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Pokémon Trading Card Game

Head-to-head tactical combat where trainers use elemental Energy to evolve Pokémon, trigger abilities, execute attacks, and claim 6 Prize Cards.

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Select Game Wiki: Pokémon Yu-Gi-Oh! Magic One Piece
1. Overview 2. Card Anatomy 3. Turn Sequence 4. Matchplay 5. Deck Ratios 6. Card Encyclopedia 7. Eras Timeline 8. Rarity Scale
1

Overview & Victory Conditions

Pokémon Trading Card Game is played in a structured 1-on-1 match between two players adhering to official tournament rulebooks. A match concludes when any player triggers an official victory condition.

Victory Method Tournament Requirement Rule Type
Take 6 Prize Cards Whenever you Knock Out an opponent's Pokémon, claim 1 Prize Card (2 for Pokémon ex/V, 3 for Pokémon VMAX). First to take all 6 wins. Primary
No Benched Pokémon Remaining If an opponent's Active Pokémon is Knocked Out and they have no Pokémon on their Bench to promote to the Active Spot, you immediately win. Board Wipe
Deck Out (Empty Deck) If your opponent has 0 cards left in their deck at the beginning of their turn when required to draw, they immediately lose. Attrition
2

Visual Card Anatomy & Geometry

Interactive diagram representing official tournament card geometry, rule text zones, and collector authentication marks. Hover or click any numbered badge to highlight its exact location.

1
Stage 2 Charizard ex
2 330 HP
Tera Dark Crystal Form Illus. AKIRA EGAWA
3
Infernal Reign

When you play this Pokémon from hand to evolve 1 of your Pokémon, search your deck for up to 3 Basic Fire Energy cards and attach them to your Pokémon in any way you like.

4
Burning Darkness 180+

Does 30 more damage for each Prize card your opponent has taken.

5
W: Grass x2 Retreat: [2C]
6 151 Special Set #199/165 (Hyper Rare)
Interactive diagram showing standardized rule zones.
1

Card Name & Stage Hierarchy

Top Left Header

Identifies the Pokémon and its evolution stage. Basic Pokémon enter play directly; Stage 1 and Stage 2 must evolve over previous forms in play for at least one turn.

2

Hit Points (HP) & Elemental Typing

Top Right Header

Defines maximum damage capacity before Knockout. Elemental symbol determines Energy affinity, Weakness vulnerabilities, and attack synergy.

3

Special Rulebox / Pokémon Ability

Upper Effect Zone

Abilities trigger outside attacks (passively or on-command). Ruleboxes like "ex Rule" impose prize penalties: when Knocked Out, opponent claims 2 Prize Cards instead of 1.

4

Attack Name, Energy Cost & Damage

Center Combat Area

Declaring an attack requires attached Energy matching stated costs. Attacks deal base damage plus conditional bonus multipliers described in the text.

5

Weakness, Resistance & Retreat Cost

Lower Combat Bar

Weakness doubles incoming damage from opposing types. Resistance reduces damage (typically -30). Retreat specifies Energy to discard to swap to Bench.

6

Collector Set Code, Number & Rarity Mark

Bottom Border

Authoritative indexing data including expansion symbol, card number (#199/165), rarity symbol, illustrator credit, and tournament regulation letter mark (e.g. "G").

3

Official Turn Sequence & Timing Windows

Tournament rules mandate a strict chronological phase pipeline. Each phase governs legal play windows, priority passes, and triggered effects.

Phase Name Permitted Actions Timing Constraints & Rules
1. Draw Phase Mandatory
Draw exactly 1 card from top of your deck. Cannot pass this action. If 0 cards remain in deck when drawn, you immediately lose (Deck Out).
2. Main Phase Free Sequence
Evolve Pokémon, bench Basic Pokémon (up to 5), attach 1 Energy from hand, play Items (unlimited), play 1 Supporter, play 1 Stadium, retreat Active Pokémon, use Abilities. Maximum 1 Energy attach from hand per turn; maximum 1 Supporter per turn; maximum 1 Stadium in play globally.
3. Attack & End Turn Conclusion
Declare 1 attack with Active Pokémon (Energy requirements must be met). Apply Weakness/Resistance, place damage counters, check for Knockouts, take Prize Cards. Attacking ends your turn immediately. Player going first cannot attack on Turn 1.
4

Live Matchplay Walkthrough & Damage Math

Board State Setup

You start Turn 3 with Charmeleon active (90 HP, 1 Fire Energy attached) and Charmander on your Bench. Opponent has taken 2 Prize Cards and has an active Chien-Pao ex (220 HP).

1

Draw Phase: Draw 1 card from your 60-card deck.

2

Evolution: Play Charizard ex from hand onto your Active Charmeleon.

3

Ability Trigger: Activate "Infernal Reign" — search deck for 3 Fire Energy; attach 1 to Active Charizard ex and 2 to Benched Charmander. Shuffle deck.

4

Trainer Play: Play "Boss's Orders" Supporter to switch opponent's Benched engine, or keep Chien-Pao active.

5

Attack Declaration: Declare "Burning Darkness" (requires 2 Fire Energy). Base damage is 180 + (30 x 2 opponent prizes taken) = 240 damage.

6

Knockout & Prize: 240 damage exceeds Chien-Pao ex's 220 HP. Chien-Pao is Knocked Out; you claim 2 Prize Cards from your face-down Prize pool!

