Pink Poogle Toy Forum

Hello. I looked in other areas of the site and didn't find much on the TCG, but if you know of a good place to look or articles let me know. My son and I are just learning to play. My question is, if you only use three pets, why do you have a stack of ten? And if you use the stack of ten, how come you don't put it where the 3 pet stack is? This is driving us crazy. Since the rules say to have 10, but then never explain why, it just begs BEGS, the question. Thanks for your help!

You have a stack of ten but can only have three out for a number of reasons, all of them strategic. You can 'cycle' your pets through to gain some sort of advantage used by other cards. Some cards are better in the early game while others are better later, so with ten basic Neopets you can switch in and out as much as you'd like.

Here's a hint as well: only go with three different kinds of Neopets, four maximum. This increases your chances of allowing them to become 'Experienced' sooner.

By the way, I think I'll be starting up a huge Neopets TCG site. As someone who buys at least two or three boxes of each expansion, it's a shame to see such a lack of support. I'll let everyone know once I've got it up.

So, do you put three more in the pet stack and cycle through them, or do you put the rest of the seven there? I'm really confused. If it's only three again, I assume you pick the three (if you do this twice more, there's one left, so that doesn't seem like what you do). But if it's the 7 left, do you take them in the order of the shuffled stack? My son really wants to play more, but we're stuck on this issue. Why doesn't TNT rewrite the rules better? Or go a little further in their online demo? My son started playing Yu-Gi-Oh, and as far as I can tell, their online is quite a bit better; the rules too. Thanks!!!

PS: Or, after you've learned to play, do you put all 10 in the stack area and begin from there?

Oh, and a big TCG site would be neat.

Alright, here's the deal.

You have ten Basic Neopets in a stack. At the beginning of your turn, you get to bring one of them into play (tapped) UNLESS you already have three Neopets out. If you have three Neopets out, you have to put them on the bottom of the stack -OR- wait for a card effect. Some of the card effects state "Discard all Neopets here" for example, and they'd go to the bottom of the stack. Your next turn, you'd only have two, so you'd have to bring a new one out.

Hmmm. I'd like to find someone in our area that plays, so that we could watch and find out more. How did you learn how to play, and all the rules? I'm trying to read the articles on site, in the magazines, and such. Mostly they talk about deck building, which helps with some things, but not all the rules. Besides, they talk as if you can go to some magic Neopian TCG cookie jar and pick out all the best cards you want .

Anyway, thanks. So after you have your three pets out, can you trade one in if you want? I mean, just pick it up during your turn, put it at the bottome of the stack, and then next turn pick a new one off of the stack?

Well, I've been an avid Trading/Collectible/Customizable Card Game player since I was about nine (I'm fifteen now), starting with a game called Young Jedi (no, my first CCG was actually *not* Pokemon). I played just about all of the non-sports ones, so when I heard there was going to be a Neopets TCG, I pre-ordered four boxes.

After I got my boxes and starter sets, I just read the rulebook. There are about three other people around me who play as well, and a few others who don't buy the cards but will play with decks who make them. Believe me, Neopets TCG is one of the simplest CCG's out there, and although it's not my favorite, it's a great change of pace from some of the *really* strategic ones.

As for 'trading in' your pets, it happens in step four of your turn. Like this:

1. Draw a card
2. Untap all tapped cards
3. Flip over top of Neopet stack IF you don't have three in play
4. Move pets / start contests / play cards / *trade in Neopets*

To trade in, you must first tap it. Then, discard all equipment attached to it, and return it to the bottom of your Neopets stack (if it's basic) or discarding it (if it's experienced). Then flip over the top card of your Neopets stack and put it into an arena tapped, which doesn't have to be the same one the Neopet you 'traded in' was in.

Sorry if it's confusing. Here's an example

On my turn, I have a Faerie Kacheek, Kacheek Shepherd, and a Kacheek Thief in play, all in separate arenas. I decide that the Kacheek Shepherd really isn't helping much, and I want a chance to get some other card out. So, after I draw my card and untap everything I control, I decide to tap the Kacheek Shepherd and discard it. Then I can take the top card of my Neopets stack and put it in any arena.

Also about your comment that the 'Neopets TCG cookie jar', of course that's true but you can really make any strategy work. For example, if you buy the Meridell Starter Deck from the Battle for Meridell expansion, you can tune it with just a few simple cards to make it amazing.

Even the starter decks can be greatly improved with the aid of a couple booster packs. If you are new to the game, I'd advise you to STAY AWAY from Heroes and Villains. Even now, unless the theme of a deck needs them, I will usually only throw in one Hero (for clutch situations) and one, if any, Villains. Everybody looks at their stats and thinks they are amazing, but they are easier to defeat than they appear and usually give the person who defeated them an advantage. I much prefer to rely on my Experienced Neopet abilities since I can use them every turn.

Also, another tip for if/when you get cards from future expansions. Never underestimate Location cards! A lot of them, even uncommon ones, can be pivotal to a strategy.

If you have *any* other Neopets TCG questions, don't hesitate to ask me.

Thanks - I'll copy that. We were at a hobby place today where they sell cards, and the Meridell pack was the only one they had (except for the starter set). So maybe I'll go back and get it for fun. I bought a Darkest Faerie booster pack, also for fun. You can really spend a lot trying to find neat cards! I'm hoping this shop will have a tournament again. Last year they had a neopets one, the closest to us. But the guy who knew Neopets TCG left, so they need to find someone else. I don't know how you got what you told me out of the rule book, though. I believe I understand, and that will certainly make the game more interesting. I'm really surprised the demo game doesn't show that. Thanks for the tips. I'll remember to ask you if I need more help! (My son, who's eight, isn't "into" reading, and thus writing, yet.) It'll be great when he does more of this sort of thing himself!

Do you ever play the online tournaments?

Later . . . Ya know what, I feel like such an idiot. I went and looked at the front of the rule book, and there was info like you gave me. I don't know why I missed it before, except maybe since it was a "how you begin play" thing, I thought it was the simple stuff all over again (that's on the mat and in the demo). Anyway, my son and I are going to read the rule book together thoroughly, and see if we come up with any questions for you. Thanks!

I don't play in online tournaments, but that's due to some past bad experiences with other card games than anything else.

Just something of note, the Neopets TCG is currently not being supported all that well. There are usually release tournaments for each expansion, but none were held for The Darkest Faerie.

One suggestion, if I may add: buy some Travels in Neopia, which is the newest expansion. Technically, it isn't even an expansion, it only reprints the best cards from the previous expansions, and adds like five additional cards into the mix. It's a great jumping on point.

Yea, the tourny problems are too bad! (None for Haunted Woods scheduled?) I'm crazy I guess, but I just made an order of cards from a place online. I ordered one of the Battle of Meridell decks you mentioned, plus another starter set since they were on sale for only 3.99, and five booster packs. Am I a nice mom or what? My son was still getting frustrated last night though, and I told him we REALLY need to go over the rules together. I was confused as to when you can move pets to help other pets in a contest, and at one point I had a villain out and I'm not sure I did the right things while it was out. Ah, the joys of having an only boy child!

aww, i wish people here would play the neopets TCG, then i would buy them and play... atleast untill everyone else stoped.