Pokémon Trading

Card Game Rules

 Pokémon Trading Card Game Rules

Contents
Become a Pokémon Master!  ........................................................................................ 3
Pokémon TCG Basic Concepts  ...................................................................................... 3
How to Win  ............................................................................................................ 3
Energy Types  .......................................................................................................... 4
Parts of a Pokémon Card  ............................................................................................ 5
3 Card Types  .......................................................................................................... 6
Zones of the Pokémon TCG  ......................................................................................... 7
Playing the Game  ...................................................................................................... 8
How to Win the Game  ................................................................................................ 8
Setting Up to Play  .................................................................................................... 8
Parts of a Turn  .. ....................................................................................................... 9
Turn Actions  ......................................................................................................... 10
Special Conditions  .................................................................................................. 15
Pokémon Leagues and Theme Decks  ............................................................................17
Advanced Rules  ...................................................................................................... 18
Full details of taking a mulligan  ................................................................................... 18
What counts as an attack?  ......................................................................................... 19
Full details of attacking  ............................................................................................ 20
What if you should draw more cards than you have?  ............................................................ 21
What if both players win at the same time?  . . .................................................................... 21
What’s Sudden Death?  ............................................................................................. 21
What does and doesn’t count for a Pokémon’s name?  .......................................................... 21
Deck Building   ........................................................................................................ 22
Appendix A: Pokémon V  ........................................................................................... 23
Appendix B: Pokémon VMAX  .................................................................................... 23
Appendix C: Regional Variants   .................................................................................. 24
Appendix D: TAG TEAM Supporter Cards  .................................................................... 25
Appendix E: TAG TEAM  ........................................................................................... 25
Appendix F: Prism Star Cards  .................................................................................... 26
Appendix G: Rare Fossil and Unidentified Fossil  ............................................................ 26
Appendix H: Pokémon-GX   ....................................................................................... 27
Special Rules for Pokémon-GX  .................................................................................... 27
Appendix I: Ultra Beasts  ........................................................................................... 28
Appendix J: Dual-Type Pokémon  ................................................................................. 28
Appendix K: BREAK Evolution  ................................................................................... 29
Special Rules for Pokémon BREAK  ............................................................................... 29
Appendix L: Ancient Traits  ........................................................................................ 30
Appendix M: Team Flare Hyper Gear  ........................................................................... 30
Appendix N: Pokémon-EX  ......................................................................................... 31
Special Rules for Pokémon-EX  .................................................................................... 31
Appendix O: Mega Evolution Pokémon  ........................................................................ 32
Special Rules for Mega Evolution Pokémon  .. .................................................................... 32
Appendix P: Team Plasma Cards  ................................................................................ 33
Appendix Q: ACE SPEC Trainer Cards  .......................................................................... 33
Appendix R: Restored Pokémon  ................................................................................. 34
Key Restored Pokémon Notes  ..................................................................................... 34
Glossary  ................................................................................................................ 35
Credits  .................................................................................................................. 37 2
 Pokémon Trading Card Game Rules

You are a Pokémon Trainer! You travel across the land, battling other Trainers
with your Pokémon, creatures that love to battle and that have amazing powers!

Become a
Pokémon Master!
These rules will tell you everything you need to play the Pokémon Trading
Card Game. Your deck of cards represents your Pokémon as well as items and
allies that help you on your adventures.

Trading card games are strategy based and use collectible cards to let each
player customize their game. The best way to learn to play the Pokémon TCG
is with a theme deck, a ready-to-play 60-card deck that comes packaged
with a quick start rules guide and everything you need to play. You can
also try Battle Arena Decks, which offer two ready-to-play 60-card decks
designed to go head to head for an intense battle!

Once you’re ready, you can start building your collection of cards with
Pokémon TCG booster packs. Trade with your friends for the strongest
Pokémon, or collect all your favorites! Then, build your own 60-card deck,
play with your friends, and show off your own personal Pokémon team!

Pokémon TCG Basic

Concepts
How to Win
In the Pokémon TCG, your Pokémon battle your opponent’s Pokémon. The
first player to take all of their Prize cards wins! Also, if your opponent has no
Pokémon left in play, or no cards left to draw at the beginning of their turn,
you win the game!

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 Pokémon Trading Card Game Rules

Energy Types
Pokémon Knock Out opposing Pokémon by using attacks or Abilities. To power their attacks, Pokémon need Energy cards. The Pokémon TCG
has 11 Energy types, and you will find Pokémon matching all 11 types in the game. (Note that there are no Fairy-type Pokémon cards in the
Sword & Shield Series, but they do exist in older expansions.)

Each Energy type powers different attacks. Find the ones that match your personality! The Energy types are:

Grass Fire Water

Grass-type Pokémon often have Fire-type Pokémon have big Water-type Pokémon can
attacks that heal themselves attacks! They can make their manipulate Energy and move
or make their opponents opponents Burned, but their Pokémon around on the other
Poisoned. attacks need time to build team.
up again.

Lightning Psychic Fighting

Lightning-type Pokémon can Psychic-type Pokémon are Fighting-type Pokémon can
bring back used Energy from great for special powers! take bigger risks to do extra
the discard pile—and they Their opponents often find damage, and some can flip
can make their opponents themselves Asleep,Confused, coins for combination hits.
Paralyzed. or Poisoned.

Darkness Metal Fairy

Darkness-type Pokémon Metal-type Pokémon can resist Fairy-type Pokémon have
feature sneaky attacks that attacks for longer than most tricks that will make opposing
often make opponents discard other Pokémon. Pokémon’s attacks less
cards! They can also make your effective. Starting with Sword
opponent’s Pokémon Poisoned! & Shield, you may find some
Pokémon that used to be Fairy
types showing up as Psychic
types instead.

Dragon Colorless
Dragon-type Pokémon have Colorless-type Pokémon
very strong attacks, but often have lots of different moves,
require two Energy types to and they work with any kind
use them. of deck.

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 Pokémon Trading Card Game Rules

Parts of a Pokémon Card

POKÉMON TYPE
HP CARD NAME CARD TYPE
CARD NAME
STAGE TRAINER TYPE
EVOLVES FROM
POKÉMON

TEXT BOX

TRAINER RULE

EXPANSION SYMBOL
COLLECTOR CARD NUMBER

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 Pokémon Trading Card Game Rules

3 Card Types
You’ll find 3 different types of cards in the Pokémon TCG:

Pokémon
Of course the most important cards are Pokémon! Most of these cards are Basic Pokémon, Stage 1 Pokémon, or Stage 2 Pokémon. Stage 1
and Stage 2 Pokémon are also called Evolution cards. Look at the upper-left corner and you will see the Pokémon’s Stage and the Pokémon
it evolves from, if any.

Energy Cards
Most of the time, Pokémon can’t attack without
Energy cards! You’ll need to match the symbols of
the attack cost to the Energy card, but any type of
Energy can be used for .

