Welcome to the official Pokémon Forums!

Click here to review our official Rules & Guidelines.

Building a deck?

Kaym00n
Kaym00n Member Posts: 1 ✭
in Decks & Strategy #1

Hi! I’ve been a fan of Pokémon for years but I only recently got into the TCG. I dug through my closet and found my old cards I used to collect but have no idea how they stack up against newer cards or what to even pair together. I’ve been playing Pokémon TCG Live to practice playing but I don’t have a lot of the new cards that are in the app irl. The newest cards I have are from Sword and Shield. I do have plenty of trainer cards and energies so I’m not as worried about those, just really how to build a good deck with what I have. Any advice on where to start?

Comments

  • Kiwix3b3
    Kiwix3b3 Member Posts: 1 ✭
    First Comment
    #2

    HI there! I'm not used to sword and shield cards so I'm not sure how much help this will be, but I would first find a main type you want to play and find trainers that complement your type and more importantly the Pokémon you pick. then find a good ratio of cards (Official ptcg suggests 20 pokemon, trainer, and energy but modify however you like.) Also, find cards that can blend together nicely like with abilities or some other strategy. I am a competitive player, but I don't go to anything official so I hope this helps! :D

  • TheJeffers
    TheJeffers Member Posts: 1,323 ✭✭✭✭✭
    500 Agrees 1000 Comments 250 Likes 250 LOLs
    #3

    The problem you will encounter if you try to use old cards is that the majority of them will have rotated out of standard, unless they have been reprinted in recent sets.

    Whatever Extra is called in English (Expanded?) is cards from B&W onwards so you might have more luck there. However, the larger card pool and wider range of mechanics available throughout the history of the game can make the format more complex.

    There is a format for anything goes, but I don't think anyone plays that.

    As for building a deck, if you are talking about casual play with friends, slap together whatever you have and enjoy it. It doesn't matter too much in that environment.

    If you re looking for something more competitive and viable in the current meta game, I recommend checking out some decklists for decks that performed well in recent tournaments. Build (or proxy) the decks to get a feel for how they play and the typical construction of a deck before you commit to buying anything and entering tournaments, unless you do feel comfortable winging it and entering anyway.

    Which is also a viable way to learn the game and meet other players. Just don't expect to win too many games at first.

Categories