Every Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket journey starts with opening a booster pack—dragging your finger across the screen, the booster pack rips open, and you gleefully swipe card after card, each of which includes delightful art. Pretty soon, you have a collection of cool cards... What to do? There’s another key aspect to Pokémon TCG Pocket to explore: battling! While there are plenty of helpful theme deck lists you can acquire, building decks from scratch is a whole new level of fun!

Deck-Building Basics

To be usable in battle, your deck must contain 20 cards, including no more than two copies of any card with the same name and at least one Basic Pokémon. Remember: if you have only one Pokémon in play and it gets Knocked Out, you lose the battle automatically, so it’s best practice to include at least five or six Basic Pokémon. (Some strategies call for only two Basic Pokémon, while others can include up to 10!) Usually, you’ll want to adjust your Pokémon lineup based on your primary strategy or main attacker.

Winning a battle in Pokémon TCG Pocket requires you to earn three points by Knocking Out your opponent’s Pokémon. To earn a Knock Out, you need to bring one of your opponent’s Pokémon down to zero HP, typically by using attacks to deal damage. There’s no need to include Energy cards in Pokémon TCG Pocket decks—the Energy Zone provides one Energy each turn, which you can attach to your any of your Pokémon as you see fit.

Choosing Pokémon

With only 20 deck slots to work with, most players choose one Pokémon to lead their offense and have the rest of the cards in their deck support that Pokémon in some way. Choosing the ideal attacker for your deck depends on your strategy or play style, but it’s hard to go wrong with one of these popular powerhouse Pokémon: the supercharged Pikachu ex, the Psychic-type Mewtwo ex, or the atrocious Gyarados ex.

Once you’ve decided on your leader, you can fill out the rest of your deck with a lineup of supporting Pokémon and Trainer cards. You’ll want to surround your star with Pokémon that can serve a variety of valuable roles.

Pikachu ex’s Circle Circuit attack gets stronger when there are more Pokémon on the Bench, so a good strategy for building a deck around this is to include more Pokémon than usual to make sure you can deal as much damage as possible. A Pokémon like Zapdos ex is a good support for Pikachu ex because it’s a Basic Pokémon, making it easy to get into play, and it has high HP, making it hard to Knock Out. You can also get creative with alternate attackers such as Raichu, Electrode, and Zebstrika, which will also contribute toward getting that extra damage for Pikachu ex’s Circle Circuit.

The Psychic-type Mewtwo ex, on the other hand, needs a different kind of deck. While Pikachu ex can fire off powerful Circle Circuit attacks for just , Mewtwo ex’s Psydrive attack costs a whopping and requires you to discard each time you attack with it. Relying on the Energy Zone alone to provide enough Energy for this attack makes it difficult to fire off a lot of damage before Mewtwo ex gets Knocked Out—so Energy acceleration is on the menu, and Gardevoir a strong choice for this role. Its Psy Shadow Ability lets you attach one Energy to the Pokémon in the Active Spot (i.e., Mewtwo ex). Gardevoir is a Stage 2 Pokémon, though, so you’ll have to remember to make room for it and all its pre-Evolutions when assembling this type of deck. If you’re not building a deck, there are Energy-acceleration options for other types too—either via Pokémon or Trainer cards—so scour your collection for ways to power up attackers that have heavy Energy requirements.

Pokémon like Charizard ex and Gyarados ex need multiple turns to evolve and amass Energy attachments to power their heavy-hitting attacks. To give these Pokémon the time they need to grow to their full potential, you may prefer they stay on the Bench while a “wall Pokémon” (usually a Basic Pokémon with plenty of HP) such Kangaskhan, Tauros, or Druddigon tanks a few hits. Both Kangaskhan and Tauros’s attacks cost Energy, making them a flexible option for any type of deck, and Druddigon’s Rough Skin Ability means you don’t necessarily need to fulfill the Energy requirements for its attack for it to deal damage. For a Charizard ex deck in particular, Moltres ex fills this wall role while also providing Energy acceleration with its Inferno Dance attack.

