back to the ol' tcg

[purely_xc]

hello guys, i've decided to try coming back into the new tcg but ive come to realize so many changes, such as the difference between certain cards such as trainers, lv X pokemon, and lost zone? AND WHAT, DARKNESS AND METAL ARENT SPECIAL ENERGY ANYMORE?

ah ive actually lost interest and decided to save money because 5 years ago, it was a dead game because no one played it, and just a few months ago, a league has started..

and as an avid pokemon lover, well, ive always wanted to play pokemon competitively, both in game, and as well in cards.. so, can someone briefly explain these new terms to me, and what new cards are necessary for me to build a deck, important trainer cards eg, a good pokemon i could revolve my deck around or sth like that..

i would appreciate and love your comments.. thank you =)

 

[Elk-Dimension]

Well, a good start wuld be to look in the 'Fix my Deck!' forum. There are a lot of decks available to choose from in todays metagame. Something worth noting is that most people are preparing for the DP: Majestic Dawn- and forward format, which will start after this year's Worlds. A good deck for a beginner is Jumpluff. All you have to do is pretty much just bench Pokemon. A cheap deck is Shuppet Donk, and it's pretty good for a begginer as well. Wish you luck!

 

[CyndaquilMaster]

I don't really get what you mean by trainers, but they're divided now, into Supporters, Stadiums, and Trainers.
Supporters are like super trainers that are usually better than trainers, but can only be used once a turn.
Stadiums are cards that come into play and have added effects, like Snowpoint Temple which adds 20 HP to all Basics. They stay in play unless an attack or power removes them or another stadium of a different name comes into play.
Trainers are cards that can be used as many times as you want in a turn.
Trainers are also separated into Tools and TM's, both can be attached but only one of each max on each Pokemon, they both have added effects. Tools add Damage, reduce it, add HP, heal etc. while TM's add attacks.
All of them cannot be used on the first turn.

Lv. X's are cards that "evolve" or level up onto another card. For example Giratina Lv. X can be placed on Giratina. It can still use all of Giratina's attacks but it adds HP and more attacks, bodies, and powers to the Pokemon below it.

Lost Zone is where cards go if an Attack or Body is used. Giratina using the Lv. X's attack can Spread for 30, for each KO this gets with that attack, all cards attached to it as well as the Pokemon itself are sent to the lost zone. In the Lost Zone they can't come back and are removed from play.

Hope I helped, and by the way Dark and Metal are still Special but they also have basic forms as well.

 

[kwisdumb]

I'll do my best....

- Trainers are now several different things. The different cards are Trainers (Pokeball, etc. any number may be played during a turn), Supporters (which are like trainers, but better, and usually involve a character in the lore, only one can be played per turn), and Stadiums (a card that affects both players, is kept in the middle of the board, and is supposed to represent the Gym you're battling in). There are also Tools and TMs, which are types of trainers, which you attach to a Pokemon. Only one tool can be attached to a Pokemon at a time, and they give some added benefit. TMs are like tools but they supply extra attacks. None of these can be played on the first player's first turn.

- Lv. Xs were introduced in Diamond & Pearl and ended in Platinum: Arceus. They're like an evolution, but don't follow normal evolution rules, have different rules for summoning them, have cards specifically based around them, and allow you to use attacks from both Pokemon. For example, if you're using Gengar, you can level him up (only while active unless you use a specific tutor, that is rarely played), into Gengar Lv. X. Gengar now gains the benefit of more HP, added Powers/Bodies and attacks, etc. all while still being able to use the attacks/bodies/powers printed in the regular Gengar card.

- The lost zone was introduced in Platinum. It's essentially the "removed from play" area. Think of it as the discard pile except you can't retrieve cards from it. It's not a highly used concept now, but there is a set coming to the U.S. in November (presumably) that will feature a heavy Lost Zone mechanic.

- Metal and Dark energies still have special versions, as well as basic versions. The special versions provide the unit of energy as well as an added benefit (but cannot be tutored for), while the basic energies only provide the unit of energy, but are easier to come by in any given game. Most decks that use Dark/Steel type Pokemon as attackers will run both special and basic versions of their given energy.

- As far as learning about decks, Pokemon, etc. you can read the deck forum here to get a good idea of the big decks. To make your search a little easier, the top decks in the format right now are LuxChomp (Luxray/Garchomp), Jumpluff (AKA LuxPluff), and Sablelock (aka SPionage, Sablock, Sabledonk, etc.).

Good luck!