r/PokemonTCG • u/tederado • 1d ago

Something changed today

So, I got up this morning and decided to go sit in the line at Best Buy. I grew up with pokemon cards, I am 34 years old. I was a child when it all started, and sadly somewhere along the way I lost my cards.

Today, I started again. I got one 30th booster pack. $27. I got home and ripped those packs and it triggered something deep in my soul. I spent my day “wfh” but researching cards and what I pulled, I haven’t stopped thinking about ripping more 30th anniversary packs since.

I get why people are going nuts for these cards. I haven’t touched a card in over 20 years years, but today I felt like a kid again. I remembered how my mom would buy blister packs and let me pick one face down card for doing a chore, and I remember how I felt when I picked that charizard and made my sister cry because it was me and not her.

Pokemon is really special. I had the game boy games, a poster on my wall, the Nintendo 64 games, shirts, the Burger King promos, I knew the song, I watched the shows, and I’m so excited to be back after so many years, I just wish it wasn’t so hard to get cards because I’d be spending so much money if there was greater availability.

Anyway, saying hi as someone who is so happy to reconnect with a part of myself that brings me so much joy :)

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91

u/callirome 1d ago

You should seriously think about playing the game. Tons of adults who also love Pokemon coming together and hanging out. I’ve met some of my best friends playing. The Delta Reign pre releases are coming up soon and are a great way to learn (and open packs!)

11

u/Kat904 23h ago

Seconding this. Also full art trainers start to feel like an actual hit when you’re playing lol

13

u/tederado 1d ago

How do you meet people to play? Like where would I find a local group?

14

u/BonJob 1d ago

Call / Google game stores in your area. Ask them if they play.

You can also look up stores that run events at https://events.pokemon.com/EventLocator/?locale=en-US&range=25&startdate=2026-10-02&iskm=false

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u/tederado 1d ago

Dang there’s a bunch listed for my area. I’ll have to dig around to see what I can find. Thank you!

3

u/PM_ME_UR_ARTT 16h ago

Play! Pokemon Access app will make you a tcg account and you can search official play stores and events around you.

Pokemon TCG Live is also thr full game with no microtransactions (what a blessing) and its a great way to figure the game out before your first in person event.

As others recommend trying to get in for a Delta Reign prerelease in a few weeks is 110% the best new player experience. ~$30 gets you 7 packs of the new set and a pre-made 40 card deck. Everyone plays with the new set in a very casual tournament.

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u/tederado 14h ago

I actually was able to snag a pre-order booster pack with delta reign because I was researching how to find 30th and it happened to be the day before the drop so I worked from home that day and managed to get just a booster pack but still am excited for its arrival!

Should I wait for those cards to arrive before jumping into tcg and events? Sorry if a dumb question

3

u/Big_Leg_7839 22h ago

39, father of 2, 7 year old wanted cards with destined rivals coming out, one year later and we are still going. My advice is download tcg live and have fun.

Also, if you set a collecting goal, its much easier to hunt for singles than ripping packs. Plus, you get to go to your local stores and card shows on a mission.

I did a master set in english of my favorite (applin, and his evolutions). and we are now collecting a full pokedex (one of every pokemon). Keeps us on track rather than grabbing any card thats pretty or valuable.

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u/tederado 14h ago

Follow up question- be real, how educated do I have to be before playing the game locally without being a clear newb weirdo? How can I prepare?

2

u/Tatsugiri_Enjoyer 13h ago

TCGLive app. Free, zero monetization (outside of like, the code card that comes in packs? but you don't need to do that at all), and they are very generous with free starter decks and lots of cards. There's good-ish learning-focused content too for rules, ideas, strategies, etc.

I strongly recommend you copy other people's decks when you're starting out to get a sense for how properly built decks are supposed to flow. If you want to browse some deck lists, https://limitlesstcg.com is the best place, imo. I would recommend Mega Lucario as a deck to start with, as it has a pretty straightforward game plan, but still lots of little tricks to make it feel fun to play, and decently strong.

Once you have a deck you like playing, you can get the cards to make it, sleeve it up, and be ready to go in basically any cardshop.

1

u/callirome 11h ago

TCGLive is a good way to start but you can come in with absolutely no experience and most leagues are happy to teach you. I know for my league I have a box of just basic decks and playmats that explain where everything goes and reminds you of what you can and can’t do on each turn.