Help a Dad help his kids

[Nooraelad]

Hey all - looking to help my boys get started playing Pokemon TCG. The boys are 9 and 7 and after getting a few cards are dying to play. I've never played, but TCGs are not completely foreign to me. That said, I'm trying to be a good dad and get the boys started since a lot of their friends seem to play.

I've invested some time to learn the rules and have a decent sense of the ideas behind deck synergy and strategy. The boys each had a couple of starter sets and some cards from some friends at school, but nothing really that could amount to a functional deck - maybe 50 cards each. I went and picked up a few more starter sets, some booster packs from Black and White and a few others, and some kits to help them the basics. Believe me they had a blast just opening the packs and sorting the cards. Oh, and I have some tins to store cards in for them and some sleeves coming so they keep their cards safe. I think this is a good start.

The reason I'm coming to this forum is that I am fumbling around trying to get a basic deck build. Of course I've ready 7 or 8 "basic deck building" strategies available online, and gained some good insights. But I also have two other specific goals in mind:

1) While I have 400-ish cards now, well sorted, with a good compliment of trainer, support, energy, and pokemon cards, I am privy to the fact that it would be easier to just "buy" someone else's deck strategy and get the cards. I'd rather not do that as I think we don't learn as much and it would be less enjoyable for the boys. So I'd kind of like to be more basic and use the cards I have, and get a few (5-7) cards if we need them by buying online or trading.

2) My nine year is able to think in the mindset of advanced strategy and is pouring his brain into this while the seven year old is doing this because his brother is excited about it. My older son is intrigued by the idea of control-type decks, while my younger son can't really see past the idea of 'bigger numbers means it's more awesome." I can't blame either kid, so I want to help them build a deck to their strengths.

Ok, tl;dr - I need help cobbling something together.

I know I have enough cards to make 3 or 4 functional decks (gotta get mom to play, right?), but it wouldn't make much sense to post all the cards here. Again, 90% of the cards are from starter decks or fill-in (40+ common card) packs, with about 10% from booster packs. There are a good assortment and evolutions in psychic, water, fire, colorless, plant, and fighting and less so in electric, dark, and dragon. (We have barely any metal.) Similar ratios for energy cards. Lots of good core trainer/support cards too, with some good draw abilities.

So with this all in mind, can you point me in some directions? Here's my thoughts and I'd love to hear yours:

Older son: He likes the idea of control and building up more powerful cards, so based on our available cards I was looking to make a deck based on psychic pokemon and perhaps fusing that with dark pokemon. It uses ventipede and its evolutions for poison, and mewtwo for power. I was also thinking of using eevee (the verison that can call up basic pokemon to the bench) to flush out the base attackers. I'd like to use a complementary dark pokemon family, but I'm not sure what to use - ideas? With that, I could have the eevee evolutions available (espeon and umbreon) to make some basic deck synergy for slowing down the opponent and being able to attack. I know it's basic, but again he's 9 and just starting out.

Younger son: I'm going to play this much more simply. I understand the 'theme' decks based on a pokemon type aren't a strong strategy, but I also need to keep it simpler for him and let him grow into the game. With that, I think the fighting type pokemon will suite his 'more bigger numbers' appeal, and surround his pokemon (20-25) with energy (20) and card drawing trainer card. Simple and basic, and I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Me: When I played TCGs year ago, I really loved hand and deck destruction decks. That would be really mean of me to do that to my kids while we're all learning. I'm thinking about fusing two different pokemon types and maybe adding a couple of dragon types that use both energy for fun. I think I could build an electric/water type deck and maybe focus on trainer cards that get more pokemon to the bench and evolving. Thoughts on good core pokemon to build around?

I know this was a really long post, and if you're still reading you have my gratitude. Thanks for your ideas!

 

[KoopalingJ]

As someone coming back into the game after an absence since Platinum, I can't offer much as far as Tournament Legal strategy.

I can say that they should build Trainer sets that fit their play style (technical trainers or draw trainers), but you seem to have already picked up on that. My advice is to (at least for the older one) have him pick his main Pokemon lineup, his types (recommend two types max [normal doesn't count] unless he wants a really complicated deck), then build his Stadiums, Tools, and Trainers to complement said types.

