How to Build a Pokémon Deck
Think of the kind of deck you want., Have a strategy in mind about how to win or get your opponent to lose., Remember to keep good balance as you choose., Think about the game as a three-role play., Balance your cards., Choose trainers that best...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Think of the kind of deck you want.
Do you like to play Water and Fire Pokémon, or Psychic and Fighting? Most people only have two different types of Pokémon in their deck.
Sometimes certain decks may effectively use more than two, and sometimes decks use only one.
Try to make your types complement each other if possible — for example, Water and Electricity are good companions, as are Fire and Grass.
Take into account the weaknesses of your types, too.
If your Psychic-types have weakness to dark, play Fighting types (because most Dark Pokémon have Fighting weakness) to counter Dark-type Pokémon.
Remember that you can use colorless type Pokémon in any kind of deck to bulk it up and fill in gaps, and they often have many helpful effects.
They often can use any kind of energy, too, so they can be used in any deck. -
Step 2: Have a strategy in mind about how to win or get your opponent to lose.
In the Pokémon TCG, you can win in one of three ways:
Collect your opponent's six prize cards, make your opponent run out of Pokémon on the field, or make your opponent run out of cards to draw at the beginning of his/her turn.
Ask yourself:
Which condition will your deck focus on to win the game? How will it best achieve that? What are the ways that your opponent might counter your strategy? Which cards can you use to minimize your weaknesses and maximize your strengths? , Many decks stick with roughly 20 Pokémon, 25 trainers, and around 15 energies for a good mix, although it often depends on the type of deck you're playing.
For example, a Blastoise/Keldeo-EX Deck from the 2012 City Championships sported 14 Pokémon, 32 trainers, and 14 energy.It all depends on what you're trying to do. , First of all, you need to run multiple copies of your main attacker, and you'll need more of the Basic Pokémon than of the Stage 2, fully evolved ones, to be sure that you have an Active Pokémon and plenty for your bench.
Basic Pokémon can be knocked out quickly, so be sure you have some stage 1 or 2 cards up your sleeve.
Evolve quickly to give your game some substance after the initial wave of weaker Pokémon.
Plan from start to finish.
Most decks have a 'start' card like Cleffa or Pichu. cards like these can help you set-up.
Have one or two really big 1-hit K.O.ers you can draw for late in play. , It's good to use cards that help each other.
It needs to be a good deck! Strategy is important! Look for synergies in cards.
For example, Hydreigon and Darkrai-EX are a great at moving around Pokémon and energies freely.
Look for other great combination to use for your advantage. , You will need about 5-8 trainers that help you draw cards; if you can't get the cards you need, you can't win.
Remember that you can put up to 4 of any given card in your deck.
If your deck relies heavily on a card, you should boost your chances of drawing it by putting several copies of the card in your deck.
You should have around 5 or so cards to support and boost up your Pokémon.
Any remaining space can be used to combat against frequently used cards or weaknesses, or to refresh your hand/bench. , Remember, to begin play, you must draw at least one basic Pokémon, so be sure you have plenty of Basics to insure that you get a good opening draw. , They can search your deck for any card you happen to need at the moment, Pokémon or energy.
Include drawing cards to gain you advantage and replenish your hand.
Also, use EXs, since they are vastly more powerful than most other basics, and get Pokémon with useful abilities. , Nowadays, most decks use EXs for quick board presence and power.
Some exceptions to this rule are useful evolutions like Pyroar or Eelektrik.
The longer it takes to evolve your Pokémon, the more time your opponent has to attack and set up. -
Step 3: Remember to keep good balance as you choose.
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Step 4: Think about the game as a three-role play.
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Step 5: Balance your cards.
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Step 6: Choose trainers that best support your Pokémon.
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Step 7: Test your deck by drawing as if you were playing against an opponent.
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Step 8: Include plenty of trainer and supporter cards.
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Step 9: Don't stock too many evolutions.
Detailed Guide
Do you like to play Water and Fire Pokémon, or Psychic and Fighting? Most people only have two different types of Pokémon in their deck.
Sometimes certain decks may effectively use more than two, and sometimes decks use only one.
Try to make your types complement each other if possible — for example, Water and Electricity are good companions, as are Fire and Grass.
Take into account the weaknesses of your types, too.
If your Psychic-types have weakness to dark, play Fighting types (because most Dark Pokémon have Fighting weakness) to counter Dark-type Pokémon.
Remember that you can use colorless type Pokémon in any kind of deck to bulk it up and fill in gaps, and they often have many helpful effects.
They often can use any kind of energy, too, so they can be used in any deck.
In the Pokémon TCG, you can win in one of three ways:
Collect your opponent's six prize cards, make your opponent run out of Pokémon on the field, or make your opponent run out of cards to draw at the beginning of his/her turn.
Ask yourself:
Which condition will your deck focus on to win the game? How will it best achieve that? What are the ways that your opponent might counter your strategy? Which cards can you use to minimize your weaknesses and maximize your strengths? , Many decks stick with roughly 20 Pokémon, 25 trainers, and around 15 energies for a good mix, although it often depends on the type of deck you're playing.
For example, a Blastoise/Keldeo-EX Deck from the 2012 City Championships sported 14 Pokémon, 32 trainers, and 14 energy.It all depends on what you're trying to do. , First of all, you need to run multiple copies of your main attacker, and you'll need more of the Basic Pokémon than of the Stage 2, fully evolved ones, to be sure that you have an Active Pokémon and plenty for your bench.
Basic Pokémon can be knocked out quickly, so be sure you have some stage 1 or 2 cards up your sleeve.
Evolve quickly to give your game some substance after the initial wave of weaker Pokémon.
Plan from start to finish.
Most decks have a 'start' card like Cleffa or Pichu. cards like these can help you set-up.
Have one or two really big 1-hit K.O.ers you can draw for late in play. , It's good to use cards that help each other.
It needs to be a good deck! Strategy is important! Look for synergies in cards.
For example, Hydreigon and Darkrai-EX are a great at moving around Pokémon and energies freely.
Look for other great combination to use for your advantage. , You will need about 5-8 trainers that help you draw cards; if you can't get the cards you need, you can't win.
Remember that you can put up to 4 of any given card in your deck.
If your deck relies heavily on a card, you should boost your chances of drawing it by putting several copies of the card in your deck.
You should have around 5 or so cards to support and boost up your Pokémon.
Any remaining space can be used to combat against frequently used cards or weaknesses, or to refresh your hand/bench. , Remember, to begin play, you must draw at least one basic Pokémon, so be sure you have plenty of Basics to insure that you get a good opening draw. , They can search your deck for any card you happen to need at the moment, Pokémon or energy.
Include drawing cards to gain you advantage and replenish your hand.
Also, use EXs, since they are vastly more powerful than most other basics, and get Pokémon with useful abilities. , Nowadays, most decks use EXs for quick board presence and power.
Some exceptions to this rule are useful evolutions like Pyroar or Eelektrik.
The longer it takes to evolve your Pokémon, the more time your opponent has to attack and set up.
About the Author
Emily Jimenez
Professional writer focused on creating easy-to-follow home improvement tutorials.
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