POKÉMON TCG

ALTERNATIVE PLAY
HANDBOOK
 2021年9月10日更新

WELCOME
TPCオリジナルアート 025 ピカチュウ-70
●タイプ：でんき ●高さ：0.4ｍ 重さ：6.0kg ●とくせい：せいでんき

Inside you’ll find lots of ways to have fun with your Pokémon TCG cards,
no matter your skill level or understanding of the usual rules of the game.
Detailed descriptions guide you through new ways to play, from pack
battles and memory games all the way up to competitive formats for the
full version of the Pokémon Trading Card Game. The play formats in this
handbook are organized in three stages—Beginner, Intermediate, and
Advanced—and the specific skills needed to play each game are listed,
too. Be sure to check each format’s difficulty level before you start playing.

Good luck and have fun, Trainer!

TABLE OF CONTENTS
BEGINNER FORMATS 3

POKÉ CATCH 3
BOOSTER FUN 8
MULTI-EXPERIENCE (GROW & GO) 10
BASIC BATTLE 12

INTERMEDIATE FORMATS 13

PACK BATTLE 13
MENU OF LIMITATIONS 14
ACHIEVEMENTS 15

ADVANCED FORMATS 16

TEAM FORMAT 16
RAID FORMAT 20
GYM LEADER CHALLENGE 27
DITTO DRAFT 28

CREDITS 30

CASUAL COMPETITIVE COOPERATIVE

2
 BEGINNER FORMATS
Poké Catch
Poké Catch is a fun and easy way to play with
your Pokémon TCG cards! Be the first player
to catch three Pokémon of different types by
CASUAL 2 PLAYERS 15–30 MIN
attaching the Energy cards required for their
Skill Level
biggest attacks! New to the Pokémon TCG; some understanding of games

Setup
Creating the Decks
Before play begins, collect a stack of cards featuring Pokémon and a separate stack of Energy
cards. These stacks will become the Pokémon deck and the Energy deck. During the game, both
players will take turns drawing cards from these decks.

To build the Pokémon deck, include at least five Pokémon per player, and make sure the Pokémon
are a variety of types. You will need at least three different types of Pokémon in the Pokémon deck
to play this game.

Pokémon types are represented by the

Energy symbol in the upper-right corner of
the card. There are 11 types of Pokémon in
the Pokémon TCG. Total number of Recommended minimum
Pokémon cards used number of Energy cards
in Pokémon deck in Energy deck
Refer to the table on the right to decide
how many Energy cards to include in the 10 20
Energy deck.
15 30
When selecting Energy cards for the
Energy deck, make sure they
20 40
correspond to the attacks of
the Pokémon in the Pokémon
deck.

For example, if this Zacian is

added to the Pokémon deck,
the Energy deck should include
at least two Energy cards
that can be used for Zacian’s
Smashing Edge attack.

3
 BEGINNER
Poké Catch cont’d

Note: is a Colorless Energy symbol and acts as a wildcard symbol. If you see a symbol, that
means you can use any type of Energy!

To start the game, first shuffle the Energy deck, placing it face down between the players.

Then, shuffle the Pokémon deck and place it face down between the players. Draw four cards from
the Pokémon deck and display them face up in the center of the table, in between the decks.

Each player then draws a starting hand of two Energy cards.

Setup Example

Player Hand

Pokémon Deck Pokémon Display Energy Deck

Player Hand Discard Pile

4
 BEGINNER
Poké Catch cont’d

Alternate Setup (Separate Decks)

If you like, this game can instead be played with each player having separate decks consisting of
their own cards.

To play with separate decks, follow the setup steps above, but each player should instead construct
their own Pokémon deck and Energy deck that they do not share. Instead of a shared Pokémon
display, each player will have their own Pokémon display. Players will attach Energy cards only to
their own Pokémon in this version of the game, but all other rules are the same.

Gameplay
Players take turns playing one Energy card from their hand. To play an Energy card, place it on your side
of the table below a Pokémon you want to try to catch. This Energy is now attached to that Pokémon.

Players try to be the first to attach enough Energy cards to a Pokémon to meet the cost of its attack
that requires the most Energy. If they succeed, they catch that Pokémon.

Each player takes the following actions during their turn:

1. Draw a card from the Energy deck. (They should now have three Energy cards in hand.)
2. Play one Energy card from their hand to one of the face-up Pokémon.
3. Check to see if they have attached enough Energy to meet the cost of that Pokémon’s biggest
attack. If they have the correct Energy, they catch the Pokémon and add it to their score pile,
and then they replace it with the top card of the Pokémon deck. All Energy attached to the
caught Pokémon is discarded.
4. If the player cannot catch a Pokémon, then they pass the turn to the next player, who takes the
actions listed above. Note that Energy is not shared between players, so in order to catch a
Pokémon, a player must attach the required Energy cards from their own hand.

Catching a Pokémon
To successfully catch a Pokémon, a player Attached Energy
must attach the correct type and amount of
Energy needed to use the attack that requires
the most Energy.

5
 BEGINNER
Poké Catch cont’d

For example, to catch this Pikachu, a player must attach enough Energy to use the Electro Ball
attack. This attack requires the most Energy, and not just any type of Energy will do. Electro Ball
requires one Energy and a second Energy of any type.

Reminder: If you see a symbol, that means you can use any type of Energy!

If a Pokémon has multiple attacks with the same Energy cost, a player may choose any of those
attacks when catching the Pokémon.

If a player has not attached enough Energy to catch a Pokémon in a single turn, that’s OK! The
Energy will remain attached to the Pokémon in the center of the table until that Pokémon is
successfully caught by a player.

If at any time the Energy deck runs out of cards, reshuffle the discarded Energy cards to create a
new Energy deck.

