A Beginner’s Guide
Devika Ahluwalia’s TCG collection began with a single starter deck gifted by a friend in Chandigarh; within a year, it grew into carefully organised binders of rare pulls. For anyone learning how to start TCG collecting, her journey shows that the best entry point is simply picking up a starter product and playing a few games to understand the mechanics.
Experienced collectors offer a clear roadmap for TCG collecting for beginners: choose one game to learn deeply before branching out, as suggested by Hyderabad player Om Prakash Reddy; set a monthly budget for packs and singles, the way student collector Ishaan Vora does in Ahmedabad; and learn to grade card condition — near mint, lightly played, damaged — before trading or buying secondhand.
Once collecting begins, protective sleeves and binders become essential from day one, and buying from trusted local game stores or verified online marketplaces avoids costly mistakes. Joining a local TCG community, as Kolkata collector Anushka Dutta did through weekend game-store meetups, offers trading opportunities, mentorship, and a much richer way to enjoy the hobby than collecting alone.
