New Player - Got Some Theme Decks, But What Should I Do Next?

[jackett]

Hi, I'm sorry if this doesn't belong here. I'm a new player and I'm looking for some guidance in the TCG world. I play competitive Pokémon (VGC mostly) and I have always wanted to learn competitive in the card game. I recently got some theme decks as gifts and I want to know what should I do next if I want to get better at this.

The strategy I used to learn competitive before was getting on board with a already good team so I could focus on other factors besides the creative process. I thought I could do the same here, so I'm looking to build an overall good competitive deck to learn how to play nicely. I have played the online game quite frequently but only with theme decks.

I have the following theme decks:

BREAKPoint - Wave Slasher
BREAKThrough - Night Striker

I also have a M Latios EX (I honestly don't know if it has any worth) and some other cards that are not competitive at all. I think the decks help me with filling up my supporters/items stash, I have been checking the forums to learn what I can before going to local places to fight some other players in real life (I'm not from US though). What I have understood so far it's that the metagame in TCG changes a lot, and something called "rotation" is going to happen. I understand that there are two known formats: standard and extended, the last one including BW cards. I figured out the best timing to join should (or not?) be now, because the new generation is coming up, so the cards that are now standard will become extended in some point, and I will get to follow up every step the new standard takes. But am I alright about all that? Those are all the cards that I have, and I'm looking to build something decently, what should I look for next? Which deck should I build now, or what should I look in my city to buy next? I read the Elite Trainer Boxes are a very good first acquisition but if I own those two theme decks, would buying one the next right move? I'm not sure at all. Maybe I should look for cards and made a desk that is already popular? is that hard? which one should be my best fit?

I'm sorry for the long, long text but I'm really thrilled about it. It's all new to me. I just wanna know the shortest path to begin training (and learning) so I can play in the competitive field (maybe not in tournaments, but I don't wanna keep playing with the theme/basic decks, I think I've outgrown them).

Anyway, I'm really thankful for any advice. Excuse my English.

 

[Otaku]

Hello.

First, let me explain how the TCG operates a bit better.

There are two formats used for competitive play: Standard and Expanded. There is another format called "Unlimited" but that is saved for casual play or unsanctioned tournaments, and I haven't seen an unsanctioned tournament for it in several years. That format is kind of a mess, where your opponent is probably outright or at least effectively winning if he or she goes first.

Standard and Expanded are what is known as "rotating formats". "Extended" is a Magic: The Gathering thing. For Pokémon, this means once per year older sets leave the legal card pool or "rotate out". Usually this is just the oldest three to five sets. New sets are added the third Friday after the set's official release date. This is part of why it seems like things are changing all the time; going into the World Championships the most recent set (XY: Steam Siege) was legal for tournament play for the first time, and coming out of the World Championships the yearly set rotation was just a few weeks away (now just a few days away as it will occur on September 1st).

Expanded has only been around a few years now, but so far has never rotated any sets out. Maybe it will someday, but for now it seems like if it is from the Black & White series of sets or later, it will be Expanded legal. Yes, that means when a new set becomes legal for Standard, it also becomes legal for Expanded. If you see someone refer to BW-On, unless its an old comment, they mean Expanded. For less than two days, Standard will remain XY-On, which is XY: Kalos Starter Set and later releases. Most just refer to it as XY-On, because XY: Kalos Starter Set was an odd thing available only by buying three Theme Decks and most of the cards either weren't good, were available in the set simply named XY, or both (XY released shortly after). As of September first, Standard will go from XY-On to PRC-On; PRC is shorthand for XY: Primal Clash. That means Standard no longer allows cards from XY, XY: Flashfire, XY: Furious Fists, or XY: Phantom Forces unless that card was re-released in a later set. For example, Professor Sycamore was originally released as XY 122/146. Since then, it has been released a few other times. You will find a Professor Sycamore with the same card art as XY: BREAKpoint 107/122, and XY: Steam Siege 114/114 is a nice looking Full Art version. Either of these makes the older versions from sets that have rotated out of Standard play legal.

