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Pokémon Trading Card Game Rules

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Trading card rules in Pokémon games help a player understand everything they need to know about how to play Pokèmon game whether for two players or solo. Together with items and allies that help a player in adventures, the Pokémon deck dictates the direction of your gameplay. 

What are the basic game rule for Pokèmon? Any Pokèmon other than the Active Pokèmon must be put on the Bench. Each player draws seven cards at the start of the game and keep them hidden in their hand.

The game continues for players to take turns and draw a card. Put Basic Pokèmon cards from the hand onto the Bench or attach Energy cards to your Pokèmon as play progresses. 

Additionally, play trainer cards to retreat Active Pokèmon from attack to end your turn. 

The trading card game is strategically designed, and it uses collectible cards that allow each player to customize the game based on their deck. 

If you would like to learn how to play the game, use the Trainer kit, a ready-to-play 30 cards deck that walks a player through the game step by step. Afterward, a player uses a theme deck to have new experiences with customized decks featuring unique strategies.

Once the player is ready to play after properly setting up, the player can build a collection of cards that entail a Pokémon booster pack. They can trade with friends who have stronger Pokémon to collect favorite cards with varying abilities.

From general basic to advance level, the rules are simple but become more complex as your progress in skill level.

In this article, we are going to help you understand different types of Energy cards and how to read cards more effectively. Answered below are frequently asked questions with step by step instruction for setup, gameplay, and how to win a Pokèmon card game.

What are the rules for the Pokémon card game?

The concept of Pokèmon trading card game is that you are battling with your opponent for Prize cards to win. However, there are specific rules that need to be followed to fairly win the game. 

  • Each player has up to six Pokémon on the battlefield.
  • Any Pokémon retreated to the bench lose their special powers.
  • Player is allowed to use one energy card per turn.
  • Pokémon knock out the opposing Pokémon through attacks and abilities powered by energy cards.
  • When a player plays a trainer card, the player must obey the rule indicated on the card.
  • A retreated active Pokémon must be discarded from the energy card.
  • When building a Pokémon deck, the player’s deck should have an aggregate of exactly 60 cards.
  • No cards from the player’s deck collection should have more than four cards with the same name except the basic energy cards.
  • The energy cards attached should match the energy cost symbol.
  • Never use one card of any type, instead use at least two or three cards for each card type.
  • Colorless energy cards are used to power an attack.
  • At the start of any Pokémon game, each player draws seven cards. If you don’t draw a basic Pokemon, then shuffle and redraw once again.

What parts of Pokémon card do exist?

There are two main parts of a Pokémon card exist that every player needs to be aware of which are Heal Points and Stage. 

Each card indicates the Pokémon type, either a Trainer or Energy card, card name written on top. For instance, poke ball, expansion symbol, and collector card number.

Heal Points (HP) are part of the Pokémon card that indicate the Pokémon energy battle. It indicates if the Pokémon card attack, the point the attack is worth, which deducts the Heal points. 

If the Pokémon gets attacked and loses all the Heal points, then the Pokémon get knocked out, and it’s sent into the discard pile together with the energy cards attached to it.

Stage indicates the evolution form a Pokémon takes. If a card has two stages, stages 1 and 2, it means a card is an evolved card type. 

What types of energy cards are there?

There are two types of energy cards in a Pokémon game: basic energy cards and special energy cards.

Basic energy cards are 9 energy cards that share the same printed type with a Pokémon, and a player is allowed to have more than four copies in their deck. 

Generally, these cards provide only one of their printed types of energy. There are no basic cards that provide one colorless energy used as any energy. 

Examples of basic energy cards include; grass, fire, water, lighting, darkness, psychic, fighting, metal, and fairy energy cards.

Unlike the basic energy cards, special energy cards provide more than one energy of a particular type. Besides energy, they also provide additional effects such as healing damaged Pokémon, damaging opponent Pokémon and providing different energies simultaneously. 

The player cannot have more than 4 special energy cards in a deck, unlike the basic cards. Examples of special energy cards include double colorless and rainbow energy cards.

How to setup the Pokémon trading card game?

Prior to starting the game, properly setting up the Pokèmon trading card is completely necessary. 

Players grab and shuffle their deck. The deck should contain at least 60 cards, with 20 to 30 energy cards to allow the player to successfully attack. 

Each player should draw 7 cards from the deck. Energy cards, items cards, trainer cards, and stadium cards are played on the hand. If a player doesn’t have at least one basic Pokemon card, the deck is reshuffled. 

Take turns to draw and put down prizes of their respective cards, which is done by drawing cards from the deck without the player looking at them. 

All prize cards are placed at the far corner of the player’s deck facing downwards.

Put down the Active Pokémon, the Basic Pokémon are used as Active Pokémon if there’s any at hand.

Players should place down their benched Pokémon. If any Pokémon are still in hand, the player should place them underneath the active Pokémon on the bench.

Any used items, damaged Pokémon with their attached energy, supporter and stadium need to discard on the discard pile.

There you have it! Now, you can be able to start the game knowing that everything is properly setup.

How to play the Pokemon game

After setting up the arena, the opponent and you are ready to play the game. 

Players start by shaking their hands, and they flip a coin to know which player will start first.

Both players flip the basic Pokémon face-up to reveal all of their starting basic Pokémon. On each turn, players draw a card from the deck.

Each player may perform the following as many times as possible on their turn:

  • Play the Pokémon.
  • Attaching the Pokémon with an energy card that should match with the cost symbol.
  • Evolve a Pokémon.
  • Play a trainer card.
  • Use Pokémon ability.
  • Retreat active Pokémon. 

The order of these activities does not matter. 

A player can use active Pokémon to attack the opponent player’s Pokémon to end the player’s turn.

If an active Pokémon is knocked out during the game, the Pokémon and its attached energy card is placed in the discard pile, Then, the player chooses another Pokémon from the bench to become the new active Pokémon in the game.

How to win Pokémon card game

In the card game, your Pokèmon will battle the opponent’s Pokèmon. The first player to take all the Prize cards wins. In addition, if your opponent has no Pokèmon left in play or no cards left to draw at their turn, you are the winner of this game. 

Furthermore, there are 3 ways to win the game:

  • Players who take all their prize cards first win the game.
  • Knock out all of other player’s Pokemon in play. 
  • No card is left for the opponent to draw at the start of a turn, then the player wins.
Quick Pokemon trading card game rules

Pokemon Card Game Rules: Conclusion 

From setting up to ways to win, there are loads of game rules to learn about in Pokèmon. Don’t let that overwhelm you, the game itself is straightforward and easy to jump in at any age or skill level. 

The objective of the game is to either take all the Prize cards, knock out all opponent’s Pokèmon, or if there is no card left to draw. 

Building a deck is important in any trading card game, and the ability to read what each card means is a high priority.

There are 2 types of energy cards, basic and special energy cards. These cards can pair up with your Pokèmon to attack and possibly knock out and opponent. 

To start the game, each player should have a deck of 60 cards, with half being energy cards. It is advisable to use a basic energy card with an Active Pokémon if there’s any at hand at the beginning of the game.

Take turns and choose actions to play or evolve your Pokèmon, pairing with energy card, play a trainer card, use Pokemon ability, or retreat an active Pokèmon to the bench. There are many ways to strategize within the gameplay, so use these game rules to maximize your chance of winning.

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