Pokemon Pocket: Which Pack Should You Choose First?

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 in Pokemon TCG Pocket has 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 a Wonder Pick tutorial, which allows you to choose a random card from another player's pack. These tutorial Wonder Picks always earn you an 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 receive a 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 choose also determines which illustration rare Pokemon you'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 deck when you begin the Battles tutorial, and the decklist you receive is determined when you open your first pack.

The Pikachu Pack

The Pikachu pack provides the powerful Arcanine ex card, along with four other less-rare cards. The contents are listed below:

Card	Card Name	Rarity
	Arcanine ex	Four diamonds
	Rapidash	Two diamonds
	Squirtle	One diamond
	Diglett	One diamond
	Paras	One Diamond

In addition to the cards in the pack, the Pikachu pack also provides the Squirtle illustration rare via Wonder Pick.

Picking the Pikachu pack also locks in the Rapidash deck as your tutorial deck. The Rapidash deck contains the following cards:

Rapidash Starter Deck
Growlithe x2	Ponyta x2	Rapidash	Magmar
Heatmor	Sizzlipede x2	Centiskorch	Pidgey
Rattata x2	Raticate	Jigglypuff	Farfetch'd
		Poke Ball x2	Professor's Research x2		Exeggutor ex	Four diamonds
	Pinsir	Two diamonds
	Charmander	One diamond
	Meowth	One diamond
	Staryu	One Diamond

The second Charmander is an illustration rare from the Wonder Pick pack.

The Charizard pack also provides you with the Pinsir deck once you've unlocked battles, which contains the following cards:

Pinsir Starter Deck
Paras x2	Parasect	Exeggcute x2	Scyther
Pinsir	Cottonee x2	Whimsicott	Pidgey
Rattata x2	Raticate	Jigglypuff	Farfetch'd
		Poke Ball x2	Professor's Research x2		Marowak ex	Four diamonds
	Sandslash	Two diamonds
	Bulbasaur	One diamond
	Shellder	One diamond
	Dratini	One Diamond

The Mewtwo pack also results in receiving an illustration rare Bulbasaur in the Wonder Pick tutorial.

Players who choose the Mewtwo pack will also receive the Sandslash deck once they reach the Battle tutorial. The Sandslash deck contains the following cards:

Sandslash Starter Deck
Cubone x2	Sandshrew x2	Sandslash	Mienfoo x2
Mienshao	Hitmonchan	Onix	Pidgey
Rattata x2	Raticate	Jigglypuff	Farfetch'd
		Poke Ball x2	Professor's Research 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 should pick the pack with your favorite Kanto First Partner Pokemon if 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, but you 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, and the 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.

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