A Generation 1 deck

[Otaku]

It is a very circular relationship with Computer Search, Item Finder, and Professor Oak. Simply put, you'll generally be using Computer Search or Item Finder to get Professor Oak... which in turn will probably draw into another Computer Search and Item Finder.

The hard parts are learning to fine-tune your hand to minimize wasted discards (e.g. anything in hand when you go to play Professor Oak) and trying to have enough safe discard fodder. What makes for safe discard fodder varies according to the situation: if you need to use Computer Search for a PlusPower to win the game, everything is safe to discard. Most of the game you'll want to pitch spare Pokemon and Energy.

By repeating the cycle you can quickly get all the Basic Pokemon you need in play. This was another benefit to the mono-Basic Pokemon deck; any Pokemon you need can be dropped into play instantly. Not a big deal though, it will just make it harder for you to learn but not impossible.

 

[Ridley]

Upon some revisions, here's what the deck will most likely come to:
Pokemon (20)
01 Dodrio (Jungle)
02 Doduo (Base)
02 Eevee (Jungle)
03 Electabuzz (Base)
01 Jolteon (Jungle)
02 Pidgeot (Jungle)
03 Pidgeotto (Base)
04 Pidgey (Base)
02 Scyther (Jungle)

Trainer (22)
04 Bill
02 Computer Search
03 Defender
02 Gust of Wind
01 Itemfinder
02 Mr. Fuji
01 Poke Ball
04 Prof. Oak
01 Switch
02 Trader

Energy (18)
15 Lightning
3 Double Colorless

Options I'm considering
Cut 1 Electabuzz
Cut 1 Pidgey
Cut 1 Pidgeotto
Cut 1 Pidgeot
Cut 2-3 Lightning
Cut 1 Double Colorless
Add 1 Itemfinder
Add 1 Poke Ball
Add 1-2 Gust of Wind
Add 1 Switch
Add 1 Defender

 

[Otaku]

Just so you know, with general deck building it is preferred that a Stage 1 line should be 1-1 or 2-2 if being used as support, but 3-3 or 4-4 if a major part of the deck. Since you are still new, it is okay to run one more Basic (e.g. 2-1, 3-2, etc.). Yes, odds are one of your Basics will be KOed before it can Evolve, but you're running the extras

a) to improve the odds of drawing into however many you actually need; extras are discard fodder for Computer Search/Item Finder or Pokemon Trader bait.
b) No harm in having an extra should your opponent fail to KO one of the Basic forms.

A Stage 2 Pokemon should be 1-1-1 or 2-2-2 if being used as a Bench Sitter (just sitting on the Bench) and in a minor role (nothing in this card pool really fits that). Everything run in these sets is either an important Bench Sitter (Alakazam), an important attacker, or both. These Stage 2 Pokemon deserve to be run at least at 3-3-3 or even 4-4-4 in the case of something that has an important Pokemon Power and is also a good attacker (Blastoise).

Note: You can and should replace at least a few of the Stage 1 Pokemon of a Stage 2 line with Pokemon Breeder.

I mostly mention this based not only on your actual deck list, but what you're planning on cutting. The reason you can get by with fewer Basic Pokemon that don't Evolve is simple: you drop them and after an Energy attachment or two they are ready to go and they tend to have about 70+ HP. I just sent you a massive PM (actually two, sorry - this is why I was thinking e-mails or Instant Messengers would be better) explaining how aggressive the game can be.

If any of your friends are running Electabuzz, Pidgey bites it from two Thundershocks or one Thunderpunch (heads or tails). Pidgeotto survives one extra Thundershock, but a Thundershock/Thunderpunch combo over two turns takes it down. Pidgeot, the top of the line goes down from two Thunderpunch.

So what about decks that aren't hitting your Weakness? The line is good against most Fighting Pokemon, but just about everything else (provided it can power up or has several turns) takes the whole line down pretty fast. Once you factor in some PlusPower (which we'll be recommending to you once you have the fundamentals of the TCG down), most Stage 2 Pokemon will OHKO Pidgeot; no time to heal it. Yes you can try to constantly bounce those big Pokemon to the opponent's hand, but that brings us to the second problem: you're bouncing them, not KOing them.

A careful opponent will just start throwing up Pokemon you can't KO with Hurricane to attack. If you bounce them, eventually you'll burn through all your healing and go down. If you try to KO those smaller Pokemon, you're no longer bouncing stuff and giving the opponent time to build, or even just to get an extra hit in with those smaller Pokemon.

tl;dr: You're Pokemon lines look pretty thin, and that is going to cause reliability and speed issues. If your friends aren't going easy on you/struggling to learn the game themselves, expect a lot of Pokemon to be KOed before they can Evolve, regardless of healing Trainers or Defender.

