A cards club for kids

Keldeo, Mega Charizard and Pikachu may not be familiar names to everyone, but to members of the Halifax Pokémon League these are three of many characters they can battle with each week.

The league was co-founded in 2013 by Chris Muise (Editor’s note: You’ll recognize that Chris is one of our regular writers). Muise says he wanted to start a group that focused on the card game and was similar to one he belonged to as a child.

“I was a bit socially awkward and a lot of things other kids liked to do didn’t interest me much,” he says. “This [Pokémon League] was my thing to get me out of the house; this was my little league game or hockey team.”

This is one of the reasons many of the kids who come to Muise’s league like it. Nine-year-old Freddy Rutherford says he doesn’t really know anyone else, besides league members, who are as interested in Pokémon as he is.

“I don’t have any brothers or sisters and my mom and dad don’t really get Pokémon,” says Freddy. “It’s basically the only place I can come to interact with other people who love Pokémon.”

However, the league does more than just provide members with a place to socialize and battle each other’s Pokémon; it also has an educational aspect.

“I’ve had parents tell me Pokémon League has helped their kids with their reading comprehension because you have to read what’s on the cards in order to play them,” says Muise.

There is also math involved in the game as players have add up how much damage has been done to their character by another’s attack. Having the league also instilled a sense dedication and determination among members, like Freddy.

“I’ve learned so many things about Pokémon. At the beginning I wasn’t into deck battles or didn’t know many of the rules, but now I know almost every rule,” he says. “Now, just to entertain myself during the week, I play against myself and remind myself of the rules.”

The league has also become important to parents, as some of the parents admit they don’t understand Pokémon as well as their kids. Thus, they find the league is a good place for their kids to come and interact with others who have similar interests.

“I tried really hard to understand Pokémon, but I just didn’t get it, “says Freddy’s mom Karen Schaffer. “It’s like a different language they speak while at league and it’s really cool they get to come here and learn it.”

This something that Angela Blake also likes about the league. Her 10-year-old son James has been coming to the weekly group for about a year.

“It’s an interest he [James] has that I don’t have so it’s good he can come here and play with kids he knows who are interested in Pokémon,” she says.

As for Muise, the decision to help create the Halifax Pokémon League has been extremely rewarding for reasons that extend beyond those mentioned above. It’s also renewed his love of the game.

“I don’t think I’d be playing Pokémon now if it weren’t for this league, but seeing the excitement of it through other people and knowing that I’m facilitating it, is bringing all the joy back.”

The Halifax Pokémon League meets Sundays from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. in the Sobeys community room on Windsor Street. More information on the league can be found at www.facebook.com/HalifaxPokemonTcgLeague.