Learning Resources for Families (Pokémon TCG)
Getting Involved
A common question we get is "how do I get more involved with playing Pokémon with my kids?" so we compiled this list of resources for families looking to support their young trainers on their Pokémon journey.
If you're interested in learning more about battling, trading, deckbuilding, advanced strategy, etc., this page is for you!
Battling
The official rulebook, not necessarily a great tutorial but good as a reference
This video series is a great visual resource for kids who prefer watching videos
This is an online client you can use to battle with others online. It has a very good interactive tutorial on how to battle and features online play without a chat client (is very family friendly)
Deckbuilding
JustInBasil Deckbuilding Guide
This is a great starting point for trainers looking to build their own decks, including the rules of what constitutes a legal deck for the Standard Format. This is also helpful for teaching new trainers how to build around a strategy.
To clarify, we typically allow every card to be used in Pokémon Club, but we personally try to provide Standard-legal decks whenever we can.
Proxy cards are printouts inserted in front of energy cards. These are a great way to practice a deck in person if you don’t have access to buying those specific cards. Proxies are not allowed in official tournaments but we allow them at Pokemon Club!
The single best resource for competitive players. This website lists the results of all official Pokémon Tournaments and the decklists the players used. Using the 60 cards that won a 3000 person tournament is a great way to understand how top players build their decks.
Trading
This helps ensure that children don't accidentally trade real cards for fake cards.
This is where you can go and buy cards. We also use this to gauge the price of cards, usually using the lowest listed-price as opposed to the market price.
Tournament Resources
How to get into competitive Pokemon TCG
This is an incredible resource on the structure of tournaments and what you need to get started with entering tournaments!
With a player ID, you can join a league and attend official tournaments!
You can look up prereleases and other sanctioned events here!
Recommended Media
Really wonderful animated series about a child learning how to play Pokemon and make friends!
Short and fun animated videos about Pokemon!
Kid-friendly channel featuring gameplay showcasing competitive decks
Like Tricky Gym, but for silly fun decks
Advanced fundamentals for competitive players
