Pokemon Trading Card Game

1 What Is the Pokemon TCG?

The Pokemon Trading Card Game launched in 1996 in Japan (1998 in the US) alongside the original Game Boy games. It's now the best-selling TCG in history by total cards sold - over 43 billion cards printed. Yes, billion.

The game is beloved by kids and adults alike. It's genuinely simpler to learn than Magic: The Gathering, but modern competitive Pokemon has serious strategic depth. Many adults who played as kids are returning to the game now, and competitive Pokemon draws thousands of players to major tournaments with significant prize pools.

The collecting side is equally massive - rare cards routinely sell for hundreds or thousands of dollars. But for playing the game itself, you don't need rare cards. A good starter deck is all you need to learn and have fun.

2 Card Types

Every Pokemon TCG deck contains three types of cards:

Pokemon Cards

Your fighters. Three evolutionary stages:

• Basic Pokemon - Can be played directly from your hand onto your Bench. These are your starting Pokemon. (e.g., Pikachu, Charmander)
• Stage 1 Pokemon - Evolves from a Basic Pokemon. Place on top of the matching Basic. (e.g., Raichu evolves from Pikachu)
• Stage 2 Pokemon - Evolves from a Stage 1 Pokemon. The most powerful, but slowest to set up. (e.g., Charizard evolves from Charmeleon)

Special variants: Pokemon ex (powerful, but opponent gets 2 Prize cards when they're knocked out), V/VMAX/VSTAR (older powerful variants), and others.

Energy Cards

Power your Pokemon's attacks. Attach one Energy per turn to any of your Pokemon. Attacks cost a specific amount and type of Energy (shown on the attack). Basic Energy cards match each Pokemon type (Fire Energy for Fire Pokemon, etc.). Special Energy cards have additional effects.

Trainer Cards

Three subtypes:

• Item cards - Play as many as you want per turn. Usually draw cards, search your deck, or heal Pokemon.
• Supporter cards - Powerful effects, but you can only play ONE Supporter per turn. These often define your strategy (Professor's Research: discard your hand, draw 7 cards).
• Stadium cards - Place in play to affect both players until replaced or discarded. Global effects that change the game state.

3 Setting Up

1. Shuffle your 60-card deck and place it face-down.
2. Draw 7 cards as your starting hand. If you have no Basic Pokemon, reveal your hand, shuffle it back, and draw 7 again (your opponent draws an extra card each time you do this).
3. Place a Basic Pokemon face-down as your Active Pokemon (your current fighter in front).
4. Place up to 5 more Basic Pokemon face-down on your Bench (your backup Pokemon).
5. Set aside the top 6 cards of your deck face-down as your Prize cards. You earn one each time you Knock Out an opponent's Pokemon.
6. Both players reveal their Active Pokemon simultaneously. The player who goes first cannot attack on their first turn.

4 How a Turn Works

On each turn, in this order:

1. Draw - Draw 1 card from your deck.
2. Play cards - In any order, you may:
   • Put Basic Pokemon onto your Bench (up to 5 total on Bench)
   • Evolve Pokemon (one Evolution per Pokemon per turn; can't evolve the turn it was played)
   • Attach ONE Energy card to any of your Pokemon
   • Play Item cards (as many as you want)
   • Play ONE Supporter card
   • Play or replace a Stadium card
   • Retreat your Active Pokemon (pay Retreat Cost in Energy; those Energy go to discard)
   • Use Pokemon Abilities (if they have them)
3. Attack - Use one of your Active Pokemon's attacks. Pay the Energy cost, then apply the attack's effect and damage. Your turn ends after attacking.

5 Attacking and Damage

When your Pokemon attacks:

1. Pay the Energy cost shown on the attack (discard, keep on Pokemon, or no cost - depends on attack).
2. Apply the attack effect (if any) - status conditions, extra damage, effects on your opponent's Pokemon.
3. Place damage counters on the defending Pokemon equal to the attack's damage. (10 damage = 1 damage counter, but counters are often placed in units of 10.)
4. Check for Weakness and Resistance:
   • Weakness: If the attacking Pokemon's type matches the defending Pokemon's Weakness, multiply damage (usually x2).
   • Resistance: If applicable, subtract 30 from the damage dealt.
5. If a Pokemon's damage equals or exceeds its HP, it's Knocked Out. That Pokemon and all cards attached to it go to the discard pile. The opponent takes a Prize card.

Status Conditions

Some attacks inflict status conditions:

• Poisoned: Take 10 damage between turns.
• Burned: Take 20 damage between turns.
• Paralyzed: Can't attack or retreat on next turn.
• Confused: Flip a coin before attacking - tails, deal 30 damage to yourself instead.
• Asleep: Can't attack or retreat. Flip a coin between turns; heads, wake up.

6 How to Win

There are three ways to win:

1. Take all 6 Prize cards - Knock Out 6 of your opponent's Pokemon. Most common win condition.
2. Opponent has no Pokemon left in play - If they have no Active Pokemon and no Pokemon on their Bench, they lose immediately.
3. Opponent cannot draw a card - If they need to draw but their deck is empty, they lose.

7 Pokemon Types

The TCG has 11 Energy types, each with its own Weaknesses and Resistances:

8 What to Buy First