Let me start from the real beginning. And the beginning is 1999.
I was about 6, maybe 7. My grandfather used to take me to Leitura with my older cousin, and we'd come home with boosters and ready-made Pokémon decks under our arms. I had no idea what I was holding. I didn't even know you could play with those cards. But I remember the binder with my collection (which I still have), the trades at recess, that anxiety of opening the pack with no clue what was coming.
That memory stayed tucked away for about 25 years.
The reunion (or: how I fooled myself thinking I'd just collect)
In late 2024, friends from different circles started mentioning these “little Pokémon cards.” A comment here, another there. I went to read up on it, saw how much everything had changed, and what drew me in first was the idea of collecting again. Just that, collecting. Playing wasn't in the plans.
On a trip to São Paulo, wandering around the Liberdade neighborhood, I walked into a TCG shop with zero intentions, and left with two Booster Boxes of the just-released set, Surging Sparks. The official justification was that one would be for my 6-year-old brother, the same age I was when I started, and the other would be mine, for us to open together, like back in childhood.
It worked as an excuse.
The Vault and the moment that changed everything
Soon after, I went to the Vault with two friends to make some trades. But when I got there and saw how many people were playing, the packed tables, the flow of the matches, something clicked. Still not knowing the rules, with no deck, understanding absolutely nothing of what was going on, I was completely hooked. But I knew it wasn't time yet.
I waited for the April 2025 rotation to finally build my first deck: and . The first few weeks? A punching bag for everyone, no exceptions. But that didn't discourage me. If anything, I kept testing archetype after archetype. I think I tried every possible deck, including some extremely questionable ones. I'd watch YouTube videos titled “this is the best deck in the meta” and, surprise, they never were.
In the middle of all this, I took a two-month break for a more than fair reason: I got married.
and the decision to focus
Back in the game, I watched Worlds en passant, without fully getting it. But one thing grabbed me: Gardevoir ex could turn around games that looked completely lost. That enchanted me. Right there I made a decision that changed my path: I'd focus on a single deck, start to finish, without jumping to the next shiny thing.
From August to October 2025, I played a lot on Live, went to a few weeklies, results still swinging wildly. I felt something was missing. It wasn't the deck, it wasn't dedication. It was that click, someone to show me the dirty tricks and real nuances of the game.
Then came my first Regional, right here in BH.
I won the first three rounds, to my surprise. Lost the next three and dropped. But I swear I left there motivated, not frustrated. I saw I had real potential.
The turning point
I found out about Metafy and how I could get access to pro players. I subscribed to Henry Chao's channel, the wizard of Gardy. It was exactly what I was missing. Absurd teaching, game understanding way beyond normal. I watched everything I could: lessons, streams, guides. Progress didn't come overnight, but it was consistent and real.
I went to my first Cup and made top cut for the first time (without Dyego Rathje in the running, but it's all good). Small? Maybe. But I felt I was on the right track.
A lesson with the World Championship runner-up
Before the second Regional, in Curitiba, I had the chance to take two or three private lessons with Goomy35 (Justin Newdorf). Yep, the guy who was World Championship runner-up. I still can't quite explain how someone can have that much understanding of the game, but it's impressive. He taught me a ton in very little time!
And Curitiba confirmed what I was already feeling: with less than a year of Pokémon TCG, I made Day 2 at the Regional and finished in the Top 256. I came home with the prize Booster Box and a certainty that I was truly competing.
The last dance with Gardevoir
With Gardevoir about to rotate out, there was still one last shot with the deck. And the stage couldn't have been better: the Vault Cup, the same shop where, months earlier, I'd watched my first Pokémon TCG match and fallen in love with the game.
The tournament was packed (this time with Dyego there) and it was a battle from start to finish. After some really tough matches, 2 or 3 mirrors, I made top cut and, in the end, I was the champion.
The playmat is right here, kept with a lot of care. To me it's more than a prize. It's the result of a journey that started in a bookstore in 1999 and that, somehow, came back to make complete sense 25 years later.
Today I can say I sort of know how to play. But the most important thing this journey gave me wasn't the title. It was the friendships, the community, and the joy of having a hobby that genuinely makes me feel good.
Thank you to everyone in the community. This is truly special.