If you still have room for Pokémon in your deck, try filling those slots with versatile Pokémon that can turn the tables in any matchup. Mew ex is the current ideal—its Genome Hacking attack costs , which means it can fit into just about any type of deck. This attack copies your opponent’s Active Pokémon’s attack without needing to meet its Energy requirements, making it an incredible addition if you have the space.

Pokémon Types and Controlling Your Energy Zone

By default, the Energy Zone in Pokémon TCG Pocket will provide Energy for every type that’s required for your Pokémon’s attacks. For example, including a Druddigon in your deck means the Energy Zone will automatically provide and Energy during the game to compensate for the Energy requirement for Druddigon’s Dragon Claw attack.

However, you can manually set which Energy is generated by the Energy Zone while editing your deck. Druddigon’s Dragon Claw is a good example of why you might want to—it’s a great Pokémon for absorbing hits and chipping away at an opponent’s HP with its Rough Skin Ability, but unless you’re running a - and -type deck, you’re unlikely to get the Energy you need to use Dragon Claw from the Energy Zone.

Having fewer Energy types in your deck means a better chance of getting the Energy type you need from the Energy Zone. There are decks that rely on the Energy Zone providing multiple types of Energy, but most decks will benefit from having the correct type of Energy to attach each turn. If you’re someone who likes to experiment, though, there’s no reason you can’t mix things up and see what unique combos might work.

Staple Trainer Cards

Pokémon TCG Pocket battles can be fast. Drawing specific Pokémon and Trainer cards when you need them is the key to keeping your strategy on course. You always draw one card at the start of your turn, but there are Trainer cards that you can use to allow you to search for cards more readily during battle.

Professor’s Research, a Support card that allows you to draw two cards during your turn, is worth including in just about every deck, while cards that allow you to draw Pokémon, such as Poké Ball or the newly released Pokémon Communication, are especially important for decks that rely on Evolution Pokémon (especially Stage 2 Pokémon), since the impact of those Pokémon is limited by how quickly you can get them into play. Some decks might even benefit from other search options, such as type-specific Trainer cards or attacks that place Pokémon on your Bench.

On the topic of type-specific cards, the many Gym Leader–themed Support cards that work with specific types are a must-have in many decks. Misty, for example, provides Energy acceleration to Pokémon like Articuno ex, Erika heals Pokémon and is commonly used to boost Venusaur ex’s own healing power, and Blaine boosts the attack damage of types Ninetales, Rapidash, and Magmar. These type-specific cards can be of the utmost importance when deciding on your strategy, but there are many other Trainer cards that can prove invaluable as well. Does your attacking Pokémon just barely miss landing Knock Outs against opponent Pokémon with a certain amount of HP? Giovanni can provide a boost with a bit of extra damage. You could also try avoiding those formidable opponents altogether by using Sabrina or Cyrus, so you can focus on Knocking Out weaker Pokémon on your opponent’s Bench.

If your Pokémon have high HP but a retreat cost to match or you foresee retreating being a part of your strategy, cards like X Speed and Leaf which allow you to move your Pokémon in and out of play for less Energy, are crucial. If you’re looking to capitalize on your high-HP Pokémon being a stalwart wall, consider Pokémon Tools like Rocky Helmet or Giant Cape.

Securing the Win

Once you have all the cards that make your deck work—attacking Pokémon, supporting Pokémon, and Trainer cards—you can start to think about additional cards that boost your deck’s strengths or cover any weaknesses it might have. Filling out this part of your deck can be challenging, but it’s also where you have the most freedom to experiment and problem solve.

You’ll get a feel for what changes you need to make to your deck after a few matches with it—especially if you suffer a few losses. If your deck doesn’t work the way you want it to the first time, that’s okay! Deck lists are always evolving and never final. Just remember to take notes, identify your deck’s strengths and weaknesses, and keep experimenting. There’s no right way to make a deck, but there is a helpful mindset: find out what you want to achieve, find cards in your collection that support that strategy, and then take your custom-built deck it into battle!