Trainer Cards
Trainer cards represent the Items, Supporters, and
Stadiums a Trainer can use in battle. You can see the
specific Trainer subtype in the upper-right corner
and any special rules for that subtype at the bottom
of the card.

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 Pokémon Trading Card Game Rules

Zones of the Pokémon TCG

Prize Cards Deck
Hand Each player has their own Prize Each player starts with their
Each player draws 7 cards at the
cards. Prize cards are 6 cards own deck of 60 cards to play
beginning of the game and keeps
that each player sets aside, face the game. While both players
their own hand hidden. Cards you
down, from the top of their own know how many cards are in
draw go into your hand.
deck while setting up to play. each deck, no one can look at
Players may not look at their
When you Knock Out an opposing or change the order of the cards
opponent’s hand unless a card
Pokémon, you take one of your in either player’s deck unless a
says so.
Prize cards and put it into your card says so.
hand. If you’re the first one to
take your last Prize card, you win!

Name Hit Points

ACTIVE
What You Can Do During Your Turn
POKÉMON
©2020 Pokémon. ©1995–2020 Nintendo / Creatures Inc. / GAME FREAK inc. TM, , and character names are trademarks of Nintendo.

Beginning of Your Turn

1. Draw a card

DECK
(you must do this at the beginning of every turn)
2. Put Basic Pokémon onto your Bench
(as many as you want) Attack Cost Attack Damage
3. Attach 1 Energy card to 1 of your Pokémon
(only once per turn)
4. Retreat your Active Pokémon
(only once per turn)
5. Evolve Pokémon
(as many as you want)
6. Play Trainer cards
(as many as you want, but only 1 Supporter card per turn)
7. Attack with your Active Pokémon
®

If you cannot attack, tell your opponent your turn is over. The Active Pokémon is the Pokémon you attack When you draw a card, take the top card
Now It’s Your Opponent’s Turn with and the Pokémon your opponent attacks. from this stack of cards.

PRIZE DISCARD
BENCH
CARDS PILE

Your Bench can hold up to 5 Pokémon. When 1 of your Pokémon is Knocked Out, put it
Take a Prize card and put it into your hand when
All Pokémon put here must start as and all its attached cards here face up.
you Knock Out 1 of your opponent’s Pokémon.
Basic Pokémon. Trainer cards also go here after you play them.

SWSH1_Playmat_Poster_EN_Final.indd 1 9/27/19 12:33 PM

Active Spot Discard Pile

In Play The top row of a player’s in-play section is the Active Spot. Each player Each player has their own discard
The in-play zone is shared by starts with (and must always have) one Pokémon in their Active pile. Cards taken out of play go
the players. Each player has Spot—this is the Active Pokémon. Each player may have only one to the discard pile, unless a card
two sections for their Pokémon... Active Pokémon at a time. If your opponent doesn’t have any more is played that says otherwise.
Pokémon in play, you win the game! Typically when a Pokémon is
Bench Knocked Out, it and any attached
The bottom row of a player’s in-play section is for the Benched cards (such as Energy cards) are
Pokémon. Each player may have up to 5 Pokémon on the Bench at any sent to its owner’s discard pile.
one time. Any Pokémon in play other than the Active Pokémon must
be put on the Bench.

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 Pokémon Trading Card Game Rules

Playing the Game

Pokémon TCG games are fast and furious. Here’s the summary to play right away!

How to Win the Game

You can win the game in 3 ways:

1) Take all of your Prize cards.

2) Knock Out all of your opponent’s Pokémon in play.

3) If your opponent has no cards in their deck at the beginning of their turn.

Setting Up to Play
1) Shake hands with your opponent.

2) Flip a coin. The winner of the coin flip decides which player goes first.

3) Shuffle your 60-card deck and draw the top 7 cards.

4) Check to see if you have any Basic Pokémon in your hand.

5) Put one of your Basic Pokémon face down as your Active Pokémon.

ACTIVE POKÉMON

BENCHED
POKÉMON

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 Pokémon Trading Card Game Rules

6) Put up to 5 more Basic Pokémon face down on your Bench.

7) Put the top 6 cards of your deck off to the side face down as your Prize cards.

8) Both players flip their Active and Benched Pokémon face up and start the game!

Parts of a Turn

If you don’t have any Basic Pokémon, what do you do? First, reveal your hand to your opponent and shuffle your hand
back into your deck. Then, draw 7 more cards. If you still don’t have any Basic Pokémon, repeat.

Each time your opponent shuffles their hand back into their deck because they had no Basic Pokémon, you may draw
an extra card!

Each turn has 3 main parts:

1) Draw a card.

2) Do any of the following actions in any order:

A. Put Basic Pokémon cards from your hand onto your Bench
(as many as you want).

B. Evolve your Pokémon (as many as you want).

C. Attach an Energy card from your hand to one of your Pokémon

(once per turn).

D. Play Trainer cards (as many as you want, but only one Supporter
card and one Stadium card per turn).

E. Retreat your Active Pokémon (only once per turn).

F. Use Abilities (as many as you want).

3) Attack. Then, end your turn.

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 Pokémon Trading Card Game Rules

Turn Actions
1) Draw a Card
S tart your turn by drawing a card. If there are no cards in your deck at the beginning of your turn and you cannot draw a card,
the game is over, and your opponent wins.

2) Do Any of These in Any Order:

A) Put Basic Pokémon cards from your hand onto your Bench (as many as you want).
Choose a Basic Pokémon card from your hand and put it face up onto your Bench. Your Bench can hold up to 5 Pokémon.

BASIC POKÉMON ON BENCH

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 Pokémon Trading Card Game Rules

B) Evolve Pokémon (as many as you want).

If you have a card in your hand that says “Evolves from X,” and X is the name of
a Pokémon you had in play at the beginning of your turn, you may play that
card in your hand on top of Pokémon X. This is called “evolving” a Pokémon.

You may evolve a Basic Pokémon to a Stage 1 Pokémon or a Stage 1 Pokémon

to a Stage 2 Pokémon. When a Pokémon evolves, it keeps all attached cards
(Energy cards, Evolution cards, etc.) and any damage counters on it. Any effects
of attacks or Special Conditions affecting the Pokémon—such as Asleep,
Confused, or Poisoned—end when it evolves. A Pokémon cannot use the
attacks or Abilities of its previous Evolution unless a card says so.

Example:
The Polteageist card in Susan’s hand reads, “Evolves from
Sinistea,” and Susan has a Sinistea in play. She may play the
Polteageist card on top of the Sinistea card, keeping any
damage counters and clearing all other effects.

Evolution notes: Neither player can evolve a Pokémon on its first turn in play. When you evolve a Pokémon,
it means that Pokémon is new in play, so you can’t evolve it a second time the same turn! You can evolve any
Pokémon you have in play, whether it’s Active or Benched. Finally, neither player can evolve a Pokémon on
that player’s first turn unless a card says so.

C) Attach an Energy card to one of your Pokémon

(once per turn).
Take an Energy card from your hand and put it under your Active Pokémon or one
of your Benched Pokémon to indicate that this is Energy it can use. You can attach
Energy just once each turn!

