World Beyblade Organization by Fighting Spirits Inc. World Beyblade Organization Beyblade Communities North America

Reviving An Inactive Scene (Louisiana, Latest Entry - 7/22/24)

Feb. 02, 2023  6:15 PM
 
The goal of this thread and future threads is to act as a journal entry so I can share my thoughts and actions, receive feedback and suggestions from readers, and maybe even potentially foster more connections to other Louisiana Bladers who just so happen to stumble across this thread.

Entry 01

My name is KJ and I go by kjrules17 here on the WBO. I used to host and attend WBO tournaments between 2018 and 2020, primarily in the New York area (Long Island and Brooklyn to be specific). I've also attended WBO tournaments in Pennsylvania (Philadelphia) and California (Los Angeles). 

Following a move from New York to Louisiana in the summer of 2020, I had tried reaching out to a few local game stores in my area to inquire about Beyblade tournaments but this was during the peak of COVID so it was very unlikely any events would have been hosted. Since then, I've continued to check up on the forum and Discord communities whenever I can with the eventual goal of putting something together here in Louisiana.

Near the end of last month, I managed to visit one of the local game stores in my area (Cajun Gamer of Lafayette, Louisiana) and speak to the owner. He was open to the idea of having Beyblade tournaments at his store, the next step was creating or finding a community here that plays it. 

Upon checking the WBO's Public Tournament Data Archive, it seems that the last time a WBO tournament was hosted in Louisiana was in 2014, so I have a lot of work on my hands to revive a scene that's been inactive for almost 10 years. One of the first things I did was try to group together other Louisiana Bladers I previously met through Discord into a single group so everyone could stay in touch. I also checked social media groups to see if there were already any local communities but couldn't find any. 

Yesterday, I attended an Open Game Night at the Cajun Gamer store. There were about 12-15 people there partaking in a variety of different activities: tabletop, PC gaming, console gaming. 

I spoke with some of them about Beyblade and also brought some of my collection and stadiums for people to try out. I only brought Single and Dual Layers and Discs as well as Drivers from Burst, SwitchStrike, and SlingShock. My collection of Beyblade went on hiatus during HyperSphere but I didn't want to bring those Drivers or newer Layers and Discs from SwitchStrike and SlingShock just yet. I want to introduce people to the game first and then get into the more detailed and complicated aspects of it, with mode changing and all that later on. I didn't want to overwhelm anyone from the start.

I had managed to introduce one person to Beyblade and he and I assembled several combos throughout the night to battle each other with. Because it was pretty new to him, he also had to take some time to learn about launching. We all have to start from somewhere. I also attracted some onlookers from the other eventgoers whenever they were taking breaks from their activities, though the ones I offered Beyblade to weren't interested. I didn't want to be too imposing with Beyblade either, as it was only my first time at an event at this store and I didn't want to disrupt the normal routines that the community there usually have. I didn't forget about getting that person's contact information either, we became friends on Discord and I invited him to the Louisiana Bladers group I have on there.

This is just a start. I think that with enough time and a consistent presence at this store and maybe other local game stores in my area as well, a revival of the Beyblade scene here in Louisiana is possible. It could take months, years, I don't know, but it doesn't hurt to try. Other steps I've taken recently are joining the Discord server for the Cajun Gamer store to introduce myself and what I want to do as well as make flyers to gather interest for Beyblade tournaments at the store.

But that's all I have to share for today. Whenever I feel that I've made enough progress for another entry, I'll post it on the forums. And if anyone has any suggestions or ideas of things I can do to help revive the Beyblade scene here in Louisiana, please let me know.

Thank you.
Feb. 02, 2023  6:52 PM
 
Hi KJ, back in 2018-2020 i've seen you very active on the WBO, and im glad you're back!
I wish you good luck in reviving the Beyblade scene in Louisiana, hope to see more tournaments there and everywhere else too Smile
Feb. 09, 2023  4:35 AM
 
Entry 02

I was debating on whether or not to add this second entry to my opening post or create a new post in this thread and I just decided to go with the latter.

