Okay, besides fixing some formatting issues with my previous post, now I can expand a little... starting with the Expanded Format for 2017. Expanded so far hasn't had a single set rotate, but the way they word the announcements I think the-powers-that-be are keeping it an option.
The Expanded format for the 2017 season will consist of the following expansions:
- Black & White
- Black & White—Emerging Powers
- Black & White—Noble Victories
- Black & White—Next Destinies
- Black & White—Dark Explorers
- Dragon Vault
- Black & White—Dragons Exalted
- Black & White—Boundaries Crossed
- Black & White—Plasma Storm
- Black & White—Plasma Freeze
- Black & White—Plasma Blast
- Black & White—Legendary Treasures
- Black & White Trainer Kit
- XY—Kalos Starter Set
- XY
- XY—Flashfire
- XY—Furious Fists
- XY—Phantom Forces
- XY—Primal Clash
- Double Crisis
- XY—Roaring Skies
- XY—Ancient Origins
- XY—BREAKthrough
- XY—BREAKpoint
- Generations
- XY—Fates Collide
- XY—Steam Siege
- McDonald's Collection 2011
- McDonald's Collection 2012
- McDonald's Collection 2013
- McDonald's Collection 2014
- McDonald's Collection 2015
- XY Trainer Kit
- XY Trainer Kit—Bisharp and Wigglytuff
- XY Trainer Kit—Latias and Latios
- XY Trainer Kit—Pikachu Libre and Suicune
- Black Star Promo Cards: BW01 and higher, XY01 and higher.
You'll notice a lot of awkward "mini-sets", like the McDonald's Collections and the Trainer kits. Sometimes an important card is available only there, but usually not.
McDonald's Collection 2013 was French only, so I am surprised it was included, but then again they are all reprints so as long as you're a player from an area where French is one of the official languages, I guess it makes more sense just to say they are legal.
Something else to know about is the Pokémon Trading Card Game Online (PTCGO). This is the
official way to play the Pokémon TCG online; it is free-to-play but like most such games, you can advance more quickly and with less difficulty the more you invest. Unlike the unofficial options you don't get every card to pick from, but will have to build up your own virtual collection; that might sound bad but a lot of folks find it quite fun (collecting is a game itself) and if you're buying firsthand product, usually it will come with a redemption code for the PTCGO anyway. I use it in part because I don't buy physical cards anymore... actually I don't buy any I just play for free (after a while you can get to a point where you can more or less keep up). Unlike when I use an unofficial program though I am still supporting the game (its easier to have someone like me than program good AI
).
The other reason I bring this up here is that the PTCGO features two
additional formats. Theme Deck which is just as it sounds (and useful for learning or re-relearning the game), plus the Legacy Format. The PTCGO debuted around the time of the
HeartGold/SoulSilver series, so those are the oldest sets it contains. Yeah, that is still after or around the time you quick playing. XD The Legacy Format is all regular and promo releases from the
HeartGold/SoulSilver series,
Call of Legends, and the
Black & White series. Not important if you're never going to touch the PTCGO, but figured you should know that is floating around out there. In the physical TCG there are also some alternate rules you can apply to existing formats that are obscure, but are recognized for side events by the-powers-that-be: 30-card, 2-on-2 Battles, Team Battle. Again don't worry about these for competitive play (they are
not legal for Championship Series tournaments), just know they exist in the periphery.
2) What are a few of the current staples in most decks?
I'll try to do order of importance, but that is pretty subjective.
1) Shaymin-EX (
XY: Roaring Skies 77/108, 106/108)
So important that I don't even have to look up its set name/card numbers anymore, because I have to post them so much: there is
another Shaymin-EX that released first that is
not a staple in the slightest, even for Grass decks (it is a Grass Type).
Bianca (or if that is too new,
Professor Birch) is a Supporter that has you draw until you have six cards in hand. Not such a great effect for a Supporter, but as an Ability that triggers when you Bench the Pokémon in question from hand, turns out it was gamebreaking. Might seem less impressive to you since you were active when
Uxie (
DP: Legends Awakened 43/146) was legal (well, I think you were). Many (most?) decks plan on Benching a
Shaymin-EX or two on their first turn to aid in their setup. Some decks run more copies to try and insure it, but as it is so small (110 HP) and worth two Prizes when KO'd, most also want to avoid Benching more than that.
2) VS Seeker
This is a reprint of an older card, and time has made it even better than when it first released.
VS Seeker is dead if you have no Supporter (or worthwhile Supporter) in your discard pile, but as you'll come to understand that is rarely an issue in a well build deck (well, having no useful targets does happen every now and then). Obviously it is only as good as the Supporters it can retrieve... but with the added benefit of flexibility as it can not only give you a 5th through 8th use an otherwise maxed out Supporter, but in conjunction with
Shaymin-EX (above) and
Battle Compressor (below) make it much easier to toolbox your Supporters, running a single situation Supporter you can effectively use five times (four if you had to toss it first) as the situation warrants. Few decks will run less than four
VS Seeker.