There are two banned cards right now, which as of rotation will only affect Expanded, as they wouldn't be legal for Standard anyway: Lysandre's Trump Card and Shiftry (BW: Next Destinies 72/99). Pokémon rarely bans cards. These were the first cards ever banned for Expanded play, and regular Standard play hasn't had a card banned since Slowking (Neo Genesis 14/111)... which rotated out of Standard play back in 2003, I believe.

 

[jackett]

Thank you so much! Now I understand a lot better how TCG works. Since both of my decks are PRC-On, the two of them should be legal for this new rotation. I think in fact my next buy will be within the next three weeks. If there's a new expansion coming out, it would be smart to wait, right?

Also I'm looking to build something decently with the cards that I own after I'm done with shopping. Is there any skeleton that would be an easy fit for my cards?

Are there trainers cards that I should be looking for right now? I think I could start with that since they're very useful in different type of decks. Which ones should I be stacking? VS Seeker?

Finally, about the rotation that is to come. The cards from [XY - PRC[ will still be playable in the Extended format, right?

Again, thank you so much for your help and time. I really want to get into this!

 

[Otaku]

Bit rushed on time and so forgive the possible lack of explanations:

If there's a new expansion coming out, it would be smart to wait, right?

The next expansion coming out in a few weeks is in Japan, not elsewhere. Our next new set doesn't hit until November. Japan usually gets stuff about two months ahead, and that is actually an improvement over how it was for most of the game's life. However there is something I recommend you buy officially releasing September 21: The Keldeo Vs Rayquaza "Battle Arena Deck". The short version is that Theme Decks usually aren't very good. Sometimes they'll have just enough to justify buying them (which can include you liking the included coin >.>), or if you're also using the official Pokémon TCG Online program, in which case you can use the redemption code for the real life deck to get it in the PTCGO.

Battle Arena Decks are a two-deck set; the decks are balanced against each other, and while no where near as good as a real deck, they are much better than a Theme Deck. They usually have multiple Trainer staples as a one or two count, plus if you like shiny they also each include eight foil Energy cards in each of those decks. There is also a Xerneas Vs Yveltal Battle Arena Deck and a Mewtwo Vs Darkrai Battle Arena Deck. The former still has some good staples or useful cards for beginners, stuff you'll have to pick up anyway, but some of the cards it focuses upon aren't too impressive. Mewtwo Vs Darkrai is highly recommended if you can find it without too much of a mark up. Both of these products are "out of print", meaning they aren't making them anymore so whatever is out there floating around is it.

Battle Arena decks are mostly meant for Expanded play, but a lot of cards in them like Professor Sycamore, VS Seeker, etc. are good for both Standard and Expanded play.

Also I'm looking to build something decently with the cards that I own after I'm done with shopping. Is there any skeleton that would be an easy fit for my cards?

There is a deck built around that Greninja which did very well, I believe it took second in the Masters (15+) division of the World Championships. However it will require getting a lot of other cards; nothing too pricey, but because many of them are run in threes or fours it still adds up. You'll have to tweak it to make it legal for the new Standard Format, but you can find the deck list from the World Championships here, on the official Pokémon site. That will actually take you to the Top 8 for the entire age bracket. I haven't been able to get the drop down display to work in Firefox, but I know it works in Chrome. If the wrong deck is up, just click the bar to bring up the others. The side navigation will let you see the Top 8 for the other two age brackets, plus a list of popular decks. Again all of these are for the past year's format but they also have a handy copy and paste feature, so it is about the same as a good skeleton unless something vital is lost to the deck.

Are there trainers cards that I should be looking for right now? I think I could start with that since they're very useful in different type of decks. Which ones should I be stacking? VS Seeker?

It is a thread in progress, but here @Shadowtaint posted a solid list. Really wish more new/returning players would look at it or the several other threads by new/returning players asking for help. XD

Finally, about the rotation that is to come. The cards from [XY - PRC[ will still be playable in the Extended format, right?

