Current Events > Hey guys how do I learn how to play Pokemon cards?

(+) Yeah! (+)

I bought a double starter pack for my daughter, and she needs me to teach her how to play.

The rules included are kinda vague.

I'd just look up a tutorial on YouTube because when I got back into collecting a few years ago I tried to make sense of it and was just more confused. There's a reason I just collect the cards and don't play the actual game >_>

Shuffle deck

Draw Seven cards

Put a "Basic" pokemon in the active zone and up to five pokemon on the bench, facedown.

Place six prize cards face down off the the side

Game starts, flip everything (except the prize cards) face up. You can attach 1 energy to a pokemon per turn (once ever, not once each) activate any trainer cards you want, and if you have enough energy you can attack, which ends your turn.

When you attack, put damage counters on the enemy pokemon equal to your attack's power. When damage counters > hp the pokemon gets discarded along with anything attatched to it. The killer gets a prize card. When you kill six pokemon/draw all your prizes you win the game.

Or at least those were the rules 20 years ago idk how it works now

Kim_Seong-a posted...

Put a "Basic" pokemon in the active zone and up to five pokemon on the bench, facedown.

This doesn't make sense. Why would you put the cards face down if you're going to immediately flip them face up again? It's pointless?

YeOld3DS posted...

This doesn't make sense. Why would you put the cards face down if you're going to immediately flip them face up again? It's pointless?

In playground rules we ignored it. But the function is to keep the knowledge private so one player cant get an unfair advantage over the other.

Ie, if i know your active Pokemon is Bulbasaur I can use Charmander.

You don't go into a real pokey man battle knowing what's in their pokey balls

Kim_Seong-a posted...

Shuffle deck

Draw Seven cards

Put a "Basic" pokemon in the active zone and up to five pokemon on the bench, facedown.

Place six prize cards face down off the the side

Game starts, flip everything (except the prize cards) face up. You can attach 1 energy to a pokemon per turn (once ever, not once each) activate any trainer cards you want, and if you have enough energy you can attack, which ends your turn.

When you attack, put damage counters on the enemy pokemon equal to your attack's power. When damage counters > hp the pokemon gets discarded along with anything attatched to it. The killer gets a prize card. When you kill six pokemon/draw all your prizes you win the game.

Or at least those were the rules 20 years ago idk how it works now

Thank you, thats very helpful.

Is there a limit to the number of cards in your hand, and if so do you discard cards?

Can you discard Pokmon cards from your bench in order to play another one, or is it a case of once its out, its out?

Kakapo posted...

Thank you, thats very helpful.

Is there a limit to the number of cards in your hand, and if so do you discard cards?

Can you discard Pokmon cards from your bench in order to play another one, or is it a case of once its out, its out?

No hand limit, you draw 1 card at the start of every turn

You cant just pick something up off the bench, it needs to either faint or be removed by some other card effect

I never knew how to play till recently. I played the gameboy game and it actually does great at teaching you although that was made back in 1998 and the sequel(japan only) adds a good bit more cards to the game and more strategy but nothing crazy. no idea how things are now with steel, dark and fairy types.

so most normal pokemon are colorless which means any energy works for them. even other types can have a colorless attack.

when one of your pokemon get knocked out you take any from your bench and switch them in. each pokemon has a retreat cost you have to pay to switch them out. so if like the retreat is 2 fire energy and you only have 1 fire and 1 water energy on it then it can't be switched out.

to evolve pokemon you first need to play their basic card either active or on the bench and then play the stage 1 card on it. stage 2 on top of stage 1 but can't evolve the same turn that you first play the card. so like turn 1 you play charmander you have to wait to turn 2 to play charmeleon, turn 3 for charizard.

there's 3 ways to win a match.

1. take all your opponents prize cards
2. defeat all your opponents pokemon and they have none on the bench they can switch into
3. your opponent can't draw a card on their turn(deck out)

You could try the tutorial for the online version of the TCG.

creativeme posted...

I never knew how to play till recently. I played the gameboy game and it actually does great at teaching you although that was made back in 1998 and the sequel(japan only) adds a good bit more cards to the game and more strategy but nothing crazy. no idea how things are now with steel, dark and fairy types.

so most normal pokemon are colorless which means any energy works for them. even other types can have a colorless attack.

when one of your pokemon get knocked out you take any from your bench and switch them in. each pokemon has a retreat cost you have to pay to switch them out. so if like the retreat is 2 fire energy and you only have 1 fire and 1 water energy on it then it can't be switched out.

to evolve pokemon you first need to play their basic card either active or on the bench and then play the stage 1 card on it. stage 2 on top of stage 1 but can't evolve the same turn that you first play the card. so like turn 1 you play charmander you have to wait to turn 2 to play charmeleon, turn 3 for charizard.

there's 3 ways to win a match.

1. take all your opponents prize cards
2. defeat all your opponents pokemon and they have none on the bench they can switch into
3. your opponent can't draw a card on their turn(deck out)

Thanks, this really helps as well.

Can a pokemon attack and use abilities in the same turn?

eg if it has 3 energy on it, and the card has an attack for 2 energy and an ability for 1

Super silly sausage question: do you only ever get 6 Pokmon (active + 5 slots), or do you just keep going until either you or your opponent have killed 6 of yours?

Like, say my daughter absolutely slaughters my Indeedee after I have five basics in reserve, and I move a meowth up to active, can I then fill that empt reserve slot?

Take decks
Find your favorite Pokemon
Put 6 each on the mat
Start attacking

Have fun.

Kakapo posted...

Can a pokemon attack and use abilities in the same turn?

eg if it has 3 energy on it, and the card has an attack for 2 energy and an ability for 1

You can only use one attack during a turn. Abilities usually say once during your turn as well but they generally don't have attack costs to use them.

HornyLevel posted...

Take decks
Find your favorite Pokemon
Put 6 each on the mat
Start attacking

Have fun.

But what then?

Honestly, Im not the stickler for rules here. These are questions my daughters asking me. Shes a born lawyer with preternatural skills in mental arithmetic.

Kakapo posted...

Super silly sausage question: do you only ever get 6 Pokmon (active + 5 slots), or do you just keep going until either you or your opponent have killed 6 of yours?

Like, say my daughter absolutely slaughters my Indeedee after I have five basics in reserve, and I move a meowth up to active, can I then fill that empt reserve slot?

Yes, you can always refill your Pokemon slots once they get KOed.

dmaster342 posted...

Yes, you can always refill your Pokemon slots once they get KOed.

So that means if I have 5 bench pokemon and an active, then my active gets killed, one immediately moves up so I have 4. Then next turn I can place a basic pokemon in the empty slot?