Gameplay Examples
Alice starts her turn by drawing a card (a Energy card), and then she decides to attempt to
catch Roselia. She attaches the Energy card from her hand to Roselia. Now she needs to attach
one more Energy card of any type to meet the attack cost for Sting so she can catch Roselia.

Pokémon Deck Pokémon Display Energy Deck

Player Hand Discard Pile

6
 BEGINNER
Poké Catch cont’d

Play proceeds as the two players take turns attaching Energy cards to Pokémon. During her next
turn, Alice attaches the Energy card from her hand to Roselia to meet the attack cost for Sting.
She catches Roselia and adds it to her score pile, places the attached Energy in her Energy discard
pile, and then replaces Roselia with the top card of the Pokémon deck.

Pokémon Deck Pokémon Display Energy Deck

Score Pile Player Hand Discard Pile

*If a Pokémon cannot be caught after five turns, you may return it to the bottom of the Pokémon
deck and replace it with a new Pokémon from the top of the Pokémon deck.

Winning the Game

The first player to catch three Pokémon of different types wins!

Advanced Rules: Recommended for ages 6+

If players have a more complex understanding of math,
they should try the advanced rules!

Play proceeds until a player has caught enough

Pokémon to reach a combined total HP of 200 or
more. When this happens, their opponent gets one last
chance to play, ensuring both players receive an equal
number of turns. The player reaching a total of 200 HP
or more might not be the winner if the other player can
catch a Pokémon on their last turn to reach a higher
total HP.

Note: HP is the number listed in the upper-right corner

of the card. Zacian has 120 HP.
7
 BEGINNER

Booster Fun
Booster Fun features a variety of ways to have
fun with Pokémon TCG cards and booster packs
without having to worry about the rules of the
CASUAL 2–4 PLAYERS 10–30 MIN
full game.
Skill Level
New to the Pokémon TCG; some understanding of games

Gameplay
Top Number Triumphs
In this game, two players use the same number of Pokémon cards to play a game of comparing
stats! To start, roll a six-sided die to determine which stat you’ll compare:

1 HP
2 Height
3 Weight
4 Pokédex number
5 Retreat Cost
6 Highest attack damage
Each player then shuffles their stack of cards and
reveals one card at random. Compare the stat that
corresponds to the die roll, and the player with the higher
number wins! In case of a tie, re-roll for a different stat.
Repeat until one player has won six times.
8
 BEGINNER
Booster Fun cont’d

151 Questions
Without showing each other their cards, each player opens a Pokémon
TCG booster pack or selects a few of their favorite cards from a stack.
Make sure each player has the same number of cards in their stack.
Players each place one card face down in front of them and take turns
asking yes or no questions about their opponent’s card—the goal is to
guess which card it is! Once a player’s card has been identified, that player
reveals it and puts another card face down in its place, and the process
repeats. The first player to correctly name all of their opponent’s cards is
the winner!

Who’s That Pokémon?

Without showing each other their cards, each player opens a Pokémon
TCG booster pack or selects a few of their favorite cards from a stack.
Players take turns reading aloud the Pokédex entry on each card. (And
if a card’s Pokédex entry mentions the Pokémon name, make sure to
leave it out!) After a player reads a Pokédex
entry, the opposing player then gets three
guesses to correctly identify which Pokémon
is described in it. The player who guesses the
most cards correctly wins!

Memory Berry
In this game, players will test their memory skills! A League Leader will provide four of each type
of basic Energy card, which players will shuffle and sort into rows and columns face down. Each
player takes turns flipping over any two cards at a time. If the two cards revealed match, that player
takes them and sets
them aside. If they
don’t match, that
player flips them back
face down. Once all
the matching pairs
have been found,
each player counts
the cards they’ve set
aside—whoever has
found the most pairs
wins! Remember to
return any borrowed
cards to the League
Leader at the end of
the game. 9
 BEGINNER

Multi-Experience (Grow & Go)

Multi-Experience (Grow & Go) is a format in which
players add to their decks over time while also
adding to the rules of the game! This is a great
COMPETITIVE 2+ PLAYERS 10–20 MIN/LEVEL
format for beginners looking to start slow while
Skill Level
they learn all the rules of the Pokémon TCG. New to the Pokémon TCG; some understanding of games

Setup
All players start by building a 20-card deck using Basic Pokémon that have 70 HP or less and no
Abilities, as well as basic Energy cards. It is recommended to use 10 Energy cards and 10 Pokémon.

10 Energy Cards 10 Basic Pokémon (no Abliities)

Gameplay
Level 1
The first level uses some of the usual rules of the Pokémon TCG, except:

● Players will be competing to earn only 2 Prize cards instead of the usual 6
● Special Conditions are not applied

SPECIAL
The first level is played until a player feels comfortable with the CONDITIONS
rules and the cards in their deck.
2 Prize Cards

Level 2
At level 2, each player will add 10 cards to their deck. Three of these cards must be Stage 1
Pokémon that evolve from a card in their deck. If a player does not have any cards capable of
evolving in their deck, they must use at least three of the 10 cards added during this level to include
Basic Pokémon to evolve in addition to the corresponding Stage 1 Pokémon. The remaining cards
added may be additional Basic Pokémon with 120 HP or less, or basic Energy cards.

Games at level 2 are played with normal Pokémon TCG rules (and Special Conditions are in effect),
but players will compete for only 3 Prize cards.

Add 10 Cards 3 Prize Cards

10
 BEGINNER
Multi-Experience (Grow & Go) cont’d

Level 3
At level 3, each player will add another 10 cards to their deck. All 10 of these cards must be Item cards.

Games at level 3 are played as normal but use 4 Prize cards.

