Mehdy is an 8 year old spirited French boy with a lot of energy. When he’s not scoring goals for his football club, Mehdy can be found spending hours playing a trading card game that’s very popular with children all over the world: Pokémon cards! In an exclusive interview, Toombow Kids speaks with this passionate boy about the cards that have ruled playgrounds for many years.
Toombow Kids: Hello Medi, how are you? Tell us, when did you first discover the world of Pokémon?
Mehdy: Hi, I’m great! The cards were well known, many people talked about them. But the first person who gave me this passion was my big brother when I was 4 years old!
Toombow Kids: You were just a kid then! Tell us about your collection, how many Pokémon cards do you have?
Mehdy: Well, I’ve got so many I can’t count them! I’ve also recently found some cards hidden in boxes. I’m playing a lot of football these days, but I still play Pokémon cards. The guy who created Pokémo cards is so successful that I think he’s a millionaire! I think he’s made at least 15 million euros!
Toombow Kids: Even more than that! By the way, do you know the rules of the Pokémon game?
Mehdy: Yes! Both players play with a deck of cards. Some of them do little damage, others do a lot of damage, and the aim is to get the opponent’s Pokémon’s PVs, or ‘Life Points’, down to 0. It’s easy to understand once you understand the basics!
Toombow Kids: OK, when you describe it like that, it doesn’t sound too complicated. What do you lke most about Pokémon cards?
Mehdy: For me, the most interesting aspect is battling against other people. It’s so much fun! Even when I’m alone, I play games myself. I also like collecting cards, but it’s not my goal to have the most cards possible – I’m not going to spend my life doing that! After that, if I get rare cards, of course I’m happy to have them!
Toombow Kids: You’re right, it’s important to have fun! As you know, Mehdy, every day thousands of children swap Pokémon cards with their friends in the playground. Can you give them some advice on how not to get cheated?
Mehdy: Oh yes, that’s important! For example, if you’ve got a rare Luminous card, you must not exchange it for a common card. Or if you have one that has 110 HP (Hit Points) and does 50 damage, never swap it for one that has 50 HP and does 20 damage. I remember once getting ripped off. I was in first grade, I didn’t know too much about cards yet and as I was hungry at playtime, I gave someone my Machoke in exchange for an apple. I’ll never do that again!
Toombow Kids: You’re right, we’ve got to be careful! What’s your favorite card?
Mehdy: Well, it’s Drattak! I love the dragons, they’re rare to come by and they’re really stylish! But my dream card, if I could create it, would be a mix between Drattak, Dracolosse and Arceus, and it would be super powerful! After that, I wouldn’t give it 1,000 HP and 1,000 attacks either, because then it wouldn’t be any fun – I’d easily win every game.
Toombow Kids: If it existed, your dragon would surely be impressive! Is there anything you’d like to say to Pokémon card fans?
Mehdy: Hmm… Yes. If you’re an older collector, you shouldn’t rip off new collectors. And for those who do battle, even if you don’t have super-strong cards it doesn’t matter, remember that having fun is the most important thing!
Toombow Kids: Thank you very much Mehdy for answering our questions. We’d like to say hello to all the Trainers on the planet and never forget: Catch them all!