Returning Player: Much older now though!

W

Wombat

Aspiring Trainer
Member
Hi!

I was really into playing when I was a kid. Like 9 through 12. I'm now turning 20 on Thursday and recently wanted to get back into the game. I mostly started playing around with a friend of mine after she bought some cards. I wanted to play a few games with her right away with the newer cards so I went ahead and bought a deck (the Espeon one) and a bunch of boosters. I realize there are probably better ways to go about starting up ones collection but I just wanted enough to start playing with her fairly quickly so a trip to Walmart is what worked for that at first.

Now I'm in the middle of nowhere / N. Western Pennsylvania and I did some searches and there doesn't seem to be any active groups playing anywhere near me. I'm willing to drive a little bit but not too terribly much and I'd like to make some friends and have a more consistent thing going than an hour drive will give me or so.

So, I'm trying to start up something on my college campus. I'm going to a meeting on Wednesday with a local gaming group that plays Yugioh and Magic and other such things, hoping that we can start playing and maybe entice people with some prizes (just booster packs and things.) That should be fun if it works out. :]

I guess I'm basically wondering if anyone can point me in the direction of beginner tips and stuff for collecting cards at decent prices, etc. Money's not too much of an object but I don't want to needlessly blow money if I don't have to, of course. ;D It's been a while, like I said, so I know things have changed and are probably not quite as simple as they used to be. :]
 
Welcome back to the game! Wanna start? It's this simple.

Don't buy a starter deck. You'll get junk cards, even though the manual tells you how to play, you can look that up online.

If I were starting up, I'd look up decent decks that are doing well today. Maybe not those that are pricey such as LuxChomp, but maybe a Donphan Prime deck. You could even decide running Sablelock, even though it requires a bit more skill to play. Throw a deck together, and test it. Revise it. Edit it. Make it more consistent.

If you find a League, super. GREAT place to start. From here, more experienced players'll tell you about the game. You don't need to phenomenal your first time around. Take whatever you have, and start building. It doesn't matter. When you get the jist of the game down, start getting competitive. Look up some good lists.

Good luck, and once again, welcome back. Hit me up with a PM for further questions. :]
 
Buying the theme decks isn't such a bad idea if you need certain cards. I bought the nightfall deck for the 8 or 9 {D} energy and 11 {M} energy and some great supporters, plus some other nice playable cards. People charge a lot online even for basic {D}/{M} energies.

You could definitely start a pokemon league in your town/city like you're saying, just get in touch with Play! Pokemon and stuff. There's some info about starting up a league in your own area. Pokemon is definitely still fun for adults, me and my friend just got back into it and we're around your age as well. Its quite fun.
 
First of, find a league! Prereleases are a fantastic way of getting back into the game, and you're just in time for the metagame breaker: HS Triumphant!

After that I'd get a HGSS Trainer Kit for the trainers (2 Prof Oak's, 2 Pokemon Collectors, 2 Pokemon Communications), and maybe a Undaunted theme deck for the cards inside as well.

Once you have some good cards from the prerelease and the sets, go for a simple, inexpensive deck like Donphan, Typhlosion etc.
 
Telekinetic, I agree. The Nightfall or Umbreon theme deck from HS-Undaunted is probably the only good theme deck I'd consider getting. Just throwing that out there.
 
I would love to join a league, but unfortunately, like I said, from my searches it doesn't appear that there is one near me. I'm pretty sad about it. :< I would totally be interested in starting my OWN league in town but I would like to get more experience somehow before starting on a venture like that! Any advice?

I also have a couple of stupid newbie questions --

1. Is it okay to have mixed decks? Like as long as they're legal for play in general, can I use cards from different sets?

2. When I search around, I keep seeing mention of like the same sorts of decks that seem to be successful. Are those identical decks that people just use a lot? I guess I'm just worried that there are like three or four successful decks that people put together with the release of every new set or something and that people that use decks that have their favorite Pokemon along with some powerful ones are just not as successful or something. I'm not *the most* competitive person in the world but I would like to win a few matches now and then. :eek:)

3. As far as buying cards -- I have access to a Walmart, which I prefer because waiting for the mail sucks! ;D But of course that's an option, too. Should I buy booster packs? I admit that I enjoy opening them, haha. :eek:) Or is that a waste of money and should I be buying them individually or something? Some of them seem quite pricey as singles too.

Thanks so much you guys. I was apprehensive about playing again because I felt so out of the loop but I feel a lot better now that I've posted here!
 
1. Yes, you can use any card from any set as long as they were released in Majestic Dawn or a set after that. You can even use cards that were made in an earlier set, but were reprinted in a newer one.

2. I'm sorry to say it, but there are only a few competitive decks. Because Pokemon hates making good cards, only about one or two decks are made with the release of a new set. Somtimes the set is so bad, that none of the cards in it would be considered competitive. These decks that you keep on seeing(probably luxchomp, dialgachomp, sablelock, and vilegar) are tier 1 decks. They are the most used and best decks. I'm not saying that no other decks can be used but tier 1, but your deck needs to have a decent chance against everything in tier 1. Because of these competitive decks, people will not use decks with their favorite pokemon. If I were to use a Lapras deck, I would come in dead last. Nobody wants to go and lose, so they all use highly competitive decks. Unless your favorite pokemon are Luxray and Garchomp, I do not suggest building a deck for your favorite pokemon.

3. Never ever buy packs. You are simply losing money if you buy a booster pack. The odds of hitting a legend or prime(worth about 10 a piece) is about one in every four packs. That would mean you are spending 16 dollars just for a ten dollar card. Unless you had some really good stuff in the rest of the pack, you are losing money. Plus, you are never garunteed to get the card you want. Buy all your cards online. If you want some recommendations on what sites to buy from, PM me(I don't want to advertise).

Please, if you have ANY other questions PM me. I am online quite often and I love helping new players. Good Luck
 
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