Help Haven't played since DPP and have some questions

[cool]

Hey! I haven't dabbled in playing in a few years and haven't legit competed at events since the DPP days. So my current knowledge for whats going on with the current metagame is pretty thin. I miss playing, and would love to play again on the official website or on sim. I don't have time to compete at actual events anymore but i'd love to play a lot again and even stream it. So I have some questions!

1. I know the official Pokemon website has a way to play the game online, but whats the sim all the players go to that just lets you play whatever deck/cards you want, would love to test decks and whatnot. Would also love to play DPP format with people.

2. What's the next rotation, its September so assuming the schedule is the sameish years back we should be rotating right (or it happened)? What's going to be the future rotation, I want to focus on that.

3. Any good resources anywhere that lists proficient meta decks/scans and the like? I know how to play the game I just need to be accustomed to the new stuff (GX's and not EX's/LV.X's etc)

Thank you in advance for anyone that can help!

 

[Lord Goomy]

Hey! I haven't dabbled in playing in a few years and haven't legit competed at events since the DPP days. So my current knowledge for whats going on with the current metagame is pretty thin. I miss playing, and would love to play again on the official website or on sim. I don't have time to compete at actual events anymore but i'd love to play a lot again and even stream it. So I have some questions!

1. I know the official Pokemon website has a way to play the game online, but whats the sim all the players go to that just lets you play whatever deck/cards you want, would love to test decks and whatnot. Would also love to play DPP format with people.

2. What's the next rotation, its September so assuming the schedule is the sameish years back we should be rotating right (or it happened)? What's going to be the future rotation, I want to focus on that.

3. Any good resources anywhere that lists proficient meta decks/scans and the like? I know how to play the game I just need to be accustomed to the new stuff (GX's and not EX's/LV.X's etc)

Thank you in advance for anyone that can help!

DPP? Welcome back!

What the heck is the Sim? Beats me. Just proxy.

It just happened. The format is now Sun and Moon Base and on. Any cards that look like the new ones.

Look in the deck garage for Convenience for the Community. It’s a list of Standard budget decks. Nobody knows what the meta is right now, check back when Pokémon releases the Philadelphia Regionals info on their website.
Hope this helps.

 

[AlphaVoxel]

Hey! I haven't dabbled in playing in a few years and haven't legit competed at events since the DPP days. So my current knowledge for whats going on with the current metagame is pretty thin. I miss playing, and would love to play again on the official website or on sim. I don't have time to compete at actual events anymore but i'd love to play a lot again and even stream it. So I have some questions!

1. I know the official Pokemon website has a way to play the game online, but whats the sim all the players go to that just lets you play whatever deck/cards you want, would love to test decks and whatnot. Would also love to play DPP format with people.

2. What's the next rotation, its September so assuming the schedule is the sameish years back we should be rotating right (or it happened)? What's going to be the future rotation, I want to focus on that.

3. Any good resources anywhere that lists proficient meta decks/scans and the like? I know how to play the game I just need to be accustomed to the new stuff (GX's and not EX's/LV.X's etc)

Thank you in advance for anyone that can help!

*Sigh...* I miss the DPPt era. Anyway, I don't quite know of any simulators for the TCG other than Pokemon's official one. In regards to rotation, it happened about 2 weeks ago, with Standard format consisting of Sun and Moon Base Set onward (Expanded still hasn't changed). It is unknown what the future rotation will be, as it's still almost a year away. If you're looking to find out what the meta is, forums like this are generally a good way to go. There are several other sites devoted to the more competitive aspects of things as well, but most require a form of a paid membership to access some content (similar to what is done here). Most people on here are pretty willing to discuss the meta/whatever, so poke around and see what you can find!

 

[Merovingian]

The Facebook Group "Snowpoint Temple" is ALL ABOUT dabbling in specific past formats. I'd hit them up.

Proxycroak has scans of cards for proxy texting,

 

[cool]

Thanks so much for getting back to me everyone! Sucks that we don't have a sim anymore to play on for free, gotta get printing paper I guess haha.

Now the question I have is just what are good meta cards that do the whole energy acceleration thing? That's the style I always am into (Infercatty and MT Blissey/SW Smeargle) is what I ran pre Dragon Frontiers on and DPP on.

I hear Tapu Lele is the go to, any other options? What are good cards that go with these type of decks currently? Thank you!

 

[TatsuyaOrimuta]

Thanks so much for getting back to me everyone! Sucks that we don't have a sim anymore to play on for free, gotta get printing paper I guess haha.

