The Pokemon Company are releasing pre-made decks from the 2023 world championships! While it might seem like a cheap and easy way of getting a top-tier deck, there's a few massive disclaimers you must know before buying them.
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@jessicastoker89324 ай бұрын
My gf and I actually just got all four of these for casual play. NEITHER of us have played the Pokemon TCG since we were kids, but we've been getting back into playing TCGs (she liked MTG, I like Yugioh), and I in particular like playing at a higher level of play - which, you know... starter decks don't allow for. They have limited cards requiring multiple purchases, they are missing high-level-play cards, and it all just results in making more purchases to get to that higher level of play. With these decks, we were able to throw ourselves into Pokemon immediately, with some of our favorite Pokemon, and just enjoyed ourselves immensely. We played from 8pm to 3am just last night... for us? HUGE win on these decks. I really don't care that they aren't tournament legal - we had fun.
@InThirdPerson4 ай бұрын
Love that story! Glad you both had an amazing time with these decks!
@ChaosBakurai26 күн бұрын
Hey! I want to buy these decks for me and my bf also, but would like to start with 2. Which ones would you recommend to use against each other? I was about to buy the 2022 version cause I read Palkia vs Urshifu is a close match, and couldn't find the same suggestion for 2023. With the same 2022 logic I think it should be Kyogre vs Lugia, what do you think? Thanks!
@jessicastoker893226 күн бұрын
@@ChaosBakurai If you got only 2 of the decks, honestly, it's down to what you're looking for out of play. They all play very differently, and are all fairly effective. But I'd argue in favor of 3 of them: the Mew deck (comes in Cyan package), the Gardevoir deck (comes in yellow packaging), and the Lugia deck (the green packaging). The "Kyrogre" deck is a bit too... complex and high-level at times. It's very, very specific how you're supposed to play it. But if I had to be blunt, I think the Gardevoir and Lugia decks are both really great, and play well against each other. I play my Gardevoir deck fairly often, and she plays her Lugia deck fairly often (we've procured more decks in the last 3 months), but those two are fun to go head-to-head with. Not too unfair in either direction. Each has some good strengths, and it always feels like it's a good game - never one-sided or broken.
@ChaosBakurai26 күн бұрын
@@jessicastoker8932 Awesome, I'll get those 2 then :) tyvm!!!
@lilsheba5 ай бұрын
Back in 2015 I got the championship deck with all of the Decidueye GXs in it, as well as the Golisopod GXs and Float Stones. That deck really opened my eyes to the play potential of more advanced decks (as well as learning deck building ideas for crushing my kids during at-home play 😈).
@twitchster774 ай бұрын
These are honestly one of my favorite products for TCGs in general. The fact that they're only about $15 each and can be found in physical stores is awesome. I'm not even into the Pokemon TCG at all, and yet I always love picking a couple of these decks up just to have if I ever decide I want to get a game or 2 in with a friend. I don't care that they're not tournament legal, I love that they're 1 for 1 replications of insanely strong decks. And then add the cool extras like the textured/foil deck boxes, cool coin and pin? All for $15? Heck yes! I REALLY wish Magic The Gathering still had a similar product like they had way back in the late 90's/early 2000's.
@MikeGrimsey5 ай бұрын
I was thinking about getting these, but then we got a eco tank printer and I just printed good proxies and sleeved them with an energy. Costs pennies and achieves the same result.
@blazeblue57175 ай бұрын
I would not have bought this if i knew these cards weren't authentic and it sucks that i cant use them in tcg live it's crazy
@ctw2134 ай бұрын
Same
@tristanvliet2 ай бұрын
Yeah definitely i dont know why they did it
@mugthemagpie3001Ай бұрын
@@tristanvlietthere is a reason why they didn't do that: constructing the deck from singles is literally five times more expensive. If they released those as the legal cards, the decks would be gone in seconds after release due to scalpers... Alternatively the cheap access to quite expensive cards would flip the market and made people mad as their cards lose value.
@Travis_Scott265 ай бұрын
I look foward to these decks every year. I play them casually with my friends and I usually tend to have lots of sleeves from ETBs that I slap on these decks.They're only $15 for some good decks and they often go on sale so you can pick them up for cheaper. Also, anyone who wants to make a legit Gardevoir deck can buy the world championship version just to test it out before they invest into a real deck. I think they're a very underrated product
@InThirdPerson5 ай бұрын
I’m goad you enjoy these decks! Just want to add here that a Gardevoir League Battle Deck is coming out in April too in case one wanted to play that deck in the future.
