Gym battles, merchandise and more: First look at Singapore's Pokemon card game gym in *Scape

It may be a gym, but you're more likely to find trainers trading cards than lifting weights here.

Singapore's first Pokemon trading card game (TCG) Gym Deluxe store opened at *Scape on Sunday (Jan 18) with a ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by representatives from The Pokemon Company.

Situated on the third floor of *Scape, the store features an array of Pokemon merchandise, including trading cards, bedsheets, clothing, figurines, and stuffed toys.

If you're looking for collectible items or simply buying a gift for someone who likes Pokemon, this shop is likely to have what you need.

For those who are more familiar with the arcade-like Pokemon game machines in malls around Singapore, Pokemon Mezastar game machines are also available in the shop.

Other activities include Pokemon Gym Battles, Pokemon Great Ball League, Pokemon Ultra Ball League and beginner workshops for those interested in the competitive aspect of Pokemon TCG.

And if you're looking to buy some rare trading cards, go take a look at what the store has to offer with their display walls of rare singles.

The store itself is brightly-lit — no doubt better for reading the small print on your TCG cards — and stands at around 3,300 sqft, which is space enough for up to 64 players per tournament.

These tournaments will be held five times a month, according to store owner Rowell TCG.

"We hope to bring the vibrancy and scale of the Pokemon TCG experience to this new addition at *Scape, creating a dedicated environment where players and fans can come together to share the joy of the game," said Chong Sze Wen, Founder of Rowell TCG.

*Scape deputy executive director Ethen Ong also stated that the shop "reflects shared alignment" with *Scape's commitment to being a space for youth to find community, connect with each other, and participate in activities with shared interests.

Over 150 queuing outside store

There were over 150 people queuing outside the store ahead of its opening on Sunday.

Bohan, 12, and Shawn, 14, had been waiting since 7am, but they got the location of the queue wrong and had to get back in line.

When asked what they were looking forward to, they told AsiaOne they weren't sure, but they were looking for cards.

"We have nothing better to do today, so..." Bohan quipped.

He shared that his favourite Pokemon is Greninja and that he hoped to collect a master set of the Pokemon — every card variation from a specific set — in future.

Shawn also commented on the location of the shop: "Orchard is quite convenient... next time I come to Orchard, I can drop by and see what they have, maybe play some games."

Speaking with AsiaOne, Eugene, 37, shared that he brought his six-year-old son along with him because the latter is a fan of Pokemon Mezastar. 

They had been in the queue since 10.30am, and were looking forward to the shop opening to the public.

While his son was excited to play Pokemon Mezastar, Eugene himself is a collector of Pokemon cards and hopes to be able to play with his son once he's older, he said.

Eugene also felt that the central location makes it very convenient for him, because most shops are quite out of the way.

"[I'm excited] to see and maybe buy some stuff, but it might be hard because there'll definitely be people who buy and then resell them online," he said, adding that he is more interested in playing the game for fun.

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khooyihang@asiaone.com