2007 Nationals Finalists

Age: 15

How long have you been playing the TCG?
8 years

What are the qualities of a good TCG player?
A lot of mental ability.

What is your dream job?
To win the TCG World Championship.

What is your favorite Pokémon character? 
Blastoise

Age: 21

How long have you been playing the TCG? 
8 years

How often do you play the Trading Card Game?
I like to play frequently.

What excites you most about going to the World Championships?
Facing and meeting people from all over the world.

What is your favorite Pokémon character? 
Dragonite is nice

Age: 14

How often do you play the Trading Card Game?
5 hours a week

What excites you most about going to the World Championships?
This is my first year playing.

What kind of strategy will earn you a win at Worlds?
Think twice before you make any move.

What is your favorite Pokémon character? 
Jolteon

Age: 11

How long have you been playing the TCG?
4 years.

What excites you most about going to the World Championships?
Hawaii.

What are the qualities of a good TCG player?
Thinking ahead.

What is your favorite Pokémon character? 
Pikachu

Age: 18

How often do you play the Trading Card Game?
2-5 hours per day (before tournaments)

What excites you most about going to the World Championships?
Meeting people from all over the world, and going to Hawaii.

What are the qualities of a good TCG player?
Skill and sportsmanship.

What is your favorite Pokémon character? 
Scyther

Age: 15

How long have you been playing the TCG?
I don't know exactly, but about four years.

What excites you most about going to the World Championships?
I get to see other good players from all around the world.

What are your favorite things about the TCG?
You can find friends. You don't think about the sad/bad things in this time.

What is your favorite Pokémon character? 
Pikachu

Age: 14

How long have you been playing the TCG?
One year.

How did you learn to play the TCG?
On the internet, and I played with friends.

How do you personally show good sportsmanship?
Fair play.

What are your favorite favorite things about playing the Pokémon TCG? 
To win, and to make new strategies.

Age: 17

How long have you been playing the TCG?
Since 2000.

What excites you most about going to the World Championships?
The whole atmosphere.

What are the qualities of a good TCG player?
Skill and the spirit of the game.

What is your favorite Pokémon character? 
Feraligatr

Age: 15

How long have you been playing the TCG? 
5 years

How often do you play the Trading Card Game?
Weekly.

What excites you most about going to the World Championships?
Bigger competition with player from across the world. And it's Hawaii!.

What is your favorite Pokémon character? 
Zangoose

Age: 13

How long have you been playing the TCG?  
5 years

How often do you play the Trading Card Game?
One hour every day

What excites you most about going to the World Championships?
The opportunity of getting to know Hawaii, and winning an even bigger scholarship.

What is your favorite Pokémon character? 
Scizor

Age: 13

How often do you play the Trading Card Game?
5 hours a week

What excites you most about going to the World Championships?
Hawaii.

What are the qualities of a good TCG player?
Luck, calm, smart, and with sportsmanship.

What is your favorite Pokémon character? 
Lucario

Age: 11

How long have you been playing the TCG? 
2 years

How often do you play the Trading Card Game?
Every day.

What excites you most about going to the World Championships?
The event and the experience.

What is your favorite Pokémon character? 
Articuno

Age: 14

How long have you been playing the TCG? 
2 years

How often do you play the Trading Card Game?
Every day.

What excites you most about going to the World Championships?
The event and the experience.

What is your favorite Pokémon character? 
Lucario

Age: 20

How long have you been playing the TCG? 
3 or 4 years

What is your dream job?
Being a Formula 1 driver.

What excites you most about going to the World Championships?
Playing against players who are better than me.

What is your favorite Pokémon character? 
Charizard, Mew, and Rayquaza

Age: 11

How long have you been playing the TCG?  
3 years

How often do you play the Trading Card Game?
Once a month.

What excites you most about going to the World Championships?
To challenge new opponents and having the opportunity to attend.

What is your favorite Pokémon character? 
Torchic

Age: 19

How often do you play the Trading Card Game?
A lot.

What excites you most about going to the World Championships?
Hawaii.

How do you personally show good sportsmanship?
By never being cocky.

What is your favorite Pokémon character? 
Psyduck

Age: 10

How long have you been playing the TCG? 
2-1/2 years

How often do you play the Trading Card Game?
I like to play frequently.

What have you learned from your experiences in tournament play?
Bad sportsmanship can ruin a game.

What is your favorite Pokémon character? 
Arceus

Age: 8

How long have you been playing the TCG?
Two years and five months.

What excites you most about going to the World Championships?
Challenging games and skilled opponents.

