Like the title says i am looking to get back into it. The last deck i played was a black kyrem ex deck so i have no idea how mega or break pokemon work. It would be nice to get some advice on some budget and somewhat relevant poke deck builds that possibly include break and megas. I would like to start playing at locals so any help would be nice. Thanks.
Help Haven't Played Pokemon TCG in Awhile. Looking to Get Back into it.
- Thread starter Crescentarcher
- Start date
Thanks or the idea. I will look those up and try them out!
Greninja BREAK is a good and cheap deck that uses BREAKS!
Moved to PTCG Competitive Play as the OP is asking for help on decks. ^^
I'd recommend checking out Derium's Competitive Pokemon on youtube if you are interested in Standard format.
Their deck lists are either their own or of other high level players, and he also has some online battles that show off how decks execute.
I wouldn't take that channel as a golden standard, but it's a great starting point as they are very thorough about why they play the cards that they do and cover the realistic circumstances that you would use them. They also cover overall deck strategy.
Outside of the decks that people have already mentioned, Turtonator GX/Ho-oh GX/Volcanion EX decks with Kiawe are also very good, and Alolan Ninetales GX is a bit of a hard deck to maneuver, but done correctly can compete with the Tier 1 meta. Vikavolt/Tapu Bulu GX is also seeing increase in play.
If you're interested in BREAKs and Mega decks, you might be more interested in expanded format, which I am not knowledgeable enough about to talk about.
Their deck lists are either their own or of other high level players, and he also has some online battles that show off how decks execute.
I wouldn't take that channel as a golden standard, but it's a great starting point as they are very thorough about why they play the cards that they do and cover the realistic circumstances that you would use them. They also cover overall deck strategy.
Outside of the decks that people have already mentioned, Turtonator GX/Ho-oh GX/Volcanion EX decks with Kiawe are also very good, and Alolan Ninetales GX is a bit of a hard deck to maneuver, but done correctly can compete with the Tier 1 meta. Vikavolt/Tapu Bulu GX is also seeing increase in play.
If you're interested in BREAKs and Mega decks, you might be more interested in expanded format, which I am not knowledgeable enough about to talk about.
Thanks for the idea, gives me a good place to start.
I'm guessing you figured this out by now, but just in case...
Mega Evolutions in the TCG are treated as their own Stage of Evolution that Evolve from the Basic Pokémon-EX form of the relevant Pokémon e.g. M Manectric-EX Mega Evolves from Manectric-EX. Mega Evolution does have an additional, special rule and it made the first few sets Mega Evolutions pretty poor; when you Evolve one of your in play Pokémon into a Mega Evolution your turn ends. That meant no attacking, and you couldn't even Evolve into multiple Mega Evolutions in the same turn. A workaround for this has been released for most (but not all) Mega Evolutions. Most Pokémon-EX capable of Mega Evolving have a Pokémon Tool that follows a naming scheme: [insert Pokémon] Spirit Link. For example, if you attach Manectric Spirit Link to Manectric-EX and then Evolve into M Manectric-EX... nothing happens. Which is a good thing, because that means your turn proceeds as normal instead of ending.
If you attach the wrong Spirit Link card, then the Mega Evolution rule applies as usual; a Manectric-EX with Mewtwo Spirit Link attached can still Mega Evolve into M Manectric-EX, but your turn ends as if you didn't have a Spirit Link attached at all. There are some pieces of Mega Evolution specific support, some Mega Evolution specific counters, and some cards that specifically exclude Mega Evolutions from their beneficial effects. In my experience, they are somewhere between the difficulty of running a Stage 1 versus a Stage 2.
BREAK Evolutions are a bonus Stage of Evolution beyond what is normally allowed. No, you don't have to capitalize all the letters for most people to know what you mean, but yes, that is how the Stage is officially written on the cards in both names and effects. When a Pokémon BREAK Evolves, the BREAK Evolution card is placed horizontally on top of the appropriate lower Stage e.g. when a Zoroark Evolves into Zoroark BREAK, you make kind of a "t" shape when you place Zoroark BREAK on top of Zoroark. This is done because BREAK Evolutions use the Weakness, Resistance, Retreat Cost, Ability (if present), and attacks (if present) of the Pokémon from which they Evolved. Because of this (and/or the wording), you cannot put a BREAK Evolution into play without the Stage immediately preceding it. Greninja BREAK must Evolve from a Greninja, though that Greninja could have
A BREAK Evolution is on par with the equivalent Stage of Evolution; the loss of Stage-specific support seems to trade evenly with Evolving from something that is usually stronger than what said Stage typically Evolves from. Meaning most Evolving Basic and Stage 1 Pokémon are just stepping stones to reach their highest Stage of Evolution, while the normally non-Evolving Basic and Stage 1 Pokémon are designed to stand on their own but now don't have to.
