Help Do I need Gx's

C

chichun2002

Aspiring Trainer
Member
Do I need gxs to make a deck that can be used against people with gxs its just many of the gxs used are quit expensive and most are sold overseas where I need to pay $20 more for shipping
 
Are you looking to play in the standard rotation, or expanded? Also, do you want to play competitively or just casually?

If you are looking to be more on the competitive side, then basically every deck requires GXs of some sort. Even the ones using non-GX attackers require Tapu Lele GX for set up. If you aant to be more casual though, then the sky is the limit. For example, Empoleon and Garchomp from Ultra Prism have the capability to take down GX pokemon.
 
Yes you need GXs if you want to play competitively AKA you need some Tapu Lele GX, Zoroark GX, Buzzwole GX, and Lycanroc GX
 
They're good to have, but not necessarily.
I'm trying to build decks without the standard 2 Lele, and so far the Silvally Memory Box seems pretty good without Lele.
But then again, I'm the only idiot who plays Rotom Dex (Poké Finder Mode).
 
Greninja BREAK, Garchomp/Lucario, Alolan Dugtrio, and Empoleon are good decks that you can play that don't require GX's. Tapu Lele-GX and Zoroark-GX can help decks, but if you can't afford that, it's fine. I'd recommend Garchomp/Lucario as it's the least reliant on GX's. I'd pick up two "Mach Strike" theme decks, and grab two Octillery and Remoraids, then you can compose a deck like this:

Pokemon (20)
4x Garchomp
4x Gabite
4x Gible
2x Lucario
2x Riolu
2x Octillery
2x Remoraid

Trainers (24)
4x Cynthia
4x Professor Kukui
2x Hau/Looker

4x Nest Ball
4x Timer Ball
2x Pal Pad
2x Escape Rope
2x Rescue Stretcher

Energy (10)
10x Fighting Energy

6 Free Spaces

I'd recommend buying Lucario, N, Guzma, Brigette, Ultra Ball, Rare Candy, Float Stone, Choice Band, Field Blower, Super Rod, Strong Energy, and Double Colorless Energy, then updating your deck to this:

Pokemon (20)
4x Garchomp
2x Gabite
4x Gible
3x Lucario
3x Riolu
2x Octillery
2x Remoraid

Trainer (29)
4x N
4x Cynthia
2x Guzma
2x Brigette

4x Ultra Ball
4x Rare Candy
3x Choice Band
2x Float Stone
2x Pal Pad
1x Super Rod
1x Field Blower

Energy (11)
3x Strong Energy
4x Double Colorless Energy
4x Fighting Energy

This deck will cost you approximately $92.40 bucks, which isn't so bad compared to the $84.78 bucks for two Tapu Lele-GX's.

Hope this helps!
 
chichun2002 said:
Do I need gxs to make a deck that can be used against people with gxs its just many of the gxs used are quit expensive and most are sold overseas where I need to pay $20 more for shipping
Click to expand...

Welcome to the Pokémon TCG!

You have asked a very common question for someone joining the game, and it is a good question, but not a great question. Why?

The short answer can be misleading and the long answer can be confusing. So, I'm going to propose a different question you should ask, answer it, and in doing so, answer your original question as well.

"Do I need a deck with expensive cards to play the Pokémon TCG?"

For casual play, no.

For competitive play, yes.

With regards to the latter, it is not just Pokémon-GX that will be expensive, but various cards that are part of (I am guessing) the top 10% of those released. That 10% makes up the "metagame", the portion of the cards used successfully in tournament play (the term also describes how those cards are used). The reason Pokémon-GX (and their predecessors, Pokémon-EX) tend to be so pricey is that whether good or bad, they are released only in the highest rarities. I don't remember the exact odds, but while every pack contains at least one "Premium" rarity card (a Rare or better), Holographic rares are more like one-in-three packs. Holographic rares are not Pokémon-GX; those are the next rarity up. The more cards of a given rarity in a set, the worse your odds are of pulling anyone specific card of that rarity.

So yes, good Pokémon-GX are quite, quite pricey. I think the current one that is the biggest pain to obtain is Tapu Lele-GX. Lots of GX cards in its native set to compete with, and Tapu Lele-GX has an Ability that is so good, nearly every competitive deck runs at least one of it, and quite a few prefer two, three, or even four copies! Zoroark-GX is popular in many decks, but not to the extent of Tapu Lele-GX, however, Zoroark-GX was also released no in a regular set, but as a specialty one; it may not be as easy to get because of this. I don't think any other Pokémon-GX are important to all decks (or many decks, in the case of Zoroark-GX); instead, you need them for their specific deck (or decks).

