I haven't really played TCGs other than pokemon. It's just what I grew up with, and the only TCG that was played at my school (not that any of us actually played properly). I was one of those completely obsessed kids from the time I was 8 until I was about 13. I had about three official handbooks that I read cover to cover multiple times, I could recognize and name every pokemon in existence at the time (I think we were at gen 2, maybe just getting into gen 3) just from its silhouette (or draw any pokemon from memory if you gave me a name) and give you its type, weaknesses, several attacks, and what it was strong against. I didn't have enough cards to play the TCG properly, but I knew the entire official rulebook of the time off by heart. I didn't have the video games, but I knew all the gym leaders, what pokemon they used, the routes, the locations of most pokemon, and whether they evolved by levelling up, trading, or stones.
Of course, I eventually lost interest and forgot nearly all of it, but there's still enough "residual memories" left there that playing the video games for the first time (and eventually picking up the TCG again) was no problem, but learning an entirely new game seems daunting. And since none of the other TCGs seem to have decent free to play versions online, I haven't really gone for them (I don't have any place nearby to play, and can't afford cards even if I did).
And, as with donovannj, the general vibe I've always gotten from the little bit of interaction I've had with the YGO community has been one of snobbery and not particularly welcoming of new players, so that kind of puts me off as well.
Of course, I eventually lost interest and forgot nearly all of it, but there's still enough "residual memories" left there that playing the video games for the first time (and eventually picking up the TCG again) was no problem, but learning an entirely new game seems daunting. And since none of the other TCGs seem to have decent free to play versions online, I haven't really gone for them (I don't have any place nearby to play, and can't afford cards even if I did).
And, as with donovannj, the general vibe I've always gotten from the little bit of interaction I've had with the YGO community has been one of snobbery and not particularly welcoming of new players, so that kind of puts me off as well.
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