Add 10 Cards 4 Prize Cards

Level 4
At level 4, each player will add another 10 cards to their deck. All 10 of these cards must be Item
and/or Supporter cards. Additionally, each player may remove five Pokémon from their deck and
replace them with Stage 1 or Stage 2 Pokémon that evolve from a Pokémon still in their deck.

Games at level 4 are played as normal but use 5 Prize cards.

Add 10 Cards 5 Prize Cards

Level 5
At level 5, each player will add another 10 cards to their deck. All 10 of these cards must be Trainer
cards (Item, Tool, Supporter, and/or Stadium cards). Additionally, players may remove any five cards
from their deck and replace them with Pokémon or Energy cards.

Games at level 5 are played as normal using all 6 Prize cards.

Add 10 Cards 6 Prize Cards

Level 6
At the final level, each player has a fully constructed, 60-card
deck and is playing under the full rules of the Pokémon TCG.
Before starting level 6 games, each player may replace any
five cards from their deck.

Can replace any 5

cards from deck
11
 BEGINNER

Basic Battle
Basic Battle introduces players to some of the
most fundamental elements of the Pokémon
Trading Card Game: Benched and Active
CASUAL 2 PLAYERS 10–15 MIN
Pokémon, attacking, damage, Hit Points (HP),
Skill Level
and getting Knocked Out. New to the Pokémon TCG; basic math skills

Setup
Each player chooses three Pokémon from their card collection or
from the cards provided by the League/Club Leader. Each player
places their Pokémon face down, with one as the Active Pokémon
and two on the Bench. Use a simple method, like rock-paper-
scissors or a coin flip, to determine which player will go first.

Gameplay
Active
Turn all Pokémon face up. The first player chooses one of their
Active Pokémon’s attacks to begin the battle. Put damage
counters on the opposing Active Pokémon to show how much
damage the attack did. Then, it’s the other player’s turn! Whenever
a Pokémon has damage counters on it equal to or greater than
its remaining HP, it is Knocked Out and put in the discard pile.
Then, the player whose Pokémon was Knocked Out chooses a
Pokémon from their Bench to become the new Active Pokémon. Bench
The game will end when one player has no Pokémon remaining. Example of a basic playing field

Their opponent is the winner!

12
 INTERMEDIATE FORMATS
Pack Battle
Pack Battles are a fun way to play the Pokémon
TCG with just a single booster pack per player,
as well as some basic Energy cards!
CASUAL 2 PLAYERS 5–15 MIN
Skill Level
Requirements Familiar with most current Pokémon TCG rules

● One Pokémon TCG booster pack per player

● An assortment of basic Energy cards

Setup
Each player opens one
booster pack and reviews
the cards inside. Then, each
player chooses 10 in any
combination of basic Energy
cards to add to the booster
pack to form a small deck.

Gameplay Any 10 Energy Cards

Players proceed to play a game of the Pokémon TCG, with these additional rules:

● Each player puts out 2 Prize cards at the beginning of the game.
● Players don’t lose if they are unable to draw a card at the beginning of their turn. Instead, play
proceeds as normal.

In addition, the Ditto Evolution rule from Ditto Draft (see page 28) will be used in this format. All
standard gameplay rules apply, with the following additional Ditto Draft rule:

Once during your turn (before you attack), you may place a Ditto Marker on 1 of your
Basic Pokémon that doesn’t have a Rule Box. It gains the following Ability:

Ability: EVOLUTIONARY ADVANTAGE

Once during your turn, you may put any Stage 1 or Stage
2 card from your hand onto this Pokémon to evolve it. You
can’t use this Ability during your first turn or the turn this
Pokémon was put into play. If you put a Stage 2 card onto
this Pokémon, your turn ends. Each Pokémon can use only Image of a Ditto Marker
1 Evolutionary Advantage Ability per game.

13
 INTERMEDIATE

Menu of Limitations
Menu of Limitations lets you decide the
rules! Instead of following an exact set of
specifications, players are free to set one
COMPETITIVE 2 PLAYERS 30–60 MIN
or more deck construction limitations for
Skill Level
themselves. Familiar with all current Pokémon TCG rules

Setup
Menu of Limitations is all about customization, but we’ve found that it works best to start with a
60-card deck. You and your opponent should agree on a number of limitations to play with before
the match begins, and then take turns deciding what those limitations are until you’ve reached that
number. Limitations can be mixed and matched, so don’t be afraid to try new things—including
anything you and your opponent can come up with, even if it’s not mentioned here!

Gameplay
The possibilities for limitations are endless, but here are a few we’ve found to be particularly fun.

Deck Construction Limitation Options

● Each player’s deck may contain only one of each card, other than basic Energy
● Each player’s deck must contain exactly four of each card,TPCオリジナルアート
other than basic Energy 005 モ

● Each player’s deck must contain only Pokémon with 100 HP or more
●タイプ：ほのお、かくとう ●高さ：0.9ｍ 重さ：22.0kg ●とくせい：もうか

● Each player’s deck must contain only Pokémon with 90 HP or less

● Each player’s deck must contain only Pokémon of the same type
● Each player’s deck must contain only Pokémon without a Rule Box

Play Limitation Options

● Each player may play any number of Supporter cards per turn
● Each player may play only one Item card per turn
● Each player may have any number of Stadiums in
play at once
● Each player may choose their starting Pokémon
at the beginning of the game
● Each player’s Pokémon may evolve the turn it was
put into play
● Each player may play any card face down as a
Rainbow Energy
● Each player plays with their hand, Prize cards, and
top card of their deck revealed

14

M50 Y100 M100 Y90 M80 Y100 B50（口

モウカザ

PANTONE 144 C PANTONE 1795 C PANTONE 181 C

M50 Y100 B20 M100 Y90 B20 M60 Y20（舌）

 INTERMEDIATE

Achievements
Achievements are unique in that they don’t
necessarily change the rules for deckbuilding or
play. Instead, achievements are an alternative
COMPETITIVE 2 PLAYERS 40–60 MIN
way of winning the game! Achievements can
Skill Level
bring a new dimension to your Pokémon TCG Familiar with most current Pokémon TCG rules
battles and a fun way to try out new strategies
and tactics.

