Newbies Guide to Pokemon TCG Pre-Constructed Decks - ex Battle Decks, League Battle Decks & More!

[@shinyocelot04archive]

From my experiences, this is what I can say about each preconstructed deck. The ex/V battle decks are great if you're looking for more decks to add on to the Battle Academy to provide more play options. The League Battle Decks are incredible for both in person tournament play and on PTCGL, but you need to figure out which one is right for you as you would need to alter them to make them ready for in person play. (Mew requires the least amount of alteration as far as I know.) The World Championship Decks are mostly a novelty, as they're not legal for play, but if you want to spice up your Battle Academy matches or want to test the waters with competitive before getting a League Battle Deck these are fine.

[@RaikaSTi]

The World Championship Decks are good to learn and play for fun. Sure it may not be legal for official tournaments but not everybody wants to enter a tournament

[@danielsmith6896]

Can't recommend the Mew league battle deck enough. I recently got in to the game and picked it up along with a couple more Genesect V and Mew's and actually won (with a bit of luck) my first ever live tournament with it.

[@InThirdPerson]

Congrats! The Mew League Battle Deck is an amazing value for those looking to play at any level beyond casual.

[@solarisdevorak]

I'm new... Learned on the battle academy set and just got the mew v league deck and I love it

[@renanpamplona1508]

Dude, just want you to know you're helping me a lot. I am already a MTG / FAB player, and was overwhelmed by thelarge amount of Pokemon tcg products out there. I just bought Mew and both Ice and Shadow Calyrex League battle decks to play against each other, and got some V Battle Decks and old Theme Decks i could found (Mewtwo, Solgaleo, Lunala) to play against each other in a lower power level. I'm not playing tournaments, and don't care about the rotations, so I don't plan to upgrade any of these decks, instead I'll leave them as they are to play actually and teach my friends and family, gonna play PTCGL to get a grasp with nicer and fully build decks with the codes I get from the products, and just collect the old beautiful cards of my favorite pokemons in a binder. Again, thanks again to guide me through this pokeworld. Big fan of your explanation videos and also your gameplay videos. Keep going! Cheers from Brazil.

[@InThirdPerson]

Thank you for sharing your story! I hope you continue to enjoy your journey in the Pokemon TCG!

[@Kinagi]

Wow! Didn't know about the whole deal with World Championship Decks. Thank you for sharing~!

[@InThirdPerson]

No problem! It’s very easy to get burned by those if you’re not 100% clear on what they are (and aren’t).

[@halljo2005]

Wish I saw this before I bought the Arceus one

[@XanderBroeffle]

This was helpful. Thank you for explaining the differences here!

[@l4te4oot91]

Just subbed. Got into this late but love the channel!

[@drew8235]

I have both the Mew and Palkia League decks and can't recommend them enough for getting back into the game after like 50 years. The two decks (once you add extra copies of the key cards) are both pretty much on the same level. On occasion the Mew deck overpowers the Palkia deck but it requires a specific board setup that doesn't happen that often. Perhaps the game is not in a great place right now with V and V Max and whatnot, but I'm at least having fun despite the problems.

[@pjalona888]

subbed, perfect timing since im researching to get into the pokemon TCG.

[@InThirdPerson]

Welcome to the Pokemon TCG community! I'm going to have to re-do this video soon, as we have two new pre-made deck options coming soon in the My First Battle set, as well as the level 2 Deluxe Battle Decks. But for now I'm glad this helped you out!

[@pjalona888]

@@InThirdPerson looking forward 🤩

[@blast.3382]

Love your content dude. Been playing since scarlet and Violet dropped but still don’t know much.

[@InThirdPerson]

Thanks for the kind words! Lots to learn in the Pokemon TCG and I hope you have a lot of fun along the way!

[@stampinwithsafia]

Great explanation of the game and getting packs

[@InThirdPerson]

Thank you for watching! Hope it helps you on your journey to be the very best.

[@larson0014]

I bought the battle academy never having played and it was a great way to start and It was only $16

[@InThirdPerson]

Glad to hear it worked out for you!

[@DannyvdWouw]

And a another awesome video, in my opinion the world championship decks are more collectors items. Fun to have not for use. Thanks for this banger, keep up the good work! 💪🏻

[@mandy1339]

what about the battle builder decks, that come in a box and say level 2.

[@InThirdPerson]

I cover those in the updated version of this video! kzbin.info/www/bejne/Y4e2gYturNmabqssi=o8bRWRTDDbYwChLi

[@mandy1339]

@@InThirdPerson yay thanks

[@eetuli85]

What about Build & Battle boxes/stadium? Kids are just starting to collect but i got them interested in the game also as they enjoy boardgames alot. I used to play a little myself when first gen came but sadly we sold all of them. So doing a little deckbuilding doesn't scare me and with all those boosters in Stadium boxes they seem like the perfect kit for someone who wants to see some pulls but also play casually

[@InThirdPerson]

Build and Battle boxes/stadium are a cool product IF you’re interested in playing the pre-release format. The way it works is that players build 40-card decks in a first-to-four contest with the starter deck in the box plus whatever cards you pulled from the packs in the kit. While it’s neat for what it is, it’s not a particularly good way of constructing a good (or even casual) deck in any context outside of battling another build and battle deck. The base decks are very weak and even good pulls from the packs won’t get you anything near a functional deck. As an entry-level experience, build and battle boxes/stadium are a big gamble with a high chance of having decks that aren’t particularly playable, beginner-friendly, or fun. Based on what you’ve said of your situation, I think you and your family would be better off with a pre-constructed deck option, along with a few packs on the side. The Battle Academy box is a great first step with everything one would need to get started, including three beginner-level 60-card decks, a board, damage counters, rule book, and even a step-by-step tutorial. V Battle or the new ex Battle decks are also beginner-level decks of roughly equal strength to the Battle Academy decks. If you want something more competitively-viable (though harder to learn), League Battle Decks are the way to go. Hope that helps!

