Help The "What Should I Buy?" Thread

The important thing to keep in mind with PSA grading is factoring in the costs of the grading into the increased price of the card. PSA grading does cost money (if I recall, it was $15 or so per card, unless you pay a subscription service), so make sure that you would get at least that much more money for the card over an ungraded version (and preferably more to account for time, shipping, and effort) before grading.
 
Returning Player (Played during Wot years). What Should I Buy?

I am planning to return to the Pokemon TCG. I haven't played since the original set came out and the Pokemon craze was in full swing. I am debating whether to go with either an Elite Trainer Box, a Tin Case (my store has one with Blastoise-Ex), a dual deck set, or something else entirely. There is a Pokemon League at my local card shop every Sunday. What will be the best value for my $60 to begin getting familiar with the game again?
 
RE: Returning Player (Played during Wot years). What Should I Buy?

I would start by looking at a Theme Deck that interests you. Purchase the one you feel is best, then try to individually purchase the same copy of certain cards in that deck online, to allow yourself to run a more reliable engine of that card.

For example, I think Dark Hammer is a good choice for newcomers. You can find a Deck List here: http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Dark_Hammer_(TCG)

After purchasing it (for about $15), go online and get some more individual copies of some of the cards in that deck. I would recommend 2 more Machamp and 1 more Landorus. Then, focus on getting some more tech Trainer cards for reasonable deals. Shauna, Pokemon Fan Club, and Lysandre are all really good Supporter cards. You also might need Ultra Ball, Rare Candy, Sacred Ash, and VS Seeker for Item Cards. Strong Energy is also an option.
This Theme Deck doesn't come with very good attackers, so I recommend cards like Hawlucha from Furious Fists, Terrakion from Legendary Treasures, Lucario from Legendary Treasures or Plasma Storm, and Dugtrio from XY. All of them are good choices for players playing on a Budget.
After that, you will probably have already spent $15 on the Deck and about $10 on the extra cards. From then on, some choices for additional cards would be:

-Elite Trainer Boxes. The one from Furious Fists is great for newcomers, as it comes with Sleeves, more Energy cards, and 8 packs. That said, though, I wouldn't recommend you get this if you don't have a Theme Deck yet, since it can be difficult to build a deck from the ground up using only 8 Booster Packs.

-Tins. Right now, the best Tins money can buy are the Xerneas-EX, Yveltal-EX, and Delphox-EX tins. They come with the Promotional EX and 4 packs, making them overall pretty good deals.

If you don't care on using Dark Hammer as a Theme Deck, you could also try using the:

-Solar Strike Theme Deck (comes with Blastoise and Suicune)

-Xerneas/Yveltal Battle Arena Decks (come with Xerneas, Yveltal, Aromatisse, lots of Holos, and some good Trainer cards (including Trevor, which is a Special Promo exclusive!))

-Burning Winds Theme Deck (comes with Pyroar and Yanmega)

-Mystic Typhoon Theme Deck (comes with Meowstic, Miltank, and Milotic)


Hope this helps!
 
RE: Returning Player (Played during Wot years). What Should I Buy?

Do not buy Theme decks if you're into competitive play. They suck. Real hard. They are basically a waste of money given the cards that are inside.
Elite Trainer Boxes have sleeves and booster packs.
Tin boxes sometimes have useful Pokémon-EX.

I'd love to say you can build a deck with a Theme deck, but they are REALLY REALLY bad. They have nothing for competitive play most of the time.
You'll get utterly crushed even at Pokémon League and will have wasted $9 FOR NOTHING.
The Battle Arena decks are slightly better, they cost $20 but have more useful cards. Solar Strike has Blastoise and Suicune but $9 is too much.

Night March doesn't cost a lot to build, and at least it'll be better than buying a theme deck and boosters. Buy single cards.
 
RE: Returning Player (Played during Wot years). What Should I Buy?

