The contents of this article have been suggested to be split intoActive Spot,Bench,Discard pile,Hand,Prize card,Series (TCG),Basic Pokémon,Resistance (TCG),Weakness (TCG),Sudden death. Please discuss it onthe talk page for this article.

This glossary is a list of general terms used in thePokémon Trading Card Game. SeeHow to play for a brief description of the game. Also seeCategory:Pokémon Trading Card Game for an exhaustive list of Pokémon Trading Card Game related articles.

Deck

Main article:Deck

Both players in aPokémon Trading Card Game require a playingDeck. An official deck is either purchased or built with 60 cards, composed ofPokémon cards,Energy cards, andTrainer cards.

Booster pack

Main article:Booster pack (TCG)

Booster packs are currently packs of 10 cards from a givenExpansion. Boosters offer the chance to acquire stronger cards to strengthen aTheme Deck, create new decks of cards, or customize old ones. Every booster pack is guaranteed to contain at least oneRare () card, with generally threeUncommon () cards and the remainder beingCommon (). Since the release of theLegendary Collection set, onereverse Holofoil print of a common, uncommon, or rare card has also been included in every pack.

Constructed Deck

Main article:Deck → Constructed Deck

AConstructed Deck (also referred to asFull Deck) is a 60-card deck built by a player from that player's ownPokémon Trading Card Game collection.

Deck archetype

Main article:Deck archetype (TCG)

ADeck archetype is a playerConstructed Deck utilizing a set structure or theme (a certainPokémon type and/orEnergy type, specificPokémon cards and/orTrainer cards, etc.). Various players often have slight differences between their own decks of the same archetype.

Expansion

Main article:List of Pokémon Trading Card Game expansions

After the release of the originalBase Set in 1996/1999, each subsequent release ofPokémon card sets has been known as anExpansion set. Typically four expansions are released per year. They becomeStandard andExpanded format legal two weeks after they are released in the United States. Expansions are grouped into aseries often taking its title from the first expansion in that given grouping (itself typically based off of the title of avideo game release), such as theHeartGold & SoulSilver Series, theBlack & White Series, or theXY Series. Players who have collected all of the cards released in a given Expansion are considered to have aComplete set.

Half Deck

Main article:Half Deck (TCG)

TheHalf Deck is popular among manyPokémon Trading Card Game players, particularly in Japan. In Half Deck play, both players use a 30-card deck instead of a traditional 60-card one and lays out threePrize cards instead of six.

Promotional card

Main article:Promotional cards (TCG)

Unlike regularExpansion sets andBooster packs,Promotional cards are not available for purchase in stores. They are given way as special gifts.A great many Promotional card sets have been produced over the years for the Pokémon Trading Card Game.

Preconstructed Deck

SeeTheme Deck orTrainer kit below.

Theme Deck

Main article:Theme Deck (TCG)

ATheme Deck is aPreconstructed 60-card deck that is sold pre-packaged (also referred to asFull Deck). Most Theme Decks are designed with aspecific strategy (such asSpecial Conditions) or theme (such asfirst partner Pokémon) in mind. They tend not to be as strong as playerConstructed Decks, but can otherwise be a sound introduction to the game for new players since they have all the cards necessary for a single player to begin playing immediately. Theme Decks are also a defined gameplay category in thePokémon Trading Card Game Online.

Trainer kit

Main article:Deck → Trainer kit

Similar toTheme Decks,Trainer kits, such as theBlack & White Trainer Kit, come with twoPreconstructed 30-card decks orHalf Decks, which may be combined to form one complete 60-card deck or can be built upon with a player’s own cards to make two 60-card play decks. Trainer kits also typically include game aids such asBooster packs, a rulebook, adouble-player playmat,damage counters,status counters, acoin, and a deck box – almost everything a single player could need to begin playing immediately.

Energy card

Main article:Energy card (TCG)

Basic Energy card

ABasic Energy card (Japanese:基本エネルギーBasic Energy) is one unit of Energy. Energy is attached to aPokémon card in order to useAttacks. There are nine types of basic Energy card:Grass,Fire,Water,Lightning,Psychic,Fighting,Darkness,Metal, andFairy. The exact amount and type of Energy is required in order to use anAttack, except forColorless Energy (for which any type of Energy can be used). For example, if the player has Grass Energy, they cannot use an attack requiring one Lightning Energy, but they can use any attacks that require Grass and/or Colorless Energy.

Special Energy card

Special Energy cards (Japanese:特殊エネルギーSpecial Energy) are cards that provide more than oneEnergy card of a specific type and/or have an additional effect besides providing Energy. Some may heal thePokémon they're attached to, addDamage to theirAttacks, or may even provide several different types of Energy at once. A majority of them provide onlyColorless energy; however, there are several which provide one or more of any type of Basic energy.