Setup
Feel free to use achievements during any type of gameplay! Achievements can be combined with
almost any of the other formats in this handbook, and of course can be played on their own with
regular 60-card decks following traditional Pokémon TCG rules as well. Before the match, you and
your opponent should agree on which achievements you’ll be using and how many points they’ll be
worth—but in a format like this one, the sky is the limit and the possibilities are endless.

Gameplay
When playing a game with achievements, keep track of how many you earn and tally up the
Achievement points as you go. The first player to reach 100 Achievement Points (AP) wins!
Note that this means the first player to take all 6 Prize cards will not necessarily win the game.
Achievements can be anything and everything that your playgroup feels are fun, but here are a few
that we like:

● Take all your Prize cards: 15 AP

● Whenever you play a Pokémon card, read its Pokédex entry aloud: 3 AP
● Draw more than 10 cards in a turn: 5 AP
● Take 6 Prize cards in one turn: 20 AP
● Have six or more Pokémon Tool cards in play: 2 AP
● Have six different types of Pokémon in play: 2 AP
● Heal the most damage in a game: 1 AP
● Do the most damage in a game: 1 AP
● Have a full Bench of Evolution Pokémon: 1 AP
● Have a full Bench of Basic Pokémon: 1 AP
● Have 5 or more cards in the Lost Zone: 1 AP
● Give your opponent’s Active Pokémon more than
one Special Condition: 1 AP

15
 ADVANCED FORMATS
Team Format
Team Format is a great new way for you and
three friends to experience the Pokémon TCG.
Players break into teams of two and follow all of
COMPETITIVE 2 TEAMS OF 2 60–90 MIN
the normal rules, with a few special twists!
Skill Level
Familiar with most current Pokémon TCG rules
Setup
Player A Center Lane Player B

G F F F G

C C C C
D D D

B A E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E A B

Zones of Play Key (Zones will reflect Team B as well):

A. Deck D. Active Pokémon F. Stadium
B. Discard Pile E. Bench G. Lost Zone
C. Prize Cards

1. All players must agree on what format (Standard, Expanded, Unlimited, etc.) they want to play.
2. All players must sleeve their decks. Each player should use a different sleeve design so it’s easy
to tell whose deck is whose.
3. One player from each team rolls a die to determine which team goes first. Players draw seven
cards from their respective decks and proceed to set up Pokémon in their own player lane. No
Pokémon will be set up in the center lane.
4. Each player draws 6 Prize cards from their deck. Three of these cards are placed above their
deck and three are placed in the center lane, as shown above. Players are considered to have
a total number of Prize cards equal to the number remaining from the six they started with,
regardless of which lane those cards are in. (At the start of the game, both teammates are
considered to each have 6 Prize cards remaining.)

Gameplay
The game follows all of the rules for a regular game of the Pokémon TCG, with the following
rules changes.

The Turn
All phases of the turn are performed simultaneously. (Both team members resolve Special
Conditions at the same time, draw at the same time, attack at the same time, take Prize cards at the
16 same time, etc.)
 ADVANCED
Team Format cont’d

The Lanes
Any cards played will only be able to affect the lane they are played in. That means any cards played
in the player’s lane are only able to affect the player and the opponent directly across from them.
Any Trainers played in the center lane will only affect the player that played them. For example, Hop
played in the center lane will only allow the player who played it to draw 3 cards. Similarly, cards
played in the center lane with “When played” effects will only affect the player that played them.

Cards played into the center lane that target an opponent may target either opponent, but not
both. For example, a Reset Stamp played into the center lane could only force a single opponent to
shuffle their hand into their deck and draw cards equal to their remaining Prize cards. If a card in the
center lane has an Ability that may be used once per turn (like Salazzle’s Roast Reveal, which allows
a player to discard a Fire Energy and draw 3 cards), either player may use that Ability, but it may only
be used once per turn. If a card in the center lane has an effect that may be used multiple times per
turn (like Magnezone’s Magnetic Circuit, which allows a player to attach Lightning Energy to their
Pokémon as often as they like), both players may use that Ability.

If a card from the center lane needs to enter a player’s hand, discard pile, Lost Zone, or any other
zone, it may only be placed in its owner’s corresponding zone. That means that when the Active
Pokémon from the center lane is Knocked Out, it must be placed in its owner’s discard pile. Any
Energy attached to it must go into the owner’s discard pile, which may require Energy to go into
two different discard piles. Any Pokémon Tool cards would go into the owner’s discard pile. This
process can be confusing, which is why each player should use a different card sleeve design!

Adjustments by Card Type

Pokémon
Pokémon may be played into a player’s lane or into the center lane. The Active Spot in a lane must
be filled before a Pokémon may be played onto the Bench. Cards that would put a Pokémon onto
the Bench may not be played if the Active Spot in that lane is not occupied.
2010年1月21日更新
2010年1月21日更新

TPCオリジナルアート 009 エンペルト-01 TPCオリジナルアート 009 エンペルト-02 TPCオリジナルアート

●タイプ：みず、はがね ●高さ：1.7ｍ 重さ：84.5kg ●とくせい：げきりゅう ●タイプ：みず、はがね ●高さ：1.7ｍ 重さ：84.5kg ●とくせい：げきりゅう ●タイプ：みず、はがね

17
C35 M20 C70 M20 C35 M20 C70 M20 C35 M20
エンペルト

エンペルト

エンペルト

PANTONE 285 C PANTONE 285 C

C70 M40 C70 M40 C70 M40

PANTONE 279 C B20 PANTONE 279 C B20 PANTONE 279

C70 M40 B20 M80 Y100 B50（口の中） C70 M40 B20 M80 Y100 B50（口の中） C70 M40 B2
PANTONE 181 C PANTONE 181 C
 ADVANCED
Team Format cont’d

Supporters
Only one Supporter card may be played in each lane per turn. Either player may play a Supporter
for the center lane, but only a single Supporter may be played in the center lane. Should a
Supporter end the turn after being played, it will only end the turn for the lane it is played in.

