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.
One year ago: Pokémon Go (et al.) to Be Sold??
Two years ago: Daisuki! Japan Fest in Memoriam
Three years ago: Tournament: Arcaviary Tournament - Naiad Cup
Four years ago: Show Goes On, and On, and On...
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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