For those that remember, Pokemon cards used to be everything when a few of us were a child. The joy and rush of collecting them all and then using them to battle your friends. Now, you can take that same battle online to challenge anyone around the world with a web browser and attempt, once again, to be the very best.

Today, the open beta has launched for the Pokémon Trading Card Game Online, the new outlet for Pokemon fans to partake in card-based duels after signing up for an account and choosing their deck.

Launching alongside the physical release of the new Pokémon TCG: Black & White Emerging Powers theme decks and booster packs, you can also pick up the real cards to obtain the pack-in codes that you can use to unlock additional special cards in this online game version.

Fans of Pokémon TCG now have the freedom to battle against one another regardless of location, and that’s exciting for the entire Pokémon community.

Everything Pokémon TCG players love about the game is replicated in a rich, customizable online environment and our hope is that Pokémon TCG Online makes the game even more accessible to anyone who wants to play.

Check it out online here.

I never actually collected the cards to battle too often, but seeing how it’s presented on the site and also how easy it is to get into - it’s pretty cool.