Formats

Expanded format

Main article:Expanded format (TCG)

Expanded format defines which cards may be used in officially-sanctionedPlay! Pokémon events. This format was introduced in the2014-2015 season. It allows a greater number ofexpansions than theStandard format but is not as unpredictable as theUnlimited format. It remains to be seen if Play! Pokémon will beginrotating out sets once per year, after theWorld Championships, as they currently do with the Standard format.

Standard format

Main article:Standard format (TCG)

Standard format defines which cards may be used in officially-sanctionedPlay! Pokémon events. This format was previously called theModified format prior to the2013-2014 season. Standard format cards are also known asStandard-legal orModified-legal. The current Standard formatrotates sets that are usable once per year, usually after theWorld Championships.

Unlimited format

Main article:Unlimited format (TCG)

TheUnlimited format allows for the inclusion of any card that is or was playable inTournaments. This format is not used in tournaments sanctioned byPlay! Pokémon. It is, however, used inPokémon Trading Card Game Online and can be used inPokémon Leagues if theLeague Leader wishes to allow it. Because of the lack of restrictions in Unlimited,decks can use combinations of cards which are not possible inStandard orExpanded format play.

Miscellaneous terminology

Active Pokémon

TheActive Pokémon (Japanese: バトルポケモンBattle Pokémon) is thePokémon that the player has chosen to battle the opponent's Active Pokémon. In regular formats, each player can only have one Pokémon set as their Active Pokémon at any given time. As a Pokémon in play, the Active Pokémon can haveEnergy cards andPokémon Tools attached to it and canevolve. Uniquely, the Active Pokémon can have aLevel Up card used on it. The Active Pokémon is the only Pokémon allowed toAttack orRetreat. The Active Pokémon is also sometimes referred to by the opponent as theAttacking Pokémon or, if affected by an opponent's attack, theDefending Pokémon. The Active Pokémon is sometimes described as being in theActive Spot. If the Active Pokémon leaves play (usually by beingKnocked Out), a Pokémon currently on theBench must become the new Active Pokémon or the opponentwins the game.

Arena orActive Spot

Inthe Game Boy Color game, theArena (バトル場Battle Place) is the location of theActive Pokémon.

The termActive Spot, first used on English-language cards in theSword & Shield expansion, refers to the same.

Bench

During play, anyPokémon that are not considered to be theActive Pokémon may be put onto theBench (Japanese: ベンチBench). These are classed asBenched Pokémon (Japanese: ベンチポケモンBench Pokémon), of which each player usually can have no more than five at a time. Some effects can change this limit. They generally cannotAttack orRetreat, but they may be able to useAbilities,Poké-POWERS andPoké-BODIES if they do not state that the Pokémon must beActive to use them, and they can also be switched out into the Active position if the current Active Pokémon retreats. Some attacks allow a Pokémon to dealDamage to the opponent's Benched Pokémon (and some even deal damage to the player's own Benched Pokémon). In these cases,Weakness andResistance are not applied to the Benched Pokémon. Unlike Active Pokémon, aPokémon LV.X card cannot be played in order to Level Up a Benched Pokémon.

Coins or Dice

Main article:Coin (TCG)

Coins (Japanese:ポケモンコインPokémon Coin), also officially recognized asmetallic coins, areone of two types of randomizers that players can use during a Pokémon Trading Card GameMatch. The majority of official coins released are made of plastic with a metallic Pokémon design on the front. Coin flips (Heads orTails) are an integral part of the game. They help determine which player starts a match and determine the effect on many cards. Coins have begun to fall out of favor among Pokémon players, who have gradually started to prefer the second officially recognized randomizer:dice (Six-sided Dice), for their utility and convenience, where theeven number sides representHeads and theodd number sides representTails.

Cost

An informal term referring to a action that is required to happen before the use of an effect. Some examples of cards that have costs areCinccino'sMake DoAbility andDangerous Drill.Not to be confused with the "cost" of an attack.

Damage

When anActive Pokémon attacks, theAttack they use may specify an amount ofDamage (Japanese: ダメージDamage) to be done to thePokémon being attacked, conventionally divisible by amounts of 10. Damage is tallied up, by way ofDamage Counters (Japanese: ダメカンDame-kan, short for ダメージカウンターDamage Counter), in order toKnock Out an opponent's Pokémon. Each damage counter counts as 10 damage. For example, if a Pokémon has 120Hit Points and has twelve or more damage counters on it, it would beKnocked Out. Damage done by attacks may also be affected by theWeakness orResistance of the Pokémon being attacked. In place of actual counters, dice are often used to indicate damage; this is very common practice and it saves time. An example would be if a Pokémon had a die with the 5 side up, it would have 50 damage.

Defending Pokémon

A DefendingPokémon is the opponent'sActive Pokémon at the time that anAttack is used. When attacking, the effect of an attack may mention theDefending Pokémon in the event that it is being affected by aSpecial Condition or other effect.