Mega Evolutions in the TCG are treated as their own Stage of Evolution that Evolve from the Basic Pokémon-EX form of the relevant Pokémon e.g. M Manectric-EX Mega Evolves from Manectric-EX. Mega Evolution does have an additional, special rule and it made the first few sets Mega Evolutions pretty poor; when you Evolve one of your in play Pokémon into a Mega Evolution your turn ends. That meant no attacking, and you couldn't even Evolve into multiple Mega Evolutions in the same turn. A workaround for this has been released for most (but not all) Mega Evolutions. Most Pokémon-EX capable of Mega Evolving have a Pokémon Tool that follows a naming scheme: [insert Pokémon] Spirit Link. For example, if you attach Manectric Spirit Link to Manectric-EX and then Evolve into M Manectric-EX... nothing happens. Which is a good thing, because that means your turn proceeds as normal instead of ending.
If you attach the wrong Spirit Link card, then the Mega Evolution rule applies as usual; a Manectric-EX with Mewtwo Spirit Link attached can still Mega Evolve into M Manectric-EX, but your turn ends as if you didn't have a Spirit Link attached at all. There are some pieces of Mega Evolution specific support, some Mega Evolution specific counters, and some cards that specifically exclude Mega Evolutions from their beneficial effects. In my experience, they are somewhere between the difficulty of running a Stage 1 versus a Stage 2.BREAK Evolutions are a bonus Stage of Evolution beyond what is normally allowed. No, you don't have to capitalize all the letters for most people to know what you mean, but yes, that is how the Stage is officially written on the cards in both names and effects. When a Pokémon BREAK Evolves, the BREAK Evolution card is placed horizontally on top of the appropriate lower Stage e.g. when a Zoroark Evolves into Zoroark BREAK, you make kind of a "t" shape when you place Zoroark BREAK on top of Zoroark. This is done because BREAK Evolutions use the Weakness, Resistance, Retreat Cost, Ability (if present), and attacks (if present) of the Pokémon from which they Evolved. Because of this (and/or the wording), you cannot put a BREAK Evolution into play without the Stage immediately preceding it. Greninja BREAK must Evolve from a Greninja, though that Greninja could have
- Evolved normally from a Frogadier that normally Evolved from a Froakie.
- Evolved directly from a Froakie via Rare Candy.
- Evolved from a Frogadier that was put into play directly by another card effect.
- Have been put into play directly by a card effect like Archie's Ace in the Hole.
A BREAK Evolution is on par with the equivalent Stage of Evolution; the loss of Stage-specific support seems to trade evenly with Evolving from something that is usually stronger than what said Stage typically Evolves from. Meaning most Evolving Basic and Stage 1 Pokémon are just stepping stones to reach their highest Stage of Evolution, while the normally non-Evolving Basic and Stage 1 Pokémon are designed to stand on their own but now don't have to.
Well now i understand it much better.
Another thing you will need to know is about Pokémon GX. They are similar to EXs in that a KO gives up two prizes. However, there are some differences.
Every GX has a GX attack. This attack is typically super strong in some way and each player is only allowed to use one GX attack during the entire game (doesn't matter if you have 5 difference GX Pokémon, you can only use one of their GX attacks and only once per game).
Another difference between EX and GX is that a lot of GX are evolved Pokémon. They follow the same evolution lines as non GX Pokémon, so Gardevoir GX evolves from Kirlia which evolves from Ralts. There is no Kirlia GX nor Ralts GX, so it is possible to run some GX lines beside the very same non-GX line.
Every GX has a GX attack. This attack is typically super strong in some way and each player is only allowed to use one GX attack during the entire game (doesn't matter if you have 5 difference GX Pokémon, you can only use one of their GX attacks and only once per game).
Another difference between EX and GX is that a lot of GX are evolved Pokémon. They follow the same evolution lines as non GX Pokémon, so Gardevoir GX evolves from Kirlia which evolves from Ralts. There is no Kirlia GX nor Ralts GX, so it is possible to run some GX lines beside the very same non-GX line.
@Crescentarcher
A useful resource that too few players bother taking advantage of is Play! Pokémon Rules & Resources. It is part of the official Pokémon website and links to similarly official .pdf's of things like the Pokémon TCG Rulebook, TCG Errata, Pokémon TCG Banned List, etc. The Banned List is an unfortunate necessity due to some other changes since the last time you played (I think - the deck you cited as your last debuted 4-5 years ago but has seen use off and on since).
