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Booster packs are randomized in most trading card games, so that each one you open is a gamble. But the very first pack you open inPokemon TCG Pockethas a predetermined set of cards, and leads to one of three different tutorial decks soon after.
In a subtle nod to choosing your First Partner Pokemon in the video games, your first pack will determine which of three starter decks you’ll receive during the tutorial. You don’t get to see anything except the pack beforehand, but this guide will reveal all three options!
Why Does Starting Pack Matter?
Each of the three starting packs contains a powerful ex card, which is already set: You won’t get the immersion Pikachu from the first Pikachu pack, regardless of how lucky you are, but even someone with the worst luck in the world will get a four-diamond Arcanine ex from that pack.
After opening your first pack, you’ll also get to do aWonder Picktutorial, which allows you to choose a random card from another player’s pack. These tutorial Wonder Picks always earn youan illustration rare of one of the Kanto First Partner Pokemon, and which one you get is determined by the pack you choose.
Finally, after you’ve leveled up a couple of times and unlocked Battles, you’ll receivea whole deck in the Battle tutorial. There are three different decks, and the one you’ll receive is determined by your first pack.All three decks are simple and contain the same staple Trainer cards, but they’re good enough to get through the beginner battles. If you’ve got your eye on a specific card, though, you’ll want to know how to get it beforehand.
What Comes From Each Pack?
Each pack contains five predetermined cards, including one four-diamond ex Pokemon and a Kanto First Partner. The pack you choosealso determines which illustration rare Pokemonyou’ll get from your Wonder Pick tutorial: That card will always match the First Partner from your original pack.
You’ll also receive a 40-card starter deckwhen you begin the Battles tutorial, and the decklist you receive is determined when you open your first pack.
The Pikachu Pack
The Pikachu pack providesthe powerful Arcanine ex card, along with four other less-rare cards. The contents are listed below:
Arcanine ex
Four diamonds
Two diamonds
One diamond
Paras
One Diamond
In addition to the cards in the pack, the Pikachu pack also providesthe Squirtle illustration rarevia Wonder Pick.
Picking the Pikachu pack also locks inthe Rapidash deck as your tutorial deck. The Rapidash deck contains the following cards:
Growlithe x2
Ponyta x2
Sizzlipede x2
Rattata x2
Professor’s Research x2
The Charizard Pack
The Charizard pack is the only pack that provides a card related to the pack art, providing not one buttwo Charmander, along withthe Exeggutor ex card. The pack contains the following cards:
Exeggutor ex
Staryu
The second Charmander is an illustration rare from the Wonder Pick pack.
The Charizard pack also provides you withthe Pinsir deckonce you’ve unlocked battles, which contains the following cards:
Paras x2
Exeggcute x2
Cottonee x2
The Mewtwo Pack
The Mewtwo packcontains a Marowak ex, which is the featured card of a decent meta deck. The full contents are as follows:
Marowak ex
Dratini
The Mewtwo pack also results in receivingan illustration rare Bulbasaurin the Wonder Pick tutorial.
Players who choose the Mewtwo packwill also receive the Sandslash deckonce they reach the Battle tutorial. The Sandslash deck contains the following cards:
Cubone x2
Sandshrew x2
Mienfoo x2
Which Pack Is Best?
Each of the starter decks is about the same power level, and you should be able to easily get through all the Beginner PvE matches with any of them. Because of that, and the rarity of illustration rares, you shouldpick the pack with your favorite Kanto First Partner Pokemonif you don’t plan on battling online.
If you do plan to battle online against other players,the Charizard pack outstrips the other packs by a significant margin, because it provides valuable tools for several powerful decks.
Starmie ex is one of the strongest deck archetypes in Genetic Apex, butyou need Staryu to evolve into Starmie ex. While you’re almost certain to find another Staryu while hunting for Starmie ex and the other cards you need, this gives you a slight head start and guarantees that you aren’t waiting for a Basic Pokemon to finish building your deck.
A little below Starmie ex in terms of power level,Venusaur ex and Charizard ex are also very competitive, and the Charizard pack provides tools for both. Venusaur ex typically includes two each of Exeggcute and Exeggutor ex, which you’ll receive in the starter deck and tutorial pack, respectively. Meanwhile, the Charizard ex deck archetype needs two Charmander, which you’ll receive from the tutorial pack and Wonder Pick.
The Mewtwo pack comes in second, providing two Bulbasaur, which are necessary for the Venusaur ex archetype, as well as Marowak ex, a couple Cubone, and Dratini.The Basic Pokemon for the Venusaur ex deck are much easier to get than Exeggutor ex, though, and the Marowak ex deck is somewhat less viable than any other decks described so far.
At the bottom is the Pikachu pack. Arcanine ex doesn’t fit well in any major deck, andthe Blastoise ex archetype is weaker than Venusaur ex or Charizard ex, even with access to Misty’s Energy acceleration. The only cards of competitive value are Ponyta, Rapidash, and Magmar, from the tutorial deck, which all see play in Blaine decks.
