How a Pokémon TCG Turn Works, Step by Step

The Pokémon Trading Card Game looks busy the first time you see it. There are small piles of cards, a row of Pokémon, little counters and a lot of talking. Underneath, though, a turn follows the same short routine every time. Once you know the routine, the rest falls into place.

This guide walks through one full turn, step by step, for readers who have never played. It uses plain words and defines each term the first time it appears. Rules change from time to time, so treat this as a friendly overview. The official rulebook from The Pokémon Company International is the final word on every detail.

The goal of the game

Two players each bring a deck of cards. Over a game they take turns, and the aim is simple: be the first to win using one of a few routes.

• Take all of your Prize cards. These are a small face-down stack you set aside at the start. You take them one by one, or in pairs, as your attacks knock out the other player's Pokémon.
• Leave the other player with no Pokémon in play.
• Make the other player unable to draw a card at the start of their turn, because their deck has run out.

Most games end by the first route. Each knockout moves you closer to taking your last Prize card, which is why the whole game feels like a race. Our page on Prize cards explains why that stack matters so much.

The cards, the zones and the three kinds of deck card

A deck is a stack of cards you shuffle and keep face down. The usual size is sixty cards. Every card in it is one of three kinds.

• Pokémon cards are your fighters. They carry attacks, hit points and a type.
• Energy cards are the fuel. You attach them to Pokémon so those Pokémon can use attacks.
• Trainer cards are the helpers. They are people, items and places from the Pokémon world, and they do not fight.

During play your cards sit in a few places. Your hand is the cards you hold. Your Active Pokémon is the one in front, the only one that can attack. Your Bench is a row of waiting Pokémon, with room for a small number of them. The discard pile holds used cards and knocked-out Pokémon. Your deck and your Prize cards stay face down.

If you want a quick tour of what is printed on a card before you read on, our guide on how to read a trading card covers the main parts.

Setting up the table

Setup happens once, before the first turn. Here is the usual order.

1. Shuffle your deck and draw seven cards.
2. You need at least one Basic Pokémon in that opening hand. If you have none, you show your hand, shuffle back and draw again. This is called a mulligan, and the rules give your opponent a small benefit when it happens.
3. Put one Basic Pokémon face down as your Active Pokémon. You may also place more Basic Pokémon face down on the Bench.
4. Set aside six cards from the top of your deck, face down, as your Prize cards.
5. Flip a coin. The winner chooses who goes first. Both players then turn their Pokémon face up.

A Basic Pokémon is a Pokémon you can play straight from your hand with no preparation. Cards that need a Basic Pokémon underneath them cannot start the game, which is why the mulligan rule exists.

What happens during your turn

Every turn has the same shape. Some steps are required and some are optional, and the order of the optional ones is mostly up to you.

1. Draw a card. This always comes first. Under the usual rules, the person who goes first still draws.
2. Do any of your optional actions. These are the main choices of the turn and are covered below.
3. Attack, if you can. Attacking ends your turn.

Here are the optional actions. You may take them in nearly any order.

• Play Basic Pokémon from your hand to the Bench.
• Attach one Energy card from your hand to one of your Pokémon. The rules give you one of these per turn.
• Evolve Pokémon.
• Play Trainer cards.
• Retreat your Active Pokémon.
• Use any Abilities on your Pokémon that say they can be used.

Because attacking ends the turn, players usually do everything else first and attack last. Most beginners find that "do my setup, then attack" is the easiest way to remember the order.

Attaching Energy

Energy is how you pay for attacks. Each attack on a Pokémon card lists a cost made of small Energy symbols, and the Pokémon must have at least that many matching Energy attached before it can use the attack. A symbol for any Energy at all can usually be paid by any type. A symbol for a specific type must be paid by that type.

You attach one Energy per turn from your hand. That limit is one of the most important pacing rules in the game. A strong attack that needs four Energy cannot happen on your second turn. You have to plan ahead, keep Energy cards in your hand and decide which Pokémon deserves them.

Attached Energy stays on the Pokémon until something removes it. If the Pokémon is knocked out, the Energy goes to the discard pile with it, so you lose that investment.

Evolving your Pokémon

Evolution is the idea at the heart of the game, and our page on evolution gives the longer story. In short, Pokémon cards come in stages.

• Basic Pokémon start the line.
• Stage 1 Pokémon go on top of a matching Basic Pokémon.
• Stage 2 Pokémon go on top of a matching Stage 1 Pokémon.

Each evolved card names the Pokémon it grows from, so a Stage 1 card only fits on the Pokémon it is printed to follow. When you evolve, you place the new card on top of the old one. The Pokémon underneath keeps its attached Energy, and it normally keeps its damage counters as well.

The usual restrictions, in general terms, are these. A Pokémon generally cannot evolve on the same turn you first played it. Players also usually cannot evolve anything on the very first turn of the game. And a Pokémon that has already evolved this turn cannot evolve again this turn. Some special cards bend these limits. The rulebook lists the exact wording and any recent changes.

