Returning Card Player needs answers

[Pokelord-EX]

Little background info, I have made a new years resolution to get back into the Pokemon TCG to take a break from YuGiOh, I quitted Pokemon somewhere in 2007 (Delta Species was the latest pack at the time), and never entered any official tournaments.

I recently bought the Terra Firma deck and Armor Fortress deck, and a special Platinum box which came with a promo Magnezone, the rulebooks in the decks answered alot of questions about old and new rulings, but there are a few questions which I need help on.

So here are my questions...

I understand that you are no longer able to use any of the old cards, including cards from the Ruby & Sapphire era, and only the recent packs are allowed in official tournaments, so I need to know which packs are legal in tournaments, is there a banlist preventing certain cards? I also understand there is a process called "Switching", what is that about? What is the earliest pack legal in tournaments?

I need to know because when I made my new years resolution, I knew I needed to start fresh since the cards I have are outdated, plus I am intending on entering tournaments and want to make sure I am building a deck that is legal and fairly recent, and need to know what packs I should be buying.

Any help will be much appreciated, I want to come back to the game, I just need a push in the right direction, especially since a decent incarnation of my favourite Pokemon is coming in the next pack =)

Thanks

Pokelord-EX

 

[BlueShuckle]

The Diamond and Pearl series and newer is allowed. This means any packs with Diamond & Pearl in it's name are allowed. These and packs that are named Platinum or have Platinum somewhere in their name. Also, the Arceus expansion is allowed. I've never heard of switching.

 

[Raikou Trainer]

The sets that you should probably focus on for getting back into the game are the Platinum series sets (Platinum, Rising Rivals, Supreme Victors, and Arceus)

Platinum has just about everything you need to make a workable SP deck. Other than that, there's not much else worthwhile. Looker's Investigation is also worth a look (pun intended!)

Rising Rivals has more SP support, primarily Luxray GL lv. X, one of the best cards available at the moment. It also contains Flygon and its lv. X form, which still sees a lot of play.

Supreme Victors, in truth, doesn't have a lot going for it, with the only really useful cards being Blaziken FB lv. X and Garchomp C lv. X.

Arceus actually has several decent cards in it, unforunately, none of them are Arceus. Gengar lv. X, Salamence lv. X, and Expert Belt are all really solid cards. Spiritomb is currently one of (if not the best) basic Pokemon in the game at the moment, so definitely grab a few!

Here's a list of the cards from other sets that can be useful, depending on the deck:

*Claydol from Great Encounters (currently a Pokemon League promo, two are really all you need)
*Call Energy (four are a must! Found in Majestic Dawn)
*Unown G (no more than two. Also in Great Encounters)
*Uxie from Legends Awakened (at least one)
*Rare Candy (if you have a few from the ex series, they are all still legal for use. If not, Great Encounters)
*Roseanne's Research (an upcoming League promo, but can be found in the Supreme Victors Milotic theme deck or Sercret Wonders if you can't wait)
*Bebe's Search (found in Rising Rivals, also an upcoming League promo)
*Gengar from Stormfront (only if you want to play a Gengar deck, obviously, but can be the most annoying deck around if played right.)
*Luxury Ball from Stormfront (only one, and can be gotten in a few of the recent theme decks)
*Warp Energy/Cyclone Energy (both can help you out of a jam in the right situation, both in Stormfront)

Here's a list of cards from older sets that can be used for tournaments: https://pokegym.net/forums/showthread.php?t=41415

Just so you know, the Diamond and Pearl sets will more than likely be rotated out in September (in other words, not legal for tournament play), so I wouldn't invest too much in those sets, just trade for what you need.

Most important thing, do NOT buy the World Championship decks! None of the cards in those decks can be used in tournaments, so don't waste your money!

EDIT: Almost forgot, Leagues are a great place to go and play with other people, and get great promo cards just for playing (several of the cards I mentioned earlier will be available at Leagues over the next few months.)

 

[gregorioTheOreo]

what a great new-years resolution!

 

[barnsleynut]

i have a whole bunch of 1st gen cards, (around 600) nothing REALLY special i dont think, i want to get back into it butthey don sell them anymore how do i complete my collection, any ideas?