Discard Pile

When cards are taken out of play, they are moved into theDiscard Pile (Japanese: トラッシュTrash). Either player can look at the cards in their own Discard Pile, as well as those in their opponent's. When aPokémon isKnocked Out, it is moved to the Discard Pile, along with all cards attached to it. When aTrainer card is used, it is often immediately moved to the Discard Pile after being used.Energy cards used toRetreat or Energy cards discarded as part of anAttack or due to an effect of aTrainer card are also moved into the Discard Pile. Some cards allow the player to recollect cards from their Discard Pile.

Duel

Inthe Game Boy Color game, a Match is often called aDuel (Japanese:対戦competition).

Energy type

Main article:Type (TCG)

There are elevenEnergy types:Grass,Fire,Water,Lightning,Fighting,Psychic,Colorless,Darkness,Metal,Dragon, andFairy. In the past, these were calledPokémon types. BothEnergy andPokémon have types. When a PokémonAttacks, theDamage it it does to theDefending Pokémon is changed if the type of the attacker is aWeaknesses and/orResistances of the Defending Pokémon.

Field

TheField is thePlay Area orPlaymat for aPokémon Trading Card Game game orMatch. There are alsoplaymats that players can use that define all the special location on the field. A field is roughly split in half with each player utilizing the half closest to them. Each player’sshuffleddeck is placed face down on the upper right side of their respective half. TheDiscard Pile is located on the right side just below their deck. TheActive Pokémon (of which each player can only have one at a time) is placed in front of the player toward the upper center of their half of the field. TheirBench is directly in front of each player. No more than five Pokémon may occupy a given player’s Bench at the same time. Finally, sixPrize cards are placed face down to the left side of the each player’s half of the field.

Pokémon cards on both players' Active Spots and Benches are considered to beIn Play.

Hand

Generally held in the player’s hands, a player’shand is the group of cards that only they are allowed to look at (not their opponent) and play from during theirTurn. At the beginning of aMatch, players take seven cards from the top of their respectivedecks and places them into their hand. At the beginning of each player's turn, they take one card from the top of their respective decks and place it into their hand. CertainTrainer cards andPokémon cards haveAttacks orAbilities that may also allow a player to draw a card or cards from their respective deck. Notably, players always have a hand, even if that hand has no cards in it. This allows players to pay for costs that require discarding their hand even in such a case.^[1]

HP

Main article:HP (TCG)

HP (Japanese:ＨＰHP), short forHit Point (Japanese:ヒットポイントHit Point), represents the health of eachPokémon card. This is the amount ofDamage it can take before beingKnocked Out. This value is a multiple of 10. A Pokémon's damage is tallied up by way of damage counters, each counter representing 10 damage. For example, if a Pokémon with 120 HP has 3 damage counters, that is equivalent to 30 HP damage, with 90 HP still remaining for this Pokémon. If a Pokémon has lost all their HP (for instance, a Pokémon with 120 HP with twelve or more damage counters on it), it is Knocked Out. Once a Pokémon card is Knocked Out, it and all cards attached are sent to the discard pile, and the opponent takes one of their Prize cards.

Holofoil card

Main article:Holofoil (TCG)

Also known asHolographic Foil,Foil,Holo,Reverse-Holo,Reverse foil orHolographic cards. They are identical to their normal counterpart aside from a Holofoil effect in the picture (Holo) or the card background (Reverse-Holo). A small amount ofRare () cards within eachexpansion are Holofoil. They may be pulled fromBooster packs as the rare card, but it is not guaranteed. They are rarer compared to non-Holofoil rare cards.

Knock Out

When aPokémon'sDamage equals or exceeds itsHit Points, it is consideredKnocked Out. Knocked Out Pokémon are placed face up in the player’sDiscard Pile along with any other cards that were attached to it (such asEnergy cards).

Lost Zone

Main article:Lost Zone

TheLost Zone is an area considered to be a more advanced form of theDiscard Pile. The Lost Zone was introduced in thePlatinum expansion. Cards moved to the Lost Zone are kept face-up, but unlike cards in the Discard Pile, are considered to be "outside" thePlay Area due to the fact they are not kept on the playmat if one is used. Cards moved to the Lost Zone are no longer considered to be in play, and cannot be retrieved by any means during gameplay. There are no card effects that can circumvent this.

Match

A game ofPokémon Trading Card Game is often called aMatch.

Play! Pokémon

Main article:Play! Pokémon

Play! Pokémon, formerly known asPokémon Organized Play orPOP, is an official gathering of players of thePokémon Trading Card Game andvideo games to play, trade, and just generally have fun and learn about the games. It was formed byThe Pokémon Company International in 2003 to officially sanction and organize game play, includingLeagues,Tournaments, and prize systems.

