How to Play the Pokémon TCG
Everything you need to know to start playing the Pokémon Trading Card Game — from opening your first pack to winning your first match.
What You'll Need to Get Started
Good news — you don't need much. The Pokémon TCG is one of the easiest card games to pick up, and a single starter product gets you everything required for your first game.
- A 60-card deck — grab a theme deck, Battle Deck, or League Battle Deck and you're sorted. These come pre-built and ready to play.
- Damage counters — small tokens to track damage on Pokémon. Dice work perfectly as a substitute.
- A coin — some attacks and Trainer cards require a coin flip. Any coin works, or use a die (odd = tails, even = heads).
- An opponent — convince a mate, bribe a sibling, or find your local Pokémon League.
💡 Pro Tip
League Battle Decks are hands-down the best value for new players. They come with a competitive-ready 60-card deck, damage counters, and a guide — all for around £15-20.
The Three Card Types
Every card in your deck falls into one of three categories. Understanding what each type does is the first step to knowing the game inside out.
Pokémon Cards
Your fighters. These are the creatures that battle it out. They have HP (health), attacks, weaknesses, and retreat costs.
Trainer Cards
Your support. Items, Supporters, Stadiums, and Tools — they let you draw cards, heal, search your deck, and bend the rules in your favour.
Energy Cards
Your fuel. Pokémon need Energy attached to them to use attacks. Match the right type of Energy to the attack cost and you're in business.
The three card types: Pokémon (left), Trainer (centre), and Energy (right)
Reading a Pokémon Card
A Pokémon card packs a lot of information into a small space. Here's what everything means:
Anatomy of a Pokémon card — every section explained
- Name & HP — top of the card. HP (Hit Points) is how much damage a Pokémon can take before it's knocked out.
- Type — shown by the symbol in the top-right corner. This tells you what kind of Pokémon it is (Fire, Water, Grass, etc.).
- Stage — Basic, Stage 1, or Stage 2. Basics can be played straight from your hand; Stage 1 and 2 need to evolve from a previous stage.
- Attacks — listed in the middle. The Energy cost is shown on the left, the damage on the right.
- Weakness & Resistance — at the bottom. Weakness means double damage from that type; Resistance means reduced damage.
- Retreat Cost — the Energy you must discard to swap your Active Pokémon for one on your Bench.
Types of Trainer Cards
Not all Trainer cards work the same way. There are four sub-types and each has its own rules:
| Trainer Type | How It Works | Limit Per Turn |
|---|---|---|
| Item | Play it, do what it says, discard it. | No limit |
| Supporter | Powerful effects — draw cards, search your deck, etc. | 1 per turn |
| Stadium | Stays in play and affects both players until replaced. | 1 per turn |
| Pokémon Tool | Attaches to a Pokémon and gives it a bonus. | No limit |
⚠️ Common Mistake
You can only play one Supporter card per turn. This is the most commonly broken rule among new players. Choose wisely — that Supporter slot is precious.
Energy Types
There are 11 types of Energy in the Pokémon TCG, each matching a Pokémon type. You'll also find Colourless Energy requirements — these can be filled by any type of Energy.
The Energy types
| Energy Type | Strong Against | Used By |
|---|---|---|
| 🌿 Grass | Water, Fighting | Bulbasaur, Sceptile, Leafeon |
| 🔥 Fire | Grass, Metal | Charizard, Arcanine, Blaziken |
| 💧 Water | Fire, Fighting | Blastoise, Gyarados, Palkia |
| ⚡ Lightning | Water, Flying | Pikachu, Raikou, Luxray |
| 🔮 Psychic | Fighting, Poison | Mewtwo, Gardevoir, Gengar |
| 👊 Fighting | Lightning, Dark | Lucario, Machamp, Terrakion |
| 🌑 Darkness | Psychic, Ghost | Umbreon, Darkrai, Absol |
| ⚙️ Metal | Fairy, Ice | Metagross, Dialga, Magearna |
ℹ️ Good to Know
Colourless Energy costs (shown as a white star) can be paid with any type of Energy. So if an attack costs one Fire Energy and one Colourless, you could use one Fire and one Water — that Colourless slot doesn't care.
Setting Up the Game
Setup takes about a minute once you know the routine. Here's how to get from shuffled deck to ready-to-play:
Flip to See Who Goes 1st
Flip a coin — the winner gets to decide who goes 1st. The 1st player cannot attack or play a Supporter on their opening turn. If you go 2nd, you can use a Supporter straight away.
Shuffle & Draw 7
Both players shuffle their deck and draw 7 cards. This is your opening hand. Have a peek — don't show your opponent.
Check for Basic Pokémon
You must have at least one Basic Pokémon in your opening hand. If you don't, show your hand, shuffle it back, and draw 7 new cards. Your opponent gets to draw an extra card each time you mulligan.
Place Your Active Pokémon
Choose one Basic Pokémon and place it face-down in the Active spot. This is your lead fighter — the one that'll be battling first.
Fill Your Bench
Place up to 5 more Basic Pokémon face-down on your Bench. These are your backup — they'll step in when your Active gets knocked out. You don't have to fill the Bench, but having options is always good.
Set Out Prize Cards & Begin!
Take the top 6 cards of your deck and place them face-down to the side. These are your Prize cards — you'll pick one up every time you knock out an opponent's Pokémon. Take all 6 and you win. Both players then flip their Pokémon face-up and the game begins!
The playing area
What You Do on Your Turn
Every turn follows the same flow. There's one thing you must do, a bunch of things you can do, and then you attack. Simple as that.
1. Draw a Card (Mandatory)
At the start of your turn, draw one card from the top of your deck. That's it — no negotiation, no skipping. If you can't draw because your deck is empty, you lose the game.
