Eagan Boy Crowned Champion at State Pokémon Tournament

After pulling out a last-ditch victory in the state Pokémon tournament last week, 12-year-old Matthew Pappas was rendered speechless.

Pappas, a 12-year-old student, was one of more than 100 participants drawn from across the Midwest to play in the Pokémon Trading Card Game State Championship—held at Legion Games in Burnsville on March 24.

Armed with custom-built decks filled with cartoonish monsters, special abilities cards and other powers, participants are divided into three age divisions to compete against fellow collectors and game enthusiasts. As their Pokémon square off on an imaginary battlefield, players must use a combination of strategy and creative thinking to stay ahead of their foes.

Pappas, who took part in the tournament's senior division, beat out 22 other players in his division to claim the title of state champion—and the prizes and championship trophy that come with it.

But his road to victory in the collectible card game tournament wasn't an easy one. Twice, Pappas was nearly eliminated from the tournament; in the final round, he lost his first game then narrowly beat his opponent in two subsequent games to take the best two-out-of-three match.

The tournament last weekend wasn't the first for Pappas, who recently moved to Eagan with his family from Ventura, Calif. The Pokémon enthusiast started collecting cards five years ago, and with a little beginner's luck, won the first tournament in which he ever played. While he enjoys the competitive nature of the tournaments, Pappas also loves spending time with fellow Pokémon players.

“It’s all worth it to play, because you’ll make a lot of friends," said Pappas, who noted that many of participants will spend time cheering for the friends they've made at tournaments.

"They come up and just want to talk about decks and Pokémon, and whether they won or lost..they’re bubbling over with enthusiasm," said tournament organizer Jeff Prentiss. "Everyone there has the same bond of having fun."

The state tournaments are one of many Pokémon-related events hosted annually, and are open to any players—including those who live outside Minnesota, Prentiss said. While most of the players are children or teenagers, Prentiss recalled seeing a 61-year-old man play in the tournament.

At state tournaments, Judges are on hand at the event to observe matches, moderate card trading between players and help players build decks, Prentiss said.

Pappas attributes much of his success to his mother, Melissa, who has driven him to tournaments and events "countless" times and surprises him on his birthday with Pokémon cards.

"My mom has helped me out so much," Pappas said. "I don’t think I would’ve been able to do it without her."

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