rental decks", which are obtained by collecting certain cards that become the "highlight" of each deck. The cards of the rental decks are watermarked with a deck symbol to indicate them as such. The feature and the respective decks are fascinating, but one might also wonder if and when they should be used. For that, it seems important to try and flesh out the conditions for that.

It is just as important to note that each rental deck has a limit of 10 uses in battle before they disappear... unless one has also collected the respective deck list that allows the exact same deck to be built and duplicated (and then perhaps modified) with cards that one has collected. As such, any consideration of usage will have to involve these 10 uses, and it is likely that any player will want to make use of at least some of them. Of course, the circumstances of the usage are likely to be as different as the decks themselves.

Some decks, even pre-composed ones, are known to have different pacing (and so do their cards), and this is an oft-cited aspect by many players. Therefore, having a rental deck available before even all the cards for them are collected can allow players to get a "feel" for that deck and its respective cards. Certainly, this would be an ideal way to utilize the limited uses as above, so that players don't need to build the deck in actuality if they don't have to. Beyond that, deck modification then becomes the way to adjust the "feel".

As for using them beyond getting a "feel", they can be used to clear deck missions at levels lower than Expert, and that is perhaps the best use of them outside of getting a "feel". They'll have to be cleared anyway in order to get to more of them and more difficult ones, which will likely necessitate decks beyond rental ones. Still, some players might just advocate making decks anyway for this purpose, and that's fine and great, but there is also no harm in fulfilling the ultimate purposes of rental decks for starting things off.

The inclusion of rental decks as a feature in TCGP is still appreciable as a way to get novice and advanced players rolling with the variety of cards in this TCG implementation, which are not necessarily on par with their regular counterparts. As a result, it's still important to understand the use of the cards and the decks they are placed in, so the rental deck feature helps in that effort. All the usage scenarios explained above can surely be considered (or not) as players continue to accumulate cards in the game and eventually have decks of their own.

Six years ago: To Lure or to Walk?
Seven years ago: Romancing the Ball
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Tuesday, February 17, 2026

TCGP: Furthering (with) the Fantastical Parade

The current series of cards in TCGP has been on a roll with their inclusion of Mega Evolution, which I had likened to a "parade" with the same being included in other realms of Pokémon gaming. Recently, that trend seems to be set to continue with a new expansion that has just been added to the game, and its title is literally just that: "Fantastical Parade" is the name of the new expansion, and like a real parade, it has quite a few things going on.

Its pack image is Mega Gardevoir, which makes it clear that the Pokémon becomes the leader of the parade. Another notable member of the parade is Ogerpon, and all of its four mask variants. The rest of the parade comprises Pokémon species from various generations, including different first partner families for each type (Chespin, Scorbunny, and Mudkip) that are as primed for battle as the leader(s) of this pack's parade.

Also of notability is that the expansion introduces the first implementations of Stadium cards in TCGP. There are three of these in the expansion, and they work the same way in TCGP as they do in physical TCG and TCGL: one plays them on the side to introduce certain effects, and the other player can override them with another Stadium card. With it, TCGP becomes even closer in parity to the classical TCG implementation.

For the card composition, there are 155 cards in the numbered section and 79 cards in the overnumbered section, thus totaling 234 cards. It's a pretty good-sized expansion with numerous cards, even if many players may or may not care about most of them - except of course the highlight cards (including the Stadium cards) as mentioned above and whatever cards they will need from this one to make workable decks.

Much evidently still goes on in TCGP, and this latest expansion adds to the many goings-on within the game, with another element of a resurging aspect and one that makes things even more familiar to Pokémon TCG players in general. It is a "parade" by one stretch of that word, and players can certainly opt to enjoy that as much as possible - in this case for even more of the cards that interest their plays, as the TCGP expansion parade itself goes on.

One year ago: Economy of Expression
Five years ago: Gym Takedown Habits
Six years ago: Delayed Costumes
Nine years ago: The Park Is Open
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Monday, February 16, 2026

Go Tour: It's a-Mega Time

OK, this is getting a bit late to write this up, but it's got to be done anyway before the thing associated with it. I'm talking, of course, about this year's edition Pokémon Go Tour, for which the current post serves as a preview of the happenings to come very soon. Now, this season is called "Precious Paths", as detailed months ago, and the occasion of this year's Go Tour seems apt to continue "precious paths" in more ways than one. That along with a few more of the particulars for this year's edition deserve to be explained.

The featured region for this year, following the above, is certainly Kalos, as the region where Mega Evolution was first discovered. True to that, the focus of this year's edition is partly on these big forms in raids. They'll also herald the arrival in Pokémon Go of the first of the "second batch" forms introduced in Legends: Z-A, these being for Victreebel and Malamar. There is also the usual feature of Shiny forms of species from this region, including the debuts for some of them through the usual featuring aspects.

Like past years, there is a "Live" edition of the event scheduled for this weekend, staying put in Taiwan (this time in Tainan) and Los Angeles for Trainers in either hemisphere - and with convenient access - to enjoy. The usual paid features of the "Live" event will return, with one addition: a special nighttime event called "Mega Night", obviously focusing on these big forms and the related Pokémon. It's a two-hour soiree for participants in both places that will be as festive as it will be a big deal with the forms of concern.

Meanwhile, the Global edition, also a usual thing, is scheduled for the following weekend on February 28 and March 1. Yet also as with last year, the rest of the Trainers who didn't get the "early access" for the new things introduced through the "Live" editions will get them when they participate in this edition. They'll still have to divide up the efforts over the two days of the event, but the core of it will still be free - it's the add-ons that will cost a bit more, but they may have at least some bearing on the big festivities.

If the big thing for the region of Kalos is Mega Evolution and its myriads of forms that are and have always been associated in the main series games and their Legends adjunct, then its featuring in any way will invariably involve these big things coming to the limelight. Such is true of this year's edition of Pokémon Go Tour, which becomes a "Mega time" for that big reason and arguably becomes the most "precious" of the "paths" that Trainers tread upon this season. It may just be the surest path for big evolutions.

Seven years ago: Romancing the Ball
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