Skip to Content

How to play Pokémon with energy cards

Sharing is caring!

*This post may contain affiliate links. Please see my disclosure to learn more.

Do you have energy cards to play in Pokemon? With the help of energy cards, it is possible to knock out an opponent’s Pokemon using attacks and abilities. 

These attacks and abilities require power for them to be executed by the Pokémon, and energy cards make these capabilities possible. 

How do you play Pokemon with energy cards? Confirm the energy card has enough energy to pair with the active Pokemon to attack.

On each turn, the player is only able to use one energy card. Additionally, the energy must match with the symbol of the attack cost that is marked on the right hand corner of the card.

If the player needs to retreat the active Pokemon with an energy card, the player must discard the energy card and once the Pokemon is benched, the Pokemon add an energy card in place.

There are eleven different types of energy cards with varying powers for different attack styles. For the Pokémon to attack, the symbols of the attack cost must match with the energy card. 

Pokémon feature attacks that are meant to destroy the opponent. These attacks perform a function such as drawing cards, altering opponent board state and inflicting special conditions that requires energy cards to be active. 

In addition, Pokémon need some special abilities such as Poke-Powers and Poke-Bodies. Though they are not attacks, they cause effects that are activated under certain circumstances or have a prolonged impact on the gameplay, which also requires energy in the form of energy cards. 

It’s important to understand that a player can use a colorless energy card for any energy, as long as the amount required matches up.

In this article, you will learn everything you need to know about paying Pokemon with energy cards. Answered below are frequently asked questions about powering Pokemon with energy cards to activate unique power, attacks and abilities.

What do energy cards do in Pokémon?

Energy cards power Pokémon attacks by drawing cards, altering the opponent board and imposing distinct conditions, or abilities such as poke-power and poke-bodies. 

Under certain circumstances, the Pokémon cannot attack the opponent without a certain amount of energy attached to it. The player is only allowed to attach one energy card to one Pokémon during each turn. 

It is possible to play Pokemon without energy cards, but that requires a specific the Gyarados deck to play without requiring any energy cards. The trainer cards use fisherman, energy retrieval, and special charge cards to recover energy back from the discard pile and retreat Pokemon as well. 

Energy in the Pokémon game is represented by energy cards classified into two types: basic and special energy cards.

Basic Energy Cards 

Form a collection of nine energy cards with the same printed type as the Pokémon. They are the only cards a player can have more than four copies of in their respective decks. 

Typically, basic cards provide one printed type of energy. Basic cards are used for any energy because there’s no single basic card with one colorless energy.

Special Energy Cards 

Are a type of energy card that provides more than one energy for a precise purpose. They provide additional effects, not only provision of energy, such as healing the Pokémon after being attacked, damaging their attack, and providing different types of energy at the same time. 

Unlike the basic cards, a player cannot have more than four sets of special energy cards in their deck.

What happens to energy cards after the attack?

The energy cards stay attached to the Pokémon after the attack unless the attack says otherwise. Before its use in the attack, the respective energy card must have the required amount that necessary for the attack. 

However, a player doesn’t have to discard those energy cards for them to attack. 

In each turn, the player can draw one card from the deck that is shuffled and can use the card to attack the opponent. When the active Pokémon used in the attack dies off, the opponent can discard the energy card from the player’s hand or even the bench.

How many energy cards are in the Pokémon cards?

Pokémon trading cards provide 11 main types of energy card, and each one provides a different power and attack that can be used with your winning strategy. Here are the different types of energy available in the game:

  • Grass: The energy cards provides an attack that heals themself, and also leaves the opponent poisoned.
  • Fire: This type of energy card attacks big, but their attack requires time to build. It leaves the opponent burned.
  • Psychic: These energy card provides special powers leaving their opponent asleep, confused, and poisoned.
  • Metal: The energy card resists attack for a long.
  • Darkness: The card provides a sneak attacks that force the opponent player to discard their cards.
  • Dragon: The energy card provides very strong attacks, however the cards require two energy types for the player to use them.
  • Water: The energy card manipulates energy, making the Pokémon move around on the other team.
  • Fighting: The card causes extra damage to the opponent by taking a big risk, they flip a coin to combine their hitting power.
  • Fairy: The energy card provides tricks that make the opposing Pokémon attack less effective.
  • Lighting: These energy cards bring back used energy from the discarding pile of cards. In addition, they leave the opponent paralyzed and unable to move.
  • Colorless: The cards provide different moves, and they work with any energy.

How to use energy Pokémon cards

In order to use energy Pokemon cards, take an energy card from your hand and put it under the active Pokemon or one of the benched Pokemon to indicate that this is Energy it can use. However, you can only attach energy card just once per turn. 

If you have a great assortment of energy card options, starting off the game by using energy Pokemon cards can help you win the battlefield easily and smoothly secure a victory. 

These energy cards offer power to the Pokemon attacks and abilities, provide attacks to heal and leave the opponent poisoned. Attacking with special powers will make the other player’s Pokemon confused and remain asleep so they cannot see the attack or even remain paralyzed.

With proper usage, the energy card can cause bigger damage to the opponent in an effective way. 

How to play Pokémon with energy cards

Verify the energy card in question has enough energy to match up to the energy required for the attack. Attach the energy cards under the active Pokémon to power the Pokémon’s attacks and abilities. 

After identifying the Pokemon energy cards, take the energy card depending on the symbol of the attack cost from the hand or the benched Pokémon. 

In turn, a player is only allowed to use one energy card. A player has to match the symbol of the attack cost and the energy card. 

If a player needs to retreat the active Pokémon played by the energy card, the player has to discard the energy card attached, which must be equal to the retreat cost written in the right-hand corner. 

Once the Pokémon retreats to the players bench, it keeps its energy card.

How to play Pokemon with energy cards

Playing Pokemon With Energy Cards: Conclusion 

Pokemon energy cards play an important role when it comes to attacking opponent’s Pokemon. It uses special powers to poison, paralyze, or cause damage to the opponent.

Once the energy card is used to attach to a Pokemon, it stays attached to the Pokemon the rest of the time. 

There are 11 different types of energy cards that you can play with ranging from grass to colorless. Each type of energy card offers the player the chance to use special powers to attack the other player’s Pokemon. 

Any energy card is only allowed to be used once in turn, therefore you cannot apply multiple energy cards to your active and benched Pokemon all at once. 

In order to use energy card in Pokemon, the card must match the symbol of the attack cost, and also have the energy requirements for the attack before it is used to power the Pokémon.  

There you have it! Use energy cards wisely to win the Pokemon battle. Learn each cards’ special ability and power so you have clear idea how to use them and which Pokemon pairs best with specific type of energy.

Sharing is caring!