Just remember Jason left the competitive scene and started analysing every era of the Pokemon tcg starting with base set… 25 years after the world just accepted haymaker as the best deck, Jason came along and showed what a master of the tcg could make of it and showed us that there are stronger decks hidden and previously undiscovered within the history of the game.
Just google or look for TCG Argentina they innovated wotc format since they actually still play. Or if you want to see Jason’s decks just google him and wotc and it will take you to his blog.
@@josephchambers4509 Google "Jason Klaczynski Blog" and it should be the first result! It's a fantastic resource that I think every Pokemon TCG player aught to give a read at some point.
There may be debates about who is the true GOAT but The US Nats Wailord game featured at the beginning is the greatest series of ptcg ever played. But great shoutout to Pooka at the end, i don't think the game would be the same today without the Top Cut and the tireless dedication he put into the game.
What an awesome video from start to finish. And the restraint to not even tease the Tord interview (or use it as clickbait), how can you not love this? Top tier storytelling.
People forget that back in the day we had very little resources to work with in order to improve as a player. And it just so happens that Jason and his team were some of the best deck crafter's and players around. If you ever do a follow up and are able to I'd see if Sami Sekkoum was available to talk. He was part of Jason's circle and is part of the select group that played at the world level then and now
I agree with the guy who said Andrew Mahone. Successful player AND community cultivator, no contest. Thanks for this and all the other wonderful content you bring to the Pokémon Community Mr. Gym!
I know the kyle pooka at the end was a bit of a joke, but pooka is genuinely one of the most influential pokemon players of all time. His influence can still be seen in the way the game is viewed to this day and thank god he works for tpci
Agreed. I think Ray is the VGC GOAT tbh. I love Wolfe, but Ray just was so dominant at the time. I think if Wolfe won worlds again he'd take that title though.
There's one critisism that Andrew makes about Tord's wins, regarding that they dont consider the huge amount of asian players that dont play in ICs, that I feel you could do for Jason's worlds wins as well, because back then organized play was not as good as now, so there was less countries competing in worlds unlike today. Both accomplishmets are huge deals and takes a lot of talent and work but I just wanted to say that you can apply that critisism to both sides. To me, the funniest pair of people that you could ask who is the greatest PTCG player ever are Tord and Jason's equivalents (sort of): Wolfe Glick and Ray Rizzo. Maybe one day we can get their takes on this.
Exceptional video, Andrew! Well put together and interview/documentary style was nice. I can't say much since I haven't gotten to see Jason play as much as I've seen Tord, but with 3 worlds titles, regardless of size, is undoubtedly a feat we won't see for a while or won't ever see again.However, Tord winning 5 different ICs from around the world with 1000+ players could be considered just as exceptional as Jason's in a different way. What we need to do is take the 2 different eras and have a conquest charity match. Would be kind of cool.
This was so incredible to watch!! Interviewing many well known and talented players was so incredible to see! Can’t wait for more content like this in the future!!
@@TrickyGymI’m here just thinking Azul is being humble; having to accomplish something so amazing ( e.g., literally achieving the title of world’s best) before thinking of yourself as, “yes I’m one of the best.”
@@TrickyGymFrom a prize payout perspective, 1 Worlds = 2 ICs. But the prize cards and the exposure you get as a player definitely pushes it close to three ICs.
Man Andrew I have legitimately waited years for you to make this style of content, you are literally tailor made for it, awesome. Really hope to see more my dude.
The access to information/decklists is readily available raising The overall skill/power level in a vaster pool of players. This is the difference between Tord and jasons Era of competing. I started playing in 2007 and there was almost zero sharing of decklists and tournament results/lists
Oh also, the video starting with JWittz commentating is nostalgic for me. I didn't play during that era, but he was the first Poketuber I started watching regularly. Great video!
I really like Jon Eng's point about Tord creating broken decks. He pioneered a few different variants of Lost Box (which is a really hard deck to play), made the top Zard build that everyone copied, etc. I have recency bias because I didn't play when Jason played. So I'll just say once Tord wins his 1 or more World championships before he retires, he'll be the GOAT.
