Hello people. I know it's been awhile since I have made an actual real post and it figures that I have been getting tempted to make one. However it usually always feels like I don't know what to post to or how to post to it so that usually makes it harder for me to post on the forums. After some consideration though I have thought about my past efforts to get the community more interested into a certain part of the Pokemon franchise. This is of course the Pokemon Trading Card Game, other words known as the Pokemon TCG. I have made many attempts with not much effort so I figured I'd dive a little bit deeper into it. I have been collecting the cards ever since they came out, and I've been in tournaments for about 6 or 7 years. I know my things to a degree and I thought I'd share my knowledge on the game now.

A good question comes to mind. "How do you start a game?" Well usually it's simple. Besides actually getting the game (where I'm sure like 90% of us has at least 1 or 2 cards anyway.) we need to learn the rules of the game. Pokemon TCG is a really easy game to learn. To save time though I am just going to give a post to the official rulebook straight from the Pokemon website. You may choose to read through this or not if you don't know the rules. If you do know how to play just skip it.

Current Pokemon Rulebook

Of course, it takes more than actually knowing how to play the game to actually be good at it. Experience also takes awhile to build up if you don't have the right resources to start from. A problem beginners usually have is not having the cards. Really this is a hard step to get through and it takes a little extra money to get past this step but usually people who just want to enjoy the game can just use computer programs designed to let you play the Pokemon TCG online without the need for buying the cards. If anyone wants to know about these PM me. Another program beginners have is they don't know how to build a really good deck. This is a problem that is easily fixable and I intend to help fix it. For starters I would like to share that I am trying to help people with the current modified format. What modified means is that Pokemon Organized Play (POP), the people who run the official tournaments and keep it fair and organized. What POP does usually each year is they take a number of older sets out of the picture. This is known as rotating. These rotated out sets are not playable in tournaments. That being said the current modified format is the set Heartgold Soulsilver and everything upto the current set which is right now Black and White. Some people might ask why they do this but it's quite a simple answer. They do this so the game stays fresh and old decks don't win over and over again, and they like to do this so newer players can more easily gather the good cards to build a competitive deck.

Deck building is really easy after you know what to do. I go to every league in my area and whenever a new person shows up their deck usually looks like this:

Pokemon:36
1 Tepig
1 Pignite
1 Emboar
1 Snivy
1 Servine
1 Serperior
1 Oshawott
1 Dewott
1 Samurott
2 Zekrom
2 Reshiram
1 Jirachi
1 Dratini
1 Dragonair
1 Dragonite
1 Celebi
1 Mew
1 Latios
1 Latias
1 Lugia
1 Ho-oh
1 Raikou
1 Suicune
1 Entei
1 Dialga
1 Palkia
1 Articuno
1 Zapdos
1 Moltres
1 Larvitar
1 Pupitar
1 Tyranitar
1 Eevee
1 Umbreon

Trainers: 6
2 Potion
1 Switch
1 Professor Elm's Training Method
2 Energy Search

Energy: 18
2 Lightning
2 Fire
2 Water
2 Dark
2 Metal
2 Psychic
1 Grass
3 Fighting

