Starting out with old deck (newbie)

[Ryck]

Hi, I've been playing the Pokemon video games for years but am very new to the Card Game. I could really use some help in understanding how it works. Please take pity on a total newbie!

I've just discovered an old starter set of Pokemon TCG. It's a small box containing 61 cards, 10 damage counters, starter guide and rulebook. It's produced by Wizards of the Coast Inc. and dated 1999. The cards inside look similar to but not the same as newer cards I've seen on the web. Is it compatible with today's TCG?

As I'm interested in getting into TCG I have a few quick questions that I'd really appreciate some help with:
1/ Do people just collect the cards or play the game, or both?
2/ How often do new themes/packs appear? There seems to be a bewildering array of different sets out there.
3/ What is the best way to buy cards - individual packs or these boxed sets I've seen around?
4/ Where is the best place to by TCG cards, stores or online? I live in the UK so anyone who knows good British sources, I'd love to know.
5/ What kind of (real) stores sell the cards?

Thanks in advance for any help you can give. This looks like a great hobby to get into but right now I'm very confused about the whole thing.

 

[Rocket_Executive]

Welcome to the TCG! First off, while that old starter deck you found is very cool and vintage, you cannot play it officially as it is outdated. You need to build your deck out of cards from the Diamond & Pearl sets and upwards from there, up to Heart Gold Soul Silver, which is the newest set. You can find the playable cards here:
https://serebii.net/card/english.shtml
Scroll down until you get to Diamond & Pearl. That set, and all the ones after it, are playable in the official modified format, but nothing before it (i.e. base set, ex power keepers, etc.)
You can find theme decks like the one you have that are up to date, they look like this: https://paizo.com/image/product/catalog/PUI/PUI11501-D_500.jpeg
This would be useful for someone who is just learning the rules, and doesn't know anything about deck-building yet. They aren't that expensive, and you get a full deck with a rulebook and damage counters and such, but I live in Canada so I'm not sure where you would find them in the UK :P
As for people collecting vs. playing, I would say there is definitely a surplus of players compared to collectors. I'm mainly a collector who plays on the side, and I rarely find other collectors out there. They do exist, but they are few compared to the number of players.
You're right about the number of sets there are, I kind of got out of Pokemon for a couple years and when I looked into it again the number of sets that had appeared in the meantime was staggering... I think it's like 43 English sets or something. But, like I said before, only some of them are playable; the rest are good for collecting. A new set is generally released 3-4 times a year, the first one of this year being Heart Gold/Soul Silver, and the next one will be Reviving Legends, but I'm not sure when the English version of that is coming out. They are always released in Japan first, then everywhere else a few months later, so you can check there to see if a new one is coming.
Buying cards: if you want variety, you need booster packs. Theme decks are good for having a pre-constructed deck there all ready for you to play with, but your collection will not benefit from it because it has copies of cards, and one kind of theme deck will always have the same deck in it. For example, that Milotic theme deck I linked to up there will always have the same cards in it, no matter how many Milotic boxes you buy. Booster packs are where you get the variety, because it's random. Once you start really getting familiar with cards and you know exactly which ones you want in your deck, you will probably want to trade for or buy the individual cards because it's hard to find everything you need just from booster packs, not to mention expensive.
As far as legitimate sources go, I would avoid convenient stores and such. Just stick with big, Wal-Mart type of stores and hobby shops, those are the only ones that you'll be guaranteed to find real cards. I find the cheapest places are hobby shops, like card stores or places that specialize in roleplaying games and things like that.
https://pokegym.net/forums/showthread.php?t=108038
These guys have some good articles on deck building for beginners
https://www.pokemon.com/us/organized-play/tournaments/rules/
And this is the official Pokemon rules and resources page, it should help a lot.

 

[Ryck]

Thanks for the quick reply, not to mention all that really useful information. I'll check it all out.

I asked about collectors vs. players mainly because I don't know anyone who plays TCG so finding a game would be, quite literally, a challenge!

So, thanks again. Great forum, great service!

 

[donavannj]

You may want to note this: RedShark is a pretty good way to play online, and PokeBeach.com and PokeGym.net will have a fair number of people who're willing to play RedShark, especially PokeBeach.com, since it is the primary supporter of RedShark.

 

[Rocket_Executive]

That's interesting, if you go to go-pokemon.com and use the league finder tool you may be able to find a league in your area. Redshark is an option, personally I can't figure out how it works at all lol, but you will find people on forums willing to play you online. Redshark is also useful if you want to try cards that you don't actually own, as the good ones can get a little expensive, but you would obviously need the physical cards if you wanted to play in a league or go to city championships etc.

 

[Ryck]

Again, thanks for the info guys. The League Finder tool did show up some organised games in my area. Good to know.