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 Pokémon Trading Card Game Rules

D) Play Trainer cards.

When you play any Trainer card, do what it says and obey the rule at the
bottom of the card, and then put it in the discard pile. You can play as many
Item cards as you like. Supporter cards are played like Item cards, but you can
play only one Supporter card each turn.

RULE CHANGE: Starting with the Sword & Shield Series, the player who goes first
cannot play a Supporter card on their first turn.

Stadium cards have a few special rules:

• A Stadium stays in play when you play it.

• Only one Stadium can be in play at a time—if a new one comes

into play, discard the old one and end its effects.

• You can’t play a Stadium card if a Stadium with the same name is
already in play.

• You can play only one Stadium card each turn.

E) Retreat your Active Pokémon (once per turn)

On most turns, you probably will not retreat, but if your Active Pokémon has lots of
damage counters on it, you might want to retreat it and bring out a Pokémon from your
Bench to fight instead. You may also want to do this if you have a strong Pokémon on the
Bench ready to battle!

To retreat, you must discard 1 Energy from your Active Pokémon for each listed in its
Retreat Cost. If no are listed, it retreats for free. Then, you switch that retreating Pokémon
with a Pokémon from your Bench. Keep all damage counters and all attached cards with
each Pokémon when they switch. Pokémon that are Asleep or Paralyzed cannot retreat.

When your Active Pokémon goes to your Bench (whether it retreated or got there some
other way), some things do go away—Special Conditions and any effects from attacks.

If you retreat, you can still attack that turn with your new Active Pokémon.

F) Use Abilities (as many as you want)

Some Pokémon have special Abilities they can use. Many of them can be used before
you attack. Each Ability is different, though, so read carefully to see how each one
works. Some work only if a condition is met, while others work all the time even without
you using them. Be sure to announce which Abilities you are using so your opponent
knows what you’re doing.

Remember, Abilities aren’t attacks, so you can still attack if you use an Ability! You can use Abilities from
both your Active and Benched Pokémon.

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 Pokémon Trading Card Game Rules

3) Attack and End Your Turn

When you are ready to attack, first make sure that you’ve done everything in step 2 that you want to do. Once you attack, your turn is over, so
you can’t go back later!

Attacking has three simple steps. Once you get it figured out, you’ll be attacking like a pro in no time!

On the first turn of the game, the starting player skips this step. Once that player has done all their other actions, the turn
will end. After that, each player attacks as normal. Think carefully if you want to go first or second!

A) CHECK the Energy attached to your Active Pokémon.

You need the right amount of Energy attached to
This attack is called
a Pokémon for it to attack. For example, look at Rain Splash
Drizzile. Its Rain Splash attack costs , so you must
have at least 1 Energy attached to Drizzile to use Drizzile needs 1 Energy
this attack. Next, its Wave Splash attack costs . attached to use this attack
You need at least 2 Energy attached to Drizzile to
use Wave Splash, and the means you need to Rain Splash does 30 damage to
your opponent’s Active Pokémon
have 1 Energy attached. However, the means
that any type of Energy can be used for the second
This attack is called
Energy. will work, but so will , , or any other Wave Splash
Energy type. Once you are sure you have the right
Energy, announce which attack you are using.
Drizzile needs 2 Energy
attached to use Wave
Splash: 1 Energy and 1
Energy of any type

Wave Splash does 40

damage to your opponent’s
Active Pokémon

What Energy would you need to You may see some attacks with
use Rillaboom’s Hammer In attack? this cost symbol. That means the
That’s right, 3 Energy and 1 attack has a cost of 0, and you
Energy of any type! can use it without any Energy
attached to the Pokémon!

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 Pokémon Trading Card Game Rules

B) CHECK Weakness and Resistance of your opponent’s

Active Pokémon.
Some Pokémon have Weakness or Resistance to Pokémon of certain types, marked in the
lower-left corner of the card. (For example, Grookey has Weakness to Pokémon.) If the
attack does damage, your opponent’s Active Pokémon takes more damage if it has Weakness
to the attacker’s type. It takes less damage from a Pokémon if it has Resistance to that
Pokémon’s type.

Don’t apply Weakness and Resistance for Benched Pokémon!

C) PUT damage counters on your opponent’s Active Pokémon.

When you attack, put 1 damage counter on your opponent’s Active Pokémon for each
10 damage your Pokémon’s attack does (written to the right of the attack name). In the
example to the right, Scorbunny’s Tackle attack does 10 damage. Then, Grookey’s Weakness
of ×2 to Pokémon makes that 10 ×2 = 20 damage. So put 2 damage counters on Grookey.
If an attack says to do something else, be sure to do that, too!

Your attack is complete, so check to see if any Pokémon were Knocked Out by the attack.
Some attacks can damage more than one Pokémon, and sometimes they can even
damage the Attacking Pokémon! So, make sure to check every Pokémon that was affected
by the attack.

If a Pokémon has total damage at least equal to its HP (for example, 5 or more damage
counters on a Pokémon with 50 HP), it is Knocked Out. If a player’s Pokémon is Knocked Out,
that player puts it and all cards attached to it in the discard pile. That player’s opponent takes
1 of their own Prize cards and puts it into their hand.

The player whose Pokémon was Knocked Out chooses a new Active Pokémon from their
Bench. If your opponent can’t do this because their Bench is empty (or for any other reason),
you win the game! If your opponent still has Pokémon in play,
but you just took your last Prize card, you also win the game!

D) Your turn is over.

Next, you take care of a few special things during Pokémon Checkup.

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 Pokémon Trading Card Game Rules

4) Pokémon Checkup
Pokémon Checkup is a special step that happens between turns. Before the game continues to the next player, you’ll need to take care of
Special Conditions in this order:

1) Poisoned 2) Burned 3) Asleep 4)Paralyzed

You’ll also need to apply the effects of any Abilities or Trainer cards, or anything else that a card states must happen during Pokémon
Checkup (or between turns). You can check Special Conditions and then other effects, or you can check other effects and then Special
Conditions, but you can’t mix them up—for example, you can’t add Poison damage, then apply an Ability, then flip for Asleep, etc.

After both players have gone through these checks, any Pokémon that has no HP remaining is Knocked Out. (The player moves a new
Pokémon into the Active Spot, and the opponent takes a Prize card.) Then, start the next player’s turn!

Special Conditions
Some attacks make the Active Pokémon Asleep, Burned, Confused, Paralyzed, or Poisoned—
these are called “Special Conditions.” They can only happen to an Active Pokémon—when
a Pokémon goes to the Bench, it recovers from all Special Conditions. Pokémon also recover
when they evolve.

Asleep
Turn the Pokémon counterclockwise to show that it is Asleep.

If a Pokémon is Asleep, it cannot attack or retreat. During Pokémon Checkup, flip a coin.
If you flip heads, the Pokémon recovers (turn the card right-side up), but if you flip tails,
it stays Asleep.

