My name is Gabriel, I'm from Venezuela, currently living in the US and I've been a fan from Pokémon since around 2007, when I got gifted my first Nintendo DS, with New Super Mario Bros, Pokémon Diamond and Pokémon Ranger.

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My curiosity in videogames in general started when internet was starting to grow in my country by the 2000's and my parents bought a computer for the home. I remember spending hours on it watching YouTube videos (mostly those Pokémon AMV's with Linkin Park songs), playing Flash Games, even going to those Cybercafés and learning more about what others stuff a kid would like by that time.

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While growing up I played a lot of different games in newer consoles like the Wii, 3DS, PlayStation, Xbox , etc. but I always had that specific interest in Pokémon. I played from Gen 1 to Gen 5, I didn't had that motivation (a.k.a. the growing up era) and neither had the money to continue playing in the other generations.

 

My grandpa used to collect a lot of stuff, ranging from sports cards, to action figures, vintage toys, Hot Wheels and more. Since I was a kid, I saw how his collection was growing more and more, even he had his own toy store. One of he best memories I have is the moment he gifted me a Shadowless Base Set Booster Pack, by that time I was unaware of how important it was.

   

We used to go to this Comic-Con yearly in Caracas and fulfilling my childness and his inner one. I played several tournaments there and losing (I was very naive with the stats and all that kind of stuff, I played with what I had) and he was there giving me motivation. After his passing, I knew after all that time we shared together, he taught me the real value of taking care of the things you have throughout the time, keep trying regardless of how many times you can lose or fall and do what you like, not what others like. My best friend.

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Now back to 2024, I was now living in the US and had more economic capacities. I started to see a lot of people talking about the 151 set on social media and I got impressed with the arts and the nostalgia that this set brought me back. Without hesitation, I bought some booster bundles and started opening packs after pack, pulling even some chase cards and saving them in the penny sleeves and top loaders, reviving that childhood inside of me.

 

I've been opening more sets since that my moment with my wife (she's the one that pulls the best cards). One day, after going to some conventions, she gave me the idea of opening a card store. In that moment I remember my grandpa's advice and without too much thinking, that's when GabosTCG was born.   ​