Earlier, some folks listed decks that do not need any Pokémon-GX cards; you'll have to check the prices individually; most that have already proven themselves are still pretty pricey; while they lack Pokémon-GX, they tend to contain other less-expensive-but-still-kind-of-pricey cards. So, even if you avoid Pokémon-GX, any seriously competitive deck you build is going to have some pricier cards in it. Now, there are budget decks that avoid all the really pricey stuff, but they aren't likely to win a major tournament. Low-level tournaments or just League play? They can do a pretty good job.

Finally, consider the Pokémon TCG Online for a less expensive way to play.

 
pine_ddog said:
Greninja BREAK, Garchomp/Lucario, Alolan Dugtrio, and Empoleon are good decks that you can play that don't require GX's. Tapu Lele-GX and Zoroark-GX can help decks, but if you can't afford that, it's fine. I'd recommend Garchomp/Lucario as it's the least reliant on GX's. I'd pick up two "Mach Strike" theme decks, and grab two Octillery and Remoraids, then you can compose a deck like this:

Pokemon (20)
4x Garchomp
4x Gabite
4x Gible
2x Lucario
2x Riolu
2x Octillery
2x Remoraid

Trainers (24)
4x Cynthia
4x Professor Kukui
2x Hau/Looker

4x Nest Ball
4x Timer Ball
2x Pal Pad
2x Escape Rope
2x Rescue Stretcher

Energy (10)
10x Fighting Energy

6 Free Spaces

I'd recommend buying Lucario, N, Guzma, Brigette, Ultra Ball, Rare Candy, Float Stone, Choice Band, Field Blower, Super Rod, Strong Energy, and Double Colorless Energy, then updating your deck to this:

Pokemon (20)
4x Garchomp
2x Gabite
4x Gible
3x Lucario
3x Riolu
2x Octillery
2x Remoraid

Trainer (29)
4x N
4x Cynthia
2x Guzma
2x Brigette

4x Ultra Ball
4x Rare Candy
3x Choice Band
2x Float Stone
2x Pal Pad
1x Super Rod
1x Field Blower

Energy (11)
3x Strong Energy
4x Double Colorless Energy
4x Fighting Energy

This deck will cost you approximately $92.40 bucks, which isn't so bad compared to the $84.78 bucks for two Tapu Lele-GX's.

Hope this helps!
Click to expand...

These decks haven't had result yet but the best would have been that Garchomp/Lucario deck because of its 200+ damage output. Right now, you have to play Pokemon-GX to remain competitive. They simply offer everything.
 
crystal_pidgeot said:
These decks haven't had result yet but the best would have been that Garchomp/Lucario deck because of its 200+ damage output. Right now, you have to play Pokemon-GX to remain competitive. They simply offer everything.
Click to expand...
Luckily I already have some of these cards so it should make the price a bit cheaper thanks
 
Otaku said:
Welcome to the Pokémon TCG!

You have asked a very common question for someone joining the game, and it is a good question, but not a great question. Why?

The short answer can be misleading and the long answer can be confusing. So, I'm going to propose a different question you should ask, answer it, and in doing so, answer your original question as well.

"Do I need a deck with expensive cards to play the Pokémon TCG?"

For casual play, no.

For competitive play, yes.

With regards to the latter, it is not just Pokémon-GX that will be expensive, but various cards that are part of (I am guessing) the top 10% of those released. That 10% makes up the "metagame", the portion of the cards used successfully in tournament play (the term also describes how those cards are used). The reason Pokémon-GX (and their predecessors, Pokémon-EX) tend to be so pricey is that whether good or bad, they are released only in the highest rarities. I don't remember the exact odds, but while every pack contains at least one "Premium" rarity card (a Rare or better), Holographic rares are more like one-in-three packs. Holographic rares are not Pokémon-GX; those are the next rarity up. The more cards of a given rarity in a set, the worse your odds are of pulling anyone specific card of that rarity.

So yes, good Pokémon-GX are quite, quite pricey. I think the current one that is the biggest pain to obtain is Tapu Lele-GX. Lots of GX cards in its native set to compete with, and Tapu Lele-GX has an Ability that is so good, nearly every competitive deck runs at least one of it, and quite a few prefer two, three, or even four copies! Zoroark-GX is popular in many decks, but not to the extent of Tapu Lele-GX, however, Zoroark-GX was also released no in a regular set, but as a specialty one; it may not be as easy to get because of this. I don't think any other Pokémon-GX are important to all decks (or many decks, in the case of Zoroark-GX); instead, you need them for their specific deck (or decks).

Earlier, some folks listed decks that do not need any Pokémon-GX cards; you'll have to check the prices individually; most that have already proven themselves are still pretty pricey; while they lack Pokémon-GX, they tend to contain other less-expensive-but-still-kind-of-pricey cards. So, even if you avoid Pokémon-GX, any seriously competitive deck you build is going to have some pricier cards in it. Now, there are budget decks that avoid all the really pricey stuff, but they aren't likely to win a major tournament. Low-level tournaments or just League play? They can do a pretty good job.

