"Being Bernstein"- An Interview

Hi, this is Charles Randall, and today I'll be talking with D. Bernstein, a long-time member of the Champaign Pokemon League. I'm very happy that we can all get to know him better. On to the interview!

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Where are you from?

Champaign, Illinois.

You've lived in Champaign your whole life then?

Yeah.

So what year are you in school, how old are you?

I'm thirteen, I'm going into eighth grade.

That's an exciting year. Could you tell us about your history in the game?

I've been playing Pokemon for a really long time but I was never really competitive until about six years ago, I guess. I was just at our library and I saw a sign outside one of the doors that said Pokemon League, and I was interested in it, so two months later I came back and that's when I really started playing.

What has kept you playing the game for so long?

The community, it's so much fun. I like the game a lot though. They're (the community) just all really nice people, who help you and play Pokemon.

You got your invitation to the World Championships this year, how was that?

Yeah, that's exciting for me. This is the first year I tried to get my Worlds invite, and I'm really excited to play in Worlds. I think that if you put the effort out, at least this year, with the lower requirement, it was not too hard but it was definitely not super easy to qualify.

What decks do you think you will play with next year, in both Standard and Expanded?

Next year in expanded I really like Darkrai/Yveltal so much, I love Dark Patch, it's so much fun to play with and I played that in the side events at Nats which was really fun. In Standard I'm leaning towards playing some Groudon, which I think I'll also play at Worlds, and I also want to test Vespiquen but i think its over-hyped.

What is your favorite card of all time?

Aron from Rising Rivals is my favorite art but that card is not good! I really like Darkrai, I've been playing Darkrai since it came out.

What is your favorite deck of all time

Hammertime. That was my first time top cutting Regionals, I built the deck the night before and got Top 4

Who do you test with the most, and how much do you play online?

I play online a little bit. I test mainly with you (CR), Damien and Brandon sometimes.

What are your hobbies?


I like running cross-country and I like playing Super Smash Bros. and Splatoon.

Who's your main in smash?

In Smash 4 I play a lot of Wario.

What would you do if Pokemon suddenly stopped existing?

I probably wouldn't play Pokemon! I like playing competitive Smash a lot so I'd probably play even more.

Who is your favorite Pokemon?

My favorite Pokemon is Munchlax.

Any shout-outs?

Any what?

Shout-outs.

Damien, Brandon and you, you're all really helpful. and basically everyone from our group, they help me a lot.

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Thanks for the interview!

Glossary:

Pokemon League- A Pokemon League provides a nearby place for you to get together with other fans of both the Pokemon Trading Card Game and the Pokemon video games, and have some fun. Using your own cards and Pokemon video games, you can play, trade, and even earn cool prizes! The best part is that you can do all this with other Pokemon players who love collecting and playing just as much as you do.

Pokemon World Championships ("Worlds")- At the end of a year's cycle of Pokemon, top players in both the Pokemon TCG and the VGC qualify for an exclusive, invitation-only event. This years Worlds is in Boston this August, but past locations include Florida, British Columbia, California, D.C., and even Hawaii!

Standard vs. Expanded- The Standard format changes every year, and for the upcoming season will include every set released from the XY block, including the Kalos Starter Set. Feel free to ask a league member if a card is Standard-legal! The Expanded format consists of every set released since the base set of Black & White, but you don't need to worry about that unless you are traveling to a Regional tournament.

Hammertime- A deck from 2012 that used Sableye to reuse Crushing Hammer to discard all of the energy off of its opponent's field. Then it would use Darkrai EX to clean up, dealing big damage with the powerful Night Spear attack.

Pokemon Regionals- The biggest type of tournament in Pokemon before Nationals. Regional tournaments take place in Fall (October), Winter (February), and Spring (April/May). Regionals within driving distance of the C-U area include Madison WI, Ft. Wayne IN, St. Louis MO, and Kansas City MO. More ambitious drivers might venture to Lancaster PA, Kitchener ON, Houston TX, or perhaps even further!