How to play Pokémon Trading Card Game

 

How To Play the Pokémon Trading Card Game

Your kids have watched the shows and movies, collected toys, plush and figures, and may even have a stash of these cards in drawers and across tables around the house. There comes an eventual time where kids want to give the game a shot, and it is absolutely doable! But first, you've got to teach them. And before that, and I can't impress upon you enough the weight of this...

You've got to learn. Sorry. It's the way around it works. Unless you're like us, and your child learned through another channel, like my son learned through amazing staff at a local table top gaming store.

And then what happened? He wanted me to play at home too. Which I was up for because frankly it looks a lot of fun and nerds are gunna nerd.

Now, I'm here to bestow upon thee, a guide of sorts, a simple step by step of where to look and how to manage it. 

Get a Starter Deck:

Begin by acquiring a Pokémon TCG starter deck. These are pre-constructed decks that are perfect for beginners. These are not the booster packs you find in the shops for £3.99. Look for the word 'deck.' There are lots of variations and themes that get released.

Learn Card Types:

Understand the different types of cards: Pokémon, Trainer,  and Energy cards.

Pokémon cards represent the creatures you'll use in battles.

Trainer cards have various effects and can be used once per turn.

Energy cards are attached to Pokémon to power their attacks.

Setup:

Each player starts with a deck of 60 cards, which will be a mix of all card types. Most decks also come with a mat which indicates the placements of where the cards go.

Draw 7 cards from your deck to form your shuffled deck. Go through your hand and look for at least one Basic Pokémon (this is indicated with the word Basic in the corner of your card.) Place it in the Active Centre point. You can put up to 5 other Basic Pokémon cards in the bench area. 

Pull another 6 cards from your deck and place in another area beside you. These are your prize cards. No peeking! When your opponents centre Pokémon is defeated, you pick up a prize card.

Put your hand (that is not on the bench) in another spot, and place the rest of your deck in a clear spot. Be prepared to form a discard pile too. All of these areas are indicated on the map that comes with a deck pack.

Your Active and Benched cards can face upright, but the rest must all be face down. You can look at your hand of other cards, but keep it discreet!

Turn Sequence:

Each turn consists of three phases: Draw, Play, and Attack.

Draw: Begin by drawing one card from your deck. If it is a Basic Pokémon, you can place it on your bench. If it is an Energy card, you can add it to a relevant Pokémon of the same type that needs it. But keep any item, trainer or evolved Pokémon cards in your hand for a move down the line.

Play: 

- A lot of Pokemon have abilities listed on their cards that can be used to some effect without using up your attack opportunity. You can still attack even if you use an ability.

- An opportunity to use Trainer cards from your hand. These types of cards are super helpful and are categorized as Items, Supporters, Tools and Stadiums. During your turn you can use as many Item and Tool cards as you want, but only 1 Stadium or Supporter. Don't forget to discard them after you use them! A Tool card can go onto a Pokémon (1 per Pokémon typically) and they stay with it until that Pokémon is defeated. All of these Trainer cards have clear instructions on them in how they can used generally.

- If you happen to have a Stage 1 Pokémon card of a benched Basic (essentially, first 'generation') Pokémon, or Active Basic Pokémon, you can add that card on top of it as your play move. Later, you can evolve it into a Stage 2 if the Pokémon evolves again and you happen upon that card in your hand after a draw at the beginning of your turn. Note, you can't evolve a Pokémon on your first turn, and nor, if it is the Basic Pokémon's first turn in Active place centred.

Attack: If you have enough Energy attached to your Active Pokémon, you can use its attacks to damage your opponent's Pokémon when centred to play.

Attacking:

Check the Energy requirements on your Pokémon's attacks.

You must have the required Energy cards attached to your Pokémon to use its attack. 

Some attacks call for 'colourless' energy which is indicated on the cards by little white stars and this means you can use any type of energy card.

Many Pokémon cards are resilient against a type or weak against a type. You'll see this on the card. So if you're that type and make an attack, you'll typically give less damage, usually marked on the card as -20 or similar. If the Pokémon is weak to your type, you may give double the damage indicated as x2 or similar, and vice versa against your Pokémon.

There are some abilities that cause different damage costs too, so look out for those on your cards!

Declare your attack, apply damage to the opponent's Pokémon using the counters and subtract any damage counters.

Retreat and Switch:

You can switch your Active Pokémon with one from your Bench during your turn. You might do this if you feel a better Pokémon would suit the fight against your opponent.

Pay the Retreat Cost (usually Energy) to do so and is marked on the card. 

Winning:

Win by either knocking out all your opponent's Pokémon (they have no Bench left) or collecting all of your Prize Cards by defeating your opponent's Pokémon.

Special Abilities and GX Moves:

Some Pokémon have special abilities, and GX Pokémon have powerful GX moves that you can use once per game.

End of Turn:

At the end of your turn, if you have more than 7 cards in your hand, you must discard down to 7.

Trading and Deck Building:

As you become more familiar with the game, you can trade cards with other players and build custom decks.

Practice and Learn:

Practice with your kids or other friends. It is addictive, I promise! If i can get the hang of it, then you definitely can!

Remember that this is a basic guide, and the Pokémon TCG can have more complex rules and strategies as you delve deeper into the game. Have fun, and may your Pokémon battles be exciting and strategic!