<\/p>\n
When 10-year-old Samson Drake was given Pok\u00e9mon cards a little more than a year ago, he couldn\u2019t have known where the gift from his cousin would take him.<\/p>\n
Now, the Durangoan will compete in the 2018 Pok\u00e9mon World Championships that will be held at the end of the month in Nashville, Tennessee. Samson earned his spot in the invite-only competition when he placed 11th out of about 160 players at the North America International Championship in July at the Greater Columbus Convention Center in Columbus, Ohio.<\/p>\n
Samson, whose parents are Jonathan and Heather Drake of Durango, competed against kids from all over the world. He now heads to a competition where he stands a chance of winning $25,000.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a pretty big thing for him to go for as a first-year player,\u201d said his father, Jonathan.<\/p>\n
The Pok\u00e9mon Trading Card Game<\/a> \u2013 not to be confused with the Pok\u00e9mon Go! app \u2013 was created in 1996. Players compete against each other with a deck of 60 cards. Each card represents a Pok\u00e9mon character that has certain strengths and weaknesses. Characters battle each other, and there are a few ways to win a game.<\/p>\n When Samson started playing, he and his family were living in Cleveland, and started playing at their local library. Samson soon discovered there\u2019s a big Pok\u00e9mon world out there.<\/p>\n He took to the game pretty quickly, participating in league play, which are games held primarily for fun and practice; and then league challenges and cups, where players can rack up points that earn them spots in official rankings. Players can also compete in regional competitions and then the bigger games, like the North American International Championship and the World Championships.<\/p>\n The Drake family, which also includes Samson\u2019s siblings Nadine, 13, Bruno, 7, and Eva, 3, moved back to Durango from Cleveland a little more than a month ago and want to get Pok\u00e9mon going here.<\/p>\n Every Tuesday night, Guild House Games Durango in the Main Mall hosts Pok\u00e9mon Play! where players can meet to battle it out. The hope is that the store can start up leagues, and then tournaments can be held. Right now, the Drakes said, the only real opportunity to earn points is by competing in Denver \u2013 not exactly a quick jaunt up the road.<\/p>\n On Tuesdays, Samson is on hand at Guild House to teach new players what he knows.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s not that hard to pick up \u2013 it probably might take a day or two of practice,\u201d Samson said. \u201cI like the strategy; it\u2019s like chess, but more intense.\u201d<\/p>\n And for parents, Jonathan said, Pok\u00e9mon is more than just a game \u2013 it also helps reinforce lessons children are learning and helps the kids learn to handle their emotions.<\/p>\n \u201cAs a parent, when I first got the cards, I was actually discouraging because I didn\u2019t know what it was, and then they started playing, and I realized pretty quickly you have to strategize; there\u2019s logic, there\u2019s math,\u201d Jonathan said. \u201cOur youngest son, who is 7 now, was learning to play, and he was learning to read by reading the Pok\u00e9mon cards. It\u2019s something the kids can play and not be on a screen; kids are playing together.\u201d<\/p>\n Samson said he plays just about every day. There\u2019s also a card game to play online as well; physical cards come with digital versions that can be used in online battle. It\u2019s a way he can keep in touch with fellow competitors and play online against each other. \u201cWe didn\u2019t allow him to play online for the first year: that\u2019s more of a recent thing,\u201d Jonathan said.<\/p>\n \u201cI like that he\u2019s invested enough: You learn to win, you learn to lose, you learn how to handle those emotions around it,\u201d Jonathan said. \u201cThere\u2019s the intensity of the bigger tournaments like the one we went to.\u201d<\/p>\n The Pok\u00e9mon Play! sessions are held at 6 p.m. Tuesdays at Guild House Games Durango. And don\u2019t be shy: All levels of players are welcome.<\/p>\n katie@durangoherald.com<\/a><\/em><\/p>\nIf you go<\/h4>\n