Newbies Guide to Pokemon TCG Pre-Constructed Decks - ex Battle Decks, League Battle Decks 2024-2025

[@drew8235]

The League Battle decks are what got me back into the game. Started with Mew VMax and now rocking Miraidon, looking forward to Charizard one soon. So good for the game that you can walk in the store and buy a nearly competitive level deck.

[@tempestmoon2]

I bought the Miraidon deck and it's an absolute god send. The only struggle I now have is getting all the trainer cards needed

[@edwarddaignault5243]

It's pretty easy if you actually go out and play in the league and go to trading meets. Pokemon players are notoriously very helpful.

[@shinyocelot04archive]

Trainer's Toolkit is a good place to start. Lots of important trainers in there. Then try to trade with locals at league meet ups or pick up singles.

[@zombiegamer2012]

Trying to slide it in with the surging sparks set!

[@samc8838]

@@edwarddaignault5243I remember saying at an event I was trying to find some buddy poffins to upgrade the Gardie deck and someone I’d met there and then gave me 4. I knew then this was the community for me

[@joemorton9217]

Did it not come with a bunch of good trainers? I’m new to all this and I just bought the charizard ex deck

[@rylade475]

I remember when I was 13 I bought a premade battle deck (Rising Rivals Cutting Edge) but I never played TCG before, so I never knew it was meant for gameplay. I only got it because it had my favorite Pokemon Gallade (Gallade E4 to be specific). It wasn’t until like last week when I finally got to (casually) play with that deck against my girlfriend. Felt weird having a 2009 deck against a 2023/24 deck lmao

[@MetalLegacy34]

As a huge fan of the Pokemon video games who recently found out they like MTG, the Pokemon TCG has really peaked my interest. Trying to sort through all the products was driving me mad though, this was exactly the information I was looking for. Thank you!

[@InThirdPerson]

Welcome to the Pokemon TCG community! And thanks for watching!

[@joemorton9217]

I’m so happy I watched this. I’m just now getting back into Pokémon after 20 years of being away from it. I just went to a local card shop and bought the latest battle academy with three decks to relearn how to play and then I bought the new charizard ex deck and I’m in love with it 💖🙏💖.

[@ashleygray1632]

Thank you for this video. Im just getting into Pokemon and most videos are about collecting and not starting to just play. This really helped.

[@thaniumx]

I'm coming from both Magic and Yugioh to downsize to something simpler with some slower gameplay. I tried the Charizard EX deck on TCG Live, and ended up buying it in paper. It did not disappoint!

[@tomatazoo]

I started playing with a meowscarada deck, but it felt a bit clunky, i upgraded by copying a limitless meowscarada deck and its been going great

[@shinyocelot04archive]

I just want to get Meowscarada to work properly. I've been experimenting with various limitless lists and it's been way too clunky.

[@tomatazoo]

@shinyocelot04archive yep, im theory crafting a tsareena ex / meowscarada ex deck. Tsareenas first attack for 1 green energy you choose an enemy pokemon and add counters until it has 30 hp left, then wirh meowscaradas ability, you take the free ko and immediately set up the next ko

[@joelgrebinsilvestri]

whats ur deck list? how u can update the mewoscarada deck? I like the card and the pokemon, u play real tcg or online?

[@tomatazoo]