Hope something here helped!

 

[bullados]

The easiest thing to do, from a learning standpoint, is to take a look at the "I Double Theme Decks" thread floating around somewhere in the Cards and Strategy forum. In there, you'll find simple, easy to build decks that have the potential to pack a lot of punch with the right build.

Don't expect to come in and start whipping people immediately. It takes lots of time to get that good. Start with your local League. There should be people around there who are willing to help out new players. The next round of Prereleases are coming up soon, check those out so that your kids can start understanding how to build their own decks themselves.

Above all, remember to HAVE FUN! Pokemon is a great game, a very fun game, and it'll stick with you for a very long time.

 

[PokePharos]

Hello Nooraelad!
As a father and older brother I can understand your situation a little bit better I think. I'm not the best player or even a great player, but I can for sure put in my 2 cents and maybe spark some ideas for you!

For your older son going with the dark/psychic pokemon, I would recommend the following pokemon:
Darkrai EX (Provides free retreat for any pokemon with Dark energies, great attack, great HP)
Mew EX (for his ability to copy attacks! Very strong! This card is from dragons exalted)
Sigilyph (This pokemon counter-acts EX pokemon, it's psychic also! Dragons Exalted)
Sableye (For the attack "Junk Hunt", able to re use a bunch of trainers! Dark explorers)
Hydreigon (I know this card is used, but I am not sure without research what to do with it, Noble victories)
Gothitelle (From Emerging Powers, used for its "MAGIC ROOM" ability, very controlling)
[I did notice you mentioned mewtwo which is extremely powerful right now]

Trainers I would recommend for the older son:
Dark Patch (Dark explorers set. Allows you to re use your dark energy)
Dark Claw (Adds damage to your dark pokemon attacks, Dark Explorers)
Rare Candy (Lets you skip evolution, speeds up the deck if using pokemon that evolve twice)

I didn't recommend a ton of trainers because I am not sure how his deck is designed entirely. The 3 that I mentioned CAN be very good

For the younger son who is looking more at big strong pokemon who deal out the damage! He might not understand all the mechanics, but I was the same when I was a little kid. We always want the super heroes right? I may not be as much of a help here as I may have been with your older son. But I looked through every set taking notes on some powerful fighting type pokemon and this is what I came up with.

Terrakion (Noble Victories. He can do 90 damage for 3 energies. and doesn't need to evolve!)
Marowak (Dragons Exalted, not a huge hitter, but he can be doing around 90 on turn 2! This would be possible if your son played a "Double Colorless Energy" and a fighting type energy on this pokemon. Its not the best out there, but I've found it to be very strong)
Terrakion EX (Dragons exalted, this one is even more powerful than the other Terrakion.)
Bouffalant (Dragons exalted. This pokemon is a heavy hitter against EX pokemon. Its a colorless pokemon and benefits greatly from double colorless energy. I think once your little guy gets the hang of the game this pokemon's relevancy will be easier to understand for him- I know a lot of kids who will ONLY play their favorite type and favorite pokemon. But this pokemon is very tough if given a chance)

I would try to include simplistic draw cards with the fighting deck. Just "Draw 3 cards" with Cheren (a supporter card). I apologize if my lists were of no help to you. I did make a huge effort to find as many cards as possible (before my son woke up this morning). If you need any other help I'm more than happy to do a little research for a fellow pokemon player &/or father. Good luck to you and your boys!

 

[Tim17]

welcome to 'gym and the pokémon community.

what would help us more is perhaps telling us the theme decks you got (if you don't recall the names, then the types from the decks and perhaps one of the "big" pokémon from the theme deck) and some noteables you and your sons packed.

this will help as we'll have an idea what you have and then we can suggest with out going over your budget (I presume you don't want to go spending too much at this time).

I do agree with the suggestions that PokePharos listed.

For your, Nooraelad, deck.....perhaps something can be done with [url="http://pokegym.net/forums/view.php?pg=towercard&imageid=53683]Salamence[/url] if you wish to go with a hand control idea....

 

[pnoodle5]

I personally think Mewtwo or Darkrai can be very excellent cards for your older son. One very popular disruption deck is called "Hammertime" and it relies on the use and re-use of
Enhanced Hammer and
Crushing Hammer

To remove energy cards from your opponent's hand.

