2012-13 Pokemon TCG rotation announced

The Modified format for the 2012-13 season will be BW-on. The rotation will take place on September 1, a few weeks after Worlds.

To get you prepared, here are a few deck ideas from Japan's Spring Battle Carnival, courtesy of the Pokegym. Hydreigon/Darkrai EX and Garchomp/Altaria look like the decks I'll be using next year.

Ba-da-ba-ba-baaaaa, I'm really lovin' it!

From now until July 5, Pokemon toys are available in McDonalds' Happy Meals. There are six toys in all - Servine, Pignite, Dewott, Woobat, Axew, and of course Pikachu - and each comes bundled with a Pokemon TCG card and a Pokemon TCG Online code card that unlocks a 60-card deck and an item for your avatar.

Pictures of the toys can be found here, and the trading cards here.

(And will someone please tell the powers that be at McD's that Pokemon is more than just a boys' game?)

The Pokemon Global Link is on hiatus...

...until June 21 in preparation for the release of Pokemon Black and White 2 in Japan. In the meantime, any tucked-in Pokemon cannot be awakened, and Game Sync and other Global Link features will be unavailable. However, your patience will be rewarded: the new Global Link will have a new Dream World area, the Cool Hole, as well as many other cool features.

Play Ball!

Sorry for not posting here for a long time (been having these weird post-cold symptoms - restless arms, dry mouth), but I'll let you folks know I'm not dead.

Anyway, baseball season is once again upon us, with my hometown Miami Marlins going up against the St. Louis Cardinals in our brand spankin' new ballpark (go Fish!).

I love baseball - it's a very geeky sport with lots of odd stats and trivia. And there's a lot of science to it, as these websites from the San Francisco Exploratorium and Discover magazine show.

Thank you for hanging in with me during these times, and may your team win!

Fixing Warped Cards

If you've played the Pokemon TCG for any length of time, you've probably had this happen: One or more of the foil cards in your deck has warped and sticks out like the proverbial sore thumb. Getting your cards flat again can be a tricky task. But before you spend the money to get replacement cards, try one of these techniques suggested by the folks at the Pokegym:

1. Take a tube that will accomodate the card (such as a TP tube), insert the card so it bends in the opposite direction of the warp, push it gently against the walls of the tube, and quickly (this is key - you don't want it warped in the opposite direction!) pull it out.
2. Place the card(s) under several heavy books (schoolbooks, old encyclopedias) overnight.
3. Put the card(s) under an old T-shirt and iron at a medium setting for a few minutes, then place the card in a book under a heavy weight overnight. I wouldn't try this with any valuable cards, however.
4. Place the card(s) in a book, then place the book in the freezer for a while. Weird, but it suppsedly works.

Reshiram/Zekrom Nintendo WiFi Download

From now until April 8, anyone in Europe, North America, or Australia with a copy of Pokemon Black or White can download a Reshiram (Pokemon White) or Zekrom (Pokemon Black) from Nintendo WiFi. These Pokemon are at Level 100, carry a Dragon Gem (which grants a one-time boost of a Dragon-type attack), and have the exclusive moves Mist (Reshiram) or Haze (Zekrom). These special Pokemon also unlock a special area in the Dream World where you can play a mini-game to unlock a very special C-Gear skin.

Also, you can get a Victini doll to decorate your Dream World home. The password is: PGLVICTNI12.

Pokemon Black and White 2: Electric (and Fiery) Boogaloo

Last Saturday, Pokemon Black and White 2 were officially announced - first on on Japanese TV, and on the offical websites soon after. This marks the first time the "third" installment of a Pokemon game was an actual sequel, as opposed to a remake with more bells and whistles. Two new forms of Kyurem have also been revealed, both of them fusions with either Reshiram (in White 2) or Zekrom (in Black 2). (Personally, I think Black Kyurem (the Zekrom fusion) is way cooler-looking than White Kyurem (the Reshiram fusion), but to each their own.)

The games are scheduled to be released in June 2012 in Japan and fall 2012 in Europe and the Americas. More info as it appears.