I don't think it's even that close. Jason has accomplished far more than those prestigious titles. He's not only a grandmaster vituoso player but also huge contributor to community, historian and ambassador of the hobby at the same time; his blog alone is hands down the best site dedicated to WotC era of competitive play.
That was a really good video Andrew. Like you said it's interesting to see how different people from different eras perceive this answer. I'm a new era player and Tord is amazing but as he himself said until he wins a worlds a ton of regionals and ICs as well as his consistency isn't the same as 3 worlds. I wish I could have seen more of Jason's play but Tord is still amazing. Roll on Worlds 2023.
Wish there was some way we could see them play against each other in each years TCG format. They both pick their favorite/best decks and then play each other for every year or something. That would be incredible
This had a lot of footage that I had never seen before, and is a very concise and unbiased video. I was very impressed with the quality of this video instead of cranking out multiple videos with no credible evidence nor explanation of their thoughts. Superb video and great quality content overall. Always impressed. Thank you Andrew.
This is a masterclass in phenomenal PTCG content! Thanks for working so diligently to put this together. Stoked to see what you put out in the future! Also, as a 30-something, I’m team Jason. Dude is a legend!
I’ve been in this game since Majestic Dawn and it’s so cool to just remember the names I’ve seen through out the years. Including players in my locals/general areas I’d travel to for Battle Roads, Cities, States, etc. As far as competitive goes, Jason K, Pooka, Tord, and so many more come to mind. Being in this game for so long has allowed me to just watch the competitive scene change and adapt. New faces, new ideas, etc. Also being able to say I’ve faced some names that have placed well at large events is really cool to look back and think about This is such a cool concept to look at and a video I can really appreciate.
Mahone is the GOAT for producing this piece. Also seeing both Diego and Andrew looking good on camera makes me think we need more hat wearing in the PTCG scene. Being serious though, the argument about western circuit bias, World's importance and the fact Jason has left a mark over the decades, formats and eras of the game are what really make him the GOAT. I do hope to see the game continue to develop, and more players like Tord to surpass those achievements.
12:00 from my pov, it’s easier to win a tournament in a more skill format if you are the best player in the room, since your skill have to compensate less luck. If there is more space for the skill, and you have more skill, then you will win more often
My immediate thought when he was doing the interviews. Let Tord win a World’s, then I’d say it’s 51-49 in Jason’s favor. But if Tord wins two, there is no longer a debate.
You do realize that more and more people are starting to put LBJ outside the top 10, as they should. He has too many weaknesses to be put in the top 10. So that's an insult to Tord.
This was a really great watch! Kudos to you Mahone for all of the effort you put into making this. For me Jason is the GOAT, but honestly Tord could take that title in just a couple years. Time will tell.
Jason is my GOAT, but there's no denying that winning in the modern era is MUCH more difficult than during Jason's reign. Not because the top players are necessarily any better, but just the sheer amount of people playing competitively. Back in the day I could hop out of bed and reasonably expect to top cut a regionals just because I'd only expect to face a handful of skilled players playing the BDIF out of 100 or so people. But in todays tournaments with 1000+ people there's no way you're winning unless you're REALLY good or a little bit lucky.
This was a great video. Loved the documentary style and it gave some good insight into the rivalry between Tord and Jason for someone like me who doesn't keep up with the competitive scene. Keep up the great work!
Feel similarly about Jason K as Tord does. He was an inspiration to me as a player getting into the game. Would always find a way to win even if it was not straightforward or easy grasped. I have a mew prime signed by him and use it as my vstar marker for inspiration. Wild Geno spot at the end. 🤯🤯🤯
One big point to consider is that the tcg was considerably smaller in Jason's reign, while now in Tord's time it has grown to more than two thousand players at every regional.
i’m glad you added the point about western bias. here in japan we have many large tournaments that are somewhat ignored by much of the player base, but winning them can be just as difficult as a regional or IC.
Exactly. I feel like too many players just ignore the Asia player base when thinking about these things. Worlds is the only tournament that measures your strength vs both player bases.