Expanded has only been around a few years now, but so far has never rotated any sets out. Maybe it will someday, but for now it seems like if it is from the Black & White series of sets or later, it will be Expanded legal. Yes, that means when a new set becomes legal for Standard, it also becomes legal for Expanded.

I know language/information differences matter, but that was supposed to tell you yes, if it is legal for Standard it is legal for Expanded. I would rather you ask than assume if you find me unclear though.

 

[jackett]

I'm very sorry if I didn't get it right, but it's a lot of information to digest and I'm just some days in. I will keep checking the forum to see where I can learn, although I would be thrilled if you had a list of posts I should be reading to learn.

Thank you so much for the advice, I will wait for the Battle Arena deck. Thank you again for your time.

Would you mind if I leave you a message on your profile if I have any doubt/question?

 

[Otaku]

I'm very sorry if I didn't get it right, but it's a lot of information to digest and I'm just some days in.

I am very sorry that the emoticon didn't make it clear I was poking fun at how the answer was barred. So that is "My bad" x2 now. >.>

If you have a question, just start a "Private Conversation", which is what this board named its "Private Messages".

 

[bbninjas]

Would you mind if I leave you a message on your profile if I have any doubt/question?

If you have any other questions, feel free to ask them in this thread. This would be even better than private PMs, so multiple people can help you and you might even have questions that other new players are also asking!

 

[TuxedoBlack]

@jackett Hi and welcome to the TCG side of Pokémon. I too like to suggest 2 things for you to consider at this point:

• Peruse both TCG Player & Advice and Deck Garage Forums for topics of interest.
• Given the cards you have and after perusing the Forums, consider posting your specific deck "ideas" you might have based upon the Pokémon you like. If your ideas are not comprised of a 60-card deck, then post those in the TCG Player Help & Advice Forum; otherwise, post your 60-card deck ideas in the Deck Garage Forum. In either case, the PokéBeach community can then provide further detailed comments to help you further refine your decks. Afterwards, you can revise your ideas to the point where you know which specific additional cards you want to get in order to build your deck(s).

 

[jackett]

Thank you for the advice, I'll definitively do that.

I wanted to ask, is there a big difference between the physical game and the online game? Just wondering because getting the cards online it's cheaper (since the shipping cost is some times twice the price of the card) and quicker than searching them in physical in my area. I still have plans to keep buying cards irl, but definitively it will take me a lot more time.

 

[Otaku]

Thank you for the advice, I'll definitively do that.

I wanted to ask, is there a big difference between the physical game and the online game? Just wondering because getting the cards online it's cheaper (since the shipping cost is some times twice the price of the card) and quicker than searching them in physical in my area. I still have plans to keep buying cards irl, but definitively it will take me a lot more time.

Not sure what you mean.

Though we say to buy singles, that doesn't mean just ordering one card at a time. If you must, you must, but hopefully you're not ordering a $0.25 USD card all on its own. Also be wary of some online sellers who will secretly use S&H costs to inflate their profits. Know how much it really costs to ship to your location.

Buying PTCGO cards depends on what you mean by that. Note that the EULA you agree to prohibits selling virtual PTCGO cards for money. Yes, you'll see people selling things like Shaymin-EX (ROS) for the PTCGO on eBay; they are breaking the rules and if they get caught, they might get ban (permanent or temporary) from the game! It is also a very good way to get ripped off; even if you report their actions, you can't admit that they have your money since you weren't supposed to buy the card.

If you just mean that yeah, its easier to use redemption code cards (which are okay to buy, so long as you trust the seller) and grinding in the game to earn virtual booster packs to trade for what you need, then you're good.

Prices can vary between the physical TCG and the PTCGO because some products are more available one place or the other. Sometimes glitches will result in a card being temporarily banned and that can make the PTCGO environment a bit different as well. The Legacy Format means HS-era stuff is in high demand on the PTCGO as well.

Sorry, typed this right before leaving so I can't be more detailed/coherent. =P