Four Things Every Pokemon Card Player Should Know, but Probably Doesn’t
There’s always something new to learn.
Many Pokemon TCG players know the ins and outs of their decks and favorite cards, but you may not know these four things:
1. How to Send a Replacement Ticket to the Pokemon Company
Have you ever opened up a fresh pack of Pokemon cards only to receive damaged or missing cards? That was the case recently, when one redditor’s Red & Blue collection box promo contained a card with bent edges.
But he knew something that most players don’t. He know how to get the card replaced by Pokemon. Here’s what you need to do if you find yourself in a similar place and needing a card replaced:
- Go to http://support.pokemon.com
- Make sure you’re logged in with your trainer account (or create one if you don’t have one.)
- Click where it says Ask a question.
- Then, click again on Ask a question in the ticket panel section.
- In the drop down list, choose Products: Trading Card Game: Physical Cards, Topic: Product problems, Inquiry Type: Damaged/Missing items.
- In the details section, provide all necessary info. You should ensure your name, birthdate, and address are mentioned in the description.
- Attach pictures of both the card and your proof of purchase. (A receipt or invoice if purchased online).
- Wait for them to respond. (It’ll likely happen in the first 24 hours.)
After they get in touch, they may ask you to mail the card with tracking to their address. When you get the card back, you may find something extra to compensate you for the time and effort you took getting the card replaced!
2. The Community Gives Great Giveaways, if You’re Looking in the Right Places
Another thing that many may not realize is that as a community, we give tons of awesome giveaways. We actually wrote about this before in our Top 4 Places to Find Epic Pokemon TCG Giveaways blog post.
Be sure to check out that blog post to see where you can enter some epic giveaways.
3. Pokemon TCG is for Adults Too!
Unfortunately, many think that since the game is meant only for a younger audience. This couldn’t be farther from the truth though! There are plenty of adults in the Pokemon TCG community.
Many adults are parents who started playing the game with their kids, and came to love the deep strategy and fun of the game! Others grew up playing the game and never saw a reason to stop.
You’ll commonly find adult players at tournaments and several of the top YouTube channels for Pokemon TCG are run by adult players. The community is extremely diverse, and you can often find other players at card shops, gaming lounges, and tournaments.
You can even play with other online using the TCG Online app.
4. Mainstream Decks Aren’t the Only Competitive Decks
When it comes time to build your deck, you may look to the pros for inspiration. There are always three or four meta decks during any season, and while these are safe bets, they aren’t your only option.
This was seen when a new, unheard of player created a Wailord EX based deck. This deck made use of Wailord’s high HP as well as healing and damage preventing trainer cards to outlast the opponent. The sole purpose of the deck was to make the opponent run out of cards without being able to take out your pokemon.
Before its introduction, it was unheard of. This brand new deck made use of a tactic which wasn’t meta at the time to catch pro players off guard. It goes to show that you can, and should experiment with building your own unique deck. Who knows, it may take you to Nationals or even Worlds!