Help The "What Should I Buy?" Thread

DuoForce

Semi-Ace Trainer
Member
Just got back into the card game, haven't played since the XY days. What boxes should I get to stack myself with the new GX and Trainer cards?
 

Sherezad

Aspiring Trainer
Member
As a returning player with no physical collection I was debating purchasing two of the Mach Drive decks and some pack/singles to mimic my PtCGO deck that has done me pretty well. Are there any other sets or bundles that someone who wants to dabble in standard should jump on?
 

THB

Well?
Member
Does is sound like a good idea to sell Tapu Lele now ?Are they already worthless ?

I wouldn't say that they are worthless, just not used as much in decks as they were before rotation.
They still find a way in some decks. I am keeping my copies as I did with my Shaymins.
 

DorilMagefont

Aspiring Trainer
Member
New player that plays online a lot, considering on getting into the physical card scene. I think I found the League in my area that plays the most: any tips on how to jump into the scene? Should I just attend a League night for fun and see how it goes? I know I need damage counters, etc. -- aside from buying sleeves (I hear the Dragon Matte ones are the best), any tips on equipment? The Elite Trainer Boxes feel kinda gambly to me compared to just buying singles.
 

ForeverRanger91

Aspiring Trainer
Member
Elite Trainer Boxes are great because they come with dice, some alright sleeves, a GX counter and burn/poison counters. Not too mention odds are good you pull at least one ultra rare.
 

PikachuLibre

Aspiring Trainer
Member
What’s the strategy to buying singles? Do you buy cards you think will be good, before the price increases? Or do you wait and just buy exactly what you need? I am asking from a parent perspective as the cards are usually $8+ by the time my kids let me know that they “need” it. And there could be some time sensitivity as well if they need it for a tournament.
 

Number51x

Blasting off at the speed of light!
Member
What’s the strategy to buying singles? Do you buy cards you think will be good, before the price increases? Or do you wait and just buy exactly what you need? I am asking from a parent perspective as the cards are usually $8+ by the time my kids let me know that they “need” it. And there could be some time sensitivity as well if they need it for a tournament.

I had to give this one some thought. The short answer is you need to have an understanding of what Pokemon are popular, the game mechanics so you know a good card effect when you see it (and cards they might interact with), and what cards are being played right now or what is called "the meta game." I think these are the three areas that affect what is needed for deck building and the cost of those cards.
 

OppositeAttract

Aspiring Trainer
Member
New player that plays online a lot, considering on getting into the physical card scene. I think I found the League in my area that plays the most: any tips on how to jump into the scene? Should I just attend a League night for fun and see how it goes? I know I need damage counters, etc. -- aside from buying sleeves (I hear the Dragon Matte ones are the best), any tips on equipment? The Elite Trainer Boxes feel kinda gambly to me compared to just buying singles.

As someone who made a similar transition in the last year I think attending a pre-release is usually a good time to get acclimated into the environment as everyone only has the pre-release kit to build decks from and the cost of entry is fixed. The next set I believe drops on May 3rd so the pre-release tournaments will probably happen throughout the two weeks before then depending on your shop. If you are attending a pre-release it's a good idea to pick up some sleeves in case you pull some valuable, expensive cards and potentially dice.

If you are looking to go to a league event before mid-april when the next pre-releases will start I think it might be wise to go to the shop and ask the person that knows about Pokémon to help assemble the deck you want to play. This will require you to buy singles, but you will also be guaranteed the cards you want while building some rapport with the people whom work at that shop.
 

Thebarksideoc

Aspiring Trainer
Member
Brand new player here, like so new I don’t even know how to play! But it looks fun and I’ve always had an interest in the genre...question is, where do I start?
 

ShaQuL

@KabutoKingTCG
Member
Brand new player here, like so new I don’t even know how to play! But it looks fun and I’ve always had an interest in the genre...question is, where do I start?
The way I started was to just buy a couple products with a mate of mine... I got a theme deck about 12 boosters and a tin. Using that I managed to create a very inconsistent deck, but after playing quite a lot with my friend, I decided to attend a few Pokemon casuals and eventually pre-releases and events. It's more fun with friends, and by that I mean people you meet at the events. So I'd suggest familiarising yourself with the game using PTCGO and then attending your local casual Pokemon events and once you have a grip on the game and a bigger card collection you can start thinking about building more competitive decks and taking part in events and tournaments. Personally, I love pre-release as everyone is on equal grounds, so I'd really recommending going to the next ones!

Apart from that, just remember, play mainly for fun, not to win and you'll never not enjoy it!
 

Gondalor

Aspiring Trainer
Member
My Budget is about 300$ I'm looking to build my second deck (already playing ZoroRoc) I would really appreciate suggestions! Thx,

Gondalor
 

Rosiecakes

Aspiring Trainer
Member
I was wondering what should I collect on a budget of £40.
I don't play and have a small collection of full art trainers (the cheapest ones I can find). S

hould I carry on collecting them or get GXs/EXs or Holo Rares?
 

WaterTrainer

Water types, unite!
Member
I got tired of purchasing English cards because the quality is meh (not to mention they sometimes look ugly), I'm on a budget, and the pulls have been downright terrible lately. From here on out, I'm purchasing Japanese cards either in singles or booster packs. Aside from eBay, what are some other sites where I can buy Japanese cards/packs for reasonable prices?
 

Number51x

Blasting off at the speed of light!
Member
I got tired of purchasing English cards because the quality is meh (not to mention they sometimes look ugly), I'm on a budget, and the pulls have been downright terrible lately. From here on out, I'm purchasing Japanese cards either in singles or booster packs. Aside from eBay, what are some other sites where I can buy Japanese cards/packs for reasonable prices?

tcgrepublic.com and www.papermoonjapan-annex.com are the ones I use. The former has just...the most meticulous packing jobs I've ever seen. Really some next level thought put into how they ship their cards if that's even a thing.
 
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