@@joelgrebinsilvestri Pokémon: 16 4 Sprigatito PAL 12 2 Floragato PAL 14 3 Meowscarada ex PAL 15 2 Bidoof CRZ 111 2 Bibarel BRS 121 1 Lumineon V BRS 40 1 Radiant Alakazam SIT 59 1 Manaphy BRS 41 Trainer: 34 4 Arven OBF 186 2 Professor's Research SVI 189 2 Iono PAL 185 1 Professor Turo's Scenario PAR 171 1 Boss's Orders PAL 172 4 Buddy-Buddy Poffin TEF 144 4 Ultra Ball SVI 196 2 Energy Retrieval SVI 171 2 Rare Candy SVI 191 1 Switch SVI 194 1 Super Rod PAL 188 1 Master Ball TEF 153 1 Lost Vacuum LOR 162 1 Counter Catcher PAR 160 1 Earthen Vessel PAR 163 2 Technical Machine: Evolution PAR 178 1 Technical Machine: Devolution PAR 177 1 Forest Seal Stone SIT 156 2 Artazon PAL 171 Energy: 10 6 Grass Energy SVE 9 4 Double Turbo Energy BRS 151 This is my deck, i use it irl and online, id add or remove some things, but that one is the better pure meowscarada deck, it does better comboing with other stuff though

[@rtbear674]

These days I just collect decks as board games. Its not expensive, and league battle decks are not released too often, and have somehow balanced power level. And following the latest pokemon TCG has become too much. -battle academy 2024 -4 level 1 -4 level 2 -4+ league battle decks from mew vmax onwards. -upgraded league battle deck ver & custom decks -championship deck. Thus, even if I stop playing for a while, and years from now I want to play again, I have few decks that are on the same levels for every levels, that can be played against each other. Like you don't need to use tournament legal to play at home. in 2028 you still can play meowscarada vs quaquaval ex deluxe deck. or miraidon vs koraidon for some casual match at home.

[@AlmightySpyke]

Just getting into playing the game after years of collecting. Thank you for your videos they have been extremely helpful!

[@Lemon_Sage9999]

I bought the Gen 9 box legendary deluxe decks to start, and have since massively upgraded to an ancient box deck and Galvantula

[@quetalsoysech-v6n]

sun and moon theme decks were peak i bought alolan exeggutor theme deck for a nice price when i was 11, love it to this day.

[@RavenHeadInn]

i've been using the miraidon beginner deck that came out this year (i know you said it was the worst one) , & since a few days ago on TGC live on unranked, i've come across mostly other beginner decks that have not been added to, been really fun :) oh yeh,i only got into Pokemon this year,your vids have been sooo much Help. Thank You

[@antoniolau8420]

And this my friends, is the best pokemon info video of all time, my little son and me now can buy and start with this tcg world, muchas gracias desde México!

[@mitchellt7868]

Always learn so much from your videos. Thanks again!

[@szczur03]

If you're not sure about getting into the game or want to show the game to your friends without buying a bunch of decks just buy a ton of sleeves and make printed (proxy) decks. It's not piracy, if you like it and learn the ropes you may buy a better deck right away, plus you can experiment with different playstyles and strategies before you seal the deal. Tier 1 is a waste of money IMO, you'll have to buy another deck soon if you want to go to events and it gets wiped by any Tier 2+. WIth some practice and a YT binge you'll be confident enough for a tier 3 in no time anyway.

[@SirGordolotto]

Thanks for this! Just recently got into playing with my gf through the battle academy set, now we wanna pick up some decks to try in local tournaments. Gonna scoop the charizard ex when it drops!

[@thenewbb]

I started back in sun and moon with the sm battle academy and it was fun for a while

[@DarkAngelEU]

Bought the Charizard ex League Battle Deck and it's great out of the box, but the one Gabriel used in Latin American Finals is significantly better, so bought the cards and now I'm set to start playing some matches on my own :)

[@stephenkaczmar]

I appreciate this. I'm doing some research to find some pre built decks for my kids for Christmas, and I haven't been in the Pokemon world since I was a kid so I need all the help I can find. I got them the academy set a few months ago and we have been learning to play together, so having them upgrade to an ex battle deck seems the right next step. Would anyone have any suggestions on which two ex battle decks would be a good choice for them to be equally powered and maybe start learning the weakness aspect? And maybe possibly where the Eevee academy deck could still be enjoyable for myself? Although that's my least concern.