For example, we have additional Constructed Formats. Besides Standard - which may have been called "Modified" the last time you played - we still have Unlimited but have added the Expanded Format. The Expanded Format is like the Standard Format except it reaches back to the Black & White releases. It has only been around a few years but has yet to "rotate out" any sets. The powers-that-be have managed to release two cards that were pretty clearly broken to an old crank like me. While these cards are no longer Standard legal, as the Expanded Format doesn't seem to rotate sets (or may only rotate quite rarely... we don't know yet), the choice is to allow the format to get wrecked or ban them. Nothing is currently banned in either the Unlimited or Standard Formats. Pretty sure they've given up on the Unlimited Format, anyway. XD I'll let you see the banned stuff for Expanded, and ask if you have questions.
Finally, there is the Pokémon Trading Card Game Online or PTCGO. This is an official program and it was available in an early form while you last played, so perhaps you are already familiar with it. The powers-that-be haven't worked out all the kinks, but it is a pretty solid way to play. Even if you have zero interest in it, know that it does add some value to your firsthand purchases, which should include a card with a redemption code for the PTCGO; you can trade or sell such codes to players of the PTCGO. Currently, it is my preferred way to play but I'm not worried about going to Worlds or anything like that.
A useful resource that too few players bother taking advantage of is Play! Pokémon Rules & Resources. It is part of the official Pokémon website and links to similarly official .pdf's of things like the Pokémon TCG Rulebook, TCG Errata, Pokémon TCG Banned List, etc. The Banned List is an unfortunate necessity due to some other changes since the last time you played (I think - the deck you cited as your last debuted 4-5 years ago but has seen use off and on since).
For example, we have additional Constructed Formats. Besides Standard - which may have been called "Modified" the last time you played - we still have Unlimited but have added the Expanded Format. The Expanded Format is like the Standard Format except it reaches back to the Black & White releases. It has only been around a few years but has yet to "rotate out" any sets. The powers-that-be have managed to release two cards that were pretty clearly broken to an old crank like me.
While these cards are no longer Standard legal, as the Expanded Format doesn't seem to rotate sets (or may only rotate quite rarely... we don't know yet), the choice is to allow the format to get wrecked or ban them. Nothing is currently banned in either the Unlimited or Standard Formats. Pretty sure they've given up on the Unlimited Format, anyway. XD I'll let you see the banned stuff for Expanded, and ask if you have questions.Finally, there is the Pokémon Trading Card Game Online or PTCGO. This is an official program and it was available in an early form while you last played, so perhaps you are already familiar with it. The powers-that-be haven't worked out all the kinks, but it is a pretty solid way to play. Even if you have zero interest in it, know that it does add some value to your firsthand purchases, which should include a card with a redemption code for the PTCGO; you can trade or sell such codes to players of the PTCGO. Currently, it is my preferred way to play but I'm not worried about going to Worlds or anything like that.
Ok i think im pretty much back into the game in terms of what ive missed over the years. I will probably just start with the online game because the decks are just too expensive right now.
@Crescentarcher Google for some guides about how to best grind out rewards on the PTCGO. The short version is that some stuff you earn in-game is "locked" to your account, but some stuff you can trade with other players. Tradeable booster packs are basically money on the PTCGO; you can find price guides in various threads over on the official PTCGO forums, specifically in In-Game Item Exchange subforum (you have to be logged in to see that one).
The next major thing is pacing yourself; focus on rewards you can easily earn in the Theme Deck mode. You may even want to save up Tokens to buy some of the better Theme Decks from the in-game Shop. When you're good with at least one Theme Deck and have earned enough Tickets, you can participate in Theme Deck-only tournaments. (Tickets are one of the rewards you can earn in-game). Rewards for Tournaments often include booster packs you can trade. Keep doing that until you can build a decent Standard or Expanded Format deck, then start using that for grinding out rewards and (eventually) tournaments in those formats.
I'm oversimplifying things, but I will tell you that you can build a sizable collection without spending any money on the game, though it does take a good time investment. Now, if you do have some money to invest, any new Pokémon TCG product should come with a redemption code, and you should be able to find reputable sellers to just buy the codes directly. Codes won't give you specific singles unless they are from a gift set or tin or the like, but they will give you booster packs you can save up to trade for the stuff you really need.
The next major thing is pacing yourself; focus on rewards you can easily earn in the Theme Deck mode. You may even want to save up Tokens to buy some of the better Theme Decks from the in-game Shop. When you're good with at least one Theme Deck and have earned enough Tickets, you can participate in Theme Deck-only tournaments. (Tickets are one of the rewards you can earn in-game). Rewards for Tournaments often include booster packs you can trade. Keep doing that until you can build a decent Standard or Expanded Format deck, then start using that for grinding out rewards and (eventually) tournaments in those formats.
I'm oversimplifying things, but I will tell you that you can build a sizable collection without spending any money on the game, though it does take a good time investment. Now, if you do have some money to invest, any new Pokémon TCG product should come with a redemption code, and you should be able to find reputable sellers to just buy the codes directly. Codes won't give you specific singles unless they are from a gift set or tin or the like, but they will give you booster packs you can save up to trade for the stuff you really need.