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I'm thinking about getting into the Pokemon TCG. I've played card games competitively before (mostly just MtG), and have had decent success. I'm nowhere near a staple name or anything like that.
Anyways, I'm kind of falling out of favour with MtG for reasons I won't get into since this is /vp/, but Pokemon has been something I've loved since I was a kid. I always strayed away from the TCG since I heard it was too easy and boring to play. I know these aren't true, but it does make me wonder; how much strategy is there in this game compared to magic?
Another question I've had is, how much diversity there is at higher level play? I know the VGC is different, but when you have top 8 being the same teams with maybe 1 or 2 pokemon switched out, it kind of kills interest for me. I love making rogue decks and finding oddball combos that shouldn't work, but do. How possible is it do that in Pokemon at higher levels?
Last question is just about creativity, I mentioned higher level diversity, but this question caters more towards my style of play. Strategizing and building decks is by far my favourite part of TCGs in general; in MtG you have pretty much free reign to go crazy (especially in modern) and make whatever the hell your heart desires. Is that possible in Pokemon while still being competitively viable? From what I've seen, it makes me think that you're very limited in what cards are good and what combos are possible. I hope this isn't true, so please prove me wrong.
For an example of a Johnny deck I thought about; it's very rough and not thought out much, but something like Darkrai GX, Guzzlord GX. Basically, get Guzzlord to discard cards and power himself up. then use Darkrai's ability to come back from the grave with an energy attached. Maybe sprinkle in a Giratina and a Malamar, badda-bing badda-boom, you got some disgusting cacophony of cardboard in front of you that might do something right.