Stadiums
Each lane may have a single Stadium card. The effects of each lane’s Stadium are only applied to
the lane it is played in.

Energy
Only one Energy card may be attached in each lane.

Adjustments to Zones of Play

Discard Pile, Lost Zone, Hand
Each player has a discard pile, Lost Zone, and hand. Should a card from the center lane need to
enter a discard pile, Lost Zone, or hand, it enters its owner’s discard pile, Lost Zone, or hand. Any
cards attached to it enter their respective owner’s discard pile, Lost Zone, or hand.

If a card in the center lane references the discard pile, Lost Zone, or hand (for example, the Lost
March attack), the active team decides which discard pile, Lost Zone, or hand (Player A or Player B)
is used.

Prize Cards
A player is considered to have all of their remaining Prize cards,
regardless of the lane they are in (for example, 6 Prize cards at
the start of the game). Cards may only target the Prize cards in
the lane they are played. For example, Gladion may only replace
a Prize card for the player who played it, in the lane in which it
was played. If Gladion was played in the center lane, the player
who played it could look at all of the Prize cards but could only
replace one of their own Prize cards.

Cards that use the Prize cards of an opponent (like Buzzwole

with Sledgehammer) count all of that opponent’s Prize cards. If
this attack is made in the center lane, the active team decides
which opponent’s Prize cards are used.

Should a card allow a player to change the Prize cards available

(like Naganadel-GX), the player may not leave a lane without
any Prize cards if that lane had Prize cards before the effect.
If this effect is used in the center lane, it is up to the players to
decide where Prize cards are returned to, but they may still
18
not leave a lane or side empty if it had Prize cards to start. For
 ADVANCED
Team Format cont’d

example, Naganadel-GX’s Stinger-GX attack forces the center lane to shuffle Prize cards back into
their respective owner’s decks and replace 3 Prize cards. The target of the attack would declare
how many Prize cards from each player they would be replacing—in this case, two from a single
player and one more from their teammate. Then, the active team would declare how they are
replacing the Prize cards.

Adjustments to Attacking
All three lanes resolve their attacks simultaneously. If an opposing lane does not have any Pokémon
in it, and the attack does at least 10 damage, the attacker may take a single Prize card. (Please note
that placing damage counters directly doesn’t count for this purpose.)

If an attacker has taken all their Prize cards in a lane, they may still attack and Knock Out opposing
Pokémon, but they may not take any further Prize cards. If a Pokémon in the center lane is Knocked
Out, the active team may decide who takes the Prize card(s) and may split them if more than one
Prize card is earned.

Each lane may use only a single GX attack or VSTAR Power per game, and just like all other attacks
and effects, the GX attack or VSTAR Power will only affect the lane it is used in.

Loss Conditions
If a player would be required to draw a card and is unable to do so, they are eliminated from the game.
They remove all of their cards from their own lane but leave their cards in the center lane. The opposing
team may still attack their now-empty lane and take Prize cards (as long as they do 10 damage).

If a team has no Pokémon in play in any lane, that team is eliminated from the game.

Winning the Game

The first team to successfully take 9 of their 12 Prize cards wins the game. Teams win or lose
together. Cards with win or loss conditions on them (like Unown’s DAMAGE Ability or Slowbro’s
Three Strikes attack) will win or lose for the entire team.

The following cards are not allowed in the Team Format:

● Dialga-GX (Sun & Moon—Ultra Prism, 100/156; Sun & Moon—Forbidden Light, 82/131)
● Medicham V (Sword & Shield—Evolving Skies, 083/203, 185/203, and 186/203)
● Pheromosa-GX (Sun & Moon—Ultra Prism, 140/156; Black Star Promo, SM66)
● Steven’s Resolve (Sun & Moon—Celestial Storm, 145/168 and 165/168)
● Togepi & Cleffa & Igglybuff-GX (Sun & Moon—Cosmic Eclipse, 143/236)
● Unown with the HAND Ability (Sun & Moon—Lost Thunder, 91/214)

If an effect of a card not listed here would cause a player to take another turn
in the Team Format, that extra turn doesn’t happen. 19
 ADVANCED

Raid Format
Raid Format pits a team of players against
an extremely powerful Raid Boss Pokémon!
Working as a team is the only path to victory
COOPERATIVE 1–5 PLAYERS 60–90 MIN
in this unique and engaging way to play the
Skill Level
Pokémon TCG. Familiar with most current Pokémon TCG rules

Setup
The Raid Deck is shuffled and set face down next to the Raid Pokémon. Then, all players shuffle
their decks, and set up as in a normal game (drawing 7 cards, setting out Basic Pokémon, setting
up 6 Prize cards etc.). Should a player need to mulligan, they show all the other players their hand,
then shuffle it into their deck and draw 7 cards, repeating as necessary. The Raid Deck can’t draw
any extra cards from player mulligans. The players always go first and may attack, evolve, and play
Supporter cards on their first turn.

Raid Boss
Pokémon

Player 1 Player 2 Player 3

Gameplay
Players
The player turn is very similar to a standard game, with the following changes. All players take their
turn simultaneously, and all players must complete the current phase before any player may move
onto the next phase of the turn.