2. Do Any of These (Optional, Any Order)
- Play Basic Pokémon to your Bench — as many as you want (up to 5 Bench slots).
- Attach one Energy card — pick a Pokémon and attach an Energy from your hand. Only one per turn unless a card effect says otherwise.
- Play Trainer cards — Items have no limit; you get one Supporter and one Stadium per turn.
- Evolve Pokémon — place a Stage 1 on a Basic, or a Stage 2 on a Stage 1. Can't evolve a Pokémon on the same turn you played it.
- Retreat your Active Pokémon — discard Energy equal to the retreat cost, then swap it with a Benched Pokémon. Once per turn.
- Use Abilities — some Pokémon have Abilities (printed on the card). These can be used before you attack, unless the card says otherwise.
3. Attack (Optional)
If your Active Pokémon has the right Energy attached, you can use one of its attacks. Declare the attack, apply damage and any effects, then your turn ends. That's the key bit — attacking always ends your turn.
💡 Pro Tip
Attach Energy and play all your Trainers before you attack. Once you declare an attack, your turn is over — no take-backs.
Attacking & Dealing Damage
Combat in the Pokémon TCG is satisfyingly straightforward. Your Active Pokémon attacks the opponent's Active Pokémon. Here's how damage works:
Damage gets tracked with counters — when HP hits zero, that Pokémon is knocked out
- Check the Energy cost — your Active Pokémon needs the right type and amount of Energy attached to use an attack.
- Apply damage — place damage counters on the defending Pokémon equal to the attack damage (10 damage = 1 counter). The Energy stays attached — you don't discard it unless the attack says so.
- Apply Weakness — if the defending Pokémon is weak to your type, the damage is doubled. Ouch.
- Apply Resistance — if it resists your type, subtract 30 damage.
- Knock Outs — when a Pokémon's damage meets or exceeds its HP, it's knocked out. Send it and all attached cards to the discard pile. The attacking player takes a Prize card.
⚠️ Watch Out
Pokémon ex and Pokémon V give up two Prize cards when knocked out. They're powerful, but your opponent benefits more from knocking them out. High risk, high reward.
Evolution — Powering Up Your Pokémon
Just like in the video games, Pokémon can evolve. In the TCG, evolution works by placing a higher-stage card on top of a lower one. The evolved form keeps all the Energy and damage that was on the previous stage.
Charmander → Charmeleon → Charizard — the classic evolution chain
- Basic → Stage 1 → Stage 2 — evolution goes one stage at a time. You can't skip straight from Basic to Stage 2.
- Wait a turn — you can't evolve a Pokémon on the same turn you played it, and not on your first turn of the game.
- Evolve as many as you want — you can evolve multiple Pokémon in a single turn, just not the same one twice.
- Evolution clears Special Conditions — if your Pokémon is Confused, Asleep, or Poisoned, evolving it removes those conditions. Nice little bonus.
ℹ️ Rare Candy Shortcut
The Trainer card Rare Candy lets you skip Stage 1 entirely and evolve a Basic straight into Stage 2. It's a staple in competitive play and speeds up your strategy massively.
How to Win the Game
There are three ways to win a game of Pokémon TCG. Most games end with the first one, but the other two come up more often than you'd think.
Take all 6 Prize cards and the game is yours
Take All 6 Prizes
Knock out enough of your opponent's Pokémon to take all 6 of your Prize cards. This is the most common way games end.
Opponent Has No Pokémon
If you knock out your opponent's Active Pokémon and they have nothing on their Bench to replace it, you win immediately.
Opponent Can't Draw
If your opponent can't draw a card at the start of their turn because their deck is empty, you win. This is called "decking out."
Building Your First Deck
Once you've played a few games with a pre-built deck, you'll probably want to start building your own. Here are the golden rules:
A balanced deck — the right mix of Pokémon, Trainers, and Energy
- Exactly 60 cards — not 59, not 61. Always 60.
- Max 4 copies of any card — you can't run more than 4 of any card with the same name. Basic Energy is the exception — run as many as you like.
- Stick to 1-2 types — don't try to cover every type. Pick one or two that work well together and build around them.
- Roughly 12-15 Pokémon — enough to keep your board full without clogging your hand.
- 30-35 Trainer cards — this is where consistency lives. Draw support, search effects, and switching cards are your bread and butter.
- 10-15 Energy cards — enough to power your attacks without flooding your draws.
💡 Beginner's Shortcut
Buy a League Battle Deck and tweak it. It's way easier (and cheaper) than building from scratch. Swap a few cards, learn what works, and gradually make it your own.
Top Tips for New Players
Always Set Up Your Bench
Don't go all-in on one Pokémon. If your Active gets knocked out and your Bench is empty, the game's over. Always have a backup plan sitting on the Bench.
Use Your Supporter Every Turn
You get one Supporter per turn — use it. Cards like Professor's Research and Boss's Orders are game-changers. Wasting that slot is like leaving free money on the table.
Think About Prizes
If your opponent has a Pokémon ex in play, that's 2 Prize cards for a knock out. Target the high-value Pokémon and you'll close out games faster.
Don't Hoard Cards
Play your Items and attach Energy before you attack. Cards sitting in your hand aren't doing anything. The best hand is an empty one.
Learn the Meta (Slowly)
Once you're comfortable with the basics, start looking at what decks are winning tournaments. You don't need to copy them — just understanding what you might face will make you a better player.
Frequently Asked Questions
Ready to Start Playing?
Browse our full range of Pokémon TCG products — from starter decks to the latest booster packs.
Shop Pokémon TCG