I attended Cajun Gamer's Open Game Night for the second time last night and managed to introduce 2 more people to Beyblade (Lich and Moose) as well as connect with them on Discord. I also played several more matches with Ninja, the person I met at the first Open Game Night I attended last Wednesday and introduced to Beyblade. 

I saw a lot of the same faces I saw last Wednesday, many of them were already pre-occupied with role-playing games or video games. Like I mentioned previously, I don't want to force Beyblade on people so I will usually play by myself or with people who I've already introduced to the game to attract onlookers. And from there, maybe see if those onlookers are interested in trying it out as well. 

I'm also going to have to start establishing connections with other local game stores in my area and see if any of them have Open Game Nights too. The reason is because I feel that I can spread the game of Beyblade to more individuals by being at multiple stores instead of just one. This could also create additional venues to use for Beyblade tournaments down the line if one that I want to use is not available for a possible tournament date.
Feb. 10, 2023  12:44 AM
 
Entry 03

I made some more progress today so I might as well add it here.

I visited another local game store in my area, Sanctuary Games and Comics. When comparing them to Cajun Gamer, Sanctuary has a bigger store (which can easily accommodate more people) and they also have a more active social media presence. I spoke with the owner about the idea of having Beyblade tournaments at his store as well as if his store does Open Game Nights during the week (the reason being that if so, I could essentially duplicate what I've already been doing at Cajun Gamer: attend Open Game Nights with some of my Beyblade stuff with the goal of gathering more interest for the game). 

The owner was open to the idea of having Beyblade tournaments (but just like the situation at Cajun Gamer, there just has to be a community for it) and also mentioned that Sanctuary's Open Game Nights fall on Tuesdays which is good for me because if I'm available, I can try to attend the Open Game Night at Sanctuary and Cajun Gamer.

I also learned an interesting tidbit from the owner during our discussion: It turns out there was a small group of individuals around 2018 who tried to build a Beyblade community at his store but it fizzled out after a month. He also hasn't heard from those people in a while. I hadn't seen anything about this online so I guess it was just something you had to be around for in person.

I also was able to reach out to Dark Ninja Gaming and Anubis Games & Hobby, 2 more local game stores around me, but neither have Open Game Nights so it would be a lot harder for me to try to introduce or re-introduce Beyblade to those stores' communities, as each day is usually reserved for a certain hobby, game, or other activity (Warhammer, Dungeons & Dragons, Yugioh, Pokemon, Digimon, Magic: The Gathering, Smash Ultimate, etc.). If a store is already being reserved for a specific activity and people are coming to that store for that specific activity, chances are they may not be as interested in trying out another activity from someone who just pops up there randomly. With both of these stores here, I would have to have a community of Bladers already established and then perhaps either of these stores could be used as a potential venue or back-up venue for future events or tournaments I'm planning on hosting.

On another note, most of the individuals I've encountered so far at Cajun Gamer's Open Game Nights were repeat visitors, many of whom weren't interested in picking up Beyblade for one reason or another. While I definitely know that this goal of mine will take a lot of time, patience, and consistency, I also feel that restricting myself to only one local game store in my area may prolong the process, as I'm basically having to rely more on the new faces to gather interest. And I don't know when or if new faces will ever walk through those doors on a Wednesday night, only time will tell. 

I'm certainly not giving up on attending Cajun Gamer's Open Game Nights but if I can establish a presence at more than one store and try to be consistent with it, I think the likelihood of meeting more people and potentially gathering more Bladers could increase.

With all of that being said, if I'm available, I'll also start attending Sanctuary Games and Comics' Open Game Nights on Tuesdays in addition to Cajun Gamer's Open Game Nights on Wednesdays.

I'll probably have another entry for this thread next week if I'm able to attend one or both Open Game Nights.
Feb. 13, 2023  8:16 AM
 
Good luck KJ, I believe that you can Raise up Louisiana
Mar. 02, 2023  4:53 AM
 
Entry 04

It's been almost 3 weeks since my last entry but I've made some progress since then.

