Pocket Monsters Card Game Rulebook (1st Edition) 1996-10-20 This official rulebook—the very first—doesn’t credit a specific author, exactly, so I can’t say for certain who wrote everything, but I think most of the credit probably goes to Ishihara, Ooyama, and editor Yuichi Konno. Full credits are listed inside the front cover. Introduction: “Pokémon Cards” is a completely new card game. In addition to the fun of winning against each other, there is also the fun of collecting various cards, combining them, and coming up with new strategies. That may sound a little difficult, but that's not the case. Please feel free to try playing with them. The rules are set, but the rules are also written on the cards. Please read the description of the cards and play while discussing them with your opponent. First, please read the "General Flow of the Game" in Chapter 1. You can roughly see what kind of game “Pokémon Cards” is. Next, take a quick look at "How to proceed with the game" and remember the rules while playing. If you don't understand, there are more rules in Chapter 2, so please refer to them like a dictionary. This Starter Pack is for one person, so please have each player play with their own set. Chapter 1: How to Play Pokémon Cards What kind of game is "Pokémon Cards"? "Pokémon Cards" is a card version of the “Pokémon” video game for the Game Boy. The game is played with 2 people, each using their own set of 60 cards. This 60-card set is called a deck. This Starter Pack you’ve just bought is a deck for 1 person. Pokémon Cards is a game in which you put Pokémon into the battlefield one by one and compete against each other. If you defeat 6 of your opponent's Pokémon first, you win. (You also win when your opponent has no more Pokémon in the battlefield.) The general flow of the game 1. Each person brings their own deck to play the game. First, shuffle and cut the deck well to make a “Mountain Card” (Deck). {Translator’s Note: Up to this point, the word I’ve been translating as “deck” has been デッキ, or “dekki.” That term refers to the 60 card deck you build and bring to play the game. The term used here, 山札, or “yamafuda,” literally translates to “mountain card,” or “card mountain,” or “mountain of cards,” or something to that effect. This is the term that they use in Japan for the face-down deck from which you draw a card at the start of each turn. In English, we call both of these “deck,” but the terms in Japanese are different. Going forward, I’ll be translating 山札 as “deck,” but I wanted to point out the different Japanese terms anyway. By the way, this is why so many attacks, abilities, and trainer cards that discard from or otherwise affect the deck have mountain-related names—things like Dark Tyranitar’s “Mountain Smasher,” Shining Tyranitar’s “Mountain Crush,” Machamp’s “Terraforming,” Magcargo ex’s “Melting Mountain,” Underground Expedition’s effect of digging *under* the mountain of cards, etc. More recent examples include the Machamp line’s attacks from the 151 set: “Mountain Mashing,” “Mountain Ramming,” and “Mountain Chopping.” Anyway, sorry for that little tangent. Moving on!} 2. Take 7 cards from the top of your own Deck and use them as your Hand. Choose one card with a Pokémon on it from your hand and put it face-down on the Battlefield (Active Spot). {Translator’s Note: The term “Active Spot” wasn’t formalized in English until, I believe, Sword and Shield, but I will be using it here. In Japanese, they call (called?) the Active Spot the “Battlefield.” The Japanese term used in this specific line is バトル場. If you’re ever machine-translating something PTCG-related from Japanese to English and you see “Battlefield,” that’s referring to the Active Spot. On the other hand, if you just see “Field,” that means “In Play.”} 3. Next, take the next 6 cards from the top of the deck and line them up side-by-side, face-down beside the deck. These are Side Cards (Prizes). {Translator’s Note: Obviously, “Side Card” is just the Japanese term for “Prize Card,” so I will be calling these “Prize Cards” moving forward. Curiously, it says to place them beside the deck, which isn’t where we’re used to seeing them. If you look at some [very old photos, such as this one](https://zoidsland.com/1rebyu-/koro96-10-a19.jpg), you can see what a game board would have looked like with the prizes set next to the deck in this way. The result is very…lopsided? I think moving them to the other side was the right choice.} 4. Play Rock-Paper-Scissors to determine who will go first and who will go second. Once it has been decided, both players reveal their Pokémon cards at the same time (by turning them face-up). 5. The player who goes first draws a card from the top of their deck and adds it to their hand. {Translator’s Note: There’s an “Official Rule” coming later on page 33 of this very book that contradicts this step, but we’ll worry about that when we get there.