New players pastebin PTCG/O/ /vp/

PTCG Pastebin/FAQ
Updated April 19 2019

Q: I'M NEW, HOW TO POKEMON CARD???

1. Download the PTCGO client from http://www.pokemon.com/us/pokemon-tcg/play-online/download/

2. Go to the 'Redeem codes' page under the shop and enter the codes 'flashfire' 'furiousfists' and 'phantomforces', these will give you copies of the Rallying Cry theme deck, which gives you a bunch of shit cards but also some useful trainers, some of which are no longer in print as well as a playset of double colorless energy (DCE). If you would like a complimentary fedora for your avatar, enter 'dragonsexalted'.

3. Go to the Trainer Challenge page and complete those battles (YES, ALL OF THEM) with each of your starter theme decks. Beating the trainer challenge will unlock cards for your three starting theme decks, allowing you to use them online as well as granting you tokens.

4. Once you have earned 500 tokens from competing in the trainer challenge, purchase ONE theme deck from the shop. The Charizard and Blastoise decks are the newest ones and are appealing to new players because of how easy it is to pick them up and play. Entei and Raikou however, are very strong and possibly still better, but need some practice given how powerful their support pokemon are (Magcargo and Zebstrika) meaning a shit player won't make the best use out of them.

5. Complete the trainer challenge battles again with your new theme deck. Upon beating each trainer with the fourth different theme deck, you will be awarded one pack. You gain a new pack by completing a league with every theme deck you purchase - that is, 12 battles against the AI vs different opponents.

6. Once you have completed the trainer challenge, begin playing versus matches to earn prizes as much as you can each day. You also earn points towards versus ladder rewards with each prize you take, even if you lose.

Q: OKAY, THEN WHAT?
After this, progression becomes more open ended. Your goal is to accumulate TRADABLE value. All packs and cards purchased with tokens or awarded by the trainer challenge/bonus wheel are no-trade.

You can acquire TRADABLE value by
1. Reaching trainer level 16 and completing daily challenges that award packs (pack awarded before lv16 are no-trade)
2. Entering ticketed tournaments, even if you lose in the first round, you get at least one tradable item
3. Purchasing PTCG paper products and redeeming code cards, or purchasing second hand code cards from these products.
4. Playing the market

On the third option, you will usually find the best prices for code cards on ebay. Beware of mixed code card lots that do not list exactly which packs you are getting, people will generally try to inflate pack count with low value packs such as Evolutions, Celestial Storm or Sun and Moon. Currently Lost Thunder and Team-Up are the gold standard of trading packs, with Lost Thunder being valued at 1. Guardians Rising is about to be rotated, so the packs are not as valuable as they were before. Lost Thunder has plenty of valuable GX like Blacephalon, Alolan Ninetales and Zeraora, while also allowing to build the top rogue deck, Lost March. Team-Up is very recent, but the Tag Teams (with the exception of Eevee/Snorlax and the Latis) are valuable, while also having the currently most expensive staple in the format, Stellar Wish Jirachi. Its value may decrease come May and Unbroken Bonds with the draw 6 Dedenne-GX, or they could simply be ran together. At the moment it's hard to say.

Every trading site varies a little bit in what they're willing to give for each pack but the difference in value is about the same when it comes to which packs are high value and which ones are low value. When trading for high value cards like popular full arts, meta pokemon GX or Jirachi, people often won't even accept shit packs like Sun and Moon or Crimson Invasion as part of a trade even if it's a 'fair' trade.

OPENING TRADABLE PACKS IS GAMBLING, since packs are the primary currency of this game and chances are pretty high you will get less than one pack's value by opening a pack. Sometimes you will hit it big, most of the time you're just burning money.

When it comes to playing the market, http://www.ou7c4st.com/card-values.html is a pretty decent guide of what cards cost and generally reflect what prices you should expect in public trades. Unless you find a reasonable trade listed, it's almost always worth listing your own since people will list looking for more than what they're selling is worth.

