Since the turn of the 21st century, the Pokémon franchise has been arguably the most successful franchise in history. No other media franchise comes even close to matching the financial value and popularity like Pokémon. The Japanese video game giant has become a force to be reckoned with, in not only the video game world but entertainment in general. Since it’s faithful launch with the Red and Green installments back in 1996 in Japan, and followed by its 1998 release with Red and Blue in America, Pokémon has waltzed into literally every spec of the corner when it comes to entertainment. Beloved by both children and adults, Pokémon is so popular that you can literally find it anywhere. The TCG is no exception. In fact, I’d argue that the Pokémon Trading Card game is possibly the most popular collectible in the world as well as the most demanded and most profitable in the world of trading cards… Yes, even rivaling other industries like sports cards… This amazing event here… It is a prime example.

Here in Ocala, Florida, an amazing event happened today at the Hilton Hotel. That event was called, OG Con. An event dedicated to all things Pokémon. Specifically revolving around the Pokémon TCG. Of course, there were some other goodies available as well. In which you will see when you read this article. Today, I am here to review an amazing event that I enjoyed so much, and was amazed to see what was in store. The cards, merchandise, passion, fun stuff, vendors, and many other great and amazing things that happened at OG Con. This was an event that was truly needed for a city like Ocala.

OG Con was an event that was held on August 30, 2025. Hosted at the Hilton Hotel. I’m not sure if I’m correct here, but I believe this event was one of the first events to happen in a city like Ocala. OG Con is purely dedicated to the Pokémon TCG game. Of course, there were also available merchandise too like plushes, carpets, baseball caps, backpacks, etc. Many passionate and dedicated vendors attended here in OG Con to demonstrate and show off their amazing available cards for purchase or trade. Both new and old. Value was a major player in this event, and to an extent, that some of them were even rare and hard to find online. The amount of cards that I have had on my to buy list for years were found here at OG Con. The only challenge is, get ready to save up the bucks because those cards AIN’T cheap at all. This event also had other fun and amazing things available. Here’s what happened!

One of the notable things about OG Con was amazingly how packed it was. There were TONS of Pokémon TCG collectors who waited in line to buy Pokémon cards. The amazing part is, some of them were brilliant minds that bought many Pokémon cards akin to their desires. In fact, it was so packed, that sometimes it got pretty hard for me to be able to see what the vendors had in store for their Pokémon cards for sale. Eventually, I got the chance to see some Pokémon cards, and saw some favorites of mine that I have wanted for quite some time now. As time went on, demand got stronger, lines got more packed, and too many people were there. It was such an amazing feeling, and it was truly a joy seeing so many other passionate fans in here. The vendors were also kind, and many of them advertised their brand to me through social media. Now, I follow them, and I am utterly grateful and appreciate for advertising their brand to me. Sadly, an issue that I had to face was, due to the rarity and important value of some Pokémon cards, it was virtually impossible for me to buy them. That included a Japanese Umbreon Neo Discovery from 2001. Costing me a whopping 500 bucks in total… Way beyond my reach… Of course, there was no despair as a bright spot did happen.

Prior to entering OG Con’s vendor room, I encountered a wild Gengar! Haha, get it? I encountered this very big Gengar that looked SO adorable that I had to take a picture of it twice and record it as well. As you all know, Gengar is one of my favorite Pokémon of all time. Second favorite of all time, second only to Umbreon. Gengar is cool, funny, adorable, and excellent in battle. Has a mega evolution, and a Dynamax form. I also own a mega Gengar plush, which I have showed many times. Seeing a giant Gengar was just amazing stuff…

While checking out the room and seeing all of these amazing vendors and their Pokémon cards, I’ve stumbled across other merchandise that won me over.

Here are some amazing Otto Trucker Pokémon caps that I found and bought. These caps were so well-designed, and I loved how they looked like. Not only that, but they were WELL placed. I truly enjoyed them. One included an Ash Ketchum cap that’s considered iconic, and also a black cap with the signature Pikachu tail colors that all of us Pokémon fans know.

There were also some other amazing available merchandise to buy. I was amazed to see some awesome Pokémon merchandise that I haven’t seen before.

There was also an awesome sign of wanted posters everywhere. I could tell it was directly related to detective Pikachu, and it looked awesome!

So, remember the Gengar before? Well, as I stated before, I loved that giant Gengar so much that I had to record a video of it once again. This time, it’s me yapping on about how awesome Gengar is and how cute it looked.

Now, even though I was having a LOT of fun… There was however… A grave and major mistake I made… I didn’t bring cash with me. I just had my debit card to use. Not all vendors accept debit card, which is completely understandable. So please don’t make the same mistake I did, and miss out on buying all the awesome stuff OG Con has to offer for the Pokémon TCG fans, from these amazing vendors. Also, don’t make the same mistake I did when it came to the pricing of Pokémon cards. Another issue that I mistakenly did was underestimating the sheer expensiveness of some wanted Pokémon cards in my list. Especially the Neo Discovery Umbreon in Japanese. Of course, there were other Pokémon cards as well as box sets that were FAR beyond more expensive than I thought… It actually left me in REAL shock to see how some Pokémon cards are expensive. Now, at the same time, this doesn’t surprise me at all since Pokémon cards are truly worthy of value. The industry is rich and diverse, filled with amazing Pokémon cards based on Pokémon with different variations that many including myself desire to get our hands on. As you can see through the next video, it was PACKED. It was filled with many passionate individuals.

Now, the question that you will probably ask, did you leave OG Con completely empty-handed…? Come on Kurai…? You must have bought something at least, right? Well…

Yes, I absolutely did!!! In fact, I indeed bought some merchandise from OG Con. I would like to give my thanks and credit to fullcirclecollaborations! I appreciate their kind services, as well as what they had in store, and the kindness of allowing me to purchase a Neo Discovery Tyranitar for free. The humbleness and gratitude from them will always be in my heart. I was also gifted a Hydreigon card by my sister-in-law, and I am utterly grateful for her gift. I also purchased two awesome looking Pokémon baseball caps. The one being based off Ash Ketchum’s iconic cap from his original series, and a black one with the iconic yellow Pikachu tail. These are awesome!

There was also a VERY cute scene that I saw while waiting outside. An adorable Pikachu walking free. That was SO adorable, and it makes me glad to know that I was able to capture that moment! OG Con was truly a magical experience for me…

Overall, you don’t know how much happiness I feel knowing that I was able to attend OG Con. What makes it even more amazing was how it was an admission free event, and for an event like that, they sure had a LOT of awesome stuff to offer. OG Con was a con that perfected the excitement and value of what it means to host an event that involves the Pokémon TCG. I had so much fun checking out the Pokémon cards available, positive vendor experience, merch galore, and very kind staff that were polite and helpful. Not to mention the fact on how packed OG Con was. Also, I really enjoyed seeing the other stuff at OG Con like the adorable giant Gengar and the walking Pikachu. My only sadness was, I was not able to buy a lot due to not having any cash with me. I least I bought some goodies to add to my collection. So in the end, good stuff happened. To make it even better, I made new memories and will always remember this event for the year 2025. I sincerely hope something like OG Con happens again, for I would LOVE to attend an event like this once more. Thank you OG Con for this amazing event! Not only did I enjoy a convention that involved the Pokémon TCG, but my Toys and Games section sure as heck enjoyed a memorable event that only boosts its significance to my otaku life.

Overall: A-rank