Why We Need Your Help

A year ago, we shut down most of the site, including the Trainer Card Maker (TCM). This was largely due to the rising costs of operation and my personal need to reduce those expenses. I know how much value many of you place on the TCM; it has always been important to me to ensure it remains available. That is why I spent 2025 rebuilding it from the ground up. Since our relaunch in October, we’ve already seen almost 150,000 new cards created.

Unfortunately, the financial challenge remains. Although this new iteration of the TCM is much more optimized, it still consumes significant resources and bandwidth. When factoring in development and infrastructure management, the site costs an average of $150–$200 per month.

Historically, we recovered about half of these costs through on-site ads. While this never covered everything, it kept the project from becoming a personal financial burden. However, the equation changed significantly last year. Site traffic slowed, and our ad provider stopped generating enough monthly revenue to trigger a payout. While traffic has improved since the TCM returned, it is still lower than in previous years, and we remain far from the payout threshold. Compounding this, our ad provider pays out on a six-month delay, meaning any financial relief is still a long way off.

My personal need to cut costs has only intensified since last January. This puts the TCM and the rest of the site in a precarious position. If these services depend exclusively on my financial support, there may come a day when I have no choice but to shut them down to protect my own finances.

I never want that to happen. The best way to avoid that situation is to offer a way for you to directly support the site’s ongoing development: The Pokecharms Patreon.

The new TCM was designed to support not just new features, but also bonus assets and unique card types. I had hoped to have these ready before asking for support, but I have been seriously unwell since the relaunch, and development is only now resuming. For now, joining our Patreon is a way to fund this next round of development. In the coming months, I intend to offer the following rewards:

Note: Official Pokémon artwork and Trainer assets will always be available for free to everyone.

If you are able to support us at either tier, it will go a long way toward ensuring these features are built and that the site remains online for years to come. I have no intention of turning the TCM into a subscription-based service, but I want to provide real value to those who help us keep the lights on, so we'll continue to try to balance bonus and exclusive features for supporters with continuing to do what we've always done.

As for what happens if we don’t reach our funding goals? I’m afraid that remains up in the air. Much as I would love to commit to covering these costs indefinitely, there will eventually come a point where that is no longer possible. I hope that with your help, we never have to reach that day.