} 6. There are variety of things you can do during your turn. For example, you can attach an Energy Card to your Pokémon, or you can use an Evolution Card to Evolve your Pokémon. When your Pokémon performs an Attack, your turn ends. 7. Perform Pokémon Check. Did your Pokémon perform a successful Attack? How much Damage did it do? Also, check for Poison, Paralysis, etc. 8. When Pokémon Check is finished, it is the next player’s turn. During your opponent’s turn, you cannot do anything. When your opponent’s Pokémon performs an Attack, your opponent’s turn is over, and Pokémon Check happens again. • If you Knock Out 6 of your opponent’s Pokémon first, you win. How to Begin the Game 1.Setting the Field In Pokémon Cards, players play the game with their own decks, which are made up of different combinations of cards. The game begins when you start to play with a deck of cards. (Of course, you can play with this set as it is.) Shuffle the deck well and put it on the field, and ask your opponent to cut it too. Draw 7 cards from your deck and put them into your hand. If you don’t have even 1 Pokémon card in your hand, ask your opponent to confirm that you have no Pokémon cards, put them back in your deck, shuffle the deck well, and draw a second hand of 7 cards. • If you try 3 times and still don’t draw any Pokémon on the third attempt, you lose the game. ⁃ {Translator’s Note: The term “Basic Pokémon” had not yet been introduced at this point; there were only “Pokémon” and “Evolution Cards.” In other words, as should be obvious to anyone who knows the rules of Pokémon, this is really referring to *Basic* Pokémon Cards. You need at least one *Basic* Pokémon Card in your starting hand to place face-down in the Active Spot in order to start the game. If you don’t have any *Basic* Pokémon in your starting hand, you show your hand to your opponent, reshuffle, and try again. By the way, do note that, under these old rules, your opponent doesn’t get to draw any extra cards when you mulligan! And yeah, if you mulligan 3 times, you just lose the game before it even starts. RIP.} Pokémon are placed face-down in their respective Active Spots. Next, place your 6 Prize Cards face-down next to your Deck. ⁃ {Translator’s Note: Notice that nowhere in these set-up instructions does it mention anything about placing Pokémon face-down on the Bench. That wasn’t something the original rules allowed, believe it or not. If that sounds like it would lead to a lot of T1 donks, it surely did.} 2.Setting Diagram The setting is generally like this: ⁃ {Translator’s Note: There’s a diagram here on page 9 showing the game board. Interestingly, the prizes are where we would normally expect them to be: on the left. This does not match the instructions given previously in this book, nor the [photo I linked earlier](https://zoidsland.com/1rebyu-/koro96-10-a19.jpg). It seems they had already decided to change the layout when they made the diagram, but neglected to change the instructions to match.} 3.Your Turn Draw 1 card from the top of your Deck to begin your turn. What you can do before Attacking: ⁃ Attach an Energy Card. ⁃ You can only attach 1 Energy Card to your Pokémon. ⁃ Put Pokémon on your Bench. ⁃ You may Bench any number of Pokémon during your turn, but no more than 5 Pokémon can be on your Bench at a time. ⁃ Use an Evolution Card. ⁃ You can evolve Pokémon using an Evolution Card. You can evolve as many Pokémon as you like at once, but a Pokémon can only evolve by 1 stage at a time. A Pokémon that has just been put into play cannot evolve immediately on the same turn. ⁃ Use a Trainer Card. ⁃ You can use as many Trainer Cards as you like during your turn. ⁃ Retreat a Pokémon. ⁃ You can use the Energy shown in your Active Pokémon’s Retreat Cost to Retreat. You can take an Energy Card out of your Hand, or you can take put cards attached to your Pokémon in play into the trash (discard pile). When your Active Pokémon Retreats, you must send a replacement Pokémon to the Active Spot. ⁃ The order of what is done is up to the player. It is also up to the player whether to keep cards in the hand that could be used. ⁃ {Translator’s Note #1: In Japan, the Discard Pile is known as the トラッシュ (“Trash”). The same word, “trash,” is also used as the verb for discarding. This is why we have card and attack names like “Nightly Garbage Run,” “Trash Exchange,” and “Trashalanche.”} ⁃ {Translator’s Note #2: If this section sounds weird to you, you’re not alone. It sounds weird to me too. I *believe* it’s just trying to say that you can use your 1 Energy Card attachment for the turn to pay your Retreat Cost, but the way it’s worded, it makes it sound like you could just pay your whole Retreat Cost straight from your hand, without having to attach the Energy first, possibly even if your retreat cost required you to discard multiple Energy Cards. It also just says 場のポケモン (Pokémon in play), as opposed to バトル場のポケモン (Active Pokémon), which if taken literally would indicate that you could pay your Active Pokémon’s Retreat Cost by discarding Energy from your *Benched* Pokémon if you so desired. Both of these possibilities seem so totally wrong to me that I want to believe they were simply poorly explained in this rulebook.