Luke Cunningham (left), 13, sits on a staircase in his home with his brothers, Sam (right), 11, and Hatch (middle), 9. Luke recently clinched first place at the 2014 Pokemon TCG (Trading Card Game) State Championships in Hot Springs, Ark. He and his brothers all compete in the trading card game. (Victor Texcucano/Staff)

WHITEHOUSE – Sitting around a large table in their Whitehouse home, the three Cunningham brothers practice their skills and develop strategies they hope will prepare them to win the title of world’s best Pokémon player. The brothers will travel to Boston, Massachusetts this summer for the the 2015 Pokémon World Championships.

Luke, 14, Sam, 12, and Hatch, 10, are seasoned Pokémon competitors, but so far this year, only Hatch has secured a spot at the international games.

Just before Christmas, Hatch and Luke won first place in their respective age division at the Tyler Pokémon City Championships, earning them points toward securing a spot the World Championships.

Pokémon is a popular animated series, video game and card game featuring fictional creatures of all shapes and sizes that battle one another as directed by their handlers, according to the Pokémon website.

The Japanese-based themed game hit the market in 1996 and continues to thrive among players as new playing cards are released several times annually. 

The Cunninghams said they are excited about making the trip to Boston, as is their mother Ariana, who said the trips are fun, but also educational. 

She explained the boys are home-schooled and, by traveling to different places for the competitions, they get to visit a lot of historical locations.  

Mrs. Cunningham said she believes Hatch’s secret weapon might be his “cute face,” but Hatch said his strategy is just watching his opponent and playing his deck’s strengths. 

“There are a lot of different strategies and ways to win, but you can get bad cards with weaker powers,” Luke said, explaining some of the game. 

Mrs. Cunningham said she and her husband, Joe, enjoy watching their sons excel in the game but admits it can be very tiring.

“We get so stressed out watching them. Last week in Dallas, Hatch played from 10 a.m. until about 8 p.m. It’s tiring and it’s fun,” she said. “Through this game, they meet a lot of other kids and they all have a love of the game and have a lot in common. It really is fun for them.”

Luke said he and Sam have a good chance of joining their brother in the World Championships and are playing to gain points.

“I think we can all make it this year, and that would be a lot of fun,” he said.