Q: OKAY BUT WHAT DO I DO WITH THESE FUCKING TOKENS?

1. Purchase a theme deck if it has cards you need for building a standard deck, saves you tradable value. Charizard builds into a nice rogue deck. Buying two of them also gives you 4 Cynthias, that are possibly the best draw support at the moment.
2. Purchase Team-Up packs in the hopes of getting a Jirachi so that you don't have to trade a kidney for them.
3. Purchase bundles in the shop if they have promos that are worth buying (ask in the thread if you're not sure, the answer is usually no)
4. If you're a hardcore trader, use them to set-up chains of trading for the stuff you want (use the trading guide for reference).

Q: WHY DOES THIS GAME PLAY SO SLOW

Theme plays very slow compared to standard and expanded, it's a format designed for kids so the decks are built so that it's hard to run away with a game with them.

Q: WHAT THE FUCK ARE STANDARD AND EXPANDED?

Standard format is the format that most people play. It includes every set newer than Sun and Moon. Standard usually rotates every year after worlds, but this year is different. Standard is rotating August 15, just before worlds, and will include everything from Ultra Prism to Unbroken Bonds.

Expanded format includes all sets newer than Black and White base set. At some point, older black and white sets may be rotated out of expanded, but TPCI has stated they aren't doing it yet. The format tends to play faster and more consistently due to battle compressors and VS seekers making it easier to rapidly thin your deck. Zoroark GX or Archie variants are top dogs on that format.

Expanded has a banlist that is growing after many years of it being a minimally regulated format.
https://www.pokemon.com/us/pokemon-tcg-banned-card-list/

New bans include Delinquent and Lusamine.

Legacy is the third PTCG format which includes only cards from the HGSS era and BW era, no XY/SM cards allowed. This format is the hardest to get into since none of the cards that can be used in it are in print or available in the store except as promo bundles. The format is mostly a meme with no IRL support and rapidly declining online support but the meta never changes, so if you don't like change this is the format for you.

Q: OKAY I GOT ALL OF THAT AND HAVE SOME PACKS TO TRADE, WHAT NOW?

Build a decklist, post it in the general, get criticism. Tapu Lele is about to be rotated, and is not a necessity on most decks nowadays. However, Jirachi is currently needed to play a lot of decks at 1-2 copies, so try to get some Team-Up packs with your coins.

You can run your deck without Jirachis and use otherwise inferior options like Alolan Ninetales GX or Acro Bikes, but Jirachi makes your decks as a whole more consistent. Just don't forget your switches/escape boards.

For best results, post your decklist as an image. Most standard decks will want

x3-4 Ultra Ball/x3-4 Net Ball
x2-4 Cynthia
x3-4 Lillie (you want to see it turn 1)
x0-2 Erika's Hospitality
x1-2 Shining Legends Marshadow (Judge but doesn't use your supporter for the turn)
x2-4 Guzma
x1-2 Rescue Stretcher
x1-2 Choice Band
x1-3 Stadiums of your choice . Given how strong current prism star stadiums are (Black Market, Heat Factory, Thunder Mountain, Wondrous Labyrinth) and since they're also immune to Field Blower, you want to out them as quick as possible. Viridian Forest and Shrine of Punishment are popular options.

The Jirachi package
x1-2 Team-Up Jirachi
x1-2 Escape Boards
x1-2 Switch/Escape Rope

Q: WHAT'S THE META?

Pikachu-Zekrom and Zoroark GX are currently the top dogs both online and in the physical game. There are plenty of tier 2 and rogue options tho, with some decks coming very near to Pikachu Zekrom dominance. Zoroark variants, Zapdos/Jirachi, Naganadel/Blacephalon and Malamar variants using Ultra Necrozma are very viable options still, given how slow PikaZekrom can be at setting up. Viable rogue/cheap options include Lost March, Charizard theme mashing, Koko spread, Quagsire/Naganadel water toolbox, and a variety of fighting-based decks, that work on the basis of countering both Zoroark GX and PikaZekrom.