Help Just starting Pokemon TCG again after nearly 20 years

S

Sammich

Aspiring Trainer
Member
So I used to be BIG on Pokemon cards when I was in elementary school. Wasn't super competitive but I always kept up to date with the cards. One day I lost all my cards while moving and quit since. With that said, roughly 17~18 years passed and now with finally realizing that I never really quit because I wanted to but more of because I lost everything and couldn't start from scratch as a child.

Okay with that said, I'd like to start collecting again but don't know where to start. I probably would attend events if I could for tournaments and stuff so any suggestions on where to start and what boosters to look for/avoid to stay relevant in today's Pokemon TCG?

*Edit*
Also any specific rules I should be aware of that may disqualify me from matches.
 
First off, welcome back to the game!

I'm not really much of a collector anymore, but as a competitive player I would try and look for singles (and packs, if you wish to get some) of Guardians Rising cards. The set has some very powerful cards in it, such as Tapu Lele-GX, Choice Band and Garbodor. The set is pretty good if you intend to build either Psychic or Water based decks.

In general, for competitive I would look to only get cards from sets Breakthrough and onwards, as anything before this is at risk of the yearly rotation which removes cards from the Standard format.
 
So you are like me! I was big on pokemon in elementary but fell off around high school. I have recently moved to Japan and it has sparked my love for pokemon again. I just started collecting again 4 or 5 months ago and have learned tons and collected many good cards. The rules have stayed the same just now there is higher attacks and pokemon then back then. Now they have EX and GX cards which are very strong and when knocked out give you two prizes instead of one. GX cards have a special attack called a GX attack and you can only use one GX attack per game. The best thing that helped me learn the rhythm of the game again was playing the Pokémon trading card game online. cause you cant cheat or do illegal stuff it guides you on how to play. I suggest going to the pokemon website and reading up on rules as well. If you buy a started deck it will include a rules book and an ok set of cards to start out. If you want to get competitive and do good then you will want to research some of the top decks being played today. and also what decks have been winning tournaments. The best and cheapest way to build competitive decks is to find a deck you want to use and buy single cards off amazon or another site. I do this a lot but sometimes I just love the excitement and mystery of opening a new pack.

Anyways if you have other questions feel free to message me. Also youtube is a great resource for learning which decks are good. I also love the channels that just open up tons of cards and boxes. It's addicting lol

Good Luck!
 
Thanks for the replies guys!

Also I will most definitely check out the Pokemon TCG online, good point on that one for sure!
 
@Sammich

Welcome back. Have you considered trying out both collecting and playing via the Pokémon TCG Online, before seriously investing in a physical product? The downside of the PTCGO is that, of course, it is "virtual product", so your collection is at the mercy of the powers-that-be at TPCi.

It is an official Pokémon product, though, using the free-to-play model; you do get redemption codes for virtual product when you buy physical product (first-hand), but they've got a very generous in-game rewards system, so a schmuck like me has a sizable collection and can afford to run at least one (often multiple) competitive decks through investing a lot of time but no money. If you do have funds to invest, you still have that option with the PTCGO, and it reduces the amount of time one has to spend grinding.
 
I would agree with Otaku above, and use the pokemon event locator to see if there are any leagues active in your area.

PTCGO works great on a computer or ipad and is a great place to practice.

If buying I would start with a Guardians Rising elite trainer box, and singles (or booster boxes if you like to gamble)
 
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