Newbie with questions

P

primetime34

Aspiring Trainer
Member
I have a few questions about Pokemon TGC...
My son got this set for his birthday:
http://tinyurl.com/5nok3g

It only came with 60 cards total, so thirty for each player. This obviously isn't what is intended since the online tutorial calls for 60 cards per player. My first question is related to where we ought to get cards for this set from? Do I just go to Wal-Mart, buy one pack at a time, and hope to get cards that will be usable/helpful for what we already have? It only comes with two kinds of energy, so it is pretty limited in that regard.

Second question is about retreat...do you have to have an energy card linked to a Pokemon to retreat? If you do not have an energy attached, are you unable to retreat?

Third question..what does this symbol mean: {C}

Fourth, the above set only came with like 9 damage counters. Is there some way to download a template of more damage counters and print them off or something. Even with the limited cardset we have, 9 just isn't enough.

Fifth, I am sure there is some kind of strategy. There are a ton of Stickies on these forums..could someone kindly direct me to one that would give me a pretty good idea of a good way to play? My son is 7 so he won't be playing tournaments or anything, just with me and some of the neighborhood kids.

Thanks in advance for all the help!!
 
first:it is made on purpose,it works to start playing pokemon tcg.
second:at the bottom of the card there is a clue
weakness:
Colorless
resistance:
water
retreat cost:
3 energys(you have to discard 3 linked energys to the pokemon that you want to retreat).
third:it means any energy.
fourth:you can use glass stones and damage counters(all is 10 damage).
fifth(and the last one):you can play as you see fit,with the trainer kit you do not need any strat.
you are welcome!and I see nice your intentions.g'bye.
 
1. You could buy packs or you can go to an online supplier such as Ebay or Professor-Oak to buy the specific cards you want instead of trying your luck with packs. The best way to get energies, in my opinion, is to just find a theme deck that has which type of energy you want and buy that deck. You may be able to find energies for a lot cheaper online but either way works. You won't get that many basic energies from buying packs. The only set that has the basic energies is Diamond and Pearl.

2. Retreating a Pokemon depends on the Pokemon's retreat cost. For example, take a look at this card. http://pokebeach.com/scans/stormfront/4-lumineon.jpg Lumineon has a retreat cost of 0, so you can retreat Lumineon without getting rid of any energies attached to it. If a Pokemon had a retreat cost of one ({C}), then you need to remove one energy from that Pokemon to retreat. Get it?

3. {C} stands for any energy. Let's say you had a Pokemon that needed {R}{R}{C} for one of its attacks. That means you need 2 Fire energies and one other energy of any type to use that attack. Retreat costs always have {C} on them because you can use any colored energy to retreat as long as you remove the right amount of energies.

4. I'm not sure if there's a template for damage counters but there are things you can use to substitute for real ones. You can use little scraps of paper or even dice. Dice would be better in my opinion because you can easily show how much damage a Pokemon has on it. If it is supposed to have 6 damage counters on it, then put the "6" on the dice face up.

5. If you buy a theme deck it comes with a rule book that teaches you all of the current rules of the game. You can also check out http://go-pokemon.com/ for more info. Understanding all of the cards and how they work will take some time but just stick in there and I'm sure you and your son can start enjoying this game in no time!

Good luck. :)
 
Thanks for the quick responses. I think it all makes sense now. I do have a question about buying energy cards. Where would I find the "theme packs" that contain a certain type of energy? Thanks.
 
The theme decks are usually at Wal-Mart/Target, but I don't know if they'll have only the new StormFront ones. If they do only have the StomFront ones, the Gyrados one can help with {W} energies, as that trainer kit, I see, comes with Manaphy.
 
As with answering your last answer, you have to know the main rules of the game. Toxic has already provided a link. How to play well, however, requires practicing and experience. It's like playing chess: you can't learn it all instantly just by reading a book.

As a side comment, I would like to point out that while you (or your son) do not want to play in tournaments, there are weekly leagues that may be around your area. POP Leagues are friendly gatherings and not competitive at all. Even more, you and your son are also able to trade with others, improving your collection.
 
Thanks a lot for your help. I really want to be able to help my son have an enjoyable time. Like I mentioned, he got this set for his 7th birthday and he really wants to play and have a good time but with only 30 cards each, we seem pretty limited. I think I'll go to Wal-Mart tomorrow and see what they have and see if we want to increase our card count. Plus, I'll be on the lookout for some local friendly gatherings. Where would I find out if there is one? Thanks.
 
You could find Leagues in your area using this link.

http://www.op.pokemon-tcg.com/league/locator/
 
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