Night March and Flareon are two decks that you can build on that budget, provided you seek out individual cards rather than opening packs and hoping you get lucky. Agreeing with Froggy025 that you should not buy theme decks. However.... the Xerneas/ Yveltal Battle Arena decks do come with a host of useful Trainer cards, including Sycamore, Ultra Ball, Muscle Band, and more. The Red Genessect Collection is another good buy if you can still find it. This deck comes with Skyla, Juniper (just remember you can't run Juniper and Sycamore in the same deck), and the somewhat elusive N.

Also, if you still have any of your WotC era cards with you, you should bring them with you to League. Some collectrs look for old cards and may offer to trade current format things for them. Additionally, if you have Double Colorless Energy, Rainbow Energy, or Switch, these are all staple cards that have been reprinted in current sets. They are perfectly legal in sanctioned play despite being old. :)
 
RE: Returning Player (Played during Wot years). What Should I Buy?

I can sort of understand your position as I too was in the same position when I returned for Dark Explorers. The last Pokemon set I've ever played was Neo Genesis which was WotC era. In any case, I'd suggest the following:

1) Trade every single WotC you may have. I've managed to trade up EXs thanks to the buttload of Rares I had from the WoTC era.

2) Some cards may have been reprinted so you can use these. Energy and Double Colourless is a good start to keep. As My Little Keldeo has stated, Rainbow and Switch have been reprinted to be legal as well.

3) Buy the Red Genesect theme deck. It might be hard to source given the popularity of the cards inside but it will be necessary as it contains 2 of the staples like N, Juniper and Skyla. The Battle Arena Deck containing Xerneas and Yveltal might be good if you can't find the Red Genesect deck.

4) Raid the singles in your area. Some card stores might have singles, i.e. separate cards that are sold. Check and see what singles they have. Some good staple singles might be Yveltal EX, Mewtwo EX and as well as Darkrai EX if you can find it.
 
RE: Returning Player (Played during Wot years). What Should I Buy?

Go for a couple of Red Genesect boxes AND go for singles after that, you'll manage to make a good deck spending less money. And don't forget that there are a good bunch of EXs that are really good and have cheaper, promo versions
 
RE: Returning Player (Played during Wot years). What Should I Buy?

For trainers, the Red Genesect or the Battle Arena decks ... the Battle Arena decks also come with foil energy which is cool, and the Pokémon are a little better, but still are largely not good enough competitively ... stay away from theme decks - they are terrible value. The elite trainer boxes are good value, and the sleeves and poison/burn counters are nice, but probably won't get you too far in terms of actually building a deck since you're hoping to get good pulls from the packs, so if you have some kind of idea what you're looking for, singles are still probably going to be cheaper for you.

Night March is a reasonably competitive deck that can be made for fairly cheap using Phantom Forces cards, and the same can be said for Phantom Forces Crobat / Wobbuffet.
 
Reccomendations for a New Buyer?

Hello everyone! I am just about to purchase my first Pokemon TCG Booster, Box, or something, I dont know, that's why I am here!

I have about $20 set aside for my first TCG Product, maybe more if needed.

My question is, what should I buy? I am not at ALL new to Pokemon, or the TCG, but I have never bought any before. What do you recommend for a new player/collector?

I already plan to order a 100 Random Card ALL Reverse-Holo Lot off of eBay later this week, but I am making a trip to Wal-Mart and I am dumbfounded. What do I buy? Thank you for letting me know!

Note: I don't really care about EX's or all the rare stuff yet :p I just want alot of nice cards for my money, and an evenly mixed deck maybe?

THANK YOU! :D
 
RE: Reccomendations for a New Buyer?

Random Ebay lots like that usually aren't a good deal. Those sorts of things are mostly put up there with the intention of parents buying cards for their kids. There are, of course, exceptions, but generally speaking, I don't recommend Ebay lots to anyone.

Buying cards is quite a bit different if you're collecting or playing. Players will want to focus on building up good playable cards (trainers and Pokémon), and getting into playing serious can be on the pricey side (especially if you're starting from scratch), so if you want to go this route, do some research, and check out some of the threads in the New Player forum. If you're just looking to play a fun game with friends without getting close to the competitive side of things, you may want to pick up a theme deck or two; they're typically about $12 each in the States and will be able to get you playing the game quickly and easy, though those decks aren't really good for anything more than casual play.

