The first thing I do is think of 1-2 main Pokemon I want to base my deck off of. I then try and figure out if there are any Pokemon that can support them. The next thing I do is come up with a rough idea for how many energy I need for the deck to work. Trainers it is easiest to start with supporters. Professor Sycamore is seen in many decks because you are able to draw seven new cards at the expense of discarding your hand. VS Seeker is helpful in many decks because of being able to retrieve supporters. Once you get your main supporters of the way, write down all items, stadium, and tools that you think would be beneficial to the deck, even if it gets you to more than 60 cards. From there, figure out which ones are the most important and which can be cut until you get down to 60. Don't be afraid to change your count of Pokemon or energy before finishing a list for the first time.
Each deck has different requirements. There isn't a magic formula that works for every deck and to perform the best, you need to build the line specific for that deck. Practice with the deck online before going out and buying cards you need to do it so you can potentially save yourself expensive cards that don't work as well as you thought they would. While practicing keep track of what things are working and which are not. Are you starting with a preferred starting Pokemon often enough or do you keep getting stuck with Shaymin EX as your starter? Do you often find yourself having either an energy drought or supporter drought?
Another key to performing well is actually knowing how to play your deck. You could be given the best list in the world, but if you don't know how the deck works, you aren't necessarily going to do well with it. This comes with experience for each deck you build. The more practice you get in, the better you will become.
Finally, if you are interested in taking your game to the highest level, I'd suggest giving the Article Program a try. The writers do an amazing job on their articles and will help critique deck lists you come up with. While I primarily judge tcg events, I still enjoy and learn from these articles.
Each deck has different requirements. There isn't a magic formula that works for every deck and to perform the best, you need to build the line specific for that deck. Practice with the deck online before going out and buying cards you need to do it so you can potentially save yourself expensive cards that don't work as well as you thought they would. While practicing keep track of what things are working and which are not. Are you starting with a preferred starting Pokemon often enough or do you keep getting stuck with Shaymin EX as your starter? Do you often find yourself having either an energy drought or supporter drought?
Another key to performing well is actually knowing how to play your deck. You could be given the best list in the world, but if you don't know how the deck works, you aren't necessarily going to do well with it. This comes with experience for each deck you build. The more practice you get in, the better you will become.
Finally, if you are interested in taking your game to the highest level, I'd suggest giving the Article Program a try. The writers do an amazing job on their articles and will help critique deck lists you come up with. While I primarily judge tcg events, I still enjoy and learn from these articles.
