How to Build a Deck of Pokemon

Pokémon is a fun and challenging card game in which cards are created in a variety of suits that can be combined. You don’t need to tie yourself to “ready-made” decks, or maker-made decks – you can build your own by choosing your favorite cards from any deck desire. This article will teach you how to build your own deck so you can get ready for local and major Pokémon tournaments!

Table of Contents

Steps

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Think about the type of deck you want. Do you prefer using decks with Water and Fire-type Pokémon, or Psychic and Fighting-type Pokémon? Most people only have two different types of Pokémon in their deck. Sometimes, some decks can effectively use more than two systems, and there are decks that use only one.

Try to create conditions that support each other if possible — such as Water and Electricity, which work well together, like Fire and Grass.
Take into account the weak points of the system. If you have a Psychic-type that is countered by the Dark-type, you should use the Fighting-type to fight the Shadow-type Pokémon (because most Shadow-type Pokémon are countered by the Gladiator-type).
Remember that you can use Pokémon with a colorless attack cost (meaning you are allowed to use any other energy system) in any deck type to fill the void and reach the required mana. They are versatile and often bring many useful effects. Be careful as no Pokémon can be countered by colorless Pokémon.

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Think strategies to win or make your opponent lose. In Pokémon TCG (Pokémon Card Game), you can win in one of three ways: Collect six Prize cards (cards that pop up in your hand when you defeat your opponent’s Pokémon), make your opponent run out of Pokémon on the field, or cause your opponent to run out of cards to draw at the beginning of their turn. Ask yourself:

What conditions will your deck focus on to win at play? How to achieve that best condition?
In what ways can your opponent counter your strategy? What cards can you use to minimize weakness and maximize strength?

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Remember to keep a good balance when choosing. Many decks with around 20 Pokémon, 25 trainers, and 15 energy are well balanced, though this often depends on the type of deck you’ll be playing. You’ll probably need to add more energy cards than that, as shuffling can draw Pokémon and mana in an unbalanced proportion.

For example, the Blastoise/Keldeo-EX Deck in the City Championships in 2012 includes 14 Pokémon, 32 trainers, and 14 energy. ^{[1] X Research Source} It all depends on what you are trying to do.

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Think of this game as taking on three roles. First, you need to have more Main Attack Pokémon and more Basic Pokémon than Stage 2 (Level 2) Pokémon, and more fully evolved Pokémon, to ensure that you always have one Pokémon on the field. and many reserve Pokémon.

Basic Pokémon can be defeated quickly, so keep a few Stage 1 or Stage 2 cards handy. Help Pokémon evolve quickly to make the game a little more intense after sending weak Pokémon to the field.
Added “fallback” – multiple evolution sequences – so you can still send Pokémon Stage 1 & 2 to the field. If there is only 1 Pokémon, when the previous evolved form is defeated, you will not be able to throw the strongest Pokémon card.
Plan from start to finish. Most decks have a ‘starter’ card like Cleffa or Pichu. Cards like this can help you get ready for battle. You should have one or two super powerful “punch to death” Pokémon that you can draw in the second half of the game.

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Create balance for the cards. You should use cards that can support each other. It should be a balanced deck! Strategy is important too!

Look for cards that can synergize. For example, Pokémon Hydreigon and Darkrai-EX are very good at switching positions and energies freely. Look for such a good combination to gain an advantage.

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Choose the trainer that can best support the Pokémon. You need about 5 to 8 trainers to help you draw. If you do not draw the required card, you cannot win.

Remember that you can put up to 4 cards of the same suit in the deck. If the deck relies heavily on a single card, you should increase the probability of drawing it by placing more cards of the same type in the deck.
You should have about 5 cards that can support and power up the Pokémon. The remaining space can be used to fight a common card or exploit a weakness, or to refresh the hand/Pokémon on the bench.

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Test your deck by drawing cards as if you were playing against an opponent. Remember: To start playing, you must draw at least one Basic Pokémon, so make sure you have plenty of Basic cards to draw well early in the game. When you’re experimenting, you should think about whether it’s possible to adjust the amount of Energy, as it can be difficult to know how much you need in the deck.

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Add a variety of trainer and support cards to the deck. The strongest deck usually has more trainer/support cards than any other card type. Focus on the coaches/supporters to help you draw the cards you want. You should also look for coaches/assistants that fit the deck’s strategy.

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Don’t fill your deck with too many evolution cards. Evolving takes up a lot of precious time in the game. You should only use evolution cards that are important to your strategy and in case you have a trainer that helps Pokémon evolve quickly. The more time you spend evolving your Pokémon, the more time your opponent has to prepare and attack. Example: Charizard GX has a powerful attack that deals 300 damage. However, this is a pretty bad card. You must help it evolve twice and attach five energies before Charizard GX can use its main attack (which then removes the 3 attached mana).

Advice

Try using a trainer card that helps you reuse another trainer card to your advantage.
Remember to put the cards in a safe and convenient place, and keep the strong cards to use when needed.
Search for the league if you haven’t already. Tournaments will help you test the gameplay, and others can help you through exchanges. You can also make friends.
Don’t forget that Basic Pokémon is also good. When building a deck, you need a lot of Basic Pokémon.
Keep cards you don’t need. You may think it’s useless, but others think it’s a valuable card for their deck.
The deck is not always what you want it to be.
Pay attention to the ratio of energy and damage. Choose a Pokémon that deals a lot of damage (or causes status) with low mana.
Remember that a Pokémon TCG deck can only contain 60 cards. Not more and not less.
When building a Pokémon deck, remember that having a strong attacking Pokémon isn’t everything.
Strong decks typically have around 20 Pokémon, 20 trainers, and 20 mana.
If you want to use more than two types of Pokémon, use a Pokémon that can use colorless energy to attack.
You should observe how the tournament is going and look for the right playstyle to gain an advantage.

Steps

Advice

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