The Pokemon Trading Card Game, or PTCG, is easily one of the biggest trading card games in the world. Since their creation in 1996, the Pokemon Trading Card Game has been a global hit. Over 52.9 billion Pokemon cards have been produced across the world, and there is an international tournament that is hosted each year.
Getting into PTCG can seem intimidating, but it’s a lot easier than you might think. At its, core PTCG plays pretty similarly to the Pokemon video games with some minor exceptions. There’s no need to worry though, because we’re going to talk you through everything you need to know about PTCG. We’ll go over some basic terms and teach you how to build your very own deck.
What is PTCG?
PTCG is a 2 player card game where players use 60 card decks to battle one another. The objective of the game is to use your Pokemon cards to attack and defeat your opponent. At its highest levels of play, strategy is everything in a Pokemon battle, so it’s important to have a strong understanding of the official rules.
In your 60 card deck, you’ll find three basic types of cards. The first and most important are the Pokemon cards, which display a specific Pokemon card. These are the cards that you’ll use in actual battle. Every Pokemon card will have a Hit Point value, an Energy Type symbol, and a list of attacks and abilities that the Pokemon can use.
Pokemon cards
There are eleven different Energy Types that Pokemon can belong to. These are Colorless, Dragon, Metal, Lightning, Darkness, Fairy, Grass, Fighting, Fire, Psychic, and Water. There are also three different types that Pokemon cards can belong to. These are Basic Pokemon, which are usually unevolved and the weakest forms. Stage 1 Pokemon, the first evolution stage typically, has more health and stronger attacks. Stage 2 Pokemon are the final evolved forms and the most powerful Pokemon.
Energy cards
In order to power the attacks and abilities of Pokemon, players need to use Energy cards. The nine different Energy card types are Fairy, Grass, Fire, Water, Lightning, Psychic, Fighting, Darkness, and Metal. Each attack requires a specific number and type of Energy cards to be activated. Moves that ask for Colorless energy can use any type of Energy card.
Trainer cards
Trainer cards are supportive cards that help your Pokemon in battle. They can be used to heal Pokemon, power up attacks, draw more cards, and much more. There are four sub-types of Trainer cards: Items, Supporters, Stadiums, and Pokémon Tools. Trainer cards can be a powerful asset in your deck.
How to Win a Match
There are three basic ways that players can win a match. The first and most common way is by winning six Prize Cards. At the start of each game, both players start with six face-down Prize Cards. Every time a player knocks out an opponent’s Pokemon, they get to add one of those Prize Cards to their hand. The player that collects all six of their Prize Cards first wins.
Another way to win a match is by forcing your opponent to run out of cards. At the start of each player’s turn, they draw a card from their deck. If a player starts their turn and doesn’t have any cards in their deck, they automatically lose.
The final way to win is by knocking out all your opponent’s Pokemon that are out on the field. Each player must always have an Active Pokemon in battle. Players can also keep up to five Pokemon on their bench to replace the Active Pokemon if it gets knocked out. If all the Pokemon in both the Active Spot and Benched area are knocked out, that player loses the match.
How to Build a Deck
The easiest way to build a Pokemon Deck is to buy a pre-constructed deck. These decks have all the cards you need to immediately start playing. The cards in these decks are usually very simple cards that are easy to use. Pre-constructed starter decks are a perfect way to learn the basics of the game and get used to the rules. Once you have a handle on PTCG, you can start collecting cards to build your own deck.
Booster packs are a great way of collecting cards. Booster packs are an assortment of random cards. They’re a fun way of finding hidden gems that could be rare or powerful cards. If there’s a specific card that you want to add to your deck, you can usually buy it from online markets or gaming stores. Another fun part of getting new cards is trading them with other players. This is a great way of getting rid of duplicates or cards you no longer want.
Card Rarity
When collecting Pokemon cards, it’s important to understand card rarity. Rare cards are usually more valuable in online markets. The rarest Pokemon cards have been sold for millions of dollars. Now, you won’t pull a card that much from booster packs, but it’s still worth keeping an eye out for rare cards that could go for a couple hundred bucks.
There are four official levels of rarity. Common, Uncommon, Rare, and Holofoil Rare. Common cards are marked with a black circle on the bottom right of the card, Uncommon cards have a diamond, Rare cards have a star, and Holofoil Rare cards are typically the most valuable with holographic designs. With the Holofoil Rare cards are extra levels of rarity. These are Secret Rare, Double Rare, Illustration Rare, Special Illustration Rare and Hyper Rare.
Many PTCG players are also collectors who sell rare cards for profit. On your journey to become a champion of PTCG, you can also make some money on the side.
The image featured at the top of this post is ©The Pokémon Company International, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.