Change to the Supporter rule: When a player plays a Supporter card from their hand, they can
apply the effect to any player on their team (for example, Jenny plays Hop, but instead of drawing
3 cards herself, she lets her teammate Lars draw 3 cards). Each turn, the players may play a total
number of Supporter cards equal to the total number of players. In addition, players may benefit
from more than one Supporter card in a turn. (For example, when Jenny plays Hop for Lars, he
draws 3 cards but doesn’t get the Energy card he needs. Kris then plays Gordie for him. Since only
two Supporter cards have been played, any of the three players may play another Supporter card if
they want.)
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Raid Format cont’d

Either the players or the Raid Deck may play a Stadium card, but only one Stadium may be in play
at a time, and all players and the Raid Pokémon benefit (or suffer) from it. If another Stadium comes
into play, the first Stadium is discarded to its owner’s discard pile.

All players resolve their attacks simultaneously against the Raid Pokémon, adding damage
counters to the card and resolving any effects of attacks. Pokémon may not benefit from any other
player’s attack effects during the attack phase. Just like standard games, each player may use only
one VSTAR Power per game.

Once all player attacks have been resolved, the players’ turn ends, and the Pokémon Checkup
phase begins.

Raid Deck
After the Pokémon Checkup phase ends, the Raid Pokémon recovers from all Special Conditions.
Next, the Raid Deck gets to draw and resolve, one at a time, a number of cards equal to the number
of players plus one (i.e. in a 4-player game, 5 cards would be drawn. In a 3-player game, 4 cards
would be drawn). Each card must be resolved before drawing the next card.

● This may result in the Raid Deck playing and resolving multiple Supporter cards in a single turn.
○ Any Supporter card that affects an opponent affects all opposing players
(i.e. Koga’s Trap would make all opposing Active Pokémon Confused and
Poisoned, and Repel would force all opposing players to switch their Active
Pokémon with one from their Bench.)
● Should a card be drawn that draws more cards, each additional card is drawn and resolved
one at a time. Cards drawn due to other cards or effects do not count towards the total cards
the Raid Deck should draw for the turn. (For example, the Raid Deck draws and resolves Hop
as its first card. It then draws and resolves 3 cards for the effect of Hop, one at a time. Then, the
Raid Deck draws and resolves its second card for the turn).
● Every Energy card revealed is attached to the Raid Pokémon, which may result in multiple
Energy being attached in a single turn. All Energy costs on the Raid Pokémon are treated as
Colorless.
● If a Pokémon Tool card is revealed, it is attached to the Raid Pokémon. If the Raid Pokémon
already has a Pokémon Tool attached, the first Tool is discarded, and the new Tool is attached.
● If a card is drawn that requires the Raid Deck to make a choice (i.e., Boss’s Orders, which
switches 1 of the opponent’s Benched Pokémon into the Active Spot), the players make the
choice as they wish.
● If the Raid Deck draws a card outside its turn (i.e., due to a player playing Marnie or Ace
Trainer), players draw their cards, and then the Raid Deck draws and resolves its cards one at a
time, just like it would during its turn.

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 ADVANCED
Raid Format cont’d

Once the Raid Deck has finished drawing and resolving cards for the turn, it’s time to attack. If more
than one attack is available with the Energy attached, a die is rolled to randomly determine which
attack is used. This may result in the Raid Pokémon making multiple GX attacks or using multiple
VSTAR Powers in a single game. Once the attack is determined, the Raid Pokémon discards
Energy equal to the attack cost, using the fewest possible cards. Then, the attack is resolved as if it
attacked each player (i.e. Charizard-GX’s Steam Artillery attack does 200 damage, so each player’s
Active Pokémon would take 200 damage.). Neither the attack nor the damage from the attack may
be prevented, though the damage may be reduced.

Winning the Game

If a player’s Active Pokémon is Knocked Out, that player takes the Prize cards that the attacker
would usually take (i.e., if the Raid Deck Knocks Out a player’s Pokémon VMAX, that player would
take three of their own Prize cards). If a player doesn’t have enough Prize cards remaining, that
player is removed from the game. If no players remain in the game, the Raid Pokémon wins.

After the Raid Pokémon resolves its attack, the total damage on it is counted. For each Full
Contribution*, remove those damage counters and put the top card of the Raid Deck in the Lost
Zone. If there are no cards in the Raid Deck, shuffle its discard pile to make a new Raid Deck, and
continue to put cards in the Lost Zone.

*A Full Contribution is a number of damage counters equal to the number of players (i.e., in a
4-player game, a Full Contribution would be 40 damage. In a 3-player game, a full contribution
would be 30 damage.). Any excess damage counters stay on the Raid Pokémon.

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 ADVANCED
Raid Format cont’d

If the Raid Deck doesn’t have enough cards remaining to move to the Lost Zone, then the Raid Deck
is defeated, and the players win.

Whichever win condition happens first—either no players have any Prize cards remaining or the
Raid Deck is unable to send cards to the Lost Zone—that is the win condition that triggers. Even if
the players have enough damage counters on the Raid Pokémon to defeat the Raid Deck, at least
one player must still be in the game when that damage resolves for the players to win.

What If?
If the Raid Deck needs to draw a card and is unable to do so, the Raid Deck discard pile is shuffled
and becomes the new Raid Deck. This may only happen once per round. If the Raid Deck runs out
of cards a second time, the Raid Pokémon proceeds directly to the attack phase.

If a player has no Pokémon in play, or if they can’t draw a card from their deck, they are not out of
the game. If the player has no Pokémon in play, at the start of the players’ turn, that player reveals
their hand and must put a Pokémon in their Active Spot if they have one. If they do not have any
Pokémon, they otherwise take their turn as usual. If a player would take damage during a turn, and
they do not have any Pokémon in play, they must take a Prize card.

