The Pokémon Trading Card Game (TCG) is a Pokémon battle simulation tabletop game. It may seem daunting to start playing a game that has been around since 1996 and features over 1000 different Pocket Monsters. But the amount of beginner-friendly products and community resources available today makes it easier than ever to learn the rules and jump right into a Pokémon battle with a friend. We’re going to break down everything a new player needs to know to play the game, purchase starter decks and supplies, and join the larger Pokémon TCG community to participate in tournaments.
Jump To: The Basics // How The Game Works // Decks and Products Breakdown // Starter Supplies and Accessories // Online Resources for Beginners // Pokémon TCG Tournaments and Community
The Basics of the Pokémon TCG
The Pokémon TCG pits two Pokémon Trainers against one another in a Pokémon battle. The first player to knock out six opposing Pokémon and claim all six of their Prize cards is the winner. Being a collectible card game, cards are acquired by purchasing pre-made decks, opening booster packs, buying single cards, or trading cards with trusted friends.
How a Game of the Pokémon TCG Works
The Pokémon TCG is easy to learn but hard to master. We’re going to cover the broad strokes of how the game works here, but before you start playing we recommend taking the time to read the official Pokémon TCG Rule Book or, if you want to jump right into a match, the Pokémon TCG Quick Start Rules.
Building a Pokémon Deck 101
To get started, each player assembles a deck of 60 cards using the three different types of cards. There are Pokémon cards to deal damage and use abilities, Trainer cards to search your deck for Pokémon and provide other useful effects, and Energy cards to enable your Pokémon to attack. For beginners, it’s recommended to build your deck with about 15-20 Pokémon cards, 15-25 Trainer cards, and 15-18 Energy cards.
As any Pokémon fan knows, a Pokémon’s Type plays an important role in achieving victory. There are 10 different Types of Pokémon in the Pokémon TCG: Grass, Fire, Water, Lightning, Fighting, Darkness, Psychic, Metal, Normal, and Dragon. Each Type represents a different strategy, such as Fire’s strong but costly attacks or Grass’s ability to tank big hits and heal away the damage. Playing Energy cards of the appropriate Type allows you to use your Pokémon’s attacks in battle. We suggest choosing just one or two Types to focus on for your first deck.
To make an effective deck, pick one or two Pokémon you really like to be your main attacker. Then fill the rest of the deck with other Pokémon and Trainer cards that complement and support those Pokémon. Make sure to keep an eye on the Weakness Type of your Pokémon, as noted at the bottom of the card. If your Pokémon is attacked by a Pokémon Type that it’s weak to, it will take double damage. Make sure your deck has Pokémon with at least two different Weakness Types to avoid getting blown out of the water by a single Type.
How to Start the Pokémon TCG
In order to start a game, both players draw a hand of seven cards and choose one Basic Pokémon (i.e., a Pokémon that doesn’t need to evolve) to be their Active Pokémon. To finish setting up, each player takes six cards off the top of their deck and sets them to the side face down. These are your Prize cards and are key to how you win the game. From there, players take turns playing additional Pokémon, using Trainer cards, attaching Energy, and announcing attacks to deal damage or utilize effects.
There are three different ways to win a game of the Pokémon TCG. The first and most common way to win is to take all of your Prize cards. Whenever you knock out an opposing Pokémon, you draw one Prize card. The first player to take all six of their prize cards is declared the winner. Some Pokémon are extra powerful and are therefore worth multiple Prize cards when knocked out. For example, Pokémon ex are worth two Prize cards when knocked out. Additionally, if a player has no more Pokémon left in play or if they have no cards left in their deck at the start of their turn, they lose the game.
Jump To: The Basics // How The Game Works // Decks and Products Breakdown // Starter Supplies and Accessories // Online Resources for Beginners // Pokémon TCG Tournaments and Community
What Decks and Basic Products Do I Need for the Pokémon TCG?
If you’re new to strategy card games, we recommend beginning your Pokémon TCG journey by purchasing a pair of Starter Decks and playing with a friend. A Starter Deck is ready to play right out of the box. It comes with a paper playmat, cardboard gameplay tokens, and a guide to the Quick Start Rules. The decks are designed to be new-player friendly with cards that have simple effects and basic strategies that are easy to pick up on fast.
