Well this is my first letter to Pojo's and all you pokémaniacs out
there, so I'm going to get a bit off my chest.  My main theme is, of
course, the standardizing of the card game.  Everyone's saying what are
the best cards to put into a deck, and what to never put in a deck.
Well, I never was very good at listning to people telling me what to
do.  When I play a game, a card game specifically, I want to have
_fun_.  That's the whole point of a game, isn't it?  So instead of
taking one of the numerous archetypes out there, when I make a deck, I
look at my cards and go, "What have I never seen played before?"  So
here I hope to introduce a few new ways to enjoy the Pokémon card game.
As a forewarning, all the ideas I'm listing below have been thought up
mainly by me, I'm not copying these ideas of someone's post.  If you see
something here and think, "Hey, that's my idea!"  I assure you, I've not
seen nor heard your ideas, we're just both on the same wavelength ;)
    My staple deck that I use, I lovingly dub, "The Gambler."  This CCG
is largely based around luck anyway, so why not exaggerate that to
insane proportions?  Everything in the gambler, excepting energy,
requires a coin flip.  But the true spirit of the gambler makes the coin
flips 'all or nothing,' no pin missile or comet punch type coin
flipping.
"The Gambler"
Pokémon:  16
    4 x Heracross
    4 x Lt. Surge's Spearow (lv. 17)
    4 x Blaine's Doduo
    4 x Blaine's Dodrio
Trainers:  24
    2 x Blaine's Gamble
    3 x Super Scoop Up
    3 x Sabrina's Psychic Control
    3 x Gambler
    4 x Bill's Teleporter
    2 x Energy Charge
    3 x Rocket's Secret Experiment
    4 x Chaos Gym (I know it's not a flip by itself, but it causes so
much more flipping!)
Energy: 20
    16 x Grass Energy
    4 x Double Colorless Energy
This Deck is just plain fun to play.  You never know if it'll end up
good or bad.  And the Chaos Gyms really end up frustrating other people,
especially when you're hitting them for 40, 50 or 60 a round (if you're
lucky).

Another theme is just to pick your favorite pokémon and build a deck
around that.
"Sandstorm"
Pokémon:  19
    4 x Sandshrew
    4 x Sandslash
    4 x Brock's Sandshrew (lv. 13)
    4 x Brock's Sandslash (lv. 34)
    3 x Scyther (I needed a filler pokémon =P )
Trainers:  21
    2 x Computer Search
    2 x Item Finder
    4 x Energy Removal
    4 x SER (Super Energy Removal)
    4 x Bill
    3 x Prof. Oak
    2 x Pewter City Gym
Energy: 20
    20 x Fighting Energy
Mmm, I love Sandslash, and he loves to eat your energy with his low
energy requirements, and your fighting resistant pokémon when the Pewter
Gym is out.  Granted, the deck doesn't always win, but I'm having fun
and using my favorite pokémon, and that is what should count.

And lastly, as a pure fun deck, I always giggle madly while playing this
deck.  It has never won, but it's sheer enjoyment to play it.
"I hate you thiiiiiiiiiiiiiis much"   a.k.a. (screamed loudly)
"SHUFFLE!"
Pokémon:  12
    4 x Lt. Surge's Eevee (lv. 10)
    4 x Mankey (lv. 14 - Team rocket expansion)
    4 x Wooper
Trainers:  32
    4 x Energy Removal  (Not part of theme, but just as annoying)
    2 x Prof. Oak
    4 x Bill
    4 x Mysterious Fossil
    3 x Sabrina's Gaze
    4 x Imposter Professor Oak
    4 x Imposter Oak's Revenge
    3 x Pokémon March
    4 x Rocket's Sneak Attack
Energy:  16
    16 x Water Energy
The whole theme of this deck is to see how many times your opponet's
deck can be shuffled before the game is over.  Also, everytime your
opponet shuffles, shout (but not _too_ loudly) "Shuffle!"  Also, insist
before playing the game that a standard shuffle _must_ be thoroughly
done, otherwise the effect of the deck is lost.  I look forward to the
day I enter a tournament with this deck and send in a deck report ;)

In closing notes, one idea I truly hope to implement at my league is a
randomized rules construction tournament.  In this, everyone writes down
one or several deck construction rules (Ex: No pokémon over 60 HP,
fossil/team rocket/base set only, or the evil only trainers from the
jungle expansion (muahahaha!)) and then several of these guidelines are
chosen at random for next league's tournament.  Also, if you're like me
and not a kid (I'm 20, by the way) encourage sportsmanship among the
kids at your league.  I often help the kids at my league build decks,
and will often give them cards they need for free.  When I buy packs of
cards, I usually keep the rare and have everyone pick one of the
remaining cards at random.  And I try to let them win ocasionally,
because it really makes a kid's day when they beat one of the adults :)

Please give me feedback, positive or negative, but _please_ observe
common grammatical rules and spelling.  And give reasons for your
opinions, not just, "Ur ideas sux."

Hastur (a.k.a. Sandstorm)
Hasturavp@hotmail.com