Now the question I have is just what are good meta cards that do the whole energy acceleration thing? That's the style I always am into (Infercatty and MT Blissey/SW Smeargle) is what I ran pre Dragon Frontiers on and DPP on.

I hear Tapu Lele is the go to, any other options? What are good cards that go with these type of decks currently? Thank you!

tcg one is a neat sim that has mostly every set, excluding dpp sets hgss sets and the new dragon majesty mini set. blaziken from dragon majesty and malamar from forbidden light accelerate energy from the discard pile onto benched pokemon (once per turn), magnezone from ultra prism and forbidden light accelerates infinite energy from the hand. tapu lele gx is great since it let's you grab a supporter from your deck when you place it from your hand to your bench. lycanroc gx is very similar to the old luxray gl lxl x. something similar to infercatty though ummm i guess theirs the feraligatr and victini prism star from dragon majesty but it's not super great.

 

[Merovingian]

Now the question I have is just what are good meta cards that do the whole energy acceleration thing? That's the style I always am into (Infercatty and MT Blissey/SW Smeargle) is what I ran pre Dragon Frontiers on and DPP on.

Standard? Malamar and Metagross

Expanded? Malamar, Archie's Blastoise, Eels, Bronzong, Buzzwole

 

[Otaku]

Hey! I haven't dabbled in playing in a few years and haven't legit competed at events since the DPP days. So my current knowledge for whats going on with the current metagame is pretty thin. I miss playing, and would love to play again on the official website or on sim. I don't have time to compete at actual events anymore but i'd love to play a lot again and even stream it. So I have some questions!

Welcome back! I'm late to the party, but I'll answer the questions anyway:

1. I know the official Pokemon website has a way to play the game online, but whats the sim all the players go to that just lets you play whatever deck/cards you want, would love to test decks and whatnot. Would also love to play DPP format with people.

I'll let others answer your actual question, because I know there is one but I don't use it.

I used to play the physical TCG as well, but the short version is that I hadn't for a while, needed to sell off my collection, and am only still with this game thanks to the Pokémon Trading Card Game Online, or PTCGO... which is the official way you can play. You're not really playing through the website, though; it is an app you can download. While it would be nice to have access to any and all cards (past and present), the upside of the PTCGO making you earn cards is... you've earned them. I haven't spent a dime on the Pokémon TCG in since around the time you quit, but at the very least I function as the "AI" for people who are investing in the game.

...

(The actual AI on the PTCGO is only used in a few modes and is infamously bad.)

2. What's the next rotation, its September so assuming the schedule is the sameish years back we should be rotating right (or it happened)? What's going to be the future rotation, I want to focus on that.

Rotation has been pretty steady since before you left. There have been a few exceptions, but it usually occurs on September 1st of each year. You probably already figured it out, but Standard Format = Modified Format. Technically, both terms were always applicable to the same Format, but fans got confused by that way back when and for the longest time, we just referred to it as Modified... and then the powers-that-be decided to only offiically refer to it as the Standard Format. The Standard Format is SM-On, both for expansions and for promos.

Since you've been gone, the Expanded Format was created. Think of it as Unlimited 2.0; instead of any and all cards going back to the beginning of the game, it is anything released in the Black & White or later expansions and promos. There is a Ban List for the Expanded Format, and we actually had one for the Standard Format a few years ago!

The PTCGO features two additional formats:

• Theme Format - All the Theme (Starter) Decks from HeartGold & SoulSilver and later sets, plus a few exclusive to the PTCGO. For those who play-for-free, you basically start your PTCGO playing here, grinding rewards until you can build a budget deck elsewhere.
• Legacy Format - All the HS-era and BW-era releases. Nothing rotates and I don't think anything was ever banned. Unfortunately, the last time I checked people weren't playing this like they used to, which is a shame. If you can find a game, it can be pretty fun. Even with no new cards being added and no cards leaving, the BDIF (Best Deck In Format - I can't remember when we started using the term XP) changes. This is simply due to players adjusting.

3. Any good resources anywhere that lists proficient meta decks/scans and the like? I know how to play the game I just need to be accustomed to the new stuff (GX's and not EX's/LV.X's etc)

There may be some issues with answering this due to PokéBeach guidelines. They have (or else had) a thing about linking to other commercial Pokémon websites. Pokemon.com, the official website, has a pretty decent TCG database with scans, though they don't include any of the WotC-era stuff. If you want to know more, I'll try to remember to PM them to ya.