How to Build the Optimal Pokémon Deck

There are countless ways to approach Pokemon: The Card Game (TCG). You could stick to the series’ famous tagline and try to “catch ‘em all.” Or you could simply hunt for your favorite ‘mon. All in all, there’s no wrong way to show your fandom with Pokemon TCG.

But if you want to be the very best and score easy victories, there is one right way to approach TCG. You’ll need to build a strong, battle-ready deck.

What goes into creating the best Pokemon deck builds? Below, we’ll use ideas from some of the best Pokemon decks of 2023 for key collecting strategies. With these insights, our hope is to make you a better collector and a better battler. Here are the winning strategies for how to make the best Pokemon deck:

Remember Card Diversity

Sure, the anime and the video games feature a lot of elemental gym leaders. Think of Brock and his rock-type Pokemon or Lt. Surge and his electric types. The problem is this taught all of us that it’s solid to carry Pokémon of just a single elemental type. And doing so is a surefire way of getting knocked off of Victory Road.

Rather than carrying Pokémon of just a single type, try to build a deck that has multiple types represented. You won’t be able to carry enough Pokémon cards, energy cards, and support cards to represent all types. So it’s important to balance diversity with practicality.

Gaming resource site TheGamer recommends carrying only a couple of types for the best Pokemon theme deck. That way, you’re sure to pull energy cards you can actually use with the Pokémon you’ve chosen.

Don’t Forget Trainer Cards & Utility Cards

Don’t fall victim to a classic blunder when building the best Pokemon starter deck. Many newbie trainers just focus on getting the best Pokémon and energy cards they can find. But they often forget entire types of cards that can swing a battle’s fate in one direction or another.

Trainer cards and utility cards often appear in the best Pokemon battle deck examples. They are there to make you even stronger, after all!

Consider the Steven card, which allows the player to pull a supporter card and basic energy card from the deck. Or there’s the oddly named Pokemon Center Lady card (she’ll always be Nurse Joy to us!). This card not only heals 60 HP but it also offers recovery from special conditions too. Not bad!

As you can see, trainer cards are just as important as cards that can deal damage to your opponent. Sometimes, defense really is the best offense.

Counter Your Counters

If you plan to build your deck around a superstar card like Arceus VSTAR, Lugia VSTAR, or Mewtwo V-UNION, be sure to protect them. Think about carrying cards that can counter your opponent’s counter. Essentially, think about what will stand up to your best card and carry a card that can defeat it.

This strategy will ensure you haven’t put all of your cards in one basket. Because if your main attacker gets KO’ed, you might be up Route 119 without a paddle.

Expand Your Sources

TCG regularly releases new series and expansions to the core game. And with each of these new releases come new cards, new types, and new strategies. If you have been pulling cards from just a few series, consider broadening your horizons. You never know what you might catch next.

Search For Cards You Don’t Yet Own

If you only ever battle the same few friends, you’re likely just passing the same prize cards back and forth. When hunting for new cards, it’s important that you keep your battle pool as broad as you can. An added benefit of this strategy is that you’re likely to see a lot of new strategies from your opponents.

However, if you prefer hunting to battling, it’s key to go with an authorized card distributor like Lightning Card Collection. With our ultra rare bundles, you are sure to get premium, mint cards with unbeatable chances for rare pulls. Browse our card bundles and catch ‘em all today!