In our Collector Feature series, we highlight collectors of all kinds and share the stories, passion and advice that have shaped their collections.
For more from Justin and his collection, follow @PokeDubzz on Rare Candy!
Fast Facts
Name: Justin West, but you may know him as PokeDubzz
Age: 33
Location: Peoria, Illinois
Collects: Pokémon TCG (especially Gengar and Lugia cards), plushies, figurines and exclusive promotional merch
Crown Jewels: Pokémon Web promo Gengar, Silver Tempest Lugia V, Neo Genesis Lugia, Base Set Shadowless Charizard
Currently Seeking: Aquapolis Lugia, Skyridge rare holo Gengar, Japanese Battle Festa Pikachu promo
You may know 33-year-old software engineer Justin West better by his internet persona, Pokédubzz, which he’s built across Twitch, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok and Discord. And if you follow him, you'll know that for Justin, Pokémon is an entire lifestyle. As he explains it, "It's a way for me to connect with people that I might not have connected with before. I've met some of my greatest lifelong friends through Pokemon — and it's something that I've brought as a positive memory from my childhood (and there weren't a ton of those). It's gotten me through some difficult times, and it’s always been there as an escape, whether it’s through collecting the cards or playing the video games. And there's always something to look forward to in the Pokémon world."
The Journey Begins
Justin first discovered the anime and the Pokémon TCG during the late 1990s and early 2000s, right when the franchise started making waves in the U.S. "I was right there at the peak of it," he recalls. "I was eight at the time when it started to make a buzz around school, when it came to the States with the video games. Basically, as soon as the trading card game and the anime came out, it took over my school by storm."
For Justin, the excitement was all about having the cards that matched what he saw on TV. "Seeing a Pokémon in the anime and realizing I had that card was just so cool," he shares. He fondly remembers trips to his local Target, heading deep into the toy section to the back of an end cap to find Base Set, Jungle and Fossil booster packs. "There was one time I got very lucky," he recalls. He'd purchased a few booster packs, and when he sat down to open them, he was in for a shock: "I pulled two Charizards. They weren't first edition or anything, but the fact that I had pulled two Charizards out of one set of packs was groundbreaking."
And like many, he also remembers his excitement around the premiere of Pokémon the Movie 2000. "Seeing the movie in theaters and holding the Ancient Mew card was like, 'Oh my gosh. I have that!'"
But long after the initial wave of Pokémania faded, Justin's kept his passion alive and has been collecting ever since. "It was that phase that just never went away for me."
Inside Justin's Collection
Justin's collection is wide-ranging, covering figurines, merch and more than 300 plushies. "I collect pretty much everything," he says, but he's especially drawn to items tied to events or special promotions. "I'm particularly passionate about exclusive items. For example, I just recently went to the Hawaii World Championships, and getting some of the exclusive merch limited to just the Honolulu World Championships was really cool."
And when it comes to the TCG, Gengar has always been at the heart of Justin's collection. "I probably have, like, the second largest Gengar collection in at least the country," Justin laughs.
One standout among his ghostly ranks is the Japanese Gengar Web promo. "It was a pretty rare E-Reader series card that was only available in Japan," he explains. "I had really grown to love the card over the years, but the price was always too steep for me to justify it. Then a few years ago at the Fort Wayne, Indiana, Pokémon Regional Championships, a vendor had the promo in incredible condition for a price that I finally couldn’t pass up. After years of waiting, I finally picked up one of my grails!"
Justin also collects cards for many of his favorite legendary Pokémon: Dialga and Palkia, Mew and Mewtwo and, of course, his favorite legendary, Lugia. "One of my biggest chase cards from the Sword and Shield era was the alternate art Lugia V from Silver Tempest, which I actually pulled super early on in the set—something that never happens to me," Justin shares.
And next to his shadowless Base Set Charizard ("It's kind of a rite of passage, like 'Yes, I have a shadowless Charizard. That's a thing.'"), among his most prized possessions are his Neo Genesis Lugia and rare staff promo cards like his Lost Thunder pre-release Giratina. And as he pages through his cards in a binder full of legendaries, he reflects on the deep emotional attachments that still run strong: "Just going through this binder is something that brings me immense joy."
Balancing Collecting and Competing
Not only does Justin collect, but he also plays Pokémon TCG competitively—even earning the title of Pokémon Professor, which means he helps officiate card tournaments. His journey into playing began during the Black & White era. "My sister and I were collecting the cards, but we kind of just started to see the theme decks pop up, and we were like, 'Oh, well, we could just actually start trying to play the game, because these cards actually do something.'"
Then, in 2019, Justin discovered competitive TCG players online and started going to tournaments. "I started to learn a bit more of the game from a competitive aspect and began playing at like local tournaments. From there, it just kind of ramped up," he shares. Competitive play has also amplified Justin's approach to collecting as well. "With each new set that comes out, there's obviously singles that are going to be really hot. For a lot of people, opening a pack and not getting a hit can feel useless," he explains. "But I'm probably in a different bracket. Even if there's not something that you're specifically looking for, like an Ultra Ball, it’s cool. I can put that in my playable bulk. It offers more to opening the packs and collecting the cards."
Gengar, I Choose You!
Though Lugia is a close second thanks to the character’s backstory and design, Justin’s favorite Pokémon is Gengar, the shadow Pokémon. "I’ve liked Gengar since I was a kid," Justin says. "I've always liked the color purple, but I've always liked how Gengar was just kind of popping out of the wall or popping out of the floor. The fact that it’s a ghost Pokémon made it seem like a really good companion—it could always have your back."
He adds, "It's always go that cheesy grin. There’s just something very lovable about Gengar, even though its one of the more simple designs."
Justin’s love for Gengar even led him to get a tattoo of the mischievous Ghost Pokémon. "It was something that my friend and I did while attending a Pokémon Regional Championship in Orlando, Florida, almost two years ago," he recalls. "We decided on a whim to get the ink done. It was the Pokémon event that we had traveled the furthest to, and so we kind of wanted to make a thing out of it. My friend got a Snorlax, and I got a Gengar."
And for Justin, his tattoos (yes, plural — he’s got Charizard and Gyarados as well) are an extension of the way he thinks about the role Pokémon plays in his world. "It's an expression of a lifestyle," he explains. "People could just wear a Pikachu t-shirt, and that becomes an instant connection. And it can go much deeper than that."
Advice for Collectors
Justin’s advice for new collectors is simple: "Collect what you want." He emphasizes that genuine passion should guide your collecting, not just chasing the most expensive cards. "Sometimes I get frustrated when people point others in the direction of only collecting the most expensive cards—I think that loses what Pokémon is all about."
"That’s what I like most about my collection—you’re going to see a lot of cards that are worth literally nothing, but I love them," Justin says. "Find a Pokémon that you like and start collecting."