Alternatively, new players may want to check out the Pokémon Trading Card Game Battle Academy. This product is packaged like a board game and is designed to teach new players the ropes. Another product great for learning the game are the Pokémon TCG: My First Battle decks. They come with two mini-decks that are played with simplified rules. This helps you grasp the basics before jumping into a full game.
Perhaps this isn’t your first TCG rodeo and you already have experience playing these types of card games. In that case, you’ll want to pick up a “Play Level 2” pre-constructed Pokémon TCG: ex Deluxe Battle Deck. This one is meant for intermediate players. For more advanced players, we recommend a Play Level 3 pre-built League Battle Deck. These read-to-play decks utilize more complex strategies and come with powerful cards often used by top-level competitors. Best of all, they are easy to upgrade when you’re ready to start playing in tournaments with other Pokémon Trainers.
If you’re a seasoned TCG player who prefers to create their own deck from scratch, then pick up the Pokémon TCG: Trainer’s Toolkit. It contains 50+ cards that are often used as the foundation of the best competitive decks. This kit also comes with all of the accessories and game pieces needed to play in a tournament.
The Best Starting Supplies and Accessories for the Pokémon TCG
Once you have your Pokémon deck in-hand, it’s time to acquire some practical and decorative accessories. Card sleeves protect your cards and make it easier to shuffle. Deck boxes keep your deck safe during travel. Playmats give you a clean surface to play on and make it easy to pick up and move around your cards. Best of all, these supplies come in all manner of color and design, so feel free to customize your look and express yourself just as the many colorful characters of the Pokémon universe like to do.
In order to play the Pokémon TCG, you’ll need a coin for flipping and dice to keep track of damage on your Pokémon. It’s not uncommon for some Pokémon players to forego flipping a coin in favor of rolling a die and calling odds/evens instead of heads/tails. For damage counter dice, a handful of standard six-sided dice will do, with each pip representing 10 damage.
Helpful Online Resources for Pokémon TCG Beginners
The best way to learn the Pokémon TCG and get better is to play the game yourself and to watch other, more experienced players. There are plenty of ways to do both online.
There are currently two digital clients for the game. Pokémon TCG Pocket is a great way to get your feet wet because it sports a short and sweet version of the game. To play the full game online, there’s Pokémon TCG Live. Both games are free to play and have tutorials to help you learn how to play.
There is no shortage of Pokémon TCG content to watch online. Official Pokémon TCG broadcasts are great to watch because the commentators explain what the cards do and break down each player’s strategy. YouTube is an excellent resource for players of all skill levels. Pokémon TCG content creators do everything from make deck guides and tier lists to demonstrating gameplay and streaming tournament runs.
The online Pokémon TCG community is extremely expansive and active. Between Discord, Reddit, and social media, it’s easy to find others to ask for advice and make new battle buddies with.
How to Play in Tournaments and Join the Larger Pokémon TCG Community
Once you feel comfortable with your ability to play the Pokémon TCG, you can seek out others to battle at your local game shop. Use Pokémon’s event locator to seek out a Pokémon League near you. Pokémon Leagues are a great place to learn more about the game and make friends with other Pokémon Trainers. They usually host a weekly casual tournament or sometimes just provide a place to play with others for fun. Leagues award attending players with free Play! Pokémon Prize Packs that contain special versions of powerful competitive cards.
If you feel ready to embark on your journey to become a Pokémon TCG master, then you can start playing in official tournaments that award the top finishers Championship Points (CP). There are different sized tournaments, from the smaller League Challenges and League Cups to the massive Regional Championships and International Championships. Those who perform well enough throughout the season and earn enough CP will be invited to play in the Pokémon TCG World Championship.
Regardless of whether you go on to become the next world champ or simply enjoy playing at the kitchen table with a loved one, remember the most important thing to do when playing the Pokémon TCG is to use Hyper Beam on your enemies have fun.
Jump To: The Basics // How The Game Works // Decks and Products Breakdown // Starter Supplies and Accessories // Online Resources for Beginners // Pokémon TCG Tournaments and Community
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Source: Kiat Media
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