• A Few Site Deals - Lookie what I did, daddy!
• BattleZone And Professors, Uh Huh - They never come down, from battlefields so glorious!
• Japan's Wizardsification - Following Washington's Lead?
• Pokémon's Artsy Folk - Links Galore!

Today's General Comments:
Look, I'm updaing today! (Mostly because I finally have something to update with!)

I'm still working on getting my schedule squared around. Even though I don't have as much free time as I'd like (or used to have), I need to move some things around and constantly cram in order to get stuff done. Fret not, I'm not going to break my back trying to get this stuff worked out. The last thing I want is heart problems at the age of 20. Blah.

Slowly but surely, I'm making my way to standardizing the information on this site. I've given the TCG Section a little update; I updated and added some Preconstructed deck info for a few of the sets (Base, Jungle, Destiny, Expedition, Aquapolis, and LC) and turned those precon deck info pages into easy-to-print versions. Expect the same to happen to the other sets in the next day or two. I also gave the Aquapolis section a little tune up, adding the set icon to the appropriate areas. There's also a few other updates too, see if you can spot them. :)

Planned for the near future is a translation of Card-E 4 and Card-E 5, for those who need one. I also plan on cleaning up the ADV1 translation pages a bit, fixing up the game text and card names. Just for your information, if my sources hold out, you can expect PA! to continue bringing you translations of the new sets from Japan. And if ADV1 is any sign of things to come, I'll even have them long before the sets are even released in Japan itself. Nifty, huh?

Blanks... I'm still working on them. They are a pain in the butt, as I seem to constantly be reminding you folks about. But when they're done, a section update is in store, as well as a classic little event for you folks out there in internetland. Good times.

And if you take a little look in the sidebar, you'll notice a small bit of text called "Pokémon Vanguard". For those not familiar with Vanguard, they're box topper-sized cards used in Magic to expand and change the game for fun. In a tournament, each player is given a unique Vanguard card and plays through the tournament with the same card. In Pokémon terms, a particular Vanguard card could allow the player to do 10 more damage all the time they attack at the cost of only being allowed to have 2 Pokémon on their bench. I'll work on the rules for it soon and maybe even have organize one at an event or something. I'll figure something out.

That's all I have right now.

According to Gym Leader Blaine from WizPOG;

Okay everyone I just found out a little bit more about SBZ which most of you already know.

Tournament Structure:
Age modified-swiss with top 8 players in single-elimination round

Round length: 30 min

Number of swiss round: Depends on how many show up:
5-8 players 4 rounds
9-16 players 5 rounds
17-32 player 6 rounds
33-50 player 7 rounds

K-Value: 24

Bet you didn't know that, did you? :D

And if you didn't know, all 50 SBZ locations are up. No San Francisco location. :( And Sacremento is too far. :-\

Professors can now breath a collective sigh of joy; word on the street is that the DCI-Sanctioned Judge Search thingy can now search for Professors and Master Professors for Pokémon TCG tournaments. Might not be a BIG deal to Joe Q. Player, but it's big stuff for us Professors and TO's. ;) Good times.

First off is what looks like the first of Japan's official Tournament Floor Rules. Which curiously looks a heck of a lot like the DCI's own Tournament Floor Rules. Hmmmm....

Second is what looks like a DCI-esk Tournament Program for Japanese players, with some Pokémon League elements mixed in for good measure. Like the DCI/League, your wins and losses are recorded, and you gain EXP (experience) for each game you win, as well as other factors. And the higher you place, you can earn some free cards, as well as "preferential participation right of the official tournament". It doesn't look to be AS competitive as DCI tournaments (but we all know that Japanese players aren't nearly as competitive with this game as Westeners are), but very close to the DCI than not. I'll work on a full report when I have a little bit more time (it's 2 AM right now), but I do know that it'll cost about $15 to join (1,800 yen) and will begin at the end of this year. Hmmmm....

It sure is cute how much TPC is trying to emulate Wizards, though. :)

Case in point, after spending a few minutes on Google, I managed to uncover the offical websites of a few well known Pokémon TCG artists. Good times. BTW, don't worry if you can't read Japanese. Just start clicking on links and you'll find the gallery sections. Easy peasy.

Midori Harada: A fairly recent artist, Midori's work has been seen on Aquapolis Scyther and Eevee. The site itself has a lot of nature images as well as some images of the Middle East. It has a fair mix of Japanese and English, so the site is considerably easy to navigate.

Sumiyoshi Kizuki: Her art can been see on Aquapolis Golduck and Bellossum. You've probably already seen the site since last update. Though I'd post it again. ;)

Kagemaru Himeno: The site is a bit aimed towards maybe 13+ folk, there's a few cute anime females in there. Now Kagemaru here has been with the game since the beginning. Chances are you own a card with Kagemaru's art on it. Taking a look at the site, you may think that this is not the same Kagemaru Himeno. But I can assure you, it is. The art is just SO good, it kinda makes you think that Kagemaru just does Pokémon pictures "for the heck of it" and seems to rush out each image.

Hajime Kusajima: Now this guy is someone I can relate with, art wise. Hajime here did Expedition Mew and Aquapolis Steelix and one look at this site can easily show similarities in the styles. But looking at the nature of his art, it seems difficult to believe that this guy is interested in Pokémon in the first place. The site is pretty nifty, but some of the images there AREN'T kid friendly. So if you're a kid, skip this site. If you aren't a kid (or at least consider yourself old enough), you can visit his site at http://www.cross-counter.com (copy and paste). But don't blame me if your parents catch you. ;)

Yuka Morii: Any of the clay-based images are done by Yuka Morii. Apparently Yuka is a well known commissioned artist, as some of Yuka's work includes advertisements for Japanese gas companies and so forth. Interesting stuff.

Kimiya Masago: WOW. Now this is one cool artist. Kimiya, if you didn't know, drew Expedition Tyranitar and Skarmory. And by looking at some of Kimiya's work, you can tell. This stuff just rocks.

OK, that's all I have to share for you. I'll see about digging up a few more sites later on.

Good day!