When Pokémon Day rolled around last year, I embarked on a quest. A quest to catch 'em all. I've been collecting one of each 1,025 Pokémon in a great big set of binders and having a blast with it. From setting up my binders to tracking my progress, collecting these Pokémon has been about far more than cute critters. It's been about organization and planning, my two favorite things, baby.
I have some rules, because rules make it even more fun (can you believe). I'm not allowed to buy singles until I'm 75% of the way done. I'm only allowed to rip packs. Yes, that's incredibly expensive - but I'm not buying booster box after booster box. Whenever I see a pack or two at a decent price, I stick 'em in the cart. This is a chilled collecting experience for one of the best card games, not a frenzy. Once my binder is three-quarters of the way finished, I can grab individual singles and upgrade my favorite pals.
There are essentially only two things you need: a binder and some sleeves. I've got a few extra bits and pieces to deal with organization, bulk, and color coding in my setup as well (more on that below), but if you're starting out as cheap as you can, you only really need the first two items on this list. There's nothing quite as satisfying in my ultimate Pokémon Day starter pack.
Of course, I've spent more on Pokémon cards than I have on the initial setup by now, but it's not all that expensive to join me on this journey. My biggest outlay was the binder itself. Linked above, I went for the Vault X 12 XL. You won't find a binder large enough to house all 1,025 critters in this range, but it is the most secure I've used so far (sorry, Ultra Pro). This version houses 624 cards a piece, so I bought two - with some space at the back for high-flying duplicates.
Next up, those sleeves. If you're going for the cheapest collecting experience possible, I wouldn't bother with more than penny sleeves. I had stacks of these Ultra Pro sleeves left over from when I thinned out my MTG collection by selling, and considering my Pokémon cards don't get played, they're more than up to the job.
Then I started to get frisky with it. What if I could color-code the Pokémon in my binder based on their energy type? That can get a little pricey. You'll need a good stack, more than the 1,000-piece linked above, but 100 per color will get you off to a comfortable start. However, if you are going to be playing with your Pokémon cards, you'll need something more durable. I opt for Dragon Shield when sleeving cards that are going to see playtime.
Once you start ripping a few packs, you'll notice that bulk adds up quick. Duplicates are rife, and if you're opening ETBs or Booster Bundles from the same set, you'll often be drowning in specific commons. You really don't need much more than a few card boxes to keep this bulk tidy, though. If you're only storing low-value cards and you make sure they're kept in a dry area, they'll be safe enough in here.
That's also where those top loaders come in. Say you pull a real nice piece of cardboard, excellent - the binder's a little heavier for it. Say you do it again. Not so happy, now you've got a valuable card left in a cheap sleeve. That's where toploaders come from. They give those higher-value duplicates a little extra protection while in storage.
Finally, the Sharpies. I was hesitant about whether to include them or not, but they played a large role in my original setup process. I think I went through at least one full pen writing out each Pokémon's position, and you'll be writing a lot of Pokémon names. Trust me, your hand cramps will thank me.
My top three tips for new Pokemon collectors
1. Mark out your binder
If you're going for all 1025 (or even if you're just looking to complete a set), it's going to save you a lot of time if you mark out numbers and names in their correct binder spots to start off with. You'll be able to see who you're missing and know exactly where everyone should live.
2. Shop around different sets
To reduce the number of duplicates you have (and to save yourself a headache on newer and rarer sets), be sure to split your boosters between different eras. I'm not saying go full base set, but it's sometimes easier to find booster bundles and individual packs from a couple of years ago.
3. Track your progress
This will become all the more important when I'm at the singles-buying stage of my collection, but putting in a small amount of work to track your collection now means less work later on. I use an app called Dex TCG, which works really well, but a spreadsheet will do the same job if you're diligent enough.
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