What to Buy for Two?

[ViolaBouquet]

So, I'm new to the forum and hope this is in the correct thread. So in the past I have played a little Magic and PokemonTCG (Playing multiple video games and the card game for a year or so when it came out in the late 90s). I've always wanted to get back into both. My wife has been interested in getting into it but has a bit of a negative view of the thing mainly because of experiences as a kid seeing people who were so obsessed that it completely put up a wall to her ever opening up to it. Also the anime was a huge turn off as making the card game seem like a silly thing meant for kinds under 10 years old.

Well she has decided to take the plunge after talking to her about it today and I have no idea where to start. I have been playing online for the past week and feel like I am up to speed on deck building and strategy but that really is not my concern. My thought was to get one of the two-packs of theme decks and either wait a week to get the BreakPoint ones of the BreakThrough since they were the newest, but I don't know if that would be the best ones to get. Are some of the theme decks more "mature" as far as the artwork goes? I honestly couldn't care less about it and focus on the strategy and game play but I just don't want to open some decks and have it feel like she's playing a game for little kids filled with cutesy artwork. It seems petty but I'm sure some people might understand the dilemma of explaining Pokemon to someone new and put it on the same level as Magic or other card games.

I honestly would really want this to be a thing we can play often together and so my first thought was to buy a couple theme decks and learn together but I don't want to go too old to where cards might be useless for competitive play later on or just get the newest one for the sake that it is the newest. Now I already know theme decks are not competitive at all but our goal is to play together and have fun. My next thought was to go to the local card/comic shop in town but the one time I was in there I got a "look at this new guy" kind of vibe and really wan not a pleasant experience.

So, where do we start?

 

[TuxedoBlack]

Welcome back to the game and community of Pokemon.

Since both you and your wife have some knowledge of the game, I would suggest the following before investing in any particular theme decks:

On the Beach's main webpage, press the "TCG" button and there you can access scans of both Expanded and Standard sets. Identify some Pokemon that interest you enough to build a deck around.

As an alternative, checkout the Deck Garage Forum too. There, of course, you will find lots of different deck ideas too.

There are a few websites where you can then build and test your decks online (I will PM you my favorite, no cost website). After testing online (where you can play against your wife too, assuming you have access to 2 computers) for awhile, you'll gain more game playing knowledge and confidence.

Once you settle upon your decks, then consider purchasing the actuall cards you need.​

When you return to that local shop, identify the players who seem to enjoy the "fun" of the game and play-test with them.

 

[ViolaBouquet]

Welcome back to the game and community of Pokemon.

Since both you and your wife have some knowledge of the game, I would suggest the following before investing in any particular theme decks:

On the Beach's main webpage, press the "TCG" button and there you can access scans of both Expanded and Standard sets. Identify some Pokemon that interest you enough to build a deck around.

As an alternative, checkout the Deck Garage Forum too. There, of course, you will find lots of different deck ideas too.

There are a few websites where you can then build and test your decks online (I will PM you my favorite, no cost website). After testing online (where you can play against your wife too, assuming you have access to 2 computers) for awhile, you'll gain more game playing knowledge and confidence.

Once you settle upon your decks, then consider purchasing the actuall cards you need.​

When you return to that local shop, identify the players who seem to enjoy the "fun" of the game and play-test with them.

Thank you. I'm not too keen on trying to make something super competitive. My initial thought was the BreakPoint theme decks, but someone on a different forum pointed out the Battle Arena decks might be better and lean towards a bit more strategy later on. I'll check out the Deck Garage though. My main goal is to make sure my wife enjoys playing and not worried about winning at a local league or tournament.

 

[Electricbluewolf]

Battle Arena decks do contain more deck staples, cards that nearly every decks run, in them meaning you can transfer them between decks. I'd say it's much more value for money than a theme deck.

There's all sorts of different styles and paces you and your wife can play, I'd find one that suits you both as then it's more fun that way-do you prefer moving fast, hitting for few, or setting up slower and potentially hitting for more?

 

[bbninjas]

First off, you should know some basic competitive play stuff about formats, if you're thinking about participating in the future and want to be obtaining suitable cards. One of the most important things to know is that the TCG is up into two extensively used competitive formats - Standard, which is XY-on, and Expanded, which is BW-on. Here is an official list of the legal expansions usable in each format, which provides more details on the Standard and Expanded format.

Generally, each format will consist of 5+ expansions at its earliest point, however Standard will feature a total of nine legal expansions as of BREAKPoint. The earliest sets of Standard have been around for around two years. However, formats will rotate each year as a way to freshen up the following year, meaning a few of the oldest expansions will not be legal in that format for the next year (sets rotated from Standard will end up in Expanded anyways). This means you shouldn't really need to worry about getting the "newest" stuff, and if you do get newer stuff, they will generally stick around in that format for a couple of years.