} ⁃ Use a Pokémon’s Attack ⁃ Choose 1 of your Pokémon’s Attacks and perform it against your Opponent. If the Pokémon does not have enough Energy Cards, it cannot perform the Attack. You can only use 1 Attack on your turn. Your turn ends when you perform an Attack. If you don’t perform an attack, tell your opponent, “I’m finished.” ⁃ {Translator’s Note: It doesn’t actually specify that you can only choose one of the attacks of your *Active Pokémon*, but that was definitely just an oversight by whoever typed the manual. I refuse to believe attacking with a Benched Pokémon was ever allowed, even in the earliest stages of the game’s development.} 4.Pokémon Check After you perform an Attack, check your Pokémon together with your Opponent. Check to see if any Pokémon were Damaged or Knocked Out by the Attack. Also, check the effects of Sleep and Poison here. ⁃ Some attacks require checks for effects such as Poisoned, Paralyzed, Asleep, and Confused. A coin may be flipped to determine whether the attack works or not. Please read the explanation of the Attack for how to check. ⁃ {Translator’s Note: This whole little paragraph is weird.} ⁃ If your attack succeeds, place markers (Damage Counters) on the Opponent’s Pokémon Card equal to the Damage inflicted. 1 Damage Counter represents 10 Damage. ⁃ When the Damage on a Pokémon meets or exceeds its HP, it is Knocked Out. The Knocked Out Pokémon is immediately moved to the Discard Pile. ⁃ When your Active Pokémon is Knocked Out and removed from the battlefield, you must bring a Pokémon from your Bench to the Active Spot. If you have no Benched Pokémon to bring to the Active Spot and you are left with no Active Pokémon, you lose. ⁃ After Knocking Out your Opponent’s Pokémon, take one Prize Card and add it to your hand. (Prize Cards are your proof of victory and serve as markers to show when you have defeated 6 Pokémon.) ⁃ Weakness and Resistance are written on the Pokémon Card. Please pay attention to Weakness and Resistance when calculating the Damage done by your Attacks. When the Pokémon Check is finished, it is the next player’s turn. When their turn is over, you both check your Pokémon again. 6.Layout Diagram ⁃ {Translator’s Note: What happened to step 5? Don’t ask me. The book skips from 4 to 6. I’m not missing any pages or anything; they just goofed up the numbering.} I play like this: ⁃ {Translator’s Note: There’s an example image here of the playfield mid-game. It looks similar to the one from Step 2 on Page 9, except the cards are face-up.} 7.Flow of the Game ⁃ {Translator’s Note: There’s a flowchart here on page 15 that I will try my best to recreate in plain text.} 1. Draw 1 card from your Deck. [This is where your turn begins.] 2. The following can be done in any order: ⁃ Attach 1 Energy Card ⁃ Only 1 Energy Card can be played. ⁃ Put Pokémon into play ⁃ You can put more than one. ⁃ {Translator’s Note: Again, this means *Basic* Pokémon—that term just hadn’t been invented yet. Also, by putting them into play, it of course means putting them onto the Bench—not directly into the Active Spot.} ⁃ Use Evolution Cards ⁃ It’s fine to Evolve multiple Pokémon, but each Pokémon can only be evolved 1 stage. ⁃ Replace Pokémon ⁃ “Retreat” ⁃ Use Trainer Cards ⁃ You can play multiple Trainer Cards. 3. Use 1 Attack ⁃ If you use an Attack, your turn ends. ⁃ {Translator’s Note: Again, it doesn’t actually specify that only your *Active Pokémon* can Attack, but that’s just a given.} 4. Pokémon Check ⁃ Checking Pokémon is done in cooperation with your opponent. 5. The opponent’s turn begins Types of Cards Introducing the main cards of the “Pocket Monsters Card Game”: ⁃ {Translator’s Note: Pages 16-18 consist primarily of card images with labels pointing to different things on the cards. I can’t recreate that perfectly in plain text, but I can at least give the definitions.} ⁃ 「ポケモンカード」 = “Pokémon Card” ⁃ A card with a Pokémon on it, which is played from the Hand to the Bench for use. Some Pokémon evolve by placing an Evolution card on top of it. ⁃ {Translator’s Note: The picture is a Pidgey card. As a reminder, a “Pokémon Card” in 1996 referred specifically to what we now know as a “Basic Pokémon Card.”} ⁃ ポケモンカードの名前 = Pokémon Card’s name ⁃ ポケモンの色 = Pokémon Card’s Type {literally “Color,” not “Type.” Japan called Types “Colors.” ⁃ ワザに必要なエネルギー = Energy required for the Attack ⁃ ワザの内容 = Contents of the Attack ⁃ ワザが与えるダメージ = Damage dealt by the Attack ⁃ 「にげる」のに必要なエネルギー = Energy required to Retreat ⁃ 弱点の色 = Color of Weakness ⁃ 抵抗力の色 = Color of Resistance ⁃ 絵を描いた人 = The person who illustrated the picture on the card ⁃ 「ポケモン・進化カード」 = “Pokémon Evolution Card” ⁃ Evolution Cards are cards that allow you to Evolve Pokémon by stacking them on top of Pokémon cards currently in play. The Pokémon that can be stacked are indicated on the card. ⁃ {Translator’s Note: The picture is a Beedrill card.} ⁃ 進化の段階を示す = Shows the Stage of Evolution ⁃ 進化前のポケモン = Pokémon before Evolution ⁃ 「トレーナーカード」 = Trainer Cards ⁃ These are cards that control Pokémon and the field. Most of these cards are used up when played, but you can use as many as you want at once, so they play a key role in losing the game. ⁃ {Translator’s Note: This is a really weird and funny sentence. But it’s true! If you want to lose the game, just play a bunch of Trainers and deck yourself out, I guess.