Pokémon Nuzlocker Shreds His Cards After Loss
St. Paul, MN — Local Pokémon fan Alex Griffith drew attention at his local game shop, Fully Evolved Games, when he pulled a small shredder out of his backpack and destroyed his own cards after a loss. Many found his calm, almost pleased, expression troubling as he destroyed every single card in his deck. Griffith claims he’s simply a very dedicated Pokémon Nuzlocker.
High Stakes Pokémon Games
Like many fans of the Pokémon video game franchise, Griffith prefers to play the games with fan-made Nuzlocke rules, which center around using a limited pool of Pokémon and perma-death. “When your Pokémon die forever, it really raises the stakes,” he told us. “The card game just didn’t have that element of constant stress and heartbreak I want from Pokémon.”
Griffith’s trepidations about the trading card game didn’t make him quit. Instead, he adopted the rules he loved to a new medium. “Knowing a loss will cost me every card in the decks makes even the most casual game against an 11-year-old a true challenge,” he explained. “It’s actually even more exciting than the video games, because losing is also a financial punishment. I’ve lost thousands of dollars in cards. I couldn’t be happier.”
Griffith’s Nuzlocke Rules
“Whenever I open a pack, I shuffle it, take the top card, and throw everything else directly into the trash,” Griffith informed us. “I do that until I have a legally playable deck. I usually keep a few spare packs to replace dead Pokémon in between games. Anyone can make Fezandipiti EX good. It takes a real master trainer to win with Cryoganal.”
But of course, the most important rule for Griffith is the perma-death clause. “If a Pokémon gets knocked out, that’s it for the card. It’s getting destroyed,” Griffith clarified. “Of course, when I lose the game, the entire deck has to go and I start from scratch. I haven’t made it a full week without losing my deck yet, but I think I’m making progress.”
A Confused Community
The local Pokémon community has reacted to Griffith’s play style with confusion and even concern. “I guess I can see how he came up with the idea, but it really just doesn’t work. Almost every game, he can’t get the energy he needs to use his cards and loses without doing anything,” one player told us. “To his credit, Alex never gets mad about it. He actually seems to like getting his teeth kicked in?”
“He spends an alarming amount of money on cards,” Full Evolved Games cashier Amy Larson told us. “At this point, I feel bad selling him packs. I tried to convince him to start using proxies, but he says the financial loss just motivates him to become a better player. It hasn’t.”
“Some people get upset when I destroy my cards,” Griffith shared. “Especially the kids. Sometimes they ask me if they can just have the cards instead. But that’s really just not good enough; I need to know the card is gone forever, or it just isn’t the same. Besides, why would they even want my Mew? He’s dead.”
The Pokémon Company’s Response
We reached out to The Pokémon Company, and they quickly endorsed Griffith’s playstyle. “We approve of this exciting, creative, new play style. We love to see our fans finding new ways to give us more of their money. It’s fan innovation like this that has made Pokémon the biggest cash cow in recorded history.”
Nintendo, which publishes the video game series and holds a large stake in The Pokémon Company, also issued a statement. “Here at Nintendo, we appreciate dedicated fans like Alex. However, we will consult our lawyers to determine if his actions constitute a legal matter. We’d hate to let a perfectly good lawsuit against such an amazing fan pass us by.”
Despite the concerns of others and vague legal threats from a major corporation, Griffith has remained determined to keep playing with Nuzlocke rules. He was recently seen creating a new Super Hardcore Nuzlocke that involves playing on an original Game Boy and setting it on fire if he loses.
