How to Play Pokémon Cards

At the beginning of the turn, draw a card.

Prep basic Pokémon. If you have a base Pokémon in your hand, you can place that Pokémon in the waiting queue. You can do this move as many times as you want. There are up to five Pokémon in the queue.

Use Energy cards. Each turn, you can use an Energy card by placing it below one of your Pokémon, in all its unevolved form.

Use the Item card. These cards have easy-to-understand rules of use and you can do many useful things with them. The different types of Item cards are Trainer, Supporter, and Stadium. Each turn, you can activate as many Trainer cards as you like, but only one Supporter card can be used. Once used, they will go to the discard stack. Pokémon Top is a tool card, used to attach to one of the opponent’s untagged Pokémon. The tool card will remain nearby until the Pokémon is defeated, at which point the Pokémon and all tools applied with it will be eliminated. When you use a field card, it is placed horizontally between the player’s two fields. The Stadium card remains in the match until another card discards it. There are also special Energy cards that are used to provide energy and do something special stated on the card.

Pokémon Evolution. If you have evolution cards for your active or reserve Pokémon, you can evolve them by placing that card on top of the Pokémon. Basic Pokémon will evolve to Level 1 (Stage 1), while Level 1 Pokémon will evolve to Level 2 (Stage 2). You cannot evolve a new Pokémon brought into battle by substituting them or evolving them, unless you use an effect. You also cannot evolve a Pokémon on your first turn.

Use an ability. Some Pokémon have special abilities. You can see these abilities on their cards.

Summon your Pokémon. Summoning a Pokémon is to replace it with another Pokémon from the queue. Normally, you will have to trade a summoning loss by discarding the Energy cards attached to that Pokémon. The recall cost is stated at the bottom of the card. You can only summon once per turn.

Attack the opponent. The last move you can make during your turn is to use your combat Pokémon to attack your opponent’s combat Pokémon. After attacking, your turn will end. You cannot attack on the first turn if you are ahead. This action will be further explained in the next section.

Attack. You must attach the correct amount of Energy cards (listed on the card, to the left of the attack name) to the Pokémon before you can proceed to attack.

• Some attacks require cporless energy. They are identified by white stars and can be any type of energy. Other attacks will require specific types of energy.

Pay attention to your opponent’s weaknesses. Most cards have a Weakness for a certain type of Pokémon. Your opponent’s Pokémon will take damage if your combat Pokémon is of the same type as your opponent’s weak point.

Check the opponent’s Pokémon’s resistance system. Your opponent’s Pokémon will take less damage if they have the same resistance as yours.

Deal damage. The amount of damage an attack deals will be to the right of the attack’s name. Damage is dealt to the opposing Pokémon. In the game, damage will be calculated as damage points, with every 10 damage equivalent to one damage mark. You can track damage scores using orthodox scorecards, any type of small and flat object, or dice.

Remove the defeated Pokémon. Pokémon with zero HP (Hit Points: health) will be defeated. Place them in the owner’s discard stack, along with all Energy or Item assigned to it and all evolutions (if any). Then you can get a bonus card.

Special conditions are detrimental effects that players can apply to each other’s Pokémon in battle. Includes: Burned, Poisoned, Asleep, Confused and Paralyzed. Poison, Fire, Doze, and Paralyze will affect in between turns, respectively.

Deal with Poisoned Pokémon. Place a Poison marker on the Poisoned Pokémon. It takes 1 damage between each turn.

Deal with Burned Pokémon. Place a Fire marker on the Burned Pokémon. Toss a coin in the middle of each turn. If the coin is face up, the Pokémon will not take damage. If the coin is tails, place 2 damage marks on the Burned Pokémon.

Dealing with Doze Pokémon. For Pokémon that hit the Doze condition, the cards will be rotated clockwise. Toss a coin between each turn; If the coin turns up, the Pokémon will wake up. If the coin is tails, the Pokémon continues to sleep. A Dozing Pokémon cannot attack or be summoned.

Dealing with Paralyzed Pokémon. The Paralyzed Pokémon is rotated clockwise and cannot attack or be summoned. This special condition is removed at the turn of the turn if your Pokémon has been Paralyzed since the start of your last turn.

Dealing with Disordered Pokémon. Cards of the Disordered Pokémon will be flipped upside down. Toss a coin before the attack of the Disordered Pokémon; If the coin is tails, the Pokémon is hit with three damage marks and the attack is negated. If the coin turns up, your Pokémon will successfully attack.

• If the attack includes a coin toss, toss the coin to untangle first.