If a player is unable to draw a card, they continue taking their turn like normal, skipping their draw
phase unless they become able to draw a card (i.e., Alex’s deck has run out of cards, but Finley plays
a Brock’s Grit for Alex. Alex’s deck now has up to six cards in it, so Alex would have to draw a card at
the beginning of the next turn).

How to Build the Raid Deck

Here is the recommended 60-card deck using cards from the Sword & Shield Series:

Card Quantity in Deck Card Quantity in Deck Card Quantity in Deck

Avery 1 Galar Mine 1 Rocky Helmet 1

Boss’s Orders 2 Gordie 1 Rugged Helmet 1
Bug Catcher 2 Honey 1 Schoolboy 1
Collapsed Stadium 1 Hyper Potion 2 Schoolgirl 1
Cook 1 Leon 1 Sidney 1
Crushing Hammer 2 Lucky Ice Pop 1 Spikemuth 1
Doctor 1 Nugget 1 Spirit Mask 2
Energy Retrieval 2 Old Cemetery 1 Team Yell Grunt 1
Energy Search 1 Path to the Peak 1 Tool Jammer 2
Fan of Waves 1 Pokégear 3.0 2 Yell Horn 1
Flannery 2 Pokémon Catcher 2 Basic Energy 18

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 ADVANCED
Raid Format cont’d

Choose any Pokémon V-UNION to be the Raid Pokémon.

Should the players wish to make their own deck, bear the following in mind: the Raid Deck can
be made up of any combination of cards the players want. It is recommended to include a mix
of different Trainer cards and Energy. Remember that cards that draw additional cards are very
powerful in this deck, as each card drawn is resolved immediately.

Should the players wish to change the Raid Pokémon, any oversize card can be used, though some
may prove significantly more challenging than others.

Optional Rule
Struggle Rule
If the Raid Pokémon is unable to attack for two consecutive turns, the Struggle Rule becomes
active. During each attack phase, the Raid Pokémon will use one of its attacks at random,
regardless of the Energy attached to it.

For extra challenge, you can apply the Struggle Rule anytime the Raid Pokémon does no damage
for two consecutive turns.

24
 ADVANCED
Raid Format cont’d

Giovanni Format
This format replaces the oversize Raid Pokémon with a regular Active Raid Pokémon and a full
Bench. To take on this challenge, make the following changes to the Raid Format rules:

Setup
Take the six Pokémon being used as the bosses and shuffle them, placing one at random as the
Active Raid Pokémon and the rest on the Bench. Shuffle the Raid Deck as normal.

Gameplay
Players
No change to the players’ turn.

Raid Deck
The Raid Deck turn is resolved as normal, with the following changes.

● Energy should be attached to the Active Raid Pokémon until that Pokémon has enough
Energy for its biggest attack. Once it reaches that threshold, Energy should be attached
randomly to a Raid Pokémon on the Bench that can’t yet use its biggest attack. If all six
Raid Pokémon have enough Energy attached to use all of their attacks, then the Energy is
attached at random to any Raid Pokémon.
● Pokémon Tool cards are attached to the Active Raid Pokémon, replacing any previously
attached Pokémon Tool.

Attacking is resolved as normal by the Active Raid Pokémon.

Winning the Game

The players still take their Prize cards as in Raid Format rules.

Damage is still counted, and for each Full Contribution on the Active Raid Pokémon, a card is
removed from the top of the Raid Deck and put in the Lost Zone. However, in this version, once
10 cards have been removed from the Raid Deck and put in the Lost Zone, the Active Raid
Pokémon is Knocked Out. Move the Pokémon that was Knocked Out to the Lost Zone and put
all cards that were attached to it into the discard pile. The Benched Raid Pokémon that has the
most Energy attached to it becomes the new Active Raid Pokémon. If two or more Pokémon
are tied for most Energy, randomly determine which one moves to the Active Spot.

Just like the standard Raid Format, if the Raid Deck ever needs to move one or more cards to
the Lost Zone and is unable to do so, the Raid Deck is defeated, and the players win!

25
 ADVANCED
Raid Format cont’d

Giovanni Format
How to Build a Raid Deck
Building a deck for this version is almost the same as building a deck for the standard version,
except you will need a team of six Pokémon to make up the boss team. Below are a couple of
sample teams.

Sample Team A
● Alolan Persian-GX (Sun & Moon—Cosmic Eclipse, 129/236)
● Rhyperior V (Sword & Shield—Darkness Ablaze, 095/189)
● Nidoqueen (Sun & Moon—Team Up, 056/181)
● Dugtrio (Sword & Shield—Chilling Reign, 077/198)
● Nidoking (Sun & Moon—Team Up, 059/181)
● Mewtwo-GX (Sun & Moon—Shining Legends, 39/73)

Sample Team B (for this team, you may want to include

1 or 2 copies of the Stadium cards Glimwood Tangle
and Slumbering Forest in the Raid Deck)
● Snorlax-GX (Black Star Promo, SM05)
● Mareep (Sun & Moon—Lost Thunder, 075/214)
● Breloom V (Sword & Shield—Fusion Strike, 006/264)
● Alolan Muk-GX (Sun & Moon—Burning Shadows, 084/147)
● Infernape (Sun & Moon—Forbidden Light, 059/131)
● Amoonguss (XY—Steam Siege, 013/114)

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 ADVANCED

Gym Leader Challenge

Harness the power of single-Prize Pokémon with
a Gym Leader Challenge Deck! No Pokémon with
a Rule Box are allowed in Gym Leader Challenge,
COMPETITIVE 2 PLAYERS 20–30 MIN
making for a fun, challenging, and diverse
Skill Level
format! Additionally, each player is restricted to Familiar with most current Pokémon TCG rules
using a deck made up of a single copy of each
card, and all Pokémon in the deck must be of the
same type.

