3 Great Trading Card Games for All Ages
By Alex J. Coyne © 2016 Great Bridge Links
Love playing cards? Then you should love some of these trading card game picks.
Unlike regular playing cards, the charm of a trading card deck is that the player can create their own deck using cards they have collected. Some of the games, such as Pokemon, limit the number of cards in a deck and have deck rules such as no more than 4 of any one card, and no more than 60 cards, but others, like Magic, allow players to craft whatever deck they want.
And let’s not forget why these games are called Trading Card Games! Because you can trade the cards with friends, and many of them gain value over the years in a manner similar to hockey or baseball cards. Xmas is a great time to head over to sites like eBay for some rare cards and cool decks …
Pokemon
Pokemon GO! had the world nuts a couple of months ago, and even caused some uproar (and subsequent decline) in the stock market due to confusion over who owns Pokemon! GO. But let’s not forget about Pokemon: TCG (Trading Card Game). You can find the official website over at www.pokemon.com. On the site, you’ll find information about new (and classic) decks, featured cards, facts, an you will also find Pokemon TCG online – with a leaderboard – and even a European championship. Could you be as good at Pokemon as you think you are at Poker? Give it a shot!
Editors note: I played Pokemon the card game with my kids from the age of 5 and up. It’s always been a great way to spend time together. Many local card and game stores host weekly Pokemon games and tournaments. The World Championships were in San Francisco in August, 2016. There were three categories – Junior, Senior and Master and 37 countries represented.
Buy Pokemon Cards on Amazon Click Here >>
Yu-Gi-Oh!
Created by Kazuki Takahashi, Yu-Gi-Oh! is arguably one of the most popular trading card games out there: The cartoon has spawned TV series’, real-life Yu-Gi-Oh! tournaments and a major range of video games,including Yu-Gi-Oh! Online, Power of Chaos: Yugi the Destiny, Power of Chaos: Kaiba the Revenge (a personal favourite) and Power of Chaos: Joey the Passion for PC.
If you want to play Yu-Gi-Oh! with others, your best bet is to check out Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Generation on Google Play, visit the official Yu-Gi-Oh! website (www.yugioh-card.com) or get hold of some decks. The official website should be able to tell you where your nearest tournament as well as the current world tournaments are taking place.
Purchase Yu-Gi-Oh! cards on Amazon click here >>
Magic: The Gathering
Magic: The Gathering was created by Richard Garfield and hit the shelves in 1993. It was the first trading card game of its kind ever produced, and there are estimated to be around or even over twenty million players. Several expansions on the first deck have been released, each bringing some new elements to gameplay: It helps to keep in mind for Xmas that all of that still started with the first deck …
Online, the game is referred to as either Magic: The Gathering Online (or simply Magic: Online), and there’s an official yearly tournament that takes place through the site – with cash prizes.
Apart from the game itself, there are thousands upon thousands of clubs, websites and apps that act as “game help”, strategy guides and character lists.
Visit the official Magic: The Gathering Online page at MTGO.com.
Purchase Magic Cards on Amazon! Click Here >>
