Pokemon has been a popular franchise for more than two decades (2021 marked the 25th anniversary of the brand). The anime and video game phenomenon is everywhere – from its own TV show to trading card games, trading pins and video games.
For those new to the franchise or looking for a fun family activity, Pokemon cards offer a great introduction to the world of the Pokemon characters. The game features a variety of different Pokemon, each with its own unique characteristics.
Each card contains a picture of a specific Pokémon and information about it, such as its name, type, horsepower and weight. It also features a Pokedex entry, which is a description of the Pokemon’s strengths and weaknesses. It also lists its evolution history. For example, a Piplup card will describe it as a “Basic” and its stage 1 evolution line while an Empoleon card will say it is a “stage 2” Pokemon.
In addition to these features, a Pokemon card also contains an attack and a Poke-Power/Poke-Body/Ability. Each of these will have an attack cost, which indicates how many and what type of energy is required to execute the attack. The card will also list any damage or impact the ability may cause to either the opponent’s Pokemon or to the player.
During a turn, the player must draw a card and then choose one of their Pokemon to be their active Pokemon. The other Pokemon in their deck will be placed on the bench, where they can be moved into the active spot if necessary. Once the Pokemon is active, the player can use its attacks or abilities to knock out the opponent’s Pokemon or play an Energy card from their hand to power up an attack.
There is a special rule that states a Pokemon cannot be used if it is Asleep, Paralyzed or Confused. During a turn, an Asleep Pokemon is turned clockwise and cannot move or attack. A Paralyzed Pokemon must be flipped before attacking and can only be cured between turns by putting damage counters on it. If a Confused Pokemon is attacked, the player must flip a coin before the attack; if tails, the Pokemon takes three damage and is unable to retreat or attack again.
At the end of a player’s turn, they can take a prize card if they have knocked out any Pokemon on their opponent’s field. Depending on the number of Pokemon knocked out, a player can win the game by taking all their prize cards or when they run out of prizes.
Each Pokemon card has a different color and is rectangular in shape. Its front side features a picture of the Pokemon, while the back side lists its details, including a description of the Pokémon, its HP, power, weight and length, as well as an attack or ability. The back side also has a QR code that can be scanned to learn more about the Pokemon online.