Beat Jason in a regionals win and in in Texas. Felt like I won the tournament lol. Matchup was virizion genesect vs seismatoad so it was an near auto win for me but I was terrified the entire time. GOAT
Sincerily curious, I didn't grow up playing the game, but Chris Fulop hinted at how the TCG is different (8:10 - 8:35) from the early era when Jason played (and yes he played into the modern era) and how it is today for Tord. Yes, Tord could do just find playing old styles, but looking purely at the game, from a tactical and complexity standpoint (other aspects if necessary) was the early TCG game more difficult, challenging, and/or requiring of more skill, than the game today? Are there more levers to pull with styles of play or routes to go with card abilities today? Is it easier to KO an EX and take 2 prizes, over single prize only KO back then? Is the damage/hp bloat today OHKOs easier, compared to needing 2-3 hits before a KO?
Gotta disagree here @4:25 this is recency bias. Jason was historically really innovative and you can’t ignore what he did to the retro scene. If you look at a game like, say yugioh, and look at the recent growth of retro formats, there are many people to attribute that to. In pokemon tcg, no one, and i really mean no one, can say they did as much for reinventing past formats like Jason. In my mind, he is always be the goat
Fantastic Video. Hoping we can continue to create more TCG Competitive videos and be able to bring back TCGs into esports fashion. Pokemons community and game structure makes for better content than hearthstone
@@cioccorita eveything until around 2015-2016 pokemon was really skill based game compaired to modern era. its hard to describe, but, you could say older pokemon was like playing chess, while modern game is like between checkers and chess. In todays game you can theoretically win with a automated decklist, like Lugia for example, while back in the day, you couldnt win with whatever, you needed so much more to even qualify.
What an amazing video!!! Times are definitely have changed , but I think everyone in that video was a GOAT and I think at least half of are here because of all of you. In addition to all of the TOs out there !
The only sport i can think of where someone could be considered "the goat" without winning its biggest championship is probably baseball. so ill just leave it at that.
The greatest Pokémon player of all time is Andrew "TRICKYGYM" Mahone! There's only one player who not only could top 8 a regional with Snorlax VMAX Naganadel GX, but could also almost make day 2 of NAIC with Gholdengo. Living legend.
I’ve been playing for a year, and before this video I would have said Tord. After watching and learning, and hearing Tord admit himself that Jason is the best, I 100% agree.
Since I was only a child in the 90s/early 00s, I would only play TCG with my own rules and just got into it a bit more in 2013-2014 but learned how to play it properly just last year. Competitively speaking I mean. Was the original era more difficult than the current era? I reckon back in the day Pokemon had few HPs and attacks would not deal much damage (like there was no 330 damage from Zard) so it was probably much more strategic than aggressive.
As a player who started in 2017, I see both arguments but agree that one needs to catch the w at worlds to cement that GOAT title so atm it’s Jason Klaczynski
The point about Jason's era having smaller events but higher quality competition lends credence to Pokemon having a hard cutoff for World's going forward. I know there was at least one fairly prominent influencer this year who demonstrated you could qualify for World's under the current format without having to make day 2 at a regional or higher. A top X cutoff should be better about weeding out the slightly above average players who just went to enough events to squeak in.
I've been watching Jason since i was a young adult. I turn 32 this month. Jason will always be considered the best, but that shouldn't take away from Tord. They are both giants amongst regulars.
Awesome video essay! This is top notch content that I hope will get support. For me, I think it’s fair to leave it as Jason is the GOAT and Tord is the best player of the modern era. WHEN Tord gets a Worlds under his belt, then I think we can start the conversation of passing the torch. But I definitely think it’d be a whole other conversation if Pooka had been playing the whole time!
We have this debate every now and again in our testing group. And its 50/50 split down the middle. The one thing that we can all agree on though is how more accessible the game is now compared to back then. As well as the resources available for decklists, deck testing, card prices are lower than ever. The fact that Tord comes through with inovation after inovation in an era that is STACKED with very high level players, makes me believe he is the GOAT. If he wins worlds, I dont think this even a debate anymore. Not discrediting Jason and his unmatched dominance. But the game is a completely different beast now. Much love from South Africa! ❤
Playing Devils Advocate: Ross Cawthon has been consistent across the full history of the World Championships. He has seen success both in Jason’s era and in Tord’s era. I think that puts him ahead of both as the Greatest of ALL Time because he’s seen all the time.
