Hi! I learned how to play the Pokémon TCG about a month ago, and have been building my own decks and using them to play with my brother and friends. These obviously aren’t competitive decks, but I don’t necessarily need them to be. However, I’ve been having so much fun with the game I’ve tried looking into the competitive side. The problem is I can’t understand anything. I don’t know what’s good or bad for the meta, and have to little info to digest the articles on this website. I don’t even know where everyone watches competitive games. Can you tell me how you all got into the competitive side, and what helped it make sense to you? Thanks in advance
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- Thread starter pairofjeans
- Start date
Hello!
Let me start by saying that I'm not exactly a competitive player, but I think I have some advice that you'll find useful. Firstly, jumping into the competitive scene is in itself a challenge. It can, and will be difficult to understand things at first. One of the best ways to start is by simply doing what you've already done: play with family and friends. Familiarize yourself with how the game works, as well as basic rulings questions and answers.
Once you have done this, the most logical next step is to find a local League, if you haven't already done so. Leagues, in my opinion, are by far some of the best places to start playing competitively. Get to know the players, as well as what and how they play. Many Leagues will run small tournaments to help players get to know each other, as well as get a taste of a more competitive environment. I started playing at the League I now run when I was about 15 or 16, and have since grown to know many of the players there, which has become a great way for me to learn how to better approach competitive play. By learning what people in your area play (sometimes referred to as the local meta), you can get a bit of an idea of what deck(s) will do well.
After you have started to learn what will do well in your area, you might want to start looking at playing in League Challenges, and League cups. League Challenges are the lowest-level official tournaments available to players, and--as the name suggests--are run at a League. From what I've experienced, League Challenges draw between 10-30 people in different age groups, and are a great way to start playing in a more competitive setting. Most Leagues offer prizes, and top players in each age division receive really cool Stamped Promos. While League Challenges are a great way to start playing competitively without having to worry too much about metas and such, League Cups are a whole different ballgame. League Cups are the next stage of official tournaments, and can draw anywhere from 20-100+ people. They are similar to League Challenges, but last much longer, and have bigger prizes (usually), and all players are given League Cup promos for participating. These are a great if you're looking to kick things up a notch, and require a bit more dedication and thought than League Challenges.
As far as looking at the broader meta goes, it often helps to look at what decks did well at recent tournaments such as Regionals/Internationals/whatever. These lists can usually be found on the Pokemon website, and can provide a decent idea of what is doing well at the moment. However, seeing as you are a relatively new player, I would suggest that you not worry too much about the meta. One of the best pieces of advice I can offer is this: screw the meta. Play the decks you enjoy playing. You don't need to have expensive, top-tier cards to play competitively. For several years, I've managed to play well with the decks I have (though, I will admit I have trouble keeping up with the new sets sometimes), and have enjoyed it very much. If you have questions, get in touch with some of the Professors in your area, or join a local or state Pokemon group. If you want to build a deck, find cards that interest you, and see what strategies you can come up with. I can guarantee that's how many of us got started.
Sorry for the massive wall of text! I sincerely hope this helps! If you have any further questions, please feel free to ask.
Cordially,
-Alpha
Let me start by saying that I'm not exactly a competitive player, but I think I have some advice that you'll find useful. Firstly, jumping into the competitive scene is in itself a challenge. It can, and will be difficult to understand things at first. One of the best ways to start is by simply doing what you've already done: play with family and friends. Familiarize yourself with how the game works, as well as basic rulings questions and answers.
Once you have done this, the most logical next step is to find a local League, if you haven't already done so. Leagues, in my opinion, are by far some of the best places to start playing competitively. Get to know the players, as well as what and how they play. Many Leagues will run small tournaments to help players get to know each other, as well as get a taste of a more competitive environment. I started playing at the League I now run when I was about 15 or 16, and have since grown to know many of the players there, which has become a great way for me to learn how to better approach competitive play. By learning what people in your area play (sometimes referred to as the local meta), you can get a bit of an idea of what deck(s) will do well.
