How To Build a Pokemon Deck (Getting Started in the TCG)
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 12 ก.ย. 2024
- We continue our How to Play Pokemon Cards series this time looking at how to build a pokemon deck with the Pokemon TCG.
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60 cards total, 30 support, 12energy, 18 Pokémon .
18 basics or stage 1 do u know how that works ?
@@vfarismax6167Mix of both, depending on the deck. But generally more basics.
@@jaydee5312 thanks
@vfarismax6167 any pokemon stage one basic or evolution count to the 18
This is the most useful person in the world. I have clicked on eight tutorials and looked for one that says how many you need and you are the only person who has told me. Real one
This is helpful. My 7yo kids are getting into Pokemon TCG and I want to play and help them. We bought a few hundred used cards and have organized them. This whole thing is pretty overwhelming.
That's awesome you get to share that with them - if you need any help what's so ever feel free to let me know and will try get back to you!
@@WoodyREC thanks for that. I'll check your videos with questions before asking here.
@@jeffreykershner440 my 6 year old wanted the same thing. I got the battle academy box for 20 bucks at Gamestop and we have been playing everyday since. The online game is extremely complicated and I understand why after watching this
Same here!
Cool dad alert
This is very helpful. I tried playing against my nephew with a heartgold and soul silver deck i bought at walmart years ago- he completely DESTROYED me with his customized and well thought out deck he created from multiple packs and decks.
…so you could say this is the start of the revenge tour
Did you ever get one over him?
Haven’t collected Pokémon cards since 2001. My sons (8 and 6) are getting interested after finding my old cards. We ended buying 3 astral radiance build and battle sets and it has been an absolute blast. Right now we have just been using the 6 different 40 card decks that come in the sets. With the smaller decks the games go a little faster and keeps them interested. With how much fun we have had playing the game. I really look forward to collecting some more cards and building some more decks.
That's what it's all about mate!😊
I'm from Yugioh and am trying to play Pokemon Live (PC). It's funny seeing the differing cultures. If Yugioh had a card that even *dared* to say "draw 7" it would be banned before it gets printed. We have cards that only let you draw 2 and come with absurd stipulations for it because even with them, those cards win games. So it's always funny when I jump to a different game.
The differences are crazy, it’s always interesting seeing how other card games work!
I remember how powerful Pot of Greed was 😂
@@WoodyREC We have a card called Pot of Desires now. Banish TEN cards face down. Draw 2. It is optimal to run 40 card decks.
Meta since it was released.
It's hilarious, because most of the characters in the Yu-Gi-Oh anime had at least one copy of Pot of Greed and it's been banned for about as long as it's been around.
@@daserfomalhaut9809until you draw into the 2 other pots of desires lol
Laughs in Uno Draw 10
My buddy got me some cards for Christmas, since I missed collecting them as a kid. Can’t wait to get back into playing! This seems like a genuinely awesome community.
So glad the home page recommended this video, super informative as a new TCG player! Currently I am using Goodra and Arceus but I'm struggling to draw useful cards in games and watch my poor Pokémon get decimated quite quickly, especially by Fusion Strike decks, would love some help!
I'm glad it could be any help! Would the Fusion Strike deck be Mew? As that's generally just one of the most powerful decks
If you're struggling to get cards when you need them maybe increase the amount of the cards you need in your 60 - for example you will want 4 Arceus V so you can get it down turn one and evolve the following. Once Arceus VStar is in play it's ability lets you fetch any two cards which will help massively!
In general, the cards mentioned in the video (Professor's Research, Quick Ball, Ultra Ball etc) always help with consistency, again 4 copies is best! You could also add Pokemon to help this like Bibarel or Crobat V to draw more cards a turn!
Hope this helps, but if you're having an specific issues give me a shout and happy to try and help😊
This was a very helpful video. I've taken an interest in the Pokemon TCG and wasn't quite sure where to start or how deckbuilding would work. Thank you for giving some pointers in how to approach the game 😊 I'm gonna try out some Theme Decks and work my way from there.
I’m glad I could be any help 😊 welcome to the game! If you’re stuck with anything give me a shout!
Thanks for the video, it helped me get some ideas! I used to collect Pokemon cards when I was younger and was an avid TCG player a few years ago before I took a long break. I just got back into it yesterday and I'm working on building a dark/fighting-type deck with the focus on Darkrai and Lucario.
The best advice I can offer is know your cards. Once you have trainers and what they do memorized, you start to see, “oh, this trainer/synergy with this card is strong, let’s see if I can find more”. This helps me and when I see a card, I can instantly think of 2-3 trainers/Pokémon that would synergise with that card.
I found that picking two pre constructed decks and smooshing them together works out great.
I got back into Pokemon cards just a few days ago. My husband and I have been playing with two pre-set decks we bought in Japan. It spiked my interest, and I've bought my first booster packs since the 90s! Fun!
That’s lovely! I get to share the hobby with my other half and it always makes it more fun!
Glad you’re both enjoying it 😊
Glad I found this video! I’ve been checking lists and videos, and nothing has really helped so far. You cleared up a bunch of my questions though! I come from a YGO background and have been collecting Pokémon all my life, so I’ve been looking through my newest cards to make a Dragapult VMAX and a Duraludon VMAX deck. Not necessarily in the same deck, but I don’t even know where to start 😂
Glad I could be any help!
So with Duraludon he needs two different types of energy to attack which can be tricky, but he’s really good, so you will want a way to accelerate them via something like Arceus VStar or Metal Saucers
Dragapult VMax has Max Phantom which does 130 then 50 to the bench so you will want other ways to drop damage like Galarian Zigzagoon and Scoop Up Nets to re-use. Using Stadiums is another good way to spread damage with things like Old Cemetery!
Like in the video, general rules 4 of the LOTR important cards are a good place to start so Ultra Ball, Quick Ball, Professors Research etc
@@WoodyREC help is always appreciated! It’s one thing I love about the Pokémon community, it’s so tight-knit and friendly to newcomers.
Not sure about Metal Saucers, but I recall seeing the supports in my storage boxes, I’ll have a look and test it out! Thanks so much! 🫶
@@yeollierancher Ignore the metal saucers, forgot Duraludon VMax wasn’t steel! Get going with the other supporters and let me know how you get on! 😊
@@WoodyREC pretty sure I have a regular Duraludon in my binder, so it’s good to know anyway! I’ve seen some deck profiles where they have a bunch of V Pokémon and only 1 regular Pokémon; while others have the main V/VMAX ones and a couple of regular ones that evolve normally... any thoughts on this?