Pokémon Checkup

Main article:Pokémon Checkup

Pokémon Checkup, formerly thebetween-turns step, is the step betweenturns during whichSpecial Conditions are checked. While this concept has existed since the start of the game, the name "Pokémon Checkup" was only introduced inSword & Shield. After all Special Conditions and other effects have been checked, any Pokémon with 0 HP remaining areKnocked Out. Then the next player's turn starts.

Pokémon League

Main article:Pokémon League (TCG)

APokémon League, often referred to simply asLeague, is a periodic gathering, typically weekly, of players of both thePokémon Trading Card Game andPokémon video games. During a League session, players battle and trade for fun. It is typically not a structuredTournament. However, each player can obtain an officialPlayer ID. Event organizers will upload player event play information toPlay! Pokémon, eventually resulting inminor prizes.

Prize card

Main article:Prize card

APrize card (Japanese: サイドSide) is a card taken by a player forKnocking Out one of their opponent'sPokémon. At the start of the game, after drawing their initial hand and putting Pokémon into play, cards are taken from the top of the deck and set as player's Prize cards. Prize cards are laid face-down and are unknown to both players. When using regular 60-carddecks, six prizes are put down at the start of the game. However, three are put down if using 30-cardHalf Decks, and four are put down if using 40-card prerelease decks. In aSudden Death match, each player has one Prize card. When one player's Pokémon is Knocked Out, their opponent takes one of their own Prize cards and puts it into theirhand. Some effects can increase or decrease the number of Prize cards taken in this way. There are also effects that prevent players from taking any Prize card when Knocking Out a Pokémon, and those override any increase. Certain Special Pokémon cards, such asPokémon-GX orPokémon V, have text boxes that also allow the opposing player to take more Prize cards when they are Knocked Out, though this technically is not an effect that increases the number of Prize cards taken. Rarely, there are effects that can interact with the Prize cards, sometimes allowing a player to take theirs without Knocking Out a Pokémon. The first player to take all of their Prize cardsWins the game.

Public information

Main article:Public information (TCG)

Public information is information related to aMatch that is readily accessible by either player at any time, as long as such requests are not used for stalling. Public information includes all cards in play, such as: 1)Pokémon cards, including anyevolutionary stages underneathActive andBenched Pokémon; 2)Energy cards andTrainer cards attached to Pokémon and in thePlay Area; 3) the cards in each player'sDiscard Pile; 4) the number of cards in a player's hand, and 5) the number of remainingPrize Cards of each player.

Rarity

Main article:Rarity

On the bottom right corner of most cards, there is a small symbol that indicates itsRarity (how easy it is to find or obtain): (Common), (Uncommon), (Rare). No symbol usually denotes a card that is part of aPromotional set or aBasic Energy card.

Reprinted card

Main article:Reprinted card

AReprinted card is a card that has been printed in a previousPokémon Trading Card Game set and has been included in a newer set. When a card is reprinted, older versions of a card can still be used inStandard format andExpanded formatTournaments provided the text of the card has not changed or if a single copy of a card with the current text is set aside for reference. This reference card cannot be actively used in the player'sdeck.

Rule Box

Main article:Rule Box (TCG)

A term introduced in theBattle Styles expansion, cards with aRule Box collectively refer to those that have a text box that says the word "rule", such asPokémon-EX,Pokémon BREAK,Pokémon-GX,Prism Star cards,TAG TEAM cards,Pokémon V,Radiant Pokémon, andPokémon ex. (Pokémon-ex from theEX Series do not have Rule Boxes.)

Series

Main article:Pokémon Trading Card Game → Wizards of the Coast sets

ASeries is a grouping ofExpansion sets based on a certainGeneration of expansions, such asGeneration I,Generation II,Generation III,Generation IV,Generation V, orGeneration VI. Concurrently, series groupings are also taken from the title of the first expansion in that given grouping (itself typically based off of the title of avideo game release), such as theHeartGold & SoulSilver Series, theBlack & White Series, and theXY Series.

Shuffle

Shuffling involves mixing the cards in a player’sdeck orPrize cards in a random and unpredictable way.

Special Conditions

Main article:Special Condition (TCG)

ASpecial Condition (Japanese:特殊状態Special Condition) is a result that someAttacks have. Specific attacks may cause theDefending Pokémon to be affected by at least one of the five Special Conditions:Asleep,Burned,Confused,Paralyzed andPoisoned.

Unlikestatus ailments in the video games, Special Conditions are not necessarily mutually exclusive. Poisoned and Burned are recognized by placing a specific marker (known asstatus counters) on the afflicted Pokémon (and can be combined), while Asleep, Confused, and Paralyzed are recognized by rotating the Active Pokémon's card (thus it can only be affected by one of these at a time with the newest condition overriding the previous one). Also unlike the video games, Special Conditions are healed upon anEvolution,level-up or being switched out of theActive position and placed on theBench.

Sudden Death

When both players achieve a win condition at the same time, a Sudden Death match occours to resolve the original match's winner. It follows the same rules of a regular match, but players only start with onePrize Card.

