So you’re thinking about starting the Pokemon Trading Card Game? Do your kids want to start playing but are not sure how to get started? This article should give you a good idea of what we do and don’t recommend for beginners. We’ll look at 7 important tips to help you get started.
Figure Out Which Edition You Should Start With
Pokemon TCG has been around since 1996 – there are now over two dozen editions of the game, split into roughly four groups. Base Set, Jungle, Fossil, Base Set 2, Team Rocket, Gym Heroes, etc. Each set will have different cards in it that are legal for tournament play at any given time (there is a larger “unlimited” format where anything can be used). For beginners, it doesn’t really matter too much which version you start with but we’d recommend picking either Base Set or Jungle as these are the first two editions that were produced and can be found at nearly any store that sells Pokemon products.
Get Custom Card Sleeves
This is one of the most important things to get right from the start. Getting a deck with custom card sleeves can be very helpful. Custom Card Sleeves protect your cards from wear and tear, liquids, dirt, and more. This will help you keep that valuable collection longer! Custom Card Sleeves can also help you identify which pokemon cards are which in a variety of ways including by color, type, or even artwork. Additionally, these sleeve protectors can do anything from making your cards appear old or faded to adding the illusion of being foil! It’s never too early to start thinking about protecting your investment. You can also customize your own Pokemon Card Sleeves to give your cards that special touch.
Custom Game Mat
The next thing you’ll want to do is get a Custom Game Mat for your kids or yourself. This will give your play area a nice surface that’s designed especially for Pokemon Trading Card Game matches! Our mats have been engineered by passionate collectors just like you and they’re available in different sizes and shapes including round, square, and rectangle plus some with extra storage sections to hold dice and counters. Many of our playmats also work great as mousepads so you get double the value! These designs are printed on high-quality materials so they last through many battles.
Choose Your Starter Deck Carefully
Another decision you should make before starting to gather cards is what starter deck to buy. These decks are 40 or so cards each with a theme – beginners often choose them because they keep your collection somewhat limited in size which can help you learn how all of the different cards work together. Once you’ve picked one up, go ahead and open it up to take a good look inside – many starter decks will give you some tips on gameplay as well as showing you which basic energy types and how many you’ll need to play.
Go ahead and Open Up Some Booster Packs
There are two ways to go about buying more cards, booster packs and theme decks. These decks come with everything included so there are no surprises in terms of rarity but they’re considerably more expensive than booster packs. You can get a complete theme deck for $10-15 while you might be able to buy the equivalent in booster packs for half that price. We recommend getting at least 3 or 4 boosters when starting out – this will give you plenty of cards so you don’t have to worry if your deck is too small, and it introduces an element of luck into the game.
Skip The Pre-Built Decks
Many new players think that they should skip buying any more cards until they’ve played around with their starter decks some more. This is not really a good idea! Your starter deck will have a very limited number of cards in it so you’ll be stuck playing with the same Pokemon every game – this can actually get boring, very quickly. If all you do is buy some booster packs to go along with your starter deck then you’ll have plenty of options but you won’t be able to put together a working deck. The pre-built theme decks are fine for learning how to play but once you’re ready to build your own decks then these aren’t really good for much more than some extra cards.
Know Exactly What You Need To Play A Deck
Pokemon TCG isn’t always about buying cards – sometimes it’s better to make them! When building a new deck you should know what exactly it is that your deck needs to work. There are many different types of cards in the game but most decks will require at least 60% basics (Pokemon) and 40% “energy”. Many beginners make the mistake of buying more energy than they need for their deck which can lead to some really bad situations – hoping that you draw into that extra energy when you actually need it is not a good plan!
The Pokemon TCG has been around for more than 15 years so there are hundreds of articles and dozens of videos that explain some of the game’s setbacks. Spend some time reading up on basic strategies and also remember that practice makes perfect – if at first you don’t succeed then just try again!
