The easiest way into the Palworld card game is one of each Dawn of Palpagos trial deck: two ready-to-play 60-card decks that two people can open and play straight away. After that, booster packs and singles turn a trial deck into your own deck. This guide covers what to buy first, how a Palworld deck is put together, and where to play in the UK.
Want the full rules, turn by turn? Our how to play Palworld TCG guide walks through setup, battles and the damage check. This page is the step before: what to get, and how to start building.
In this article
01 · The basics
What is the Palworld card game?
The Palworld OFFICIAL CARD GAME is a two-player trading card game from Bushiroad, based on Pocketpair's monster-taming survival game Palworld. It launched worldwide on 30 July 2026. You build a base of Pals, put them to work at Structures, and attack to take your opponent's life from 10 down to 0. Every card has brand-new artwork drawn for the card game.
Souls are the resource: you get two more every turn up to ten, and they all stand back up at the start of your turn. Lucky Pals are the twist. When you take damage you flip cards off your deck, and a Lucky icon on any of them cancels the whole hit.
02 · Shopping list
What should I buy first for the Palworld card game?
03 · Choosing
Red-Blue or Green-Purple: which trial deck?
Bushiroad's own advice: if overpowering your opponent is your style, start with Red-Blue. If you prefer to play strategically and plan ahead, Green-Purple is the better fit. Here's what that looks like on the cards.
Red-Blue: big hitters and direct damage
Images: Bushiroad / ©PALWORLD
Grizzbolt (cost 7, 1600 Power, Strike 4) has Assault, so it can attack standing Pals. Blazamut deals 1000 damage to a Pal when it arrives, and Single-Shot Rifle deals 1500. Elphidran Aqua on the Blue side draws two cards and puts one back on top of your deck.
Green-Purple: walls, sneaky attackers and removal
Images: Bushiroad / ©PALWORLD
Broncherry is a 1500-Power Lucky Pal with Taunt, so your opponent has to deal with it first. Felbat has Stealth and gains you a life whenever it attacks. Strike from the Darkness puts any Pal straight into the graveyard for 4 Souls.
04 · Deck building
Palworld TCG deck-building rules
| Rule | Limit |
|---|---|
| Main deck | Exactly 50 cards |
| Colours | Up to 2 colours. Colourless cards can go in any deck |
| Copies | Up to 4 cards with the same card name |
| Lucky cards | Up to 8 cards with the Lucky icon |
| Soul Deck | 10 Soul cards, kept separate from the 50 |
"Same card name" means the full name. A parallel and a regular copy of the same card share a name, so they count together towards the four. And the Lucky limit is the one that bites: every Lucky Pal is a shield in the damage check, but many of them cost 7 or 8.
05 · Pacing
The Soul curve: why cheap cards matter
You can only spend the Souls you have, and they arrive two a turn. The player going second starts with one extra.
| Your turn | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Going first | 2 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 10 |
| Going second | 3 | 5 | 7 | 9 | 10 |
So an 8-cost Pal like Blazamut can't land before your fourth turn if you went first. A deck full of 7s and 8s does very little for three turns, while a deck of 2s, 3s and 4s is already working and attacking. Count your cheap cards before you count your big ones.
06 · Next steps
How to upgrade your first Palworld deck
07 · Collecting
Rarities, parallels and the 2nd Edition II mark
Booster cards come in four base rarities, RR, R, U and C, and Dawn of Palpagos adds 61 parallel versions on top of its 100 card types. Trial decks have their own parallels, the Trial Deck Super Rare (TSR) and Trial Deck Super Parallel (TSP), with one in every Dawn of Palpagos trial deck and two in each Eternal Ascent deck.
Bushiroad scheduled a 2nd Edition of Dawn of Palpagos to ship in late October. Every 2nd Edition card has a small Roman numeral II in the bottom right corner, next to the copyright line. It plays exactly the same, so for decks it doesn't matter which you have. For collectors, the II is how you tell the printings apart.
08 · Events
Where to play the Palworld card game in the UK
Official events run through Bushiroad's Bushi Navi app: you register for tournaments there, and some events need a deck log. The official site's Shops page lists stores near you.
Bushiroad also runs demo sessions at stores and events through the year, with demo decks provided, so you can learn without buying anything. Check the official events page for the next one near you.
09 · Our take
Our take: the best way to start
Our take
Buy both trial decks and play each other. It's the cheapest complete two-player setup, everything in the boxes works together, and you learn both play styles before you spend on boosters.
Then add boosters slowly. Palworld rewards a sensible Soul curve more than a pile of rare 8-costs, and a few well-chosen singles will improve a trial deck faster than opening a box looking for one card.
- ✓You want a game to play with a friend: two trial decks and you're set
- ✓You love the video game: every card has new artwork of Pals you know
- ✓You like quick rules to learn: two colours, one resource, and a damage check that keeps games close
- ✕You only want to collect one Pal: buy the single rather than chasing it in packs
- ✕You want the new Legendary cards straight away: add Legends Awaken boosters to a trial deck, don't start with them alone
10 · FAQ
Palworld TCG beginner FAQ
What is the best way to start the Palworld card game?
How many cards are in a Palworld deck?
How many colours can a Palworld deck use?
How many copies of a card can I play?
Is there a Palworld starter deck?
Do Palworld trial decks come with a booster pack?
Where can I play Palworld TCG in the UK?
Sources
- Bushiroad, For Beginners
- Bushiroad, Quick Manual (deck construction rules), rules as of 27 June 2026
- Bushiroad, Comprehensive Rules ver. 1.00, 30 July 2026
- Bushiroad, Trial Deck "Dawn of Palpagos Red・Blue"
- Bushiroad, Booster Pack "Dawn of Palpagos"
- Bushiroad, Announcements from Bushiroad English Conference Spring 2026, 2 May 2026
- Bushiroad, Reprint Announcement Updates, 4 September 2026
- Bushiroad, Shop Tournaments
- Bushiroad, Masters League 26/27
Card images and product renders: Bushiroad, ©PALWORLD. Trial deck and booster box photos: Collector's Edge product images.