So for me I started in 2016 so to me Tord is my favorite championship level player and who I get most excited to see. But there’s so many to love in this community. For players I’ve actually gotten to meet irl. It’s a toss up between Andrew and Pablo. And players I’ve only had a chat with online and was just an amazing sweet person would have to be for me personally Jimmy Pendarvis. So I think to me it’s more about who these players are as people even more so than their accomplishments
Great vid. What you frame as recency bias works both ways though. Every sportsman that ever lived has been on TV talking about how players were better in their day, it seems. But overall very fair. I'm only 90% sure it's Tord now, whereas it was 99% before. 😂
I've been around this game for a very long time and seeing how both players have played I believe Jason actually is the GOAT. Only 2 people have won 3 world titles in Pokemon Jason in TCG and Regan in VGC. 5 IC titles is impressive and I don't think anyone will ever touch that stat. In order for Tord to truly be considered the GOAT he has to win a world title but once he does its undisputed.
My friend who introduced me is the best player in the world aldoh i beat him whit some of my decks he brougt me into pokemon tcg there for he is the best and on the second place is you becouse i watch your vids and you give me ideas how to build my deck
This is the take. Playing ultra modern is just so vastly different than the early days and the ex era. Also the availability of information today makes everything instantly accessible. Just two different worlds.
![Was Anna Kaboom About To Defeat Yuma? [Love Hurts]](/img/1.gif)
Just remember Jason left the competitive scene and started analysing every era of the Pokemon tcg starting with base set… 25 years after the world just accepted haymaker as the best deck, Jason came along and showed what a master of the tcg could make of it and showed us that there are stronger decks hidden and previously undiscovered within the history of the game.
Is there somewhere to read/watch this these analysis?
@@josephchambers4509 you can read it on his blog. just type jason kal pokemon into google and his blogs comes right up.
@@josephchambers4509his blog
Just google or look for TCG Argentina they innovated wotc format since they actually still play. Or if you want to see Jason’s decks just google him and wotc and it will take you to his blog.
@@josephchambers4509 Google "Jason Klaczynski Blog" and it should be the first result! It's a fantastic resource that I think every Pokemon TCG player aught to give a read at some point.
This video is important. I’m glad someone is documenting the competitive history of our game, and I look forward to more.
The best player is clearly the friends we made along the way
Gay
@@LUMBEEPHENOM2012being called gay by a “My Hero Academia” fan girl is a nothing burger. Go back to watching anime aimed at children, you fraud.
Lul @@LUMBEEPHENOM2012
There may be debates about who is the true GOAT but The US Nats Wailord game featured at the beginning is the greatest series of ptcg ever played. But great shoutout to Pooka at the end, i don't think the game would be the same today without the Top Cut and the tireless dedication he put into the game.
What an awesome video from start to finish. And the restraint to not even tease the Tord interview (or use it as clickbait), how can you not love this? Top tier storytelling.
People forget that back in the day we had very little resources to work with in order to improve as a player. And it just so happens that Jason and his team were some of the best deck crafter's and players around. If you ever do a follow up and are able to I'd see if Sami Sekkoum was available to talk. He was part of Jason's circle and is part of the select group that played at the world level then and now
He would be a great player to talk to! You’re right
Y’all didn’t live if you were around for the Gino Jason rivalry in 2000’s. Surprise Gino appearance made my year. Hope you are well Gino!
As someone who has been playing the Pokémon TCG for more than a decade, this is the best video I’ve ever seen when it comes to Pokémon TCG content
I agree with the guy who said Andrew Mahone. Successful player AND community cultivator, no contest. Thanks for this and all the other wonderful content you bring to the Pokémon Community Mr. Gym!
@@pkmnmasterryans Mahone is OUR goat
I know the kyle pooka at the end was a bit of a joke, but pooka is genuinely one of the most influential pokemon players of all time. His influence can still be seen in the way the game is viewed to this day and thank god he works for tpci
I was really happy Gino said pooka for this reason
kyle pooka is who me and my father started watching during black and white he helped me build like 5 of the first decks i built
I think this is a similar conversation to the Pokemon VGC. Ray Rizzo (3x world champ) vs Wolfe Glick (most decorated player in the modern era)
Wolfe has a world championship tho unlike Tord
Agreed. I think Ray is the VGC GOAT tbh. I love Wolfe, but Ray just was so dominant at the time. I think if Wolfe won worlds again he'd take that title though.
