Whether you're new to the Pokémon Trading Card Game or you've been collecting for years, learning how to build a good deck is the most important step if you're ready to get into competitive or friendly play. There's plenty to consider, from learning which cards synergize well with each other to figuring out which Trainer cards are the best to offer for your primary Pokémon cards.

There have been more than 100 expansions in the Pokémon TCG and tens of thousands of cards to collect, which means building a deck can seem quite intimidating. However, once you've got the basics down, it's relatively straightforward, especially if you're using a ready-built, Championship-winning deck as a template. Here's everything you need to know about the Pokémon Trading Card Game to get started.

Understanding Each Type Of Pokémon Card

Pokémon, Energy & Trainer Cards

There are three types of cards that you need to be aware of in the Pokémon Trading Card Game: Pokémon cards, Energy cards, and Trainer cards. Pokémon cards are the heart and soul of your deck, as you'll be putting them on the front lines to attack (or defend) in battle. Energy cards are required to power up a Pokémon's attacks, but you'll need the right kind of Energy. For example, the Grass-type Bulbasaur will usually require Grass Energy to attack.

Trainer cards provide a range of options in battle. These generally fall into one of four main categories: Items, ers, Tools, or Stadiums. Item cards are classic Pokémon items like Potions and Poké Balls, and you can use as many as you want during your turn. er cards are more useful, but they're limited to one per turn. Tools can be attached to your Pokémon cards to provide buffs. Lastly, only one Stadium card can be in play at a time, and its effect applies to both you and your opponent.

One of the biggest rules in Pokémon TCG is that you can only have four copies of each card in your deck. You might have different variants of Pikachu cards with different attacks or stats, but if they're all called Pikachu, you can only have four of them in total. The same goes for Trainer cards, so you'll only be allowed four Potion cards in your deck. The exception to this rule is Energy cards; you can have as many of those as you need in your deck.

Another important rule is that every deck must include 60 cards exactly. This means you'll need to find a nice split between Pokémon cards, Energy cards, and Trainer cards so that you're not constantly drawing the same type of card. The number you'll want for each card type really depends on the kind of deck you're building, but a nice starting point is a 15 Pokémon, 15 Energy, and 30 Trainer split, and then you can work your way out from that.

How To Build A Pokémon TCG Deck

Top Tips To Help You Get Started

The best place to begin when building a deck is figuring out which Pokémon you want to use. Generally, it's a good idea to take a look at the current meta to see which Pokémon cards are performing well. You can do this by looking at the top performers in recent Regional Championships and World Championships, or by speaking to people at your local card store to get some advice on which decks are best right now.

Right now, some of the top decks are based around Charizard ex from the Obsidian Flames expansion, Lugia VSTAR from the Silver Tempest expansion, Regidrago VSTAR from the Silver Tempest expansion, and Gardevoir ex from the Scarlet & Violet base set. These are good archetypes to look into when you're ready for competitive play.

Having said that, if you're not planning on competing in tournaments and you just want to have fun building a deck, there's nothing wrong with simply choosing your favorite Pokémon from the cards you already have! You can always rework your deck later down the line once you get to grips with the basics of battling.

Although this isn't a hard-and-fast rule, most decks limit themselves to one or two Energy types. For example, the popular Regidrago VSTAR deck features Fire Energy and Grass Energy, because those two Energy cards are required to use Regidrago VSTAR's attack Apex Dragon, as well as Ogerpon ex's attack Myriad Leaf Shower. Limiting yourself to two Energy types also helps give you more of a focus when looking for Pokémon cards to add to your deck.

Ideally, your deck will have a primary attacker, which will be the Pokémon you want to get into battle as fast as possible. This will often be a Pokémon ex card or a Pokémon V card, which are typically more powerful than standard cards. The downside to these cards is that, if they're knocked out, your opponent gets to take two prize cards rather than one. However, their power is pretty much essential if you want to take home a win in the current competitive scene.

If you're including Stage 1 or Stage 2 Pokémon cards in your deck, you'll need to have the prior evolutionary cards in your deck. For example, if you want to play the Stage 2 Charizard ex, you'll also need a Basic Charmander and a Stage 1 Charmeleon in your deck. The only exception to this rule would be if you have Rare Candy cards in your deck, as these let you skip straight from a Basic Pokémon to a Stage 2 Pokémon.

Adding Trainer Cards To Your Pokémon TCG Deck

The Next Step In Your Deck-Building Journey

Once you've decided which Pokémon cards you want to use, it's time to start adding Trainer cards to your deck. Before diving into this part of deck-building, it's important to know how each type of Trainer card works:

The most common Trainer cards to feature in a Pokémon TCG deck are Item cards and er cards. Not only are they easier to pull from booster packs, but they're generally the most helpful when setting up your Pokémon cards for success. Item cards like Great Balls and Ultra Balls can help you find a Pokémon card you need from your deck, while er cards like Nemona and Youngster let you draw more cards.

That's not to say you can't have other types of Trainer cards in your deck, it's just that they're dependent on what you're looking to do with your deck. For example, if you have Pokémon cards that require Water Energy or Fighting Energy to attack, a Stadium card like Lake Acuity would be a good addition to your hand. When this Stadium card is in play, any Pokémon with Water Energy or Fighting Energy attached to them take 20 less damage from attacks.

Some popular Trainer cards that you can consider adding to your deck are Nest Ball, Ultra Ball, Rare Candy, Switch, Arven, Iono, and Professor's Research. These should prove effective for pretty much any deck.

Which Cards Are In Rotation Right Now?

Make Sure Your Deck Is Legal For Competitive Play

If you're planning on playing the Pokémon Trading Card Game competitively at your local card shop or in a Championships event, all of your cards need to be in rotation. If you look at the bottom of your cards, you'll notice a small letter in a box. Right now, cards with "F", “G,” and “H” marked on them are legal for competitive play. This changes every now and then, so make sure you check the official rules before taking a deck into play.

Additionally, you cannot use fake cards or proxy cards in competitive play. It's important to make sure that all of your cards are genuine Pokémon Trading Card Game products before entering a match. This is why it's important to only purchase cards from reputable sellers that you trust. You'll also typically need to use Pokémon cards in the language of the tournament you're entering.

Try Out Your New Pokémon TCG Deck

Practice Makes Perfect!

Once you've built a deck, it's time to try it out. The best way to do this is to battle friends at home or find a local card store that hosts Pokémon TCG events, to get a feel for battling in real life. However, if this isn't possible, another great option is to play the Pokémon TCG Live app which is available to on mobile (iOS and Android) or desktop (Mac and Windows).

With this app, you can test your deck against other players in live battles at any time of day. You'll still need to get the cards you require, but this can easily be done through regular gameplay as there are lots of free digital booster packs given out for completing challenges or leveling up. You can also redeem code cards from physical booster packs to fill out your collection.

If you've created your own custom deck, rather than recreating a meta deck, the chances are you'll want to rework it over time. Putting in a few battles and figuring out which cards work well and which ones aren't very useful is the best way to hone your deck. Keep swapping cards out and trying new strategies until you're happy with your very own Pokémon Trading Card Game deck.