[@minisaurproductionsaayanha6894]

I have been using the Chien pao starter deck since I first got it earlier this year, the deck list is very different from the actual product, I use it in TCG live and it still works quite well. I think that it is one of the few level 1 prebuilt decks that are still neat.

[@BisaPKMN]

13:35 For the collectors: Code Cards *NEVER* expire! While you cannot play with any cards older than Sun&Moon Base in TCG Live (in expanded format, of course), you can still collect them, going all the way back to the game's introduction in Black & White!

[@youngmucker7546]

Thanks for this video, as some one who just started playing and also playing with my son (who's 5) I got the my first battle but hes quickly got to grips with it and I did not know what to try next for him the battle academy seem great for the next step (I'd never heard of this one) so thank you for that

[@miguelmartin2145]

I bought the Gardevoir ex battle cause gardi is my favorite pokemon and it's so fun. Maybe a revearoom line might help it after rotation

[@ItztheCrazyGamer]

Ok for one I rebuild my battle decks but only the support/item card that if that to many duplicates Am still a basic learning and love learning how to play each day

[@TheSticknstone2]

My hero, was just about to pull the trigger on my first deck, but I have an extensive background in MTG and YGO, Charizard all the way

[@JadaaFresh]

Pokemon TCG pocket got me into playing and collecting

[@michaelk7007]

The only deck I have right now is the one I was giving at pre-release. I kind of think I have to go with the Charizard just for that one Ace card.

[@SasCardsCollect]

Great content! Best information for someone wanting to play the TCG.

[@ramire47]

I actually got into the game because my girlfriend bought me a quaquaval deck that I absolutely loved because of radiant greninja. I upgraded it and took it to a few locals and I ended up beating quite a few meta decks at the time (Specifically regidrago V was super strong and I was able to beat it). I recently had a friend but the zapdos & miraidon deck, but I want to upgrade it for him so it isn’t kind of bad…

[@darkdave1998]

First theme decks to come with PTCGO code cards were from Black and White, if memory serves, so yeah I don't see anyone stumbling on a codeless deck by accident

[@Lauramussss]

GF and I want to get into the TCG, but after watching this video, we just learned about the '25 rotation. So is it better to just wait for the new League Battle decks or not? (She's def going for the Gardevoir deck)

[@rebornspirit1047]

like he said rotation usually only matters if your doing tournaments, be it offical or local. if not you can use any deck

[@dmtrln3434]

I bought the Gardevoir EX and Charizard EX decks + Trainer's toolkit, while I would pay hundredish Euros on one good deck, I'm spending around 80€ on it and I will upgrade it with some cards for both decks

[@RoccoBermejo-r1m]

I have a question for the trainer tool kit will it be legal for the start and the end of 2025 rotation

[@InThirdPerson]

Legality depends on a card-by-card basis. The letter in the lower-left hand corner of each card will indicate its tournament marking. The oldest cards in the box are marked G. G cards (like Arven among others) will be legal until March/April 2026. H cards (like Buddy Buddy Poffin among others)will be legal until March/April 2027. For more info regarding rotation, check out my FAQ kzbin.info/www/bejne/mWilkplvdr6qrNksi=bk8H42IAMpfMFEev

[@RoccoBermejo-r1m]

@ thank u 😊

[@Chertograad]

What about Elite Trainer Boxes? I've been enjoying Pokémon TCG Pocket and decided to order the physical Deluxe Battle Decks Meowscarada ex and Quaquaval ex. I'm not worried about "standard" rules since I'm not into making stuff artificially obsolete and just care to play with friends and collect stuff on the boardgame shelf.

[@Chertograad]

Decided to go with the Deluxe versions mainly because the regular Battle Decks don't come with all the small bits (burn/poison things)

[@kamijoutouma5362]

Man I just bought the Gardevoir deck TvT

[@BooAura]

Best thing is to do is buy the online TCG figure what you want to build. Use the lowest rarities of those cards & buy a trainer toolkit. From there upgrade your inventory little by little.

