So you want to learn how to play Pokémon cards? You’re in luck. This guide explains how to play the Pokémon TCG, from the game’s key rules to its turn phases – and offers all the info you need to get started with Pokémon cards, whether you’re playing online or on the tabletop.
The Pokémon TCG rules are a little lighter on complexity and synergy than trading card games like Magic: The Gathering or Yu-Gi-Oh, but it has more tactical and strategic elements than first meet the eye. Fans of the Pokémon franchise, regardless of age, will delight in this game’s ability to capture both the spirit and theme of the anime.
If you’re already deep in the world of Pokémon, you might try our guides to the very best Pokémon cards (many of which are among the strongest Pokémon cards and most rare Pokémon cards). We can also point you to the best Pokémon decks, Pokémon booster boxes, and Pokémon TCG expansions.
If you’re a primarily mobile trainer, we can also tell you all about the latest digital platform for play, Pokémon TCG Live. Or, you can check out our sister site Pocket Tactics’ guide to the latest Pokémon Go promo codes.
Otherwise, let’s get straight into that long grass and meet some wild Pokémon!
- How to start playing Pokémon cards
- How to set up the Pokémon TCG
- Pokémon TCG turn phases
- How to evolve Pokémon in the Pokémon TCG
- How do you win in the Pokémon TCG?
- Next Steps
How to start playing Pokémon cards
You can start playing Pokémon cards two different ways: in person, with physical cards; or digitally, on your PC, phone, or tablet.
We’ll cover both digital and physical play, and take a tour through all the basic rules and tactics, as well as dropping some sage tips on which sets and decks might be best to pick up as a new player.
Let’s begin with the quickest, most accessible path into Pokémon cards:
Pokémon TCG Live
With the Pokémon TCG Live release date on June 8, 2023, this online game is now the easiest way to get started playing Pokémon cards. You simply need to head to the official Pokémon website and download the Mac or Windows version, or for mobile users, locate it on the iOS or Google Play Store.
Don’t worry too much if you’ve already got a login for Pokémon TCG Online, though – as you can transfer your account to the new platform, bringing over the majority of your card collection.
Physical Pokémon cards
The digital route is by no means the only way to get into the Pokémon TCG. Physical Pokémon cards are great fun to collect, and the game is easy to learn, even without a digital tutorial holding your hand. The Pokémon TCG website offers new players a How to Play series of videos. They are quick, easy to understand and will have you up and running within minutes.
The best way to start your physical Pokémon TCG journey is by purchasing a Battle Deck—as of the Sword and Shield expansion, theme decks have been replaced by V Battle Decks. These products are a little more helpful to newer players, as they include V type Pokémon, which are prevalent in modern decks. Battle decks can still be redeemed online.
However, as of writing, they do not seem to be legal in online Theme format sanctioned events. If you are playing with a partner or a youngster, you might also consider getting a ‘vs’ Battle Pack, which includes two Battle Decks that can be used against each other.
Battle Decks offer new players a relatively low-cost way to try out the game. Each battle deck includes a ready-to-play 60 card deck, rule book, playmat, damage counters, metallic coin (as some cards require a coin toss to activate card abilities/attacks), and a deck box to store your cards.
These decks will not win you a tournament, and will struggle against another player who has constructed their own deck.
However, they are good for casual play, especially against other people who also bring a Battle Deck to the table. If you have a group of friends, buy a few different decks, shuffle up and start playing.
And, despite not being the most competitive decks available, these products can provide useful support cards that’ll come in handy if you later decide to build your own Standard or Expanded format legal deck. Essentially, these are a cost-effective way to see if you like the game, while also retaining some incidental use if you decide to keep playing.
So: now you know what you need to start playing the Pokémon TCG – let’s take a look at the basic rules.
How to set up the Pokémon TCG
To set up the Pokémon TCG, players shuffle their 60-card deck and draw a hand of seven cards. Each player then places a Basic-level Pokémon (identified in the top left hand corner of a card), face down. This is their active Pokémon, which can battle and take damage.
If a player does not have a Basic-level Pokémon available, they must reveal their hand to their opponent, shuffle their cards back into their deck, and draw seven new cards. This is called a mulligan. Each time a mulligan is performed, the opposite player may elect to draw an extra card. Players can then place up to five Basic-level Pokémon, face down, onto their bench area. Next, players draw another six cards from the top of their deck and place them face down to the side of the play area. These are your Prize Cards.
Finally, players flip a coin to determine who will go first, and then flip their active and benched Pokémon face up. The first player now begins their turn – but, importantly, the first player cannot attack on their first turn, and neither player can evolve a Pokémon on their first turn.
