Are You Ready To Battle?!

Thank you Pokemon for sending us this game to review.

Are you ready to battle?!  That is what Carter has been asking us everyday over the last week since his new Pokemon Trading Card Game Battle Academy arrived.  It is the first ever board game adaption of the Pokemon TCG, one of the most beloved and best selling trading card games in the world.  The game does not come out until Friday, July 31st, but we were sent an early sample and I want to share with you why we love to play this game as a family and how Carter has turned us all into Pokemon fans!

For me and Blake, who do not know much about Pokemon except for whatever Carter shares with us, we found this game to be family friendly and easy to learn.  It provides everything a "trainer" needs to master the basics of the Pokemon TCG.  It has provided family entertainment, combining strategic Pokemon TCG gameplay with classic easy to learn fun!  The game was designed to be easy to learn and fun to play for all types of trainers, including children and parents who may be new to the Pokemon TCG and this game is exactly that.

Each Battle Academy box comes with a two-player game board, three 60-card decks, tutorial guides, and game play accessories. It also comes with a code card that allows trainers to enjoy the Pokémon TCG digitally through the free-to-play Pokémon Trading Card Game Online app on iOS and Android, as well as on Pokemon.com.  I love the tutorial guides that come with the game.  It made it easier for me and Blake to understand how to play the game and learn about different Pokemons while playing.  I also love the damage counters because it also helps Carter and Kennedy count, add and subtract points for the game.

Carter loves collecting the beautifully illustrated Pokemon cards (we have binders full of cards).   With this new game you can even use your own cards that you have collected or traded to play the game.  The Pokemon TCG features a vast assortment of product offerings with something for every trainer, from casual collector to avid competitor.  The possibilities are endless while playing this game. 

Over the past week I feel like we have been able to bond with Carter and Kennedy even more through this game.  I think Pokemon brings people together and when you sit and play and do something with your kids that they really enjoy, they get so excited.  Lately our conversations have included things like, "if you could be any Pokemon which one would you be" or "if you could catch any Pokemon which one would you want for your starter?"  Carter is definitely the biggest fan in our house, but he has turned his sister into a fan too.  She loves watching the shows and movies with him.  She will dress up as Pikachu and Carter will dress up as a trainer.  These two have so much fun together and I am happy to see the two of them bond over Pokemon and enjoy playing together.  Pokemon is really for all ages and everyone. Carter is 8 and Kennedy is 6.

Launching around the world on July 31st, Battle Academy will be available widely at participating mass and hobby retailers, as well as online retailers including PokemonCenter.com, the premier destination for official, high-quality Pokémon merchandise in the US.  You can find it at Target today, click here.

I would like to add that not only did Pokemon send us this game before it even hits store shelves, but this past week we got to have a Zoom meeting with Daniel and Paul who work for Pokemon and Paul was one of the creators of the game.  Carter was so excited to meet with them, talk about Pokemon, the game and so much more.  It was such an honor to have a one on one Zoom meeting with creators and people who work on Pokemon, something that Carter loves so much.  He just kept saying after our meeting that they have the best job in the world! Thank you again Pokemon for everything.

Pin This Image

The holidays are approaching here is my Pokemon gift guide from last Christmas.  We also love the movie Pokemon Detective Pikachu and you can read our review of the movie here.