 

[Ridley]

Pokemon (14)
02 Eevee (Jungle)
02 Electabuzz (Base)
02 Jolteon (Jungle)
02 Pidgeot (Jungle)
02 Pidgeotto (Base)
03 Pidgey (Base)
01 Scyther (Jungle)

Trainer (30)
04 Bill
02 Breeder
03 Computer Search
04 Defender
03 Gust of Wind
02 Itemfinder
02 Mr. Fuji
02 Plus Power
04 Prof. Oak
02 Switch
02 Trader

Energy (16)
13 Lightning
3 Double Colorless

All right, after reading your PMs and mulling it over I decided to drop Dodrio in favor of more trainers. I went 2-2 with Jolteon and 3-2-2 with Pidgey. How many Scythers and Electabuzzes should I have? I dropped a Scyther for the extra Jolteon. Other than that, it looks pretty solid. Spam Computer search and Bill and Oak and Itemfinder to get the Pokemon I'm looking for, and quickly. Scyther and Electabuzz can do some damage while I wait and hopefully KO some of their basics (Abra, Spearow, Growlithe, Vulpix, to name a few). Then I can bring out Pidgeot to get a step ahead in energies, and then Jolteon can start beating up whoever is left.

 

[Otaku]

I think that is at least a solid beginning point. If it was me, I'd be wanting 3 Scyther and 3 Buzz. What to cut for them, I can't tell you. I could see dropping one Defender and if you have to, the Pokemon Traders.

Still it might be best since you've already ordered cards just to go with this and see what happens.

 

[Ridley]

I had an amazing idea that will work with this strategy:
The Rocket's trap.
Granted, I want to get better at the game and see what I use and what I don't use. I have extras of all the cards we've been talking about so once I play with it more I'll see what I need and what I don't use as much. Though a Trap Card (heheh - Yugioh), after sending a pokemon back to the hand, next turn they replay the basic and if I can keep an eye out for the evolutions I can send them to their deck, giving me a basic to harrass while they wait to get its evolution(s) again. Not to mention their loss of Energy.

Think its worth it? It seems a little gimmicky but it fits in really well with Pidgeot.

 

[Otaku]

The Rocket's Trap is from Gym Heroes, which I thought you said wasn't allowed.

Also, Imposter Professor Oak + Rocket's Sneak Attack + The Rocket's Trap was the basis for Trapper decks. Facing them was about as much fun as facing heavy Energy Removals.

Think, with what we've told you, maxing out on The Rocket's Trap and Item Finder basically equal = no hand for your opponent.

Otherwise yes, it would combo with Pidgeot.

 

[Ridley]

I must have misspoke (or we hadn't established it yet), anything up to (not including) Neo-Genesis is legal (minus Energy removal and any other currently banned cards).
We've gotten more players and they are using some Gym Challenge, Team Rocket, Fossil, and other stuff.
With this in mind, any other Trainers/Electric/Normal Pokemon you would recommend? I poked around, but strategies didn't exactly leap out at me.

 

[Axew]

I used this for a Base-Gym2 tourney a while ago

4 Mewtwo(Energy Absorption)
4 Rocket's Zapdos
3 Ditto
4 Erika's Jigglypuff(Pulled Punch)
1 Mr. Mime
16

4 DCE
4 Rainbow
3 Lightning
3 Psychic
14

4 Oak
4 Super Energy Removal
4 Itemfinder
4 Team Rockets something(pick a trainer from their hand and shuffle it in)
4 Comp Search
4 Gust
4 Pluspower
2 Scoop Up
30

Mewtwo has the neat benefit of being able to energy absorbtion your rainbow energy. You generally want to avoid using non-plasma attacks with zapdos. The dittos are for against do the wave wigglytuff. Mr. Mime is really good against opposing mewtwos, who can't damage him. It's a fairly generic aggro strategy. Energy Removal type cards are for hosing strategies that require set up. You should be playing 4 of many of the consistency trainer cards in order to maximize the chances of your deck working the way it's supposed to, and computer search and itemfinder are synergistic and let you discard energy for zapdos or mewtwo

 

[psychup2034]

I must have misspoke (or we hadn't established it yet), anything up to (not including) Neo-Genesis is legal (minus Energy removal and any other currently banned cards).
We've gotten more players and they are using some Gym Challenge, Team Rocket, Fossil, and other stuff.
With this in mind, any other Trainers/Electric/Normal Pokemon you would recommend? I poked around, but strategies didn't exactly leap out at me.