} ⁃ カードの名前 = Card’s name ⁃ カードの使い方や能力 = How to use the card ⁃ 「エネルギーカード」 = Energy Card ⁃ Pokémon need Energy to perform Attacks or Retreat from the Battlefield. There are seven types of Energy Cards. Energy Cards are used by attaching them to Pokémon Cards. ⁃ 「 炎」エネルギー ⁃ （赤）fire = (red) fire ⁃ 「水」エネルギー = “Water” Energy ⁃ （青）water = (blue) water ⁃ 「雷」エネルギー = “Thunder” Energy ⁃ （黄）thunder = (yellow) thunder ⁃ {Translator’s Note: Lightning} ⁃ 「草」エネルギー = “Grass” Energy ⁃ （緑）life = (green) life ⁃ {Translator’s Note: Grass} ⁃ 「闘」エネルギー = “Fight” Energy ⁃ （茶） battle = (brown) battle ⁃ {Translator’s Note: Fighting} ⁃ 「超」エネルギー = “Super” Energy ⁃ （紫）psychic = (purple) psychic ⁃ Attach an Energy Card to the Pokémon according to the type of Energy written on the Pokémon. If an Attack is marked "Colorless," you can attach an Energy Card of any color. ⁃ 「無色」エネルギー = “Colorless” Energy ⁃ （白）normal×2 = (white) normal x2 ⁃ {Translator’s Note: Double Colorless Energy} ⁃ One Colorless Energy Card is equivalent to two "Colorless" cards.) Chapter 2: Pokémon Play Rules Deck Construction Rules: The fun of the Pokémon Card Game lies in the ingenuity of the deck. The way the deck is constructed reflects a player’s ideas and skills. 1. The number of cards in a deck must be exactly 60. 2. You may put as many of any colors of Energy you like in your deck. Only “Double Colorless Energy” is limited to 4 copies per deck. 3. You may put in as many Trainer Cards in your deck as you like, but only up to 4 copies of the same Trainer Card. 4. You may only put up to 4 of the same Pokémon Card in your deck. You may also only put up to 4 of the same Evolution Card in your deck. Pokémon Evolution Some Pokémon Evolve with Evolution Cards. Evolution Cards are placed on top of Pokémon Cards to Evolve them. When a Pokémon Evolve, it can use new Attacks, and its HP suddenly increases. There are rules for Pokémon Evolution. 1. Evolution is a step-by-step process. ⁃ You can Evolve a Pokémon by placing an Evolution Card on the Pokémon. However, you cannot immediately Evolve a Pokémon that has just been put into play. Please wait until your next turn. A Pokémon can evolve only one Stage per turn; you cannot put a Stage 1 Evolution Card and a Stage 2 Evolution Card on top of the Pokémon at the same time. Also, you cannot skip the Stage 1 Evolution to stack a Stage 2 evolution on a Pokémon Card. 2. Multiple Evolutions can occur at the same time. ⁃ Evolution proceeds in order, but you can Evolve multiple Pokémon at the same time. For example, you can evolve Bulbasaur and Poliwag on the Bench at the same time, 1 stage at a time. 3. Evolution cannot go backward. ⁃ Pokémon that have Evolved can only be used as written on the Evolution Card. They forget all the Attacks they knew before Evolving. You cannot remove the Evolution card and Devolve. Pokémon’s Attacks and Energy You need Energy to use Pokémon’s Attacks. To begin Attacking, you will need to attach Energy according to the Attack’s Energy Requirement. You can attach more Energy than is required, but even if you double it, the Damage will not double. ⁃ Precautions when using Attacks: ⁃ The contents of some Attacks contain an explanation of what to do when you use them. Please follow the instructions in the contents of the Attack. What is written on the card takes precedence over the overall rules. Depending on the Attack, it may also damage Benched Pokémon. Do not apply Weakness or Resistance to Damage done to Benched Pokémon. ⁃ Examples of How to Use Energy Cards: ⁃ For example, Pikachu's "Thunder Jolt" Attack is marked with "Lightning" and "Colorless" energy. In order for Pikachu to perform the "Thunder Jolt" Attack, it needs two Energy Cards: 1 for "Lightning" and 1 for "Colorless". The "Colorless" requirement can be fulfilled by other Energy Cards, such as Fire Energy, for example. Pokémon’s “Retreat” ⁃ Retreat Cost ⁃ An Active Pokémon can escape from the battlefield by using the Energy indicated in the "Retreat Cost" of the card. You can play an Energy card from your hand or use an Energy card attached to your Pokémon. (You can only play one Energy card from your hand on your turn.) The Energy card used to Retreat is moved to the Discard Pile. You do not need to use any Energy Cards that do not have an Energy symbol in the "Retreat Cost" field. ⁃ {Translator’s Note: I mentioned this earlier, but this part is weird and confusing. I *believe* it’s just trying to say that you can use your 1 Energy Card attachment for the turn to pay your Retreat Cost, but it’s weird because you should still have to attach it to the Pokémon first before you can discard it to Retreat.} ⁃ Execution of the “Retreat” ⁃ A Pokémon that has Retreated does not return to your Hand. It returns to the Bench. When the Pokémon returns to the Bench, any Paralysis and Poison that it received while Active disappear, but its Energy Cards and Damage Counters remain intact. If the Pokémon Retreats, another Pokémon is sent from the Bench to the Active Spot. ⁃ {Translator’s Note: Paralyzed Pokémon can’t retreat, but that’s what the book says. Maybe they meant to say Confusion instead of Paralysis?