You have a bit more freedom with collecting. Depending on what you want to collect and what your plans are, you can buy singles, or even packs for a particular set that you like. If you'd like to try and complete a set, usually buying a booster box is a good way to start that, though that's quite a bit out of your price range. If there's a certain Pokémon you'd like to collect, sites like Troll & Toad and Collector's Cache sell singles from current and old sets. Tins and Promo Packs are also nice in a way because they give you promo cards in addition to packs, and the tins are nice for storing your cards or other small things in. Tins are usually my "go-to" item for a casual TCG purchase.

It should be noted that buying packs is usually less of a good deal than buying singles (your changes of getting enough good cards to match the after-market value for each card to the pack price are slim), but buying packs is a lot more fun. Even as a semi-serious collector, I love buying and opening packs since that's where a lot of the fun is for me, though I have switched to mostly collecting Japanese cards since the cards are cheaper and the pull rates are much better.
 
RE: Reccomendations for a New Buyer?

If you have a Walgreens around you, stop in/call ahead to see if they carry Pokemon because they have BOGO free booster packs, tins, and theme decks. That comes to $2 a pack. If you want a lot of bang for your buck, I'd suggest buying a Legendary Treasures booster box. Those boxes are chock full of EX cards, and the set has quite a few good/playable rares. I got more than double the amount of EXs in a box of LT compared to other sets (the norm is usually 4-6, at least it has been for me).

Aside from Walgreens this week, that $20 will go a lot further if you buy packs online, either in a multi-pack lot on eBay or individually on Troll & Toad or other trusted websites. Some sellers on eBay weigh their packs and sell packs that are least likely to have EXs in them, so look for auctions that promise (hopefully they're not lying) that their packs are not weighed.

Oh, and since you're a new player, I'd say an Elite Trainer Box would be a good option. That comes with damage counter dice, energy cards (5 of each type), deck sleeves, storage with dividers, and 8 booster packs. I believe the sets with ETBs are Plasma Blast, XY, Furious Fists, and Phantom Forces.
 
RE: Reccomendations for a New Buyer?

Agreed. Those "100 random cards" lots on ebay are often cards that the seller didn't want after opening packs. That said it's not likely that you'lld find many playable ones. I normally use Ebay when hunting for singles. If you're looking to get into playing, you should scour ebay for the staple Trainer cards (check out this topic) so your deck has a strong backbone, even if you're not going competitive just yet. Unfortunately everything you need is going to run you over $20, but you could get playests of the cheaper ones.
 
RE: Reccomendations for a New Buyer?

If you get an Elite Trainer Box, get one for Furious Fists, Plasma Blast, or Phantom Forces. Plasma Storm and XY both have over 140 cards in their sets, so relying on just 8 Booster Packs to get enough playable cards for a 60 card deck is pretty much impossible. Plasma Blast, Furious Fists, and Phantom Forces have only about 110 each, so you're bound to get a lot better pulls from those. Phantom Forces is my #1 recommendation for Elite Boxes, since the set features a crud-ton of playable trainer cards, a lot of Common Fully-evolved Pokemon, (Skarmory, Dedenne, Alomomola, Night Marchers) and pretty much every Holo and EX is playable in some way or another. (excluding Heliolisk and Diancie, which are both mediocre at best)

If you want to see everything Phantom Forces contains, you can look here, courtesy of Pokebeach:
http://pokebeach.com/2014/10/phantom-forces
 
RE: Reccomendations for a New Buyer?

Athena said:
Random Ebay lots like that usually aren't a good deal. Those sorts of things are mostly put up there with the intention of parents buying cards for their kids. There are, of course, exceptions, but generally speaking, I don't recommend Ebay lots to anyone.

