Buying Cards for Your Deck

New players often ask the following question: “Which booster packs should I buy to get the cards I need to make a good deck?” The only correct answer to this question is none. You can buy packs all day and not get what you're after. You’ll save a lot of money buy simply buying the cards you need for your deck as Singles—individual cards instead of sealed Pokémon Trading Card Game merchandise—from your local card shop or from a trusted seller online. The best options for buying singles vary by region, and many of these options are listed below. In the United States, TCGplayer is the most popular choice for picking up singles.

eBay and Amazon

In addition to the marketplaces and vendors listed above, eBay is also always an option, but there are a few things to be aware of when looking for singles on eBay. Ensure that the seller is listing authentic Pokémon cards, not “flash cards” or “recreations” of existing cards. Unscrupulous sellers will often try to pass these cards off as authentic with the pictures they show for their listings, but will include such descriptions in small text or buried in the item’s description to try to protect themselves from eBay’s Money Back Guarantee policy. One should also exercise special caution to avoid purchasing cards that are not legal for tournament play, like oversized (jumbo) cards, cards in languages not considered local to your region, damaged cards, or the World Championship deck cards mentioned earlier in this guide. Should you elect to buy singles on Amazon, the same warnings apply.

When looking for specific cards on eBay, it can be helpful to copy the text in the box below and paste it after the name and set name of whatever card you are looking for. Adding in the string of words below will help to eliminate many of the less-helpful results when searching for cards on eBay.

-World -Championship -Online -China -Digital -Code -Jumbo -Oversized

Facebook Marketplace

In addition to the places above, there are Facebook groups with a focus on buying, selling, and trading Pokémon cards. It’s likely there is a Facebook group local to your area that offers a better, easier, cheaper, or faster means of getting the cards you need for your deck. With local groups, it can be easy to meet up with a specific seller at your local game shop during times when you would likely have been attending that store’s Pokémon League anyway.

More general Facebook groups like Virbank City Pokémart offer further places to pick up the cards you need from other players of the Pokémon Trading Card Game. Most sellers will ship the cards you’ve purchased in an plain white envelope, commonly referred to as a PWE. Typically, sellers will protect cards using a Card Saver, a Toploader, or by sandwiching the cards between two pieces of cardboard, but how well the card is protected will vary by the seller.

A Note on PayPal

Oftentimes, an online seller will expect to be paid for cards you purchase through Paypal. Paypal offers two different ways of sending money to others for transactions like these—Friends and Family and Goods and Services. Never use the Friends and Family option for any purchase that isn't being made in person, like when meeting up with another member of your local Pokémon League.

Always use the Goods and Services option when trading with others online. There is a small fee associated with using the Goods and Services option that should be paid by the seller, but may not necessarily be. You can use this fee calculator to calculate the fee associated with using the Goods and Services option, which ensures you're protected by PayPal's Purchase Protection Policy.

reddit

A community for trading Pokémon cards also exists on reddit in the form of the subreddit /r/pkmntcgtrades. Prior to posting to the community, give their rules a thorough read-through before trying to participate by creating a trade of your own.

Sealed Merchandise

The Trainer’s Toolkit provides an excellent assortment of useful cards for new deck builders.

Although buying single cards online is typically the best and cheapest way to get the cards necessary to build a deck, occasionally The Pokémon Company International releases a sealed product that contains a helpful collection of cards to help newer players jump into the game quickly and at a relatively low cost.

Purchasing two of the most recent version of the Trainer’s Toolkit may be a cost-effective way for new players to get full playsets of a large chunk of important staple cards in the Standard format. A Trainer’s Toolkit should cost approximately US$35. Below are the lists of cards included in each version of the Trainer’s Toolkit. Each kit also includes other accessories, including 12 of each basic energy card, a set of dice, deck sleeves, and condition markers. Always compare the cost of the prices of the cards you need versus the overall cost of the kit to ensure that the purchase of the kit remains a good buy. Also be advised that older versions of the Trainer’s Toolkit are available, in either a red- or blue-colored box, but that these older products may contain a handful of cards that have already rotated out of the Standard format.

The 2020 Trainer's Toolkit features a red box. As of 5 April 2024, cards from this version of the Trainer's Toolkit marked in red below have rotated out of the current Standard format. Because so much of this version of the Trainer's Toolkit has rotated from the Standard format, picking up this product is not ideal.

2 Dedenne-GX UNB 195a
2 Boss's Orders RCL 154
2 Green's Exploration UNB 175
2 Professor's Research SSH 178
2 Marnie SSH 169
2 Mallow & Lana CEC 198
2 Welder UNB 189
2 Air Balloon SSH 156
2 Energy Spinner UNB 170
2 Evolution Incense SSH 163
2 Fire Crystal UNB 173
2 Metal Saucer SSH 170
2 Ordinary Rod SSH 171
2 Pokégear 3.0 UNB 182b
2 Pokémon Communication TEU 152b
2 Quick Ball SSH 179
2 Rare Candy SSH 180
2 Reset Stamp UNM 206a
2 Switch SSH 183
2 Tool Scrapper RCL 168
2 Vitality Band SSH 185
2 Giant Hearth UNM 197
2 Turffield Stadium RCL 170
2 Aurora Energy SSH 186
2 Speed Lightning Energy RCL 173
2 Twin Energy RCL 174

The 2021 Trainer's Toolkit features a blue box. As of 5 April 2024, cards from this version of the Trainer's Toolkit marked in red below have rotated out of the current Standard format. Because so much of this version of the Trainer's Toolkit has rotated from the Standard format, picking up this product is not ideal.