Tournament

Main article:Play! Pokémon → Local Tournaments

Tournaments are meant for both fun and practice. They are usually held in a gaming store or community center by a localLeague Leader orTournament Organizer. They are often but not always free to enter.Play! Pokémon sanctioned tournaments are either single elimination, Swiss, or Swiss followed by single elimination rounds. Formal Play! Pokémon tournaments also include:Prerelease Tournaments,Battle Road Tournaments,City Championships,State/Province/Territory Championships,Regional Championships,National Championships, andWorld Championships. Many tournaments also are divided into threeAge divisions:Junior (roughly up to ten year olds),Senior (roughly 11 to 14 year olds), andMaster (roughly 15 year olds and older).

Turn

Main article:Pokémon Trading Card Game → How to play

Aturn consists of the following for each player:

1. First, draw a card from the top of that player'sdeck.
2. Next, do any of the below actions in any order:
   • Attach oneEnergy card to one of that player’s Pokémon in play (eitherActive orBenched Pokémon).
   • PlayBasic Pokémon to that player's Bench.
   • Evolve any of that player's Pokémon in play.
   • Retreat that player's Active Pokémon if the Active Pokémon can satisfy theEnergy card retreat cost.
   • Play anyTrainer cards in that player'shand pertaining to the rules on each Trainer card and then typically placing that Trainer card face up in the player’sdiscard pile.
     • During the same turn, each player may play many Item cards or Pokémon Tool cards, but only one Supporter card and one Stadium card.
   • Use anyAbilities orPokémon Powers that appear on that player's Active or Benched Pokémon.
3. Finally,Attack if that player has the appropriateEnergy card(s) attached on that player'sActive Pokémon. Attackingalways ends that player’s turn.

The player to go first is not allowed to attack or play a Supporter card on their first turn.Players alternate turns until one playerwins the game.

Winning

Main article:Pokémon Trading Card Game → How to play

Players canWin aPokémon Trading Card Game in three different ways:

1. Take theirsix prize cards byKnocking Out their opponent's Pokémon by using variousAttacks to reduce the opponent'sHP to zero;
2. If their opponentruns out of Pokémon on the field (which includes theirActive Pokémon andBench Pokémon), or
3. If their opponent must draw a card from theirdeck at the beginning of their turn, but they haverun out of cards in their deck.

Pokémon card

Main article:Pokémon (TCG)

Pokémon cards are the focus of thePokémon Trading Card Game. The most common type of Pokémon card is aBasic Pokémon, but others includeBaby Pokémon,Stage 1 and Stage 2 Pokémon,Restored Pokémon,Pokémon-EX and M Pokémon-EX,Fossil Pokémon, andPokémon LEGEND.

Ability

Main article:Ability (TCG)

AnAbility is aPokémon power that typically trigger once or multiple times during aTurn, before a Pokémon attacks, or are active for as long as the Pokémon that has it is in play. With the release ofBlack & White,Pokémon Powers (Poké-BODY andPoké-POWER) were combined into this single mechanic after the analogous element in the mainvideo series games.

Ancient Trait

Main article:Ancient Trait

Ancient Traits are special effects given to certain Pokémon, starting in thePrimal Clash expansion. They are notAbilities, and as such, effects that would prevent Abilities from activating do not apply to them.

Attack

Main article:Attack (TCG)

Attacks are skills on aPokémon card usable by the player'sActive Pokémon on the player'sTurn, which are similar tomoves in thevideo games. Nearly everyPokémon card has at least one attack. When players use an attack, that player's turn ends. Every attack has an attack cost, which is printed as energy symbols to the left of the attack name. A Pokémon card can only use an attack if it has enoughEnergy attached to it to pay for that attack's cost. Additionally, only Active Pokémon may use attacks, although players may attach energy toBench Pokémon in order to get them ready to attack if and when they make a given Bench Pokémon their Active Pokémon. Finally, the first player in aMatch to have aTurn is not allowed to attack, although they may perform all other actions types.

Baby Pokémon

Main article:Baby Pokémon

ABaby Pokémon (Japanese: ベイビィポケモンBaby Pokémon) is a type ofPokémon card introduced inNeo Genesis to be treated as aBasic Pokémon. Baby Pokémon are pre-evolved forms of existing Basic Pokémon, such asPichu is toPikachu, and thus are able to evolve into their respective Basic Pokémon (which are then treated asevolved Pokémon). Up to theSkyridgeExpansion, the opponent was also forced to flip acoin when attacking a Baby Pokémon: if tails, theAttack would fail. As of theEX SandstormExpansion, Baby Pokémon are officially Basic Pokémon, and instead have a Baby EvolutionPoké-POWER to allow them to evolve into their respective Evolutions.