Usually decks like this are in such bad shape that I try to build a new deck for them from scratch. Allow me to go over what is wrong with this deck. First I would like to look at the Pokemon being played. Look at all those Pokemon, pretty much everything is played from Bulbasaur to Genesect. You have to remember that the game when it comes all down to it is just a game of statistics. Everything in the game depends on your chances of getting something out. If you play 1 of everything you are going to go nowhere fast. You need to play multiples of everything you want to get out fast. You also notice this list has 1 of each Pokemon line for example 1 Dratini, 1 Dragonair, 1 Dragonite. This would mean that for the person to get Dragonite out, he or she has to draw into the Dratini, wait to draw into the Dragonair, then wait and draw into the Dragonite. This is going to take a long time considering that you play 1 of each of them, and what if one of those three are in the prizes where you can't get at them? You need to play multiples of evolutions as well. A common beginner build for evolutions is you build it like a pyramid ie. 4 Dratini, 3 Dragonair, 2 Dragonite If you play rare candy you can mix it up a bit but I'll get to that later. It is also not a good idea to play too many different evolutions. This makes things inconsistent and glitchy. You'll get annoyed if you have a bunch of Dratinis out but your hand is just Pupitars and Dewotts. Another thing to say about the Pokemon line is that there is too much variety in different type of Pokemon he has to support energy for. If I counted correctly this list has every single type of Pokemon out there so he she needs to Play every single energy type out there. Just like too much evolutions this also creates inconsistently when you have a Pokemon that needs dark energy to attack but you can't draw anything but grass or fire. A typical deck shouldn't have more than 3 types of attackers. Finally let's look at number of Pokemon he plays, no competitive deck will ever have 36 total Pokemon in it. A good deck should only have around 25 Pokemon or less. That being said let's move onto Trainers.

Wow... 6 Trainers... Really eventful right here. The real point in Trainers is to help speed up your deck and/or assist your Pokemon. This is a common misconception that newbies get. Trainers are just as important as Pokemon if not even more important. Never neglect your trainer count. Another thing is that you want a bunch of search and draw support because this helps increase your chances of drawing into everything to get it out. Decks should have around 20 or more Trainers.

Like Pokemon because there is every type possible in the deck he or she has to play all the basic energy as well. This makes things packed because you are stuck to on average playing 2 or so of every single energy. Like I said before if you only play like 2 different types of attackers. Then you would only need for example 8 fire, 8 lightning. I don't know about anyone else but I like those odds more than playing 2 fire, 2 lightning. All in all 16 isn't a bad energy count, it's around the max you'd want to play though. Typically a deck should have around 13-16 energy depending on what the deck is. Let me give you an example of one of my own decks and how a typical deck should look as for how it's built.

Pokemon: 18
4 Phanpy
4 Donphan
2 Zekrom
2 Zorua
2 Zoroark
1 Reshiram
1 Bouffalant
1 Tyrouge
1 Cleffa

Trainers: 28
4 Pokemon Collector
4 Professor Oak's New Theory
3 Professor Juniper
1 Judge
4 Pokemon Communication
1 Flower Shop Lady
2 Junk Arm
4 Pokemon Reversal
3 Pluspower
2 Switch

Energy: 14
7 Fighting
4 Rainbow Energy
3 Double Colorless Energy

You probably noticed that this deck looks much shorter than the other because I play more multiples of everything. As you can see I play less types of Pokemon and many Donphans to make it easier to get it out. Then I play 2-2 Zoroark because it's not as important for me to get out but is still needed. Then what I play 1 of are just techs, techs are cards you play in your deck that have an important role in a specific situation or against specific decks. You probably also noticed that I play more trainers than 6 and my energy looks more consistent.

Usually the steps to building a deck the way I see it is first I come up with an idea I want to build. Then I get to building it. I start with what Pokemon I want in it. After that I work with Energy. After that step is over whatever leftover room is made for trainers. If I feel like I need even more trainers I'll try to skim the fat someplace. After that I play a few matches and try to work out a few tweaks so it runs nicely.

In Pokemon there is a lot of cards known as Staples. Staples are known as cards that should be in every deck to help it out. I will go over the list of staples with you so when you try to build your deck, you can get it as close to right the first time.

Search your deck for up to 3 Basic Pokemon, show them to your opponent, and put them into your hand. Shuffle your deck afterward.
Pokemon Collector is certainly an important card in every single deck you play, doesn't matter. The ability to search for 3 basic Pokemon allows you to get things going really quickly. You should always play 3 or 4 of this card.

Reveal a Pokémon in your hand and put it on top of your deck. If you do, search your deck for a Pokémon, reveal it, and put it into your hand. Shuffle your deck aftwerward.
Another important search card. A normal trainer that allows you to get any Pokemon you want from your deck, even evolutions and all you have to do is get a Pokemon from your hand back into the deck. This is more important in evolution decks but is still a really good card.