[@eetuli85]

@@InThirdPerson very helpful, thanks alot!

[@taric2133]

Hey, new player here! I currently have the Guardevoir V starter deck and my only experience is the Pokémon tcg game for Gameboy lol. None of my friends play Pokémon so I wanted to give it a try and play some people at our local shop. Do you think I'd still have fun and a chance of winning with a deck like this, or would you go straight for something like the Mew deck, even as a beginner?

[@InThirdPerson]

Welcome to the Pokemon TCG! I remember that Gardevoir deck fondly. It was the first deck my friend used when she started playing the game and I helped her upgrade it into something that was pretty cool for its time. However, there are are a few problems you will run into trying to use that deck at local events in 2023 and beyond: 1. There is a process called rotation that happens once a year where older cards are rotated out of Standard format. Standard format is the primary way the competitive scene plays Pokemon, which only allows for cards from the last 2-3 years-ish. Pretty much everything in the Gardevoir deck has rotated out and is no longer legal for Standard format play. 2. Even if they let you play it, that deck is a beginner-level deck. That, combined with the power creep that has happened since, you would likely get destroyed. I don’t even think it would fare well against the beginner ex decks that are being released now, which are also weak in competitive play. With that in mind, a League Battle Deck is an excellent place to start for competitive play! The Mew League Battle Deck is only 17 cards away from the top 8 Mew deck at the world championships in 2022 and is only 22 cards off from this year’s world championship winning deck. It’s pretty strong out of the box and a top-tier deck when fully-upgraded. However, this deck rotates entirely in the next rotation (no confirmed date but expected to occur spring 2024), so your shelf life with it will be shorter than Palkia. Palkia at this juncture is a tier-2 deck that finished 9th at the world championships this year. Strong deck with a fairly easy upgrade path. It also doesn’t rotate next year, giving you more time with it in Standard format. If you’re looking for more info, check out my vids on these decks! Mew Preview: kzbin.info/www/bejne/p3-un3SvdresY9Esi=pEG6EiXu49l8vwje Mew VMAX Upgrade: kzbin.info/www/bejne/jJ-yZoN6mKulpassi=T20MPVm3MJ7u64Zm Mew Championship: kzbin.info/www/bejne/pqGueZaBqLZ_rMksi=415NTyhYGLP6pLIo Palkia Preview: kzbin.info/www/bejne/nXfJnKyNaNycatUsi=PlapCFEoY19F2GlQ Palkia Upgrade: kzbin.info/www/bejne/lXPbfn6sd56mibssi=4EKZ-4jjriz1oUcs Palkia deck + Chien-Pao deck: kzbin.info/www/bejne/kIecn42ZobeqhpYsi=7tBFcGr-AbsP1mMI

[@taric2133]

@@InThirdPersonthanks for the fast and detailed response! I’ll look into your other videos and the two decks and decide then :) just out of personal preference I‘m still leaning towards mew, even if it has a shorter lifespan. Another thing: I saw that there will be new decks releasing in November, right? You think it might be worth waiting for those? I’m not really in a rush so I’d be fine waiting a couple of months.

[@InThirdPerson]

Mew is a great choice! While the timeline is notably shorter, its ceiling is notably higher than Palkia likely for the rest of Mew’s time in Standard and you can certainly get in enough great games (and lots of wins!) before rotation to justify the purchase. Mew is my all-time fave deck and I’d make that same decision in your shoes. Palkia is great too, but that one can wait if you’re only getting one. While there’s technically no concrete news about upcoming League Battle Decks just yet, past precedent suggests that we should be getting the reveal any day now for decks that should release during the holiday season. If they are what I think they are (Giratina and Lugia), both are incredibly strong and have years to go before they rotate.

[@paulkarlalarcon]

Wait a MINUTE! WHHAAAAAAAAT! I WANT THAT SNORLAX PIJAMA or whatever it's called!!

[@InThirdPerson]

My Snorlax onesie is a personal fave 🥰

[@Robloxwithstacey]

I just bought tinkaton ex deck

[@InThirdPerson]

Congrats! Tinkaton gets better in the current format thanks to Dudunsparce and Neo Upper Energy.

[@matthewt.goodness7196]

The battle academy got my 7 year old daughter into pokemon tcg, great purchase

[@InThirdPerson]

That’s awesome to hear!

[@Roman_Octavius]

what about elite trainer boxes?

[@InThirdPerson]

Elite Trainer Boxes are great if you’re in the market for the contents within. However, they do not contain a pre-constructed deck, nor will you be able to build a playable deck just with the packs within the box. If you’re looking for a product that comes with a playable deck out-of-the-box, you’re better off looking elsewhere, whether it’s My First Battle, Battle Academy, ex Battle Decks, Deluxe ex Battle Decks, or League Battle Decks.

[@Roman_Octavius]

@@InThirdPerson thank you! I'm looking to get into Pokemon so this helps a lot :)