Buying cards is quite a bit different if you're collecting or playing. Players will want to focus on building up good playable cards (trainers and Pokémon), and getting into playing serious can be on the pricey side (especially if you're starting from scratch), so if you want to go this route, do some research, and check out some of the threads in the New Player forum. If you're just looking to play a fun game with friends without getting close to the competitive side of things, you may want to pick up a theme deck or two; they're typically about $12 each in the States and will be able to get you playing the game quickly and easy, though those decks aren't really good for anything more than casual play.

You have a bit more freedom with collecting. Depending on what you want to collect and what your plans are, you can buy singles, or even packs for a particular set that you like. If you'd like to try and complete a set, usually buying a booster box is a good way to start that, though that's quite a bit out of your price range. If there's a certain Pokémon you'd like to collect, sites like Troll & Toad and Collector's Cache sell singles from current and old sets. Tins and Promo Packs are also nice in a way because they give you promo cards in addition to packs, and the tins are nice for storing your cards or other small things in. Tins are usually my "go-to" item for a casual TCG purchase.

It should be noted that buying packs is usually less of a good deal than buying singles (your changes of getting enough good cards to match the after-market value for each card to the pack price are slim), but buying packs is a lot more fun. Even as a semi-serious collector, I love buying and opening packs since that's where a lot of the fun is for me, though I have switched to mostly collecting Japanese cards since the cards are cheaper and the pull rates are much better.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the tips Athena! :)

I think I am going to start with the older collections, like Dark Explorers, Plasma, Etc.

I have $125 to spend Total, and I have $20-$50 available for Pokemon. ($80 AT THE MOST)

So, here is what I am going to get! (I think!)
250 Assorted Pokemon Cards eBay lot from 2008-10 (I know, I know, but it's too good to pass up)
($17.99 but I'm splitting it with someone 50-50)

A Pokemon Theme Deck (Not sure which one....help?)

But I would like to get some booster packs, also, without spending $50 for an Elite Box. (Help again?)

Thank you SO SO much!!! :)

Oh I also forgot to mention, the 250 Lot has No duplicates included. :)

I may look for a Trainer Box on sale...I see some for like $25 on Rollback. Hmmm....
 
RE: Reccomendations for a New Buyer?

If you are biting the bullet on the eBay listing I'd wait on your theme deck to see what you get in the lot. And pick the deck that is best complimented by the cards you got from eBay.
 
RE: Reccomendations for a New Buyer?

Jeremy1026 said:
If you are biting the bullet on the eBay listing I'd wait on your theme deck to see what you get in the lot. And pick the deck that is best complimented by the cards you got from eBay.
Click to expand...

Alright thanks! :D
 
I'm going to be building this deck, however I need a lot of cards. I'm thinking about buying a Battle Deck and Elite Box (for sleeves and dice, as well as packs), but trying to decide if I should indeed get them and, in the case of the Elite Box, which one. I also could possibly buy a Booster Box, so the best one to get would also be good two know.

These are the cards I need for the deck, sorted into expansion:

XY Base:
3 Yveltal EX
1 Yveltal
3 Muscle Band
3 Double Colorless Energy

LT:
2 Darkrai EX
1 Spiritomb LT

PhF:
3 Head Ringer
3 Double Colorless Energy
3 VS Seeker

FlF:
2 Lysandre
3 Ultra Ball

PhF:
1 Dowsing Machine
4 Hypnotoxic Laser
3 Virbank City Gym

Other:
1 N

EDIT: I can spend ~ 87.54 US to get all the above cards (excluding shipping and AUD conversion rates). Is that a bit too much?
 
Don't but a Booster box if you want certain cards. An elite rraoiner box is good for materials if you don't already have one. But if you already do, just buy the cards individually
 
I should note single cards can be very expensive especially the rare ones. Just buy the booster packs. You will have more luck that way than buying them outright. The sad part is they might be hard to get but at least you have a 2 out of 10 chance.:(
 
On the contrary, ash. If you buy boosters, there's more chances you get a pack with nothing you need than getting a pack with 1 of the 60 cards you need for a deck. You can buy 3-4 booster boxes and never get a competitive deck at all. If you're planning to play competitively, ninjas, just buy singles, because that way you can buy from an array of sets and complete your deck.
 
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