Gameplay
● Gym Leader Challenge uses the Expanded format
● Gym Leader Challenge is played using 60-card decks and the most current
Pokémon TCG rules
● Each deck must contain only Pokémon of a single type
● Only one copy of each card is allowed, except for basic Energy
● Pokemon with a Rule Box are not allowed
● ACE SPEC cards are not allowed
● Some experienced Trainers may create a list of additional
cards that aren’t allowed in Gym Leader Challenge,
based on their impact on the format. Make sure to
ask about any banned cards if you’re playing
with a new group!

Thank you to Andrew Mahone

for his work popularizing the
Gym Leader Challenge format.

27
 ADVANCED

Ditto Draft
Ditto Draft is the ideal way to draft the Pokémon
TCG with two to four players. Open booster
packs, pick the cards you’d like to build a deck
CASUAL 2–4 PLAYERS 60–90 MIN
with, and then battle against your friends, with a
Skill Level
little help from Ditto! Familiar with most current Pokémon TCG rules

Setup
Ditto Draft is a Limited format event for two to four players. Four is the ideal number, but the event
can be run with two or three. Ditto Draft events may be run with Pokémon TCG products in two
different ways:

1 Each player receives four predetermined Pokémon TCG booster packs. They can all be from
the same expansion or from different expansions, as long as each player has the same four
packs.
2 Each player receives a Build & Battle Box. Each player opens their 40-card ready-to-play
deck without revealing its contents to the other players. Then, they set aside any Pokémon in
the deck, as these cards will not be used for deck construction. Only the Trainer cards and
Energy cards in the deck may be used. Players can look through these cards, which can be
used to build their deck along with the cards drafted later.

Regardless of the product used, players will also be provided with Ditto Markers to use along with
the special Ditto Draft rules (see below). Ditto Markers can be placed on Basic Pokémon without a
Rule Box to grant them the Ability to evolve into any Stage 1 or Stage 2 Pokémon that a player drafts
and includes in their deck.

Players will be seated in a circle to facilitate the draft. Once everyone is ready, the Organizer will
signal the players to open their first booster pack. If using a combination of packs from different
expansions, all players should open a pack from the same expansion at the same time. Each
player selects one card from the pack and sets it aside to start their draft selection pile, along with
the Pokémon TCG Live or Pokémon TCG Online code card and the basic Energy card or VSTAR
marker. Players then pass the remaining cards from the booster pack, face down, to the person on
their left. The cards selected by each player should remain secret during the drafting process.

Each player continues to select one card from among

the cards passed to them until all the cards have been
selected. After all cards from a booster pack have been 4 3 2
picked, players will have one minute to review the cards 1
they have so far. This process repeats for each remaining
booster pack, with the passing pattern alternating from
left to right as each new pack is opened.

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 ADVANCED
Ditto Draft cont’d

Build & Battle Ditto Draft Deck Construction

After all the booster packs have been opened and all the cards have been selected, each player
constructs a 40-card deck using the cards they picked from the booster packs and the Build &
Battle Box, as well as basic Energy cards provided by the Organizer. Players have 20 minutes to
construct their decks. Players may not trade the cards they selected in the draft with other players
until the tournament ends. The Organizer may require players to fill out deck lists, including the
cards in their decks and any cards not being used. After everyone's deck is completed, play begins.

Gameplay
Games will be played with 4 Prize cards instead of the usual six. Once the first round of the
tournament begins, players may not alter the contents of their decks.

All standard gameplay rules apply, with the following additional Ditto Draft rule:

Once during your turn (before you attack), you may place a Ditto marker on 1 of your
Basic Pokémon that doesn’t have a Rule Box. It gains the following Ability:

Ability: EVOLUTIONARY ADVANTAGE

Once during your turn, you may put any Stage 1 or Stage
2 card from your hand onto this Pokémon to evolve it. You
can’t use this Ability during your first turn or the turn this
Pokémon was put into play. If you put a Stage 2 card onto
this Pokémon, your turn ends. Each Pokémon can use only
1 Evolutionary Advantage Ability per game. Image of a Ditto Marker

29
 CREDITS
The Pokémon Company International

Innovation Team: Liz Dacus, Faye Visintainer, JR Godwin, Mia Violet, and Elisabeth Lariviere

Product and Game Development: Mia Violet, Andrew Wolf, Kenny Wisdom, and Kathy Sly

Production Coordination: Traci Thomson, Kevin Kent, and Genevieve Goutzioulis

Project Management: Chad Bosquez and Breon McMullin

Organized Play: Dave Schwimmer and JR Godwin

Booklet Writing: Kenny Wisdom, JR Godwin, Mia Violet, Andrew Wolf, and Holly Bowen

Editing: Hollie Beg, Holly Bowen, and Eoin Sanders

Graphic Design (Creative): Elisabeth Lariviere and Amanda Schlemmer

Thanks To: Kenji Okubo, Barry Sams, Jim Lin, and Andrew Finch

Special Thanks To: Andrew Mahone

30 ©2022 Pokémon. ©1995–2022 Nintendo / Creatures Inc. / GAME FREAK inc. TM, ®, and character names are trademarks of Nintendo.
 2018年4月18日更新

TPCオリジナルアート 133 イーブイ-01

●タイプ：ノーマル ●高さ：0.3ｍ 重さ：6.5kg ●とくせい：にげあし

31

M45 Y100 B20 M60 Y50（肉球）

 ®
©2022 Pokémon. ©1995–2022 Nintendo / Creatures Inc. / GAME FREAK inc. TM, , and character names are trademarks of Nintendo. Printed in the USA. I22. 800-54124 USOP ALTERNATIVE FORMAT BOOKLET 0820650541247