Best Way to Get Shaymin-EX for League Challenges

PatriciaWagon22

Aspiring Trainer
Member
Hello fellow trainers, I am working on the Mega Gardevoir deck I recently saw in a blog post here and I have one problem, after purchasing the cards I needed, all I lack, is those 3 elusive Shaymin-EX from Roaring Skies, and I just want to ask, how can I get a Shaymin-EX without wiping out my savings? It's hard to pull in packs but at the same time, I don't want to spend a boatload of money on them.
 
I'm afraid that if you need the real McCoy, your only option is to pay, trade, or borrow from someone you know and who trusts you for the duration of the event. LCs are sanctioned, so only authentic Pokemon cards are premitted for use.
 
Your best option is to buy singles online. It's expensive, but necessary for competitive play. There's no way around it, really.
 
I don't buy cards online, (eBay for example) it's easier to get scammed that way
I'm not sure what your experiences have been in the past, but eBay and PayPal both have phenomenal buyer protection. Sites like TCGplayer also have fantastic reputations and mechanisms in place to protect buyers. I can count the issues I've had over years of use on one hand, and all have been resolved to my complete satisfaction.

If you don't want to buy online, I'd look at card shops and trading with other players. Those markets will be considerably more limited given the demand on Shaymin-EX, though.
 
I'm not sure what your experiences have been in the past, but eBay and PayPal both have phenomenal buyer protection. Sites like TCGplayer also have fantastic reputations and mechanisms in place to protect buyers. I can count the issues I've had over years of use on one hand, and all have been resolved to my complete satisfaction.

If you don't want to buy online, I'd look at card shops and trading with other players. Those markets will be considerably more limited given the demand on Shaymin-EX, though.

It wasn't an experience persay, It's common knowledge, plush, I'm willing to bet no one will let me borrow 3 Shaymin at the league I go to.
 
It wasn't an experience persay, It's common knowledge...

C'mon knowledge among experienced players is that you learn how to spot fake cards, you learn how shop smartly on places like eBay, and then you learn those place's return policies. The good news is that anymore, this is a valuable life skill you can apply in many places (not just for the TCG).

With regards to eBay, I sold a lot of stuff on it a few years ago (not just TCG cards) and I've purchased there before as well. Unless it radically changed the last few years, it was slanted in favor of the buyer back then. Your odds of getting ripped off once you prepare are not high enough to warrant avoiding the service. I am actually much more worried about getting ripped off trading directly or buying product (sealed or second hand) in unusual venues. ;)
 
Unless it radically changed the last few years, it was slanted in favor of the buyer back then.
Still leans significantly in favor of the buyer. The burden of proof is entirely on the seller in the event of a dispute. I'm more careful as a seller than I am when I buy, to be completely honest.
 
Still leans significantly in favor of the buyer. The burden of proof is entirely on the seller in the event of a dispute. I'm more careful as a seller than I am when I buy, to be completely honest.

Sounds like when I left; so yeah @PatriciaWagon22 provided you learn the basics and apply them eBay is good to acquire cards. Make sure you read the individual auctions carefully; less to avoid actual frauds and more to avoid overpaying. Even if the seller and you are completely honest and showing due diligence, someone else might glance and overbid. Good for the seller, and not a problem for you so long as you were paying attention; I've gotten carried away and overpaid because I stubbornly wanted to "win" the action. XD There are also things like someone selling a virtual PTCGO card: they aren't supposed to do that but I see auctions for them on eBay anyway. ¬_¬
 
If you don't like going through user-sell locations like eBay, you can always go to various vendor sites. Troll & Toad, CoolStuffInc, and TCGPlayer are a few of the common ones to buy from, with Troll & Toad being the site most players use to price various cards. If you're still leery about dropping that much cash for a couple of cards, consider it like this: Shaymin-EX is a very versatile card, and can be played in almost any deck. Once you have your three or four (depending on the deck choice), you won't need to buy them again if you decide you want to build a different deck. It can be considered a good investment to your competitive play. Especially since, even when Shaymin-EX does rotate out, it will still be playable in Expanded events as well.
 
I'd recommend Troll and Toad, it's where I get my cards from including the two Shaymin EX's I use in all of my decks I simply rotate them out between decks so I don't need X amount of them for each of my decks.
 
If you can't afford all 3 Shaymins, like I can't, you can just use 1 Remoraid, 1 Octillery, and 1 Shaymin. Octillery is like shaymin but it can be used multiple times.
 
I just went on Amazon a few weeks ago to pick up some Shaymin's. Price was cheaper than TCGPlayers and I got free shipping with Prime.
 
I honestly think that shaymin may not be the best investment right now. Without a reprint, shaymin will only stay in the format for another year. Shaymins usually go for 45+ dollars, is it really worth it?

For casual League play? No, definitely not.

For any form of competitive play? Adjust based on how often you play, level of the event, and your own level of play. This card really is vital for most decks to operate at their optimum: yes you can run a version without them but you will see a net gain in losses that wouldn't have happened with the best build (that includes Shaymin-EX). If you're not going to top cut with Shaymin-EX, then even if you're playing every Championship series even you could plus some side events, not worth it.

This is unlikely. Instead you're going to find that $45 isn't as expensive as it looks. First subtract out the difference of whatever alternatives you would be using, and if it is a combination of multiple alternatives you do include them all; just because they aren't all in the same deck doesn't mean they don't tap the same budget (and yes, you share Shaymin-EX between different decks). For the sake of argument, I'm going to call it $5. I'm also going to assume three Shaymin-EX. So $135 - $5 is $130. If you're only going to one event, not worth it. FYI, this is why I don't consider the physical TCG to be worth it right now in general: competitive cards are too pricey. Now if you're hitting multiple Championship series events and you have a real shot at winning? Once you get to three (or more) events, it still stings but the investment is justified.

Without a reprint, shaymin will only stay in the format for another year.

Quoted again to highlight and serve as a lead in: Standard is not the only Format. Bold text not to sound angry, but keep it from blending into the rest of my lengthy text. ^^' Right now cards from the Black & White expansion are going to be legal for their sixth year. The only reason the BW-era low HP Pokémon-EX pseudo-Supporter stopped being a near staple in Expanded play is because Shaymin-EX replaced, it (and Jirachi-EX do still see some use in Expanded). Shaymin-EX has only been around for a little over one year, so Jirachi-EX was good until then, and we've probably got a good two to three years before Shaymin-EX is either completely gone or obsolete.

Plus @PatriciaWagon22 seems to be specifically running a deck that calls for Shaymin-EX (ROS) (see first post). If one enjoys the game and plans on competing often at a high level, then the mistake is to delay getting Shaymin-EX. Get them now, treat them well but use them; if you're going to Worlds even once they probably pay for themselves, and if not then you sell them off before Worlds. You'll even have a window of time to make sure they are rotating. Someone heading to Worlds will almost surely want them (even if only as spares), so you should still get a decent price at this time, partially recouping your investment. Just be aware of reprints. Even the possibility of those aren't deal breakers if you are careful.
 
I live in an area where there are many "leagues" not run by a P!P Prof. I was able to pick up all 4 of my Shaymin by trading with people who only collect and don't play the TCG. I would say to try and find an open play at a library or something. Most people at official P!P Leagues won't trade theirs since they know that it is worth something.
 
@MewtwoberTCG

Not being an official league only affects your advice in that official leagues are likely to have more knowledge players/collectors, and thus people who would recognize the card's value. This comes at an important trade off; the same increased likelihood of being ignorant about current card values comes with an increased likelihood of being less able to spot counterfeits. At least that is my anecdotal experience. ;)
 
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