Ryan is the visionary founder of Elite4 Games, a premier destination for all things Pokémon Trading Card Game (TCG). With a vast depth of knowledge and competitive experience, Ryan has achieved multiple regional championship titles and qualified for the Pokémon TCG World Championships three years in a row—a testament to his skill, dedication, and strategic prowess.
At Elite4 Games, Ryan channels his passion for the game into building a community where players and collectors of all levels can thrive. From expert deck-building strategies to in-depth analysis of game mechanics, Ryan’s insights inspire and empower TCG enthusiasts.
When he’s not competing or sharing his expertise, Ryan enjoys helping players unlock their potential and discover the joy of Pokémon TCG. Read his other articles for championship-winning strategies, tips for collectors, and updates on the latest Pokémon TCG trends.
Posted by
Ryan |
On 18.09.2024 |
Updated on 13.11.2024 |
I believe the new player experience is crucial to growing the local community.
At Elite4 Games, our local Pokemon League is a place where everyone can come hang out and play the Pokemon TCG in a more casual manner. I’ve talked about how great it is to play in person in my previous post here and I want to add on to that. I believe that the best way to learn the Pokemon TCG is by playing properly competitive decks right from the get-go! So I like to build decks that anyone can play at our League for FREE regardless of skill level. And while you’re here, I’m always happy to teach, backsea..
Posted by
Ryan |
On 18.09.2024 |
Updated on 20.09.2024 |
The Pokemon Trading Card Game is my favorite game of all time.
I run Elite4 Games and the local Pokemon League here in Langford, BC. We have League Challenges every month and a League Cup every quarter – more competitive events where you can earn Championship Points for the Pokemon World Champsionship – but more importantly for me, I host our casual Pokemon League where everyone can come hang out and play the Pokemon TCG in a more casual manner. If you’ve never played the physical TCG before, you are sorely missing out. And I mean that from the bottom of my heart. I want every collector, di..
Posted by
Ryan |
On 19.03.2024 |
Updated on 19.03.2024 |
If you’ve joined our official Discord server (click here to join), you’d probably know that there’s A LOT of hype for Pokemon’s new TCG Set: Temporal Forces.
Not only does the new set bring a ton of new Illustration Cards, but it also re-introduces an old mechanic in Ace Specs - powerful cards that you can only play 1 of in your deck. And the cool thing for collectors, they’re a brand new rarity slot in the pack! They don’t even take away from your chances of pulling an Illustration or Full Art card. This sets marks the beginning of the “H” block, so all of these cards will be legal for to..
Posted by
Ryan |
On 23.09.2023 |
Updated on 19.03.2024 |
The Pokémon Trading Card Game is one of the most popular trading card games in the world. It has a mix of “easy to learn” rules and actions while also having the depth for a full on competitive circuit. After a year of competing in local events, League Challenges, Regionals & International Championships, the best players in the world meet up for the Pokémon World Championship every summer. But before you get there, you have to start somewhere!
This isn’t a “How to Play” article. Instead, I’ll talk about how to get started, what products you should look for and where you can play the g..
Posted by
Ryan |
On 09.02.2023 |
Updated on 19.03.2024 |
An In-Depth Look at Card Grading
If you’re new to card grading or collecting in general, you may have some questions about the overall grading process. Stick with me while I explain in detail the whole process from deciding to grade a card to getting your now-graded card returned to you!
The first questions asked are “What is card grading?” and “What is my card worth?” Lucky for us, I’ve already written a couple articles about those exact topics! I recommend taking the 5 or so minutes to read both of the previous articles. I’ll leave links to them below this section to keep it simple. Be..
Posted by
Ryan |
On 28.09.2021 |
Updated on 28.09.2021 |
I’m a bit of a Trading Card “Nerd”.
I can’t help it, it’s a passion of mine. I love collecting, I love playing and I love introducing people to trading cards. Specifically Pokémon. When I first started collecting Pokémon cards back in… 1999, you had 2 options for storing your cards. In a shoebox or in a binder. And I’m not talking about those newer UltraPro binders with the matte covers and side-loader sleeves.
I’m talking about those 3 ring binders with those loose 9-pocket sleeves to hold the cards. Those old binders and pages are notorious for scratching up your cards. If you ex..
Posted by
Ryan |
On 13.04.2021 |
Updated on 13.04.2021 |
Earlier this year, we opened up our store to accept pre-orders for the new Pokemon Battle Styles set.
I had anticipated a few orders before the March 19th release date rolled around, but we received over 20 individual pre-orders before that date even came around!
That may not sound like a lot to you, but to a new and growing company such as ourselves, that was a lot more than we expected. Almost every day in March we would have a new order for the new set. It was pretty cool!
But then there was the matter of the stock… We ended up selling out of all of our supply before March 12th (o..
Posted by
Ryan |
On 26.01.2021 |
Updated on 27.01.2021 |
So you found your old stash of Pokémon cards and think you’ve got a treasure? Or perhaps you just pulled that shiny Secret Rare from a pack of cards. The next question on your mind is “How much is this card worth?”
Well that depends on what condition your card is in. We’ve already talked about preserving a card’s value by getting it professionally graded. But how do you know if your card is worth grading?
The first thing you need to know is how valuable your card is un-graded. The two largest North American vendors for un-graded trading cards are TCGPlayer and TrollandToad. Alternatively..
Posted by
Ryan |
On 11.12.2020 |
Updated on 09.02.2023 |
Getting your cards graded is the best way to preserve their value!
If you grew up in the late 90’s & early 2000’s you probably remember your parents talking about “Cabbage Patch Kids” or “Beanie Babies” and how they became such popular and sought after collector’s items. My mom always told me to keep good care of my Pokémon cards because she (like many other parents) believed that they would be worth something someday...
And she was right! Earlier this year, a 1st Edition Holographic Charizard card sold for over $200,000! That’s because not only is this an incredibly rare card, it’s als..
Posted by
Ryan |
On 21.10.2020 |
Updated on 13.10.2022 |
Chances are... you don’t recognize many of the board games we feature.
A lot of people associate games like Monopoly® and Risk® when they think of board games. When we were coming up with Elite4 Games, our goal was to find quality unique games. Through our research, we found games that offer fun and unique takes on tapletop games. For example, “Unlock!” is a really cool one. It’s a cooperative puzzle that uses a free app to assist you in tackling 3 unique scenarios.
Perhaps you’re looking for a game to play at a big family gathering or with your buddies on your college campus. May I intr..
Posted by
Ryan |
On 27.09.2020 |
Updated on 09.10.2020 |
Buying loose packs is often riskier than buying full booster boxes
Every time you buy a single pack of cards, you are essentially gambling. Each pack of cards has a chance of containing a super rare card, but it’s far more likely that the pack doesn’t contain such a card. A “booster box” is a factory sealed package of booster packs. These full booster boxes have a guaranteed ratio of Holo and Rare cards. This means that when you buy a full booster box, you are guaranteed to get a set amount of high-rarity cards with a chance to get even more! On top of that, it’s cheaper to purchase a seale..