@@yeollierancher Depends on the Pokemon really - generally the regular Pokémon will have really useful abilities like Bibarel/Inteleon and sometimes it’s good to have regular attackers to get around “walls” that can’t be KO’d by V Pokemon or just to have single prize attackers!
I work at a rec center, and the kids love pokemon cards
I am now looking to build a deck focus on eeveelution (glaceon v&vmax, sylveon V, jolteon V, flareon V) and trying find a deck to stomp on the kids when needed, but not too seroius so the don't cry :)
That's cool haha Sylveon VMax is actually powered up by having different types on your bench so maybe build around?
Fill your bench with eeveelutions then attack with Sylveon!
@Woody [REC] tryon to get as many as I could, but god damn it's hard to find eevees
@@Hirz26 I've always found the same! They're such popular Pokemon they're impossible to get a hold of!
Many thanks for this video! I used to play Magic and Pokemon ages ago, at school. I attended the last Tournament with my wife and I decided to begin again, from zero. I want to build a deck around Dragapult and Gardevoir and build a Grass/Water deck for my wife, since she like those types. I would be very grateful for any tips! Many thanks!
I’m glad I could help! That’s awesome you share the hobby, my fiancé and I do the same!
Gardevoir from Chilling Reign has a cool ability ‘Shining Aura’ which lets you draw cards and attach extra energy! You can also add Gardevoir EX when that’s released in Scarlet and Violet!
Dragapult makes a good pair being the same type so you can get away with just psychic energy. General support things like Fog Crystal and Old Cemetery will be useful, plus things like Rare Candy to evolve Gardevoir quicker.
Hope this helps 😊 which Pokémon does your wife like?
@@WoodyREC many thanks for the reply! Your idea of building Fog Crystals and Old Cemeteries around a quick-energy Gardevoir deck sounds very intriguing. Besides, the "flavour" is amazing!
Actually, my wife's favourite Pokemon is Snorlax. She likes Grass-types, though and particularly Chikorita's evolution line. Since she's new, maybe a mono-Grass deck would be easier to play with, so I was thinking of building something around Meganium and Snorlax. Any ideas would be much appreciated! Thanks again!
I learned how to play the TCG back when Quarantine started and I've been wanting to enter some local tournaments
Amazing, jump in, it’s the best way! When I first started at tournaments I met a ton of cool people I’m still friends with now - best way to get experience and advice is playing in them 😊
I really enjoy Deoxys, but I'm at a loss for other cards to add, I'm freshly getting into this game. Deoxys has been one of my favorites since it's original release and I'd really enjoy using it in a deck. I also enjoy control decks in most games if you have any other suggestions for a 2ndary deck I could look into, I'd very much appreciate the help.
So with Deoxys there is a new VStar out for it which is quite good, it does damage to their attack and bench Pokemon. If you go down that route you will want other things that can spread damage like Galarian Zigzagoon and maybe stadiums like Old Cemetery to stack damage on the bench.
Fog Crystal is great for Psychic decks too, to find Pokemon or Energy when you need it. You could also pair Deoxys with Shadow Rider Calyrex VMax as that accelerates Psychic Energy and lets you draw cards!
EDIT: For control decks things like Miltank are great attackers, as a lot of Pokemon cant deal with them. Crushing Hammers to discard energy along with things like Fan of Waves to remove Special Energy early on can slow people down. Alternative you focus on discarding their cards with something like Durant!
oh my god thank you so much for this, my little brother has recently gotten really into pokémon but i'm clueless and really want to help him build his deck so we can play together:)
Amazing, glad I could help! Hope you both enjoy the game and just give me a shout if you need anymore help with decks etc
This is great! I’m personally trying to build a deck themed around my favorite mon Raichu. Found a Raichu V online and thought it would be the best centerpiece for my deck.
Raichu V is a great choice, there’s some good electric partners at the moment with Miraidon ex (the one with tandem unit) and things like Zapdos from Pokémon Go and Raikou V!
In terms of trainers there are more specialised stuff for electric like Electric Generator which helps you get powered up quickly, you could even include Flaaffy with Dynamotor to help too.
Dragonite and/or Sylvion are pokemon that I'd like to build around. I have no idea if there are any good cards of those 2, but when I was little my cousin gave me first-gen Dragonite and Eevee cards as a present. So, now that I'm interested in trying to build a serious deck, I'd like to play Dragonite and/or my favorite Eeveelution.
I used to collect pokemon cards when I was little, but after a while I defaulted to Magic and Yugioh because that's what my friends were playing. Now I have an itch to go back to this game I used to love, now this a more strategic mindset.
Welcome back!😊
There is a Sylveon VMax which has the attack ‘Max Harmony’ which is powered up the more different types you have on your bench so Dragonite V will count as Dragon which is a different type so that’s perfect!
Sylveon uses colourless energy so you can use any, Dragonite V uses Water and Electric so I’d use a split of those energies for consistency!
Outside of that Id pick 3 Pokémon which aren’t Psychic or Dragon to get max potential from Sylveons attack! (I’d recommend Crobat V as that’s Dark and let’s you draw more cards so has some use on the bench!)
@@WoodyREC Thanks. Apart from Dragonite and Sylveon, it seems like I'm going to be looking at all my other pokemon in the context of what they do on the bench.
I also decided to look at the cards you mentioned. Sylveon V before VMaxing looks really good in the early game before things get going, because it lets me search for an item in place of attacking. And Dragonite V and VStar look like great secondary attackers, along with the VStar power letting me suit up both Dragonite and Sylveon.
Lastly, apart from Crowbat V, should I focus on finding a water and electric pokemon to work with the energy? Or should I be purely looking at the abilities?
@@dungeonmaster3464 No problem! You could always have some for their ability and couple of Water / Electric attackers.
During certain matches you can then just put down which ones you need - the extra attackers will give you more options to hit for weakness, but if you can’t put down the ability ones instead.
@@WoodyREC I've done my homework, so I figured I'd return to this. Luminion V and Dedene GX both have great abilities on the bench, as one searches a Supporter card when played and the other is a Professor's Research on legs. Flaffy and Abomasnow both fetch energy from the discard pile, and Frostmoth lets me deluge all the water energy in my hand.