@twitchster774 ай бұрын
That's probably the only thing I don't like about these kits...the fact that the awesome deck boxes are too small to sleeve the cards. But then again...in contradiction to myself...I also really like that the boxes are the same size as deck of regular playing cards. They just look great. I end up just playing these decks unsleeved...they're cheap enough at $15 that I'm not too worried.
@Travis_Scott264 ай бұрын
@@twitchster77 Yeah, you can play with them unsleeved and not worry about the cards too much bc they're not worth a lot anyways. I sleeve them up bc I have too many sleeve packs lying around from ETBs. You can also pick up cheap deck boxes from Amazon to carry around the decks or even a rubber band will work fine. These decks don't need the highest maintenance
@DrEnzyme5 ай бұрын
I'm so glad I watched this. I was wondering why the champ decks were half the price of the league battle decks. It's a cool product if you want to try out some proxy cards, but I was wanting to get into some more serious play at the local card shop so probably want some "real" cards.
@michaelh.14845 ай бұрын
The only thing I do not like about these is they're proxies and you really can't use them in an actual event. Like even your locals they'll tell you no. For kitchen top fantastic.
@kuda_fox5 ай бұрын
Yeah me too! I can live without playing it in an event, but proxies? that was the biggest let down when I got the ones from last year. The cards looks kinda bland without their holo texture.
@kingseiryu9295 ай бұрын
But will they be in the online ptcgl?
@grafzeppelin40695 ай бұрын
Any locals that won't let you use these, I would question.
@kuda_fox5 ай бұрын
@@kingseiryu929 you can build the decks there, Google for the "instructions/ cards". The code card in these, only gives you the coin, deck box and sleeves. All four of them... Actually that's kinda sad too :s
@redgooseshoes98705 ай бұрын
Are these worth buying over printing your own proxies?
@ctw2134 ай бұрын
I work at GameStop and have recently got into picking up a few EX decks and getting into TCG Live. (I’m a new player) I’ve been eyeing the 2023 WC bundle and I knew they weren’t tournament legal but I saw the code to TCG and thought they’d transfer but sadly, no. I don’t even see the digital customization options for TCG Live with this deck (box, coin, etc) - are they not available in TCG Live? Someone let me know. But yeah dang. I read and saw it had the code but didn’t realize it wouldn’t be in game. Overall, it’s still a good set to have at home and as an homage to the world championships. You still get a nifty coin and pin, booklet and deck pack for only $15 so yeah, I’m a little disappointed for TCG Live with these but it’s still nice to have as part of my physical collection.
@InThirdPerson4 ай бұрын
I definitely have played against someone who had the 2023 championship coin and I don’t know where else they would have gotten it from.
@Sessorous5 ай бұрын
I’ve bought these almost every year since I started collecting and they’re a great way to show new players just how competitive the game can get. I’ve opted to stop collecting altogether when Scarlet/Violet released but I may pick these up for one last go. 👍
@jessicastoker89324 ай бұрын
My gf and I got these. We haven't played in... over a decade, lol. But we really enjoyed these decks. They're a lot of fun.
@jish555 ай бұрын
Bought one not realizing it's not tournie legal. So now it's a play test deck used to help me play test my decks from now on.
@karonmark5 ай бұрын
I play with these casually at home all the time. Will continue to get them
@theboardgamegirl1505 ай бұрын
We also buy them to have some fun at home.
@theboardgamegirl1505 ай бұрын
I had NO idea that the cards werent legal, so thank you for this video. However, when you think about it, it totally makes sence because these are heavy decks, and they cost a lot less than if you had to copy the deck but in a legal way. My son and I played pokemon TCG a lot some time ago, also in the local gamestore, but now we just have fun, and collect more. So we just think it's fun to try the championsship decks. Thank you this video!
@InThirdPerson5 ай бұрын
Thanks for watching! Glad to hear you share this hobby with your son. My son is only 1 and I hope someday we can share this hobby too.
@theboardgamegirl1505 ай бұрын
@@InThirdPerson he will love playing with you when he grows up for sure.
@lostkid146Ай бұрын
i got the Gabriel Fernandez one with lugia Vmax and VmaxStar it let me use it in the online game idk if mine is some exception or what but im not complaining
@InThirdPersonАй бұрын
Lugia has been a free deck on Pokemon TCG Live on numerous occasions. You probably got it through that.
@lostkid146Ай бұрын
@@InThirdPerson oh alr it was just because i used the card the pack gave me
@sweis123 ай бұрын
My girlfriend and I play casually with eachother. We got the battle academy to teach her how to play and these decks are for us to play together for $15 . We dont really care if they are legal or not.