There's one critisism that Andrew makes about Tord's wins, regarding that they dont consider the huge amount of asian players that dont play in ICs, that I feel you could do for Jason's worlds wins as well, because back then organized play was not as good as now, so there was less countries competing in worlds unlike today.
Both accomplishmets are huge deals and takes a lot of talent and work but I just wanted to say that you can apply that critisism to both sides.
To me, the funniest pair of people that you could ask who is the greatest PTCG player ever are Tord and Jason's equivalents (sort of): Wolfe Glick and Ray Rizzo. Maybe one day we can get their takes on this.
that alexander holtz guy is pretty handsome, he looks like he has a playset of hgss rare candies
NHL player Alexander holtz?
This video was so entertaining, more historic videos like these mate 😄👌
One of the best Pokémon TCG videos I’ve watched! Please, continue making videos like this. 👏🏻
Exceptional video, Andrew! Well put together and interview/documentary style was nice. I can't say much since I haven't gotten to see Jason play as much as I've seen Tord, but with 3 worlds titles, regardless of size, is undoubtedly a feat we won't see for a while or won't ever see again.However, Tord winning 5 different ICs from around the world with 1000+ players could be considered just as exceptional as Jason's in a different way. What we need to do is take the 2 different eras and have a conquest charity match. Would be kind of cool.
This was so incredible to watch!! Interviewing many well known and talented players was so incredible to see! Can’t wait for more content like this in the future!!
I think from azul's perspective, he'd need a world's win to consider himself having won similar amounts to tord's 5 IC wins
So then a worlds is worth 3 IC wins?
@@TrickyGym lol this reply proves how passionate you are about this
@@TrickyGymI’m here just thinking Azul is being humble; having to accomplish something so amazing ( e.g., literally achieving the title of world’s best) before thinking of yourself as, “yes I’m one of the best.”
@@js_a92 exactly. and i think in that moment of humility he subconsciously let on that the worlds title means everything
@@TrickyGymFrom a prize payout perspective, 1 Worlds = 2 ICs. But the prize cards and the exposure you get as a player definitely pushes it close to three ICs.
Man Andrew I have legitimately waited years for you to make this style of content, you are literally tailor made for it, awesome. Really hope to see more my dude.
The access to information/decklists is readily available raising The overall skill/power level in a vaster pool of players. This is the difference between Tord and jasons Era of competing. I started playing in 2007 and there was almost zero sharing of decklists and tournament results/lists
Oh also, the video starting with JWittz commentating is nostalgic for me. I didn't play during that era, but he was the first Poketuber I started watching regularly. Great video!
I really like Jon Eng's point about Tord creating broken decks. He pioneered a few different variants of Lost Box (which is a really hard deck to play), made the top Zard build that everyone copied, etc. I have recency bias because I didn't play when Jason played. So I'll just say once Tord wins his 1 or more World championships before he retires, he'll be the GOAT.
Zoroark gardy is one of the most creative decks of all time. Probably my favorite deck creation I've seen
Gino at the end 😂😂 The production value in this video is crazy
I don't think it's even that close. Jason has accomplished far more than those prestigious titles.
He's not only a grandmaster vituoso player but also huge contributor to community, historian and ambassador of the hobby at the same time; his blog alone is hands down the best site dedicated to WotC era of competitive play.
That was a really good video Andrew. Like you said it's interesting to see how different people from different eras perceive this answer. I'm a new era player and Tord is amazing but as he himself said until he wins a worlds a ton of regionals and ICs as well as his consistency isn't the same as 3 worlds. I wish I could have seen more of Jason's play but Tord is still amazing. Roll on Worlds 2023.
Wish there was some way we could see them play against each other in each years TCG format. They both pick their favorite/best decks and then play each other for every year or something. That would be incredible
i learnt history of Pokemon TCG right here. thanks for making this video and keep making more for the love of this game.