In regards to artwork, there isn't like "mature" art. However, I don't consider any of the art particularly childish - a quite like a lot of the art.

Like @TuxedoBlack said, you can use a TCG simulator to get a bit of experience/an idea, especially as they are normally free. However, if you're looking at buying cards in real life, then I have a few suggestions.

Your first main option is to buy some theme decks. They are really basic and don't really give you much of a taste on what a deck can actually do, but they are cheap and very easy to get. From a competitive standpoint, if you are looking at buying some theme decks, I would recommend Destruction Rush or Resilient Life due to them containing some major players in competitive decks, Yveltal and Xerneas/Aromatisse respectively. For a more recent and easier-to-obtain deck, but still somewhat good, you may like to try Night Striker from BREAKThrough or Wave Slasher from the soon-to-be-released BREAKPoint.

The other main option is to obtain a Battle Arena Kit, like what @Electricbluewolf mentioned. These are great, as they have great value since most cards are powerful staples - cards that are used a lot in competitive decks - and give you a great taste of how a deck could be. Furthermore, they contain two 60-card decks opposed to just one. The only Battle Arenas released are the Xerneas vs Yveltal Battle Arena Deck and the Mewtwo vs Darkrai Battle Arena Deck. I personally recommend the latter, as it contains more useful staples than the former and will also give you the taste of powerful Pokemon-EX, a mechanic popular in the current format, however the downside is that the majority of the latter's contents can only be used in Expanded. Either way, these will, of course, cost a bit extra, and can be difficult to find, but they are really worth your money and is my first recommendation for both old and new players.

Getting into a community can be difficult, but as a general stereotype, Pokemon communities are quite accommodating and helpful, and enjoy helping out a new player. If there's a local card/comic store and you feel up to it, it would be great to get linked into the community.

 

[ViolaBouquet]

First off, you should know some basic competitive play stuff about formats, if you're thinking about participating in the future and want to be obtaining suitable cards. One of the most important things to know is that the TCG is up into two extensively used competitive formats - Standard, which is XY-on, and Expanded, which is BW-on. Here is an official list of the legal expansions usable in each format, which provides more details on the Standard and Expanded format.

Generally, each format will consist of 5+ expansions at its earliest point, however Standard will feature a total of nine legal expansions as of BREAKPoint. The earliest sets of Standard have been around for around two years. However, formats will rotate each year as a way to freshen up the following year, meaning a few of the oldest expansions will not be legal in that format for the next year (sets rotated from Standard will end up in Expanded anyways). This means you shouldn't really need to worry about getting the "newest" stuff, and if you do get newer stuff, they will generally stick around in that format for a couple of years.

In regards to artwork, there isn't like "mature" art. However, I don't consider any of the art particularly childish - a quite like a lot of the art.

Like @TuxedoBlack said, you can use a TCG simulator to get a bit of experience/an idea, especially as they are normally free. However, if you're looking at buying cards in real life, then I have a few suggestions.

Your first main option is to buy some theme decks. They are really basic and don't really give you much of a taste on what a deck can actually do, but they are cheap and very easy to get. From a competitive standpoint, if you are looking at buying some theme decks, I would recommend Destruction Rush or Resilient Life due to them containing some major players in competitive decks, Yveltal and Xerneas/Aromatisse respectively. For a more recent and easier-to-obtain deck, but still somewhat good, you may like to try Night Striker from BREAKThrough or Wave Slasher from the soon-to-be-released BREAKPoint.

The other main option is to obtain a Battle Arena Kit, like what @Electricbluewolf mentioned. These are great, as they have great value since most cards are powerful staples - cards that are used a lot in competitive decks - and give you a great taste of how a deck could be. Furthermore, they contain two 60-card decks opposed to just one. The only Battle Arenas released are the Xerneas vs Yveltal Battle Arena Deck and the Mewtwo vs Darkrai Battle Arena Deck. I personally recommend the latter, as it contains more useful staples than the former and will also give you the taste of powerful Pokemon-EX, a mechanic popular in the current format, however the downside is that the majority of the latter's contents can only be used in Expanded. Either way, these will, of course, cost a bit extra, and can be difficult to find, but they are really worth your money and is my first recommendation for both old and new players.

Getting into a community can be difficult, but as a general stereotype, Pokemon communities are quite accommodating and helpful, and enjoy helping out a new player. If there's a local card/comic store and you feel up to it, it would be great to get linked into the community.

Thank you. This is perfect. I ended up ordering the Mewtwo/Darkrai battle arena deck and will build from there buying more single cards if we ever decide to play competitively.