Whether your child is a gamer or simply wants to collect cards, Pokemon trading card games are a fun way to entertain. The basic game consists of two players using 60-card decks, comprised of Pokemon and supplemental cards (energy, items, etc). The original purpose of the game was to battle other Pokémon using your deck and your Pokemon. However, you can also play Pokemon with your friends or family members without playing against them.
Each card has a picture of a Pokemon and information about the Pokemon on it. The most important information is the Pokemon name and HP, which are displayed in bold, readable text. As you move down the card, you will see other information in a logical order. For example, a Pokemon with an attack will have the name of its attack in large, bold text followed by the amount of damage it deals. There may also be information about the Pokemon’s speed and other abilities, which are printed in a smaller, slightly less bold text.
The next most important information on a card is the type and amount of energy it takes to use its attack. This is listed to the left of the attack name in small, readable text. Some attacks require a specific type of energy, while others can be used with any energy type. There is also an attack cost, which is listed to the right of the damage. Finally, there is a field that lists the Pokemon’s weakness and resistance, which is helpful for determining how well your Pokemon will perform in combat.
If your Pokemon has enough energy, you can attack your opponent’s active Pokemon. Attacking ends your turn and does damage to your opponent’s Pokemon. After attacking, you may shuffle your hand into your deck and draw seven more cards, called a mulligan.
Each player begins the game with a set of seven cards in their hand. They place the rest of their cards into their bench, which is the pile below their deck. They then place their Pokemon in the field, either as their active Pokemon or their benched Pokemon, face down. During this process, they may choose to do a coin flip or rock-paper-scissors to determine who goes first.
After the basic game rules are explained, the first player will select one of their Pokemon to be their active Pokémon. This Pokemon will be placed in the center of the field facing the opponent’s Pokemon. The other Pokemon will be placed on the player’s bench, which is a stack of cards that are face down and separated by a line of spaces to distinguish it from the field.
The Pokemon in the bench can be a Basic Pokemon, or an evolved Pokemon that has been leveled up to LV. X by playing other Pokemon cards on it during that player’s turn. The player can also play evolution cards on their bench, which allow them to evolve outside their own turn and without the restriction of only being able to evolve once per turn. Pokemon cards