Pokémon Cards
Gotta Catch Em All – But On Paper!
OK so POKEMON CARDS are literally the best thing in the WHOLE world!! Each card has a Pokemon on it and you collect them and you battle with them and some of them are SUPER rare and SHINY!! When you open a pack you never know what you are gonna get and thats the most exciting part. Sometimes you get a boring common card but sometimes you get a HOLOGRAPHIC one and it sparkles and shines and you scream so loud!!
My favorite Pokemon is Charizard because he is a giant fire dragon and he is SO powerful. But also Pikachu is super cute and Mewtwo is like a psychic genius cat. There are like a thousand different Pokemon now I think and they keep making MORE so you can collect FOREVER!! Some old cards are worth lots of money too like the first edition ones from a long time ago are worth like a MILLION dollars or something crazy. I keep my cards in a special binder so they dont get bent because bent cards are sad cards.
— written by a very enthusiastic 7-year-old
What Are Pokémon Cards?
The Pokémon Trading Card Game (TCG) is a collectible card game based on the Pokémon video games and shows. Each card has a Pokémon, an item, or a trainer on it. You build a deck of 60 cards and battle other players by sending out Pokémon, attacking, and knocking out theirs before they knock out yours. But lots of people just collect cards because the art is awesome and rare cards can be worth a lot!
Quick Facts
| First Released | October 1996 (Japan) / January 1999 (USA) |
| Made By | The Pokémon Company / Wizards of the Coast (early) / Nintendo |
| Total Cards Printed | Over 64 BILLION cards (yes really!) |
| Languages | 14+ (English, Japanese, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Korean, Chinese, and more) |
| Deck Size | 60 cards exactly |
| Pack Size | Usually 10 or 11 cards per booster pack |
| Most Expensive Card | Pikachu Illustrator – sold for $5.275 MILLION! |
| Total Pokémon | 1,025+ different Pokémon species |
The Energy Types
Every Pokémon card belongs to an energy type. The type tells you what kind of energy cards it needs to attack and what it is weak or strong against. Here are the types you will see in the card game:
- 🔥 Fire — Charizard, Arcanine, Magmar. Strong against Grass and Metal.
- 💧 Water — Blastoise, Lapras, Vaporeon. Strong against Fire.
- 🌿 Grass — Venusaur, Bulbasaur, Leafeon. Strong against Water and Fighting.
- ⚡ Lightning — Pikachu, Zapdos, Jolteon. Strong against Water.
- 🔮 Psychic — Mewtwo, Gardevoir, Espeon. Strong against Fighting.
- 👊 Fighting — Machamp, Lucario, Hitmonchan. Strong against Lightning and Darkness.
- 🌑 Darkness — Umbreon, Darkrai, Houndoom. Strong against Psychic.
- ⚙️ Metal — Steelix, Lucario, Aggron. Strong against Fairy.
- 🧚 Fairy — Sylveon, Clefairy, Mr. Mime. Strong against Darkness.
- 🐉 Dragon — Dragonite, Rayquaza, Salamence. Weak against other Dragons.
- ⭐ Colorless — Eevee, Snorlax, Tauros. Can use any energy!
Common Cards
The ones with a black circle in the corner. Lots of these in every pack. Great for trading and building decks!
Rare Holos
SHINY!! The Pokémon part of the card sparkles in the light. About one per pack. Super satisfying to pull!
Secret Rares
The rarest of rare! Gold cards, rainbow cards, full art. Super hard to pull and can be worth lots of money!
How Do You Play?
- Build a deck: 60 cards exactly — a mix of Pokémon, Energy, and Trainer cards.
- Set up: Each player draws 7 cards. Place one Basic Pokémon as your Active, up to 5 on the Bench, and 6 Prize cards face down on the side.
- Attach energy: Each turn you can attach 1 Energy card to a Pokémon to power up its attacks.
- Attack: Use your Active Pokémon to attack. If the attack does enough damage to knock out the other player’s Pokémon, you take a Prize card!
- Win condition: Be the first to take all 6 Prize cards, OR knock out all the other player’s Pokémon, OR have them run out of cards in their deck.
The Most Expensive Cards EVER
- Pikachu Illustrator — $5,275,000! Only 39 were ever made and they were given to art contest winners in Japan in 1998.
- 1999 First Edition Shadowless Charizard — Over $400,000 in perfect condition.
- Trophy Pikachu Trainer Cards — $300,000+. Given out at Japanese tournaments.
- 1999 Blastoise Presentation Card — $360,000. Only TWO exist in the whole world.
- Master’s Key Card — $21,000. Given to players who attended the 2010 World Championships.
Translation: keep your cards in good condition!! You never know what they will be worth one day.
Tips For Collectors
- Use sleeves: Plastic sleeves keep cards from getting scratched or bent.
- Binders are your friend: A 9-pocket binder is the best way to show off your collection.
- Top loaders for big ones: Hard plastic cases for your most special cards.
- Keep them dry: No drinks near the cards. Ever. Trust me.
- Trade fairly: Check card values online before swapping with friends so nobody gets ripped off.
- Open packs slowly: Half the fun is the suspense! Look at each card one at a time.
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The Best Hobby In The Universe
Pokémon cards are awesome because they mix collecting, art, strategy, and the thrill of opening packs. Whether you battle, trade, or just love the artwork, there is a Pokémon card hobby for everyone. And new sets come out all the time, so the adventure never ends!