Help The "What Should I Buy?" Thread

Reccomendations for a New Buyer?

Hello everyone! I am just about to purchase my first Pokemon TCG Booster, Box, or something, I dont know, that's why I am here!

I have about $20 set aside for my first TCG Product, maybe more if needed.

My question is, what should I buy? I am not at ALL new to Pokemon, or the TCG, but I have never bought any before. What do you recommend for a new player/collector?

I already plan to order a 100 Random Card ALL Reverse-Holo Lot off of eBay later this week, but I am making a trip to Wal-Mart and I am dumbfounded. What do I buy? Thank you for letting me know!

Note: I don't really care about EX's or all the rare stuff yet :p I just want alot of nice cards for my money, and an evenly mixed deck maybe?

THANK YOU! :D
 
RE: Reccomendations for a New Buyer?

Random Ebay lots like that usually aren't a good deal. Those sorts of things are mostly put up there with the intention of parents buying cards for their kids. There are, of course, exceptions, but generally speaking, I don't recommend Ebay lots to anyone.

Buying cards is quite a bit different if you're collecting or playing. Players will want to focus on building up good playable cards (trainers and Pokémon), and getting into playing serious can be on the pricey side (especially if you're starting from scratch), so if you want to go this route, do some research, and check out some of the threads in the New Player forum. If you're just looking to play a fun game with friends without getting close to the competitive side of things, you may want to pick up a theme deck or two; they're typically about $12 each in the States and will be able to get you playing the game quickly and easy, though those decks aren't really good for anything more than casual play.

You have a bit more freedom with collecting. Depending on what you want to collect and what your plans are, you can buy singles, or even packs for a particular set that you like. If you'd like to try and complete a set, usually buying a booster box is a good way to start that, though that's quite a bit out of your price range. If there's a certain Pokémon you'd like to collect, sites like Troll & Toad and Collector's Cache sell singles from current and old sets. Tins and Promo Packs are also nice in a way because they give you promo cards in addition to packs, and the tins are nice for storing your cards or other small things in. Tins are usually my "go-to" item for a casual TCG purchase.

It should be noted that buying packs is usually less of a good deal than buying singles (your changes of getting enough good cards to match the after-market value for each card to the pack price are slim), but buying packs is a lot more fun. Even as a semi-serious collector, I love buying and opening packs since that's where a lot of the fun is for me, though I have switched to mostly collecting Japanese cards since the cards are cheaper and the pull rates are much better.
 
RE: Reccomendations for a New Buyer?

If you have a Walgreens around you, stop in/call ahead to see if they carry Pokemon because they have BOGO free booster packs, tins, and theme decks. That comes to $2 a pack. If you want a lot of bang for your buck, I'd suggest buying a Legendary Treasures booster box. Those boxes are chock full of EX cards, and the set has quite a few good/playable rares. I got more than double the amount of EXs in a box of LT compared to other sets (the norm is usually 4-6, at least it has been for me).

Aside from Walgreens this week, that $20 will go a lot further if you buy packs online, either in a multi-pack lot on eBay or individually on Troll & Toad or other trusted websites. Some sellers on eBay weigh their packs and sell packs that are least likely to have EXs in them, so look for auctions that promise (hopefully they're not lying) that their packs are not weighed.

Oh, and since you're a new player, I'd say an Elite Trainer Box would be a good option. That comes with damage counter dice, energy cards (5 of each type), deck sleeves, storage with dividers, and 8 booster packs. I believe the sets with ETBs are Plasma Blast, XY, Furious Fists, and Phantom Forces.
 
RE: Reccomendations for a New Buyer?

Agreed. Those "100 random cards" lots on ebay are often cards that the seller didn't want after opening packs. That said it's not likely that you'lld find many playable ones. I normally use Ebay when hunting for singles. If you're looking to get into playing, you should scour ebay for the staple Trainer cards (check out this topic) so your deck has a strong backbone, even if you're not going competitive just yet. Unfortunately everything you need is going to run you over $20, but you could get playests of the cheaper ones.
 
RE: Reccomendations for a New Buyer?

