Hey PokeBeachers, I was thinking of getting into PTCG, but am not sure if I should wait XY out as it will get discontinued from expanded because a new series will release or should I go for it?!
Getting Into PTCG at This Time?
- Thread starter FierySplash
- Start date
I am a player who just returned to the game after a long absence, so I can relate to where you are coming from as far as being concerned about rotation and stocking up on cards that you feel you'll never get use out of. I got out of the game around 10 years ago, for a variety of reasons at the time, but always missed it. I just started playing again at the end of May, so I faced 2 issues.
1) 99% of the cards I still had were nowhere close to being legal. Several trainer cards are still around like Rare Candy and Super Scoop Up (for another month anyway) but otherwise who needs more Potion and Pokeball cards anyway.
2) Yes I said May, so missed every event worth talking about for the 2016 season, but had no idea what rotation would really be and even if I did I wouldn't have wanted to wait until September to have a shot at being competetive.
So I bought in to the XY sets. Now I had a pretty good idea of what was going to stay in standard format so I avoided XY, Flashfire, Furious Fists altogether in pack form, just a few singles like Startling Megaphone. The 2 BREAK sets, and Fates Collide I figured are likely to be safe come the 2018 rotation, so I went heaviest on those. If I'm wrong then I'm wrong, but I see BREAKthrough and BREAKpoint either both staying in, or both being rotated next time around. Only thing I somewhat regret investing in was about a box and a half of Phantom Forces. Only reason I did was finding discounted packs, and knowing even if they were weighed you can't weigh out a VS Seeker or Battle Compressor.
Anyway, on to a couple things you mentioned. First being Expanded format. The entire Black & White generation of cards is still going to be legal until at least the 2018 season now, which means we'll likely have 2 Sun & Moon sets in format before the possibility of Black & White being taken out of Expanded. If you think about what that implies for XY (assuming Expanded keeps being a thing) then we can expect to keep using anything XY for several years to come. The second thing is if you plan to only buy cards from Sun & Moon on, you wont see standard hit that until 2019 (if I mathed correctly) so you'd have a tough go for 2 years there, more than enough time for someone to lose interest.
If you skipped the rest of my speech, at least take away this:
My advice is if you like the game, jump in. Start slow but have fun. Prereleases for Steam Siege start this weekend and I personally think those are great events for people who understand the game, but are newer or don't have the catalog or cards at home to construct decks with like veteran players. They aren't great to learn the game on but if you know they mechanics of the PTCG then it's a great equalizer. Everyone get the same thing to build from so it doesn't matter how much you have invested in your collection, you get the sane box as every other player there to build from. Don't wait because you're afraid of the rotation. Find a league, start slow, make sure friends in the game, and you won't ever regret that.
1) 99% of the cards I still had were nowhere close to being legal. Several trainer cards are still around like Rare Candy and Super Scoop Up (for another month anyway) but otherwise who needs more Potion and Pokeball cards anyway.
2) Yes I said May, so missed every event worth talking about for the 2016 season, but had no idea what rotation would really be and even if I did I wouldn't have wanted to wait until September to have a shot at being competetive.
So I bought in to the XY sets. Now I had a pretty good idea of what was going to stay in standard format so I avoided XY, Flashfire, Furious Fists altogether in pack form, just a few singles like Startling Megaphone. The 2 BREAK sets, and Fates Collide I figured are likely to be safe come the 2018 rotation, so I went heaviest on those. If I'm wrong then I'm wrong, but I see BREAKthrough and BREAKpoint either both staying in, or both being rotated next time around. Only thing I somewhat regret investing in was about a box and a half of Phantom Forces. Only reason I did was finding discounted packs, and knowing even if they were weighed you can't weigh out a VS Seeker or Battle Compressor.
Anyway, on to a couple things you mentioned. First being Expanded format. The entire Black & White generation of cards is still going to be legal until at least the 2018 season now, which means we'll likely have 2 Sun & Moon sets in format before the possibility of Black & White being taken out of Expanded. If you think about what that implies for XY (assuming Expanded keeps being a thing) then we can expect to keep using anything XY for several years to come. The second thing is if you plan to only buy cards from Sun & Moon on, you wont see standard hit that until 2019 (if I mathed correctly) so you'd have a tough go for 2 years there, more than enough time for someone to lose interest.
If you skipped the rest of my speech, at least take away this:
My advice is if you like the game, jump in. Start slow but have fun. Prereleases for Steam Siege start this weekend and I personally think those are great events for people who understand the game, but are newer or don't have the catalog or cards at home to construct decks with like veteran players. They aren't great to learn the game on but if you know they mechanics of the PTCG then it's a great equalizer. Everyone get the same thing to build from so it doesn't matter how much you have invested in your collection, you get the sane box as every other player there to build from. Don't wait because you're afraid of the rotation. Find a league, start slow, make sure friends in the game, and you won't ever regret that.
Welcome aboard and... take a breath. Seems like some of your facts are in error, making this sound more difficult a decision than it probably should be for you.
The Pokémon TCG has two Constructed Formats it uses for sanctioned events: Standard and Expanded. "Constructed" is when you bring your own deck to an event. This is different from "Limited" where you build a deck at the event with cards provided (like at a Pre-Release). The current Standard includes all XY releases save Lysandre's Trump Card (it was banned), while Expanded is all BW and XY release except Shiftry (NXD) and Lysandre's Trump Card (again, banned). Pokémon rarely bans cards; the last time Standard had a banned card before these two was I think 2002, so don't let that worry you.
Also don't let set rotation worry you. It is something you need to understand and plan for but its not as severe as you think it is. This September, Standard switches to XY: Primal Clash and later releases. Expanded does not change. Now it might change eventually, but for now it has been confirmed it will remain all BW and XY cards except the two banned. If you aren't familiar with it, the main tournament series that ends with the World Championships uses both Standard and Expanded at different tournaments. Places like Pokémon League usually let you play what you want, though finding an opponent can be difficult it everyone favors a particular format. Also remember that all of this is just for sanctioned play; when you're with your friends you can use whatever you want!
It is easiest to ease into the game. Try some Pre-Releases. Maybe build a budget deck and try League. If you do want to get serious and try competitive play, then start getting cards and learning the game now, and you should have time to become decent before the first tournament series after the World Championships.
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Ah, I see! I actually have some practice so it won't be completely unfamiliar territory, anyways it looks like it's time to build a deck! 
Thanks for the answer!
Thanks for the answer!