This had a lot of footage that I had never seen before, and is a very concise and unbiased video. I was very impressed with the quality of this video instead of cranking out multiple videos with no credible evidence nor explanation of their thoughts. Superb video and great quality content overall. Always impressed. Thank you Andrew.
This is a masterclass in phenomenal PTCG content! Thanks for working so diligently to put this together. Stoked to see what you put out in the future!
Also, as a 30-something, I’m team Jason. Dude is a legend!
We really need a PTCG documentary
There’s a channel called Retro Ruby that has released a couple of episodes on the history of the TCG. Check them out. Very interesting.
I’ve been in this game since Majestic Dawn and it’s so cool to just remember the names I’ve seen through out the years. Including players in my locals/general areas I’d travel to for Battle Roads, Cities, States, etc.
As far as competitive goes, Jason K, Pooka, Tord, and so many more come to mind.
Being in this game for so long has allowed me to just watch the competitive scene change and adapt. New faces, new ideas, etc. Also being able to say I’ve faced some names that have placed well at large events is really cool to look back and think about
This is such a cool concept to look at and a video I can really appreciate.
Mahone is the GOAT for producing this piece.
Also seeing both Diego and Andrew looking good on camera makes me think we need more hat wearing in the PTCG scene.
Being serious though, the argument about western circuit bias, World's importance and the fact Jason has left a mark over the decades, formats and eras of the game are what really make him the GOAT.
I do hope to see the game continue to develop, and more players like Tord to surpass those achievements.
PS: Gino's hat too!
12:00 from my pov, it’s easier to win a tournament in a more skill format if you are the best player in the room, since your skill have to compensate less luck. If there is more space for the skill, and you have more skill, then you will win more often
It's crazy seeing so many content creators and channel guests in person and together in a video. So cool
Jason is like Jordan
Tord is like LeBron
Woah
My immediate thought when he was doing the interviews. Let Tord win a World’s, then I’d say it’s 51-49 in Jason’s favor. But if Tord wins two, there is no longer a debate.
I thought Tord would be Kobe
It’s a solo event so tennis is more apt
Jason = Federer
Tord = Djokovic
You do realize that more and more people are starting to put LBJ outside the top 10, as they should. He has too many weaknesses to be put in the top 10. So that's an insult to Tord.
This was a really great watch! Kudos to you Mahone for all of the effort you put into making this. For me Jason is the GOAT, but honestly Tord could take that title in just a couple years. Time will tell.
Jason is my GOAT, but there's no denying that winning in the modern era is MUCH more difficult than during Jason's reign. Not because the top players are necessarily any better, but just the sheer amount of people playing competitively. Back in the day I could hop out of bed and reasonably expect to top cut a regionals just because I'd only expect to face a handful of skilled players playing the BDIF out of 100 or so people. But in todays tournaments with 1000+ people there's no way you're winning unless you're REALLY good or a little bit lucky.
Love this style of content, it suits you! Hope to see more
This was a great video. Loved the documentary style and it gave some good insight into the rivalry between Tord and Jason for someone like me who doesn't keep up with the competitive scene. Keep up the great work!
Azul gets points for being one of the most consistent players in the current era, that man is always hitting top 8s. I respect the grind
Feel similarly about Jason K as Tord does. He was an inspiration to me as a player getting into the game. Would always find a way to win even if it was not straightforward or easy grasped. I have a mew prime signed by him and use it as my vstar marker for inspiration.
Wild Geno spot at the end. 🤯🤯🤯
One big point to consider is that the tcg was considerably smaller in Jason's reign, while now in Tord's time it has grown to more than two thousand players at every regional.
Incredible debate. Thank you for gathering so many well-informed opinions, especially the penultimate interview!
Great video! Excellent job all around-editing, flow, pacing, and narrating were all solid. More Please!
i’m glad you added the point about western bias. here in japan we have many large tournaments that are somewhat ignored by much of the player base, but winning them can be just as difficult as a regional or IC.
Exactly. I feel like too many players just ignore the Asia player base when thinking about these things. Worlds is the only tournament that measures your strength vs both player bases.
