Winnipeg Pokémon prodigy, 12, set to take card-playing prowess to world championships
Era Roulette, 12, is a world-class player of the Pokémon trading card game, frequently beating players twice her age in local competitions. Her success at Winnipeg game nights led to competing across Canada and the U.S., and has helped her punch her ticket to the Pokémon World Championships in Anaheim, Calif.
It's a huge step for Era, who learned the game only five years ago, and a chance to compete on the biggest stage there is for Pokémon players.
Her father Cody Roulette told Global Winnipeg he initially introduced her to Pokémon cards at a very young age to help her learn some educational basics.
'I would use Pokémon cards as a way, when she was a toddler, to introduce her to numbers, to introduce her to reading, writing,' he said.
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'And just growing up, she was kind of surrounded by that.'
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Roulette said he bought Era her first competitive set of cards at a local comic shop when she was around seven or eight years old, which began the journey that is taking the family to California in mid-August.
'When you have something that starts off as an excuse to bond with your kid and she ends up being one of the best at this hobby, how can you not feel something about that?'
Era said the local Pokémon community has been incredibly supportive since the news broke that she qualified for the big championship, and that she appreciates the support of her fellow local Pokémon enthusiasts.
'It's a friendship … how people are willing to support, even if they don't know who you are, but they're interested,' she said.
'It's just really nice. It's kind. It's, in my opinion, more like you're friends with them.'
Despite that friendliness, she didn't get to such a high level without shocking a few adult players with her Pokémon prowess.
Mark Larson of Manitoba TCG, a local game store, told Global Winnipeg he started hearing Era's name around the community.
'I'd ask, 'How good is Era?' I'd ask some of the adults, and they'd say, 'She kicks my butt at the game'… so yeah, she's pretty good.'
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The championship, which runs from Aug. 15 to 17, gives competitors a chance to win prizes and cash — from a combined prize pool of more than $2 million — as well as bragging rights as the best in the game.
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