Finally, consider the Pokémon TCG Online for a less expensive way to play.
Click to expand...
thanks
 
chichun2002 said:
Luckily I already have some of these cards so it should make the price a bit cheaper thanks
Click to expand...

You can just buy two starter decks to make that deck, which is something that hasn't been possible since the ex Emerald starter deck. I'll be picking two of them up for sure.
 
The Last Shaymin said:
Yes, but it would be really bad because of no turtles or ho-oh.
Click to expand...
Nope, I prefer Volcanion w/o Turtles or Ho-oh and do just fine. So much metal out there.

And Otaku, you are probably correct about pricing, but Volcanion EX can be had for around the price of a pack.
 
optimal_max said:
And Otaku, you are probably correct about pricing, but Volcanion EX can be had for around the price of a pack.
Click to expand...

True... but how much does the entire deck cost? I'm really asking; as a PTCGO player real-world card prices aren't always what I expect them to be. ^^' Since I haven't prioritized (re: spent 20 hours trying) to assemble a Greninja BREAK deck, I don't have one; while it lacked the various expensive staples like Shaymin-EX (ROS) or Tapu Lele-GX, it is a hard sell for a new player when you remember it calls for what, 3 or 4 Greninja BREAK, one or two Octillery (BKT), one or two Starmie (EVO), etc. Individually, this isn't pricey, but when you have to buy so many of certain cards, it gets really pricey. Which is what I was worried about with Volcanion-EX. Any single card isn't too bad, but the whole thing? Leaving out the typical, Basic Pokémon-GX attackers could make a huge difference, though. :)
 
Otaku said:
True... but how much does the entire deck cost? I'm really asking; as a PTCGO player real-world card prices aren't always what I expect them to be. ^^' Since I haven't prioritized (re: spent 20 hours trying) to assemble a Greninja BREAK deck, I don't have one; while it lacked the various expensive staples like Shaymin-EX (ROS) or Tapu Lele-GX, it is a hard sell for a new player when you remember it calls for what, 3 or 4 Greninja BREAK, one or two Octillery (BKT), one or two Starmie (EVO), etc. Individually, this isn't pricey, but when you have to buy so many of certain cards, it gets really pricey. Which is what I was worried about with Volcanion-EX. Any single card isn't too bad, but the whole thing? Leaving out the typical, Basic Pokémon-GX attackers could make a huge difference, though. :)
Click to expand...
Yeah, Volcanion may be $5 each, but 4 of them are $20. $20 is a lot for new players to spend on something they don't even know will do well. Then they have to get N, Sycamore, and the price keeps piling up.
 
The Last Shaymin said:
Yeah, Volcanion may be $5 each, but 4 of them are $20. $20 is a lot for new players to spend on something they don't even know will do well. Then they have to get N, Sycamore, and the price keeps piling up.
Click to expand...

Ok, the other option is to buy packs for $4-5 each and hope for the best. After opening 20 packs w/o an EX/GX it gets discouraging. Gonna spend a LOT more $$ that way. If you want to play you to pay.

Also, you can always play-test on PTCGO for free before buying.
 
One good thing to note is that once you have a good base of trainer cards (supporters, items and stadiums) you can often use those in lots of different deck ideas. I've found that I rarely need to invest in trainers any more (unless something really good comes out in a new set), and I can build a new deck for sometimes less than $20-30 depending the popularity of the pokemon. It might take some time to build up your trainer base, but it is very well worth it overall. As others have said, you should strongly consider investing in 2 Tapu Lele GX cards. They are useful in nearly any deck and will be useful for some time to come. It's a heavy investment, but it will be worth it long term if you stick with playing. Also pick up 4 double colorless energy. Not every deck will use it, but enough that it will be worth it to have them. Standard cards to consider:

N x 4
Sycamore x 4
Guzma x 2-4
Cynthia x 4
Rescue Strecher x 1-2
Float Stone x 2-3
Choiceband x 4
Ultra Ball x 4
Brigette x 1-3
Field Blower x 1-2
Rare Candy x 2-4
Super Rod x 1-2

There are other popular cards that are useful (max elixir, stadiums, etc) but they are more dependent on which deck you are playing. The cards above will be a good starter set of trainers for most decks. Of course I am referring to standard format. I don't even want to get into expanded as the list is well...expanded.
 
The Last Shaymin said:
Yeah, Volcanion may be $5 each, but 4 of them are $20. $20 is a lot for new players to spend on something they don't even know will do well. Then they have to get N, Sycamore, and the price keeps piling up.
Click to expand...
If the new player is a school child then sure 20 is a lot

Anyone with an actual income can afford that though
 
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