How to Organize Your Pokemon Cards
There are more than 600 different Pokemon species and over 11,000 Pokemon card types in the trading card game (TCG). For new players, it can be a bit intimidating. However, there are a few simple things to keep in mind. The most important is to understand how the cards are organized on the page. The top right-hand corner of each card denotes its type. Pikachu, for example, has a lightning bolt symbol to indicate its electric type. Colors are also used to indicate the type of Pokemon; for instance, a fire-type Pokemon has an arrow that points to a flame icon in the top left-hand corner of its card. In this way, both the type and its name are easily recognizable by even someone with limited vision or who might be color blind.
The next section of the card indicates its attack damage and ability. If the Pokemon has any abilities, these will be listed along with their cost. The attack damage is the amount of damage that the Pokemon can do to an opposing Pokémon when attacking. Ability costs are a number and type of energy card that must be attached to the Pokemon in order to perform the ability. Most attacks require at least one energy card, which must match the attack cost. A few attacks require a certain type of energy card, while others need only colorless energy.
On the bottom of the card is a small symbol to signify the Pokemon’s rarity. A circle means common, a diamond is uncommon, and a star is rare. This is useful to know when trying to acquire a particular card.
Each player draws seven cards from the top of their deck. During their turn, they may put one of their Basic Pokemon from their hand face down on the play area or “field” as their active Pokemon. The other cards they have in their hand are placed face down on their bench. They can only have a maximum of five Pokemon on their bench at a time.
Then, they may play a trainer card from their hand or deck and then use an action from the top of their stack to perform the card’s effect. Once the action is completed, they can then choose to attack their opponent. After attacking, they can then choose to re-arrange their cards in their draw pile. They can also shuffle their deck and draw seven more cards for their next turn. The player with the most Pokemon on their bench at the end of their turn wins. During their turn, the player can also evolve their Pokemon (unless it states that they cannot be evolved). They can only evolve their Pokemon once per turn. They can also play evolution cards directly on the field during their turn. Pokemon cards