What are your favorite things about playing the TCG?
It's fun, and I love the excitement that I feel during the tournaments.

What is your favorite Pokémon character? 
Banette

Age: 24

How long have you been playing the TCG? 
4 years

How often do you play the Trading Card Game?
Three or four times a week.

What excites you most about going to the World Championships?
Competing with world-class players.

What is your favorite Pokémon character? 
Umbreon

Age: 13

How long have you been playing the TCG?
Since I was 7 years old.

What are your favorite things about playing the TCG?
The travel, and the friendship with other players.

What are the qualities of a good TCG player?
Fairness and concentration.

What is your favorite Pokémon character? 
Pikachu

Age: 11

How long have you been playing the TCG?
Two years.

What excites you most about going to the World Championships?
Everything!

What are the qualities of a good TCG player?
Fairness, kindness, and skills.

What is your favorite Pokémon character? 
Dialga

Age: 17

How often do you play the TCG?
Every moment I have free.

What excites you most about going to the World Championships?
I have always been the underdog, and now I'm going to face the world's best.

What is your dream job?
I want to become Munchlax.

What is your favorite Pokémon character? 
Munchlax

Age: 24

How long have you been playing the TCG?
Almost four years.

What excites you most about going to the World Championships?
Everything! Going to a new place, and meeting people from all around the world.

What are your favorite things about playing the TCG?
Many things! The friends, the prizes, playing with family, and traveling to Hawaii!

What is your favorite Pokémon character? 
Charizard

Age: 14

How long have you been playing the TCG?
Since I was 8 years old.

What excites you most about going to the World Championships?
To become acquainted with other players, and to learn about their decks.

What are the qualities of a good TCG player?
Flexibility, and to not take the game too seriously.

What is your favorite Pokémon character? 
Despotar, Glurak, and Sniebel

Age: 14

How often do you play the Trading Card Game?
Two years.

What are your favorite things playing the TCG?
The pictures and the game itself.

What are the qualities of a good TCG player?
Patience.

What is your favorite Pokémon character? 
Libelldra

Age: 17

How long have you been playing the TCG?
Since 2001.

What excites you most about going to the World Championships?
Meeting all the Pokémon people again.

What are the qualities of a good TCG player?
Playing sporting and fair.

What is your favorite Pokémon character? 
Zapdos

Age: 12

How long have you been playing the TCG?
3 years

What excites you most about going to the World Championships?
Hawaii, and I can see players from all over the world.

What are your favorite things about playing the Pokémon TCG?
I learn new words.

What is your favorite Pokémon character? 
Pikachu

Age: 18

How long have you been playing the TCG?
About 9 years

What excites you most about going to the World Championships?
It is international. I love to use the language and to meet foreign players.

What are your favorite things about playing the Pokémon TCG?
The tough games and the excitement.

What is your favorite Pokémon character? 
Jirachi

Age: 22

How long have you been playing the TCG? 
4 years and 6 months

How often do you play the Trading Card Game?
2 or 3 times a week

What excites you most about going to the World Championships?
Traveling to Hawaii, and meeting a lot of people from different countries

What is your favorite Pokémon character? 
Marill

Age: 11

How long have you been playing the TCG?
For 8 years

How often do you play the TCG?
Every Saturday.

What excites you most about going to the World Championships?
Playing with the best players in the world.

What is your favorite Pokémon character? 
Palkia

Age: 18

How often do you play the Trading Card Game? 
About 3 times a week.

What is your dream job?
To be a professional investor.

What excites you most about going to the World Championships?
A chance to earn the respect of the American players.

What is your favorite Pokémon character? 
Espeon

Age: 9

How long have you been playing the TCG? 
3 years

How often do you play the Trading Card Game?
Every day.

What excites you most about going to the World Championships?
To play against the best players in the world.

What is your favorite Pokémon character? 
Gardevoir

Age: 10

How long have you been playing the TCG?
Two years.

What excites you most about going to the World Championships?
I just want to win first place at the Pokémon World Championships.

What are the qualities of a good TCG player?
To be clever.

What is your favorite Pokémon character? 
Zapdos

Age: 10

How long have you been playing the TCG?  
6 years

How often do you play the Trading Card Game?
I play at many tournaments and every week at home

What excites you most about going to the World Championships?
Playing against people I do not know.

What is your favorite Pokémon character? 
Wynaut

Age: 11

How long have you been playing the TCG?
Since I was 7 years old.

What excites you most about going to the World Championships?
Playing in it will be the most exciting.

How did you learn to play the TCG?
I first learned on a GameBoy.

What is your favorite Pokémon character? 
Draking