New to Pokemon TCG - What expansion to buy to start?

[YooperDude]

Hi all,

I'm new to Pokemon TCG and I'm interested in starting to collect the cards and play with my kids (yes, I'm old). My question is what cards should I be collecting to build a deck? XY or Flashfire? I'd like to play in the local league we have and I also have been playing Pokemon X on 3ds. I'm not familiar with a lot of the Pokemon and the evolutions in the 3DS game, so I thought collecting the XY cards would help me get a better feel for the Pokemon in the game. My daughter seems to like a lot of the cards in the training deck I bought. On the flip side, should I be getting all Flashfire cards since they're the "latest and greatest"? I know I used to get upset playing Magic: The Gathering because cards became unusable in tournament play after what seemed like too short of time. I wasn't sure if that was going to be the case with XY. I also like the fact that you can get the XY fat packs for a reasonable price.

So - where should I begin? What makes the most sense for a beginner that wants to have cards that can be used in the foreseeable future as well as be able to build a fun semi-competitive deck without blowing a ton of cash?

Thank you in advance,
YooperDude

 

[break]

awesome, it is always good to hear a parent is interested in their child's hobby.

if you are just starting out...I would recommend investing in a "Elite Trainer Box"

http://www.trollandtoad.com/p1048653.html

or

http://www.trollandtoad.com/p1048654.html

these come with everything you need to start collecting an/or playing the game.

however, if you are just want to start learning the fundamentals before making a big investment...try out a "2-Player Starter Set"

http://www.trollandtoad.com/p1052120.html

I would work on getting a feel for the game before investing in "staples" and such.

And again, "Elite Trainer Box" has everything you need to get started...though you may want to shop online for singles of the cards that you like.

 

[DMoCTTA]

awesome, it is always good to hear a parent is interested in their child's hobby.

if you are just starting out...I would recommend investing in a "Elite Trainer Box"

http://www.trollandtoad.com/p1048653.html

Breaking down what's in the box compared to buying it separately from Troll and Toad.
8 XY Packs - (1 pack = $2.99, 8 = $23.92)
45 energy - (their 120 bundle = $8.99, 45 = $3.37)
2 acrylic condition markers - (N/A but can be purchased on ebay for $3.27 *with* damage counters)
6 damage-counter dice - (N/A but can be purchased on ebay for $8.27)
A competition-legal coin-flip die - (N/A but can be purchased on ebay for $2)
65 Pokemon TCG: XY card sleeves - (On T&T $5.49 for B/W sleeves, for the specific X sleeves on ebay it is $12.50)

So excluding the 4 dividers and the pretty awesome box (which I'd say adds another $10 to the value total)
Price for Elite Trainer Box - $36.99 with free shipping
Price for T&T/Ebay without Box & Sleeves - ... oh my ... $63.33

So uh, assuming you need the dice and sleeves (taking B/W sleeves "lowers" the price to $56.32) taking the Elite Trainer Box saves you $26.34, aka $10 short of buying an additional box!

 

[Kicek91]

XY deck with Xerneas