New cards, new gameplay— Pokémon TCG Pocket offers a completely fresh experience, and it can be hard to figure out the most efficient strategies when starting the game.
That’s why we created this beginner’s guide to help you navigate your first steps. It’s written primarily for free-to-play (f2p) players aiming to build a solid deck and use their resources efficiently.
Starting the game for the first time
When you start the game, you’re prompted to choose between three booster packs. The contents of each pack remain the same, and your choice will determine which deck you start with. You can find all the details about each option in our article.
We recommend picking the Mewtwo pack, as it offers a stronger deck for missions, particularly against Lightning and Darkness AI decks, and includes a guaranteed Bulbasaur. You can also opt for the Charizard pack, which comes with Exeggutor ex—a solid Pokémon in a Venusaur ex deck.
Next, you’re introduced to the app, make your first Wonder Pick, and complete your first missions. The early game is generous with Pack Hourglasses, which you can use to open more booster packs. Opening booster packs earns you experience, allowing you to level up and receive even more Pack Hourglasses. By completing beginner missions, you’ll be able to open a dozen booster packs in no time.
What's the best booster pack in TCG Pocket?
In Pokémon TCG Pocket, each booster pack includes specific cards in addition to a common pool. Below is a breakdown of the best decks you can build from each pack from Genetic Apex.
- Charizard pack : Charizard Moltres deck, Starmie deck
- Pikachu pack : Pikachu ex deck
- Mewtwo pack : Mewtwo ex deck, Venusaur ex deck, Dragonite deck, 18 Trainer Articuno ex deck
We recommend focusing on Mewtwo packs due to the excellent pool of cards they offer for building strong decks. These packs include cards that are likely to remain viable for a long time, such as Gardevoir, a staple in any P deck, and Weezing, whose stalling prowess makes it a valuable addition to many strategies.
However, you wouldn’t be wrong opening the Charizard pack, which contains Starmie ex, the whole Charizard deck and strong supporters like Erika and Sabrina.
Likewise, the Pikachu pack contains the Pikachu ex deck, one of the very best at the moment. But it falls short in quality after you built it, which might be a bit rough for people who want the most options.
Read our article about the best cards in Genetic Apex to make a more informed decision.
How to open more booster packs?
The best way to accumulate resources is by completing missions. Beginner missions and Advanced missions will keep you busy for a while and provide great rewards, though unfortunately, they can only be completed once.
Next, head to the Solo mode. There are three ranks of Step-up battles (Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced) and an Expert Solo Mode where you face decks of seven different types that progressively get stronger. In addition to earning extra Pack Hourglasses when you defeat them for the first time, you can also collect shop tickets by completing certain actions during the game (for example: playing with a deck that is strong or weak against the AI deck, not losing any points, or dealing 100 or more damage in a single attack).
To help you complete the intermediate and advanced battles as well as the extra actions, you can also use Rental Decks that you can obtain by pulling specific cards from booster packs:
- Cards from the Charizard pack: Charizard ex, Machamp ex, Blaine
- Cards from the Pikachu pack : Blastoise ex, Pikachu ex, Nidoking and Nidoqueen, Lt. Surge, Brock
- Cards from the Mewtwo pack: Venusaur ex, Mewtwo ex, Koga
- Cards from all packs: Omastar, Kabutops and Aerodactyl
- Special, by going through all the Battle Guides: Wigglytuff ex
These Rental Decks can be used up to ten times. They’re useful to complete the additional quests and earn more shop tickets.
Once you’ve collected enough shop tickets, head to the shop. It offers limited packs of:
- 10 Pack Hourglass
- 10 Pack Hourglass x6
- 10 individual Wonder Hourglass
- 10 Wonder Hourglass x6
All this at a rate of 2 shop tickets per hourglass. This roughly translates to 7 extra booster packs and 6 extra Wonder stamina.
Leveling up also gives you 1 Poké gold per level. Once you’ve collected 6 Poké gold, you can trade them for a booster pack. Finally, don’t forget to complete your daily missions, get the daily gift bundle in the shop and check Wonder Pick frequently. You can try your luck when you need a specific card to complete your deck or when a pack has two potential good cards.
When to stop opening a certain type of booster pack?
When you’re deep into a pack and have already pulled two of multiple chase cards, there are diminishing returns in the quality of your openings. Although duplicates provide shinedust and can be converted into flair cosmetics and special shop tickets, this likely isn’t what you’re after the most.
Instead of risking more duplicates, it can be more cost-efficient to shift your focus to another pack and frequently check the Wonder Pick board to fill the gaps. You can easily identify which pack to prioritize by looking for the icon in the corner of each Wonder Pick.
You can also use Pack Points to craft any card you want, but it’s best to reserve this option for emergencies or when you reach the cap of 2,500 points—which is equivalent to 500 opened booster packs!
Basically: Collect the batch with booster pack openings, and complete the rest with Wonder Picks, unless you really need it.
Don’t ever feel pressured to use your resources (Poké Gold and Pack Hourglasses) to open booster packs. Once you’ve built the decks you were aiming for, there’s no need to continue. Pack hourglasses can be hoarded for later use, and in the meantime, the two booster packs you receive daily (or three with a Premium Pass) will be more than enough to diversify your options in the long term.
What are the best cards to collect?
In TCGs, we call staples cards that are good in most decks, usually thanks to their universally good effects. Here are some of these best cards in Pokémon TCG Pocket:
Poké ball
Currently the only Trainer capable of searching your deck for a Pokémon and add it to your hand. The 3 starter decks include 2 of them.
Professor's Research
Taking Bill's effect from the TCG, Professor's Research is a staple in all decks. The 3 starter decks include 2 of them.
Potion
Potion can keep your Pokémon out of harm's way for a huge tempo swing. They're sold for 2 shop tickets each at the store.
X Speed
Retreating protects a Pokémon from getting knocked out and allows to promote a stronger one. They're sold for 2 shop tickets each at the store.
Sabrina
Sabrina disrupts your opponent’s setup and can secure you an easy knockout by forcing them to bring a weaker Pokémon from their bench into the active spot.
Giovanni
Giovanni can add the necessary damage that you miss to knock out your opponent's Pokémon.
You can also get Potion, X Speed and other useful items by completing the Battle Guides 8 to 12.
Afterwards, figure out the level of completion for the decks you aim for. By opening packs, you also collected Pack Points that you can trade for individual cards and complete your deck.
There are many other excellent Supporters and Pokémon that help certain types of decks (such as Misty for W, Moltres ex for R) and strategies (the Weezing-Koga pair for stalling). These however commit you to a certain type of deck, so you should make sure to have the basics before investing in more specific cards.
Be sure to check the list of archetypes to understand their strategies and find tips to build the best decks in Pokémon TCG Pocket.
