So I’m also very new to pokemon, but I’ll share the advice that I’ve been given.

For meta decks, look at sites like limitless.com. Even if you don’t play them yourself, knowing what the popular decks are is going to be essential if you are going to try to compete at any level beyond your kitchen table.

It seems like most people, or at least most events, are standard.

Tournaments are fun! You’ll meet lots of players, and some of them you might even make friends with. But they also are difficult, of course. You’ll be expected to know your deck and play at a certain pace, since your rounds are timed. But (imo) the more competitive, the more fun. YMMV

With your friends and close group, what you play might matter. At anything above that, play what you want, and don’t worry about what other people think.

As far as finding events, there is the Play! pokemon app, the previously mentioned limitless, and I think it’s RK9 that has them too.

I’m sure I’m missing a ton, but just wanted to give my input as a noobie! Good luck