New player requests help

Thundershock81 · 06/07/2009, 09:39 PM

Hey guys,

I just started playing the pokemon TCG this week and I have to say its a cracking little game - having been a long time TCG player of pretty much everything (from Babylon 5 and Mechwarrior to Magic the gathering and Yugioh). Anyways I'm looking out to build a deck to start things off and I just wanted some honest opinions on whats going round atm - myself and some friends of mine are planning to get into pokemon quite competitively after the Yugioh nationals so I thought now would be a great time to ask.

All I have so far is the Rising Rivals starter deck + some extra Gallades and a Gengar stage 2 SF. Been purusing the forums and I really like the look of the Gengar deck (psychic monsters probably my favourite) so I was wondering how how this deck fairs and whats a good competitive build for it - any links would be appreciated. Also like the look of Eevee decks (gotta love Eevee) and Gallade SP decks.

If anyone could provide me with some help and some good deck lists for Gengar, Eevee and Gallade decks - plus some general links on strategies and such it would be much appreciated.

Thanks in advance from a newbie.

zazu · 06/07/2009, 10:00 PM

i dont have a link or anyything but try to find a gengar-machamp deck. they are currently running pretty well.

Echnalaid · 06/07/2009, 10:16 PM

Don't be a sheep. Run whatever you want, however you want, with whatever you want. Pokemon's all about individualism, and picking cards that match your personality. I mean if you want to win tourneys, go ahead and use decks like whatever the Meta-Game's using. Unlike MTG or YGO, Pokemon has been about personal expression, but not anymore though with a slew of broken cards.

Go ahead and try a Gallade 4. I've never seen a good build for that.

zazu · 06/07/2009, 10:36 PM

dont lie... theres tons of great decks using gallade 4 heres 3 for example there luxray/gallade, infernape/gallade, and palkia/gallade

dobsonr · 06/08/2009, 12:35 PM

Welcome to the game! always good to see new people playing. I recently started playing again after a year and a half hiatus, and I'm also a card game veteran. If you are looking to play competitively I recommend using the Research Tower portion of this website. It gives a full list of the cards in the current modified format, so you can familiarize yourself with what you will see in the tournaments. Pokemon has several archetypes and strategies that you will quickly find familiar (mana/land/energy starvation, hand control, damage absorpton, rush beatdown) so you will easily learn how to build coherent decks. The archetypes section of this site will help you a lot as well.

A word of caution, the current modified season is winding down, with nationals this month and worlds in August. After that, 3-4 of the oldest sets will rotate out. So unless you have cash to burn I recommend avoiding some of those older sets, cherry picking any cards you may need to run a deck from them and not heavily purchasing boosters of those sets. Storm front, Platinum, and Rising Rival will last you longer and can be used to build the basis of many good decks.

As for your current interest and deck inquires, Gengar is currently one of the top rated decks. Its generaly played as a rush beatdown style with a few powerful twists and techs. Check the deck strategy and help forum on this site and you will find plenty of lists with various modifications, most with strategy commentary. You will also find lists for almost any other deck, just take the time to read and do your research. Have fun!

Godzfirefly · 06/08/2009, 12:36 PM

Welcome to the game and Pokégym!

If most of what you have is Rising Rivals, then I'd bet that most of your Trainers and Supporters are SP-support cards like Flint's Willpower, Bertha's Warmth, Aaron's Collection, SP Radar, etc. Because the Trainers/Supporter lines are so important in Pokémon (and purchasing such support lines can be expensive, sometimes,) I would recommend you try building a deck focused on SPs. Gallade E4 is a pretty interesting card that I've seen some fairly competitive builds for, this Battle Roads season. Plus, it's the only SP deck-choice of your prefered ideas.

As for finding links to decks, you can use this site's Search function to search the Deck Help and Strategy section to find examples of decks that focus on Gallade, as well as various players' advice for those builds.

Unfortunately, I'm unaware of any links to general advice for deck building. Unlike some games, where there are recommended mixes for card-types, Pokémon's Pokémon/Trainer/Energy mix often depends on specific deck-type.