[@dark3176]

Guys I'm new to live. Can someone help me? There's only 5 days left on the pass so I should by the next pass right? Also, among the preconstructed decks, which one should I finish first? Which pack bundles should I buy? Note: I'm F2P

[@BORICUAOOOG]

What decks would you suggest building for someone trying to goto their first local tournament?

[@InThirdPerson]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/aammaXSumNedZ7Msi=alD0isQERhv0lSCd

[@drops043]

Looking to buy my first deck, and getting into proper TCG with a friend. Say we play expanded, is it theoretically possible for something like a very old trainer card, to be used in modern play?

[@InThirdPerson]

Depends on how old of a trainer card we’re talking about. Expanded supports cards from Black & White onward.

[@blvck-h1g]

If I don't care much about pre built decks because I mostly just wana play against friends, is the paldeas fates a good pack?

[@danzdribble]

:::===thanks for sharing the video. do you need a graphic artist to work on your YT logo and banner? for a cheap price...

[@benjaminanthonym]

Well done!

[@codycooper9293]

Im picking up the new zard ex dexk to upgrade it into my ptcgl meta version, my question is if I wanted to grab a 2nd precon to upgrade to play against my zard ex deck which would you go for?

[@InThirdPerson]

Honestly, if you're going to buy Charizard, I would be reluctant to buy anything but another Charizard deck. Anything at level 1 or 2 would get destroyed by it, and the current crop of level 3 decks have glaring issues that Charizard does not. - Palkia rotates in a few months and won't be Standard-format legal - Miraidon has a terrible time fighting Charizard when fully-upgraded and an even worse time with just the League Battle Deck, which IMO was one of the worst-built League Battle Decks in quite some time due to having suboptimal Pokemon in it (Regieleki V/VMAX). This is also losing a bunch of cards to rotation, but Miraidon will still be legal. - Gardevoir vs. Charizard is actually an awesome match up when Gardevoir is fully-upgraded. HOWEVER, Gardevoir without upgrades doesn't stand a chance against Charizard and Gardevoir has some serious question marks about how it will work post-rotation since Kirlia with the Refinement ability is rotating next year. If you HAVE to have 2 different decks AND you don't mind losing key cards in a few months, get and upgrade Gardevoir with at least 1 Munkidori to help Drifloon one-shot Charizard. Otherwise, get a second Charizard deck and tech each one differently. Charizard decks can be built in many different ways, such as with Dusknoir, without Dusknoir, or even this new Terapagos variant that has been gaining momentum in recent weeks. x.com/CyrusDavisTCG/status/1859321665093874145

[@genwunnergreen2100]

Currently upgrading my Gardy deck, and all I really need are a couple poffins. I'm not even gonna try to blow my money on pulling Unfair Stamp, so Grand Tree it is! 😂

[@dark3176]

Guys I'm new to live. Can someone help me? There's only 5 days left on the pass so I should by the next pass right? Also, among the preconstructed decks, which one should I finish first? Which pack bundles should I buy?

[@Novra92]

The championship decks do give a code to play on PTCGO

[@InThirdPerson]

It’s not a code for the actual deck. You get accessories such as coins, sleeves, and a deck box, but not the actual cards from the championship deck.

[@WrennNsix]

Your videos have been helping a lot introducing this game to me. If we ignore rotation, whit lvl3 deck would you recommend? Maybe that’s an idea to consider mentioning? I see some casual players not caring too much about rotation.

[@InThirdPerson]

Ignoring rotation, Charizard ex is still the best pre-constructed deck.

[@nref55]

As someone who likes to play at home with family, level 1 battle academy, and level 1 battle deck are not the same. Level 1 battle decks Pokemon have a lot of abilities and make things confusing for kids and people who have never played before. Are there older decks that are similar to battle academy decks but with different energy types?

[@nref55]

Are the V battle decks simpler to play at home?