Pokémon TCG turn phases
Each turn consists of three phases:
Phase 1: Draw a card.
Phase 2: You can do any of the following, in any order:
- Place any number of basic Pokémon from your hand onto the bench in a face up position. Your bench can have a maximum of five Pokémon placed at once.
- Evolve your Pokémon. There are Basic, Stage 1, Stage 2 and Vmax Pokémon available in the game. Each evolution card details the Pokémon it evolves from in the upper-left hand corner of the card. You can evolve as many Pokémon as you want in a turn. However, you may only level up a Pokémon one stage per turn.
- Attach an Energy card from your hand onto any Pokémon. Only one energy card may be attached to a Pokémon per turn.
- Play Trainer cards. These cards represent the items, supporters, and stadiums a Trainer can use in battle. They allow you to heal Pokémon, draw more cards and do special actions (such as switch your active Pokémon with a benched Pokémon). You may only play one Supporter card and one Stadium card per turn.
- Retreat/swap your active Pokémon with a benched Pokémon. Each Pokémon must have the requisite number of energy attached to it (the retreat cost), in order to activate. The retreat cost can be found in the bottom right-hand corner of a creature card. You may only retreat one Pokémon per turn.
- Use a Pokémon’s abilities (as listed in red on a card). You can use any number of abilities per turn.
Phase 3: Attack, using one of your active Pokémon’s attacks. To use a Pokémon’s attack, you need to have enough Energy attached to meet the printed cost. Note that, unless otherwise specified, you don’t discard Energy after you make an attack.
Once your active Pokémon has made its attack, your turn ends. It’s now the other player’s go!
How to evolve Pokémon in the Pokémon TCG
No grinding or rare candies required when you’re playing with Pokémon cards. To evolve a Pokémon in the Pokémon TCG, you simply place the card showing the evolved form of that Pokémon on top of it. You can do this whether the Pokémon you want to evolve is in the active zone or on your bench.
You can evolve any number of Pokémon during your turn, before you attack. However, you can only evolve each Pokémon once per turn (so no going from a basic to a stage 3 in one go) and you can’t evolve a Pokémon the same turn it is played to your bench.
Evolving a Pokémon doesn’t heal it for damage, but it does remove any debilitating status conditions causing it problems, which can come in handy. Pokémon Tools or Energy cards attached to your Pokémon will stay attached when you evolve.
You’ll usually want to be evolving Pokémon in every single game you play. That’s because evolved Pokémon cards are typically much stronger, with more HP and more powerful, damaging moves. A possible exception is Pokémon EX (not to be confused with ex – though, yes, that is very confusing). These count as basic Pokémon, so don’t have to be evolved. The downside is: they award extra Prize Cards when they’re KOd.
How do you win in the Pokémon TCG?
Each time you knock out an opposing player’s Pokémon, you draw one of your six Prize Cards: the ones placed reverently to the side of the play area during setup. This the first way to win a game: the first player to take all of their prize cards wins the game.
The other two ways are:
- A player may win if their opponent has no active or benched Pokémon left in play.
- A player wins if their opponent has no cards in their deck, when they go to draw a card at the beginning of their turn.
Next Steps
Once you have some battles under your belt, and feel like delving deeper into the game, you can look into purchasing an Elite Trainer Box.
These products are a broad-based upgrade to your collection, to help with both games and building new decks – you’ll get some booster packs, Energy cards (which are used in all decks), card sleeves and condition markers (to show when a Pokémon is asleep, burned, confused, paralysed or poisoned). After that, it depends on what you want from the game.
If you want to start playing a bit more seriously, then you should find a competitive deck within the current meta (using websites such as LimitlessTCG).
You can then start buying single cards (singles), from online stores to assemble the deck. Buying singles is always cheaper, and more efficient, than trying to create a deck by opening randomised booster packs.BYou might also buy a booster box (which contains 36 booster packs). This is useful if you just want to amass a large number of random cards—at the lowest possible price per pack (or if you just want to experience the inimitable serotonin waterfall of cracking open 36 delicious foil packets full of brand new cards, one after another).
However, new players are unlikely to open all the cards they need to make a Standard legal deck this way. Ultimately, booster boxes tend to be geared towards collectors or entrenched players, as it offers them a more even distribution of cards within a set. With that all said, “cracking packs is fun” is, and always will be, a perfectly legitimate reason to buy a box. Take it from us.
So there you have it… whether you decide to play physical, digital or both, the extraordinary world of Pokémon awaits. What are you waiting for? Go grab yourself a Theme or Battle Deck, and start battling.