Amazing video wow. Blown away by story telling and production
Beat Jason in a regionals win and in in Texas. Felt like I won the tournament lol. Matchup was virizion genesect vs seismatoad so it was an near auto win for me but I was terrified the entire time. GOAT
Sincerily curious, I didn't grow up playing the game, but Chris Fulop hinted at how the TCG is different (8:10 - 8:35) from the early era when Jason played (and yes he played into the modern era) and how it is today for Tord. Yes, Tord could do just find playing old styles, but looking purely at the game, from a tactical and complexity standpoint (other aspects if necessary) was the early TCG game more difficult, challenging, and/or requiring of more skill, than the game today? Are there more levers to pull with styles of play or routes to go with card abilities today? Is it easier to KO an EX and take 2 prizes, over single prize only KO back then? Is the damage/hp bloat today OHKOs easier, compared to needing 2-3 hits before a KO?
Gotta disagree here @4:25 this is recency bias. Jason was historically really innovative and you can’t ignore what he did to the retro scene. If you look at a game like, say yugioh, and look at the recent growth of retro formats, there are many people to attribute that to. In pokemon tcg, no one, and i really mean no one, can say they did as much for reinventing past formats like Jason. In my mind, he is always be the goat
Fantastic Video. Hoping we can continue to create more TCG Competitive videos and be able to bring back TCGs into esports fashion. Pokemons community and game structure makes for better content than hearthstone
Only one person was right. And it was Grant Manley. 🎉
900 players back then was insane. We're looking at 2k players lately and I'm just proud and happy with the hobby space we're in atm
The people need the bonus Jason K interview
Jason takes it, if you ask tord if he'd trade some of his other wins for a single worlds win, he'd say yes in a heartbeat
Great video and storytelling. My mind has been changed 😮
It’s Jason,
Anyone that says Tord never saw Jason actually play outside that one nationals.
Game was also MUCH harder back when Jason played
Honest question: un what ways it was harder? Ti what era are you referring to? 2000-2015 is a pretty long timespan
@@cioccorita eveything until around 2015-2016 pokemon was really skill based game compaired to modern era. its hard to describe, but, you could say older pokemon was like playing chess, while modern game is like between checkers and chess. In todays game you can theoretically win with a automated decklist, like Lugia for example, while back in the day, you couldnt win with whatever, you needed so much more to even qualify.
3:46 my bro spittin facts 😂
😂
What an amazing video!!! Times are definitely have changed , but I think everyone in that video was a GOAT and I think at least half of are here because of all of you. In addition to all of the TOs out there !
Absolutely! I was grinning the whole video, watching so many stars together
Jason is the man hands down. Also gotta mention his website with all the great retro formats and deck list.
The only sport i can think of where someone could be considered "the goat" without winning its biggest championship is probably baseball. so ill just leave it at that.
I wholeheartedly agree with Grant Manley's opinion, he deserves a win.
The greatest Pokémon player of all time is Andrew "TRICKYGYM" Mahone! There's only one player who not only could top 8 a regional with Snorlax VMAX Naganadel GX, but could also almost make day 2 of NAIC with Gholdengo. Living legend.
We’ve been waiting for this one!!
So sick! Love this style!
The Gino Lombardi cameo at the end was Prefect!
I’ve been playing for a year, and before this video I would have said Tord. After watching and learning, and hearing Tord admit himself that Jason is the best, I 100% agree.
Since I was only a child in the 90s/early 00s, I would only play TCG with my own rules and just got into it a bit more in 2013-2014 but learned how to play it properly just last year. Competitively speaking I mean.
Was the original era more difficult than the current era? I reckon back in the day Pokemon had few HPs and attacks would not deal much damage (like there was no 330 damage from Zard) so it was probably much more strategic than aggressive.
As a player who started in 2017, I see both arguments but agree that one needs to catch the w at worlds to cement that GOAT title so atm it’s Jason Klaczynski
We deff need more of this Mahomie🫶🏼
The point about Jason's era having smaller events but higher quality competition lends credence to Pokemon having a hard cutoff for World's going forward. I know there was at least one fairly prominent influencer this year who demonstrated you could qualify for World's under the current format without having to make day 2 at a regional or higher. A top X cutoff should be better about weeding out the slightly above average players who just went to enough events to squeak in.