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06/07/2009, 09:39 PM	#1
Thundershock81	New player requests help Hey guys, I just started playing the pokemon TCG this week and I have to say its a cracking little game - having been a long time TCG player of pretty much everything (from Babylon 5 and Mechwarrior to Magic the gathering and Yugioh). Anyways I'm looking out to build a deck to start things off and I just wanted some honest opinions on whats going round atm - myself and some friends of mine are planning to get into pokemon quite competitively after the Yugioh nationals so I thought now would be a great time to ask. All I have so far is the Rising Rivals starter deck + some extra Gallades and a Gengar stage 2 SF. Been purusing the forums and I really like the look of the Gengar deck (psychic monsters probably my favourite) so I was wondering how how this deck fairs and whats a good competitive build for it - any links would be appreciated. Also like the look of Eevee decks (gotta love Eevee) and Gallade SP decks. If anyone could provide me with some help and some good deck lists for Gengar, Eevee and Gallade decks - plus some general links on strategies and such it would be much appreciated. Thanks in advance from a newbie.

06/07/2009, 10:00 PM	#2
zazu	i dont have a link or anyything but try to find a gengar-machamp deck. they are currently running pretty well.

06/07/2009, 10:16 PM	#3
Echnalaid	Don't be a sheep. Run whatever you want, however you want, with whatever you want. Pokemon's all about individualism, and picking cards that match your personality. I mean if you want to win tourneys, go ahead and use decks like whatever the Meta-Game's using. Unlike MTG or YGO, Pokemon has been about personal expression, but not anymore though with a slew of broken cards. Go ahead and try a Gallade 4. I've never seen a good build for that. __________________ My Trades- http://pokegym.net/forums/showthread.php?t=102463 we had Celebi until people realized just going back/forward in time was much inferior to just ripping it apart- Rai BLAZIKEN- A FLAMING CHICKEN- ragingphantom

06/07/2009, 10:36 PM	#4
zazu	dont lie... theres tons of great decks using gallade 4 heres 3 for example there luxray/gallade, infernape/gallade, and palkia/gallade

06/08/2009, 12:35 PM	#5
dobsonr	Welcome to the game! always good to see new people playing. I recently started playing again after a year and a half hiatus, and I'm also a card game veteran. If you are looking to play competitively I recommend using the Research Tower portion of this website. It gives a full list of the cards in the current modified format, so you can familiarize yourself with what you will see in the tournaments. Pokemon has several archetypes and strategies that you will quickly find familiar (mana/land/energy starvation, hand control, damage absorpton, rush beatdown) so you will easily learn how to build coherent decks. The archetypes section of this site will help you a lot as well. A word of caution, the current modified season is winding down, with nationals this month and worlds in August. After that, 3-4 of the oldest sets will rotate out. So unless you have cash to burn I recommend avoiding some of those older sets, cherry picking any cards you may need to run a deck from them and not heavily purchasing boosters of those sets. Storm front, Platinum, and Rising Rival will last you longer and can be used to build the basis of many good decks. As for your current interest and deck inquires, Gengar is currently one of the top rated decks. Its generaly played as a rush beatdown style with a few powerful twists and techs. Check the deck strategy and help forum on this site and you will find plenty of lists with various modifications, most with strategy commentary. You will also find lists for almost any other deck, just take the time to read and do your research. Have fun! __________________ Refs: PKMMalevolent, PSOfan2000, Prime, Niqu3, Thunderbolt, Bangiras, Miamisportsfan45, whiteninja5, Gir, Ben, Havoc, SupremeBlader22, lugiaseeker x2, CharizardHector589, steelixdude, pokemon211, xXxAnthonyGxXx, DarkMagnus, EternalFire, Let Fire Fall, PokemonForever, Kirstin, ShawofMordor

06/08/2009, 12:36 PM	#6
Godzfirefly	Welcome to the game and Pokégym! If most of what you have is Rising Rivals, then I'd bet that most of your Trainers and Supporters are SP-support cards like Flint's Willpower, Bertha's Warmth, Aaron's Collection, SP Radar, etc. Because the Trainers/Supporter lines are so important in Pokémon (and purchasing such support lines can be expensive, sometimes,) I would recommend you try building a deck focused on SPs. Gallade E4 is a pretty interesting card that I've seen some fairly competitive builds for, this Battle Roads season. Plus, it's the only SP deck-choice of your prefered ideas. As for finding links to decks, you can use this site's Search function to search the Deck Help and Strategy section to find examples of decks that focus on Gallade, as well as various players' advice for those builds. Unfortunately, I'm unaware of any links to general advice for deck building. Unlike some games, where there are recommended mixes for card-types, Pokémon's Pokémon/Trainer/Energy mix often depends on specific deck-type.