You’ve probably seen them. The Pokemon card. Either in the shop, online or among a group of people who sit and exchange cards among themselves. Or maybe you have some yourself? For Pokémon is by far the world’s biggest media franchise. Last year, 9.1 billion cards were sold. In the course of 25 years, an incredible 43.2 billion cards have been sold. Some collect, most exchange cards with others and some play with them – which is what they are really made for. – Opening packs and collecting cards is much more popular than playing the game itself. But the game has also become very popular, says Tord Reklev. Two Danish brothers are in the Guinness Book of Records for having the world’s largest Pokémon card collection. They have 32,000 cards in their collection. Photo: RITZAU SCANPIX / Reuters Lives on Pokémon Reklev lives in Trondheim, but travels the world and plays Pokémon. He is one of a handful of people in the world who manage to make a living from the card game. – There are more people who try, but very few actually succeed, says Reklev. He recently won the Latin American Championship and has now won all four international championships. In addition, he came fourth in the WC. During his career, he has earned $99,500 in prize money alone, according to the website Limitless. – I always call it a mixture of chess and poker. There’s a lot of strategy in it, but it’s also a card game. But it’s about making the best of what you get and creating good strategies, Reklev explains. Like so many others, Reklev also started collecting Pokémon cards. At the age of five, he received his first cards, but it wasn’t long before he became curious about how to play with the cards. When he was eleven he discovered that there were tournaments and now the 28-year-old has been playing full-time for a few years. – There is a lot of good value in building friendships and contacts with people around the world. To be allowed to travel around the world and see cities and places. You gain a lot of experience through it all, he says. – In addition, it also pays quite well. There are many factors that I appreciate as an adult. At the end of November, Tor Reklev won his fourth international championship. An important card in the strategy of this championship was Lugia VStar card. Photo: Privat Valuable cards To assert yourself in Pokémon, you need to have the best cards. The problem is that when you buy a pack of cards, you never know which cards you will get. In addition, new cards are issued several times a year. Millions of people collect Pokemon cards all over the world. Some of the cards are extremely rare and can be worth several million kroner. Photo: JUSTIN SULLIVAN / Afp – Now I’m quite spoiled there. I have several sponsors who get me cards. So I don’t have to worry about it, says Reklev. However, the most enthusiastic players do not bet on luck giving them the best cards to play with. – They buy individual cards online. They place an order for the very best cards from the new set and then they play, he says. But it is the collectors who drive up the prices of the cards. The most expensive card, a Pikachu Illustrator card, was sold at auction for around NOK 46 million. Although Reklev plays with the cards, he also has a respectable collection of cards that he does not play with. – I could probably buy a house for them. The rarest cards are prize cards that say Champion or trophy cards that you can win in tournaments. I won a card like that in the WC, for example. It’s one of the few cards I’ve sold just because it was worth a little too much money, he says. YouTube star Logan Paul showed off the world’s most expensive Pokemon card when he debuted at Wrestlemania. He reportedly paid around $5.275 million for the card. Photo: Jasen Vinlove / Reuters – Important for the environment In Tord’s hometown, Trondheim, there is a small community that plays Pokémon. Like the other big cities in the country, they have their own league where matches are arranged. – It is very well done by Tord to do so well in the world considering that he comes from a tiny place in Hutaheiti, says the organizer of the league, Ståle Reklev. He is Tord’s brother, but unlike him, he thinks it’s more fun to arrange matches than to play. He believes it is important for the environment that they have someone who is at the top of the world in the city. – Tord is very good at taking the initiative to train new people in the card game, says Ståle Reklev. A lot of training To stay at the top of the world, Tord spends a lot of time playing Pokémon. He says he spends a normal working day practicing. Sometimes more. – I am the person who is known to spend the most time on the game. So I spend all my time on that, he says. The aim is to manage to live off this for as long as possible. – Hopefully it will be a few more years, concludes Reklev. Former leader of the Liberal Party, Trine Skei Grande, was seen playing Pokémon Go at the Storting.
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Tord Reklev is among the world’s best at playing Pokémon – news Trøndelag