Burned
When a Pokémon is Burned, put a Burn marker on it. During Pokémon Checkup, put 2 damage
counters on your Burned Pokémon, then flip a coin. If heads, the Pokémon recovers (remove
the Burn marker).

A Pokémon cannot have two Burn markers; if an attack gives it another Burn marker, the new
Burned Condition simply replaces the old one. Make sure your Burn markers look different
from your damage counters.

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 Pokémon Trading Card Game Rules

Confused
Turn a Confused Pokémon with its head pointed toward you to show that it is Confused.

If your Pokémon is Confused, you must flip a coin before attacking with it. If heads, the
attack works normally. If tails, the attack doesn’t happen, and you put 3 damage counters on
your Confused Pokémon.

Paralyzed
Turn a Paralyzed Pokémon clockwise to show that it is Paralyzed.

If a Pokémon is Paralyzed, it cannot attack or retreat. After its owner’s next turn, it recovers
during Pokémon Checkup (turn the card right-side up).

Poisoned
When a Pokémon is Poisoned, put a Poison marker on it. During Pokémon Checkup, put a
damage counter on your Poisoned Pokémon.

A Pokémon cannot have two Poison markers; if an attack gives it another Poison marker,
the new Poisoned Condition simply replaces the old one. Make sure your Poison markers
look different from your damage counters.

Removing Special Conditions

When a Pokémon evolves or moves to the Bench, it recovers from all Special Conditions.
The only Special Conditions that prevent Pokémon from retreating are Asleep and
Paralyzed. Since Asleep, Confused, and Paralyzed all rotate the Pokémon card, whichever
one happened last to the Pokémon is the only one that is still in effect. Since Poisoned and
Burned use markers, those don’t affect other Special Conditions. An unfortunate Pokémon
could be Burned, Paralyzed, and Poisoned all at the same time!

Other Effects
If an effect of an Ability or Trainer card says it happens during Pokémon Checkup
(or between turns), apply it as part of this step.

For example, Snorlax’s Lazy Eating Ability says to heal 10 damage from it between turns.
This would occur during Pokémon Checkup.

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 Pokémon Trading Card Game Rules

Pokémon Leagues and Theme Decks

This is all you need to know to play the game! If you need more help, ask your local store for a theme deck. It comes with everything you need to play the
game, including a quick start version of the rules!

Learn to play Pokémon games!

Earn cool prizes!
Battle against other players!
Ask your hobby store if they have a Pokémon League,
or find one near you at www.pokemon.com/locator.

Learn more at www.pokemon.com

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 Pokémon Trading Card Game Rules

Advanced Rules
Full details of taking a mulligan
If either player has no Basic Pokémon in their opening hand, that player must take a mulligan. Here’s how the timing works:

If both players have no Basic Pokémon in their opening hands:

Both players reveal their hands, then just start over as normal.

If only one player has no Basic Pokémon in their opening hand:

1) That player announces that they have a mulligan, then waits until the other player has finished setting up to play.

2) Then, the player with no Basic Pokémon reveals their hand and shuffles it back into their deck. The player keeps doing
this until they get an opening hand with a Basic Pokémon, then proceeds as normal.

3) Then, the player who did not have to start over may draw a card for each extra mulligan their opponent took.
For example, if both players took 2 mulligans, and then Player A took 3 additional mulligans, Player B may draw up to
3 cards. If any of those cards are Basic Pokémon, they may be put onto the Bench.

4) Then, reveal all Active and Benched Pokémon, and begin the game.

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 Pokémon Trading Card Game Rules

What counts as an attack?

Every attack has a cost and a name, and it might have a base damage and damage text. Most of the text on a Pokémon describes its attack,
even if it doesn’t do any damage.

For example, Gossifleur’s Call for Family attack does no damage, but it’s still an attack! Anything else is called an Ability or something else.
For instance, Oranguru’s Primate Wisdom Ability might let you switch a card from your hand with the top card of your deck, but it doesn’t
count as an attack.

Silicobra’s Sand Attack affects Call for Family, but not Primate Wisdom.

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 Pokémon Trading Card Game Rules

Full details of attacking

For most attacks, the order in which you do things doesn’t really matter. However, for a complicated attack, here are the full steps:

A) Look at your Pokémon and decide which attack to use. Make sure you have the correct Energy attached.
Then, announce you are using that attack.

B) Apply any effects that might alter or cancel the attack. For example, if an attack that was used against your Pokémon
last turn says, “If the Defending Pokémon tries to attack during your opponent’s next turn, your opponent flips a coin.
If tails, that attack doesn’t happen.” (But remember—if an Active Pokémon moves to the Bench, all effects of attacks
go away. So if your Active Pokémon has changed since your opponent used the attack in this example, you don’t have
to flip a coin.)

C) If your Active Pokémon is Confused, check now to see if its attack doesn’t happen.

D) Make any choices the attack requires you to make. For example, if an attack says, “Choose 1 of your opponent’s
Benched Pokémon,” you would make that choice now.

E) Do anything the attack requires you to do to use it. For example, you must flip a coin if an attack says “Flip a coin.
If tails, this attack does nothing.”

F) Apply any effects that happen before damage, then place damage counters, and then do all other effects.

Figuring out how many damage counters to place is usually straightforward. However, if many things are changing the damage,
follow these steps in this order:

1) Start with the base damage printed to the right of the attack. If an ×, –, or + is printed next to it, the attack text will tell
you how much damage to do. If an attack tells you to put damage counters on a Pokémon, you have no more
calculations to do because damage counters aren’t affected by Weakness, Resistance, or any other effects on a Pokémon.
Just put those damage counters on the affected Pokémon!

2) Figure out damage effects on your Active Pokémon based on Trainer cards or any other relevant effects. For example,
if your Pokémon used an attack last turn that said, “During your next turn, this Pokémon’s attacks do 40 more damage
(before applying Weakness and Resistance),” then add that in. Stop if the base damage is 0 (or if the attack does not do any
damage at all). Otherwise, keep going.

3) Increase the damage by the amount next to your opponent’s Active Pokémon’s Weakness, if it has Weakness to your
Active Pokémon’s type.

4) Reduce the damage by the amount next to your opponent’s Active Pokémon’s Resistance, if it has Resistance to your
Active Pokémon’s type.

5) Figure out damage effects of Trainer or Energy cards, or other effects on your opponent’s Active Pokémon. For example,
if your opponent’s Active Pokémon has an Ability that says “This Pokémon takes 20 less damage from attacks
(after applying Weakness and Resistance).”

6) For each 10 damage of the final attack, put 1 damage counter on the affected Pokémon. If the damage is 0 or less,
don’t put on any damage counters!

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 Pokémon Trading Card Game Rules

What if you should draw more cards than you have?

If a card tells you to draw or look at more cards from your deck than you have left, draw or look at the cards you have and continue play
as normal.

For example, if a card tells you to draw or look at the top 5 cards of your deck and you have only 3 cards left in your deck, draw or look at
those 3. You lose if you cannot draw a card at the beginning of your turn, but not if you cannot draw one because a card told you to do so.

