Okay, first off if you want to play competitively you need to go to a League. A League is a small non-competetive atmosphere meeting where local players go to simply play, be test their new decks and such. By participating you can get rewards such as Limited Edition Pins (called badges) and/or promo cards. Each year, the prizes are different and the year is split into periods usually a could months long. These periods are known as Seasons. Each season's prize is different but it goes with the same characteristics of all the prizes for the year. For example, this year (the 2009-2010) the League rewards are Promo Cards, some of which are staples for almost all winning decks. Each season, what promo cards you recieve will be different. Basically, a League is a place to relax while learnig the game and testing your strategies. You can find a league in your local area by using the League Locator on
www.gopokemon.com. While at your Legue you should be able to find a wealth of information. They are usually run at card shops or other friendly places. When you go for the first time, you will recieve something called a POP ID. This stands for Pokemon Organized Play Identifier. You will here the term "POP" a lot, just know it's the company that runs the tornuments and events. Your POP ID will allow you to create an account on MyPokemon, a handy little tool which helps you keep track of your OP scores, what events you have participated in, etc. Your POP ID will allow the tournament runners be able to identify you as both a person and a player so make sure you bring it be record your participation. Now, if you want to play competitively, you need to have a good deck. A starter deck would be the best since it gives you a playable series of evolution lines along with several important cards even top decks use. Once you have a deck you will need to buy both Staples and boosters. Staples right now include the following cards:
- Claydol GE
- Uxie LA
- Azelf/ Mesprit LA
- Roseanne's Research
- Bebe's Search
- Broken Time-Space
- Expert Belt
- Rare Candy
- Several other Trainers and Supporters depending on your deck
The biggest reason these are common staples is because they give draw power, which gives speed and consistency; two things in this game that some of if not the most important aspects of this game. (there are researchable topics on why and how to use these cards) Now there are two more terms you need to understand. Teir Decks (commonly refered to as the Metagame) and Rogue Decks. Metagame decks are decks made up of the strongest and/or most consistant and stattegic decks out at the time. This means you will we them almost everywhere. Rogue decks are decks that are completely unheard of that are made up by the pure creativity of the deck maker. Winning Rogue Decks are much more higly respected but as a beginner, I highly recommend making a Teir Deck of some sort. Here are some of the largest decks in the format right now: (Several articles can be found here on the Gym on how to build a foundation for these decks)
- SP Toolbox
- Dialga/Palkia/Lock
- Beedrill
- Flygon
- Luxape
- Blaziken FB Variants
- Kingdra
- Machamp
- Arceus
- Gengar
These are just a few of the many decks out there right now. Now comes the question, What Packs do I Buy? Well it all depends Personal Preference, what you are looking for, and when you need it. If you want a deck and collection that'll be good for more than eight months, buy something from the Platinum or the soon to be released Heart Gold/ Soal Silver sets. Yes, Diamond and Pearl is good, but every year, about 4 sets are cycled out be are no longer tornument legal. As of last year, this did not happen, and, while we don't know for sure, we assume about 8 sets should be cycled, and there are 7 D&P sets, those will all be cycles out next year. Unless you are a collector too, I would suggest simply buying the D&P singles you need.
Once you have your deck, and you look for tournaments, you will want to start with Battle Roads or City Champs. CC are starting soon and you could start there. Here is a list of ok the types of tournaments:
- Battle Roads
- Cities
- State
- Regionals
- Nationals
- World Champs (requires invite)
Your OP scores are kept with your info on your POP ID be increases for every tourny you win. and if your score is high enough, you might just get an invite to Worlds. I hope this helped and good luck and welcome.
PS: There's a ton of info out there. Just do some research!
besides the Gym, I recommend Pokebeach.com and Gopokemon.com. And again, good luck!
