How to Play Pokémon TCG

What you need to play the Pokémon TCG

Not much. A deck each, something to count damage with, and a coin.

• A 60-card deck each. Don't try to build one from booster packs on day one. A pre-built Battle Deck is ready to shuffle and play, and two different decks give you a proper game against a friend or a sibling. Our Pokémon Battle Decks page has the current ones.
• Damage counters. Each counter is 10 damage. At home, dice work fine: a die showing 5 on a Pokémon means 50 damage.
• A coin. Plenty of attacks say "flip a coin".
• Poison and Burn markers that look different from your damage counters. Anything small works at home.
• A playmat is optional, but it helps a lot while you're learning where everything goes.

Which deck? Honestly, for two beginners, buy two ex Battle Decks and play them against each other. The Lucario ex Battle Deck costs less than £15, and there are several others to pair it with. The official rulebook points new players at the Mega Battle Decks (Mega Diancie ex and Mega Gengar ex, out since October 2025), which come with a playmat, counters and a coin as well as the deck. League Battle Decks cost about twice as much and are sharper, more competitive lists.

How you win: the Prize card race

There are three ways to win. The first one settles most games.

1. Take your last Prize card. You set aside six Prize cards at the start. Every time you Knock Out one of your opponent's Pokémon you take one or more of them. Take the last one and the game's over.
2. Your opponent has no Pokémon in play. If you Knock Out their Active Pokémon and they've got nothing on the Bench to replace it, you win on the spot.
3. Your opponent can't draw at the start of their turn. Running out of cards only loses at that moment. If a card effect empties your deck halfway through your turn, you're still in the game until your next draw.

Here's the catch that shapes every game: Pokémon aren't all worth the same. A normal Pokémon gives up one Prize card. A Pokémon ex gives up two. A Mega Evolution Pokémon ex gives up three, so two Mega Knock Outs are normally the whole game.

Pokémon TCG card types: Pokémon, Trainer and Energy

Every card in your deck is one of three types.

Pokémon cards

These are your fighters. Basic Pokémon go straight from your hand to the Bench. Stage 1 and Stage 2 Pokémon evolve on top of the card they came from (it says "Evolves from" at the top). Some Pokémon have a Rule Box at the bottom of the card, and those are the ones that change the Prize count.

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Pikachu ex is also a Tera Pokémon ex, one of the Scarlet & Violet cards still in use. Tera Pokémon ex take no damage from attacks while they sit on the Bench. Mega Evolution Pokémon ex can be Basic, Stage 1 or Stage 2 depending on the Pokémon, and playing one doesn't end your turn (that was an old rule for 2014-era cards, and it's gone).

How evolution works

To evolve, put the next stage on top of the Pokémon in play. It keeps its damage counters and everything attached to it, and it loses any Special Conditions. You can evolve as many different Pokémon as you like in a turn, but each one only once. Two limits catch everyone out: nobody can evolve on their own first turn, and you can't evolve a Pokémon on the turn it was played.

Trainer cards

Trainers are the tricks: drawing cards, searching your deck, dragging your opponent's Pokémon into the fight. There are four kinds, and the kind is printed at the top left of the card.

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Energy cards

Energy powers attacks. Basic Energy is printed in eight types today: Grass, Fire, Water, Lightning, Psychic, Fighting, Darkness and Metal. Special Energy says "Special Energy" on it and has its own effect.

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The white star symbol on attack costs is Colorless, and any type of Energy pays for it. Dragon Pokémon exist but there's no Dragon Energy, so their attacks cost other types. Fairy Energy turns up in old collections too. The Fairy type was dropped when Sword & Shield arrived in 2020, and there are no Fairy Pokémon in the Mega Evolution sets.

How to read a Pokémon card

1. Evolution stage: Stage 1, and the small print says it evolves from Riolu.
2. HP: how much damage it takes to Knock it Out. 340 here.
3. Type: the symbol top right. Lucario is Fighting.
4. Attack cost: the Energy symbols it needs attached to use that attack.
5. Damage: the number on the right. Mega Brave does 270.
6. Attack text: anything extra the attack does. Mega Brave can't be used again next turn.
7. Weakness: takes double damage from Psychic attackers. Resistance sits beside it (Lucario has none).
8. Retreat Cost: Energy you discard to swap it to the Bench. Two here.
9. Rule box: the Mega Evolution ex rule: your opponent takes 3 Prizes when it's Knocked Out.
10. Regulation mark: the letter bottom left (I on this card), next to the set code and card number. It decides which tournaments the card is legal in.

