Waste Of Money

[Whitney's Shaymin]

Hey guys, so I wanna know if you think the game is a waste of money. I think it's a little ridiculous how you have to keep buying cards due to rotation. For example a card that is really rare (such as Genesect EX) will become worthless once out of rotation. So why keep buying them?

 

[Profen]

I feel like most (if not all) card games are kind of a waste of money. A lot of the more popular card games have rotations that get rid of older cards. Its the easiest way for a card making company to continue to get business, by requiring their strong followers of the game to constantly buy new cards. I have heard the Yuhioh doesn't cycle things out, but then it just makes old cards that are out of print, worth a crazy amount. I think games like that are even more expensive for someone to start up. Card games that have rotations keep the costs of their old cards moderate, by having them become "useless" as you say. But theres no where that says you have to play modified, playing unlimited among friends or league is fine.

Besides rotation or otherwise, you will be buying new cards for pokemon anyway. The thing commonly known as power creep, makes all the newer cards much better than the older cards anyway. Many of the cards from 2 maybe 3 years ago are just so out classed by the current card, that not using the new cards just gives yourself a handicap.

 

[Aeroblast]

If you're getting Pokemon cards solely for playing, then I can see what you're saying. Collecting is definitely a different story, though.

 

[donavannj]

If you're thinking it's a waste of money, you're probably looking at it with the wrong mindset: getting more money back in the short term when you're done. If you look at it as a game/hobby where you socialize with others about it or otherwise use it to kill time with, then it might not seem like a waste of money. Give it another 30 years and it might end up having some serious value.

 

[DjKniteX]

I started playing just 5 months ago and I already dropped like $300 before actually being a serious player. Did I think that I was wasting money? At the time, yeah. But after I went to Leagues and Cities and at the time, Battle Roads. It was really fun. I go boosting maybe once every few weeks and get a couple packs and open them. If you get something rare or good, nice, if not, then meh, you didn't waste too much money.

You can always get your money back if you find full arts of something really good or just a really really rare card that you don't need... But then again, who would want to get rid of those :P

 

[Warrior Rapter]

Me, personally, if I'm playing a card game, not just pokemon TCG, but any of them, I'm probably not playing just for the sake of playing. It's a community, and to me, even playing among friends is vastly different than if you actually are in a tournament setting. It's the camaraderie that I find the most joy when it comes to things like that, and where I feel the true value of the game is found. Now, I know sometimes there can be black sheep in a community setting, but when you find a good group of people, you know almost instantly.

 

[Ultramarine]

One of the reasons I quit the TCG was due to the rotation. Cardfight! Vamguard doesn't have that (not yet at least) and personally it's far more strategic and complex than Pokemon.

 

[DjKniteX]

One of the reasons I quit the TCG was due to the rotation. Cardfight! Vamguard doesn't have that (not yet at least) and personally it's far more strategic and complex than Pokemon.

looks interesting, is there a way to play this online? I probably won't play competitively, cause I know for sure we don't have a card fight scene here...

 

[TrainerTori]

I never play in leagues, as there isn't one near me and I can't find anyone to run it, so rotation doesn't really exsist for me.

Sure it's a huge disapointment to have a stack of maybe 150 useful cards and boxes of thousands of useless pokemon I could care less about. Toting around car boxes and binders sometimes makes me feel like I've wasted a ton of money, and I honestly probably have.

But I don't drink, I dont eat out often, I don't go to movies, I don't rent games, I dont ever buy DLC - so this is just kind of how I treat it. All of those things are money "wasted" on temporary happiness. so instead of spending a weekend dropping 100$ at a bar, 20$ at a movie, and 10$ at redbox getting a game and then go to the online game store and blow 50$ on DLC - I just spent 100$ on booster packs for the "temporary" thrill of the opening. Even if, in the end, only a tiny fraction of those cards I opened are useful. That's how I treat it :)

 

[Ninjafire4]

12 years ago i ve been collecting those cards so much and i bought really much of em. right now those old cards from basic until neo 4 they are just like a good old memory. right now i prefer battling online :D

 

[donavannj]

12 years ago i ve been collecting those cards so much and i bought really much of em. right now those old cards from basic until neo 4 they are just like a good old memory. right now i prefer battling online :D

Do you play over the TCG Online? Or do you mean Pokemon game battles?

