Every Pokémon TCG game is a race to take six Prize cards before your opponent does — or to leave them with no Pokémon in play. This walkthro...
Every Pokémon TCG game is a race to take six Prize cards before your opponent does — or to leave them with no Pokémon in play. This walkthrough takes you from a sealed deck to your first finished game, in the order the rules actually unfold.
Setting Up the Game
Each player brings a 60-card deck. Shuffle, draw 7 cards, and place one Basic Pokémon face down in the Active Spot — you must have a Basic in your opening hand; if you don't, reveal your hand, shuffle it back, and draw 7 again (your opponent may draw an extra card each time this happens). Place up to 5 more Basics on your Bench, also face down. Then set aside the top 6 cards of your deck, face down, as your Prize cards. Flip a coin to decide who goes first — the first player cannot attack or play a Supporter on their first turn.
The Shape of a Turn
Flip everything face up and begin. Each turn has a simple rhythm: draw a card; put Basic Pokémon on your Bench; evolve Pokémon that have been in play since last turn; attach one Energy card from your hand (only one per turn — this is the game's central clock); play Trainer cards; use Abilities; retreat your Active Pokémon once by paying its Retreat Cost; and finally attack, if your Active Pokémon has the Energy its attack requires. Damage is tracked with counters — every 10 damage is one counter. When a Pokémon's remaining HP hits zero, it is Knocked Out, its attached cards go to the discard pile, and the attacking player takes a Prize card.
Related reading: Prize Cards Explained: How the Six-Prize Race Shapes Every Decision — keep it open for when you finish this one.
How Games Are Won
Take all 6 of your Prize cards and you win immediately. You also win if your opponent has no Pokémon left in play, or if they cannot draw a card at the start of their turn because their deck is empty. Most real games end on Prizes: two regular Knock Outs are worth one Prize each, while Pokémon ex are worth two — which is why the articles below spend so much time on prize math. Play three or four games with one deck before you change a single card. The rules will stop feeling like a list and start feeling like a clock — and that clock, one Energy per turn, six Prizes to take, is the whole game.
Key Takeaways
- Set up with a Basic Pokémon, up to 5 on the Bench, and 6 Prize cards aside.
- Each turn: draw, develop, attach one Energy, play Trainers, use Abilities, retreat once if needed, then attack.
- Win by taking all 6 Prizes, emptying the opponent's board, or decking them out.
- Pokémon ex are worth 2 Prizes — the race is scored in Prizes, not in Knock Outs.
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