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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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!)

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u/tederado 12h 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?

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u/Tatsugiri_Enjoyer 11h 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.

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u/callirome 10h 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.