Destined Rivals ETB and Build and Battle boxes are out now; A Pocket player's perspective

• Current packs include Trainer's Pokemon which add new opportunities for supporters to speed up the action
• Build and Battle boxes add a fast, 40-card deck playstyle reminiscent of Pocket
• Clever extras and prefab decks make getting plying easier than ever

Much like many of the Pocket Gamer team, I've been absolutely enraptured by Pocket Trading Card Game Pocket, however, while a part of appeal certainly comes from it being the newest, shiniest thing, there's a lot to be said about the almost 30-year old IP and the merchandise that led to its creation. That's why I've got a hold of the Scarlet & Violet - Destined Rivals ETB and Build and Battle boxes, to see exactly how easy it is for a Pokemon TCG Pocket player to get back into the physical trading card game.

Before I start, I should mention that I've been playing Pokemon TCG Pocket since it first launched, and that I occasionally play Magic: The Gathering - so, trading card games are not alien to me. That said, I did play Pokemon Trading Card Game briefly, when it first came out here in the UK, back in the last millennium - in fact, my friend and I were the only people queuing outside our local hobby store to get some. We tinkered with it, on and off, but it never stuck and - being that we were very young and didn't really have our own money - we were costed out of the habit quickly. As such, my memories of the rules and how to play were a little hazy.

The good news, for those of you considering dipping your toes into Pokemon TCG is that it's incredibly similar to Pocket, and that there are now multiple different formats through which to play.

The core version of Pokemon TCG, has you building a sixty-card deck which includes a mix of energy cards (rather than Pocket's guaranteed one energy per turn), items, supporters and Pokemon cards. You draw a seven-card hand each, but before that, you take the top six cards of your deck away and make them into your Prize Cards. You win by reclaiming the last of your prize cards, with you gaining one with each Pokemon you defeat - or, of course, two if you defeat an EX-Pokemon. 

• If you are playing Pokemon TCG Pocket and need more Hourglasses for pack opens, here's a guide on the best way to get more.

Much like with Pocket (and I'm sure you already see the similarities) Pokemon abilities each have their own instructions, moves require energy and items, and supporter cards can be played in whichever order you wish - but only one supporter card can be used each turn. Attacking will end your turn, and you'll want to make sure you place your energy (of which you can only place one per turn) before you trigger that end state. 

After over 25 years of releases, Pokemon TCG has seen a lot of different waves and mechanics (largely in line with the games) come into play. Critically, the same can be said for how the cards are sold.

The latest is ETB packs, which are Elite Trainer Boxes. These are great, if premium, onboarding sets which come with incredibly fancy packaging as well as tokens and dice for play. They come with a bunch of booster packs as well as a bundle of energy cards so that you don't have to gamble on getting the right energy in those boosters (as boosters normally only have one energy in them). 

In the case of the Destined Rivals ETB Pack, it's a Team Rocket focused pack which continues the recent trend of 'Trainer's Pokemon', IE Pokemon named for their trainer, with their trainer (in the form of a supporter card) often having some sort of power related to rummaging through the deck to bring their Pokemon to the forefront. In many ways, this encourages people to play themed decks; however also adds a new meta (not literal meta) to playing with friends, as these supporter-and-trainer-pokemon pairings quickly betray the rest of the player's deck.

While the Classic TCG, with its six victory points and sixty cards, still feels familiar enough to Pokemon TCG Pocket, you can get closer to the new digital hotness through the play format that comes through Build and Battle Boxes.

A Build and Battle Box includes a forty-card deck (including a unique foil card) as well as a few extra boosters. Critically, for my recommendation, though, it also comes with instructions on how to play a 40-card battle.

The main difference, aside from the shallower deck, is that you only play with four prize cards. It's a shorter game, and the Destined Rivals Build and Battle Boxes are well balanced for it - most Pokemon in it only require one or two energy, and of the two decks (Gyarados & Mimikyu) that I played, there were enough mischievous Weezings (which do damage X the number of Koffins and Weezings in play) that Prizes were being handed out left, right and centre.

They also, in the case of the Mimikyu pack, which was featured heavily around Ethan, included the (currently incredibly relevant to the meta of Pocket) Rare Candy card which is sure to cause some mischief for players as they do build their decks out to 60 for the 'normal' version of play.

As with anything, especially in the way of hobbies, there's often little point in hesitating to get on board. That said, from friends of mine who've played Pokemon TCG for a while now, the general consensus is that now is a great time to get on board. 

I, personally, think that the Build & Battle packs - which are new to me, although I'm no stranger to MtG pre-fab decks - are a great starting point if you're looking for a crash course in how to play, and a functional deck that you can build from. I would say that, though, because it is the closest to Pokemon TCG Pocket of the two formats that I played while testing out these new packs.