What if both players win at the same time?

You win if you take your last Prize card or if your opponent has no Benched Pokémon to replace their Active Pokémon if it is Knocked Out
(or otherwise removed from play). This makes it possible for both players to win at the same time.

If this happens, play Sudden Death. However, if you win in both ways and your opponent wins in only one way, you are the victor!

What’s Sudden Death?

In Sudden Death, you play a new game, but each player uses only 1 Prize card instead of the usual 6. Except for the single Prize card, treat the
Sudden Death game like a whole new game! Flip a coin to see who goes first and set everything up as usual. The winner of this game is the
overall winner. If the Sudden Death game also ends in Sudden Death, just keep playing Sudden Death games until somebody wins.

What does and doesn’t count for a Pokémon’s name?

Some Pokémon cards have extra information after their name, such as a Level or a symbol like . A Pokémon’s name changes how you can
evolve or play certain cards. Level is not part of a Pokémon’s name:

• Gengar, Gengar LV. 43, Gengar LV. 44, and Gengar LV.X all have the same name

Symbols at the end of a Pokémon’s name are part of a Pokémon’s name:

• Alakazam, Alakazam , and Alakazam h all have different names from each other

• However, δ (Delta Species) is not part of a Pokémon’s name. Aerodactyl and Aerodactyl δ
(Delta Species) have the same name

An owner or form name in a Pokémon’s name is part of the Pokémon’s name:

• Meowth, Alolan Meowth, and Rocket’s Meowth have different names

When you are building a deck, you can have only 4 copies of a card with the same name in it, except for basic Energy cards. If your deck has 1
each of Gengar, Gengar LV.43, Gengar LV. 44, and Gengar LV.X, you can’t put any more cards named Gengar in your deck! However, you could
have 4 Meowth, 4 Alolan Meowth, and 4 Rocket’s Meowth.

When evolving, the “evolves from” Pokémon name must match the Pokémon being evolved.
So Graveler can evolve from Geodude, or Geodude LV. 12, but not Brock’s Geodude.

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Deck Building
When building most decks, you’ll need to follow a few rules. One of the most important rules is that your deck must be exactly 60 cards; it can’t
be any more or less, even 59 or 61 cards!

Also, except for basic Energy, you can only have 4 cards with the same name in your deck. This means you can have only 4 cards called “Pignite”
in your deck, even if they all have different attacks. Finally, your deck must have at least one Basic Pokémon in it.

Building your own deck can be challenging, but also a lot of fun. A League Leader at a Pokémon League can help you with some ideas. Another
good idea is to find a theme deck you like and try modifying it. Remember to keep it at exactly 60 cards! If you’re starting a whole new deck,
though, try these guidelines for starters:

• Pick one or two Energy types at most. Remember, most Pokémon can use any Energy
for attacks, so they can go in nearly any deck!

• To make sure you have enough Energy cards, try between 12 and 15 in your 60-card deck.

• Trainer cards are important, too. Cards like Quick Ball and Poké Kid can help you find exactly
the cards you need! Around 20 to 25 Trainer cards is a good start.

• Of course, you need Pokémon! The rest of your deck will be Pokémon. Remember, you need
at least one Basic Pokémon in your deck. Collect your favorite Pokémon so you can have
4 copies of them in your deck to make sure you draw them as much as possible.
And, if that Pokémon evolves, try to get 4 of each Pokémon in its Evolution chain as well!

Every deck is different and will fit your personality and personal strategy. Over time you’ll find the numbers of Pokémon, Trainer, and Energy
cards you like the best.

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Appendix A:
Pokémon V
Pokémon V are powerful Basic Pokémon with big HP and strong
attacks. These amazing Pokémon have a big impact on the
game, but they come with a risk: when one of your Pokémon V is
Knocked Out, your opponent takes 2 Prize cards.

Appendix B: Pokémon VMAX

Pokémon VMAX can take your Pokémon V to the next level! These massively powerful cards come with monstrous
HP and attacks—suitable for these giant Pokémon! Most Pokémon VMAX have 300 or more HP, making them very
difficult to take down in battle.

But with great power comes great risk: if your Pokémon VMAX is Knocked Out, your opponent takes 3 Prize cards.

Notice that Lapras VMAX evolves from Lapras V. This means you can only evolve Lapras VMAX from Lapras V, not
regular Lapras! Also, Pokémon VMAX are a new stage: VMAX. These cards count as Evolution cards, and all the
normal rules for Evolution apply to Pokémon VMAX. And although Pokémon VMAX are a different stage, they are still
considered Pokémon V—so if something affects Pokémon V, it also affects Pokémon VMAX.

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Appendix C: Regional Variants

You may find some familiar Pokémon with a new look! These are Galarian or Alolan Pokémon. You may even find a few
that evolve into brand-new Pokémon!

Note that “Galarian” or “Alolan” is part of the Pokémon’s

name—this means that Galarian Rapidash can only
evolve from Galarian Ponyta, not from Ponyta, and Alolan
Persian can only evolve from Alolan Meowth, not from
Meowth or Galarian Meowth. Also, you can have up to
4 Rapidash and up to 4 Galarian Rapidash in your deck if
you wish.

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Appendix D: TAG
TEAM Supporter Cards
Pokémon aren’t the only ones who can form a TAG TEAM! These powerful Supporter cards
feature two Trainers teaming up on one card. And just like the TAG TEAM Pokémon-GX,
every TAG TEAM Supporter card offers a special team bonus: if you discard extra cards
when you play it, you get an additional effect. Each TAG TEAM Supporter card has a
unique effect, so be on the lookout for these powerful pairs!

Appendix E: TAG TEAM

A TAG TEAM is a special kind of Basic Pokémon-GX that features multiple Pokémon joining forces to form a super-powered team!
TAG TEAM Pokémon-GX tend to have a lot of HP and big attacks, including a special GX attack that gains a bonus if a requirement
is met, such as attaching extra Energy or playing a certain Trainer card. But be careful: when your TAG TEAM is Knocked Out, your
opponent gets to take 3 Prize cards!

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Appendix F: Prism Star Cards

Prism Star cards (denoted by a symbol) are powerful cards that come with a restriction:
you can only have one copy of a Prism Star card in your deck. Unlike ACE SPEC cards, you
can include Prism Star cards with different names in your deck, so you could have one
Giratina , one Lunala , one Cyrus , and one Super Boost Energy in the same deck.
They also have a unique rule—if a Prism Star card would go to the discard pile, you put it
in the Lost Zone instead. Check out the glossary for more information on the Lost Zone!

Appendix G: Rare Fossil

and Unidentified Fossil
The strange Item cards Rare Fossil and Unidentified Fossil can be played as Basic
Pokémon. They can evolve into any Fossil Pokémon that says “Evolves from Rare Fossil” or
“Evolves from Unidentified Fossil,” such as Dracozolt or Shieldon.

