Pokmon league

The battle moved quickly as the players drew cards from their decks, powered up their monsters, and unleashed attacks.

Tim Skalland, the adult leader of the group of Pokmon enthusiasts, and 13-year-old Nic Ashland were engaged in a friendly contest. Skalland was using a deck that relied on a special attack of a weasel-like Pokmon called a Weavile, and Nic was playing a deck centered around a frog-like variety of the fictional monsters called Poliwags.

Skallands deck let him do a lot of damage, but he nearly ran out of cards which causes a loss in the game before he beat Nic.

The battle took place Sunday at the normal weekly meeting of the Corvallis Pokmon League at the Corvallis Elks Lodge. The group plays a card game version of the Japanese video game about humans training and putting pet monsters called Pokmon into battles.

According to Skalland, the crowd of around 10 was half the size of an average Sunday for the group, which has met in various locations in Corvallis since at least 2005. Most of the players are under 14, but there are a few adults, like Skalland, who play.

On Saturday the group hosted a city championship event that drew more than 50 players, some from as far away as Portland and Medford. They also four times a year host events where people can buy and play with new sets of cards before they are released to the general public.

Pokmon is a huge franchise. Theres kids and adults now that love it because it has been around so long, said Skalland, who is working on a doctorate in statistics at Oregon State University.

Skalland said the card game has remained popular because it is part of a franchise that includes video games and animated shows, but it is also popular because it is meant for kids and so is cheaper than other competitive card games.

Skalland said the game is fun and teaches everything from strategy and probability to critical thinking and good sportsmanship.

The Pokmon community is one of the best communities, he said. Thats one of the cool things about the game.

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Pokmon league