@InThirdPerson3 ай бұрын
Awesome! These seem like the perfect fit for you both.
@homerc91015 ай бұрын
The only thing i dont like about those decks are the small boxes, (they are so pretty, so is a shame to not be able to use them when you sleeve the cards), and that the holo cards are not holo cards, They are signed and have a different back, so there is no reason for the plain look and grey border.
@mrmeow22975 ай бұрын
I bought all of them last year. Will buy them all again except mew.
@DinoPokemon-Epic5 ай бұрын
Why not mew kyogre is rotating but that only like 1 or 2 of them
@johann-vf5du5 ай бұрын
@@DinoPokemon-Epic all of mew is rotating, last year had a mew deck that is the similar
@BloodyNightmare19915 ай бұрын
So if the backs are different, but you sleeve them, then they still wouldn’t be tournament legal??
@InThirdPerson5 ай бұрын
Correct. These are not legal for organized play at all.
@Denka_3 күн бұрын
woah I almost bought this didn't know it wasnt league legal
@whatagreatnameaye1169Ай бұрын
I just had a "Pokemon expert" at my local games shop recommend this as my first deck knowing that I intend to use it for tcg and at my local Pokemon group. Cool designs and all but wow am I mad at him
@InThirdPersonАй бұрын
Sorry to hear that you got misled like that. This is why I make these videos every year to try and minimize how often this occurs. If you’re stuck with it, it’s still a fantastic deck for casual play or to learn how a meta deck works. Make the most of that purchase if you can!
@featherspy4 ай бұрын
Yup they caught me today but I'm not too mad - I play the tcg live app and I use Psychic Elegance (or my modified version featuring Mimikyu, Psycho Elegance 🤪) Thank you for letting me know what's in the code card! My son is a huge Pikachu fan so I'm going to let him have the code for the special coin. We have accidentally bought bootlegs before, and I'd say these cards are of a slightly lower quality of real TCG cards, but better than the bootlegs so somewhere in the middle - they just lack the heft you are used to. Personally I will probably get some nice fancy opaque sleeves and bring my custom version from TCGLive to real life mixing in my Illustration Rare Mimikyu from the elite trainer box (I love that little creep)🤩 Now one day my dream will be to see my own stunner deck, The Angry Birds featuring Espathra Ex, become a champion deck!! 🙌
@Oo2k105 ай бұрын
I bought this at my local Walmart today thinking they were real cards. Gonna be returning it. 😅
@tex_gil1174 ай бұрын
Wish I could, I already opened mine like a dummy. Might as well throw them in the trash, like what are they even for??
@323ReTrO4 ай бұрын
How did you not know? I remember the 2022 versions that were selling but were a pass for me. The 2023 had good cards so I bought the display box
@tex_gil1174 ай бұрын
@323ReTrO because I had literally never seen them before. I just got out of the Military not too long ago so was a little too busy to be collecting Pokémon cards. I wish I had though because I was in Japan too...
@323ReTrO4 ай бұрын
@@tex_gil117 They're good for beginners. Learn the strategy. Those are dummy cards to practice and get a feel of how pros build their deck.
@gmgmkidz2 ай бұрын
these are cool but why are there so many duplicates in the sets? My son got the MEW one and got 6 of the same MEW!
@InThirdPerson2 ай бұрын
Decks come with duplicate cards in order to be stronger decks. You want multiple copies of your cards to maximize how consistently you can pull off your game plan. If a deck has just one of each card, you’re either playing a singleton format like Gym Leader Challenge or it’s a horribly-built deck. Sounds like your son got the Mew deck. My all-time fave! It actually should have 7 Mew cards: 4 Mew V and 3 Mew VMAX. That way you can fairly consistently have multiple Mew ready to attack throughout the game.
@williamwei78995 ай бұрын
Hey I’m new to the game and followed you just recently! and just want to say you’re doing a great job! I’m also in Toronto and wonder where is the best place to buy pokémon cards here?
@InThirdPerson5 ай бұрын
Welcome to the Pokemon TCG community! If you’re looking for sealed products, 401 Games has the prices most of the time. They also sell single cards, but you have to order online the day before and then you can pick it up the next day. If you’re in Etobicoke, I recently visited Emmett’s Toy Shop for the first time and thought it was great! There are lots of great spots around the GTA to buy cards and anyone else in the comments is free to share their recos too.
@williamwei78995 ай бұрын
@@InThirdPerson thanks for the reply! just checked 401 Games website, the UI looks good and user friendly! wanted to buy single but the card I’m looking for, Gholdengo Ex, is out of stock… btw what do all these NM SP MP mean? assume different card conditions? also do they do delivery by any means? or does it have to be pick up?