I went to Anubis Games & Hobby on February 13th and February 27th, where I met BK (2/13) and Vixyn (2/27) irl after talking to them online. I played Beyblade with both of them for a few hours on both of those Mondays. I know I had previously mentioned that Anubis didn't really have Open Game Nights but BK told me that the store was big enough (after an expansion a year ago) to accommodate multiple hobbies at the same time. Monday is normally when people there play Digimon and BK is a part of that group but he also told me that the store is never usually that packed so I decided to go on the 13th and see how it went. I had a good time talking with BK and playing Beyblade with him. I also was able to go to Anubis on the 27th and play Beyblade with Vixyn. It was nice to talk with her as well.

I went to Cajun Gamer on February 15th and March 1st, where I played Beyblade with Ninja both times. Not much else to share here since it's been more or less the same each Wednesday I go but I do have something else to elaborate on later in this entry.

I went to Sanctuary Games & Comics on February 28th, where I met XZealot and a few others and introduced them to Beyblade. I mainly played with XZealot but will try to play with some of the others there the next time I go.

With the thing I wanted to elaborate more on, here it is. 

When I was at Sanctuary on the 28th, I observed that XZealot and 6-7 other people were all playing the same game. Out of curiosity, I decided to ask what it was. The game they were playing was Vampire: The Eternal Struggle or V:TES for short. XZealot basically gave me a crash course on V:TES, he and I basically played a game with him showing me different ins and outs along the way. I had never played a game like it before, there was a whole lot to it but it was pretty fun to try out. It's actually better when 4 or more people play but I got there late so I wasn't able to join the bigger group of players when they first started.

But what I started to realize was, if I put myself out there and make an effort to involve myself in the activities that others are doing when I go to these stores, not only will I be able to make connections with the people there, but it could also increase my chances to introducing them to Beyblade. Sort of like a "I scratch your back, you scratch mine". I don't necessarily have to spend lots of money to get into these various hobbies, it can really be as simple as watching people play, asking questions about gameplay, or seeing if it's possible to borrow from others in order to join the people playing. I'm sure any group would love to have an additional player.
Apr. 05, 2023  2:56 AM
 
I moved from Virginia Beach, Virginia to Louisiana in 2018. I'm in the New Orleans area now but I was really heavy into metal fight/fury/and 0G, I've always been interested in trying to learn more about the burst meta/playing the game again, feel free to hit me up on here or Discord: DrPepsidew#1446
Apr. 05, 2023  4:04 AM
 
(Apr. 05, 2023  2:56 AM)DrPepsidew Wrote: I moved from Virginia Beach, Virginia to Louisiana in 2018. I'm in the New Orleans area now but I was really heavy into metal fight/fury/and 0G, I've always been interested in trying to learn more about the burst meta/playing the game again, feel free to hit me up on here or Discord: DrPepsidew#1446

Welcome back and will do, Doc!

Entry 05
  • Tuesday, March 7th: I met with the crew that plays Vampire: The Eternal Struggle on Tuesdays at Sanctuary Games & Comics and was able to have a few Beyblade battles with XZealot. Most of my time there was spent observing the ending of a Vampire: The Eternal Struggle game they had started earlier, as I had arrived late.
  • Wednesday, March 8th: I played Beyblade at Cajun Gamer with Lich of Hearts.
  • Friday, March 10th: The flyers I had given to Cajun Gamer allowed me to meet another Blader, KzDarc. He, myself, and the Cajun Gamer store owner played for a while. KzDarc was the first Blader I came across who already had started his own collection so it's been really fun to battle his stuff with mine.
  • Tuesday, March 14th: I had once again arrived late to Sanctuary Games & Comics, but this time, the V:TES crew only had a 3 person game so they had already finished the game and were leaving the store as I was arriving. Probably should've called ahead to prevent making a blank trip.
  • Wednesday, March 15th: Another late arrival, so I played Beyblade alone for a short while as the people who usually come to Cajun Gamer on Wednesdays had already left for the night.
  • Friday, March 31st: I played Beyblade at Cajun Gamer with KzDarc and the Cajun Gamer store owner again. The store owner also brought his old Beyblades and KzDarc had increased his collection dramatically since I last saw him, going from having mainly QuadDrive and QuadStrike Beys to having the latest releases from Dynamite Battle and Burst Ultimate. I got to see many of the newer Burst Beyblades and the DB Beystadium in person for the first time ever so it was very fun. He even gave me a spare Custom BeyLauncher LR!
Due to Daylight Savings, I've been getting out of work an hour or more later than I used to, so it didn't always make sense to go to these local stores super late at night. I also hadn't come to Anubis Games & Hobby since my last Entry because Monday is usually my only day off from work and I've just been tired.

