People entering the league come from a wide variety of skill levels, from seasoned tournament players to people who have never played before. While I love having such strong diversity in the league, the time constraints of running the league doesn't allow me to spend much time working one-on-one to help players practice building decks. Consider this guide a brief introduction to how to build an effective Pokemon deck to use at league meetings.
For First Time Players
The most common question I'm asked by brand new players is what cards they need to get. I personally recommend starting with the Black & White Trainer's Kit:
This simple $12 kit contains two 30-card decks, a comprehensive walkthrough on how to play, a two-person game mat, a set of cardboard damage counters, and a coin for use in play.
This kit can usually be purchased at New Dimension Comics, although it's also available at most major retailers that carry Pokemon cards.
An alternative to the trainer kit is the "preconstructed deck":
A preconstructed deck contains a full 60-card deck, damage counters, and a coin, making it ready for play right out of the box.
As you become more skilled at the rules of the game, you can swap some cards in the trainer kit or preconstructed deck for others you get from 10-card booster packs.
Basic Deck structure
All Pokémon decks must follow these basic rules:- The deck must contain exactly 60 cards. No more, no less.
- The deck must contain at least one Basic Pokémon.
- Except for Basic Energy Cards, you can only have up to four cards with the same name.
For example, you can have four Panpours from the Emerging Powers set, OR you can have two from the Black and White set and two from the Emerging Powers set, but you cannot have five or more cards with the name “Panpour.”
Basic Tips to Get You Started:
- KEEP YOUR CARDS ORGANIZED! I can’t emphasize this enough!
Not only does it make it easier to put your deck together, but you’ll have an easier time finding good card combinations and cards that support your deck’s strategy. - Try to use only one or two elemental types of Pokémon (such as all-psychic or fire-and-fighting). Having too many types of Pokémon makes it difficult to get the type of energy you need. Colorless Pokémon can be used in almost any deck since they can use any type of energy.
- The 20-20-20 Formula:
Beginner players may want to start with a 20-20-20 deck.
This deck will contain 20 Pokémon cards, 20 Trainer cards (such as items, supporters, stadiums, and Pokémon tools), and 20 Energy cards.
As you improve at the game, you may want to deviate from this formula based on how your deck performs. - The Pyramid Formula:
If you want to include Stage 1 or Stage 2 evolved Pokémon in your deck, try to have at least one more of its pre-evolution. For example, the number of cards you include may look like this:
Advanced Tips:
If you feel you have a strong grasp on the mechanics of the game, these tips should help you make the most of your cards and build stronger decks.Before you start...
- As you organize your cards, look for connections and compliments. Many Pokémon have attacks or abilities that go well with others. A good combination can help you use your strongest attacks faster or overcome a weakness.
- Consider what types you’ll be using and the positives and negatives of each.
Quoted from the latest Pokémon TCG instruction book: - Grass Pokémon often have attacks that heal themselves or Poison their opponents.
- Fire Pokémon have big attacks! They can Burn their opponents, but their attacks need time to build up again.
- Water Pokémon can manipulate Energy and move Pokémon around on the other team.
- Lightning Pokémon can bring back used Energy from the discard pile—and they can Paralyze opponents.
- Fighting Pokémon can take bigger risks to do extra damage, and some coin flips for combination hits.
- Metal Pokémon can resist attacks for longer than most other Pokémon.
- Psychic Pokémon are great for special powers! Their opponents often find themselves Asleep, Confused, or Poisoned.
- Darkness Pokémon feature sneaky attacks that often make opponents discard cards!
- Colorless Pokémon have lots of different moves, and they work with any kind of deck.
- In some cases, having three or more types of Pokémon in your deck can be helpful. It will make it harder for an opponent to manage your weaknesses and resistances. To overcome the energy problems you may have with three types, you can choose Pokémon that mostly require colorless energy, or include a few Energy Search cards.
While you’re building...
- Be wary of basing a strategy on a single card. Remember that Pokémon is a game of statistics, and if you only have one copy of a card in your deck, there’s a 1 in 10 chance it will be one of your Prize Cards.
- Remember that Abilities, Poke Bodies, and Poke Powers can often be used without energy and from your bench. They’re frequently the center of a good strategy.
- When choosing your Trainer cards, consider what you will most likely need as you battle.
If your strategy relies on getting certain Pokémon out on the play field, include Trainers like Pokeball, Great Ball, Pokémon Communication, or Professor Elm’s Training Method.
If your strategy requires getting a lot of Energy cards, include Trainers like Interviewer’s Questions and Energy Retrieval. - You should have roughly 20 energies in your deck total, but you can always add more or take a few away depending on what your Pokémon need.
If you have Pokémon attacks that need four Energy cards or require you to discard Energy, you may want to put in more than 20.
What Cards Are Allowed?
This section contains any special notes, questions, or requirements on what cards are allowed or not allowed during play.Unlimited Format - Players are permitted to use Pokemon TCG cards from any officially released set.
Modified Legal Format - Players are only permitted to use cards from the most recent TCG sets and cards that have been reprinted in those sets. Currently, the only modified legal sets are HeartGold SoulSilver and newer.
This league primarily uses Unlimited Format; however, I encourage members to use Modified Legal cards because most tournaments only allow Modified Legal cards. I may even offer days in which players are rewarded for using Modified Legal.
You may NOT use fake cards, World Championship cards, or any card marked "Not Tournament Legal." Games you play with these cards are not eligible for stamps or prizes.
We request that you do not use foreign language cards. Pokemon TCG has phased out the use of cards with foreign languages (determined by country or region) in premiere events. Even with proxies, foreign language cards create confusion for opponents and judges. While I am not outright banning foreign language cards, I do ask that you please refrain from using them in league games. If your opponent is not comfortable with you using a foreign language card, please be respectful and replace it with an English language card.
Frequently Asked Questions:
How do I know if my cards are Modified Legal or not?
PokeGym has an excellent list of all Modified Legal cards and sets. You can access it here. All basic energy cards are Modified Legal, no matter what set they're from (except World Championship).
What are World Championship cards?
In the past, Pokemon TCG has released special reproduction decks of international tournament winners. These cards have different art on the back and can represent extremely rare or hard to obtain cards. No cards in these decks are permitted for earning stamps, even energy cards.
If Pokemon at the Mills holds a tournament, will it be Unlimited or Modified Legal?
Any tournament held at the league will be Modified Legal unless otherwise noted.
I have an amazing, unbeatable Unlimited Format deck! Can I use it?
You can, but I don't recommend it. It is possible to create a deck that exploits card abilities so that it is nearly impossible for your opponent to win, and these decks can be interesting and fun to use as a learning tool, but they aren't fun to play against. Remember, it is your responsibility to find someone to play with, and if no one wants to play with you, you will have a difficult time completing your score card.
