Hey guys, I made a similar post for r/PTCGL ,but the space is now dead - so I'll update for here. I'm just gonna assume your making a new deck, from scratch
So, to start with-some basic general tips for Pokemon TCG
All credit here goes to @ derekthediesel: (sorry for bugging you mate)
"Dont be afraid of Professor Research. Alot of newer players see discarding resources as a sin and would rather play shuffle/0 discard draw supporters. One of the big steps in becoming a good player is knowing that it's ok to use cards like Ultra Ball or Prof Research because you play 3 and 4 of most important cards in your deck anyways so discarding one or 2 of something Have that one tech card in hand but your hand is bad, top deck Research? Sucks to suck, use Research.
Thin your deck whenever possible. For example, you have a Quick ball, 2 energy, and a Prof Research in hand. Dont just Prof, use QB first and get another basic, even if you dont wanna play it down. 1 card may seem inconsequential, but you do this type of thing 3-4x per game and any slight boost to your odds of winning is going to help you
Count prizes on your first deck search. If you know your list well enough, you can easily determine exactly what your prizes are based on what's in your hand + whats left in your deck after a deck search.
Look at your opponents discard pile early and often. Sometimes, the answer to your wincon is in there. For example, if youre playing against Mew VMax, most lists run either 3 or 4 switching-type cards (Escape Rope, Switch, Air Balloon, etc) so if you see 3 of those in the discard pile, it might be worth trying to boss a Genesect to go for the deckout win. This advice wildly changes depending on the situation/MU, but guessing what your opponent has (and most importantly, doesnt have) and acting accordingly is a crucial skill
Dont overthink your play. But at the same time, dont rush it either. It's a delicate balance that, especially in online, i find myself misplaying or just being too fancy with my play because I've had too much time to think it over, or i just misclick after waiting for my opponent to finish their play. Just be mindful of the gamestate at all times
Eat/Drink water. We gamer bois like to sit down for 8+ hr sessions and grind through. Pokemon is a brain game, not a mindless shooter. You cant just grind your way past fatigue/hunger/thirst. You have to keep yourself hydrated and well fed if you want your brain to function at 100% and sometimes, you might have to step away from the screen for a bit cus your tired. Do that.
If youre playing in a Limitless tournament, the decklists are open. Have your opponents list open in another tab, on your phone, or if youre fortunate to have multiple monitors, on the 2nd screen. That way, you know exactly what they have/dont have and you can play with that info in mind"
DECK BUILDING
To start with, decide on your main attacker, and get (MAYBE) 3 or 4 of them. For a single prized deck, you NEED 4, they will be squishy. For multi prize decks, you'll want 3/4, unless you have some good backup attackers. (eg mew, chien pao)
However many decks right now go against that, being referred to as "box" decks. A toolbox (or box) deck has multiple Pokémon for differing scenarios. For example, playing gardevoir will normally have 2 Zacian V, 2 (shining arcana) Gardevoir, 2 Gardevoir ex and 1 Cresselia.
Chien pao has Radiant Greninja, a chosen Vstar and your chien's
FINAL depends on the deck, but a good baseline is 3-4 if its a sole attacker
Support Pokémon. These Pokémon will use either abilities(mostly) or attacks to support your main Pokémon, whether through more consistency by drawing (Bibarel, Skwovet, Kirlia), by energy acceleration (Baxcalibur, Archeops) or by limiting your opponents (Manaphy, Klefki, Spiritomb, Dunsparce)
In most decks, you DEFINATELY want 1 Manaphy, because radiant Greninja isn't kind. If you can use it well (it doesn't limit you) then Spiritomb is a great mew counter
Then a draw engine (or you'll brick a lot) tends to be Bibarel-Skwovet for most decks (use Skwovet, then Bibarel to draw more cards). Some decks that work from the discard (eg Gardevoir, Wormadam) prefer Kirlia to discard cards, but it's less consistent
FINAL Depends what your deck needs, but normally at least a 2-2 draw and 2 support
POKEMON 11-18 Pokémon, bar rogue decks
Energies, they charge attacks.
