M Alzamora 
Players looking to get experience battling in Pokemon TCG Pocket can start by using starter and rental decks, but how do you get more of them?
Battling has always been one of the main components of Pokemon TCG, and the mobile Pocket game is no exception. While players are opening packs and potentially pulling rare cards, many are also keeping an eye open for the best cards to build competitive decks around.
While players have the ability to build their own decks early on, it’s tough until a large collection is built up. Fortunately, the game has rental and starter decks available so players can battle while they collect. Here’s how players can get starter and rental decks in Pokemon TCG Pocket and start battling.
Players can only unlock one of three starter deck in TCG Pocket
Players can unlock their first starter deck in Pokemon TCG Pocket by reaching level three. Worth noting is that they can only unlock one of three possible starter decks.
Once players unlock battling at level three, they’re given one of three starter decks depending on which pack they opened first. Each deck has a different theme, along with a number of normal-type Pokemon and support cards.
Selecting the Mewtwo pack first grants a fighting-type Sandslash deck, which is best for taking on electric-type battles. The Charizard pack gives the player a grass-type Pinsir deck, good for water-type battles. Finally, the Pikachu pack is arguably the weakest, structured around Rapidash and fire types. This is because in Pokemon TCG Pocket, some grass types are weaker to fighting rather than fire, and there’s no AI-used steel deck yet.
Pokemon TCG Pocket players only get one starter deck based on the initial pack they open. However, they can find cards from the other starter decks and build them from scratch.
Unlocking rental decks for solo battles
Players can unlock rental decks in Pokemon TCG Pocket by pulling the highlight card for the set.
Each highlight card can be found in one of the three Genetic Apex decks, though they may take a while to pull due to their rarity. Currently, there are 12 rental decks that players can unlock:
- Venusaur ex
- Blastoise ex
- Charizard ex
- Pikachu ex
- Mewtwo ex
- Machamp ex
- Nidoqueen and Nidoking
- Aerodactyl, Kabutops, Omastar (Kanto Fossils)
- Blaine
- Lt. Surge
- Brock
- Koga
There are two important notes about rental decks. First, once unlocked, a player can only use the deck 10 times before it expires. Second, they can’t be used in battles against actual players. Instead, the rental decks in Pokemon TCG Pocket are meant for solo battles against AI-controlled opponents.
While there isn’t a way to permanently unlock rental decks so far, players can build the decks themselves with lucky pulls or a lot of pack dust. The Deck tab under Missions reveals the available rental decks and the cards that comprise them. If players collect all of the cards in the rental deck, they can then essentially have a permanent version they can also use in versus battling. With only two packs available per day for free, it may take fans a while to get all the suggested deck builds.
Of course, with enough cards, players can choose to craft any kind of deck they want. But unlocking the starter decks or rental decks in Pokemon TCG Pocket can provide a good base while they build up their Pokedex.