The strongest deck in the format is a strategy focused around using Impostor's Oak's Revenge + Rocket's Sneak Attack + The Rocket's Trap. Movie Promo Mewtwo and Rocket's Zapdos are solid attackers. Rocket's Zapdos is essentially a harder-hitting version of Electabuzz, and its resistance to fighting helps as well. Wigglytuff is still good, Scyther is still good, and Ditto is a staple.

If you really want to have fun with the format, Chaos Gym is the way to go.

I had an amazing idea that will work with this strategy:
The Rocket's trap. ...

Think its worth it? It seems a little gimmicky but it fits in really well with Pidgeot.

Unfortunately, The Rocket's Trap doesn't combo very well with Pidgeot. Pidgeot is so clunky and takes so much deck space (without a great benefit) that it just gives you less space to put in cards you really need. Hurricane is a really horrible attack for the Energy cost, as you're not going to knock out anything using Pidgeot, while your opponent's Rocket's Zapdos Electroburns your deck into oblivion.

 

[Otaku]

Team Rocket TrainersHere Comes Team Rocket - Skip It
Rocket's Sneak Attack - Great Card*
The Boss's Way - Skip It*
Challenge! - Good Card
Digger - Skip It
Imposter Oak's Revenge - Great Card*
Nightly Garbage Run - Staple
Goop Gas - Staple
Sleep! - Skip It

Team Rocket Energy
Rainbow Energy - Great Card*
Full Heal Energy - Skip it
Potion Energy - Skip It

*Staple in certain decks

That's a quick Trainer/Energy breakdown of Team Rocket. That alone greatly changes the game; once Nightly Garbage Run is legal, players can start using basic Energy and Pokemon to easily meet most discard costs, then run a few NGR to throw all discarded Energy back in (if needed). Two Nightly Garbage Run offset up to three of a combination of Computer Search and Item Finder, about half of what a deck usually runs!

Gym Heroes brings us Erika, who is great when combined with Imposter Oak's Revenge; you could play as many Erika as you wish and still shrink the opponent's hand back down to four cards! The Rocket's Trap, as I said, is a staple of "Trapper" decks; build your hand with Bill and Erika, then slam your opponent's hand with Imposter Oak's Revenge, then Rocket's Sneak Attack. If your opponent has at least one Trainer in hand, discard it and you can then try your luck with The Rocket's Trap to completely strip your opponent's opening hand of seven cards away.

I am out of time, so the rest will have to come later.

 

[Ridley]

Yeah I will add some nightly garbage runs for a breeder and defender. I don't want to go all-out Rocket (Jolteon and Pidgeot just came in the mail). The Rocket cards would mostly be for the lolz, I don't want to commit to an entire Trap strategy. If you think just adding two Trap cards is a waste of time, please let me know.
So without changing many Pokemon around, what would you recommend I get rid of for Imposter Oak/Revenge/Trap? I want to add at least one or two of those (preferably a Revenge, if the other player has a big hand that will really help).
Here's an updated list:
Pokemon (15)
02 Eevee (Jungle)
02 Electabuzz (Base)
02 Jolteon (Jungle)
02 Pidgeot (Jungle)
02 Pidgeotto (Base)
03 Pidgey (Base)
02 Scyther (Jungle)

Trainer (30)
03 Bill
01 Breeder
03 Computer Search
03 Defender
03 Gust of Wind
02 Imposter Oak's Revenge
02 Itemfinder
03 Nightly Garbage run
02 Plus Power
04 Prof. Oak
02 Switch
02 Trader

Energy (15)
12 Lightning
3 Double Colorless

Only trainer card I've completely dropped is Fuji, I rarely use him anyway. And I dropped a Bill. Sue me. I find him kind of filler and not as useful as Oak (I'm glad I listened to you about that stuff - proceed with the 'I told you so').

 

[Otaku]

Personally I recommend considering The Rocket's Trap for ban, myself.

While it technically combos with what you've got, the real Trapper decks were not fun to play against; they were the kind of deck where you were practically playing a solitaire match.

For your deck, IOR should be enough to cause problems; if you bounce something huge, you're throwing most of it back the next turn. I'm more interested in how this deck is performing as is, since from what you described at least one of your opponent's plays something that makes Pidgeot work a lot better; a slow Fighting deck!

Anyway, just to show I am still trying to help, I finished testing a Near Potpourri deck using your old set guidelines and am working on a Turbo Arcanine, again using the old set guidelines; it is via the old TCG video game so I don't have a choice to use anything past Fossil.