One thing to note is that while there are 40 billion cards owned by players, that doesnt mean that there are 40 billion individual cards within the game
Animate Dead, for example, is weaker to removal, but a lot easier to use in a combo
If you only want to dip your toe into competitive play, an ex Battle Deck (like Tinkaton, Chien-Pao, or Charizard ex) will give you a fully legal preconstructed deck that teaches you the ropes and helps you get a feel for playing the game
Owning this item places them among the worlds most unique collections." No other Pokmon card can match the combination of popularity, rarity, and mythical status of the Pikachu Illustrator
A former New York Giants football player, Blake Martinez, is also known to own an expensive Pokemon TCG card a CGC-9.5 graded Pikachu Illustrator card sold in an auction for $672,000 which makes it one of the most expensive non-PSA graded cards to be sold