I've been watching Jason since i was a young adult. I turn 32 this month. Jason will always be considered the best, but that shouldn't take away from Tord. They are both giants amongst regulars.
The GOAT is Andrew Mahone, obviously. But seriously, this is an incredible video. I'd watch this style of video all day.
WOW WHAT AN AMAZING VIDEO MADE BY MY FAVORITE CONTENT CREATOR I SURE HOPE HE MAKES MORE VIDEOS LIKE THIS I LOVE yoU ANDREW MAHONE
Look at Andrew man, that’s my humble GOAT
Awesome video essay! This is top notch content that I hope will get support. For me, I think it’s fair to leave it as Jason is the GOAT and Tord is the best player of the modern era. WHEN Tord gets a Worlds under his belt, then I think we can start the conversation of passing the torch. But I definitely think it’d be a whole other conversation if Pooka had been playing the whole time!
Me: Shintaro, Tord, Azul
My wife: Gesundheit!
The only ptcg clip I still rewatch is Jason vs Wailord cuz that is when I still played the game.
I stopped playing 10 years ago, but played in the era before then, Jason was definitely a big name during then lol
We have this debate every now and again in our testing group. And its 50/50 split down the middle. The one thing that we can all agree on though is how more accessible the game is now compared to back then. As well as the resources available for decklists, deck testing, card prices are lower than ever. The fact that Tord comes through with inovation after inovation in an era that is STACKED with very high level players, makes me believe he is the GOAT. If he wins worlds, I dont think this even a debate anymore. Not discrediting Jason and his unmatched dominance. But the game is a completely different beast now.
Much love from South Africa! ❤
high effort videos add so much to the community - goated vid as usual
Playing Devils Advocate: Ross Cawthon has been consistent across the full history of the World Championships. He has seen success both in Jason’s era and in Tord’s era. I think that puts him ahead of both as the Greatest of ALL Time because he’s seen all the time.
Finally somebody said it thanks
Thank you for this video it was a fantastic watch!
"The Top Cut" and Pooka was one of the biggest help at the time for Competitive Pokemon players
bro getting gino the champ is legendary
unban the legend 🗣️
We need a Jason vs tord exhibition match maybe give them 6 months to prepare. Gives Jason time to get rust knocked off
So for me I started in 2016 so to me Tord is my favorite championship level player and who I get most excited to see. But there’s so many to love in this community. For players I’ve actually gotten to meet irl. It’s a toss up between Andrew and Pablo. And players I’ve only had a chat with online and was just an amazing sweet person would have to be for me personally Jimmy Pendarvis. So I think to me it’s more about who these players are as people even more so than their accomplishments
Great vid. What you frame as recency bias works both ways though. Every sportsman that ever lived has been on TV talking about how players were better in their day, it seems. But overall very fair. I'm only 90% sure it's Tord now, whereas it was 99% before. 😂
I've been around this game for a very long time and seeing how both players have played I believe Jason actually is the GOAT. Only 2 people have won 3 world titles in Pokemon Jason in TCG and Regan in VGC. 5 IC titles is impressive and I don't think anyone will ever touch that stat. In order for Tord to truly be considered the GOAT he has to win a world title but once he does its undisputed.
Pretty on brand for Azull to contradict himself 😂
Extremely well done brother. Great job
Grant Manley "Hasn't won a regional" LUL
Once I start travelling, I will be up there in the conversation. Mark my words.
Very nice job putting this together!
This was fun to watch!
This is all very cute but the Hedrick era has just begun 😎
I would love to see Jason and Tord play against each other!
Mr. Mahone, Moar of these videos please. Maybe a deep dive into different metas or indept player analysis.... idk... but moar!
I think it's gotta be me because I got top 4 at a League Cup that one time. :D
My friend who introduced me is the best player in the world aldoh i beat him whit some of my decks he brougt me into pokemon tcg there for he is the best and on the second place is you becouse i watch your vids and you give me ideas how to build my deck
This is the take. Playing ultra modern is just so vastly different than the early days and the ex era. Also the availability of information today makes everything instantly accessible. Just two different worlds.