Apart from pokemon, Sylveon V opens me up to tech in a lot of item cards. Dragonite VMax incentivizes me to play a large number of basic energy, but I can still experiment with a couple special energies. And some generally good Supporter cards help me cycle through my deck consistently.
@@dungeonmaster3464 Amazing job - sounds like you’ve got it sorted! Best of luck with the deck 😊
Thanks for the info! I’m a huge psychic fan. I have a ton of them collected and would love to build one around mewvmax
Mew VMax is one of the more popular decks around at the moment - so if you check out a channel like Omnipoke they will have the most up to date deck list and some gameplay showing it off 😊
Hello! I am currently trying to build up a deck so I can have fun playing with others. I would like to use Victini V, torkoal V, salazzle, and 2 different cinderace. All of these are from the original sword and shield set btw. My main problem is me not knowing how much energy and what other cards to put in.
In general you want around 12 energy cards, 18 Pokémon and 30 Trainer (things to help you search things out and draw cards!)
Things like Heat Energy and Magma Baisn give you some support options for your fire Pokemon! Then use the general support trainers mentioned in the video 😊
I’ve been collecting cards since i was in elementary school and have so many cards, but i’m only now finally trying to learn how to play at 21! My favorite pokémon is Altaria so i would love some help coming up with a deck centered around it!
The Altaria from Silver Tempest has a really cool attack ‘Magical Echo’ which moves all damage from one of your Pokémon to your opponents!
So if you have a bulky Pokémon that can take a hit, then you can retreat into Altaria and use that to pass the damage over!
I’ve seen people use Serperior VStar because of its free retreat and HP paired with Kricketune to buff it. Alternatively something like Giratina VStar means you’re never getting hit for weakness or Chansey V with a bravery charm and dunsparce works nicely too!
I remember in the old tcg client i built a swampert deck that i loved. it wasnt good compared to modern decks but swampert was my favorite mon and i spent so much time building it and then i made the mistake of transferring over to Live and lost my favorite cards. I'm honestly watching these kinds of videos to see if i can be convinced to create another deck but idk. im not seeing mons i like.
What other Pokemon do you like? Maybe I can help you find a card you will enjoy!
So apparently I have a cousin that loves the pokemon tcg. I play Magic personally, but I'd love to build a deck to play against him with. He's young and doesn't know the game that well, so it doesn't have to be all that good. I have very little knowledge about this tcg, but assuming I wanted to build around weavile and sneasler, is there anything you can suggest to get me started?
Really sorry - thought I’d replied but must have closed the page before it had sent!
If the advice isn’t too late there isn’t a great Weavile in format currently however Hisuian Sneasler V is quite good for a fun deck!
His ‘Dire Claw’ attack does 80x the amount of special conditions on your opponents Pokemon so just need a way to stack conditions on them! There is a Parasect in Lost Origin which when it evolves puts two conditions on you and your opponent. You will want Scoop Up Net which allow you to reuse Parasect ability!
You can use the tool Wind-up arm to attack despite being asleep to get around it! Finally Dark Patch seems good to attach an extra dark energy so you can get Hisuian Sneasler V set-up in a single turn!
@@WoodyREC Thanks for the reply! Another video I saw had something with a butterfree where it evolved and put status conditions on the target I believe. That seems quite good as well.
Yes, Butterfree is great too - it’s a bit of a weigh up, Butterfree needs more spaces in your deck, and cards to get going but does mean you can get those big OHKOs!
I know I’m a bit late to this video but I’m a HUGE fan of Serperior and have been collecting cards for a while now.
Never too late buddy!
Serperior VStar is actually really good, so its attack 'Regal Binder' lets you move around energy if you want and does 190 damage so lets take advantage of that!
When you've taken a hit or two, you can move energy away with your attack, then the following turn you can use something like Hyper Potion or Max Potion to entirely heal your Serperior without losing any energy because its been moved! They also have free retreat so you can just retreat to a Serperior VStar on the bench you've powered up and continue as usual!
You aren't relying on any abilities so you can run something like Path to the Peak to mess with your opponent. Things like Marnie, Roxanne and Avery are particularly good in this deck and it's more disruption for your opponent!
@@WoodyREC this sounds really fun! Thank you
I appreciate this video a lot, I'm trying to find a good deck to help my wife fight my most powerful deck, it's a dark/fighting focused on keeping my opponent from loading up energy cards and allowing me to get whatever Pokemon I want in my deck by turn three. If anyone has any ideas for a fire/electric deck to combat I'd love a new take on it.
thank you for the info my niece just got into pokemon so she wants me and my brother inlaw to play with her and i would love an arcanine and vaporian deck
I'm new to the game. I literally just randomly dropped into the Pokémon TCG mobile game and started randomly playing 2 decks. Found out the one I liked Chien Pao/Palkia is insane so I'm trying to get into the game this is really helpful thank you so much.
My favorite Pokémon is Lucario what are the most competitive builds for Lucario?
Thanks for making this. Getting into the game and it’s quite different from the other tcg’s i play. Great video
My old collection has 2 Kyogre and a Groudon and I'd love to build a deck around each of them! I forget if Groudon is fighting or fire. I know I have a lot of water type mons and energy and quite a few fire types as well.
Which set are Kyogre and Groudon from?
Ive been getting back into the TCG with Friends and Family. We all play super casually, i dont have that many cards, and only have 6 decks at the moment (4 theme decks I customized, and 2 completely custom decks), but im looking at buying more theme decks.
We play so casually however we ignore Weaknesses and Resistances due to the lack of variety i own, and have custom nerfs written on a sheet of paper (for the slightly too strong Gen7 cards I want to use)
I only use my older cards (Gen 4-Gen 7 era Pokemon) because I dont like the Damage/Health Inflation Gen 8 onwards added (some Gen 7 cards are bad too but I only use the ones i deem fair to the rest of my cards)
Since we play against eachother only and are super casual, we also like to keep custom deck building pretty balanced. Most of my decks stay close to a 20/20/20 rubric with cards. But some have more or less, one deck has more Pokemon, but less Trainers, while one more Energy, but less (more expensive) Pokemon.
If you only plan on playing with friends and family, rather than getting super competitive with it, i also highly recommend buying a Theme Deck that looks cool and just customizing it a bit.