2 Crobat V SWSH110
2 Mismagius PR-SM 245
2 Boss's Orders SHF 58
2 Bruno BST 121
2 Cheryl BST 123
2 Korrina's Focus BST 128
2 Leon VIV 154
2 Marnie SSH 169
2 Professor's Research SSH 178
2 Sabrina & Brycen PR-SM 246
2 Air Balloon SSH 156
2 Big Charm SSH 158
2 Cape of Toughness DAA 160
2 Crushing Hammer SSH 159
2 Escape Rope BST 125
2 Evolution Incense SSH 163
2 Level Ball BST 129
2 Metal Saucer SSH 170
2 Ordinary Rod SSH 171
2 Quick Ball SSH 179
2 Rare Candy SSH 180
2 Scoop Up Net RCL 165
2 Switch SSH 183
2 Telescopic Sight VIV 160
2 Turbo Patch DAA 172
2 Capture Energy RCL 171
2 Coating Metal Energy VIV 163
2 Rapid Strike Energy BST 140
2 Single Strike Energy BST 141

The 2022 Trainer's Toolkit features a purple box. As of 5 April 2024, cards from this version of the Trainer's Toolkit marked in red below have rotated out of the current Standard format. Because so much of this version of the Trainer's Toolkit has rotated from the Standard format, picking up this product is not ideal.

2 Lumineon V PR-SW 250
2 Adventurer's Discovery FST 224
2 Boss's Orders BRS 132
2 Gloria BRS 141
2 Marnie SSH 169
2 Professor's Research BRS 147
2 Raihan EVS 152
2 Air Balloon SSH 156
2 Choice Belt BRS 135
2 Cross Switcher FST 230
2 Crossceiver FST 231
2 Escape Rope BST 125
2 Evolution Incense SSH 163
2 Fog Crystal CRE 140
2 Level Ball BST 129
2 Power Tablet FST 236
2 Quick Ball FST 237
2 Rare Candy SSH 180
2 Rescue Carrier EVS 154
2 Switch SSH 183
2 Tool Jammer BST 136
2 Ultra Ball BRS 150
2 Collapsed Stadium BRS 137
2 Magma Basin BRS 144
2 Path to the Peak CRE 148
2 Capture Energy RCL 171
2 Double Turbo Energy BRS 151
2 Fusion Strike Energy FST 244

The 2023 Trainer's Toolkit features a multicolored white and yellow box, with a picture of Arceus on the front. As of 5 April 2024, cards from this version of the Trainer's Toolkit marked in red below have rotated out of the current Standard format.

1 Arceus V PR-SW 306
1 Arceus VSTAR PR-SW 307
2 Ultra Ball SVI 196
2 Switch SVI 194
2 Rare Candy SVI 191
2 Professor's Research SVI 189
2 Professor's Research SVI 190
2 Pokégear 3.0 SVI 186
2 Pal Pad SVI 182
2 Nest Ball SVI 181
2 Jacq SVI 175
2 Electric Generator SVI 170
2 Beach Court SVI 167
2 Arven SVI 166
2 Thorton LOR 167
2 Lost Vacuum LOR 162
2 Trekking Shoes ASR 156
2 Double Turbo Energy BRS 151
2 Roxanne ASR 150
2 Roseanne's Backup BRS 148
2 Irida ASR 147
2 Hisuian Heavy Ball ASR 146
2 Gutsy Pickaxe ASR 145
2 Magma Basin BRS 144
2 Gardenia's Vigor ASR 143
2 Gloria BRS 141
2 Dark Patch ASR 139
2 Cynthia's Ambition BRS 138
2 Cheren's Care BRS 134
2 Boss's Orders BRS 132

The 2024 Trainer's Toolkit features a bright seafoam-colored box, with a picture of Squawkabilly on the front. As of October 2024, no cards from this product have rotated from the Standard format.

2 Ditto MEW 132
2 Squawkabilly ex SVP 160
2 Tatsugiri TWM 131
2 Arven OBF 186
2 Boss's Orders PAL 172
2 Explorer's Guidance TEF 147
2 Iono PAF 80
2 Lana's Aid TWM 155
2 Professor Sada's Vitality PAR 170
2 Professor Turo's Scenario PAR 171
1 Professor's Research SVI 190
2 Buddy-Buddy Poffin TEF 144
2 Bug Catching Set TWM 143
2 Counter Catcher PAR 160
2 Earthen Vessel PAR 163
2 Electric Generator PAF 79
2 Enhanced Hammer TWM 148
2 Nest Ball PAF 84
2 Rare Candy PAF 89
2 Superior Energy Retrieval PAL 189
2 Switch SVI 194
2 Techno Radar PAR 180
2 Ultra Ball PAF 91
1 Super Rod PAL 188
2 Rescue Board TEF 159
2 Technical Machine: Evolution PAR 178
1 Ancient Booster Energy Capsule TEF 140
1 Future Booster Energy Capsule TEF 149
1 Professor's Research SVI 189
2 Jet Energy PAL 190
2 Reversal Energy PAL 192

Splurging

Although it’s not monetarily efficient and is far from the best or easiest way to get the cards you need for your deck, it’s also true that there’s nothing quite like ripping into a few booster packs from time to time. Whether it’s a booster box for the newest set, an Elite Trainer Box, or a promo box you’re after, these United States-based vendors are great candidates for your next splurge.

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