I like the second list that Pokepharos provided especially, Bouffalant is an excellent card for *beating up the other guy as much as possible, go go go" and as your son gets older, you can build upon the deck with other trainer cards.

In case you haven't found it yet, the "Researching Tower" in the banner at the top of the screen provides images of every Pokemon card in use and is searchable by many different categories, this way you can see what a card does exactly without buying it.

The link suggested by Bullados is EXTREMELY helpful, the cards used are not very popular and some are not legal anymore because they are old, but the strategy and information is top notch.

 

[Nooraelad]

Wow, thank you so much for some wonderful insight already. You are all very kind. Let me touch on a few points I've inferred from what I've read, and then I'll share with you what we made for my older son.

KoopalingJ: Yup, we did exactly that. From the cards we had, we choose psychic and dark families so he wouldn't be vulnerable to the weaknesses of just one and added support and trainer cards that gave a little boost to his control and drawing ability.

Bullados: Yes, I read the theme decks as a template to help me understand some basic build concepts. I am aware that I could have used an off-the-shelf starter deck to get going, but figured doing it this way would lessen the learning curve later. We'll be making 3-4 simple deck initially and only playing amongst ourselves for awhile until we get the hang on it. I think it will be fun!

PokePharos: I like what you built there for a deck. However, I'm trying really hard to prevent the scenario where there is "Deck X" to build, but I need to buy 34 cards to make it. It's not that I couldn't - budget isn't the issue - but I think it sends the wrong message to my son. The good news is that some of the cards you mentioned I already have and was in the process of building around. I know we have Gothitelle, Sigilyph and Darkrai EX but they didn't seem to fit in with the control aspect of the deck. It could be that the versions we have aren't the same. (Small rant - the dozen versions of cards of the same name is tough to get my head aorund.) At the end of this post, I'll post the first deck we made, and hopefully we can make suggestions from there. Again, I'm going to try to stay within the cards we have as much as possible, but I already see there are a few "core" cards we'll need to get. But thanks hugely - your ideas gives me something to work towards and keep my eyes out for them.

Tim17: Thank you for the welcome! I have a feeling I'll be spending a lot of time here as I learn. We did get several theme deck. Yes, the names escape me, but I remember there was a dragon theme deck, and water/electric theme deck, a deck with dark/psychic and something else, one with plant and something else, and three tins (two Mewtwo, One Resharim). The rest have been dragon or B&W booster packs, and some odds and ends. I do think hand or deck control/destruction will be a route if I ever go to local tournaments (long time away), but I don't want to scare away my kids - not yet anyway. I'm thinking build a water/electric deck with synergy with Blake Kyurem EX.

Pnoodle5: I do have one bouffalant card, and I think it will suit my younger son well. I haven't studied the fighting cards yet, but I'm excited to once I get this first deck reasonably OK. Thanks for the tip on the researching tower. I'll be honest at first glance I thought that was just an add, so I'll inspect that closer! Also, what link are you referring to - I don't see one but am probably blind!

---------- Post added 01/08/2013 at 11:31 PM ----------

After taking this all into consideration, I'll list what we made tonight. Now, please please go easy on me. I'm not making a tournament deck, but rather using cards we have to have some synergy to learn the game. I'll probably need to most help with number of cards, and I do have a few extras. Lastly, I'll do my best to list which version of the card it is.

Venipede x3 (Emerging Powers)
Whirlipede x2 (Emerging Powers)
Scolipede x2 (Emerging Powers)
Mewtwo EX x2 (Master Deck Builder Box)

Sandile x3 (Dark Explorers)
Krokorok x2 (Dark Explorers)
Krookodile x1 (Dark Explorers)
Absol Prime x1 (Triumphant)

Eevee x2 (Dark Explorers)
Eevee x1 (Undaunted)

Umbreon x1 (Undaunted)
Umbreon x1 (Dark Explorers)
Espeon x1 (Dark Explorers)

Pokemon Circulator x1
Switch x2
Pokemon Communication x3
Professor Juniper x2
Cheren x4
Volkner's Philosophy x2
Bebe's Search x2
Professor Oak's New Theory x1
Interviewer's Questions x2

Psychic Energy x10
Dark Energy x9


I'm eager to hear your thoughts - again, go easy on me!! If I need to go buy some cards, I'd like to limited to 4-6 cards, if possible.