No need to go all out when playing casual, but keeping a deck with a set theme/gimmick is also a huge recommendation. I find my custom decks with a gimmick way more fun to use than my basic ones. (One of my decks has almost every Pokemon focused on doing a little bit of chip Bench damage, while another has Pokemon that constantly Discard energy, and Trainers to retrieve that energy)
@@JustAnOnion That sounds like a great way for you and your friends to enjoy the game - it’s like you’ve created your own format!
Definitely great advice for others getting into the game as well!
A couple of my friends have been getting into collecting cards, and I am personally more about playing than collecting, however I decided to try and get some pulls from getting Boxes. I want to use a deck focused on Dragons (my favorite type in the video games) and in particular Salamence. I havent gotten my boxes in the mail yet but how would you build around trying to utilize something like Salamence V/VMAX from Darkness Ablaze or Salamence in Evolving Skies? (I also plan to stick with Expanded Format because I am not a fan of rotating formats in card games. I am a Yu-gi-oh Player more than anything else.)
I definitely get the pains of rotating formats! So with Salamence you could use the V actually, Swoop Across is a great way to spread damage, meaning you can take multiple KOs at once.
There is Double Colourless Energy that means it counts as two energy which works great on him. Tools like Cape of Toughness are pretty good giving basic Pokemon extra HP making him more tanky in return. You can also add Dunsparce from Fusion Strike to remove his weakness.
Alternatively, the VMax isn't bad either. Again, using Double Colourless means you can power him up quicker and use Max Wings which is 240 damage, plus something like Choice Belt means you can reach one hit KOs onto big V Pokemon. The Sonic Double attack also leans into the damage spread strategy so could do a bit of both.
Other things that can help you with spreading damage is stadiums like Gapejaw Bog, Galarian Zigzagoon and could even use something like Black and White Dusknoir with Sinister Hand. Once you've spread all that damage, Dusknoir can then move all the damage counters around, making it easier to take knock outs!
Hopefully that's some help to get you going!
I really like Oshawott. The Pokémon line was my first card and my first starter. I also have a soft spot for Eiscue
I just got into playing and been building my deck. So far I'm sticking with just the grass type Pokemon. My line up is: Bulbasaur through Venusaur, Venusaur V and Vmax, Leafeon V and Vstar, Rillaboom V and Vmax, and 2 Wo-Chien. Those last two I like because I can damage my opponents benched Pokemon. I'm still working on rearranging my Trainer cards to find that perfect balance.
Not sure if this gets checked anymore, but im wondering more about how mixing types works in deck building? Ive been a collector for a while but am just now starting to learn how to play. This video was rlly helpful!!
Still checking as much as I can 😊 so different Pokemon types require different energy too attack, so it would mean you’d need two types of energy in your deck instead of.
In general it’s absolutely fine, but you might find those turns you draw one type when you need the other! You can get around this including cards like ‘Earthern Vessel’ which lets you search specific energy!
@@WoodyREC Thanks so much!!! This was helpful
I love my Eternatus V, Giratina V, Zamazenta V, alolan Raichu, and Wobbuffet 😝😅😅
I am starting to play tomorrow and this was a very easy explanation. Thank you so much! I subscribed as well. 😊
Really glad I could be any help, best of luck for tomorrow and welcome aboard!
I started with MTG in like '00, then jumped into Digimon and YGO at the same time earlier this year after getting back into MTG, and I'm slowly dipping into Pokemon as well. (yes I'm broke because of this all lol)
My favorite Pokemon, Ive got two copies and a ton of cards, Probably wont be a good deck. But its Smeargle!
I know I’m four months behind, but I’ve been looking to get into Pokémon because it seems like it will be more friendly for my daughter to play.
My favorite Pokémon is Ampharos and I’d love a deck that doesn’t have to be crazy good not standard legal. Just a base that my daughter can punch at as she learns what she likes.
If you’re open to anything I would maybe suggest finding a theme deck which can be quite cheap and is perfect for you and your daughter to get started (alternatively the Battle Academy is great!)
Both those products come with decks ready to play out of the box!
My favourite Pokémon is lucario and would love to have a deck built around him
Lucario currently has a V and VStar Pokemon which are quite good!
If you use things like Gutsy Pickaxe you can accelerate energy into play, meaning you can attack quicker! Oranguru means you can set this up.
There is a lot of good fighting support coming too so should be new cards on there way. You can add some consistency and ways to get those Pickaxe when needed via things like Shady Dealings Inteleon.
Lifelong mtg player. My wife and i are trying out pokemon. We used to build decks from mainly booster packs only. But this game seems like you need to start with a premade deck or pick out singles.
You can buy pre-built decks or yes next cheapest option would be buying singles!
If you can find a local Pokemon league you can also trade for cards you need, which makes life a bit easier!
Thanks for this vid finally got into the vgc and played competitively for the first time and me and my friends got into the tgc. Been wanting to build around hawlucha and slaking just casually
This is interesting. I've got a son who's going on 5 years old who is interesting in the cards, but he can't quite grasp the rules yet. I played through him vs my wife. I played a Pikachu electric/fire deck that I bought at walmart maybe 4-6 years ago and it felt like it was for old school pokemon tcg, where you've got pokemon that you battle and you eventually whittle each other down, but with so many search cards, it doesn't quite feel the same as when I was in middle school and the game first came out. I definitely had my Team Rocket cards and my Dark this and Dark that. If it takes off enough over the coming years, we might end up making decks with whatever cards we have at home or buy and not keep in a standard set.
Also, as somebody who plays a decent amount of magic, the number of energy and the number of pokemon in the deck seems so much lower than what I would expect. Fewer than 20 lands in a 60 card deck would be crazy, but it seems like that's the norm for Pokemon? And I suppose you don't want to draw too many pokemon, or have a lot of ways to search for them which basically is the same thing. It's so interesting the way it works.
That’s amazing you get to share that with your family 😊 the game has definitely changed a lot, the game was much slower back then which had its Pluses and Negatives!
It is very different haha it’s because so much in the Pokemon TCG can be used without energy (Items, Supporters etc) so having a ton of energy is rarely that important, a lot of decks try to play the minimum you will need!
There is also recovery tools to bring energy and Pokemon back (Super Rod), so you can use more energy if you get stuck in a spot!
I would move to see a fossil deck. It's the deck I've always wanted to make. Rampardos focused if possible. Thank you!