Most current big decks like to use accelerators (Baxcalibur, Arceus Vstar, Gardevoir ex, Archeops, Magnezone, Flaaffy) to rapidly accelerate out energies to fund large attacks easily and quickly (like Chien Pao, Giratina Vstar, Zacian V, SS Tyranitar, Dialga Vstar, Raichu V)
For most current decks, you want 8-14 energies - they'll be decks that less, or more, depending on the strategy. In Chien-pao for example, you want to have a lot of energy out to hit large numbers with it's attack.
In contrast, Mew decks can run anything from 3-7 energies. This is because the sole "used" attack on Mew costs two energy (so 1 Double Turbo Energy). Normally though, it's 7 - for the utility of Fusion Strike energy (tag it on a Genesect, that Genesect is now immune to Spiritomb. Also Meloetta and Eiscue attacks)
ENERGY 8-14
Trainers will make up at least half of your deck. Supporters make up the first part, and should be 8-12 draw supporters, and 1-3 Boss Order's (gust, lets you get a key KO). Draw supporters need to draw a good amount of cards, like Professor's Research or Iono.
The number of draw supporters may seem scarce in a 60 card deck, but it honestly is better to run this few, especially if you have a good draw engine to back it up
FINAL 9-15 supporters
Stadiums, you want AT LEAST 2, as you're stadium can help you or hinder your opponent.
Helpful stadiums can range from Artazon, Mesagoza or Skater's Park
Hindrance stadiums range widely, but the most played are Path To The Peak, Collapsed Stadium or Temple of Sinnoh
FINAL 2-5 stadiums
Items allow you to search out cards needed top execute your strategy. The rest of your deck should be item cards. Pokémon search has the best being nest ball(basics), ultra ball (all pokemon, on a discard and capturing aroma (all Pokémon, coinflip) or level ball(Pokémon under 90 hp). There should be at least 8 search options, with max 12
Poke gear/Pal Pad allow you to find/re-use supporters. Your choice on numbers
Cram-o-matic will allow you to grab any card from your deck, at a coin flip and discarding an item card
Switching cards include switch, escape rope or switch cart
Super rod, energy retrieval, superior energy retrieval or energy recycler all recover energy and/or Pokémon
Trekking shoes can draw more cards, and also discards unnecessary cards
Electric Generator accelerates out lightning energies (lightning decks only)
Tools are now a separate function to items, but less used. Primarily 0-3 per deck
Forest/Sky/earthern Seal Stone all function as Vstar powers for decks that lack/don't want to use their's. Forest is the best, but all have their uses
Choice belt deals more damage to V cards (V's, Vstar's, Vmax's). Simple but effective, best used in Arceus Vstar decks, to boss-210 an important card
TRAINERS - HALF+ DECK
GAINING PRODUCTS
This part is simple, to form new cards you need credits. Every win you get some credits and some crystals
To get a lot of crystals, they come from dupe cards. You can just open lots of packs, but here's a quick 2 strategies that all top players use to maximise credit gain
If your a new player, then this is simple. Go online to a store that sells codes (or go to the in game store and buy, if you have credits) and buy the Shadow Rider Calyrex Vmax deck. Once you've purchased 2, every purchase can net you plenty of credits - and bonus, SR Calyrex isn't even that bad of a card (just fell off with lots of dark-type Charizard around)
For a more advanced player (or a lot of crystals or money) look into the Celebrations miniset. Once you've maxed out the set (or most of the cards) each pack can easily net you TONS OF CREDITS (every card in that set is "rare" rarity). It will take time to amass the necessary cards to farm credits though
FINALLY!
WHAT DO I TRADE FOR?
Thanks to @ idaniyalabbas (SORRY FOR BUGGING YOU AGAIN!) for reminding me that the first thing you trade for is the trainers. Most standard decks will play almost the exact same trainer line up, so acquiring them is a must.
After that, a budget deck:
What to Play - Budget — JustInBasil's Pokémon TCG Resources
List of the best budget decks, with basic strategies. I use it, its a great site
Finally, work for a deck YOU want. What's your favourite Pokémon-now make a deck about them (seriously - I have an expanded deck about Psyduck. It's Psyduck)
If anyone has any questions, or nitpicks (or just wants to yell at me) leave a comment, I'm on reddit daily so I'll see them all!) Happy playing, hope to see you all on the ladder!