Trainer cards

Trainer cards do not fight. They draw cards, search the deck, heal damage or change the table. Older sets used one simple Trainer group. Modern sets split them into four kinds, each with its own limit. Our page on Trainer cards covers the history, and here is the quick version.

• Item cards are quick tricks. You can usually play as many as you like in a turn.
• Supporter cards are stronger helpers, tied to a character or a person in the Pokémon world. The rules generally let you play only one per turn.
• Stadium cards go in the middle of the table and affect both players. Only one Stadium sits in play at a time, and a new one replaces the old one.
• Pokémon Tool cards attach to a Pokémon and stay there, giving it a lasting bonus.

The exact limits have shifted across the years, so check the current rulebook before a tournament or a serious game. A classic example from the first set is Professor Oak, a helper card that refreshes your hand.

Retreating, attacking and damage

Retreating

Your Active Pokémon is stuck in front unless you retreat it. Each Pokémon card shows a retreat cost, a number of Energy symbols. To retreat, you discard that many attached Energy, then swap the Active Pokémon with one from the Bench. You normally retreat once per turn. A Pokémon with a free retreat cost can switch out without paying.

Retreating helps you protect a damaged Pokémon, or bring a fresh one to the front. It also costs Energy you might have used for attacks, so it is a real trade.

Attacking

To attack, check that your Active Pokémon has enough Energy for the attack you want. Announce the attack, apply its effects and then the turn ends. Damage is measured in numbers printed on the attack, and the damaged Pokémon gets damage counters equal to that amount. When the total damage on a Pokémon reaches or passes its hit points, the Pokémon is knocked out.

Weakness and Resistance

Many Pokémon list a Weakness and sometimes a Resistance near the bottom of the card. If the attacker's type matches a Weakness, the damage goes up. If it matches a Resistance, the damage goes down. The size of the change depends on the era of the card, so read the card in front of you. Our page on Weakness and Resistance shows how the idea ties back to the video games.

Knock Outs and Prize cards

When a Pokémon is knocked out, it goes to the discard pile with everything attached to it. The player who knocked it out takes a Prize card, usually one. Some stronger groups of Pokémon give up more than one when they are knocked out. That is the price of their extra power. Our pages on Pokémon ex and GX explain that trade.

After a knockout, the player who lost a Pokémon must replace their Active Pokémon with a Pokémon from the Bench. If they have none left, the game is over. Then the turn passes to the other player. Often a knockout also gets the opponent to rebuild their front line, which can change the shape of the next few turns.

A worked example turn: the Charizard line

Here is a sample of how a turn might go using the famous fire line from Base Set. We describe it generally and do not quote card text, so the numbers below are for illustration only. Check the actual cards for their real attacks and costs.

Imagine you opened with a Charmander as your Active Pokémon. Your Charmander is a Basic Pokémon. You have two Fire Energy and a Charmeleon in your hand.

1. Turn one. You draw a card. You attach a Fire Energy to Charmander. You put a second Basic Pokémon on the Bench. You cannot evolve yet, because it is the first turn, so you use Energy and Trainer cards and then end the turn. The player who goes first usually cannot attack on that first turn, so check the rulebook for the exact rule.
2. Turn two. You draw a card and it is another Energy. You attach it to your Active Pokémon. You place Charmeleon on top of Charmander. Charmeleon, a Stage 1, keeps the Energy that was already attached. You can use Charmeleon's attack if the Energy matches its cost.
3. A later turn. You draw, and if you have a Charizard, you place it on Charmeleon. That is a Stage 2, and it is the card people picture when they think of Pokémon cards. It is a heavy hitter that needs time to set up, which fits the long evolution climb. You attach Energy, play a Trainer to refill your hand and then attack.

Notice what the example shows. The Fire Energy stayed with the Pokémon through each evolution. You also needed three separate turns of patience, and your opponent got three turns to prepare. Charizard's card, Charizard in Base Set, lists Water as its Weakness, so a Water Pokémon on the other side would hit it harder.

The same set holds Blastoise and Venusaur, which follow the same three-step climb with different types.

Common beginner mistakes

• Forgetting to attach Energy. You get one per turn. If you skip it, you cannot get it back. Make attaching Energy the first thing you do after drawing.
• Attacking too early in the turn. An attack ends your turn. Anything you wanted to do first, like benching or playing a Trainer, is lost if you attack before doing it.
• Evolving a Pokémon the same turn it came into play. The usual rule says that is not allowed. Plan a turn ahead.
• Playing too many Supporters. The general rule is one per turn. Count before you play.
• Putting all your Energy on one Pokémon that may be knocked out. Spread your risk, since the Energy is lost with the Pokémon.
• Ignoring Weakness. Read your opponent's Active Pokémon before you choose an attack.
• Forgetting the Bench. If your Active Pokémon is knocked out and your Bench is empty, you lose on the spot. Keep a backup in play.

Where to go next

Now you know the beat of a turn: draw, prepare, attack. A good next step is to browse the games side by side and see the cards behind the rules. Start with these pages.

• The Pokémon TCG hub
• Base Set
• Abilities and Pokémon Powers
• Pokémon vs. Magic vs. Yu-Gi-Oh!