Pokemon Trading Card Game Buying and Playing Guide

Many pokemon are able to evolve into new, more powerful Pokemon as they train and gain more power. For example, the basic Pokemon Charmander evolves into Charmeleon, who further evolves into Charizard, one of the most power Pokemon in existence! Another example is the basic Pokemon Dratini which evolves into Dragonair, which further evolves into Dragonite! There are also many variants of the same Pokemon that have different levels, attacks and abilities. You will often find that the Charizard cards from different sets, will have different abilities, different HP, etc.  Some Pokemon belong to organized groups like Team Rocket, Team Aqua, and Team Magma. There are also new kinds of Pokemon called Delta Species with great new powers.

To play Pokemon TCG, you create a deck of 60 cards that includes a combination of Pokemon cards, Energy Cards, Trainer cards, and Tool cards. Because of the thousands of different cards from all of the different sets available, you can create a wide variety of decks to play with. Many of them are themed based on the cards included in the deck, or the strategy a deck is based upon. For example, a Lightning Deck would have all Electric Pokemon like Electabuzz or Jolteon. There are many websites available to help you construct a deck with a theme, telling you what cards you need to build one, or you can create your own. Nintendo also sells pre-constructed decks (usually two new ones are released per expansion set).  There are Pokemon Leagues and tournaments where children and adults can compete against each other. Leagues often give away things like promotional cards and badges to participants. You will also need a coin to handle attacks and trainer cards that require a coin flip, and damage counters for keeping track of how many hit points your Pokemon have left. There are cardboard, plastic, and metal coins produced with Pokemon on them, or you can just use a penny.

Each Pokemon card has a picture of the Pokemon, and their special abilities and attacks on it. It will show much much energy you must attach to the Pokemon, and what kind, to use each attack. At the bottom of the card it will show any resistances or weaknesses the Pokemon has, and its retreat cost. During the game, you'll have one active Pokemon, and you may need to retreat to the safety of your "bench" - and you may have to spend attached energy cards to do so. If you have a Resistance to a certain kind of Pokemon, their attacks will do less damage against you. If you have a Weakness to a certain kind of Pokemon, their attacks will do more damage against you. The attacks and abilities, and how to use them, are written out in text on each card, as shown above. Some Pokemon have special abilities beyond an attack that can totally change the outcome of a match!  While you have one active Pokemon, you can have up to 5 Pokemon on your bench, waiting to come in.  While they're waiting to become active, you can power them up with energy cards, or evolved them to more powerful Pokemon with more powerful attacks.  Some Pokemon also have "Pokemon Powers" which can effect the game from the bench.  For example, if "Dark Vileplume" has evolved on either player's bench, neither player is able to use trainer cards.  If you are playing an opponent whose deck is dependent upon trainer cards, this could give you a HUGE advantage in a match!

Energy Cards are used to power up your Pokemon's attacks and abilities, and come in the same colors as your Pokemon (red cards are Fire Energy (pictured above), yellow cards are Electric Energy, etc.). There are also special energy cards like Double Rainbow Energy, and Full Heal Energy, that provide extra benefits as well as provides energy.

The final categories of cards are trainers, tools, supporters, and gyms - these range from things like Potion (pictured above) which remove damage from your Pokemon or Full Heals, that remove conditions such as sleep or paralysis, to Gyms that affect how your Pokemon can be hurt, or what cards your opponent is allowed to play. There are many variations out there.

You'll also need a coin to handle coin flips, and damage counters to keep track of the number of hit points your Pokemon have left. I've found small glass beads that you can get at craft stores work well, or you can use pennies or something similar. The advantage of beads is you can easily place them on the card to not obscure the important text information on each card.

Pokemon trading cards are produced in sets and generally are released every two to four months. All of the current cards are produced and distributed by Nintendo of America Inc. Some tournaments and leagues no longer allow decks to use Wizards of the Coast cards. You always want to see what new releases have in store - new cards to make your deck more powerful & cards your opponents can use against you, you need to be able to defend against!

Ruby & Sapphire

Sandstorm

Dragon

Team Aqua & Team Magma

Hidden Legends

Fire Red Leaf Green

Team Rocket Returns

Deoxys (Checklist)

Emerald (Checklist)

Unseen Forces (Checklist)

Delta Species (Checklist)

Legend Maker (Checklist)

Holon Phantoms (Checklist)

Crystal Guardians (Checklist)

Dragon Frontiers (Checklist)

Power Keepers (Checklist)

Diamond & Pearl (Checklist)

Diamond & Pearl Mysterious Treasures (Checklist)

Diamond & Pearl Secret Wonders (Checklist)

Diamond & Pearl Great Encounters (Checklist)

Diamond & Pearl Majestic Dawn (Checklist)

Diamond & Pearl Legends Awakened (Checklist)

Diamond & Pearl Stormfront (Checklist)

You can find the newest Pokemon cards at Paladin Games & Hobbies on eBay.

To protect your more valuable cards from damage, you can get trading card supplies such as soft sleeves and top loaders which prevent the card from getting scratched or bent. Sleeves are almost a must for your deck if you are an active player, and don't want your cards to be damaged during play.

For a new player looking to get started, I'd recommend finding an assorted lot of cards, or sets of cards from current sets. By getting a mixture of common, uncommon, and rare cards, you'll be able to find combinations of cards that work well together in a deck. You can research Pokemon decks to see what kinds of cards you'd like to play.  I still offer lots called Grab Bags that offer an assortment of cards for a reasonable price, a couple of these lots would be a good way to get started - you'd only need to add some energy cards.

Shipping & Handling is a very important thing to look for when shopping for cards - as well as how the cards are packed for shipment. Rates can vary a great deal, so be sure to compare S/H rates as well as prices when shopping. As a seller myself, when shipping my cards out, I put them in soft sleeves and in top loaders, inside of a bubble mailer to give them as much protection as possible during shipment. I want the mint condition cards I ship out to arrive in my buyer's hands in the same condition!

Thank you for reading my guide, and I'd like to invite you to visit my store and see all of the great Pokemon cards I have available.

What other kinds of Pokemon products are available?

Pokemon cards are not the only products out there.  There are a great series of video games for the Gameboy and other gaming systems allowing you to explore the world, capture Pokemon, and battle with other trainers.  There are videos and DVDs of the TV shows and the movies.  Of course, there are also toys and plush dolls as well.  What kid wouldn't want a Pokemon of their very own to "train"?

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