I want to use my Single Strike Urshifu V and Houndoom. I have a couple single Strike energies so I was hoping I could build a deck on it
That all sounds good - looks like you’ve built a good deal of it!
Single Strike Urshifu V and VMax are good if you can get multiples of both, then Houndoom to attach the Single Strike Energy on them.
Things like Urn of Vitality and Tower of Darkness to help add some consistency to your Single Strike deck!
@@WoodyREC Thanks for the advice!
Hey Woody,
The type of deck I’m thinking about is a Dark themed deck with Houndours, Houndooms, Umbreons and other Dark type Pokémon. This is more of a casual deck I’m aiming for.
If you could also suggest some support and item cards that would be outstanding.
Thank you Woody.
I would love to see a Flygon themed deck, but theres not a lit of powerful Flygon cards out there. I made my own deck themed around Flygon EX(XY61) with supporters based on drawing more cards, but it only has one attack that costs 4 energy so by the time I had enough energy stacked, I could use its attack maybe once and it would get knocked out.
There’s not many options for Flygon is there! You could try Flygon GX, which attacks for three energy and hits a little harder, it also has Dusty Defence which reduces damage you take!
Going down that root you could play more things to reduce damage like Radiant Gardevoir and Hard Charm (that means you’re taking 70 less damage from each attack).
You can accelerate energy into play with things like Gutsy Pickaxe, to help you attack earlier.
I just pulled a full art vmax zeraora, and i love the ralts line. It makes me want to build a psychic/electric deck! I also recently pulled rapid strike shinx/luxio/luxray
The Kirlia from Silver Tempest let’s you draw cards so it can slipped into any deck!
Zeraora VMax is a good attacker, both attacks are useable! You can add in Flaaffy from Evolving Skies to keep energy coming into play along with Electric Generator to power it up!
I am getting back into pokemon TCG again. Sucks when everyone is so ahead of you lol. I enjoy the challenge but the 10c bin is all about I can afford.
I wanna try to build a deck around either darkrai or corviknight to start myself off but no idea on what to try at first, so this could really help me learn how to build decks in general!
My favourite Pokémon are Dragonite, Tranitar, Salamence, and Flygon.
If the TCG has Pokémon Ranger cards, I want to build a deck that has them as a theme. I’m brand new to the TCG, and want a causal friendly deck. Plusle, and Minun are also sick.
Unfortunately there is an old Pokémon Ranger card but no way to theme a deck around them!
Sounds like you like Dragon Pokémon so you can use the new Regidrago VStar which can use the attacks of any Dragon Pokémon in the discard! Meaning you can use the likes of Dragonite, Salamence etc all in one deck!
You can get them in the discard via things like Quick Ball, Ultra Ball, Serena and Primordial Altar then use their attacks via Regidrago VStar!
@@WoodyREC Thank you for the deck idea! Decks with Flaaffy also caught my attention too. But, discord dragons are pretty cool too.
Hello I have just started in the Pokémon tcg and I have made 2 decks do have any useful tips or suggestions for my decks in the future
Thank you for this video , I’d like a deck around the hisuian typhlosion !! I’ve been obsessed w them since they released. The cards are soooo pretty to me
Glad I could help!
You could use Hisuian Typhlosion V and VStar which has the attack ‘Hollow Flames’ which does 180 and drops 3 damage counters on there bench, it also has the VStar attack ‘Shimmering Star’ which if you set up four damage first you can KO anything!
You can use things like Galarian Zigzagoon / Hawlucha and Scoop Up Nets to drop damage counters, paired with Old Cemetery to make sure there Pokemon are covered in damage counters.
Shadow Rider Calyrex VMax is a good partner as it accelerates energy, and things like Fog Crystal are generally good for Psychic decks!
@@WoodyREC thank you so much!!! I super duper appreciate it ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Im new to playing the card game and I'm trying to understand the basics. My favourite pokemon are Gallade, Gardevoir and Tinkaton but I have various others I like!
I go over a Gardevoir deck in one of my latest videos, which will explain the deck and what’s in, with how it works!
th-cam.com/video/wo9DccwHRpo/w-d-xo.html
My daughter and I are just learning how to build decks in Pokémon. I have played other card games and built decks in those games. My biggest question is how to know what Pokémon cards are ok to use in the deck? How old or new do they need to be?
If you're just playing at home you can use any you like, if you plan to attend Pokemon league / tournaments etc then it's anything from Sword and Shield currently (signified with a D and onwards regulation mark in the bottom corner)
Hi, thank you for making this video, I found it really helpful. I have about 450 Pokemon cards and I'am trying to learn to play the real version of the game. My brother and I kind of played it together but he did not like the complicated rules so we made up our own thing. So my favorite Pokemon is Charimander, Charmilian and Charsard and I was hoping to build a deck around thoughs three Pokemon. But I don't really know the best way because I'm lacking trainer cards.
Glad I could help!
Trainer cards really make a deck, they make decks work and more consistent so if you can find a theme deck, trades or a Pokemon league nearby I’d try gather what you can as a start 😊
Very useful video!! I’d def like to build some sort of poison type team, maybe featuring Ariados? It’d probably be a gimmicky team, but that fits me perfectly!
Can’t beat a gimmicky team haha the most fun!
Ariados from Lost Origin is maybe your best bet, it has the attack ‘String Bind’ which lets you do 10 +30 for each energy in their retreat costs!
You can use multiple Spidops EX, which increases there Retreat once for each so if you get four of those down you’re hitting for at least 130 (plus more for there regular retreat costs!)
You can also add Galar Mine (which isn’t in standard now) but does add another 2 to the retreat costs!
Make sure you have plenty of retreat cards your self (Switch, Escape Rope etc) so you don’t get stuck by the stadium yourself!
Oooh, that def sounds like a fun team. Thanks for the info!
And props to responding to comments in an 8 month old video, not many people do that!
I’m a collector and am curious about the TCG but don’t expect to play. I am thinking about making decks as part of my collection even if I don’t play them.
My top 6 Pokémon are Mewtwo, Typhlosion, Arcanine, Absol, Zeraora, and Sneasel. Mewtwo and Zeraora have theme decks, which I have (with Lycanroc and Luxray). I noticed that 1. Mewtwo and Hisuian Typhlosion are Psychic, 2. Typhlosion and Arcanine are Fire, 3. Absol and Sneasel are Darkness, and 4. Zeraora and Luxray are Lightning. I’m thinking about making 4 decks based on those, but I’m not sure if that makes sense or if it’s better to center decks around the specific Pokémon.
