Setup
Each player shuffles their 60-card deck and draws 7 cards. You must have at least one Basic Pokémon in your opening hand — if not, reveal your hand, shuffle, and redraw (opponent draws an extra card each time you do).
Place one Basic Pokémon face down as your Active Pokémon, and up to 5 more Basic Pokémon face down on the Bench.
Set the top 6 cards of your deck aside face-down as your Prize cards.
Flip a coin to decide who goes first, then both players reveal their Active and Bench Pokémon.
How to play
- 1
The player going first cannot attack on their first turn (but everything else is legal).
- 2
On your turn: draw a card, then take any number of the following actions in any order — play Trainers, play/evolve Pokémon, attach an Energy, retreat, use Abilities.
- 3
You may attach exactly one Energy card per turn from your hand to any of your Pokémon.
- 4
You may evolve a Pokémon by placing its next stage (Stage 1 or Stage 2) on top — but never on the turn it was played, and never on your first turn of the game.
- 5
End your turn with an attack. Attacks list an Energy cost — your Pokémon must have that much Energy attached to use them.
- 6
When damage on a Pokémon meets or exceeds its HP, it's Knocked Out and moved to the discard pile. Your opponent takes a Prize card.
- 7
If your Active Pokémon is Knocked Out, promote one of your Benched Pokémon to Active. If you have no Pokémon left to promote, you lose.
- 8
The first player to take all 6 Prize cards wins.
Anatomy of a turn
- 1
Draw
Draw one card from your deck. If you can't draw, you lose immediately.
- 2
Actions
In any order: play Basic Pokémon to the Bench, evolve, attach one Energy, play Trainer cards, use free retreat/ability effects, retreat by paying the retreat cost.
- 3
Attack
Choose one attack your Active Pokémon can pay for. Apply Weakness (usually ×2) and Resistance (–20 or –30), then place damage counters. Attacking ends your turn.
Rules to know
Weakness & Resistance
Most Pokémon have a Weakness type that doubles damage from that type, and some have Resistance that reduces damage by a fixed amount. Applied before other damage modifiers.
Special Conditions
Poisoned, Burned, Asleep, Paralyzed, and Confused sit on the Active Pokémon and resolve between turns. Evolving or benching clears them.
Retreating
Pay the retreat cost (shown at the bottom of the card) by discarding Energy from the retreating Pokémon, then swap it with a Benched Pokémon. You may retreat once per turn.
Trainer cards
Item — play as many as you want. Supporter — one per turn. Stadium — replaces any Stadium already in play; affects both players. Tool — attach one per Pokémon.
Bench limits
You can never have more than 5 Benched Pokémon or 1 Active Pokémon. If you can't place them somewhere legal, effects that would put them into play fail.
Win conditions
Take all 6 Prize cards by Knocking Out your opponent's Pokémon.
Your opponent has no Pokémon left in play to promote to Active.
Your opponent cannot draw a card at the start of their turn (deck out).
Play smarter, faster
Setup wins games. If you can play Basics onto the Bench and evolve on turn 2, you're already ahead.
Manage your Prize count carefully — some cards get better when you have fewer Prizes left.
Don't waste a Supporter unless you need it. Only one per turn is a real limit.
Bench 'attackers-in-waiting' so a Knock Out doesn't cost you tempo.