The Pokémon Trading Card Game (TCG) is such a fun way to pass the time, and while you may want to put all of your favorite cards into the same deck, sticking with a few types of strong Pokémon you love can improve your chances of winning. We’ll help you figure out what to include in your Pokémon deck and pick a strategy that works best for your play style. Keep reading for all the best deck-building tips, along with the official rules and regulations you must follow.
Things You Should Know
- Use a balanced Pokémon deck ratio that’s around 15–20 Pokémon, 15-19 Energy, and 13–20 Trainers so you have exactly 60 cards.
- Focus on 1–2 types of Pokémon so it’s easier to draw the cards you need. Pick a strong Pokémon as a main attacker to build the rest of your deck’s strategy around.
- Add Trainer cards to your deck that allow you to draw more cards and boost attacks so you can find and use your more powerful Pokémon early on in a game.
Steps
Community Q&A
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QuestionCan I use all different types and more than 25 Pokemon, even 10 trainers?Community AnswerNot really, as you need to pack a substantial amount of energy cards because you have to have lots of energy cards for each type that you are using. It's not recommended.
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QuestionHow many cards should there be in a deck?Community AnswerThere should be 60 cards in a deck. No more, no less. If you're building your own deck, then that's part of the challenge, making sure you have enough but not too much.
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QuestionAm I allowed to use more than two elements in battle? If so how many types can I use?Community AnswerYes! You can use as many different types as you want in your deck, but some types are not good matches. For example, Fairy types and Grass types are not a good pair because if I play a Fire theme deck, then the Grass types will be torched and only your Fairy Pokemon will be of any use. You will want to think about the types you pick very carefully so you do not have large exploits in you hand. If you are talking about energy for specific Pokemon like Dragon types that require Water, Fire,and or Electric energy, that is also allowed, but again, unfavorable unless you are running a full Dragon deck and have enough energy.
Video
Tips
- As you play more games and get a feel for your strategy, adjust the build of your deck by removing cards that aren’t as helpful and replacing them with Trainer cards that give you more abilities.Thanks
- Practice playing games against opponents in person or digitally with the Pokémon TCG Live app . Many card shops and game stores also offer leagues for you to join to test your competitive decks.Thanks
- If you want to get started playing the trading card game without worrying about building a deck of your own, purchase a prebuilt battle deck that already has all the cards you need to start playing.Thanks
Tips from our Readers
- When picking main attacker Pokémon, prioritize cards with high HP and attacks that deal lots of damage without requiring tons of energy. This establishes a solid foundation.
- Use the online deck building tool at Pokemon.com to experiment with card combinations and view summaries of expected damage potential. This will help inform your choices.
- Include Trainer cards that let you draw extra cards from your deck, like Professor's Research or Quick Ball. More options makes powerful moves accessible.
- Find abilities in different Pokémon that synergize, like Arrokuda flocking more copies into play for Cramorant to discard for extra damage.
- Check your local game store's tournament rules on legal sets before buying cards to build a competitive deck. Rotations change yearly.
- Test opening draw hands when finished to ensure your ratio allows starting with basics. Missing this risks falling behind fast.
References
- ↑ https://assets.pokemon.com/assets/cms2/pdf/trading-card-game/rulebook/sm7_rulebook_en.pdf
- ↑ https://www.pokemon.com/us/strategy/designing-a-deck-from-scratch
- ↑ https://youtu.be/InR3du4OTaY?t=46
- ↑ https://youtu.be/InR3du4OTaY?t=141
- ↑ https://www.pokemon.com/us/strategy/designing-a-deck-from-scratch
- ↑ https://youtu.be/_zVYs3c9Cog?t=89
- ↑ https://youtu.be/XfGRojxOF1s?t=77
- ↑ https://youtu.be/Ip-49P2bQzo?t=240
- ↑ https://assets.pokemon.com/assets/cms2/pdf/trading-card-game/rulebook/swsh10_rulebook_en.pdf
- ↑ https://screenrant.com/pokemon-card-game-deck-builds-favorite-tcg-rules/
- ↑ https://youtu.be/1zJLV17NFPg?t=302
- ↑ https://assets.pokemon.com/assets/cms2/pdf/trading-card-game/rulebook/swsh10_rulebook_en.pdf
- ↑ https://www.pokemon.com/us/pokemon-news/2023-pokemon-tcg-standard-format-rotation-and-pokemon-tool-errata
About This Article
To build a Pokemon deck, try to have around 20 Pokemon, 25 trainers, and 15 energies so your deck is balanced. Also, choose 2 different types of Pokemon that pair well together, and focus on adding those types of Pokemon to your deck. For example, if you have psychic Pokemon in your deck, which are weak against dark Pokemon, you could add fighting types to your deck since they're good at battling dark types. To learn how to choose good trainers for your Pokemon deck, scroll down!
Reader Success Stories
- "I would recommend having 12 energies,15 Pokemon and 33 trainers and having 11 commons and 4 full arts, for example, GX,EX,V,VAMX and VSTAR. I think that having good trainers will help you a lot in battle. For example, I have a full art 25 and a university professor oak trainer that is a supporter and you discard your hand and draw 7 cards. And I also have a "normal" trainer like any other trainer and you discard your hand and draw 10 cards! So the point is that read what it does before trading for it or buying it. Thank you." ..." more