The cards use American spellings, so you'll see Colorless and Paralyzed. We've kept those as printed.

The play area: Active Spot, Bench and Prize cards

Active Spot

Exactly one Pokémon. It attacks and gets attacked. You must always have a Pokémon here.

Bench

Up to five more Pokémon, waiting to come in. Benched Pokémon can still use Abilities and hold Energy.

Prize cards

Six cards taken face down off the top of your deck during setup. Nobody looks at them until they're taken.

Deck

Face down. You draw off the top.

Discard pile

Used Items and Supporters, Knocked Out Pokémon and everything that was attached to them, and discarded Energy. Face up, and both players can look.

Stadium

Shared by both players. A new Stadium with a different name replaces the old one. You can't play a Stadium with the same name as the one already in play.

Energy and Tools go underneath or beside the Pokémon they're attached to. Evolutions stack on top. There's no limit to how much Energy one Pokémon can hold, and no maximum hand size.

How to set up a game of Pokémon TCG

Once you've done it twice, setup takes a couple of minutes.

1. Shake hands and flip a coin The winner of the flip chooses who goes first.
2. Shuffle and draw 7 Both players shuffle their decks and draw seven cards.
3. Choose your Active Pokémon Put one Basic Pokémon from your hand face down in the Active Spot.
4. Fill your Bench, if you want Put up to five more Basic Pokémon face down on your Bench. You don't have to put any down.
5. Set your Prize cards Take the top six cards of your deck and put them to one side, face down, without looking.
6. Flip and start Both players turn their Pokémon face up, and the first player takes their turn.

No Basic Pokémon in your opening hand?

That's a mulligan. Show your hand to your opponent, shuffle it back in and draw seven again. Keep going until you have a Basic. While you redraw, your opponent sets up their Bench and Prizes as normal. Then they may draw up to one extra card for each mulligan you took, and it's their choice how many (any Basics they draw can go on their Bench). If both of you have no Basic, you both reveal, reshuffle and start again, and nobody gets extra cards for that round.

How a turn works

1. DrawDraw one card. You have to. If your deck is empty, you lose.
2. Your movesBench Pokémon, evolve, attach one Energy, play Trainers, retreat, use Abilities. Any order.
3. AttackYour Active Pokémon uses one attack, and your turn ends. Attacking is optional.
4. Pokémon CheckupBetween turns, sort out Poison, Burn, Sleep and Paralysis, then check for Knock Outs.

The middle of your turn

Any order, as often as the limits allow:

• Put Basic Pokémon from your hand onto your Bench, up to five.
• Evolve Pokémon (not on your first turn, and not the turn they came into play).
• Attach one Energy card from your hand to one of your Pokémon, Active or Benched.
• Play Trainers: any number of Items and Tools, one Supporter, one Stadium.
• Retreat your Active Pokémon, once.
• Use Abilities, as many times as their own text allows.

Then attack, or just say "end of turn". Attacking ends your turn, so attach your Energy, play your Trainers and use your Abilities first.

Retreating

To swap your Active Pokémon with one on your Bench, discard Energy from it equal to its Retreat Cost. You can do this once per turn, and your new Active Pokémon can still attack. Asleep or Paralyzed Pokémon can't retreat. Card effects that switch Pokémon don't cost Energy and don't count as your retreat for the turn.

Abilities are not attacks

An Ability is printed with a red "Ability" label above the attacks. Using one doesn't end your turn, and many work from the Bench too. Some you never switch on at all. Pikachu ex's Resolute Heart just sits there waiting: if Pikachu ex has full HP and would be Knocked Out by an attack, it survives with 10 HP left.

How attacking works: damage, Weakness and Resistance

Your Active Pokémon attacks your opponent's Active Pokémon. It needs at least the Energy shown in the attack cost, of the right types, and the Energy stays attached afterwards unless the attack says to discard it. Then you work out the damage in this order:

1. Start with the number printed on the attack, adjusted by anything the attack text says (the "×" and "+" attacks).
2. Add effects on the attacking Pokémon, such as "does 30 more damage".
3. Apply Weakness: double it if the defender's Weakness matches the attacker's type.
4. Apply Resistance: take away 30 if the defender resists that type (check the number printed on the card).
5. Apply effects on the defending Pokémon, such as "takes 30 less damage".
6. Put one damage counter on the defender for every 10 damage.

Weakness and Resistance come only from what's printed on the defending card. There's no type chart like in the video games, so Water doesn't automatically beat Fire. Damage to Benched Pokémon ignores Weakness and Resistance unless the card says otherwise.