Basic Pokémon

Main article:Basic Pokémon (TCG)

ABasic Pokémon (Japanese: たねポケモンSeed Pokémon) is a form ofPokémon which does notevolve from any other Pokémon. A Basic Pokémon can be placed directly into play, either as theActive Pokémon at the start of the game or as aBenched Pokémon any time during play. Some Basic Pokémon, such asMewtwo, do not evolve; some, such asBulbasaur, do; and some, such asPikachu, can evolve from Baby Pokémon either classified as a Baby Pokémon or with the Baby EvolutionPoké-POWER. In these cases, Basic Pokémon that are evolved from Baby Pokémon or other Basic Pokémon are considered to be evolved Pokémon, but not Evolution Pokémon. MostPokémon-EX andPokémon V are Basic Pokémon, but their subtypes (e.g. Mega Evolution Pokémon-EX) are not.

Evolution Pokémon

Main article:Evolution (TCG)

Evolution Pokémon, orEvolution cards, are types ofPokémon thatevolve from other Pokémon, mainly split intoStage 1 Pokémon andStage 2 Pokémon. A Pokémon that has had another Pokémon card placed on it as an Evolution is considered an "evolved Pokémon". The player'sActive Pokémon and theirBenched Pokémon can be evolved during theirTurn, as long it is not the player's first turn or the turn when the Pokémon was put into play. An evolved Pokémon counts as one card while in play, regardless of how many Evolution stages it has.

Stage 1 Pokémon

Main article:Stage 1 Pokémon (TCG)

Stage 1 Pokémon are placed ontoBasic Pokémon (including those evolved fromBaby Pokémon) and Stage 2 Pokémon are placed onto Stage 1 Pokémon. Pokémon that are resurrected from Fossils in the original mechanic, such asOmanyte andKabuto, are Stage 1 Pokémon, as their respective Fossil Trainer cards,Helix Fossil andDome Fossil, are classed as Basic Pokémon.

Stage 2 Pokémon

Main article:Stage 2 Pokémon (TCG)

Stage 2 Pokémon are placed ontoStage 1 Pokémon. Some cards, such asRare Candy, allow the player to bypass a Stage 1 Pokémon by evolving aBasic Pokémon directly into a Stage 2 Pokémon.

Mega Evolution Pokémon

Mega Evolution Pokémon are a Evolutionary stage introduced inXYexpansion featuring theMega Evolution andPrimal Reversion mechanics. These are alsoPokémon-EX and are meant to be played by evolving from basic Pokémon-EX. Doing so ends a playersTurn immediately.

Pokémon BREAK

Main article:Pokémon BREAK (TCG)

Pokémon BREAK were introduced in theBREAKthroughexpansion. They are easily identified through the stylized golden Pokémon graphic. A BREAK card retains the attacks, Abilities, Weakness, Resistance, and Retreat Cost of its previous Evolution.

Restored Pokémon

Main article:Restored Pokémon (TCG)

ARestored Pokémon (Japanese:復元ポケモンRestored Pokemon) is a form ofPokémon that is revived to life from aFossil. In order to play a Restored Pokémon, the player must first play the respectiveFossil card, search the bottom seven cards of theirdeck for the corresponding Pokémon, and then place it onto theirBench. This type of card was reintroduced with the above mechanic in theNoble Victoriesexpansion.

Fossil card

Main article:Fossil

Fossils orRestored Pokémon can only be played on to a player’sBench through the use of specialTrainer cards, such asCover Fossil andPlume Fossil to playTirtouga andArchen. In order to play a Restored Pokémon, the player must first play the respective Fossil card, search the bottom seven cards of theirdeck for the corresponding Pokémon, and then place it onto theirBench.

Poké-BODY

APoké-BODY (Japanese: ポケボディーPoké-Body) is a type ofPokémon Power that is active for as long as thePokémon that has it is in play. A Poké-BODY is sometimes reminiscent of that Pokémon's in-gameAbility, such asLudicolo's Rain Dish Ability. Poké-BODIES have a variety of different effects and can affect almost any aspect of gameplay.

Poké-POWER

APoké-POWER (Japanese: ポケパワーPoké-Power) is a type ofPokémon Power that the player is able to use during theirTurn. In a similar fashion toPoké-BODIES, Poké-POWERS can affect almost any aspect of gameplay, and can often be used once during the player's turn, before theirAttack. Some can be used multiple times and some are designed to cause an after-effect to thePokémon with it beingKnocked Out.

Pokémon ex

Main article:Pokémon ex (TCG)

Pokémon ex (Japanese:ポケモンexPokémon ex) are Pokémon with significantly higherHit Points compared to the majority of regular Pokémon. They were first introduced in theScarlet & Violetexpansion, and can be Basic, Stage 1, or Stage 2 Pokémon. Similar to thePokémon-ex released during theEX Series, when a Pokémon-EX is defeated, the opponent takes twoPrize cards instead of one.