I've also begun thinking about this. 

With the rise of the newest Beyblade generation, Beyblade X, right around the corner, I view it as a pro and a con as it pertains to reviving the Louisiana Beyblade scene. 

Pro: Beyblade X allows Bladers new and old to have a clean slate. Everyone will be jumping in and learning as they go since this system will be new. And if the global release of Beyblade X goes off without a hitch, it'll be even easier for players not living in Japan to purchase quality Beyblade products.

Con: It makes me ask myself how hard I should try to keep getting people here into Burst with Beyblade X on the horizon. Is it really a good idea to get someone interested in Burst and have them drop a lot of money on establishing their own collection only to have Beyblade X come in and steal their attention and wallet? 

I might as well just relax with many of the local game store appearances until the release of Beyblade X (unless the person or people I'm meeting already have their own Burst collection but are still interested in Beyblade X as in the cases of KzDarc and the Cajun Gamer store owner). Those two and I had a great discussion about Beyblade X and its possibilities on 3/31, it's very possible that the Cajun Gamer store owner will try to get Beyblade X at his store as well.

I'm not discounting the idea of ever hosting a Burst tournament here in Louisiana, as it is still possible for a Blader to get into Beyblade X first but also buy into older generations such as Burst at a later date if they are interested, but I don't think the probability is as high here anymore. The newest generation will definitely take over much of the spotlight, especially if people like it and want to play it more.

But that's where I'm at currently. I'm definitely more excited than not for Beyblade X as this may be the first time I've gotten into a Beyblade generation from the beginning. And I also think it could be advantageous for an inactive scene to experience a new generation, especially if there are people like myself and others trying to build a community for it. We can all start from ground zero and work our way up.
Oct. 28, 2023  1:45 AM
 
(Apr. 05, 2023  4:04 AM)kjrules17 Wrote:
(Apr. 05, 2023  2:56 AM)DrPepsidew Wrote: I moved from Virginia Beach, Virginia to Louisiana in 2018. I'm in the New Orleans area now but I was really heavy into metal fight/fury/and 0G, I've always been interested in trying to learn more about the burst meta/playing the game again, feel free to hit me up on here or Discord: DrPepsidew#1446

Welcome back and will do, Doc!

Entry 05
  • Tuesday, March 7th: I met with the crew that plays Vampire: The Eternal Struggle on Tuesdays at Sanctuary Games & Comics and was able to have a few Beyblade battles with XZealot. Most of my time there was spent observing the ending of a Vampire: The Eternal Struggle game they had started earlier, as I had arrived late.
  • Wednesday, March 8th: I played Beyblade at Cajun Gamer with Lich of Hearts.
  • Friday, March 10th: The flyers I had given to Cajun Gamer allowed me to meet another Blader, KzDarc. He, myself, and the Cajun Gamer store owner played for a while. KzDarc was the first Blader I came across who already had started his own collection so it's been really fun to battle his stuff with mine.
  • Tuesday, March 14th: I had once again arrived late to Sanctuary Games & Comics, but this time, the V:TES crew only had a 3 person game so they had already finished the game and were leaving the store as I was arriving. Probably should've called ahead to prevent making a blank trip.
  • Wednesday, March 15th: Another late arrival, so I played Beyblade alone for a short while as the people who usually come to Cajun Gamer on Wednesdays had already left for the night.
  • Friday, March 31st: I played Beyblade at Cajun Gamer with KzDarc and the Cajun Gamer store owner again. The store owner also brought his old Beyblades and KzDarc had increased his collection dramatically since I last saw him, going from having mainly QuadDrive and QuadStrike Beys to having the latest releases from Dynamite Battle and Burst Ultimate. I got to see many of the newer Burst Beyblades and the DB Beystadium in person for the first time ever so it was very fun. He even gave me a spare Custom BeyLauncher LR!
Due to Daylight Savings, I've been getting out of work an hour or more later than I used to, so it didn't always make sense to go to these local stores super late at night. I also hadn't come to Anubis Games & Hobby since my last Entry because Monday is usually my only day off from work and I've just been tired.