Knock Outs and Prize cards

A Pokémon is Knocked Out when its damage equals or beats its HP. Its owner discards it along with everything attached to it (Energy, Tools, the cards it evolved from). The other player takes their Prizes, and the owner picks a Benched Pokémon to move into the Active Spot. No Benched Pokémon means they lose.

So the Prize count is the real game. Sometimes the smart play is using Boss's Orders to drag out a Benched Pokémon ex that's easier to Knock Out and still worth two.

Special Conditions: Asleep, Burned, Confused, Paralyzed and Poisoned

Some attacks leave a Special Condition on the Active Pokémon. Only Active Pokémon can have them, and most get sorted out in the Checkup between turns.

Asleep

Turn the card sideways (anticlockwise). It can't attack or retreat. At each Checkup, flip a coin: heads, it wakes up.

Burned

Put a Burn marker on it. At each Checkup, put 2 damage counters on it, then flip: heads, the Burn goes away.

Confused

Turn the card upside down. Before it attacks, flip a coin. Tails means the attack doesn't happen, it takes 3 damage counters, and your turn ends.

Paralyzed

Turn the card sideways (clockwise). It can't attack or retreat. It recovers at the Checkup after its owner's next turn.

Poisoned

Put a Poison marker on it. It takes 1 damage counter at every Checkup until it's cured.

Asleep, Confused and Paralyzed all turn the card, so only the most recent of those three counts. Poison and Burn use markers, so they can stack on top. The Checkup order is Poisoned, Burned, Asleep, then Paralyzed, and then you check for Knock Outs.

Keywords you'll meet first

• Knock OutDamage equal to or above the Pokémon's HP. It's discarded with everything attached.
• ColorlessAn attack cost any Energy type can pay.
• Retreat CostThe Energy you discard to swap your Active Pokémon out. Once per turn.
• AbilityA power that isn't an attack. Using it doesn't end your turn.
• Rule BoxThe box on Pokémon ex and Mega Evolution ex that tells you how many Prizes they give up.
• ACE SPECExtra-powerful cards. One per deck, of any kind.
• Regulation markThe letter at the bottom of a card. It decides Standard legality.
• "Up to"Since February 2026, "up to" in an attack lets you choose zero. On Trainers and Abilities it still means at least one.

Pokémon TCG deck building rules

The rules for a legal deck are short:

• Exactly 60 cards.
• No more than four copies of any card with the same name, except Basic Energy, which is unlimited. Special Energy counts towards the four.
• No more than one ACE SPEC card in total, whatever kind it is.
• At least one Basic Pokémon, or you can't start the game.

Now the advice. Play a Battle Deck ten times before changing a card. You'll soon spot what annoys you, like the Stage 2 you never reach. Change a few cards to fix that one problem, then play again.

Most new players stuff in too many Pokémon and too few Trainers. Good decks lean hard on draw and search cards, because a hand full of the right cards beats a deck full of cool Pokémon. Play four copies of the Basic your deck is built around, so it turns up early. And if your main attacker is a Stage 2, think about Rare Candy.

When you want a particular card, singles are cheaper than chasing it in packs. The Mega Evolution singles are a good place to start, because that set reprinted staples like Boss's Orders, Rare Candy and Ultra Ball.

Mistakes everyone makes once

1. Two Supporters in one turn. You get one.
2. Attacking or playing a Supporter on the very first turn: when you went first. Neither is allowed.
3. Evolving on your first turn, or evolving a Pokémon the turn it came down. Rare Candy doesn't get round it either.
4. Attaching two Energy: without a card that lets you.
5. Using the video game type chart. Only the printed Weakness and Resistance count.
6. Attacking, then remembering the Trainer you meant to play. Too late.
7. Two Tools on one Pokémon. One each.
8. Treating every ex as two Prizes. Mega Evolution Pokémon ex give up three.
9. Leaving your Bench empty. If your Active is Knocked Out with nothing to replace it, you lose, even with Prizes to spare.
10. Assuming an old card is tournament legal. Check the letter at the bottom first.

The first few games take the best part of an hour. That's normal. Once both players know the rules, most casual games take 20 to 30 minutes.

Formats and rotation in 2026

Standard

Standard is the main format for tournaments and league nights. Since 10 April 2026 (26 March on Pokémon TCG Live), cards with regulation mark H, I or J are legal. Cards marked G rotated out, which covers the early Scarlet & Violet sets such as Paldea Evolved, Obsidian Flames, 151 and Paradox Rift. Legality goes by the letter on each card, not by the set it came in. Reprints are the exception: if a card has been reprinted with a legal mark, an older print with the same text can still be played.