Pokémon-EX

Main article:Pokémon-EX (TCG)

Pokémon-EX (Japanese:ポケモンEXPokémon EX) areBasic Pokémon with significantly higherHit Points compared to the majority of regular Basic Pokémon. They were first introduced in theNext Destiniesexpansion, replacingPokémon LV.XLegendary Pokémon. Similar to thePokémon-ex released during theEX Series, when a Pokémon-EX is defeated, the opponent takes twoPrize cards instead of one.

Pokémon-GX

Main article:Pokémon-GX (TCG)

Pokémon-GX were introduced in theSun & Moon expansion. They are similar to Pokémon-EX, but with two main differences - they aren't always Basic Pokémon (for example, a Pokémon that is typically Stage 1 will have a Stage 1 Pokémon-GX) and they have access to special GX Attacks, which are very powerful but only one GX attack can be used per game. Like with Pokémon-EX, defeating a Pokémon-GX would net two Prize Cards.

TAG TEAM Pokémon-GX were introduced in theTeam Up expansion. These depict pairs or sometimes trios of Pokémon, are always Basic, and are even more powerful than other Pokémon-GX, with HP ranging from 250 to 300, but defeating them nets three Prize Cards.

Pokémon LEGEND

Main article:Pokémon LEGEND (TCG)

Legend cards orLegendary Pokémon first appeared inHeartGold & SoulSilverexpansion as one of the two variants ofPokémon LV.X: the top half and the bottom half. Both card halves use the same name, so each one counts toward the four card of the same namedeck rule. Pokémon Legend cards cannot be played during setup, and both card halves must be played on the Bench at the same time. The two cards count as one card while in play.

Pokémon Power

Main article:Pokémon Power (TCG)

Pokémon Powers (Japanese:特殊能力special ability) are additional effects that thePokémon card's player can trigger once or multiple times during theirTurn, before theyAttack. Starting withExpedition Base SetExpansion, Pokémon Powers were split into two groups:Poké-POWERS andPoké-BODIES. Poké-POWERS are special effects that the player must trigger or announce using. A Poké-BODY's effect is one that is in effect regardless. Both, however, are still officially considered to be Pokémon Powers. With the release of theBlack & WhiteExpansion, Pokémon Powers were combined into one mechanic once again and renamedAbilities.

Pokémon V

Main article:Pokémon V (TCG)

Pokémon V (Japanese:ポケモンVPokémon V) areBasic Pokémon with significantly higherHit Points compared to the majority of regular Basic Pokémon. They were first introduced in theSword & Shieldexpansion. Similar toPokémon-EX, when a Pokémon V is Knocked Out, the opponent takes twoPrize cards instead of one.

Pokémon VMAX, Pokémon V-UNION, and Pokémon VSTAR are subcategories of Pokémon V.

Pokémon VMAX

Pokémon VMAX, representing theDynamax,Gigantamax, andEternamax mechanic fromPokémon Sword and Shield, evolve from their respective Pokémon V and feature boosted HP and more powerful attacks. When a Pokémon VMAX is Knocked Out, the opponent takes threePrize cards instead of one.

Pokémon V-UNION

Pokémon V-UNION is a unique type of Pokémon V, in which each Pokémon V-UNION comprises four different cards with the same name. To play a Pokémon V-UNION, the four cards that form that Pokémon must be assembled from the discard pile onto the Bench and played as one card. Pokémon V-UNION is a separate evolutionary stage from Basic or Evolved Pokémon. When a Pokémon V-UNION is Knocked Out, the opponent takes threePrize cards instead of one.

Pokémon VSTAR

Pokémon VSTAR evolve from their respective Pokémon V and feature boosted HP and more powerful attacks, as well as an exclusive mechanic called aVSTAR Power. VSTAR Powers can be attacks or Abilities, and only one VSTAR Power can be used only once per game. When a Pokémon VSTAR is Knocked Out, the opponent takes twoPrize cards instead of one.

Resistance

If aPokémon hasResistance (Japanese:抵抗力(ていこうりょく)Resistance) to a certain type, it means that if it isAttacked by a Pokémon of that type, it will receive lessDamage. While not exceedingly rare, Resistance isn't very common either — most Pokémon don't have any. An example of a Pokémon with Resistance isDitto in theFossilExpansion set. An example of a Pokémon without isGrimer in theAquapolis expansion. TheEX Dragon expansion introduced somePokémon-ex with two different Resistances on the same card, such asRayquaza ex. Resistances were initially fixed at -30 damage, meaning the Pokémon would take 30 less damage from an attack. Unlike Weakness, this rule was always printed on the card, either to the left of or above the Resistance-type in the form of "-30". From theDiamond & Pearl set toSword & Shield, Resistances were always -20 damage (also printed on the cards) unless on a reprint of aPokémon card that originally had a -30 Resistance. WithSword & Shield, resistances are now -30 again.

