Pokemon is the most popular trading card game in the world, outperforming MTG by a significant margin. Over 43 billion cards have been produced. The TCG debuted in Japan in 1996 and was introduced in the United States in 1999. It was originally published in the USA by Wizards of the Coast – the company that creates Magic: the Gathering. Eventually the Pokemon company took back the rights to publish it themselves. The game represents epic Pokemon battles between two trainers.  These days, the cards are collected more often than actually played. However, there is still a loyal fanbase of Pokemon card players.