Why You Should Attend Pokemon Prerelease Events

Introduction

Pokemon’s newest set, Chaos Rising, releases this week on May 22. That means we are getting some exciting new cards in the format, but it also means another round of Prereleases. This time I was able to make two, but I wish I could do more. Prerelease events are probably the best way to experience the TCG. If you are a beginner trying to figure your way into the hobby, prerelease events are the best introduction. These events are extremely beginner friendly and the vibe (at least from the ones I went to) are chill. I’ve made friends who asked me to go to locals, and I might just take them up on that. If I can find a cool standard deck to play and get someone to help watch the baby.

Table of Contents

The Decks

There are four decks you can pull from pre-release: Delphox, Ampharos, Crobat, and Goodra. I will start by saying that I absolutely hate Goodra, even though the promo is super cute. I hate Goodra so much that I ended up with a playset of the reverse and regular foils. If there is a God, I respect the sense of humor.

Build and Battle Kits

Delphox

I pulled Dephox for my last deck, and it was so much fun. While it can be a slow start, you can easily fill your board and get that card advantage. In the right circumstances, Delphox can do so much damage. It does rely on their being a lot of energy on the field, so you will need to find a way to accelerate energy and hope that your opponent also uses a lot of energy. Deli bird can help a good amount with this.

My Deck

Delphox can one shot most threats, but some of my opponents got really lucky and pulled creatures I could only chip away at. Either way, I was very happy to pull this deck because I love the art. I got to sprinkle in Mega Pyroar and while it only got to go off once, it is a high I will chase forever.

Ampharos

Ampharos was the deck I wanted to pull, not because the card is powerful, but because the art is cool. Both versions (promo and not) are amazing. The two copies of Judge would also be nice since I currently don’t have any. Now I didn’t play anyone with an Ampharos deck even though I saw a few people pull them around me, so I can’t speak too much on this deck. It feels like it wouln’t be consistent enough to do reliable enough damage. It very much feels like the Serperior deck from perfect order, although I was very happy to pull that deck as well. I’ll probably be picking this up as a single for my personal collection.

Crobat

Crobat is one my my favorite pokemon and I was a little upset that I didn’t pull this deck or the shiny rare. I did play against a couple decks like this, and lost every time. This is the most consistent deck in the prerelease format. The decks seemed very fun to pilot, but most importantly, poison is OP. I am not sure how relevant Crobat will be in the format being a stage 2, but god I need this card in my collection.

Mega Dragalge

Shoutout to the guy who got to splash Mega Dragalge ex into his deck. This thing is a beast that strait up wiped everything I tried before I had a change to try anything. 16 damage counters strait up one shots most of the Pokemon in the build and battle decks, and it works so well with Crobat’s ability. My opponent only pulled the regular version, but the Special Illustration should not be slept on:

Goodra

The Goodra promo is so cute and it is one of the cards I wanted to pull. I think all the promos this time around are solid, but I was looking forward to pulling the Goodra deck. Playing the deck wasn’t so much fun. I had very bad luck and had a hard time building Goodra. Where other people had cards to help them build their board and disrupt their opponent, I had Emma who literally did nothing. Discarding the top card to use dragon pulse screwed me out of cards I needed more often than not. The ability also never came into play making it possibly the worst deck in the lock (at least Ampharos can potentially do additional damage). While the card does kill a lot of the build and battle decks, I wouldn’t play it again.

My deck

I pulled the Gourgeist ex Ultra Rare and had to slot into my deck. This little pumkin tanked for me, and even took my first win. Unfortunately, I was only able to build it successfully once. It was still enjoyed it better than Goodra and has earned a special place in my personal collection.

The Set

I am very excited for this set because it has that cool Crobat I will be chasing. You have cards like Special Red Card that will surely become a stable, but the set has some cool cards I want for my collection. I already have a space for all the bulk cards I pulled because I like the art. Sure everyone will be excited for the Mega Greninja, but there are a few I’ll be looking for (in no particular order):

My Prerelease

This time around, I did two prerelease and had a blast at both. I met some cool people, made some new friends, and got to hang out with people who also love Pokemon. It is really cool to have the opportunity to be around people who just want to sit down and play Pokemon. I don’t really get to do this a lot with my family or friends outside of the locals I never have time for, so I really treasure the time I get to spend playing card games with people who also like playing card games.

Midnight Release

I went to the midnight release at the shop I frequent a lot. The shop is full of cool people, and I’ve done locals of other games there. This time, I was able to stay awake long enough to attend and I regret nothing. I made some very good friends and will do my best to go back. The longer I stayed awake, the more delirious I got which meant I eventually forgot how to play my deck. It is probably why I don’t care for Goodra much, but it is something I would do again. If my old age allows it.

My Regular Prerelease

This is my third Prerelease at this shop. I keep going back because of how good each experience has been. I was surprised when I walked in and the workers signed me up before I had a chance to tell them my names. Some of the regulars recognized me and started to spark up a conversation. While this isn’t my main store, I am reconsidering making it mine because of how cool the community is there. I pulled a Watchhog shiny rare, (a moment that was quickly diminished when the girl next to me pulled the Greninja). Later in during the event, someone found a copy on the floor. One of the guys I had been talking to remembered I had one and called out to me to check if it was mine. It wasn’t but they quickly found the proper owner.

This moment stands out to me for two reasons. One, the fact that no one tried to steal something, even if the value isn’t there, is admirable. The kid who lost it was so happy to get his watchhog back and that made me happy. Two: I only spend 15 minutes of time with these people, even less at times and the fact that they not only remembered my name, but cared enough to check to see if I lost my card is enough to make a grown man cry. Maybe I’ve been lucky with the communities I’ve been able to join, but it is something I am happy I am able to do and hope that I can keep doing.

Conclusion

Chaos Rising prelease has been my favorite so far. The set has a few cards I will be chasing, but I am officially comfortable enough to join a community that I am happy to be a part of. If your on the fence or looking for a sign to get into card games, this is your sign. It doesn’t even need to be Pokemon. Pick up your favorite starter deck, head down to locals and someone there will point you in the right direction. Sure there might be the one or two people who will be weird about you joining, but there is someone out there who is excited to not only get you into the hobby, but willing to be your friend. Thank you for reading!