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Appendix H: Pokémon-GX
Pokémon-GX are powerful Pokémon with more HP and stronger
attacks. Each one also has a super-powerful GX attack. You can’t use
more than one GX attack during an entire game, regardless of how
many Pokémon-GX you play. Make sure you use that GX attack at the
right strategic moment, because you only get one shot! The damage
counter sheet includes a special GX marker to keep track of this—turn
it face down once you’ve used up your GX attack for the game.

Special Rules for Pokémon-GX

The GX is part of a Pokémon-GX’s name.

Thus, Incineroar and Incineroar-GX have
different names, and you can have up to 4
of each in your deck if you wish.

Notice that Primarina-GX evolves from

Brionne. This means you can evolve Brionne
into Primarina OR Primarina-GX—the
choice is up to you! Also, Pokémon-GX have
the same Evolution stages as most other
Pokémon and follow the same rules. This
means you can use a Basic Pokémon-GX as
your starting Active Pokémon if you like!

This greater power comes with

a greater risk: when one of your
Pokémon-GX is Knocked Out, your
opponent takes 2 Prize cards.

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Appendix I: Ultra Beasts

Ultra Beasts have invaded the Pokémon
TCG! These mysterious creatures can
appear as Pokémon-GX, which stand
out with crimson colors instead of the
typical blue GX colors. Some cards have
effects that interact specifically with
Ultra Beasts, which are labeled with a
bar in the upper-right corner of the card.
All Ultra Beasts have an attack that has
something to do with Prize cards, so be
on the lookout for interesting ways to
use them.

Appendix J: Dual-Type Pokémon

Dual-type Pokémon are just like regular Pokémon, but they
have two types at the same time. For example, Azumarill
is both a Pokémon and a Pokémon, so any card that
affects one of those types will affect Azumarill.

If a dual-type Pokémon attacks a Pokémon that has a

Weakness or Resistance to either of its types, the attack’s
damage will be affected. And if the Pokémon has a
Weakness to one of the types and Resistance to the other,
remember to apply Weakness and then Resistance!

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Appendix K: BREAK Evolution

BREAK Evolution is a special new kind of
Evolution. A Pokémon BREAK keeps all
the attacks and Abilities of its previous
Evolution (plus its Weakness, Resistance,
and Retreat Cost), but it gains extra
attacks or Abilities, its HP changes, and it
could even change type!

Special Rules for Pokémon BREAK

Just like GX, BREAK is part of a Pokémon BREAK’s
name. Thus, Raichu and Raichu BREAK have different
names, and you can have up to 4 of each in your
deck if you wish.

Pokémon BREAK are a new stage: BREAK.

These cards count as Evolution cards, and all the
normal rules for Evolution apply to Pokémon BREAK.

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Appendix L: Ancient Traits

Ancient Traits appear on certain Pokémon
cards, right under the Pokémon’s name.
These Ancient Traits give the Pokémon
special powers, so be sure you read each
one carefully! Note that Ancient Traits
are not attacks or Abilities, so cards that
prevent those from being used won’t
affect Ancient Traits.

Appendix M: Team Flare Hyper Gear

The name “Team Flare Hyper Gear”
appears on special cards that you can
use to mess with your opponent’s plans.
These are Pokémon Tool cards you attach
to your opponent’s Pokémon-EX.
They have a negative impact on those
Pokémon, making it harder for them to
defeat you! Note that if the card is
removed from the Pokémon for any
reason, it goes to the discard pile of the
player who originally played it.

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Appendix N: Pokémon-EX
Pokémon-EX are powerful Pokémon that show off a Pokémon with more HP and stronger attacks than regular
Pokémon, but there are risks to playing these powered-up Pokémon!

Special Rules for Pokémon-EX

The EX is part of a Pokémon-EX’s name. Thus Yveltal and Yveltal-EX When one of your Pokémon-EX is Knocked Out, your opponent
have different names, so you can have up to 4 of each in your deck takes 2 Prize cards.
if you wish.
Apart from this, Pokémon-EX play just like any other Pokémon card.

Also, Pokémon-EX can have a regular and a full-art rare Ultra version!

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Appendix O: Mega Evolution Pokémon

Mega Evolution Pokémon represent a new peak of Evolution. These cards turn a Pokémon-EX into an even more powerful Pokémon!
Knowing the right time to play these Pokémon will be key to your new strategies.

Special Rules for Mega Evolution Pokémon

Just like EX, the M (which stands for Mega) is part of a Mega
Evolution Pokémon’s name. Thus, Mega Venusaur-EX and
Venusaur-EX have different names, and you can have up to
4 of each in your deck if you wish.

Notice that Mega Venusaur-EX evolves from Venusaur-EX. There are 2 special rules for Mega Evolution Pokémon. Since they
This means you can only evolve Mega Venusaur-EX from are still Pokémon-EX, when one of them is Knocked Out, your
Venusaur-EX, not Venusaur! Also, Mega Evolution Pokémon are a opponent takes 2 Prize cards. Also, when 1 of your Pokémon becomes
new stage: MEGA. These cards count as Evolution cards, and all a Mega Evolution Pokémon, your turn ends. Make sure you’ve done
the normal rules for Evolution apply to Mega Evolution Pokémon. everything else you want to do on your turn before you play one of
these powerful Pokémon!

Note that Primal Reversion Pokémon work just like Mega Evolution
Pokémon, so the same rules apply!

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Appendix P: Team Plasma Cards

Team Plasma cards—Pokémon, Trainer
cards, and Energy—have a striking,
unique look. You’ll first notice the Plasma
blue border, then you’ll see the Team
Plasma title. Finally, the villains’ iconic
shield appears in the text box.

Any card with this look is considered a

Team Plasma card.

For Pokémon, Team Plasma is not part of

the Pokémon’s name. So if you have
4 Team Plasma Liepard in your deck, you
can’t have any more Liepard cards in
your deck. Also, Team Plasma Pokémon
evolve as normal. Team Plasma Liepard
will evolve from Purrloin just like
other Liepard.

Appendix Q: ACE SPEC Trainer Cards

ACE SPEC Trainer cards are so powerful
that you can only have one in your deck.
And that’s not one of each: that’s only one
ACE SPEC card total in your deck. Be sure
to assess all the ACE SPEC cards to decide
which one will work best in your deck!

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Appendix R: Restored Pokémon

Some Fossil Pokémon have their own special Stage: Restored Pokémon. As you can see, Omanyte is a Restored Pokémon, and has the rule “Put
this card on your Bench only with the effect of Helix Fossil Omanyte.” This means exactly what it says: the only way to play Omanyte to your
Bench is to play the Helix Fossil Omanyte Item card. If you look at Helix Fossil Omanyte, you’ll see exactly how you can get Omanyte into play.
Once you do, Omastar works just like any other Stage 1 Pokémon—put it on top of Omanyte when you could normally play a Stage 1 Pokémon.

Key Restored Pokémon Notes

••  If you have a Restored Pokémon in your hand, you cannot play it to your Bench unless you play an Item card and its effect tells you to.