} Pokémon’s Special Abilities ⁃ {Translator’s Note: ［特殊能力］ = Special Ability = “Pokémon Power”} ⁃ Among Pokémon, there are some who have Special Abilities called “Pokémon Powers.” Unlike Attacks, “Pokémon Powers” don’t require Energy. “Pokémon Powers” can only be used on your turn, but you can use them whether the Pokémon is Active or on your Bench. “Pokémon Powers” are powerful enough to change the rules. What is written on the card always takes precedence over the standard rules. Pokémon’s Weakness and Resistance A Pokémon’s Weakness and Resistance are written on the card. ⁃ Weakness: ⁃ Weaknesses are indicated by colors (Types). If you are Attacked by a Pokémon of the Type of your Weakness, the Damage will be twice as much as normal. For example, a Pokémon with a “Fire” Weakness will receive a doubled 40 Damage if the “Fire” Pokémon’s Attack Damage is usually 20. ⁃ Resistance: ⁃ Resistances are indicated by colors (Types) and numbers. The Damage received by a Pokémon that Resists the Type of the Attacking Pokémon is calculated by subtracting the number written. For example, if a Pokémon with a Resistance of Fire -30 receives an Attack from a Fire Pokémon that normally does 40 Damage, it will only take 40-30=10 Damage. Therefore, if the attack normally does 30 Damage or less, then you will not take any Damage. Special Conditions (特殊状態): Pokémon can be put into special states such as Poisoned, Paralyzed, or Knocked Out. The Special Condition disappears when the Pokémon moves from the Active Spot to the Bench. ⁃ {Translator’s Note: Yes, the rulebook lists “Knocked Out” (きぜつ) as a Special Condition here. Obviously you can’t Retreat a Knocked Out Pokémon to the Bench, nor can you heal the “Knocked Out” condition with a Full Heal. I’m confident this is just a weird mistake in the rulebook.} 1. “Poisoned” state (Put a “Poison Counter” on the card) ⁃ If a Pokémon successfully performs a "Poison" Attack, the Pokémon affected by the Attack enters the "Poisoned" state. The "Poisoned" status is indicated by placing a “Poison Counter” on the Pokémon. The Poisoned Active Pokémon takes 10 damage each time it checks its Pokémon during Pokémon Check (between turns). Even if a Pokémon already in the "Poisoned" state is Poisoned again, the Poison Damage will not be doubled. 2. “Asleep” state (Turn the card sideways) ⁃ If a Pokémon successfully performs a "Sleep" Attack, the Pokémon affected by the Attack goes into the "Sleep" state. Turn the Sleeping Pokémon card on its side. A Sleeping Pokémon cannot use Attacks or Retreat. If a coin is flipped in the Pokémon Check and is “Heads,” the Pokémon wakes up. (Turn the card upright.) If the card is face up, the Pokémon wakes up. If the card is "Sleeping", the Pokémon stays in the Sleeping state, but it wakes up automatically at the next Pokémon Check after the Opponent’s turn. ⁃ {Translator’s Note: Notice anything weird about this Sleep rule? Yeah, it says you wake up automatically after your opponent’s turn. A mere 6 weeks after the game’s debut (and this rulebook’s alongside it), however, this rule would change. See “すぐわかる” ポケモンカードの遊びかた for the revision. (Or let me save you some time by saying “it was changed to work the same way it always has ever since: you keep flipping a coin once per Pokémon Check (aka “between turns”) until you get Heads to wake up.”) So, was this original Sleep rule just a mistake? My belief is that it probably was. It seems more likely to me that they just goofed up when writing the manual than that Sleep was ever actually intended to work this way, considering how quickly they changed it.} 3. “Paralyzed” state (Turn the card sideways) ⁃ If a Pokémon is hit by a Paralysis Attack, it becomes “Paralyzed.” The Paralyzed Pokémon is turned sideways. Paralyzed Pokémon cannot Attack or Retreat. Paralyzed Pokémon recover from their Paralysis during the Pokémon Check following their opponent’s next turn. ⁃ {Translator’s Note: The phrasing here is a bit ambiguous. It says that the Paralysis recovers during the Pokémon Check phase after *your opponent’s* next turn, but is that if *your* Pokémon is the Paralyzed one, or *theirs*? Paralysis these days recovers during the Pokémon Check phase following *your own* turn, if your Pokémon was the one paralyzed. I can’t tell whether the old rule was any different or not. Even if it was, though, I don’t think it would have made any difference until much later sets were released.} 4. “Confused” state (turn the card upside-down) ⁃ A Pokémon that is hit by a “Confusion” Attack becomes “Confused.” When a Pokémon enters the “Confused” state, it is rotated upside-down. A Pokémon in the “Confused” state will flip a coin when using an Attack. If it flips “Heads,” it will attack the opposing Pokémon as normal, but if it flips “Tails,” the Pokémon will use the attack against itself instead. ⁃ {Translator’s Note: Yes, you read that correctly. This is very different from the Confusion rules we’re used to, and it can be pretty…confusing. I’ll give some more details about how these original Confusion rules worked later.} ⁃ Pokémon in the “Confused” state can Retreat by saying, “I’ll Retreat,” flipping a coin, and Discarding the necessary Energy to pay its Retreat Cost when the coin flip result shows “Heads.” If the coin flip result shows “Tails,” the Pokémon is unable to retreat. You can only attempt to Retreat the Confused Pokémon once per turn. ⁃ {Translator’s Note: Under these original rules, you would flip the coin *before* paying the retreat cost of the Confused Pokémon. This would be changed in a future rules update to require that the Retreat Cost be paid first, before flipping, which is the rule we’re more familiar with.