Reading a Pokémon card
Stage, HP, type, attacks and Energy tell you what a card can do.
6 min read
After this guide you can
- Find the Stage, HP, attack cost, Weakness, Resistance and Retreat Cost on a card.
- Say which Energy pays an attack cost.
Start at the top
- 1Name and Stage. The top left. Basic enters play directly. An Evolution names what it evolves from.
- 2HP and type. The top right. HP is the damage needed for a Knock Out. The type affects Weakness and Resistance.
- 3Art. The picture helps you recognise the card. It does not change a rule.
- 4Ability. An Ability has its own instructions and is not an attack.
- 5Attack cost and damage. Match the Energy symbols, then read the damage and all of the attack text.
- 6Weakness, Resistance and Retreat Cost. The bottom row changes damage and tells you how much Energy to discard when retreating.
- 7Rule Box and regulation mark. An ex Rule Box awards extra Prizes. The regulation letter helps you check Standard legality.
Miraidon ex, Scarlet & Violet, illustrated by 5ban Graphics. Card images from TCGdex. Pokémon is a trademark of Nintendo, Creatures and GAME FREAK. BinderLoot is unofficial and is not endorsed by them.
- 10
- damage for each damage counter
Miraidon ex is a Basic Pokémon with 220 HP. HP is how much damage it can take before it is Knocked Out. The symbol beside the HP is its type, Lightning.
There are three kinds of card: Pokémon, Energy and Trainer.
Rulebook: 3 Card Types, p. 6
A Pokémon card is a Basic Pokémon, a Stage 1 or a Stage 2. Stage 1 and Stage 2 are Evolution cards.
Rulebook: 3 Card Types, p. 6
Eleven Energy types
- Grass, Fire, Water, Lightning, Psychic, Fighting, Darkness, Metal, Fairy and Dragon each have their own symbol.
- Colorless is the eleventh. In an attack cost, a Colorless symbol accepts any type of Energy.
The game has 11 Energy types. A Colorless Pokémon works in any kind of deck.
Rulebook: Energy Types, p. 4
An attack needs the Energy its cost shows attached to the Active Pokémon. A Colorless symbol accepts any type of Energy.
Rulebook: Turn Actions, p. 13; 3 Card Types, p. 6
Worked example: reading Charmeleon
CharmeleonPokemon — Stage1
Charmeleon, Obsidian Flames, illustrated by Ryota Murayama. Card images from TCGdex. Pokémon is a trademark of Nintendo, Creatures and GAME FREAK. BinderLoot is unofficial and is not endorsed by them.
- 1Top left: Stage 1, evolves from Charmander. Charmeleon goes on top of a Charmander, never straight from your hand.
- 2Top right: 90 HP and the Fire type.
- 3Attack: Heat Tackle costs two Fire Energy and does 70 damage. Its text says it also does 20 damage to Charmeleon itself.
- 4Bottom: Weakness to Water ×2, and a Retreat Cost of 2 Energy.
Only a Basic Pokémon goes into play from the hand. A Stage 1 goes on top of its Basic, and a Stage 2 on top of its Stage 1.
Rulebook: Setting Up to Play, p. 8; Turn Actions, p. 11
The bottom of the card
Weakness makes an attack of the named type do more damage. Resistance makes it do less. The Retreat Cost is the Energy you discard to move the Pokémon to your Bench.
Weakness and Resistance apply only to the opponent's Active Pokémon, never to a Benched Pokémon.
Rulebook: Turn Actions, p. 14
Once per turn, a player can retreat the Active Pokémon: discard Energy from it equal to its Retreat Cost, then switch it with a Benched Pokémon. With no Retreat Cost it retreats for free, once per turn like any retreat.
Rulebook: Turn Actions, p. 12
Your turn: read Charizard ex
Charizard exPokemon — Stage2
Charizard ex, Obsidian Flames, illustrated by 5ban Graphics. Card images from TCGdex. Pokémon is a trademark of Nintendo, Creatures and GAME FREAK. BinderLoot is unofficial and is not endorsed by them.
Charizard ex is a Stage 2 with 330 HP that evolves from Charmeleon. Its attack, Burning Darkness, costs two Fire Energy.