••  Restored Pokémon are not Basic Pokémon! Thus, you cannot play them as your Active or Benched Pokémon during setup.
Also, you must still have at least one Basic Pokémon in your deck if you otherwise only have Restored Pokémon in your deck. Finally,
Restored Pokémon are not Evolution cards.

••  Cards or effects that refer to “Basic,”“Stage 1,”“Stage 2,” or “Evolution” cards don’t affect Restored Pokémon. For example, a card that
says “Search your deck for a Basic Pokémon” can’t find this Restored Omanyte card. However, one that says “Search your deck for a
Pokémon” can find Omanyte. Also, cards that affect unevolved Pokémon will affect Restored Pokémon.

••  When playing with older Fossil Pokémon, the most important rules to follow are the “Evolves from” or “Put this card into play…” text.
For example, Kabuto was printed in XY—Fates Collide as a Restored Pokémon, along with a Stage 1 Kabutops that evolves from it.
Regardless of which Kabuto you have in play, you can evolve it into any Kabutops that says “Evolves from Kabuto.”
This means you can evolve a Stage 2 Kabutops from a Restored Kabuto or a Stage 1 Kabutops from a Stage 1 Kabuto.

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Glossary
ABILITY: An Ability is an effect on a Pokémon that is not BURN MARKER: What you put on a Pokémon to remind you
an attack. Some will be active all of the time, while some you it is Burned. Remove the marker if the Pokémon is Benched or
will need to choose to use. Read each Ability to make sure you evolved.
understand exactly how and when it works.
DAMAGE: What usually happens when one Pokémon attacks
ACE SPEC TRAINER CARD: A powerful Trainer card. another. If a Pokémon has total damage greater than or equal to
You may only have one ACE SPEC Trainer card in your deck. its Hit Points, it is Knocked Out.

ACTIVE POKÉMON: Your in-play Pokémon that is not on DAMAGE COUNTER: A counter put on your Pokémon to
the Bench. Only the Active Pokémon can attack. show it has taken 10 damage. It stays on your Pokémon even if the
Pokémon is Benched or evolved. Although 50- and 100-damage
ANCIENT TRAIT: Ancient Traits are special powers counters are sometimes used for convenience, if a card refers to a
(like Ω Barrier or α Recovery) that appear on certain Pokémon “damage counter,” it means the standard 10-damage counter.
cards, right under the Pokémon’s name. They are not attacks or
Abilities, so cards that prevent those from being used won’t DEFENDING POKÉMON: The Pokémon that receives
affect Ancient Traits. an attack.

ATTACH: When you take a card from your hand and put it on DEVOLVE: Certain cards can devolve an evolved Pokémon,
one of your Pokémon in play. which is the opposite of evolving your Pokémon. When a
Pokémon is devolved, it also loses Special Conditions and any
ATTACK: 1) When your Active Pokémon fights your other effects.
opponent’s Pokémon. 2) The text written on each Pokémon
card that shows what it does when it attacks (a Pokémon can DISCARD PILE: The cards you have discarded. These cards
have several attacks on it). are always face up. Anyone can look at these cards at any time.

ATTACKING POKÉMON: The Active Pokémon, as it DUAL-TYPE POKÉMON: A Pokémon that has two types
performs an attack. at the same time.

BASIC ENERGY CARD: A Grass , Fire , Water , ENERGY CARD: Cards that power your Pokémon so they can
Lightning , Psychic , Fighting , Darkness , Metal , attack. See basic Energy card.
or Fairy Energy card.
EVOLUTION CARD: A card you play on top of a Basic
BASIC POKÉMON CARD: A card you can play directly Pokémon card (or on top of another Evolution card) to make
from your hand on your turn. See Evolution card. it stronger.

BENCH: The place for your Pokémon that are in play but EVOLVED POKÉMON: A Pokémon in play that has another
are not actively fighting. They come out and fight if the Active Pokémon under it.
Pokémon retreats or is Knocked Out. When Benched Pokémon
take damage, do not apply Weakness or Resistance. FOSSIL TRAINER CARDS: A special kind of Trainer
card that acts like a Basic Pokémon when put into play. When a
BETWEEN-TURNS STEP: The part of each turn when the Fossil Trainer card is in your hand, deck, or discard pile, it is not
game shifts from one player to the other, now known as Pokémon considered a Basic Pokémon.
Checkup. Check Poisoned, Burned, Asleep, and Paralyzed at this
step, and see whether any Pokémon are Knocked Out. GX ATTACK: A powerful kind of attack. Only Pokémon-GX
have GX attacks. A player can’t use more than one GX attack
BREAK EVOLUTION: A special kind of Evolution. When a in a game.
Pokémon evolves into a Pokémon BREAK, it keeps the attacks,
Abilities, Weakness, Resistance, and Retreat Cost of its GX MARKER: A reminder tool sometimes included with the
previous Evolution. damage counter sheet. When you use your GX attack for the
game, turn your GX marker face down.