You can definitely pair them up by type, should work fine! For the Psychic deck things like Fog Crystal and Old Cemetary should get you started.
Dark have things like Dark Patch and Galarian Moltres and lightning have Flaaffy which is great for getting energy into play and Speed Energy (which lets you draw more cards!)
Very helpful video! Subscribed ✔️
What would you suggest for a non-competitive, “just for fun” deck, centered around Flapple/Appletun? Just getting into the game and I recently built my first deck.
You could use Applin with a mix of Appletun and Flapple as they both have great attacks for only one energy attachment.
Appletun has Thick Mucus which ramps up damage from special energy on your opponent (which are very popular!) and Flappe does similar for abilities (which are even more popular!)
You will want lots of recovery cards like Super Rod to keep re-using your Pokemon.
This is a great video and helped me out a good bit. Ive been wanting to dabble in the tcg game since collecting cards since i was little. I have decided i want to build my deck around the chandelure v card i have. Do you have any suggestions for other cards for the deck? (I also appreciate that you're still responding to comments a year after you posted, its nice to see)
Aye, I appreciate the kind words!
Chandelure V is a cool choice, since it's basic you can use Bravery Charm to give it more HP, which makes things like Magma Basin a little less risky as acceleration!
In terms of helping 'Poltergeist' as an attack you could start the game attacking with something like Banette ex, which has 'Everlasting Darkness' stopping your opponent from playing items meaning when you bring Chandelure in later you can take some big KOs.
@@WoodyREC thank you for the recommendations!!
Being a kinda new TCG player I like kinda less luck based deck and I like using the Melmetal line in the Pokémon go set
Melmetal uses an attack which comes down to coin flips, but can get powered up in a single turn via Metal Saucer and Twin Energy so definitely include 4 copies of each of those! Alternatively things like Magnezone with Giga Magnet can get you set-up quickly if you play lots of Metal energy.
Adding 4 Glimwood Tangle stadiums means you have multiple chances to flip those coins and find those heads you need for maximum damage!
Just discovered your channel. Love it! Two questions. 1. In terms of casual play, is a one type deck recommended? 2. I want to build a deck around Celebi and Venusaur GX and Decidueye GX. Can you help me? Thanks!
Gengar is my favorite by far
Just got into the tcg because my son wanted to get into it, always played the vg but I need to learn this so I can teach him
What a fantastic video! My 7yo is wanting to improve his skills. We have quite a few centiskortch v and v max cards so would be great to get some tips on how to build a powerful deck with those!
If they are just looking to build a deck for fun then you can pair Centiskorch V and VMax with other Pokemon like Charizard from the Pokemon Go set, that doubles your fire energy in play, so means Centiskorch hits a lot harder!
They can use things like Magma Basin/Giant Hearth, Welder and Blacksmith to flood the field with more and more fire energy too.
Volcanion (Unbroken Bonds) is a great addition too, with Heatran GX - that should be enough to get them going!
My son started collecting last February and had 5 binders full of cards. He and I just went to our first league play last weekend we narrowed a deck for that. Someone helped him put together a calyrex deck and advanced me to buy two mew v max league battle boxes so I did. My question is my son really loves charizard is there a way I can build him a really good battle deck with charizard being the star? 😊
That all sounds like great advice! Awesome you get to share that with your son😊
Charizard VMax and VStar can be quite pricey because it’s such a popular Pokémon, but that’s one way to go with it, which gives you options to evolve Charizard V into!
If you just want Charizard featured in the deck then Radiant Charizard is a great option as you can pop it along with a few fire energy in most decks!
General fire support Magma Basin is great to accelerate some energy and works particular well to rush Radiant Charizard into play. Ordinary Rod is great to get Radiant Charizard and energy pack into play and re-use.
If you build a deck around Radiant Charizard you want to include twin energy, magma basin and then consistency cards so it can get attacking as early as possible. (Things like Shady Dealings Drizzile/Inteleon or maybe the Lost Zone package!)
If you’re unsure on lost zone I’ve got a deck video featuring Giratina on the channel, which will give you some idea how it can work!
Hope this helps 😊
So I’ve collected Pokémon cards ever since I was a kid, but hardly ever used them for playing. But now I’m considering actually getting into the TCG and building a deck. There’s four Pokemon who come to mind when I want to build a deck around, those being Appletun, Darkrai, Marshadow, and Solgaleo. Don’t have cards for any of them but I’m willing to buy what I need online to make a good deck for them. Anything you can help me with? Maybe the best card to get for each of those mons or something or who you think I should build a deck around?
Articuno is my favorite pokemon. I am working on improving the arriving theme deck. I still have my og Pokemon cards from the 90s to
These arent allowed in tournaments anymore i would recommend you to sell the ones that you dont like earn some money from it and buy a deck Or some boosters
Today I bought my first elite trainer box and I came across Greninja Ex and I would like to build a deck with it. I was still thinking about Ogerpon being around the waist. Thank you in advance for your help
I got some cards with Water Support at PAX East, mainly Greninja V. Would love to build a deck around Greninja in general.
If you’re going to use Greninja V his attack ‘Dancing Shuriken’ relies on flipping heads so you can pair it with Glimwood Tangle stadium to make it a bit more powerful!
You could add Cape of Toughness to make it tankier, along with Radiant Gardevoir to reduce damage taken and even Milotic from Darkness Ablaze to heal some damage taken!
General water support things like Capacious Bucket, Wash Energy, Melony and other things will help you get going!
My favourite Pokémon is Venusaur! I was hoping to build a deck around the Radiant Venusaur I got from a Pokémon GO Booster Pack. Thank you for your help!!!
I actually built a deck around Radiant Venusaur and Hisuian Arcanine - here's a link if you want to see the full deck list and how it worked: th-cam.com/video/TTtaMAuYDJ4/w-d-xo.html
My son here is 10 is just getting into playing the game. His favourite Pokémon is the Pokémon gyarados and he wants to build a water deck around that. Any advice would be more than welcome. I haven't got a clue where to start lol😊
Haha yeah can be quite daunting! There was a Magikarp and Gyarados ex released in the latest set (Scarlet and Violet) which you could use!
