Pokémon TCG First one!

Naturally, all trade locked packs should just be opened as there is zero other uses for them. So the following natually only deals with tradable packs.

The first thing to note is that if you enjoy opening packs, then you should absolutely do so. Always do what makes you happy. This guide is for people who want to take a minmax route to the game.

So in general tradable packs should be used for trading. Many noobs get confused about this because they look at public trades and see almost all trade offers being made using the latest pack as currency. But this is your first problem as there isn't much point to looking at public trades in the first place unless you are sniping (scrolling down to 7:59, 23:59 or 47:59 to snatch up good offers before anybody else does so). In short, the minmaxer nearly always want to set up their own trades unless they are sniping.

So how do you use older packs for trading? Well, the cheapest packs or chests - usually from the XY era - are excellent for trading for many many meta rares, that you can then flip for more valuable packs. So for instance a trade pattern that looks like this: XY pack -> meta rare -> SWSH era pack is usually a VERY safe low-profit trade and depending on the card in question can be much more profitable than this example.

But you can also trade for higher value cards because people just like packs and lots of them. So another way to approach this is to go like this: X number of cheap packs -> high value card -> Y number of new packs -> X*2 number of cheap packs. There are many many many variations of this, but hopefully you get the idea, which is that you can get MUCH more for your cheap packs than "conversion rates" would suggest. One key thing to note here is that when you try to convert your new packs into "cheap packs", I don't necessarily mean the super cheap XY packs. The thing is that MORE users have an abundance of fairly recent packs than an abundance of really old packs, so I generally try to convert new packs into recent packs.

When should you open packs? One of the first things that new traders learn is some of what I have written above. So in short NEVER open tradable packs. I too subscribe to this view for people who don't really totally know what they are doing yet. However, once you do get comfortable with all aspects of trading then you should also realize that opening packs is sometimes a pretty damn good idea. Usually the time to open packs is when a new pack drops and everybody is hunting all of the new cards. If the set is good - like BST for instance - you are likely to turn a profit if and only if you aggressively trade off just about everything you get. Particularly trainer cards are easy profit on opening day (and opening weekend). But you do need to be aggressive about it, since the alternative is also quite attractive since you could also just be trading those packs for older packs or for valuable cards. Do realize that you need volume to pull off this strategy. If you have just a handful of brand new packs on opening day, the risk of pulling nothing is very very high. You need to pull high value cards to make it worth it and to pull high value cards with any likelihood you need to open a whole bunch of packs and to NOT chicken out if you get 30 dud packs in a row. Key to this strategy is also to sell off trainers and regular rares for recent packs (not the new one) and sell the BIG cards you pull for new packs, so that you continually keep the ball rolling. With the BST set I started with just a few BST packs and ended up opening 1000 of them, just by keeping the ball rolling.

So yeah, the SAFE path is just to trade your new packs for older packs or valuable cards, but opening CAN infact be very profitable.

What about opening older packs then? This is almost always a useless strategy, but only almost. For this to be worthwhile you need for the set to have a bunch of high value cards that are actually somewhat likely pulls. Opening Sword & Shield base set to get SR Quick Ball is probably a bad idea. Secret rares are hella rare and SWSH packs are actually in high demand so using them for trading will have the better outcome in the vast majority of cases. What you want is a set with a bunch of high value V's and VMAX's and stuff like that. Not secret rares.

But what about right now? Can Evolving Skies still be opened? Well, yeah, but I wouldn't recommend it. Trading Evolving Skies for older sets and high value cards is likely better.

This is all the info you need right now. Once you get to the point where you think "well, I already know all of this", then you really don't need me to tell you what to do anymore! :-)

submitted by /u/Aquarius1975
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Free packs from a evolutions tin

Posted: 04 Sep 2021 07:38 AM PDT

submitted by /u/Lilshanty
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My opponent used Marnie.... how does this even happen?

Posted: 03 Sep 2021 07:48 PM PDT

submitted by /u/Simplyobsessed2
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3 Winners- 1st place= guess my favorite mon- 2nd and 3rd will goto random commenters

Posted: 03 Sep 2021 04:46 PM PDT

submitted by /u/Redmisc
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You don't hate "Net-decking"

Posted: 03 Sep 2021 09:43 AM PDT

My assertion here is that you don't hate net-decking, you hate the game balance.

I've seen a lot of people hating on those that get their decks from a YouTube video or a set of tournament results and I don't really understand why there's so much hate.

The issue seems to be that people believe that tricky gym throws up a video and suddenly the entire game shifts to people playing that deck and your versus "ladder' is today filled with Zacian/ludicolo for instance.

And that's just simply not true. When 60% of your games are ice rider, That's not because Celios made an ice rider video, that's because ice rider wins more than 50% of its games and almost always sees a top cut.

What you're angry with is the fact that there are only maybe six viable attackers in the current meta, and the fact that you couldn't beat Shadow Rider with your rogue deck isn't someone net decking it's you were unable to crack the meta and your deck, is bad.

Saying that someone who takes inspiration or even takes a full 60 from someone else is bad and harmful for the game makes absolutely no sense. The fact that there are only a couple of viable attackers is bad for the game.

At some point you have to draw the line, let's pretend that net decking is horrible and no one is allowed to do it, well, tricky gym threw up a video using flaffy in their Rayquaza, so if I build a Rayquaza deck I should not use flaffy, it's welder or Net-decking bust?

Generally speaking if you're going to build a deck that deck is going to have a skeleton of the same 50 to 55 cards sometimes even more and tech spots are few and far between, telling people that they should make sure that they choose different tech than someone else did is convincing new players that they need to handicap themselves or be seen in a negative light.

