Pokémon TCG Help Thread [Gameplay questions]

[Cipher 2008]

Only if you have more Prize cards than your opponent does.

"Scramble Energy can be attached only to an Evolved Pokemon (excluding Pokemon-ex). Scramble Energy provides 1 Colorless Energy. While in play, if you have more Prize cards left than your opponent, Scramble Energy provides every type of Energy but provides only 3 in any combination at a time. If the Pokemon Scramble Energy is attached to isn't an Evolved Pokemon (or evolves into Pokemon-ex), discard Scramble Energy."

[Sim]

I was unsure whether this question should go here, but I figured it was best to do that than to start a new thread.

Why was Neo Genesis Sneasel banned?

[DEMONOFDEATH]

This may b a dumb question, but I was woundering, can I play the Trainer/supporter card Wally's Training on my first turn¿

It says Search ur deck for a card that evolves from ur active Pokèmon (choose 1 if there r 2) & put it on ur active Pokèmon. (This counts as evolving that Pokèmon.) Shuffle ur deck afterwards.

I know ur not allowed to evolve on the first turn. I'm guessing it's b/c ur just putting ur basc Pokèmon down for the 1st turn. So I'm guessing it is a yes, but I'm just makin sure.

[NateDawg161992]

Yes unless you went first, since you can't use supporters first turn

EDIT:It's dark, uses dark, no weakness, resistance, no retreat, sick attack, and a basic with 60 hp.

[Cipher 2008]

So in other words completely overpowered and just freakishly powerful. Good card.

And I thought today's cards were overpowered...

[Sim]

EDIT:It's dark, uses dark, no weakness, resistance, no retreat, sick attack, and a basic with 60 hp.

Thanks, at first glance I just couldn't understand why it was banned.

edit: Just though I'd point out, that in the last post section of this thread, my post doesn't actually appear as the last one (which it currently is) O_o

[the new ash]

how do you play the tcg could someone who is good at it teach me how to play over pm

[RetiredGamer64]

I know that in Tournaments, the old old cards before EX are not legal to play with. Are the "old" EX card sets still legal? ie: Ruby and Sapphire set

[okothnuva]

Anything before EX Deoxys isn't allowed.

[booger_face]

I have been collecting Pokemon Cards for, oh, probably eight years, and in those eight years, I have never actually played a single game with the things. Now, of course, I am looking to play the game, at least a little, but there are still some rules I'm not sure of. If it's all right, I'd like to ask some, er, basic questions about playing the game. It shouldn't be anything too difficult.

Exactly how many cards are permitted in one deck? How many of each?

Can you mix sets? In other words, if I were to play a game against someone, could I use cards from say, Jungle and Fossil, while they use cards from Base and Neo Genesis (just random examples)?

Alternatively, can I mix-and-match sets when it comes to evolving Pokemon? Like, could I evolve Blaine's Charmander (Gym Leaders series) to a Dark Charmeleon (Team Rocket series) and then to a Charizard (Base set)? Or must evolution be kept within the set?

Where can I find things like damage counters and other objects like that required for playing the game?

Lastly, does anyone know of a comprehensive guide out there that could answer some of my more basic questions?

Thank you all very kindly.

[Avegaille]

I have been collecting Pokemon Cards for, oh, probably eight years, and in those eight years, I have never actually played a single game with the things. Now, of course, I am looking to play the game, at least a little, but there are still some rules I'm not sure of. If it's all right, I'd like to ask some, er, basic questions about playing the game. It shouldn't be anything too difficult.

Exactly how many cards are permitted in one deck? How many of each?

Can you mix sets? In other words, if I were to play a game against someone, could I use cards from say, Jungle and Fossil, while they use cards from Base and Neo Genesis (just random examples)?

Alternatively, can I mix-and-match sets when it comes to evolving Pokemon? Like, could I evolve Blaine's Charmander (Gym Leaders series) to a Dark Charmeleon (Team Rocket series) and then to a Charizard (Base set)? Or must evolution be kept within the set?

Where can I find things like damage counters and other objects like that required for playing the game?

