New to Pokémon? Start here

The path

1. Step 1 Read your first Pokémon card

   Find the Stage, HP, attack cost and Retreat Cost before choosing what to play.

   Read the guide

2. Step 2 Set up your first game

   Two ready decks, seven cards in hand and six Prize cards are the start of a game.

   Read the guide

3. Step 3 Play a turn

   Draw, prepare your Pokémon, then attack. Attacking ends your turn.

   Read the guide

4. Step 4 Build a deck with a plan

   Choose an attacker, include its Evolution line and add ways to find the cards it needs.

   Read the guide

5. Step 5 Meet other players

   A Pokémon League is a place to practise. Ask which format the group plays before bringing a deck.

   Read the guide

Not sure which format to play?

Three questions name the format that fits the people you play with and what you want to spend.

Heard a word you do not know?

The glossary reads in five parts, and every term carries an example of the word at work.

• Cards and Energy
• Rules of the game
• Special Conditions
• Deck building
• Words you hear at a League

Every guide

• Reading a Pokémon cardStage, HP, type, attacks and Energy tell you what a card can do. 6 min
• Your first Pokémon gameSet up the Active Spot, the Bench and the Prize cards, and know the three ways to win. 6 min
• How a Pokémon turn runsDraw, prepare, attack, then Pokémon Checkup. The first turn has its own limits. 7 min
• Trainers and EnergyItems, Supporters, Stadiums and Tools do different jobs, and each kind has its own limit. 7 min
• Attacks, damage and Prize cardsCheck the cost, work out the damage in order, and take the right number of Prize cards. 8 min
• Evolution and Special ConditionsEvolve on the right turn, and resolve the five Special Conditions in Pokémon Checkup. 8 min
• Winning the Prize raceCount Knock Outs, not damage, and choose the attack that brings your last Prize card closer. 6 min
• Building your first Pokémon deckChoose one attacker, support it, and check the sixty cards against the deck rules. 7 min
• Choosing a Pokémon formatStandard and Expanded use different card pools and the same deck rules. 6 min
• Your first Pokémon League visitBring a ready deck, ask about the format, and learn with other players. 5 min
• Mistakes new Pokémon players makeEvery warning of the guides in one place, each under the guide that explains it. 4 min