Pokémon V, VSTAR, VMAX and Radiant Pokémon are all gone from Standard. The next main expansion, Delta Reign, is due on 6 November 2026. New sets normally become tournament legal about two weeks after release. The 2027 rotation hadn't been announced when we checked this page.

At home, play whatever you both own. Some Battle Decks include cards with older marks, which is fine for learning. Just check the letters before you take one to a league night.

Expanded

Expanded allows cards from Black & White onwards, minus a ban list. On Pokémon TCG Live it's still marked as a beta.

Pokémon TCG Live and Pokémon TCG Pocket

Pokémon TCG Live is free on PC, Mac, iOS and Android and plays the real rules on this page. The code cards in sealed products add cards to your digital collection. Pokémon TCG Pocket is a different, simpler game with its own rules, so what works there won't always work on the table.

Pokémon TCG rules cheat sheet

Keep this on your phone for the first few games.

Questions people ask

How many cards are in a Pokémon deck?

Exactly 60. You can have up to four copies of any card with the same name, except Basic Energy, which has no limit. You're also limited to one ACE SPEC card, and you need at least one Basic Pokémon to start.

Can you attack on the first turn in the Pokémon TCG?

Only if you go second. The player who goes first can't attack or play a Supporter on their first turn, though they can still attach an Energy, bench Pokémon and play Items.

Can you evolve on your first turn?

No. Neither player can evolve during their own first turn, and a Pokémon can't evolve on the turn it was put into play. Rare Candy has the same restriction printed on it.

How many Prize cards is a Mega Evolution Pokémon ex worth?

Three. A regular Pokémon ex is worth two and any other Pokémon is worth one, so Knocking Out two Mega Evolution Pokémon ex is usually enough to win. A few cards change the count, so read your opponent's Abilities.

What happens if you have no Basic Pokémon in your opening hand?

Reveal your hand, shuffle it back into your deck and draw seven new cards, repeating until you get a Basic. Your opponent may then draw up to one extra card for each redraw you took. If neither player has a Basic, both reshuffle and nobody draws extra.

How long does Paralysis last in the Pokémon TCG?

A Paralyzed Pokémon can't attack or retreat. It recovers during the Pokémon Checkup after its owner's next turn, so it misses one turn. Evolving it or moving it to the Bench with a card effect also cures it.

What happens if both players take their last Prize card at the same time?

The player who meets more win conditions wins, for example by taking their last Prize and also leaving the opponent with no Pokémon in play. If it's level, you play a tiebreaker game with six Prizes each, and the first player to take a Prize card wins. The player whose turn it is doesn't win by default.

Which Pokémon cards are legal in Standard in 2026?

Cards with regulation mark H, I or J, from 10 April 2026 (26 March on Pokémon TCG Live). The mark is the small letter at the bottom left of the card. Cards marked G or earlier are no longer Standard legal, unless the same card has been reprinted with a legal mark.

Is Pokémon TCG Pocket the same as the real card game?

No. Pocket is a separate, simplified game with different rules. Pokémon TCG Live is the free app that uses the full rules of the physical card game.

Where to start

The easiest ways in. Prices and stock on this list are live.

• Pokemon TCG: Lucario ex Battle Deck £13.99
• Pokemon TCG: Ampharos ex Battle Deck £13.99
• Pokemon TCG: Team Rocket's Mewtwo ex League Battle Decks £27.95
• Pokemon TCG: Ascended Heroes - Sleeves Sold out

See everything for Pokémon Trading Card Game

Where these rules come from

Checked on 24 September 2026 against the official Pokémon TCG web rulebook (last updated July 2026), the Advanced Player's Rulebook Ver. 3.4, the February 2026 rulebook updates and the 2026 Standard rotation details.

• Pokémon TCG Quick Start Rules (The Pokémon Company International)
• Pokémon Trading Card Game web rulebook, last updated July 2026 (The Pokémon Company International)
• Pokémon Card Game Advanced Player's Rulebook Ver. 3.4 (The Pokémon Company)
• Learn to Play the Pokémon TCG (Pokémon)
• February 2026 Rule Book Updates (Pokémon Professor Program)
• 2026 Pokémon TCG Standard Format Rotation Announcement (Pokémon)
• Mega Evolution expansion overview (Pokémon TCG)