Lastly, does anyone know of a comprehensive guide out there that could answer some of my more basic questions?

Thank you all very kindly.

Okay, answer to your first question: 60 cards in total, only 4 maximum copies of the same card, even if it has different artwork, except for BASIC Energy cards.

Answer to second question: Yes, you can mix sets. That's why there are expansions, right?

Answer to third question: No... you can't do that. A Pokemon who has a title or has an owner on its name is treated differently. You know, whatever is written on its "Evolves from". Like you can only evolve Blaine's Charmander into Blaine's Charmeleon, and Blaine's Charmeleon into Blaine's Charizard.

Answer to fourth question: You can get those from buying Theme decks.

Answer to fifth question: Go to: http://op.pokemon-tcg.com

[booger_face]

Wow, thanks a ton! When I saw that the last post here was in December, I kind of thought my question would just sort of die out. Anyways, thanks again!

[Dragonfire7]

Can you have more than 60 cards in your deck?

[SkittyOnWailord]

Can you have more than 60 cards in your deck?

No. A deck can have only 60 cards. No more, no less. Unless you are playing in a draft, in that case you would play with a 40 card deck.

[FireDragon100]

Do cards with an "E" on the bottem double it's damage? (E as in the E rater thingy-magigy..)

[quasi86]

Hello,

If you have a Darkness Energy attached to a Gengar from the Diamond&Pearl set and use it's Life Drain attack, will it KO the defending pokemon? I wasn't sure how the steps in an attack resolve or how darkness energy affects attacks that don't do a set amount of damage, so if anyone could elucidate those two concepts for me in addition to answering my question I would appreciate it very much . Thanks!

[Yuuki]

Do cards with an "E" on the bottem double it's damage? (E as in the E rater thingy-magigy..)

No. Its damage is only doubled in the event that the Defending Pokemon has a x2 weakness (any card before Diamond and Pearl or D&P cards that state the weakness is x2). The E only signifies that you can scan the card with the E-Reader.

Hello,

If you have a Darkness Energy attached to a Gengar from the Diamond&Pearl set and use it's Life Drain attack, will it KO the defending pokemon? I wasn't sure how the steps in an attack resolve or how darkness energy affects attacks that don't do a set amount of damage, so if anyone could elucidate those two concepts for me in addition to answering my question I would appreciate it very much . Thanks!

No. As the Special Darkness Energy card states, the Pokemon only gains the extra 10 points if it is itself a Darkness-typed Pokemon or has Dark in its name. Verbatim (where [darkness] is representative of the dark energy symbol): "If the Pokemon Darkness Energy is attached to attacks, the attack does 10 more damage to the Active Pokemon (before applying Weakness or Resistance). Ignore this effect unless the Attacking Pokemon is [darkness] or has Dark in its name. Darkness Energy provides [darkness] Energy. (Doesn't count as a basic Energy card)."

It wouldn't have worked anyways, even if you used Strength Charm or Plus Power. Damage happens before the effects of an attack. So, you'd do 10 damage, then put damage counters on until the Defending Pokemon had 10 HP remaining.

    Spoiler:- More info on order of attack:

Show Spoiler

 

a) If the Defending Pokemon is a Baby Pokemon, flip a coin to see if your turn ends without an attack. (If your turn ends without an attack, do not do any of the other steps. You are done now.)

b) Announce which attack your Active Pokemon is using. Make sure your Pokemon has enough Energy attached to it to use this attack.

c) If necessary, make any choices the attack requires you to make. (for example, Sneasel's Feint Attack reads, Choose 1 of your opponent's Pokemon." So, you choose now.)

d) If necessary, do anything the attack requires you to do in order to use it. (Fore example, Dark Marowak's Hard Bone attack reads, "Discard a Basic Pokemon or Evolution card from your hand or this attack does nothing.")

e) If necessary, appy ny effects that might alter or cancel the attack. (For example, if your Pokemon was hit last turn by Hippopotas's Sand Attack, Sand Attack reads that if you tried to attack with that Pokemon during your next turn, you should flip a coin. If tails, that attack does nothing)

f) If your Active Pokemon is Confused, check now to see if the attack fails.

g) Do whatever the attack says. Do any damage first, then do any other effects, and finally, Knock Out any Pokemon that have damage greater than or equal to their Hit Points.