Thanks so much!

 

[Tim17]

do you happen to recall if the theme (structure) decks were all from Black&White sets? or did some have "HGSS" on them? (I'll be looking into another site that gives the deck names, which is why I ask)

Undaunted Umbreon - sadly we don't have any "poké-powers / poké-bodies" anymore, granted you might see some at your local league if they have players who play "unlimited"

Dark Explorers Umbreon - which one is it? #60/108 or #61/108 (yes, there are two in this set)

Eevee's - again, card numbers please (both sets have two different ones).

as for the rest of the pokemon, they're okay for the purpose you intend the deck to be, learning the game. I will point out that the lost zone was phased out upon Black&White series, so again, that information is only if you play "unlimited" decks.

personally the only thing I'd suggest changing on your "T/S/S" (trainer/supporter/stadium) is perhaps losing the volkner's for 2 more switch or even 1 switch and 1 circulator. You'll find that it's usually more trainer - items (or just regular trainer trainer in the case of older cards) than trainer - supporter (or supporter in older cards) as multiple items can be played in a single turn, whereas only one supporter per turn.

for the overall purpose of the deck - it will help teach different aspects and ideas, it's a little "wonky" for synergy. What I mean is that usually you pick something that's your main attacker or finisher and have other pokemon for the purpose of supporting or setting up for the main event. An example would be Darkrai EX with Hydreigon Dragons Exalted #97. Hydreigon is a "bench warmer" and assists by allowing the player to move dark energy off of Darkrai EX briefly to use Max Potion to completely heal your Darkrai EX. You then move the energy back onto Darkrai and continue to attack. I hope that helps you some and I don't mean to be a put off or rude about it, I merely want to make sure you help your kids and yourself get the idea of what you wish to do for decks when you're ready to start making your way into the tournament scene, if you do that is.

tournament decks you'll find are going to be a tad costly to make as some cards, like Pokémon Catcher, are considered staples. You can, however, decide to be a bit more creative in terms of how you work around a budget and be more creative in your approach.

 

[pnoodle5]

In reference to the "link", I was indicating the "I Build Theme Decks"
I am in definite agreement with you about not following "Deck X" and learning to build and play more creatively.

I will say that in general, tournament Pokemon (and therefore official Pokemon) "rotate" cards like in other games, so that extremely old cards cannot be used with new ones- this is done so new strategies can shine and so Pokemon can fix or remove old mechanics- such as Poke-Powers/Bodies. The current rotation is BW (Black and White) and any sets older than that. They should all have the Black and White subheading on the booster pack artwork/logo, if I am correct. The older HGSS cards aren't used so much so you might try to slowly phase them out.

One tip I would follow is to mark cards for reference in your deck lists with the number as well as the set, to ensure there are no duplicates. The deck looks good, but generally for consistency decks will run fewer Pokemon in greater numbers (which can be difficult when starting out) because it really greatly increases the number of Pokemon that you need that are available and increases consistency- this improves and focuses your strategy.

As far as buying cards goes, I much rather trade as it taught me valuable lessons as a kid and helped to foster friendships in a league- a good trader is usually an OK person at least. The one card you might want to try is Sigilyph from Dark Explorers number 52. If you are playing vs powerful EX cards, this is a good counter.

I wouldn't reccomend tournaments at this point either, but maybe visiting a local/the local league for a "field trip" on a regular day could be fun. There are often both highly advanced and very young players, and It's a great way to get good advice and meet people with similar interests. I would just consider a visit sometime in the future.

https://www.pokemon.com/us/account/events/

This is the official Pokemon Event Finder. Any official leagues (while called "events", they usually occur on a weekly basis or so) will be shown based on proximity.

 

[firemike]

Nooraelad, In one of your posts you mentioned just playing among the family. In my experience the people at pokemon leagues (where people play for fun) are very nice, and someone will play open-hand with you and your kids until you get it, then you can start to play by yourselves. You can find one pretty easily by googling "pokemon league (city, state)"