TLDR; Shadowrider doesn't make top four in every single tournament since it's released because a YouTuber made a video. Urshi/teleon Isn't every other deck you see on your versus ladder because of Azzulgg, It's because out of the six viable attackers in the game only three-four of them are winning more than 50% of their games and people are out here trying to get 15 daily wins or useless/dated "ladder" bling.

Believe me when I say, if PTCG Live brings us a real ladder, get to Masters (or whatever they'll call the top) and you'll almost never see a rouge deck again.

submitted by /u/Gillver
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Do you guys remember my last week post complaining 'bout my alt art Rayquaza? My chased Sylveon just arrived ��

Posted: 04 Sep 2021 05:12 AM PDT

submitted by /u/CanaryButterfly
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How expensive are the packs?

Posted: 04 Sep 2021 08:20 AM PDT

It is my understanding that you can pay for stuff in the game. I would assume they are single in game packs. Can you buy booster boxes as well? What are the costs of these things?? (USD currency) (P.S. i just started last night and still working through the tutorial)

submitted by /u/Brandon_LOWELIFE
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Can someone link me a good site to determine card prices for ptcgo?

Posted: 04 Sep 2021 08:15 AM PDT

Looking for some Regidrago but can't find any online

submitted by /u/Mr-pizzapls
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Dm Me For Sealed Evolving Skies Booster Boxes Or Tcg codes

Posted: 04 Sep 2021 08:12 AM PDT

submitted by /u/Loud-Strike5974
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Ptcg Live : hoping for a trade limit per day

Posted: 04 Sep 2021 08:08 AM PDT

If PTCO Live really is on the way, I think that setting a trade limit per day could dissuade some scammers and reduce the number of awful trades. What do you guys think?

I wouldn't mind at all to be honest!

submitted by /u/Benexcelsior
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2 Evolving Skies codes, idk what it is but you guys can have them

Posted: 04 Sep 2021 03:56 AM PDT

I was lurking and saw a couple of people complaining about bots so here they are:

V (twentynine) - TN (nine) M - (six)VB - XKL

And

V (seven) N - M (two) QV - (seven) (two times the letter K) - (six)BM

submitted by /u/umbrellakevin
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What deck are you playing right now?

Posted: 04 Sep 2021 12:09 AM PDT

(In standard and expanded) I run Zacian V/Inteleon in standard and in expanded I run darkbox

submitted by /u/EmbracMonke
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Pulled this today. I should buy a lottery ticket!

Posted: 04 Sep 2021 07:27 AM PDT

submitted by /u/oakengineer
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Older sword and shield packs

Posted: 04 Sep 2021 02:35 AM PDT

What do you guys do with them? Just open it?

submitted by /u/NillaPooh
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Competitive budget deck post rotation

Posted: 04 Sep 2021 04:41 AM PDT

Are there any competitivr budget deck that i can use post rotation, i dont want to spend money buying packs until the new game comes out

submitted by /u/shaiderrr
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If you could, how would you change the game for the better? (Post rotation & hypothetical)

Posted: 03 Sep 2021 09:52 PM PDT

If you had full power over the PTCG (not the app or software, the actual game mechanics) what changes would you make, if any?

Me personally: - Change how weakness works - I think it'd be better if it were a +20 system or something for non rule box mons, +30 for V and +50 for VMAX… correct me if I'm wrong but I remember when playing as a kid it was something like this (I'm talking base set days)… maybe not… Anyway I think this would balance out the game a bit so there's no auto-loss for weaknesses… x2 is a bit much - Some kind of immunity, I don't know exactly what I mean by this but something where you play a pokemon and it's safe until your following turn… post rotation is gonna be a battle of who can flip heads first, I think this would help solve that - VMAX limitations - either for a number of turns or evolving into a VMAX ends your turn, not sure how much this would slow down the game but it's already a massive advantage having a VMAX, it might help with synergy if that advantage isn't doubled down on immediately - V/VMAX attack and retreat costs… increase them all wow, how a VMAX can have 1 retreat cost and as low as 2 attack (with massive damage output) beats me… there should be a minimum like 3 retreat and 3 attack (mind you my fav deck is dragapult vmax so who am I to talk lol) - Ability limits - every ability should be limited to once per turn or throw a spanner in the works each player can only use one ability per turn lol imagine how strategic that would become

These are just hypothetical ideas, I'm happy with the game as it is and enjoy playing, I just want to spark a discussion since I'm in lockdown (Aus) and it's raining haha

submitted by /u/jozzahhhh
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I think this guy gonna be a little monster, am i right?

Posted: 03 Sep 2021 10:18 PM PDT

https://preview.redd.it/q9bsldix7fl71.png?width=551&format=png&auto=webp&s=b4763b98e555a9136a5ceb240ccaaec6e2ff2b99

submitted by /u/LukatxD
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Strange Tournament Results

Posted: 03 Sep 2021 01:17 PM PDT

I just started a tournament and got a victory at the coin flip but then went straight to the final and insta won that too.

Then I noticed everyone else in the tournament had the same name with different numbers at the end. One was xuncagiao052 and the other was xuncagiao045 etc.

What's the deal with this? Don't get me wrong I'm happy to have won 6 packs in less than a minute but at the same time I don't want to get flagged by some form of anti cheat.

Has anyone else experienced this?

submitted by /u/Zooport21
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This is what I mean when I say I want a new trading system. Look at this. Ridden with bots.

Posted: 03 Sep 2021 11:04 AM PDT

submitted by /u/thatwascloseray
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I miss fairy pokemon :( do you ? Also coukd it ever be back?

Posted: 03 Sep 2021 10:58 AM PDT

My gardevoir / sylveon gx deck is just a reminder of fun times now. And the xerneas deck box

submitted by /u/deevo91
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