Not only because it wouldn’t work in their game mechanics, but they also simply don’t have enough recognize-able characters/mascots.

All of this familiarity helps retain old and new fans, while also introducing them to newer Pokemon and strategies. You can get new editions of fan favorites like Snorlax, Charizard, Rayquaza and beyond. Evolving skies features Evie and its evolutions quite prominently. Take the latest set of cards to be released. And they do a good job of simply recycling those creatures regularly. So why does any of this matter in regards to the TCG? Well, Pokemon has the advantage of incredibly recognize-able creatures at its disposal.

Yu-Gi-Oh Only Has a Few Bankable Creatures At the current moment, thanks to the Pokemon craze going on, Pokemon takes top billing over Yu-Gi-Oh, even beating out Magic: the Gathering as the best selling TCG overall. When it comes to overall card sales, the two appear to be largely neck in neck, with one gaining more popularity at any given time than the other. Now whereas only a portion of this Pokemon fortune comes from the trading card game, Yu-Gi-Oh largely relies on what they make from their game – their entire show, in fact, is based around it. But it sits considerably further down the list at around 19 billion vs Pokemon’s 92 billion. That’s more than Star Wars, Mickey Mouse, or Mario, making Pikachu probably the single most recognize-able character in the world. Pokemon is the highest grossing entertainment franchise of all time. But people around the world know who Pikachu is, as well as the incredibly famous/legendary Charizard. Sure, plenty of us grew up knowing what a Blue Eyes White Dragon was, or a Dark Magician. Here are some pros and cons that will help us decide which TCG is supreme – Yu-Gi-Oh or Pokemon! Pokemon Benefits from More Recognizable Characters The concept is easy to grasp, but you have to delve into your rulebook to get a sense of how the mechanics work. Pokemon, on the other hand, mimics a Pokemon battle. Of course, both games have Magic to thank for their existence, but as Magic is the granddaddy of all TCGs today, it is in a league of its own.įor those of us who watched (or still watch) the shows, Yu-Gi-Oh might at first seem a little more straightforward given the show literally shows you how to play the game. The two TCGs that we grew up with were Yu-Gi-Oh and Pokemon.

There’s also Magic the Gathering, but that’s a different story for a different time. Young adults today grew up with two major trading card games.

Adult trading card game