 

[TouchingEvil]

Buying them for collection. I love collect pokemon cards

 

[DeekBoy]

Anything is really waste of money. I collect a lot of video game stuff and many of it is a waste but I still love it. Pokemon cards are so much fun to collect and trade. I play the card game with a buddy but I don't think I could take it to a National level or anything but I still enjoy it.

 

[Pokemon Trainer Jackey]

The league I play at has ALWAYS done open-format, so none of the old cards get phased out where I play. I've actually gone several years without getting many new Pokemon cards due to dumping most of my hobby budget on other hobbies. So I'm completely unaffected by what's going on with the tournaments. I actually benefit when it comes to the price of older cards since phasing them out keeps the cost on most of 'em down. The main reason I got a new preconstructed deck recently was because they made Fairy type and I wanted to make sure I got some Fairy type energy. I also want to pick up the Fennekin deck because Fennekin is cute and more dark energies are always a plus, track down the Tepig deck, and pick up the Sylveon Collection.

I just wish they'd bring the idea of Delta Species back; that was a fun twist.

Besides rotation or otherwise, you will be buying new cards for pokemon anyway. The thing commonly known as power creep, makes all the newer cards much better than the older cards anyway. Many of the cards from 2 maybe 3 years ago are just so out classed by the current card, that not using the new cards just gives yourself a handicap.

That's not always true. The overall power of the cards ebbs and flows like a tide, and if you're playing open-format, new cards can really bring out awesome traits in old cards. I run a deck that's got Base set Blastoise and then a Lumineon that does 10 extra damage for each water energy attached to it, then it returns all the water energy attached to it to your hand. Alone, they're both good, but not amazing. Combined, however.... Why yes, I'd love to do 140 damage per turn and not risk loosing any of my energy if Lumineon gets knocked out. Granted, that Lumineon's pretty old now, too. XD I built that deck when that Lumineon was new.

 

[CharizardY]

The last few weeks I purchased a box set of the new X&Y cards as well as a bunch of the Black&White Treasures booster packs. I spent some good change on em but I don't feel like I wasted anything. I enjoy playing the game with friends and locals. Someday I plan to do tournaments. All my doubles will either be collected or sold on eBay.

 

[stp]

It's kind of true. But yeah, at the same time it's a way to socialize and make friends while enjoying something. Also, there are plenty of people that make serious money out of the TCG. A guy on another forum I go to has payed off some of his college tuition simply by buying and selling Pokemon cards.

It seems like the overall cost of playing the game has gone down, though. Even stuff like Genesect EX is only around $10 on T&T, which is majorly different compared to stuff like Luxray Lv. X, Gengar and Gengar Prime, Nidoqueen, Claydol, etc.

 

[donavannj]

It's kind of true. But yeah, at the same time it's a way to socialize and make friends while enjoying something. Also, there are plenty of people that make serious money out of the TCG. A guy on another forum I go to has payed off some of his college tuition simply by buying and selling Pokemon cards.

It seems like the overall cost of playing the game has gone down, though. Even stuff like Genesect EX is only around $10 on T&T, which is majorly different compared to stuff like Luxray Lv. X, Gengar and Gengar Prime, Nidoqueen, Claydol, etc.

It's because TPCi has been more attentive to what dominates competitive play and quick to make promo prints of those cards to try to flood the market and bring prices for singles down into a range that is reasonable for most trainers.

That said, a lot of the full art versions of useful cards were still fetching $30 to $40 in mid-2013.

It's only a waste of money if you look at it as such. There's still some value to be had by having it as a hobby, and hobbies are things that are supposed to be things you enjoy.