It focuses on taking big one hit KOs if the opponents Pokemon is already damaged so if you put in things like Hawlucha (from the same set) that will let you set things up!
Gapejaw Bog is a good stadium that synergises well, then things mentioned in the video (Ultra Balls, Nest Balls etc paired with Professor Research and Judge is a good base).
Because Magikarp is really low HP and needs a tutti to evolve is include a Manaphy (Brilliant Stars) to protect it whilst it’s on the bench too!
Hey I love this video and I’m just getting into Pokémon lol obviously but I really like grass type Pokémon and some of my favorite Pokémon are Snivy and hitmonchan also Tapu Lele
Id say my favourite pokemon are Tyranitar for sure, Scizor, Garchomp, Typhlosion, Togekiss and the list goes on..
Tyranitar above every other pokemon tho
If your still replying, I would love to know how to build a deck for Jolteon V since electric types have always been my favorite
In the process of building my first deck. Growing up, I've typically liked fire types, so the plan is to fill it with my favorite pokemon (charizard, typhlosion, arcanine, maybe even a ho-oh if i can fit it.) So far the concept is to burn my energy, burn your energy, burn my cards, everything is basically on fire.
😂😂 you’ve cracked it!
aegislash and Espeon are my favourite pokemon, but those Mew cards you showed on screen looks pretty cool
Yo same! I absolutely love aegislash and espeon
Hello , I use lunala gx mew and mewtwo gx so how do I build a deck around that? I've never been able to make a good deck.
I would love to make a Galarian Rapidash and Galarian Rapidash V deck. However, they released only a few cards for these Pokemon. I love this Pokemon to bits, and it makes me sad that there isn't much for it. I want to make it a fun deck to play in the league I started going to. It’s more like I don’t want to embarrass myself for not understanding how to make a deck. I would appreciate your help.
You could use Rapidash V to set-up 3 of your opponents V Pokemon with Libra Horn, then take a KO on all three with Mewtwo VStar.
Although we know have ex Pokemon, V Pokemon are still really popular and are in a ton of decks. Mewtwo and Rapidash have other good attacks and are both psychic Pokemon so include things like Fog Crystal, Kirlia (Refinement) and Gardevoir (Shining Arcana) to help draw cards and set-up with energy.
my favorite pokémon is croagunk and i’d love to build a deck that uses toxicroak
The best Toxicroak at the moment is from Sword and Shield base, he allows Poison to deal more damage between turns, so then you want more stuff to work with poison!
Depending what other Pokémon you like, Galarian Slowking VMax is a good partner as he can poison for 12 damage instead of 1, then Toxicroak adds a further 2.
If you go that route then something like Galar Mine stadium is great as it will trap there Pokémon in the active! Dark Patch will accelerate dark energy so you can attack quicker too.
My all time favorites would be Steel type Pokémon. Steelix and Metagross being my top 2. Then for legendaries, I like Hoopa and Rayquaza
Steelix and Metagross should work together! Metagross VMax can KO any Pokémon in two attacks with Max Rush which is good and it’s only two energy cost
Radiant Steelix is good to clean up with Late game, but you can only have one of these in deck, it is however shiny so it’s a cool Steelix card to have!
Steelix needs a lot of energy in deck so you want something like Energy Recycler to get them in for the big swing at the end! You can lose from decking out so only use him to close out games!
In terms of Steel support Metal Saucer lets you get extra energy in play on a turn!
Hi, im new to deck building and im a HUGE Gengar fan, do you have any hints on a deck built around Gengar? thanks
A man after my own heart!
Gengar VMax is good, so you can combine him with things like Radiant Greninja to put energy in the discard, and draw cards, then put extra energy into play using Dark Patch!
Galarian Moltres V, Galarian Moltres (regular) or Darkrai VStar are good attacking partners for him.
Poke-stop stadium makes the deck a little faster at getting setup, then include things like Ordinary Rod to recycle Pokemon / Energy you need back!
Because Pokestops works with items and Darkrai VStar can bring items back it’s good to have a heavy focus on those!
Glad i found this channel, it was really helpful! Im looking to make a Baxcaliber deck since i love the Godzilla look. Any tips or recommendations would be great! Thanks!
Love that reasoning! I actually played a deck with Baxcalibur on the channel not too long ago (it’s actually really strong as well)!
Chien-pao with Iron Hands BEST Deck in Paradox Rift? (Pokemon TCG)
th-cam.com/video/c7sKbHlrRR4/w-d-xo.html
@WoodyREC awesome, thank you! I've been watching it and enjoy the decklist so I may build that!
@@andrewwithrow1574 amazing, let me know how you get on with it 😊
Any help with a blastoise deck and a torterra deck? Love these two
Torterra from Brilliant Stars is great, his attack 'Evo Press' does 50x each of your Evolution Pokemon in play so can combo well with Blastoise for sure!
Because you're playing 2 stage two Pokemon you're going to be running a lot of Pokemon so maybe just run a couple of Bibarel (Brilliant Stars) and you're good on that end.
You will want some Rare Candy, so at times you can skip stage 1 and go right to stage 2, then just use your Blastoise to set-up multiple Torterra with 'Vitality Springs' then take big knock outs with Torterra!
Make sure you run plenty of different options to find the Pokemon at the right times, so as well as mentioned in the video probably stuff like Level Ball and Evolution Incense! You will also need recovery like Ordinary Rod, if you lose some important evolutions you'll need them back.
I haven't seen this question. Hopefully not a dumb one, but do Elite Trainer Boxes play a part in building decks? Paldean Fates just came out, but it seems just to be a collectors ETB. Are ETBs mainly for collectors? Do you suggest buying or, staying away from ETBs?? Thanks!
ETBs are generally just for collectors as it’s packs with random cards in - they do include dice, tokens and sleeves but there are better ways to get them!
Paldean Fates is a mini set so you can’t get single boosters and instead have to buy 3-packs, ETBs, tins etc
If you want to open some packs but also have useful cards Paldean Fates is actually your best bet as it’s a set that has reprinted a lot of staple/playable cards for decks!
If you want something that’ll just get you setup right away you’re better off with a League Battle Deck etc
@@WoodyRECawesome! Thank you! I think the excitement of getting back to playing Pokémon TCG is thrown off by ETBs. Thinking ETBs are the way to go. I didn't even know you can buy a single card you need to help make a deck for less than a dollar! 😂Times have changed!
