---
Could you introduce yourself?
Aaron Buford, I am 20 years old. I'm from Manito, Illinois.
How long have you lived in Manito?
I've lived in Manito for about five years, but I lived the rest of my life in Pekin, Illinois. I lived in Manito for about three or four years, I was fifteen the first time around. I moved out when I was eighteen. We had to move into my grandparents' house because both my grandparents passed away and we had to watch over their house. We lived there for about six months and then we moved back to Manito and I like the house we have now!
Which do you prefer, Manito or Pekin?
Manito, by far
And why is that?
Pekin's sort of a big town. It's not huge, but I prefer smaller crowds for sure.
What's your relationship with Pokemon?
I started by playing Pokemon Yellow, that was the first game I ever played. I started when I was five years old, and I didn't understand it very much. I played it just to play it, but I started really getting into Pokemon when I was twelve years old. I got Pokemon Emerald for my birthday, and that's when it took off for me. But I didn't start playing the card game until I was about fifteen or sixteen years old, and I got really competitive in that. Allen and Cole and Evan: they're the ones who got me into it.
So what do you think of the Pokemon community in Manito? How big is it?
It's not very big. It's like three or four people.
So you just see those people all the time?
Yeah, me and Allen hang out more than anybody else, and I hang out with Cole and Evan sometimes too. I like the community, it's just a small group of friends who like to play Pokemon.
How much do you travel for Pokemon?
The longest I've ever traveled was six hours for Indiana Regionals, that was my first big tournament, I didn't do very well.
What deck did you play?
I'm not sure if it's very well-known but it's Plasma Eeveelutions with Deoxys. It didn't work out too well. I thought it was a fun deck, it didn't play out well, but I still had fun.
Do you intend to travel to more tournaments this year? What's your end goal for Pokemon? Are you just hanging out and having fun?
Well, I took a break from Pokemon a few months ago. I started collecting Amiibos. That was my thing for a while, but I'm almost done collecting them all, which means I'm going to come back to Pokemon eventually. Hopefully in a month or two because like I do miss playing Pokemon a lot.
How often do you intend to come down to our tournaments in Champaign/Urbana?
It depends on when Allen wants to go and it depends when I work, which might not be very often but I hope more often than usual.
What is your favorite Pokemon?
Shiny Raikou is my favorite but if it had to be a regular Pokemon it'd be Darkrai. Darkrai's by far my favorite Pokemon, I just like the way he looks. It's like a floating black clot, it's got powers and everything, it's just cool.
What is your favorite Pokemon card ever printed?
That's a tough one. It would have to be the very first card I ever pulled: Delta Species Charizard. It's the Electric/Metal one. I actually have that card hanging on my wall right now. That's the first ever Pokemon I ever got, and that was the first card I ever pulled, so definitely it'd have to be that.
What is your favorite deck you've ever played?
Eels, by far, I played Eels with Bouffalant. The first time I ever played that deck I got third place at a Battle Roads, so I was really ecstatic. That was my deck, I knew how to play it really well, so it was fun.
Which do you prefer: the video game or the trading card game?
It depends. When the video games come out, I prefer the video game at that time. I take a short break from the trading card game for a little bit. When the new sets of the trading card game come out, that's when I start getting back into the card game. I switch in between (the games), but I love both of them to death.
What do you think is the biggest difference between the video game and the trading card game?
I think the video game you have to have a lot more patience for, because you can't just buy special-trained Pokemon. You actually have to take time and do it, or maybe you can trade Pokemon towards someone to do it for you, I don't know, but definitely a lot more patience for the video game. I play the video game somewhat competitively, but the card game you can just go out and buy all the cards you want for a deck and test it out.
How much do you play online, do you play PTCGO?
I have not played PTCGO in probably about a year and a half. But I have like a ton of codes I haven't used. I don't really play much online anymore. I had a lot of bugs on my computer with it, that's the frustrating part, I just like basically just dropped it. I just play Pokemon with Allen or Cole, or anybody in Manito, and I don't play online much because I can't keep a computer system in good shape.
What do you do outside Pokemon?
I usually work, that's about it. I go frisbee golfing with Allen, that's one hobby I do. I usually go out and hang out with my other friends in Manito, play basketball, pretty much do whatever. Just hanging out with friends, that's what I like to do.
What would you do if Pokemon suddenly stopped exisiting?
I don't know. I don't know what I would do without Pokemon. Pokemon is the reason why I am who I am today. Pokemon is what brought me out, because I was always a very, very shy person growing up. When I got invited to that league in Manito, a long time ago, I kind of came out of my shell. I don't know what I would do without Pokemon. I play Smash Bros., that's mainly what I do at home, but that's just like taking the Pokemon out of Smash Bros. I couldn't imagine a world without Pokemon, I couldn't.
Any shoutouts?
Allen, Cole, Evan, Patterson, Keegan, everyone at this whole league. It's just fun coming down here, I just like doing that. So shoutout to everybody who I ever played with. I've made new friends, it's fun, it's a great experience.
---
Thanks for the interview Aaron!