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HIT POINTS (HP): A number every Pokémon has, telling POKÉMON-GX: Pokémon-GX are a stronger form of
you how much damage it can take before it is Knocked Out. Pokémon with a special drawback: when your Pokémon-GX is
Knocked Out, your opponent takes two Prize cards instead of one.
IN PLAY: Your cards are in play when they are on the table. Each Pokémon-GX has a powerful GX attack.
Basic Pokémon cards, Evolution cards, and Energy cards cannot
be used unless they are in play. (Your deck, your discard pile, and POKÉMON LEGEND: Special double cards that showcase
your Prize cards are not in play, but your Benched Pokémon are.) powerful Legendary Pokémon. Both cards must be played
together at the same time.
ITEM CARD: A type of Trainer card. Follow the instructions on
the card and then discard it. POKÉMON LV.X: Stronger versions of a regular Pokémon,
put on top of the regular Pokémon of the same name and adding
KNOCKED OUT: A Pokémon is Knocked Out if it has damage extra abilities to the original Pokémon.
greater than or equal to its Hit Points. That Pokémon goes to the
discard pile along with all cards attached to it. When one of your POKÉMON POWER: A special ability some Pokémon have.
opponent’s Pokémon is Knocked Out, take one of your Prize cards. Pokémon Powers are divided into two categories: Poké-Power
and Poké-Body. They always include the words “Poké-Power” or
LOST ZONE: Cards sent to the Lost Zone are no longer “Poké-Body” so you can tell they are not attacks.
playable during that game. Put them face up anywhere out
of play. POKÉMON SP: A special Pokémon trained by a particular
Trainer, with a symbol in its name to show its owner. A Zapdos
MEGA EVOLUTION POKÉMON: A very powerful kind card has a different name from a Zapdos card because Zapdos
of Pokémon-EX with an additional drawback: when one is a Team Galactic’s Pokémon and the is part of the name.
of your Pokémon becomes a Mega Evolution Pokémon, your
turn ends. POKÉMON TOOL: A special kind of Trainer card (an Item)
you can attach to your Pokémon to help you. Each Pokémon can
OWNER: A Pokémon with a Trainer’s name in its title, such as have only 1 Pokémon Tool attached at any time.
Brock’s Sandshrew or Team Rocket’s Meowth. Cards with , , ,
, or do NOT count as “Owner” cards. POKÉMON V: Pokémon V are powerful Basic Pokémon with
big HP and strong attacks. These amazing Pokémon have a big
POISON MARKER: Object put on a Pokémon to remind impact on the game, but they come with a risk: when one of your
you it is Poisoned. Remove the marker if the Pokémon is Benched Pokémon V is Knocked Out, your opponent takes 2 Prize cards.
or evolved.
POKÉMON VMAX: Pokémon VMAX can take your Pokémon
POKÉ-BODY: An effect that is active as soon as that Pokémon V to the next level! These massively powerful cards come with
is in play and lasts until the Pokémon leaves play. monstrous HP and attacks—suitable for these giant Pokémon!
Most Pokémon VMAX have 300 or more HP, making them very
POKÉ-POWER: A once-per-turn power on Active and difficult to take down in battle. But with great power comes great
Benched Pokémon you must choose to use. Most Poké-Powers risk: if your Pokémon VMAX is Knocked Out, your opponent takes
are turned off if the Pokémon has a Special Condition. 3 Prize cards.
POKÉMON: The colorful characters that fight for you in the PRISM STAR CARD: A powerful kind of card with a
Pokémon Trading Card Game. They are represented in the game couple of special rules. cards can be Pokémon, Trainer cards,
by Basic Pokémon and Evolution cards. or Special Energy. You can’t have more than one card with the
same name in your deck. If a card would go to the discard pile,
POKÉMON CHECKUP: The part of each turn when the put it in the Lost Zone instead.
game shifts from one player to the other, formerly known as
the between-turns step. Check Poisoned, Burned, Asleep, and PRIZE CARDS: The 6 cards you put face down while setting
Paralyzed at this step, and see whether any Pokémon are Knocked up to play. Every time one of your opponent’s Pokémon is
Out. Knocked Out, you take 1 of your Prize cards and put it into your
hand (or 2 Prize cards, for a Pokémon-EX or a Pokémon-GX).
POKÉMON-EX: Pokémon-EX are a stronger form of Pokémon When you take your last Prize card, you win!
with a special drawback: when your Pokémon-EX is Knocked Out,
your opponent takes two Prize cards instead of one.

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RESISTANCE: A Pokémon with Resistance takes less damage TAG TEAM: A TAG TEAM is a special kind of Basic Pokémon-GX
when attacked by Pokémon of a certain type. The amount of with even more power and an even bigger drawback: when your
Resistance is printed next to the type(s) of Resistance a Pokémon TAG TEAM is Knocked Out, your opponent takes three Prize cards.
has, if any. Each TAG TEAM has a powerful GX attack that gains a bonus if the
requirement is met.
RESTORED POKÉMON CARD: A card you play with the
associated fossil Item card. TAG TEAM SUPPORTER CARD: A special kind of
Supporter card that pairs up two Trainers on one card. In addition
RETREAT: When you switch your Active Pokémon with one to its primary effect, each TAG TEAM Supporter card offers a
of your Benched Pokémon. To retreat, you must discard Energy bonus effect if you discard extra cards when you play it.
from the retreating Pokémon equal to the Retreat Cost of the
Pokémon. This cost appears in the lower right-hand corner of the TECHNICAL MACHINE: A kind of Trainer card (an Item)
card. You can only retreat once per turn. you can attach to your Pokémon. When attached, your
Pokémon can use the Technical Machine attack as its own.
SPECIAL CONDITIONS: Asleep, Burned, Confused, Technical Machine cards remain attached unless the card text
Paralyzed, and Poisoned are called Special Conditions. says otherwise.

STADIUM CARD: A type of Trainer card that is similar to an TRAINER CARD: Special cards you play to gain advantages
Item card but stays in play after you play it. Only one Stadium in the game. See Item card, Stadium card, Supporter card.
card can be in play at a time—if a new one comes into play,
discard the old one and end its effects. You can play only one TRAINERS’ POKÉMON: Pokémon with Trainers’
Stadium card each turn. names in their titles, like Brock’s Sandshrew. You cannot evolve a
regular Sandshrew into Brock’s Sandslash, and you cannot evolve
SUDDEN DEATH: Sometimes both players win at the same a Brock’s Sandshrew into a regular Sandslash. This is because
time. In this case, you play a short game called “Sudden Death” “Brock’s” is part of the name.
(use only 1 Prize card each instead of 6).
WEAKNESS: A Pokémon with Weakness takes more
SUPPORTER CARD: A Trainer card similar to an Item card. damage when attacked by Pokémon of a certain type.
You can play only one Supporter card each turn. The effect of the Weakness is indicated next to the type(s)
of Weakness a Pokémon has, if any.

Credits
Product and Game Development: Barry Sams, Yasuhiro Usui,
Jim Lin, Dylan “ExoByte” Mayo, Kyle Sucevich, Mia Violet, Nik Davidson,
Paul Peterson, and Kathy Beyerle
Production Coordination: Russ Foster, Jay Moon, Doug Storms,
Original Japanese Game David Hoskinson, and Ross Garrett
Executive Producer: Tsunekazu Ishihara Project Management: Yoshi Uemura, Jen McNulty, Jeff Hansen,
Producer: Yuji Kitano Noriko Tseng, Breon McMullin, and Ryan Stofer
Original Game Design: Tsunekazu Ishihara, Kouichi Ooyama, Translation: Ben Regal, Bryson Clark, and Satoko Deas Need Help Playing a Game?
and Takumi Akabane Theme Deck Development: Kyle Sucevich For gameplay help, strategies, rulings, or tournament information,
Game Development: Creatures Inc. Rulebook Writing: TPCi Editing Staff, Paul Peterson, and Kyle Sucevich visit our website at:
Game Director: Atsushi Nagashima Editing Coordination: Anja Weinbach www.pokemon.com
Art Director: Kenichi Koga Editing: Hollie Beg, Wolfgang Baur, and Holly Bowen For other general customer service issues:
Special Thanks To: Satoshi Tajiri, Ken Sugimori, Junichi Masuda, Design Direction: Chris Franc www.pokemon.com/support
Takao Unno, GAME FREAK inc., and Milky Isobe Graphic Design (Creative): Doug Wohlfeil, Adam Law, Kumi Okada, Phone: 1-425-336-5036
Cara Weiss, Anupa Patel, Huy Cao, Kevin Fish, and Tammy Vince Cruz
English-Language Version Graphic Design (Card Localization): Ginny Baldwin
Graphic Design (Logos): Kumi Okada and Adam Law
The Pokémon Company International
Special Thanks To: Creatures Inc., The Pokémon Company, and The
Producer: Kenji Okubo Pokémon Company International ©2020 Pokémon. ©1995–2020 Nintendo / Creatures Inc. / GAME FREAK inc.
Director of Production: Richard Simpson
®
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TM, , and character names are trademarks of Nintendo.