3) Battle Compressor
Thinning your deck is a general TCG strategy. Thanks to
VS Seeker you get a combo to ensure you have either the proper draw/search Supporter for the turn, or to get your specialized Supporters out of your deck. Now deck specific uses vary; Night March will usually be tossing its
Lampent first and foremost, but they still gain added reliability from the first trick. There are also cards like
Ace Trainer (not very good),
Judge (okay),
N (very good or great), and
Red Card (good but most decks lack space) to wreck long term plans. Cultivating a hand
and deck is very important due to
N, which we discuss later.
4) Professor Sycamore
Professor Juniper as well in Expanded play; and if you were wondering the-powers-that-be added a rule that says you can't run both of these in the same deck (instead of just naming the new one
Professor and issuing an errata for older copies >.>). This has been the main draw card since
Black & White released (which contained
Professor Juniper), probably a few months to a year after you left the game. So yeah, remember
Professor Oak from
Base Set and
Base Set 2? Well, this is that but nerfed by making it a Supporter. Unlike
Bill (which as you may recall was actually reprinted as a Supporter), turns out the Profs are still awesome as your Supporter for the turn.
5) Ultra Ball
As it can both fetch
Shaymin-EX and thin your hand, maybe I should have listed this sooner. So yeah, not only important for getting what you need, but
Shaymin-EX basically lets it fake being a Supporter.
6) Lysandre
All decks will run at least one while others two or three;
Lysandre has that game winning effect of letting you control what your opponent has Active. As it is a Supporter decks show some restraint as excess copies would be dead in hand. A prime target for
VS Seeker late game, bringing up a
Shaymin-EX or the like for a win.
7) N
Though not what it once was (used to be as important as
Professor Juniper/
Professor Sycamore),
N is still a valuable shuffle-and-draw card for most decks with the risk/reward of messing with the opponent's hand. As such a single seems like a staple, with some decks still maxing it out, and others being in between.
8) Trainers' Mail
Can't grab itself, but every other Trainer is up for grabs. If it wasn't for Item lock this would probably be more important; top decks are half or more Trainer!
9) Puzzle of Time
A great effect for any deck but with a cost that means only certain decks bother. It has two effects, with the important one being the effect that requires you discard a second copy of
Puzzle of Time to activate: two cards from your discard pile back in hand, no restrictions. Usually this will be
Double Colorless Energy, though a clutch Supporter or piece of TecH or (in Expanded) an Ace Spec are also great targets.
10) Acro Bike
More dangerous-but-worth-it deck thinning, at least for certain decks like Night March or those with an easily reclaimed resource (lot of Pokémon and/or Basic Energy), as that usually gives you one "safe" card to discard.
11) Hex Maniac
Usually just as a single, but
Hex Maniac can shut down all Abilities until the end of your opponent's turn. Quite sick if you go first, use a few
Shaymin-EX or other non-Supporter options to set up, then finish with
Hex Maniac so that your opponent cannot use anything but Trainers for his or her own set up. Most decks are basically half Ability for set up anymore. This is in addition to its main use; shutting off protective Abilities like Safeguard.
12) Xerosic
Thanks to
Battle Compressor,
VS Seeker, and a format where Tools/Special Energy are so important, a lone
Xerosic graces many deck lists. There are better options to discard Special Energy (
Enhanced Hammer) or tools (
Startling Megaphone), but
Xerosic is one card that can hit either
and target cards on your own side of the field if needed.
13) Startling Megaphone/Tool Scrapper
Thanks to Pokémon Tool F and
Spirit Link cards, you sometimes need to be selective in discarding Pokémon Tools, so in Expanded some decks still include
Tool Scrapper. Without such concerns,
Starling Megaphone is amazing... but only enough to be a single in most lists.
14) Teammates
Not for every deck, but those that need key cards and are likely to suffer OHKOs really enjoy
Teammates as a single (reused via
VS Seeker).
15) Town Map
Deck lists are so tight that many can't afford something important being blindly stuck in the Prizes. It goes beyond avoiding your deck being crippled as well; your Prizes act like a kind of specialized search if you're running a fast, hard hitting deck like Night March. The thing is it is another card that all decks want but many skip; decks that
need certain cards available ASAP (again, like Night March) will find a single
Town Map to be a must run.
...
There are basically dozens of "near" staples that many or even most decks don't run but
wish they had the space to run. I don't know if I even covered all the "loose" staples (the cards that would be staples but some decks just
have to cut something and they are it).
