Yes, you read that correctly. Wolves Esports is entering the Pokémon Trading Card Game community. No, we are serious. Hear us out!
Pokémon has been a part of our lives ever since Pokemon came to Europe. To us, Generation 1 Pokémon are still the best. However, that’s not what we are here to talk, or rather write about.
As of today, Wolves Esports will be represented by former “Team Freezing Gaze” in the Trading Card Game. The one with the real cards. This is meant as the first step towards our Pokémon engagement as we aim to add a couple of players for the Pokémon Video Game Championships, the Virtual Card Game, further down the line as our efforts to combine Pokémon with esports.
Unfortunately, the scene is currently on hold due to the ongoing pandemic but we are eager to experience events once it is safe to do so.
Players for #WolvesPokemon:
Christian F. Julius K. Alfred K.
Alexandre S. Rune H.
Lucian H. Jake B.
Lorenzo F.
Leon K.
We’ve sat down with Christian F. to talk about the game, the team and the ambitions.
Q: Hey, great to have you on board! Would you mind to introduce yourself and the team, please?
A: My name is Christian Fontenot, and I am the Owner/Leader of Team Freezing Gaze. I have played with TFG since it was formed back in September 2019. While I didn’t orgionaly run the team, I took over in mid October that same year, and never looked back. The team as a hole is made up of some of Europe’s best teen players, who all have a lot of experience and success in the game.
Q: How long have you been playing the Pokémon Trading Card Game and why?
A: I have been playing Pokémon TCG since January 2016, so 5 years now. The main reason I have kept to Pokémon, instead of switching to play other games, is mainly because of the community aspect of it. Meeting up with both new and old friends from around the world to play Pokémon for a whole weekend, really is like nothing else out there.
Q: Apart from Pokémon – do you play any other TCGs, or have you tried different ones before?
A: I have tried both Magic and Yu-Gi-Oh, but i couldn’t really get into any of them.
Q: If you are not in the mood for Pokémon or can’t attend events, do you play any other games on PC or consoles?
A: I do play a lot of games. For the most part I stick to PC, but I do have a switch that I use quite a lot. As for specific games I have played quite a bit, I would say Smash Ultimate and Overwatch. I also love following the esports scene in both of them.
Q: What was the biggest and/or most loved event you attended so far?
A: That would have to be Worlds 2018. It was my first time playing in the World Championship, and one of the best weekends of my life. I made my first major day 2 at that event, and made a lot of friends who I still talk with to this day.
Q: What is your favorite deck of all times and your most loved Pokémon card of all times? Also, what was your very first card and do you still have it?
A: My favorite deck of all time would have to be Turbo Lapras, from the BREAKthrough to Forbidden Light format. The deck was all about hitting really hard really fast, back in a format where the game was a lot slower than it is today. My favorit card of all time was also played in Lapras, that being Max Elixir. Max Elixir is a card made for decks that want to go fast, helping you with getting energy into play very early on in the game. To be honest, I have no clue what my first card was, but I most likely don’t have it anymore.
Q: A very important question – What is your favorite Pokémon Generation?
A: I got into Pokemon with XY and ORAS (Omega Rubin and Alpha Sapphire) is my favorite game in the series, so Generation 6 is an easy answer for me.
Q: Do you think more Esport organization should give the Pokémon TCG/VGC a chance?
A: I think it’s worth a shot. Some Esports organisations already have VGC players, so I don’t see why TCG shouldn’t work. I do of course have to bring up the fact that it is a card game, but i don’t think that’s a real problem. While I can’t say for sure if it would work in the end, I do for sure think more teams should try to get into Pokémon in general, as I do think there is a lot to gain.
Q: When do the Tournaments start again?
A: The IRL tournaments will most likely start up again when Covid is long gone. It will take a while from now for sure, but I think a safe guess is around June.
Q: What do you want to achieve with the team and Wolves Esports?
A: I have a lot of goals, but my main one with Wolves is to make esports teams more normal in the Pokémon TCG. Right now, basically no major organisations have touched the TCG, but I hope that can change. As for personal stuff, my goal is the same as it always has been – win worlds. I know this is a big goal and all but I personally don’t see a point to playing at a high level if my goal isn’t to be the best. I don’t know how long it will take but expect me to be around until i’m on top.
Q: I think that is enough for now, let’s keep some content for the next few months. Are there any final words for this interview?
A: Me and the team are really looking forward to playing under, and working with Wolves. The opportunity really means a lot to us and now more than ever we can’t wait for IRL events to come back.
Jakob “InSahne” Kachler (Toplane)
Divinity Esports
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