"New" to the TCG...

[lobsterninja]

So I used to play the Pokemon TCG from the base set up until around when Neo 1 came out. Recently my friend suggested that we get back into the game. So, we did a little bit of research, and went out and bought some boosters and theme decks. Now I have some cards, but I am really wondering where to go from here. I know for a fact the theme deck that I bought is pretty poor, but I remember that it contains some of the basic stuff you need to play (energies etc etc). I still remember the basic rules to the TCG, and have read the current rules to get myself up to date with changes. I have not however, been out of touch with the Pokemon world. I've been playing the GBA and DS games pretty much constantly since they came out, and am versed in competitive D/P battling. So I do know about Pokemon in general, just not so much the cards. If it helps I like water Pokemon, and I don't think I'll be battling competitively anytime soon, just playing with some of my friends (who actually could get very good, knowing them )

So in short, could anyone give me a little direction and maybe some advice for a deck? I would be very grateful.

 

[Pinsir52]

Wow. I was EXACTLY in that position a little less than a year ago, and now I consider myself a rather good player. The secret...THIS WEB SITE! read around on deck articles, standard strategies and archetypes, get your hands on some good trainers and rare Pokemon(trade bait!). When you have a deck idea, post it on this site and let very experienced players help with it. In no time, you'll be off to tournaments and winning prizes! Check out go-pokemon.com and find a Pokemon league nearby, and practice against people you don't know and learn all new strategies! most importantly, don't stop having fun! too many people start playing b/c the game is fun, and are corrupted by the Dark Side, and start cheating, only caring about victory; don't let yourself become one of them...

as for deck ideas, if you're looking to start simple, try decks like "Mario" or "T2 Quicketune'd." Look around the site if you don't know what I'm talking about.

Hope I was helpful.

 

[Rai]

So I used to play the Pokemon TCG from the base set up until around when Neo 1 came out. Recently my friend suggested that we get back into the game. So, we did a little bit of research, and went out and bought some boosters and theme decks. Now I have some cards, but I am really wondering where to go from here. I know for a fact the theme deck that I bought is pretty poor, but I remember that it contains some of the basic stuff you need to play (energies etc etc). I still remember the basic rules to the TCG, and have read the current rules to get myself up to date with changes. I have not however, been out of touch with the Pokemon world. I've been playing the GBA and DS games pretty much constantly since they came out, and am versed in competitive D/P battling. So I do know about Pokemon in general, just not so much the cards. If it helps I like water Pokemon, and I don't think I'll be battling competitively anytime soon, just playing with some of my friends (who actually could get very good, knowing them )

So in short, could anyone give me a little direction and maybe some advice for a deck? I would be very grateful.

[del]Not all of the theme decks are terrible... MT and SW have theme decks with some great supporters in them, and SW has some good rares in the theme decks as well...! D=[/del] *SHOT*

Let's see... Water pokemon. Keep an eye out for those Empoleons and Octilleries. Those are both fairly good due to their sniping ability. I'm sure there must be something in the Secret Wonders set that's good for water types, but no one's noticed it yet :/

Make sure you're really familiar with how supporters work, as they provide the best way to make a deck stable (nearly all of them either draw cards, or search for others).

And for something that I've found to be quite useful on this site, would be the Pokegym Research Tower, which has scans of all cards currently released in English and usable in the modified format (cards released in Holon Phantoms or later). If you haven't browsed through there yet, it's a good idea to just look at some of the cards in there, get a feel for what they do :X

 

[bullados]

Also, once you know what cards you want your deck to be built around, the Pokepedia is a great resource for deckbuilding. Also, make sure that you check out the Compendium on this site for the rulings on the various cards.

 

[Heatherdu]

I agree wholeheartedly - my family and I have learned sooooo much from Pokegym and the Research Tower. Another suggestion is to find a league near you. The more experienced players at our league have always been so helpful by looking at our decks and suggesting fixes, pointing out different ways to play a card, making trades, etc.

Most of all though is just play and have fun. Sure the theme decks may not win tournaments but they are nice starting points. Especially right now when you can buy say the Infernape starter deck and the Infernape Lv. X tin or whatever combo that you like. The holidays are coming so you can always ask for some of those or gift cards to places that sell them.