5

Deck Construction & Ratios

Standard Tournament Constraint 60 Cards (Max 4 copies of any card by name, except Basic Energy)
Category Target Count Strategic Function & Essential Staples
Pokémon 12 – 18 Cards Balanced line of Basic starters (3-4 copies) and core Stage 1/2 attackers or support engines (e.g. Bibarel, Pidgeot ex).
Trainers 28 – 36 Cards Supporters for consistent card draw (Professor's Research, Iono), Items for search (Ultra Ball, Nest Ball), and Stadiums for battlefield control.
Energy 8 – 14 Cards Combination of Basic Energy matching your attackers and special acceleration cards (Double Turbo Energy).
6

Key Cards & Utility Encyclopedia

10 Reference Cards Cataloged
Card Name Category Strategic Role Official Effect & Ruling
Ultra Ball
Item Search Engine Discard 2 cards from your hand to search your deck for any Pokémon (Basic or Evolution) and put it into your hand.
Nest Ball
Item Bench Search Search your deck for a Basic Pokémon and put it directly onto your Bench. Essential for rapid setup.
Rare Candy
Item Evolution Skip Evolve 1 of your in-play Basic Pokémon directly into a Stage 2 Pokémon from hand, skipping Stage 1 entirely.
Super Rod
Item Resource Recovery Shuffle up to 3 in any combination of Pokémon and Basic Energy cards from your discard pile into your deck.
Switch / Prime Catcher
Item / ACE SPEC Mobility Switch your Active Pokémon with 1 of your Benched Pokémon without paying its Retreat Cost.
Professor's Research
Supporter Hand Refresh Discard your hand and draw 7 fresh cards from your deck. Foundational draw supporter across all eras.
Boss's Orders
Supporter Gust Target Switch 1 of your opponent's Benched Pokémon to the Active Spot to target vulnerable engines or close out prize cards.
Iono
Supporter Disruption & Draw Both players shuffle their hands to the bottom of their decks, then draw cards equal to their remaining Prize Cards.
Artazon / Town Store
Stadium Battlefield Once during each player's turn, search the deck for a Basic Pokémon without a Rule Box and place it on the Bench.
Choice Belt / Maximum Belt
Pokémon Tool Damage Boost Attaches to a Pokémon. Attacks do +30 or +50 additional damage to opposing Pokémon V or Pokémon ex.
7

Expansion Eras & Timeline

Era / Generation Timeline Tag Landmark Expansions Signature Mechanics & Cards
Kanto (Gen 1) Original & 151 Base Set, Jungle, Fossil, Team Rocket, Scarlet & Violet 151 Charizard, Blastoise, Venusaur, Pikachu, Mewtwo
Johto (Gen 2) Neo & HeartGold Neo Genesis, Neo Discovery, Neo Revelation, Neo Destiny Lugia, Ho-Oh, Tyranitar, Umbreon, Espeon, Celebi
Hoenn (Gen 3) EX Era & Delta Species EX Ruby & Sapphire, EX Holon Phantoms, EX Dragon Frontiers Rayquaza, Kyogre, Groudon, Metagross, Blaziken, Chimecho δ
Sinnoh (Gen 4) Diamond & Pearl / Platinum Diamond & Pearl, Secret Wonders, Platinum, Supreme Victors Giratina, Dialga, Palkia, Garchomp, Lucario, Darkrai
Unova (Gen 5) Black & White Black & White, Dark Explorers, Plasma Storm, Legendary Treasures Reshiram, Zekrom, Kyurem, Zoroark, Mewtwo EX
Kalos (Gen 6) XY & Mega Evolutions XY Base, Flashfire, Phantom Forces, Roaring Skies, Evolutions Mega Charizard EX, Greninja, Xerneas, Yveltal, Rayquaza EX
Alola (Gen 7) Sun & Moon & Tag Team Sun & Moon, Ultra Prism, Team Up, Unbroken Bonds, Hidden Fates Reshiram & Charizard GX, Pikachu & Zekrom GX, Solgaleo, Lunala
Galar (Gen 8) Sword & Shield (VMAX / VSTAR) Sword & Shield, Shining Fates, Evolving Skies, Brilliant Stars, Crown Zenith Umbreon VMAX Alt Art, Rayquaza VMAX, Charizard VSTAR, Giratina V Alt Art
Paldea (Gen 9) Scarlet & Violet (Tera ex) Scarlet & Violet, Paldea Evolved, Obsidian Flames, 151, Twilight Masquerade, Surging Sparks Charizard ex Tera, Chien-Pao ex, Ogerpon ex, Terapagos ex, Pikachu ex
8

Collector Rarity Scale & Holo Finishes

Rarity Classification Symbol / Mark Holographic Treatment & Collector Rarity
Common & Uncommon Circle / Diamond Foundational non-holo singles and reverse-holo variants across every booster pack.
Rare & Double Rare (RR) Single / Double Star Standard foil rares and textured Pokémon ex cards featuring full card portraits.
Illustration Rare (IR) Single Gold Star Full-bleed story illustrations depicting the Pokémon in its natural biome. High collector liquidity.
Special Illustration Rare (SIR) Two Gold Stars Premier chase tier. Textured holographic full-art cards featuring legendary creatures and key Supporters.
Hyper Rare (Gold UR) Three Gold Stars Gilded border finish with etched gold foiling covering the entirety of the card surface.