} 5. “Knocked Out” state (put the card(s) in the Discard Pile) ⁃ If the amount of damage taken meets or exceeds the Pokémon's HP, the Pokémon becomes "Knocked Out". The "Knocked Out" Pokémon is immediately moved from the field to the player’s Discard Pile. When your Active Pokémon has been removed from play, you must replace it with a reserved Pokémon from your Bench. ⁃ About stacking Special Conditions: ⁃ Special Conditions other than Poison cannot overlap with others. For example, there is no such thing as being simultaneously “Asleep,” “Confused,” *and* “Paralyzed.” A newly inflicted Special Condition will replace the previous one. If an already “Asleep” Pokémon is hit by an Attack that makes it become “Confused,” then the “Asleep” status will disappear and be replaced by the “Confused” status. However, only the “Poisoned” status can overlap with the others. For instance, a Pokémon can be simultaneously “Confused” and “Poisoned,” or “Paralyzed” and “Poisoned.” Damage Counters and Poison Counters ⁃ Damage Counters: ⁃ Pokémon HP is in multiples of 10; there are no Pokémon with 35 HP or 52 HP. Damage from Attacks is also in multiples of 10. Damage Counters on Pokémon can be anything, even candies, as long as they can be counted easily. 1 Damage Counter is equivalent to 10 Damage. For example, if 3 Damage Counters are placed on a Pokémon with 40 HP, the Pokémon has 10 HP remaining. ⁃ Poison Counters: ⁃ When a Pokémon is Poisoned, a Poison Counter is placed on the Pokémon. This is a sign that the Pokémon is Poisoned. The Poison Counter can be a candy or anything else. If possible, it is better to place a Poison Counter that can be distinguished from a Damage Counter. If a Poison Counter is present on a Pokémon during Pokémon Check, the Pokémon takes 10 Damage from the Poison. Pokémon’s “Knock Outs” ⁃ A player who has Knocked Out their opponent’s Pokémon will choose 1 of their own Prize Cards and add it to their hand. These Prize Cards show how many Pokémon you have Knocked Out. The moment a player takes their 6th Prize Card, they win the game. ⁃ Timing of a Knock Out: ⁃ Pokémon are not necessarily only Knocked Out by Attacks directly. For example, if a Pokémon with 40 HP has 3 Damage Counters on it and takes 10 Damage during Pokémon Check {TN: such as from Poison}, then the Pokémon will become Knocked Out. A Pokémon cannot recover from the “Knocked Out” state by using “Potion” or other means after it has already been Knocked Out. ⁃ Simultaneous Knock Outs: ⁃ Sometimes a Pokémon's special Attack causes each player’s Active Pokémon to become "Knocked Out" at the same time. In this case, the player who received the Attack moves their Pokémon to the Trash and brings a replacement Pokémon from the Bench to the Active Spot. After that, the player who used the Attack replaces their own Pokémon. When both players have replaced their Active Pokémon, each player takes a Prize Card and adds it to their hand. Winning and Losing ⁃ Winning or losing a Pokémon match is determined in the following 2 ways: 1. A player loses when their 6th Pokémon is Knocked Out. 2. A player loses when there are no cards for them to draw from the deck to start their turn. (You do not lose immediately when there are no cards in your deck during your turn.) 3. {Translator’s Note: I don’t know why it doesn’t list the third way of losing here—by having no Benched Pokémon to replace your Active Pokémon when it leaves the field, be it by Knock Out, Scoop Up, Hurricane, or something else. It’s not like this rule didn’t exist, because they already mentioned it way back on page 12.} ⁃ What if both players’ 6th Pokémon faint at the same time? ⁃ If both players’ 6th Pokémon are Knocked Out at the same time by a special Attack, Sudden Death is played. Both players put a 7th Pokémon onto the battlefield. At this time, you may play the 7th Pokémon directly from your hand. As in the case of simultaneous fainting, the Pokémon that received the Attack is placed on the battlefield first. The first player to Knock Out the seventh Pokémon of their opponent wins. If neither player has any Pokémon that can be released at the time of Sudden Death, the game is a draw. Official Rule This is an additional rule to avoid any disadvantageous situation between the first and second players. The first player begins play without drawing a card from the deck only on the first turn of the game. After that, play proceeds according to the usual rules. ⁃ {Translator’s Note: Way back on page 7, in the “general flow of the game” section, step 5 said “The player who goes first draws a card from the top of their deck and adds it to their hand.” This “Official Rule” introduced here on page 33 directly contradicts that. Why did they wait until page 33 to explain this rule? Don’t ask me.} Chapter 3: Glossary ⁃ 山札 = yamafuda = Mountain Cards = Deck ⁃ A deck of cards from which a player draws when it is their turn. ⁃ デッキ = dekki = Deck ⁃ A set of 60 cards that a player uses to compete. ⁃ {Translator’s Note: We call both of these “deck” in English, but the terms used in Japanese are separate.