**TLDR:** Burnt-out Pokémon collector who grew up with Digimon just realised the Digimon TCG is affordable and in stock locally. Looking for advice on how hard it is to learn, which creators to follow, how set releases and rotation work, and which recent set to start with.
Hello everyone,
Some context first: I'm 31, from Eastern Europe, and I was lucky enough to catch the golden age of Pokémon, Digimon, Shaman King, Duel Masters and the rest as they started trickling into Europe around 2000. I like TCGs too, though the only ones I actually know how to play are Yu-Gi-Oh! and Duel Masters. And I'm a collector at heart, Funkos, plushies, cards, the works.
As most of you know, the TCG space is completely wild with Pokémon right now, and I'll be honest: I'm feeling the fatigue. Refreshing pages for preorders, haggling over trades, chasing singles, the whole "crypto-type fever" that seems to have taken over the hobby — it's worn me down.
I recently started rewatching Digimon and I'm having a blast. While browsing a few dedicated TCG shops in my country, I noticed they had Digimon booster boxes just sitting in stock. That's when it hit me: this game is right here, it's cheaper, and it looks gorgeous. Why have I skipped it for so long?
And this is where I got a bit lost. There isn't nearly as much content around the Digimon TCG as there is for other games, and as far as I can tell there isn't a huge online community talking about it either. So I figured I'd come to Reddit and ask a few questions:
Is the game really that complex and hard to learn? Is it interesting enough to be worth building a deck and playing against others? (There are local tournaments in my city, so I'd actually have a chance to play if I got into it.)
Besides AVAULT, are there other creators worth following?
How often do sets come out, and how long before a set rotates out of legal play?
Are some sets more beginner-friendly than others? And are pull rates seeded to any extent?
Which set would you recommend for someone chasing good pulls, a strong Digimon selection, and the option to build a deck from it? I can choose between Digital World Shambala, Dual Revolution, Hacker's Slumber, Versus Monsters and World Convergence. I'm leaning towards Versus Monsters for the retro feel — and because it takes me back to 2002, the first time I ever saw a PS1 game running on a Sony TV.
Is a single booster box enough "raw material" to build a deck?
Can you mix sets in one deck? I also really like World Convergence, so I'm torn between those two boxes.
I know this is a long post and it's giving deep noob vibes. I also know that with a bit more research I could probably work most of this out myself. But I got excited about stepping away from Pokémon for a while and finding some joy in another TCG, one from a series I genuinely grew up loving.
Thanks in advance to anyone who takes the time to read and reply!