{"id":386952,"date":"2024-12-23T17:44:35","date_gmt":"2024-12-23T09:44:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/snkrdunk.com\/en\/magazine\/?p=386952"},"modified":"2024-12-23T19:05:06","modified_gmt":"2024-12-23T11:05:06","slug":"snkrdunk-speaks-to-lifelong-pokemon-fan-and-content-creator-isabella-on-her-pokemon-tcg-story-and-beyond","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/snkrdunk.com\/en\/magazine\/2024\/12\/23\/snkrdunk-speaks-to-lifelong-pokemon-fan-and-content-creator-isabella-on-her-pokemon-tcg-story-and-beyond\/","title":{"rendered":"SNKRDUNK Speaks to Lifelong Pok\u00e9mon Fan and Content Creator Isabella on Her Pok\u00e9mon TCG Story and Beyond"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A Pok\u00e9mon TCG, VGC, and UNITE streamer from Melbourne, Australia, Isabella\u2014who goes by the handle “pokibun__<\/a>“\u2014has been beginning to carve out a clear niche within the Pok\u00e9mon community on social media; as of this post, she has over 13,000 followers across her<\/a> five<\/a> social<\/a> media<\/a> accounts<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

SNKRDUNK recently spoke to her to find out more about her time within the Pok\u00e9mon fandom and her Pok\u00e9mon TCG experiences\u2014as well as to settle an internal question which our staff have been discussing for quite some time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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How did you get into TCG collection?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019ve loved Pok\u00e9mon ever since I can remember. It started with being obsessed with the video games, then the anime, then needing absolutely everything The Pok\u00e9mon Company would slap Pikachu\u2019s face on, which inevitably lead me to Pok\u00e9mon TCG! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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What is it about TCG collection that keeps you coming back for more?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I don\u2019t\u2014think\u2014this is a hot take, but the Scarlet and Violet era of illustration rares (IRs) have been gorgeous\u2014I want a whole binder with just the IRs! This era of Trainer cards has also really stepped up from Gen 8.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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And the new Eevee set (Terastal Festival ex [SV8a]<\/a> \/ Prismatic Evolutions [PRE]) coming out\u2026..oh no\u2026.. me and my wallet are in so much danger\u2026..<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Can you speak about your experiences with TCG products on the SNKRDUNK App, if any?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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I haven\u2019t bought on the app (yet) but whenever I go to Japan I always pick up a couple of slabs from SNKRDUNK for the collection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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What would you regard as the primary advantages of purchasing TCG products via an online store such as that of the SNKRDUNK App?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

As much as we love the Pok\u00e9mon community, there are so many SCAMMERS!!!! I see people all the time on Facebook Marketplace and eBay selling fake items (whether because they don\u2019t know any better, or they\u2019re trying to scam others who don\u2019t know better).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With the SNKRDUNK App, all the items have been verified and you can see what the market rate of the item is too! The verification and price checking is done all in one place, and I think it\u2019s a great place for new and experienced collectors!\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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In your time as a TCG collector, what has been your greatest experience?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019ve loved streaming and posting pics about Pok\u00e9mon-related content! It\u2019s a community I didn\u2019t know about when I was younger so I always felt a bit isolated when it came to my love for Pok\u00e9mon, but meeting so many new people through the hobby has been the best part about it! Here in Australia it\u2019s very tight-knit, and everyone I\u2019ve met has been so lovely. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Do you have any favorite cards that you either own or are pursuing?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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There\u2019s too many! I have mini personal collection sets I\u2019m trying to complete like all the alternate-art cards from Eevee Heroes [S6a], all the Poncho-wearing Eevee promotional cards, and someday all the Eeveelutions as Pok\u00e9mon \u2606 (I have a graded Jolteon from my personal collection \u2606\u2014so that\u2019s one down!). More recently, I NEED the Milotic from Surging Sparks [SSP]\u2014it\u2019s so beautiful!!!! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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How much is your entire collection worth?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019ve been properly collecting since 2018, prior to that I was always just ripping packs. So over those years I would say maybe upwards of A$10,000 to 15,000? Maybe? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Which Pok\u00e9mon TCG sets do you rate most highly?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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I’m a firm believer that we took the sets from Gen 7 for granted, especially those with TAG TEAM Pok\u00e9mon. Two of my all-time favourite sets are Cosmic Eclipse and Team Up\u2014I hope to get booster boxes of them someday!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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You\u2019re into Pok\u00e9mon VGC as well. Can you tell us more about that? How did you get into it, and what are some of your most memorable experiences in it, whether playing online, in a tournament or anything else?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I love playing the games but haven\u2019t dabbled too heavily into the actual competitive side of it! There\u2019s a steep learning curve but when I\u2019m on stream, my chat helps me build competitively viable Pok\u00e9mon! Apart from competitive VGC, I\u2019ve recently gotten really into Pok\u00e9mon UNITE\u2026.it\u2019s so good I swear! Just give it a go and you\u2019ll like it too (please play). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Do you play on Pok\u00e9mon Showdown as well?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I do play on Showdown, but very casually!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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What\u2019s the best VGC team of 6 that you\u2019ve ever put together?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019ve never taken my VGC teams seriously because if I was a Trainer in the Pok\u00e9mon world, I would hate to have a “copy and paste” team like everyone else. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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But, when I make teams, I try and make my favorite Pok\u00e9mon work how I need them to, like in Pok\u00e9mon X and Y, I had Jolteon, Milotic, Salamence, Togekiss, Mega Charizard Y, and Honchkrow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I got surprisingly far with it, again, mostly just matching with random people online and crossing my fingers\u2014but this team would get crushed by the X and Y meta! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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We have compiled a selection of staff-picked monotype Pok\u00e9mon teams. (This is National Dex mode, so Terastallization is off; Mega Evolution has also been disabled.) The question is this (take all the time you need to answer it):<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

With all the teams in the hands of equally skilled players, which of these teams would you say have the best chance to win a tournament contested by all 18 of these teams? (No outside players\u2014just these teams against each other.)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Again, I\u2019m not super deep into competitive Pok\u00e9mon but for sure, without a doubt, team #4\u2014the Water monotype team (Swampert, Wash Rotom, Milotic, Aqua Breed Paldean Tauros, Hisuian Samurott, Toxapex). I might be a bit biased because Milotic is in the team, but it has a perfect combination of defensive and offensive Pok\u00e9mon. It also just has the best vibes\u2014the Pok\u00e9mon team pic would go so hard. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Conversely, which of these would you say are the worst on the list and would be most likely to finish last?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Team #17 (Galvantula, Kilowattrel, Mow Rotom, Magnezone, Dracozolt, Toxtricity). Not only that\u2014despite the fact it\u2019s an Electric-type team, it doesn\u2019t include any of my favorite Electric-type Pok\u00e9mon. Where is Jolteon? Alolan Raichu? Ampharos?\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Can we have a final message for your social media followers?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n

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Hop on Pok\u00e9mon UNITE \ud83e\udef5<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Follow us on:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n