By Jennifer Moody
Albany Democrat-Herald | Posted: Wednesday, August 13, 2008 12:00 am
Albany boy to play at world championships
Jonathan He's parents weren't sure about traveling to Columbus, Ohio, this summer just so their 10-year-old could play in a Pokemon card game.
But he's pretty good, they figured. He just may win. And if he does, they'd get an invitation to Orlando, Fla., which could be an even better family vacation.
Thanks to Jonathan's skill at the collectible card game, that's exactly what happened. The fifth-grader at Franklin School in Corvallis placed seventh in June at the national competition, earning an invitation to the 2008 Pokemon TCG World Championships, to be held Aug. 15-17 in Orlando.
The Pokemon National Championship is open to all competitors, but only the top players receive invitations to the world competition, according to official Pokemon rules.
Jonathan is the only player to attend from Albany. Two other mid-valley boys, Clint Armstrong and Neal van Tamelen, also received invitations.
At the world contest, Jonathan said, he'll play against others in the 10-and-under age bracket for a chance at a $7,500 scholarship, a free trip to next year's world competition, and a one-of-a-kind Pokemon promotional card, along with a stack of other Pokemon-related prizes.
It's worth it, he said, even if he doesn't win.
"You can see your friends, and there's a lot of side events," he said.
This year there will be more than 350 competitors from six continents and nearly 30 countries.
The word "Pokemon" - a Japanese abbreviation for "Pocket Monster" - refers to a franchise that includes a television series, video games, movies and comic books as well as the collectible card game. The basic idea is to capture and "train" fantasy monsters, which then do battle with other trainers' monsters.
For the card game, players assemble decks of 60 cards composed of trainers, energy and different types of Pokemon.
Many build their decks based on a particular type of energy, such as water or fire. Jonathan likes to play a "psychic" deck, and relies on aggressive battle tactics: "Decks that spread damage everywhere."
He hasn't finished building his world competition deck, and plans to fine-tune it all the way to Florida.
Nervous?
"Yes," he said flatly.
Jonathan started playing about two years ago, after a friend introduced him to the game. In turn, he taught his father and his sister, Lily, 7.
He now owns "thousands of cards" and plays in a league that meets Sundays in Corvallis. In March, he placed third in Washington's state competition.
Friends in the league told him how much fun they had at the national competition. A week before the event, he finally persuaded his parents to go.
"We decided at the last minute," said his father, Wenlong He. "(We decided,) let him have some fun, let him have a chance to see what he can do. 'Cause Orlando's a much better destination for a vacation."
His mother, Siv Chang, says she doesn't understand it at all - "I have no idea," she said, shaking her head - but if people want to play, she's all for it.
"It keeps them from getting in trouble with something else," she said, laughing.