[@InThirdPerson]

If you find that level 1 battle decks aren’t the right fit for you, then I would check out the other versions of Battle Academy as a means of getting comparable decks.

[@nref55]

@@InThirdPerson That’s what we did. We got the newer version. And a few different battle decks but we looked up cards prior. Thank you!

[@joelgrebinsilvestri]

Can u win with any deck? because in meta all trainers use the same kind of deck?

[@DonPuig]

I have a question, if I bought the charizard battle league deck ,should I also buy the trainers toolkit or would it be better to buy singles?

[@InThirdPerson]

For the purposes of completing a specific deck, singles is the way to go.

[@semueluchiha4400]

Hi I have played yu gi oh before. There you need to buy 3 decks to make one. Is that here two that you need to buy 3 decks to play?

[@InThirdPerson]

Sorry for the delay! There have been times where buying 2 of the same League Battle Deck was good for mashing them together into 1 stronger deck (Mew VMAX). With the current pool of Standard-legal League Battle Decks available now though, you would be better off buying 1 League Battle Deck and then singles to finish off the build.

[@semueluchiha4400]

@@InThirdPersonthx

[@WildPetsCreations]

Hi! Question.. I want to buy two battle league decks. Which ones are the most balanced between each other?

[@zwei9439]

charizard and gardevoir

[@WildPetsCreations]

@@zwei9439 thank you! I was waiting for someone to answer this to place an order haha! Any other recommendations for two other balanced decks to buy? I'm not a collector, I buy these almost like if they were table top games to play with my husband!

[@zwei9439]

@WildPetsCreations You can also make some improvements to these decks and gain experience playing. Maybe you can participate in a competition soon, haha.

[@o0Borah0o]

hallo, bin absoluter newbie im Pokemon tcg, diese pokemon liga kampfdecks, sind die auch tunier legal?

[@xkaii8617]

12:41 That hurt my eyes. 😩

[@lobben85]

Hi. Me and my wife are hooked on Pokemon tcg pocket right now. And now we would like to play irl too 😋 Which of these decks would you recommend buying if you just want to play good games at home? We are both seasoned card players so they don't need to be beginner friendly.

[@InThirdPerson]

Welcome both to the Pokemon TCG community! The Charizard deck is the clear best one and safest when it comes to rotation. If possible, I’d get one each and then trick them out with different stuff. Charizard is a deck that can fit a lot of funky tech cards and the mirror match can be pretty interesting depending on what each player techs into their decks. If you have to get 2 different decks, then also get Gardevoir. However, Gardevoir has 2 major disadvantages against Charizard that make it an uneven fight, especially without upgrades. 1. Charizard hits Gardevoir for weakness and can easily one-shot it. 2. Without upgrades, Gardevoir is unable to one-shot a Charizard in return. With upgrades, Gardevoir can one-shot Charizard and the fight is a bit more even. Furthermore, there are questions about how Gardevoir will fare post-rotation early next year, when it loses some key cards and we don’t know how the deck will function after then.

[@Connor6001]

I've been playing with the standard free decks available on TCG Live and seem to start losing somewhere around Pikachu level on the ladder - I don't really know where I should go from here when it comes to buying. Should I start with Battle Academy to learn the rules in person? Or is it better to dive in with level 2 or 3 decks at local casual play meets?

[@InThirdPerson]

Some of the free Live decks are actually better than any pre-constructed deck you can buy in a store. I would focus on upgrading one of the stronger starter decks like Charizard.

[@GhostWarriorZa]

So basically if I want to just play against a family member or friend I should get ex battle decks?

[@InThirdPerson]

Depends on how serious you want to battle. If you're brand new, I would recommend starting out with Battle Academy, as you get 3 beginner-level decks, a full manual, and a tutorial guide. If you're brand new and have very strong feelings about a certain level 1 ex Battle deck, you can grab a pair of those as well. If you have experience with other TCGs and/or have ambitions of playing competitively, whether that's in Pokemon TCG Live or in-person, a League Battle Deck might be better.