I've also begun thinking about this. 

With the rise of the newest Beyblade generation, Beyblade X, right around the corner, I view it as a pro and a con as it pertains to reviving the Louisiana Beyblade scene. 

Pro: Beyblade X allows Bladers new and old to have a clean slate. Everyone will be jumping in and learning as they go since this system will be new. And if the global release of Beyblade X goes off without a hitch, it'll be even easier for players not living in Japan to purchase quality Beyblade products.

Con: It makes me ask myself how hard I should try to keep getting people here into Burst with Beyblade X on the horizon. Is it really a good idea to get someone interested in Burst and have them drop a lot of money on establishing their own collection only to have Beyblade X come in and steal their attention and wallet? 

I might as well just relax with many of the local game store appearances until the release of Beyblade X (unless the person or people I'm meeting already have their own Burst collection but are still interested in Beyblade X as in the cases of KzDarc and the Cajun Gamer store owner). Those two and I had a great discussion about Beyblade X and its possibilities on 3/31, it's very possible that the Cajun Gamer store owner will try to get Beyblade X at his store as well.

I'm not discounting the idea of ever hosting a Burst tournament here in Louisiana, as it is still possible for a Blader to get into Beyblade X first but also buy into older generations such as Burst at a later date if they are interested, but I don't think the probability is as high here anymore. The newest generation will definitely take over much of the spotlight, especially if people like it and want to play it more.

But that's where I'm at currently. I'm definitely more excited than not for Beyblade X as this may be the first time I've gotten into a Beyblade generation from the beginning. And I also think it could be advantageous for an inactive scene to experience a new generation, especially if there are people like myself and others trying to build a community for it. We can all start from ground zero and work our way up.
Hello kjrules17,

I have read your post and I am super interested to start beyblade community with you. I live about hour from Lafayette, La and I go to Lafayette often. I play a lot tcgs but I have been huge beyblade fan for years since orginal series as kid. I stopped playing around early college during metal fight era but kept up with series. I also have few friends that are huge beyblade fans and I want do whatever I can to help start beyblade community in Louisiana, especially with beyblade X hype. I am a father of one son and I’m hoping to pass beyblading on to my son one day and play it with him as he grows. I haven’t committed to buying Japanese X beyblades just yet but I have been thinking of buying bunch beyblades to get head start and be able to share them with other players so I was hoping we could get in contact with each other and maybe talk through some ideas to kick start a community! My email is “juwandurgan181993@gmail.com”. If you are comfortable enough to trade contacts through email let me know. Thank you so much for all your hard work and I want do anything I can to make your ambitious to get a bey community going happen!
Jun. 30, 2024  5:17 AM
 
Entry 06

It's been a while. As mentioned in my last entry, I decided to take a break from going to the local game stores in my area until Beyblade X released in the United States. 

I recently started my own X collection on Sunday, June 23rd.

One of the local game stores in my area, Cajun Gamer, closed in the Summer of 2023.

I met up with KzDarc on Saturday, June 29th at Anubis Games & Hobby. He recently started his own X collection as well, so he and I did a few 1v1 battles with the first player to reach 7 points winning and a few WBO Deck Format battles with the first player to 10 points winning.

This was my first time playing X with someone else and it was very fun. We had some Xtreme Finishes, Knockouts, Bursts, Survivor Finishes, and even some Knockouts where a Bey got hit out of the stadium entirely. It was awesome.