Shuffle your hand into your deck. Then, draw 6 cards.
Oh gosh it's Professor Oak! This card is simple yet so vital as it lets you get a whole new hand of 6 cards and more chances at getting things you need. Not to mention it's a life saver if you only have 1 card in your hand and you draw into it.

Discard your hand and draw 7 cards.
Another vital draw card although it's not a card I care about unless in certain decks because it involves discarding your entire hand which may have important stuff you need later. However this is preference. It also lets you discard useless cards that otherwords with Professor Oak's New Theory, it doesn't get shuffled back in and gives you a chance to draw into them again.

Shuffle your hand into your deck. Then, draw a number of cards equal to the number of cards in your opponent's hand.
Copycat has been with us for a long time and it's starting to become popular again. This card is really useful when your opponent has a big hand and lets you copy the benefit of that.

(Poke-BODY) Sweet Sleeping Face - As long as Cleffa is Asleep, prevent all damage done to Cleffa by attacks.
0 Eeeeeeek
Shuffle your hand into your deck, then draw 6 cards. Cleffa is now Asleep.
Your typical competitive deck plays 1 Cleffa here you have a nice draw power Pokemon you can get out with the use of communication of collector in dire situations and allow you to draw a new hand then it goes to sleep and your opponent has to deal with it's body.

(Poke-BODY) Sweet Sleeping Face - As long as Tyrogue is Asleep, prevent all damage done to Tyrogue by attacks.
0 Mischievous Punch 30
This attack's damage isn't affected by Weakness or Resistance. Tyrogue is now Asleep.
This card isn't really important and isn't mandatory to play it but if you have room for it, go for it. Basically you play 1 of him and his goal is to come out against against Cleffa or something else it can kill and do it. Then like Cleffa they have to deal with the body.

Each player shuffles his or her hand into his or her deck and draws 4 cards.
This card is important depending on what you are playing. The main point in this is to either give yourself a new hand and draw back more with certain powers, or just mess with your opponent and take their great hand and make them shuffle it back in.

Choose 1 of your Basic Pokémon in play. If you have a Stage 1 or Stage 2 card that evolves from that Pokémon in your hand, put that card on the Basic Pokémon. (This counts as evolving that Pokémon.) (If you choose a Stage 2 Pokémon in your hand, put that Pokémon on the Basic Pokémon instead of on a Stage 1 Pokémon.)
This has changed text a little bit (It doesn't work on stage 1 Pokemon anymore). This card should only go into decks with stage 2 Pokemon. Play 4 of these and it allows you to mix up your lines a bit. For example that 4-3-2 Dragonite line I mentioned earlier can be a 4-3-4 line or a 4-2-4 line because Rare Candy covers the gap in the stage 1.

Discard 2 cards from your hand. Search your discard pile for a Trainer card, show it to your opponent, and put it into your hand. You can't choose Junk Arm with the effect of this card.
People usually adore this card for it's unique ability to recycle trainers you've used before. This is a card you should play if you play a lot of trainers and if you have room for it.

Flip a coin. If heads, choose 1 of your opponent's Benched Pokemon and switch it with your opponent's Active Pokemon.
Even through it's flippy. It's been a card that has quickly found it's way into decks everywhere because it allows you to bring up anything you want and either stall by letting it sit there with a high retreat cost or kill it. This card will soon be replaced with Pokemon Catcher from next set because it does the same exact thing but it doesn't require a flip.

(c)(c) Revenge 20+
If any of your Pokémon were Knocked Out by damage from an opponent's attack during his or her last turn, this attack does 70 more damage.
(c)(c)(c)(c) Head Charge 80
Flip a coin. If tails, this Pokémon does 20 damage to itself.
Last but not least a card that has been seen in most decks is this. You don't have to play it but it's a great tech against Zekrom and other things.

With the common staples in thought all you really need to do is build your own deck. There is many resources out there to help you with your research and if you'd like to know more all you have to do is PM me and I'll try to get back to you. Thank you for reading.