If you get an Elite Trainer Box, get one for Furious Fists, Plasma Blast, or Phantom Forces. Plasma Storm and XY both have over 140 cards in their sets, so relying on just 8 Booster Packs to get enough playable cards for a 60 card deck is pretty much impossible. Plasma Blast, Furious Fists, and Phantom Forces have only about 110 each, so you're bound to get a lot better pulls from those. Phantom Forces is my #1 recommendation for Elite Boxes, since the set features a crud-ton of playable trainer cards, a lot of Common Fully-evolved Pokemon, (Skarmory, Dedenne, Alomomola, Night Marchers) and pretty much every Holo and EX is playable in some way or another. (excluding Heliolisk and Diancie, which are both mediocre at best)

If you want to see everything Phantom Forces contains, you can look here, courtesy of Pokebeach:
http://pokebeach.com/2014/10/phantom-forces
 
RE: Reccomendations for a New Buyer?

Athena said:
Random Ebay lots like that usually aren't a good deal. Those sorts of things are mostly put up there with the intention of parents buying cards for their kids. There are, of course, exceptions, but generally speaking, I don't recommend Ebay lots to anyone.

Buying cards is quite a bit different if you're collecting or playing. Players will want to focus on building up good playable cards (trainers and Pokémon), and getting into playing serious can be on the pricey side (especially if you're starting from scratch), so if you want to go this route, do some research, and check out some of the threads in the New Player forum. If you're just looking to play a fun game with friends without getting close to the competitive side of things, you may want to pick up a theme deck or two; they're typically about $12 each in the States and will be able to get you playing the game quickly and easy, though those decks aren't really good for anything more than casual play.

You have a bit more freedom with collecting. Depending on what you want to collect and what your plans are, you can buy singles, or even packs for a particular set that you like. If you'd like to try and complete a set, usually buying a booster box is a good way to start that, though that's quite a bit out of your price range. If there's a certain Pokémon you'd like to collect, sites like Troll & Toad and Collector's Cache sell singles from current and old sets. Tins and Promo Packs are also nice in a way because they give you promo cards in addition to packs, and the tins are nice for storing your cards or other small things in. Tins are usually my "go-to" item for a casual TCG purchase.

It should be noted that buying packs is usually less of a good deal than buying singles (your changes of getting enough good cards to match the after-market value for each card to the pack price are slim), but buying packs is a lot more fun. Even as a semi-serious collector, I love buying and opening packs since that's where a lot of the fun is for me, though I have switched to mostly collecting Japanese cards since the cards are cheaper and the pull rates are much better.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the tips Athena! :)

I think I am going to start with the older collections, like Dark Explorers, Plasma, Etc.

I have $125 to spend Total, and I have $20-$50 available for Pokemon. ($80 AT THE MOST)

So, here is what I am going to get! (I think!)
250 Assorted Pokemon Cards eBay lot from 2008-10 (I know, I know, but it's too good to pass up)
($17.99 but I'm splitting it with someone 50-50)

A Pokemon Theme Deck (Not sure which one....help?)

But I would like to get some booster packs, also, without spending $50 for an Elite Box. (Help again?)

Thank you SO SO much!!! :)

Oh I also forgot to mention, the 250 Lot has No duplicates included. :)

I may look for a Trainer Box on sale...I see some for like $25 on Rollback. Hmmm....
 
RE: Reccomendations for a New Buyer?

If you are biting the bullet on the eBay listing I'd wait on your theme deck to see what you get in the lot. And pick the deck that is best complimented by the cards you got from eBay.
 
RE: Reccomendations for a New Buyer?

Jeremy1026 said:
If you are biting the bullet on the eBay listing I'd wait on your theme deck to see what you get in the lot. And pick the deck that is best complimented by the cards you got from eBay.
Click to expand...

Alright thanks! :D
 
I'm going to be building this deck, however I need a lot of cards. I'm thinking about buying a Battle Deck and Elite Box (for sleeves and dice, as well as packs), but trying to decide if I should indeed get them and, in the case of the Elite Box, which one. I also could possibly buy a Booster Box, so the best one to get would also be good two know.

These are the cards I need for the deck, sorted into expansion:

XY Base:
3 Yveltal EX
1 Yveltal
3 Muscle Band
3 Double Colorless Energy

LT:
2 Darkrai EX
1 Spiritomb LT

PhF:
3 Head Ringer
3 Double Colorless Energy
3 VS Seeker

FlF:
2 Lysandre
3 Ultra Ball

PhF:
1 Dowsing Machine
4 Hypnotoxic Laser
3 Virbank City Gym

Other:
1 N

EDIT: I can spend ~ 87.54 US to get all the above cards (excluding shipping and AUD conversion rates). Is that a bit too much?
 