@InThirdPerson5 ай бұрын
@@williamwei7899 Near Mint, Slightly Played, Moderately Played. You can order cards online from them, but I'd check their FAQ as there's a threshold to hit in order to get free shipping.
@Scythegrim4 ай бұрын
Only problem with these are the tournament part but I’m pretty sure this is 100 percent from Pokémon and there real cards you just can’t use them in tournaments you could tho sneak it in with a sleeve card. but yeah there good overall I think you can trade them? Not sure if you can’t then could you reply to this and what are your thoughts?.
@InThirdPerson4 ай бұрын
Sleeving the cards would not change the fact that they have the player’s signature on all of the cards and the ultra rares are non-holo. Your opponent can very clearly spot the difference. Not worth risking disqualification and possibly getting banned IMO.
@kuda_fox5 ай бұрын
Was rooting this year for one of these being the Giratina lost zone deck. Kinda dissapointing to get another mew, and one not that different from the one from last year. I mean, is not the foult of the winners, but a little bit of variety could be good. Great content btw!
@InThirdPerson5 ай бұрын
Giratina was 1 win away in masters division from getting a World Championship deck :(
@InThirdPerson5 ай бұрын
Also, thank you for the kind words!
@kuda_fox5 ай бұрын
Thanks to you@@InThirdPerson ! This is the only channel were actually the creator take time to respond! Wile making interesting videos, Keep it up!
@Dinosaurmojo545 ай бұрын
Why did I not listen to this or read the box before buying smh
@jasonvtsportsguy26925 ай бұрын
New subscriber here! Love the content love the channel! My son age 12 and I love card collecting!
@InThirdPerson5 ай бұрын
Thanks for watching and welcome both to the Pokemon TCG community!
@jasonvtsportsguy26925 ай бұрын
We love collecting Pokemon!!!@@InThirdPerson
@TheSuperStrawberrie7775 ай бұрын
They are real collectible cards but they aren’t tournament legal
@0kidogi5 ай бұрын
I might have to buy the Lugia and Gardevoir decks depending if they use Professor Sada as the Professor’s Research. My goal is to collect every single Official English Pokemon Card that has to do with Scarlet (These decks are official, just not tournament legal) I have to get both Lugia and Gardevoir because the decks have different backs, and have different signatures, as I want every version of that card
@lepax6665 ай бұрын
thanks bro!
@Ayhgkcgbhdgjj5 ай бұрын
Thanks
@peters82495 ай бұрын
I thought there would at least be foil cards
@InThirdPerson5 ай бұрын
No foil cards at all.
@tex_gil1174 ай бұрын
These boxes are a big of a scam as MJ holdings in my opinion. Wasted my money, I might as well throw them away. I collect cards, not pretend cards. Am I crazy or is this just me?
@InThirdPerson4 ай бұрын
I don’t think they’re a scam, per se. There are people who love collecting these decks, either to commemorate the world championships and/or as a means of getting a world championship level deck at a budget price that they can use for casual play. Any time I talk about these products, there are always happy buyers in the comments (including those in the comments of this video) who love them for the reasons listed above and have no issue with them not being “real” cards. However, I wish that the disclaimer on the back of the box was a bit bigger and presented on the front of the box as to not create confusion among those who may not understand that these aren’t “regular” cards. I also wish they were specific about the contents of the code, as these are the only decks where the code doesn’t give you the deck in Pokemon TCG Live. Better communication from Pokemon would go a long way towards consumers understanding what these products entail.
@tex_gil1174 ай бұрын
@@InThirdPerson I can definitely agree to that. Good point.
@peters82495 ай бұрын
Well I guess I can return it
@redthehero33874 ай бұрын
I got one today might later get the rest
@InThirdPerson4 ай бұрын
Congrats! Which one did you get first if I may ask?
@redthehero33874 ай бұрын
@@InThirdPerson The Lost Box Kyogre
@origin29925 ай бұрын
Wow thanks for saving me the money lmao
@FrankQC1005 ай бұрын
Interesting.
@squeebers90114 ай бұрын
That's SUPER lame. As a new player this would've been so useful to get into the game
@InThirdPerson4 ай бұрын
Would strongly recommend picking up a League Battle Deck instead. Oftentimes based on the same archetypes of the world championship decks, almost as strong, and tournament legal!
@012345678910111213382 ай бұрын
Imagine buying this and thinking you can use them at locals. Could you imagine? ... I'm not crying, you're crying 😭