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If you have a nagging feeling that the Pokemon card hobby isn't what it used to be, you're not alone – fans are letting their frustrations out at the prevalence of grading culture. The general consensus? It really, really sucks.
I spend a lot of my time reporting on the best card games, and I'm seeing this take crop up more each month. In a reddit thread with 3K upvotes so far, that feeling has boiled over. "Are there still collectors out there who just buy cards because they like them?" Poster deckdossier writes in a thread venting irritation at those who are chasing the most valuable, highest-graded Pokemon cards. "Honestly, the market has become a lot less enjoyable because of this mindset."
Judging by the rest of the thread, this isn't an unpopular take. The top response (with 1.2K upvotes and counting) from SuchSoup4335 reads, "I never liked it, it feels like a huge detriment to the hobby." They're not alone in that assessment; a wealth of comments from the same thread share that sentiment.
I'd have to agree. I never want to yuk anyone's yum, but it feels as though those in deep with the grading game occupy a similar space to resellers (who are arguably ruining the hobby for everyone else – just look at how hard it is to buy Pokemon TCG Pitch Black for an example). In other words, they couldn't give a hoot about the hobby itself and are purely there for profit. It's aggressively transactional, which is off-putting for both newcomers and more established players alike. It's certainly not a pleasant atmosphere; it often feels more like the stock exchange than the easy-going retreat Pokemon should be. When everyone rolls their eyes at a new expansion with comments like "this would be great if I could actually find any cards in store," something's wrong.
Will this change as the 'craze' runs out of steam? I'd like to hope so, but it feels like a self-sustaining loop now. Grade-chasing isn't a new phenomenon, just like resellers aren't a modern blip. The wild popularity of Pokemon cards (along with nostalgia for the franchise) leads to high demand, and high demand leads to opportunities like this for those who just see dollar signs. While the Pokemon TCG remains as popular as it is, I don't see that changing.
Anyway, enough of my thoughts – what do you think? Let us know in the comments below.
For more tabletop, why not check out the best board games? You can also get your fill of Pokemon with the best Pokemon merch.