[@GhostWarriorZa]

@InThirdPerson oh OK thanks for the help I am a beginner but always had people around me playing and buying it and it just looked so cool and I thought I would i give it a try

[@InThirdPerson]

@@GhostWarriorZa Go for it! The game is easy to learn and it's a ton of fun!

[@FffDddd-lp1vc]

Could you do Tcg Pocket?

[@damienhunter-hardy-keepnes8542]

Wait, v cards are going? I was building a regidrago deck 😭

[@TheNatos]

so how in a gardy deck, does gardevoir itself stay legal, but ralts and kirlia become illegal??? how the hell does that work?

[@InThirdPerson]

There are multiple Ralts and Kirlia cards. After rotation, this Ralts card (www.serebii.net/card/scarletviolet/084.shtml) and this Kirlia card (www.serebii.net/card/scarletviolet/085.shtml) will still be legal. Players can still use those specific pre-evolution cards in order to play Gardevoir ex in Standard format. The issue is that the Ralts and Kirlia cards that players currently use are going away with the upcoming rotation. In particular, the Kirlia that will still be legal doesn’t have the ability that makes the old Kirlia great.

[@dark3176]

​​​@@InThirdPerson Guys I'm new to live. I just installed today. Can someone help me? There's only 5 days left on the pass so I should by the next pass right? Also, among the preconstructed decks, which one should I finish first? Which pack bundles should I buy? Note: I'm F2P

[@MrGreezlie]

Guys, for now, I want to play with my gf at home, but we are pretty competitive in other areas, so I think we could get into TCG too. Does it make sense to buy two League Battle Decks? Will it be fun playing together and let us know if it is something for us? I wanted to buy the new Charizard Deck and Gardevoir. On the other hand, the Battle Academy is currently 2x cheaper and gives us 3 decks that are meant to play together (they are balanced), so we can play with guests, but the fact that they are not upgradeable by any chance, bothers me because if we get into it, the Academy will be just a loss of money with pathetic cards.

[@attakkann11]

Did you find which one is the best for your stiuation ?

[@MrGreezlie]

@attakkann11 we decided we won't be satisfied with easier cards from the Battle Academy and ordered Charizard and Gardevoir. Let's see

[@mlgcactus1035]

I refuse to believe that thousands build and battle boxes become useless after the prerelease is over!

[@TVTransmo]

4:32 hehe I "love" the American way putting things in perspective, using American stuff .....T-Ball? ...never heard of it :D

[@InThirdPerson]

1. I am not American. 2. Over 50% of my audience is American. And there are countries outside of America that also play baseball. I understand that this is a global platform and not everyone is going to get any sort of analogy I try to use. But I’m trying my best to make it relatable for as much of my audience as I can.

[@TVTransmo]

@@InThirdPerson

[@kenjisarah8596]

How is shufflimg 60 cards a struggle for adults 😂😂

[@InThirdPerson]

Regardless of how old you are and how big your hands are, shuffling cards is a skill that one must develop with practice. I know many adults that can’t shuffle a deck of cards. 99.9% of my time playing Pokemon TCG is via Live/PTCGO, so I don’t have much experience with it. When I trained for Toronto Regionals last year, it was the first time I’d ever shuffled sleeved cards before. Before that, I had only shuffled a standard 52-card deck with no sleeves, and I’m not great at that too despite decades of practice. I specifically spent weeks practicing my shuffling for regionals and I’m not afraid to admit that I still suck at it. I was easily worse than all of my opponents at shuffling cards. Everyone comes into this game with different experiences and different skills. This video and my entire channel is about helping build people up, not tearing them down. I hope that we as a community can be more empathetic to the circumstances of others and help this scene grow rather than push them away for what they may not be great at today.

[@Manley410]

I double sleeve my 60 cards and and it is a big boy.