Hello, I am just starting out and I got Melmetal EX from a starter pack and I must say that this Pokemon is quite fun to play. I want to make a deck based around Melmetal EX, however as I searched online, a lot of the cards are in the E rotation and it's about to be out of rotations.... Do you have any recommendations of updtaed Melmetal EX deck list? Thank you!
Hello!
Glad you're enjoying the deck, focusing on rotation and if you're generally looking to upgrade the deck I'd maybe look at adding a Magnezone (Astral Radiance) line to help accelerate energy, that means you can get Melmetal potentially set-up in a single turn and attacking!
I think the starter deck comes with a good amount of energy included, I'd aim for around 14-18. I'd strip back the 1-of cards and increase your consistency/set-up cards like Nest Ball, Ultra Ball etc. Cards like Energy Recycler that let you re-use your energy and get them into play via Magnezone are great too, you could add 1-2 of them, then maybe 1-2 Super Rods.
Melmetal is really tanky for a Stage 1 Pokemon with a huge 300 HP, so you could help make it tankier by adding tools like Rigid Band and even Radiant Gardevoir to reduce damage it takes! If you go that route, even though Bronzong (Battle Styles) is going to rotate in April-time, it means you can move energy off Melmetal to another and then use Cheryl to heal all damage - making it near impossible to KO!
Nice video man🎉, if it would be posible can you tell me some good deck on wather/electrick energy cause i have kyurem VMAX and Dracozolt. THANKS for respond😊😊
I really like pikachu and zekrom tag team gx and crobat v and vmax would love some help! great video
Pikachu and Zekrom did use to be one of the more powerful decks, so you can actually find a full decklist on the official Pokemon website (www.pokemon.com/uk/strategy/sun-moon-team-up-deck-tips-pikachu-zekrom-gx).
@@WoodyREC ok thank you
Hey I idk if you still do this but........I have just started nostalgic collecting and wanna start playing.... my favorites are ninetales, any of the eeveelution (umbreon), rapadash, arcanine, and Riku all time fave !!!!!
I actually made a video covering of the nostalgic and most popular Pokémon recently (including Umbreon!)
th-cam.com/video/osBJVPfB3Vc/w-d-xo.html
Thanks you ive been wanting to get into tcg lately but honestly don’t have a lot of good cards to use and barely any energies. If i had to build a deck based on theme id probably go with all the eeveelutions
I mainly play yugioh but I recently got a tote full of Pokémon cards from a friend so I thought that I might as well learn how to play it too. Is Sawk, Scrafty, and Lucario a viable starting point for deck building? I’m looking to do a fighting/dark type deck, or should I stick to single type decks until I get the hang of playing it first?
I’m thinkin of building a gardevoir (it’s not cursed i swear lmao), gengar, and a mimikyu deck, cause they’re both my babies and I love them lmao. Great video btw 🔥
Can I play with a deck built around the 1st 150 Pokémon? I am nearly 40 and remember the Pokémon cartoon being a thing I watched when it was only shown in the early hours on a cartoon Chanel.
You could pick your favourites from Gen 1 and build around them, but a deck generally won’t have more than 20 Pokemon (and they’re usually multiples of the same ones)!
You probably won't read this but I'm running a Aerodactyl VStar deck. Aerodactyl VStar's attack puts 3 cards into the lost zone but hits a whopping 240 damage.
I have 2 problems: 1. I only have 1 Arodactlyl VStar meaning its difficult for me to get it out (even with 2 evolution incense)
2. I don't know how to implement Mirage Gate and Colress' experiment in my deck while keeping the synergy
My deck so far: (all suggestions appreciated)
Aerodactyl Vstar and V
2 Lycanrock V
3 Donphan
3 Phanphy
3 Dugtrio
4 diglett
2 Mirage Gate
2 Colress' Experiment
2 Shauna
2 Gym Trainer
4 Great Ball
2 Evolution Incense
3 Hop
2 Bug Catcher
2 Escape Rope
1 Sonia
1 Cook
1 Potion
thx
Hey buddy - If you can trade / pick-up some more Aerodactyl V and VStar that would be a great start (try local Pokemon Leagues!)
Lost Zone / Mirage Gate works great with multiple types as the energy cant be the same type, so adding in some Sableye, Cramorant and Comfey will help you strengthen the Lost Zone strategy!
Increasing the cards you're going to use more of, and maybe take out some of the less needed ones like potion and cook should help too!
I really want to build a deck around dunsparce.
Just a couple of questions, do all the cards in the deck have to be from the same set? And can you use older sets? I absolutely love the gen 4 series of sets so would I be able to use those in a deck? :)
You can use cards from different sets, and if you’re just playing for fun can combine older sets too!
I will say as with any collectible game, things have got more powerful as it’s gone on, so there may be issues balancing those decks! But if they’re both from the same era shouldn’t be an issue!
id love a charizard deck
besudes the premade one since i hear those arnt as good as custom decks
The Vivid Voltage theme deck for Charizard is actually great if you can get a hold of it! Then replace some of the trainers with some essentials mentioned in the video.
General fire support you can add things like Magma Basin to accelerate energy and outside of the Standard format you can find plenty like Welder, Fire Crystal etc
Just found out my nephew got a corviknight v starter deck and decided to pull out the collection I had to make a deck. Thinking of making one with meloetta just wasn't sure on how to go about it.
Unfortunately we've only had the 1 Meloetta in the last 2-3 years, the one from Fusion Strike attacks from being powered up with Fusion Strike Energy so you can use her with things like Elesa's Sparkle and Fusion Strike Energy to get her attacking for quite a lot of damage.
You can use Fog Crystal as she is a Psychic Pokemon, and even things like Genesect V as that lets you draw cards in Fusion Strike engines. Then I'd put in some more Fusion Strike Pokemon like Deoxys or Dragapult to help with your other tools, and since they're both Psychic means you can still run just Psychic and Fusion Strike Energy.
You could also add Smeargle who will let you recycle Fusion Strike Energy from your discard pile once Meloetta's are KO'd.
Hisui Samurott VStar. I'm trying to match it with Absol (Astral Radiance) and the hisui samurott line from Astral radiance.
Hisuian Samurott VStar and Absol can work great together - something like Galarian Zigzagoon and Gapejaw Bog might be another option as it means you can put damage on your opponent and attack with your Hisuain Samurott VStar in the same turn!