Welcome. Today I’m writing a shorter post that includes several resources for the topic of “how to improve at pokemon tcg”. I am not exaggerating when I say that I believe if every tournament player took my advice and used these resources, the average level of skill at events would increase noticeably. If you feel like you’ve spent a lot of time in the game with little to show for it, this is for you. If you just started playing and instantly want to put work into getting better, this is for you. If you’re just interested in my thoughts on improving at the game, this is for you too! Now let’s get into it.
Practice.
This one is painstakingly obvious, but necessary to discuss. “Pokemon TCG is just a card game right? The rules are pretty simple, right?”. I see many people enter the competitive scene with this attitude and expect to become a pro level player in their first season or two. Now, while that CAN happen, it's not expected nor is it common. Looking at some of the most consistently high performers in our game today: Azul, Tord, Rahul, Ian, they all have a massive amount of experience under their belt. Regardless of natural talent, they are at this level because of how many games they’ve played, how many decks they’ve learned, and their levels of focus, dedication, and ambition.
However, it is also possible that you play as long as these players and get all of these years of experience, but still fail to reach the potential you believe you have.
I can relate to that. I’ve been attending tournaments since 2007, but never fully dedicated myself to the game until 2017. I won some locals and had some placements at states and regionals, but nothing of too much notability. If you’d like to read how I managed to go from a player with years and years of experience and very little to show for it in terms of accomplishments, to a worlds competitor with a regionals top 8 and consistent day 2s, I have a free article linked here expounding on this: https://celiosnetwork.substack.com/p/reach-your-pokemon-tcg-goals
The simplest way to begin turning experience into results is becoming more focused. I suggest reading this article on Deliberate Practice: https://jamesclear.com/beginners-guide-deliberate-practice
Confidence.
For improving your in-game skills, practice, repetition, and systems that work are the most important pieces. For using those skills to their highest value, you must become as confident as you are competent. Your confidence (your belief in your skills) and your competence (your skills) are both utilized to their fullest when they are in harmony with each other. Your goal should be to build your skills until you become confident in them for major events.
I spend most of my productive time developing evidence based systems that work and teaching them. I’ve recently published an all-inclusive masterclass that teaches in-game skills, mental fundamentals, and how to unlock your potential with confidence loops and proven systems for simplifying in-game decisions. This course features over 5 hours of lessons and examples, and you can check it out here: https://metafy.gg/courses/view/the-competitive-pokemon-tcg-masterclass-6RvXauR74sv
If you’re interested in any of my educational pokemon tcg services, my full profile including customer testimonies is linked here: https://metafy.gg/@celio-s-network
If you’re not interested in investing in your competitive pokemon tcg journey right now, thats totally fine! You can improve and reach your goals without paid services, however these paid options will accelerate your growth and understanding of the game and save you a lot of time otherwise spent on trial and error.
I have more free resources available on my substack here, including these two articles in addition to the previous links in this post
https://celiosnetwork.substack.com/p/the-mental-game-is-the-whole-game?r=1iumz4
https://celiosnetwork.substack.com/p/you-are-a-top-player-if-you-choose
And of course, my youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@CeliosNetwork
Thanks for reading today, and if you have any questions or would like me to expand on anything just leave it in the comments!