The Pokemon Trading Card Game Online, also sometimes preferred to simply as the PTCGO is a free to download massively multiplayer online trading card game. It is quite literally the digital version of playing the offline tabletop Pokemon Trading Card Game, it was released in March 2011 and actually started off as a browser based game rather than the standalone application that we know today. The best part is the game is accessible pretty much anywhere in the world.

The PTCGO is a fantastic option if you fancy jumping in for a quick game instead of organising a day with friends for the physical game (Hey, I’m not saying be antisocial – but if you fancy a quick game at midnight it might be tough to summon people at short notice! ;-)

Do I need to buy codes/packs to play?

Actually the answer is no, a player is provided with a portion of a starter deck to allow them to take on ‘Trainer Challenges’, essentially matches against AI opponents, you’ll unlock more cards from your starter deck each time you defeat one until eventually earning your way to a more comprehensive and slightly more powerful version of the deck you start with by the time you beat all 7 AI opponents.

So the short answer is you can quite simply download and play the Pokemon TCG Live for free, without purchasing anything.

How do I get more cards and decks in PTCGO?

Log in to the Pokemon Trading Card Game Online once a day to check out your Daily Challenge, this could be as simple as to win a game with a deck that contains a Pokemon of a certain type, and will grant you a little ingame currency as a reward which can be saved up to buy new packs, decks or cards.

Playing and winning matches against other players is the best way to unlock more ingame cards and packs, the greater your win streak against other players, the better the rewards – rewards can include single cards (which at certain milestones can include powerful EX/GX cards) or even online booster packs.

Whilst the above is technically true about winning matches, there can sometimes be a chicken and egg scenario whereby a new player in this situation would be using their starter deck and may encounter players who have all the best trainer cards and most powerful Pokemon – this could lead to difficulty actually starting that win streak in the first place.

Buying Pokemon Online Booster Codes & Theme Decks

The Pokemon Trading Card game online can be pretty competitive even when simply playing through quick matches; as such it would certainly be a good idea for players to grab a fairly up to date Theme Deck, or some boosters from one of the latest expansions to ensure they have a few strong cards to give them a sporting chance against their foes.

Pokemon Online Booster codes can be purchased from any expansion of the Pokemon Trading Card Game Online since the Black & White era right the way up to the newest Sun & Moon series expansions.  Each online booster pack contains ten digital cards including Pokemon Cards, Energy Cards and trainer cards which can be used to construct decks, or even potentially to bolster your starter deck.

Although building decks can be one of the most satisfying and tactical parts of the PTCGO as a new player building a deck that works can be a little intimidating especially when you are still trying to get to grips with the basics, in which case I would recommend buying a code for a premade theme deck.

You can get an online version of any theme deck from any expansion since Black & White, which one should you choose? I’ve always since Pokemon Yellow on the Game Boy been of the opinion that players should play with Pokemon they like best, not necessarily what the current meta is, so read about the theme decks see what Pokemon they contain, see which of the trainer cards would best suit your playstyle and then go and have fun!