Moate resident's top two finish in Spanish card tournament

Local man Michael Hunter is one step closer to his dream of a winning a major Pokémon card tournament after making the top two of a recent competition that attracted over 500 players from around the globe in Barcelona.

The Moate resident (23) credits the card game, which arose from the hugely popular Japanese video game and TV franchise, as having a positive impact on his life by helping him to interact with others, make friends all over the world and giving him travel opportunities he would never have had otherwise.

At the relatively late age of 15, Michael was diagnosed with ASD - Autism Spectrum Disorder – something he said helped to answer the questions why he found school tough, and wasn't interacting with people his own age, and instead, mixing with people older and younger.

Always a fan of card games, he remembers playing Lives, Gin Rummy and Sequence with his grandparents for many years and he loved the fun and competitive element. Having enjoyed the Pokémon show and cards when he was young, he wondered if they was any competitive scene. He later discovered Gamer's World on Jervis Street and his mother Fidelma Doran would bring him in his teens on Tuesdays for the local meetup day and to learn more about the Pokémon card game.

It took a while but he eventually started to interact with the entire gang rather than just whoever he was paired against. Later he heard of another store, The Warchest, where card players meet on Fridays.

“It definitely has helped me (interact) because it has forced me out of my comfort zone. I want to do something I enjoy and it has forced me to interact socially,” Michael said of the importance of the card game and the Pokémon community to his life.

Over the last five to six years, Michael, who was born in New York, has been travelling abroad to compete internationally, something he really enjoys. “It's brilliant, the fact there are a lot of people from different countries, different cultures is really nice.”

Prior to coming second at the regional event in Barcelona, his biggest success was coming 10th out of 230 competitors in another competition in Milan.

“Barcelona was a huge one. I was in the scenario where I won the last round and there was a chance that I could make it into the top eight and then it was like I've been in this scenario before, then I looked and I was the last seed going into the top eight bracket.”

He then made the top and four and was delighted to make the final two. “That was huge,” he enthused, and while he was not successful on this occasion, he is hugely proud. “Getting to the final was a huge confidence boost for me,” he added.

While he admitted there can be stress with the game because he is so competitive, on the other hand, it's a real switch-off, to relax, have fun and meet friends. He also finds it brilliant for memory and sequencing.

“For anyone who likes playing different card games or board games and if you're a competitive person, it's great fun to get into,” the Moate resident urged, saying he wants the public to recognise that card games are a thing.

“It (the card game) has turned some negative aspects of my life into positives,” he remarked on what it means to him. “You get to meet so many people. I've got to meet people from different age groups, ethnicities, some who like myself who do computer science, people who are journalists, all kinds of people. It's definitely not something I thought I'd ever do, but it's helped me a lot.”

With three out of his four years in computer science in TU Dublin complete, Michael deferred his final year to start a two-year apprenticeship with Presidio in cyber security, his first year is almost complete. He believes there will be opportunities in that area in the future.

Next up for Michael is a tournament in Lille and then Toronto, where up to 1,600 people are already registered, and if that goes well (there is €10,000 prizemoney on offer), another in Latin America in November.

The former Moate CS student paid tribute to his team mates from the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland have motivated him to go and do all of this, specifically Rory Licken for making the league in his eyes a second home and a family and his coach Ian Robb. His family, mother Fidelma, grandparents Johnny and Ann Doran and extended family have also been a huge support to him in everything he has done.

His big dream is to win an event outright, go well at the Europeans and the World Championships, and compete in, and see Australia.