I also gave some Beyblade flyers to one of the store employees to help with gathering interest.
Jul. 07, 2024  9:31 AM
 
Entry 07

KzDarc and I met on Saturday, July 6th and played four modified WBO Deck Format battles (started off as First to 10 points then it changed to First to 15 points) as well as one 1v1 battle (started off as First to 6 points, then changed to 7 points, then to 15 points).

This was our second time meeting up in 2024 to play Beyblade X, but our first time battling in Takara Tomy's Xtreme Stadium. We had a lot of fun!

Many pictures and videos were taken, either by myself, KzDarc's wife, or his sister-in-law. Appreciate them helping us!

Pictures Of Decks And Beys Used

Video Footage
Jul. 07, 2024  10:08 AM
 
(Jul. 07, 2024  9:31 AM)kjrules17 Wrote: Entry 07

KzDarc and I met on Saturday, July 6th and played four modified WBO Deck Format battles (started off as First to 10 points then it changed to First to 15 points) as well as one 1v1 battle (started off as First to 6 points, then changed to 7 point, then to 15 points).

This was our second time meeting up in 2024 to play Beyblade X, but our first time battling in Takara Tomy's Xtreme Stadium. We had a lot of fun!

Many pictures and videos were taken, either by myself, KzDarc's wife, or his sister-in-law. Appreciate them helping us!

Pictures Of Decks And Beys Used

Video Footage

Wow, these are some truly spicy combos, I love the variety in X, and hasbro gives you some really neat stuff!
Jul. 14, 2024  6:03 AM
 
Entry 08

On Saturday, July 13th, I met up with EmoEmuIncubus. This was his first time using Beyblade X so to start, we did three 1v1 battles (First to 15 points) with both of us using Sword Dran 3-60 Flat.

I won the first battle, EmoEmuIncubus won the second, and I won the third.

We then did two modified WBO Deck Format battles (First to 15 points).

Battle 1
Spoiler (Click to View)

Battle 2
Spoiler (Click to View)

EmoEmuIncubus and I had a great time, it was another fun session battling with Beyblade X.
Jul. 17, 2024  5:34 AM
 
Entry 09

On Monday, July 15th, KzDarc and I met up at Anubis Games & Hobby and recorded two WBO Modified Deck Format Battles (First to 15 points).

His collection has increased since we last met, he now has some releases I don't have yet (such as Unicorn Sting, Leon Claw, Hells Hammer, Weiss Tiger, and Shinobi Shadow).

Our second battle had some onlookers too, which was pretty cool.

Battle 1
Spoiler (Click to View)

Battle 2
Spoiler (Click to View)
Jul. 28, 2024  10:14 AM
 
Entry 10

On Saturday, July 20th, I met up with imbk08 at Sanctuary Games and Comics where I also met cooromer for the first time.

I did a 1v1 battle with each of them as an introduction to Beyblade X.

cooromer and I then recorded seven WBO Modified Deck Format Battles (First to 15 points). cooromer didn't have any Beyblade X parts of his own, so I let him borrow from my collection for these battles. The first one was at Sanctuary Games and Comics with the remaining six happening at Anubis Games & Hobby later that same day.

The max amount of videos per message is 3 so I'll just link the channel here if you want to check them out.

Beyblade Lafayette Louisiana: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCewJh1q...Wyg/videos

They are Battles 05 through 11.

He and I had a blast!
Aug. 06, 2024  1:29 AM
 
there are 3 of us in the covington/mandeville area. If anyone is around and is looking for games we have a local store that is willing to host us.
Aug. 12, 2024  10:34 PM
 
(Aug. 06, 2024  1:29 AM)Majordomo Wrote: there are 3 of us in the covington/mandeville area. If anyone is around and is looking for games we have a local store that is willing to host us.

Yo whats your discord
Aug. 22, 2024  5:51 AM
 
Entry 11

On Monday, July 22nd, I met up with GTBZ, cooromer, imbk08, and Zrielas at Anubis Games & Hobby. 

We recorded 9 WBO Modified Deck Format Battles (First to 15 points). 

I have all of them in a playlist here.

It was another great experience! 👍