After you have started to learn what will do well in your area, you might want to start looking at playing in League Challenges, and League cups. League Challenges are the lowest-level official tournaments available to players, and--as the name suggests--are run at a League. From what I've experienced, League Challenges draw between 10-30 people in different age groups, and are a great way to start playing in a more competitive setting. Most Leagues offer prizes, and top players in each age division receive really cool Stamped Promos. While League Challenges are a great way to start playing competitively without having to worry too much about metas and such, League Cups are a whole different ballgame. League Cups are the next stage of official tournaments, and can draw anywhere from 20-100+ people. They are similar to League Challenges, but last much longer, and have bigger prizes (usually), and all players are given League Cup promos for participating. These are a great if you're looking to kick things up a notch, and require a bit more dedication and thought than League Challenges.
As far as looking at the broader meta goes, it often helps to look at what decks did well at recent tournaments such as Regionals/Internationals/whatever. These lists can usually be found on the Pokemon website, and can provide a decent idea of what is doing well at the moment. However, seeing as you are a relatively new player, I would suggest that you not worry too much about the meta. One of the best pieces of advice I can offer is this: screw the meta. Play the decks you enjoy playing. You don't need to have expensive, top-tier cards to play competitively. For several years, I've managed to play well with the decks I have (though, I will admit I have trouble keeping up with the new sets sometimes), and have enjoyed it very much. If you have questions, get in touch with some of the Professors in your area, or join a local or state Pokemon group. If you want to build a deck, find cards that interest you, and see what strategies you can come up with. I can guarantee that's how many of us got started.
Sorry for the massive wall of text! I sincerely hope this helps! If you have any further questions, please feel free to ask.
Cordially,
-Alpha
@AlphaVoxel Offers some great advice, but I think I'll slightly tweak it and simplify it as:
@pairofjeans Keep at it. A lot of it is just time. Some folks have been playing and discussing, even professionally writing about the Pokémon TCG for twenty years at this point. If your schedule and other factors permit, spend some more time reading and interacting with people in various forums or groups, and try to start attending Pokémon League if there is one nearby.
Before you sink too much timing and money into this, though, understand that it can be demanding and that I don't actually recommend the physical TCG to someone unless they really enjoy TCG's and/or Pokémon. The Pokémon Trading Card Game Online, that I do recommend to people who are looking for a free-to-play game, in addition to Pokémon and/or TCG fans.
@pairofjeans Keep at it. A lot of it is just time. Some folks have been playing and discussing, even professionally writing about the Pokémon TCG for twenty years at this point. If your schedule and other factors permit, spend some more time reading and interacting with people in various forums or groups, and try to start attending Pokémon League if there is one nearby.
Before you sink too much timing and money into this, though, understand that it can be demanding and that I don't actually recommend the physical TCG to someone unless they really enjoy TCG's and/or Pokémon. The Pokémon Trading Card Game Online, that I do recommend to people who are looking for a free-to-play game, in addition to Pokémon and/or TCG fans.
Thanks to both of you! I’m super happy I got some responses! I’ll take both your advice as I continue into the tcg and continue to learn!
Try TCGONE. You can playtest with any cards you want, besides Team Up because they don’t have it yet. The decklists of previous tournaments are located on limitlesstcg.com, which provides good metagame advice. Agreed with @AlphaVoxel about attending leagues. Also agreed with @Otaku about time.
Happy playing.
(Also, check out Convenience for the Community a long long way down the Deck Garage forum for a list of standard decks. They’re pretty old.)
Don’t forget to check out the Deck Garage too. Go post something there and I’ll go at your deck.
Happy playing.
(Also, check out Convenience for the Community a long long way down the Deck Garage forum for a list of standard decks. They’re pretty old.)
Don’t forget to check out the Deck Garage too. Go post something there and I’ll go at your deck.
You could also watch Azul GG's Twitch streams