Don't but a Booster box if you want certain cards. An elite rraoiner box is good for materials if you don't already have one. But if you already do, just buy the cards individually
 
I should note single cards can be very expensive especially the rare ones. Just buy the booster packs. You will have more luck that way than buying them outright. The sad part is they might be hard to get but at least you have a 2 out of 10 chance.:(
 
On the contrary, ash. If you buy boosters, there's more chances you get a pack with nothing you need than getting a pack with 1 of the 60 cards you need for a deck. You can buy 3-4 booster boxes and never get a competitive deck at all. If you're planning to play competitively, ninjas, just buy singles, because that way you can buy from an array of sets and complete your deck.
 
ETBs are only single set booster bundles though iirc (never bought one myself) and a lot of the staples you need for a deck, and your deck specifically are spread around sets.

Buying the singles is best when you know what you want, although I don't know how good of a price $84~ is, it depends on what the individual values are of each card (I've gotten certain EXs for like 30% of the price through sniping).
 
Luispipe8 said:
On the contrary, ash. If you buy boosters, there's more chances you get a pack with nothing you need than getting a pack with 1 of the 60 cards you need for a deck. You can buy 3-4 booster boxes and never get a competitive deck at all. If you're planning to play competitively, ninjas, just buy singles, because that way you can buy from an array of sets and complete your deck.
Click to expand...

Don't forget you can trade off cards you you don't need for cards you need as well that was why I suggested boosters over singles because they can be very pricy.:(
 
you will get more for your money if you buy singles, if you don't don't get a super good deal xD
 
Really excited for the Primal Clash cards, and wondering whether I should buy a booster box off of pokevault for the 70+$ or wait till theyre released here in canada.

I heard that the quality of japanese cards (especially EX's) is a lot better, and I dont really battle with the cards (although id like to)
Im going to buy an english kyogre elite trainer box either way for that. Any help?
 
Have you tried comparing price lists to see what the comparison is for there and here as well? Also check online stores like Amazon or Ebay etc.:)
 
Substitute said:
Really excited for the Primal Clash cards, and wondering whether I should buy a booster box off of pokevault for the 70+$ or wait till theyre released here in canada.

I heard that the quality of japanese cards (especially EX's) is a lot better, and I dont really battle with the cards (although id like to)
Im going to buy an english kyogre elite trainer box either way for that. Any help?
Click to expand...

is the booster box from pokevault japanese or english? if it's japanese, don't buy it. $70 for a booster box is really expensive so you could probably find it cheaper somewhere else.
If it's english, buy it! It's dirt cheap! :D

If you're debating whether you should buy the english or japanese booster box, it's all up to you. I would say though that if you don't mind the japanese text and the grey border, go with japanese. The feeling of japanese cards is better, better quality etc. but I want to be able to read the atacks etc. that's why I collect english cards.
 
Choosing between buying Japanese cards versus English cards is a personal choice; each has its pros and cons. Japanese cards are generally a better quality and their packs and boxes have a higher pull rate than their English counterparts. Japanese cards are also generally cheaper than English, but only if you do your research and purchase smartly. On the other hand, English cards are easier to find and can be purchased at local stores, and you also have the option of playing with them if you choose.

If you do end up deciding to start collecting Japanese cards, I would strongly suggest considering the website AmiAmi. They are a Japanese retailer that sells Pokémon products as well as many other card games, figures, and other Japanese toys and collectibles. The MSRP of a booster box of Japanese Pokémon cards is US$28 (approximately), and on AmiAmi, they even give you a discount, where you can get a box for around US$22. Compare this to PokéVault that is charging US$55 for a single XY box; that's over twice the price! The biggest downside to AmiAmi is that they don't carry older products, and their ordering system may be different from what you're used to. However, I have used them for a few years now and I highly recommend them.

PokéVault is a nice site, but I certainly wouldn't use them to purchase recent or semi-recent cards because they are so expensive. If you either can't or don't want to buy via AmiAmi, my next suggestion would be one of our seller's here, PokePhD, who sells recent Japanese booster boxes in the Selling section of PokéBeach. Otherwise, there's also Ebay, which is usually more expensive than AmiAmi but cheaper than PokéVault or other retailers. The biggest benefit to buying from places like PokéVault is that they offer older cards and things that are more difficult to locate.
 
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