Retreat cost

Main article:Retreat cost

When a player wants to move theirActive Pokémon to theBench, that player canRetreat (Japanese: にげるRetreat) thatPokémon. Then, a Pokémon on the Bench must replace the previous Active Pokémon. Each Pokémon has aRetreat Cost: a specific number ofEnergy that must be discarded from the Pokémon being retreated in order to move it back to the Bench. Retreating can only be done once perTurn. If the player doesn't have the required amount of Energy attached to discard or doesn't have any Benched Pokémon, their Pokémon is unable to retreat. Some Pokémon have no Retreat Cost and thus can retreat for free; others have a Retreat Cost of between one and five Energies. Any type of Energy can be used for retreating, as any Energy can count asColorless.

Weakness

If aPokémon hasWeakness (Japanese:弱点(じゃくてん)Weakness) to a certaintype, it means that if it isattacked by a Pokémon of that type, it will receive moredamage. Most Pokémon have one Weakness, such asDiglett in theBase Set, but some have none, such asTogepi in theNeo DestinyExpansion set. TheEX Sandstorm expansion introduced somePokémon-ex with two different Weaknesses on the same card, such asAggron ex. Weaknesses were initially fixed at ×2 damage, meaning the Pokémon would take twice the amount of damage dealt by an attack. Variable Weaknesses were later introduced in theDiamond & Pearl expansion, with Weaknesses of +10, +20, +30, +40 and ×2. Generally, with variable weaknesses,Basic Pokémon will have a Weakness of +10, Stage 1 Pokémon one of +20, and Stage 2 Pokémon one of +30, with a select few having one of +40. There is no general pattern of Pokémon with a ×2 Weakness; although,Pokémon SP always have a weakness of ×2. FromHeartGold & SoulSilver expansion onwards, Weaknesses return to ×2.

Trainer card

Main article:Trainer card (TCG)

ATrainer card (Japanese: トレーナーズTrainer's) is one of three main types of card found in thePokémon Trading Card Game, alongsidePokémon cards andEnergy cards. While Pokémon cards do the directAttacking of an opponent's cards and Energy cards power their attacks, Trainers provide a more supportive role, allowing a player to search through theirdeck, draw cards, or other special effects. During a player'sTurn, they may play a Trainer card from their hand, follow its instructions, and then typicallydiscard it.

ACE SPEC

Main article:ACE SPEC card (TCG)

ACE SPEC are powerfulTrainer cards with a special drawback: there can only be one ACE SPEC in adeck.

Item card

Main article:Item card (TCG)

TheItem card (Japanese: グッズGoods) is the main type ofTrainer card. It was the first to be introduced, and was the only type of Trainer card untilSupporter cards andStadium cards were split into their own categories in theDiamond & PearlExpansion set. Unlike these two, Item cards have subtypes, and thus have a wide range of effects. The main subtype of Item card isTechnical Machines, which include one additionalAttack usable by thePokémon the card is attached to. Prior to theScarlet & Violet Series,Pokémon Tools were also considered a subtype of Item cards. Other set-specific types, such asGoldenrod Game Corner andRocket's Secret Machine, also exist. TheBoundaries Crossed expansion introducedACE SPEC Trainer cards, really powerful cards with the drawback that there can only be one in adeck.

Pokémon Tool

Main article:Pokémon Tool card (TCG)

Pokémon Tools (Japanese: ポケモンのどうぐPokemon Tool) are a type ofTrainer card that provide a special benefit to thePokémon they are attached to.Active Pokémon andBench Pokémon may only have one Pokémon Tool attached to it, and it may not be removed unless specifically instructed. Prior to theScarlet & Violet Series, Pokémon Tool cards were a special type ofItem card.

Stadium card

Main article:Stadium card (TCG)

AStadium card (Japanese: スタジアムStadium) is a type ofTrainer card and is designed to change an aspect of gameplay for both players. UnlikeItem cards andSupporter cards, Stadium cards cause a long-term change in gameplay and may only be removed when another Stadium card is played. They are often played in order to help the player or hinder the opponent. For example, theBattle Frontier Stadium card would not be used by players whosedecks included Colorless-type, Darkness-type or Metal-typeEvolved Pokémon. A player can only play one Stadium card eachTurn and cannot play a Stadium card with the same name as one already in play.

Supporter card

Main article:Supporter card (TCG)

ASupporter card (Japanese: サポートSupport) is a type ofTrainer card. Supporter cards are based on characters who are, more often than not, included in thevideo games, such asLusamine,Professor Rowan, andClavell. A player can only playone Supporter card eachTurn, this is because they are usually very helpful to the player. Originally, Supporters stayed in play until the end of the player's turn, at which point they were discarded. Starting withBlack & White, Supporter cards move directly to the discard pile after resolving their effect.

References

This article is part ofProject TCG, aBulbapedia project that aims to report on every aspect of thePokémon Trading Card Game.

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