The above is an excerpt from the Diamond & Pearl Rulebook.
 

    Spoiler:- More info on damage calculation:

Show Spoiler

 

a) Start with the base damage. This is the number written to the right of the attack, or, if that number has an x, -, +, or ? next to it, it is the amount of damage the attack text tells you to do.

b) Figure out damage effects on the Attacking Pokemon (for example, the Darkness Energy effect, or the Solid Rage Pokemon Tool). Then, if the base damage is 0 (or if the attack does not do any damage at all), just stop figuring the damage. You are done now. Otherwise, keep going.

c) Increase the damage by the amount next to the Defending Pokemon's Weakness, if it has Weakness to the Attacking Pokemon's type. [Double the damage if there is no such amount.]

d) Reduce the damage by the amount next to the Defending Pokemon's Resistance, if it has Resistance to the Attacking Pokemon's type.

e) Figure out damage effects of Trainer cards and Energy cards on the Defending Pokemon (like Metal Energy or Buffer Piece).

f) Apply any relevant effects resulting from the Defending Pokemon's last attack (for example, Bonsly's Fake Tears) or relevant Poke-Powers and Poke-Bodies.

g) For each 10 damage the attack ends up doing, put 1 damage counter on the Defending Pokemon. (If at this point the damage done turns out to be less than 0, do not do anything.)

h) Now that damage has been done, if the attack does anything other than damage, do all of that.

The above is an excerpt from the Diamond & Pearl Rulebook.
 

Couple of clarifications I'd like myself:

Playing a fossil deck, say I get Omanyte out via Strange Cave. It says to treat the new Benched Pokemon as a Basic Pokemon. Is it purely a Basic Pokemon, or is it also considered a Stage 1 card at the same time?

If I were to evolve it into Omastar, it would count as a Stage 2, regardless of the answer to the first question, correct?

Discarding Mysterious Fossil from play via its effect does not count as having it KO'd under the new rules, correct?

When placing a Basic Pokemon on a Baby Pokemon, the new Pokemon is considered Basic and Evolved, but not Stage 1, correct? And I can evolve a Baby the turn it comes into play because its evolution is (or can be) carried out via its Poke-POWER, correct?

[SkittyOnWailord]

Couple of clarifications I'd like myself:

Playing a fossil deck, say I get Omanyte out via Strange Cave. It says to treat the new Benched Pokemon as a Basic Pokemon. Is it purely a Basic Pokemon, or is it also considered a Stage 1 card at the same time?

If I were to evolve it into Omastar, it would count as a Stage 2, regardless of the answer to the first question, correct?

Discarding Mysterious Fossil from play via its effect does not count as having it KO'd under the new rules, correct?

When placing a Basic Pokemon on a Baby Pokemon, the new Pokemon is considered Basic and Evolved, but not Stage 1, correct? And I can evolve a Baby the turn it comes into play because its evolution is (or can be) carried out via its Poke-POWER, correct?

1) As long as it's in play by Strange Cave's effect it counts as a basic pokemon and not a stage 1.

2) Evolving it would still make it a stage 2. In this case it would be a stage 2 evolved from a basic.

3) You would be discarding it, discarding is not knocking out. Otherwise Giant Stump would be KOing things all over the place.

4) You can evolve it on the first turn because the Poke Power lets you evolve it. But if someone stops the Poke Power from working it won't be able to evolve at all.
I'm not sure about this but I think it counts as just a stage 1. Yes, I know, I'm a Proffeser and I've never looked that up.

[Yuuki]

Thank you. Guess Wailord (Legend Maker) won't be having as much fun as I'd hoped, but he still might be useful. Just not as broken as I was hoping. =D

[Pearl's Perap]

Can you use energy from older sets than the sets allowed in the modified rules?

For example, could I use a fire energy from the base set, rather than have to use fire energy from say, Diamond and Pearl.

This has been bugging me for a while now, I would like it if it could be cleared up...