Pokemon TCG Srategy: Strategy on becoming a better player

            Well, first you must learn to play the game. Read the rule book and then play with someone who knows how to play to understand. Next practice on getting better and learning the rules completely, even us masters have problems with the rules sometimes. To learn how to play and follow the next steps I will give, it is recommended that you buy a preconstructed deck and don't change any cards in it. Then play someone, usually who has done the same, purchased a preconstructed deck.

            Next, you should learn what strategy is. This is what makes us good TCG players. This is what seperates experts from beginners. This is also what makes or breaks a game, with strategy you can navigate even through difficult situations. Strategy also helps us get a better look on the game, by creating a deck or while playing the game. Even with unfair advantages like palying a deck with your weakness, you can still win if you use stargey, especially if your opponent doesn't. Strategy is a combination of careful thinking and logic. The better you use logic and careeful thinking, the better your strategy is.

            Logic is nothing more than simple common sense. It is also a very important part of strategy, don't make a decision that is stupid, make the best choice possible. Logic looks at the choices and chooses which one, short term, is the best. The choice may be a great long term decision as well. Logic is used to look at all possible aspects.

            Careful thinking is the other important aspect. This is a more detailed form of logic but takes longer and looks at long term choices. The choices may be good short trem as well. This looks at how a card will totally effect the game for both players, and detremines what effects all cards in play and possibly to come into you or your opponents hand. For example, if your opnnent has GoW and you decide to reatreat a high retreat cost pokemon, it would be a waste of a reatret if they are just going to gust it out and kill it anyways.

            Emotions are a part of stratgey as well, they must be left out at all times. Anger, frustartion, and any type of confidence will allow you to make silly mistakes and make or break a game. When emotions are left out, it gives you better chance of winning, your startegy and focus becomes more clear. If you skip emotions and use the logic and careful thinking at the same time, you are using complete startegy and are focusing on the game itself. In a game with limited time you must use more logic than careful thinking as to not waste time. Though you must still always use careful thinking, just use it at a more critical and difficult time. Don't try and carefully think how to get through an easy situation, hopefully your logic is good eneough to.

            Also, the luck of the draw can put you in certain situations, sometimes good, sometimes bad. Never depend on the luck of the draw, or coin flips for taht matter. This is a helpful tip to keep in mind, your startegy should not revolve around luck of draw or coinflips. Also, some players think a good deck makes them good. Even a good deck can flop if you cannot use it right, especially a deck with a hard complex and difficult strategy, like a raindance deck. Another thing while playing is to keep in mind as much information up to this point that you know on the opponent and his deck you are playing against. This can completely help you in  any game.

            Another concept of pokemon which all good players know is the concept of being in control of a game. In any game the main focus is getting into control and while in control, staying in control. Control of a game means having the advantage either in a good bench set-up, hand, prizes, deck, or your active pokemon for a few things. If you are in control of a game then you are more likely to win and have a better chance of not letting the opponent win. Staying in control is also another important aspect, as staying in control means a lock against the opponent. Certain cards can help give you control like Professor Oak, while others can help you stay in control like an energy removal.

            Now, back to what I was saying in paragraph one. This paragraph will help you in understanding how to fix an already made deck wether made by yourslef or a freind, or by WoTC (WoTC preconstructed decks are a real joke, haha). The first thing in fixing a deck is playtest it and know it's strategy. This gives you an idea in what to remove and what to add. Before that though we will go into some basic and general deck fixing and constructing rules.

Rule 1) NEVER USE SINGLES OF ANY CARD, ALWAYS USE MULTIPLES

Rule 2) When fixing up pokemon evolutions ratios, put one extra of an evolution before it. Thus, make a ratio 3/2 or 4/3 if it is a stage 1. for stage 2's you can go 4/3/2 or you can also use breeders to replace stage 1's if the main focus is on it's satge 2. Follow rule 1 when making pokemon ratios. This will hopefully help.

           Now that the basic rules have been made let's look at what to take out and put in. Some cards, mostly trainers, can go into almost any deck like Bill or Oak. Some cards like Plus Power are only meant for certain decks. When adding and removing, keep in mind what the decks startegy is as to not harm it or change it. Keep as low possible different evolutions and try to keep to a few different ones but keep them bulked up (4/3). This gives a better chance of getting them and how many you can possibly use. Trainers, as said, must be kept inline with the decks strategy. Some cards can give speed and find you cards or re-use them. Some disrupt. Keep in mind what you want when you add and remove. Energy ratios are teh easiest to work with. Look at how much energy each pokemon requires and try to keep around that much energy unless you have cards like Nightly Garabage Run and Energy! Retrieval. Keep the ratios to wh

            Constructing keeps in the same rules, except you must choose a stratgey and the pokemon types that will work good. Then follow with the otehr types of cards. Playtest to see and experiment how the stratgey works. Always keep in the idea of metagame. Metagame is the environment of which different decks are played. Some ares the metagame is Wavemaker and others are Sponge. When constructing keep in mind metagame.