} ⁃ エネルギーカード = enerugiikaado = Energy Card ⁃ A card that serves as a source of power necessary for Pokémon to perform Attacks and Retreat. ⁃ ポケモンカード = pokemonkaado = Pokémon Card ⁃ A card with a Pocket Monster on it. ⁃ 進化カード = shinkakaado = Evolution Card ⁃ A card that evolves a Pokémon. It is used by stacking it on top of a Pokémon in play. ⁃ トレーナーカード = toreenaakaado = Trainer Card ⁃ Cards to assist players in various aspects of their Pokémon matches. ⁃ バトル場 = batoruba =Battlefield = Active Spot ⁃ A place to place Active Pokémon. A place where Pokémon perform Attacks against each other. Only 1 Pokémon can be placed here. ⁃ ベンチ = benchi = Bench ⁃ A place to put up to 5 Reserve Pokémon. ⁃ トラッシュ = torasshu = Trash = Discard Pile ⁃ A place to put used cards and Pokémon that have been Knocked Out. ⁃ 手札 = tefuda = hand cards = Hand ⁃ Cards that are held in the player’s hands ⁃ コイン = coin = Coin ⁃ Used to determine whether a Pokémon's Attack is successful or unsuccessful. If a flip results in “Heads”, it is a success. ⁃ ダメージ = dameeji = Damage ⁃ The impact received by Attacks from an Active Pokémon. ⁃ ダメージカウンター = dameejikauntaa = Damage Counter ⁃ A marker to remember the damage a Pokémon has taken. 1 marker represents 10 damage. ⁃ サイドカード = saidokaado = Side Card = Prize Card ⁃ A card that is pulled when an opponent's Pokémon is Knocked Out. It is a marker to show how many Pokémon you have defeated. There are six Prize Cards at the beginning. ⁃ ワザ = waza = Attack ⁃ An ability that a Pokémon has that can only be used by attaching Energy to it. ⁃ にげる = nigeru = run away = Retreat ⁃ To move your Active Pokémon from the Active Spot to the Bench. ⁃ 特殊能力 = tokushunouryoku = special ability = Pokémon Power ⁃ A rare ability that some Pokémon have. It can be used without Energy. ⁃ 特殊状態 = tokushujoutai = Special Condition ⁃ A special condition that may be caused by a Pokémon’s Attacks. Examples include “Asleep,” “Paralyzed,” “Confused,” and “Knocked Out.” ⁃ {Translator’s Note: Yes, “Knocked Out” was lumped in with the Special Conditions in this original rulebook. Don’t ask me why.} ⁃ ひかえポケモン = hikaepokemon = reserve Pokémon = Benched Pokémon ⁃ Pokémon on the Bench. ⁃ きぜつ状態 = kizetsujoutai = state of crisis = Knocked Out state ⁃ If a Pokémon takes damage equal to or exceeding its HP, it will become Knocked Out. ⁃ ねむり状態 = nemurijoutai = Asleep state ⁃ A state in which a Pokémon has become “Asleep” after being attacked. While Asleep, the Pokémon cannot Attack or Retreat. This state will automatically disappear at the Pokémon Check after your opponent’s next turn. ⁃ {Translator’s Note: As I mentioned earlier, this surprising Sleep rule would be changed 6 weeks later, in November ‘96. Whether they messed up the explanations in this original rulebook or simply decided to change it right away because it was bad, we may never know for sure. Personally, I suspect it was the former.} ⁃ どく状態 = dokujoutai = Poisoned state ⁃ A state in which a Pokémon has become Poisoned by an Attack. Poison Damage is taken at every Pokémon Check. ⁃ マヒ状態 = mahijoutai = Paralyzed state ⁃ A state in which a Pokémon has been Paralyzed by an Attack. Paralyzed Pokémon cannot Attack or Retreat. The Paralyzed state automatically disappears after the opponent’s next turn. ⁃ こんらん状態 = konranjoutai = Confused state ⁃ A state in which a Pokémon has been Confused by an Attack. When a Pokémon in this state uses an Attack, the result is a coin flip. If the coin flips Heads, the Attack is against the opponent {as normal}. If the coin flips Tails, the Attack is applied to the user. ⁃ 弱点 = jakuten = Weakness ⁃ Pokémon cards are marked with the color {type} of the Pokémon's Weakness. The Damage received from an Attack used by a Pokémon of the color of its Weakness is doubled. ⁃ 抵抗力 = teikouryoku = Resistance ⁃ Pokémon cards are marked with the color {type} of the Pokémon's Resistance. The Damage received from an Attack used by a Pokémon of the color of its Resistance is reduced by the number written after the color {type} symbol. Chapter 4: Deck Construction Techniques Collect a variety of cards and create your own original deck. The deck shows the strength and individuality of the player. The most important goal of "Pokémon Card Game" is to create the strongest deck. Card Balance There are three types of cards: "Energy," "Pokémon," and "Trainers." Even if you have a lot of Pokémon, you cannot use Attacks without Energy. Using "Trainer" cards such as "Potion" and "Bill" will give you an advantage in a game, but too many of them may cause you to run out of Pokémon. The important thing is balance. At first, try to build a deck based on these counts: ⁃ 25 Energy Cards ⁃ 25 Pokémon Cards ⁃ 10 Trainer Cards How many Evolution cards should I include? ⁃ Pokémon can be powered up by Evolution cards, but they cannot evolve unless they have Pokémon to evolve from. When aiming for evolution, it is best to have more Pokémon as the base Pokémon. ⁃ {Translator’s Note: It’s suggesting that players should include more Basic Pokémon Cards than Stage 1 Evolution Cards, and more Stage 1 Evolution Cards than Stage 2 Evolution Cards.