Grayson Kennedy and Charli Kliman love playing Pokemon at Cards and Combat. Photo: Erin Hee.
There are many things that can unite people from all across the Riverina – from cricket to the Big Murray Cod sign, but for one group of friends, it’s their shared love of Pokemon.
Every Sunday, a group of friends from across the Riverina gather in Wagga to play at Cards and Combat, a hobby shop off Baylis Street. They were recently in Brisbane to compete against players from Japan, New Zealand and the United States in the Oceania Regional Pokemon Championships.
The group of eight close friends, aged from 12 to over 25, have taken Grayson Kennedy under their wing ever since he started playing a year ago.
Grayson, who is about to turn 13, got into Pokemon when he was six. His favourite Pokemon is a bit unconventional, but he’s a big fan of Wiglett – a white worm that lives on the beach.
“I’ve gotten every single card of them,” he said. “He’s the best.”
While Grayson missed making it to the second round by one point, the Brisbane regionals is the “best event he’s ever done”.
“We played seven games, and it went for about eight hours for on the first day. So I got to meet a lot of different people from a lot of different places, who all came here for this moment,” he said.
Aside from the wonderful friends he’s made so far, his favourite part of the game is how each move can result in a surprising twist.
One friend is Tate Duncan, who won the junior championship. Tate is from Albury, but they met when Grayson “beat him” in his first ever cup.
“My first ever time meeting him was in a tournament, and I beat him,” Grayson said.
“I actually met him at my first ever cup, because they usually happen in Albury. When I went over there for that, there wasn’t enough seniors so we were mixed. I was mixing with the juniors where he was playing.”
In the senior’s league, Joseph Sergi from Griffith made it the furthest out of everyone.
The championship in Brisbane was Joseph’s first ever regionals, and he had a blast.
“This is the best I’ve ever performed,” he said. “It’s actually always been a dream of mine to make it to day two.”
He doesn’t join them every Sunday as it’s a two-hour drive for the 22-year-old, but makes it a point to go if there are challenges or pre-release events. There isn’t a card shop in Griffith since the one there closed down a few months ago, so he appreciates the large community in Wagga.
In his spare time, he runs two YouTube channels with almost 25,000 subscribers: Joseph Sergi, where he posts Nintendo content and livestreams, and an unboxing channel, Joseph TCG.
Cards and Combat owner Joshua Serafin said Pokemon had been around forever, but had seen an uptick in Wagga recently.
He would like to meet more fans of the franchise and has been hosting events every Sunday.
“We’re always running events and trying to get more going,” Mr Serafin said.
“To anyone involved in large competitive events or just playing Pokemon in general, play with integrity, enjoy the journey and make lots of friends along the way.”
Cards and Combat can be found at 189 Baylis Street, and is open from 10 am to 6 pm on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays, from 10 am to 7 pm on Thursdays, and 10 am to 5 pm on weekends.
