Bad Timing for New Player?

[Azor Ahai]

I want to pick up this TCG as a hobby but I don't want to invest money in cards that will be useless in a few weeks. I've been reading and reading on stuff from deck themes to rules and so on. Everyone speculates the new rotation will be XY and so on.
My question to you guys is, should I purchase a whole bunch of XY packs with a deck? Should I just buy single cards to build a deck that will most likely make it into the new rotation? Or just save my money until it gets announced?

Also, are there any players from Las Vegas?

 

[bbninjas]

Honestly I do think it is a bad time for a new player to start investing money into decks, especially when they could easily become unviable after rotation. Sure, you could go ahead and buy a few packs, but if you regret it due to an unexpected change/introduction to the format, you will be the one kicking yourself. Basically, I advise you not to buy for competitive purposes and if you're patient enough, wait for the rotation to be announced and good decks of the new format to become evident. However, I think spending time is a very good idea. Reading up like you've done, and just practising playing the game would be great for your TCG experience, which is useful for even after rotation (i.e. it is good to know what was good and bad plays back before and what has changed to now). To gain practice in playing the game, I suggest using PB's very own TCGOne simulator, which effectively allows you to play against people online using virtually any card you'd like, all for free. This is a great way to gain practice, and simply have fun, without spending money uselessly.

 

[festizzio]

I don't think it's a bad time at all. My advice is to buy as many staple trainers/supporters/stadiums as you can, so whatever deck you decide to build, you can. I made the mistake of waiting until after rotation was announced last season to buy all my staples, when Ns were $3-4, Skylas were equally as expensive, and only a few months prior they were only $1-2. Now is a good time to invest in those, but the actual Pokemon can wait.

 

[crann777]

I don't think it's a bad time at all. My advice is to buy as many staple trainers/supporters/stadiums as you can, so whatever deck you decide to build, you can. I made the mistake of waiting until after rotation was announced last season to buy all my staples, when Ns were $3-4, Skylas were equally as expensive, and only a few months prior they were only $1-2. Now is a good time to invest in those, but the actual Pokemon can wait.

Pretty much this.
- If you're at a point where you're still learning the game mechanics, keep buying theme decks.
- If you're at a point where you know the mechanics but don't know the "staples" for a deck, keep buying theme decks and start looking at decklists to get an idea.
- If you're at a point where you know the mechanics AND have a good idea about what "staple" cards for any deck, buy singles from XY or any later expansion.

 

[bbninjas]

Pretty much this.
- If you're at a point where you know the mechanics but don't know the "staples" for a deck, keep buying theme decks and start looking at decklists to get an idea.

Here's a link with more links if you're at this point.

 

[Voxel]

I'd say it is safe to buy decks right now, (new player myself, started 2 weeks ago.) What I decided to do is to buy a deck I can play with for the next month or two, but could be modified to still be played when it becomes XY on. I'm not investing too much in the expensive staples that will be rotated out soon, (like N, Ace Spec cards,) but still buying a few cheap cards I know I can replace out with a new one when either AOR comes out, or just different cards. For example, I decided to buy two Mewtwo EX's for 8$, (card slightly damaged, so discounted) and put it in my M Gardevior deck, since I don't mind spending 8$ on something that will be cycled out in a month, and I know I can buy Lugia EX if I need a replacement.

If you're just starting out in competitive Pokemon, don't worry about making a deck that will win all the time. Until you really need to place high in some important tournament, having a deck you can have fun playing is more important than an expensive deck. Buying cheap, gimmicky decks can be really fun, despite not being a "top deck."