} ⁃ How many types of Energy should I play? ⁃ There are 7 types of Energy, including Colorless. If you include all types, it may be difficult to get the right type of Energy needed for a Pokémon's Attack. Moreover, the more powerful the Attack, the more Energy of the same type is needed. ⁃ How do you consider the synergy between Pokémon? ⁃ If you collect a lot of cards, you can make a deck with only "Fire" (red) Energy and "Fire" Pokémon. However, if your opponent has only “Water” (blue) Energy and “Water” Pokémon, your deck will be full of weaknesses, because Flame is weak against Water. Since “Lightning” (Yellow) is strong against “Water” (blue), adding “Lightning” to the deck and making a deck with a combination of “Fire” (Red) and “Lightning” (Yellow) will cover that Weakness quite well. ⁃ The type advantages go like this: ⁃ The relationships of Pokémon's Weaknesses and Resistances are explained in the diagram below. {TN: there is a diagram on page 40.} In the direction of the arrow, the Pokémon of that type has an advantage over the other type. Chapter 5: Q&A (What do I do in this situation?) ⁃ Q: There is no Pokémon card among the first 7 cards I drew from my deck. What should I do? ⁃ A: Show your cards to the opponent to make sure there are no Pokémon cards in your hand, return the cards to your deck, shuffle, and draw seven cards from your deck again. ⁃ Q: What is the difference between “not accepting/receiving Attacks” (「ワザをうけない」) and “Damage received is reduced to 0” (「受けたダメージが0になる」)? ⁃ A: “Not receiving Attacks” means being immune to Damage and all special effects that would be caused by the Attack. “Damage received is reduced to 0” means that damage will not be taken, but all other effects will still apply. ⁃ Q: Can I take whichever Prize Card I like? ⁃ A: It doesn’t matter how you arrange them, and it doesn’t matter which one you choose. ⁃ Q: What does “half (rounded)” mean when referring to damage, etc.? ⁃ A: When damage is divided, it may require rounding. For example, 30/2=15. If it says, “(rounded down),” 15 rounds to 10. If it says, “rounded up,” 15 rounds to 20. ⁃ Q: Do I lose when I run out of cards in my deck? ⁃ A: At the moment you run out of cards, you haven’t lost yet. If you have no cards in your deck when you start your turn and you are unable to draw, that is when you lose. ⁃ Q: The coin fell off the table. What should I do? ⁃ A: Pick it up and flip it again. The coin must land where both players can see it and agree whether it landed on Heads or Tails. ⁃ Q: Is it okay to attach Energy to a Pokémon that has nothing to do with its Attacks? ⁃ A: It doesn’t matter. ⁃ Q: What is a counter? ⁃ A: It is a small object used for tracking numbers. A Damage Counter is a small object used for counting how much Damage a Pokémon has received so far. ⁃ Q: What is Energy? ⁃ A: Energy is a source of power which Pokémon require in order to use their Attacks. By attaching Energy to Pokémon, they become able to use their Attacks. ⁃ Q: Can I reduce the damage my Pokémon does to itself with its own Attacks by 20 with Defender? ⁃ A: Yes, you can. ⁃ Q: When Pokémon on the Bench are Damaged by the Attack called “Selfdestruct,” do Weakness and Resistance apply to the damage taken by those Benched Pokémon? ⁃ A: No, Weakness and Resistance do not apply to damage received by Benched Pokémon. They all receive the same amount of damage, regardless of their Weaknesses and Resistances. However, Benched Pokémon with cards attached such as “Defender” can have their Damage reduced by those effects. ⁃ Q: When my Pokémon is “Poisoned,” if my Poisoned Pokémon’s Weakness is the same as the type of the opponent’s Pokémon who inflicted the Poison, will Weakness double the Poison Damage? ⁃ A: No, Weakness does not apply to the Poison Damage. Damage that is not directly caused by the Attack is not affected by Weakness and Resistance. ⁃ Q: When setting up at the beginning of the game, I put Bulbasaur face-down in my Active Spot. On my first turn, if I have Ivysaur in my hand, can I Evolve Bulbasaur into Ivysaur? ⁃ A: No, you cannot. Set-up is included in your first turn. It is considered to be a Pokémon that was just put into play, so it cannot be evolved right away. ⁃ Q: My Opponent’s Active Pokémon has a “Defender” attached, and that Pokémon’s Weakness is the type of my own Active Pokémon. When my Active Pokémon attacks theirs, in what order should I calculate the Damage done to my Opponent’s Active Pokémon? ⁃ A: First, calculate the damage done by the Attack. Next, double it with Weakness. Finally, subtract 20 for “Defender.” ⁃ Q: When I use “PlusPower,” will the damage I do to myself also be increased +10? ⁃ A: Yes. PlusPower applies to all Damage caused by the Attacks of the Pokémon to which it is attached. ⁃ {Translator’s Note: Until the card received a reprint with errata text in 1998, PlusPower actually increased damage done to Benched Pokémon as well! The 1998 errata specified that it would only increase damage done to *Active* Pokémon, but that still included both Active Pokémon—yours and your opponent’s—meaning it still increased self-damage.} ⁃ Q: Can Clefairy’s “Metronome” Attack be used to copy Attacks that the Opponent’s Pokémon can’t use yet? ⁃ A: Yes, it can. ⁃ Q: Can I have more than 7 cards in my hand? ⁃ A: Yes, it doesn’t matter how many you have.