Pokémon Trading Card Game logo |
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| Publisher(s) | USA: Wizards of the Coast (December 1998 - July 2003) Pokémon USA, Inc./Nintendo (July 2003 - present) |
|---|---|
| Players | 2 |
| Age range | targeted towards child audience, competitive play targets all ages. |
| Setup time | 18-40 seconds |
| Playing time | 5-120 minutes |
| Random chance | Some (order of cards drawn, dice, coin flip) |
| Skill(s) required | Card playing Arithmetic Basic Reading Ability |
The Pokémon Trading Card Game (Pokémon TCG) is a collectible card game based on the Pokémon video game series, first introduced in Japan in October 1996, then North America in December 1998. It was initially published by Wizards of the Coast, the company that produces Magic: The Gathering.
It is one of Nintendo's last remaining strong links to its heritage as a playing card company.
Contents |
In a game of Pokémon TCG, players take on the role of a Pokémon trainer, using their creatures to battle. Players play Pokémon to the field and use their attacks to reduce the opponent's HP. When a Pokémon's HP is reduced to 0 it is knocked out and the player who knocked it out takes a Prize card into their hand. A player may win the game in 3 ways; by collecting all of their prize cards (initially 6, some cards can increase this), if their opponent runs out of Pokémon on the field or if their opponent must draw a card from their deck but there are no cards to draw.
Players begin by shuffling their decks and drawing seven cards. Both players check to make sure they have at least one Basic Pokémon in their hand. If not, they must reshuffle and redraw and the opponent may draw one additional card. Once both players have at least one basic, they both play 1 or more Basic Pokémon to their play field, 1 in the Active spot, and up to five on the "bench" (representing the 6 maximum carry limit from the video games). Players then take the top 6 cards of their remaining deck and place them to the side as their Prize Cards and flip a coin to see who goes first. (Note: Many players use dice instead of coins, even numbers representing Heads, odd numbers representing Tails.)
Play alternates between players who may take several actions during their turn including playing new Basic Pokémon, evolving to higher level Pokémon, playing Trainer cards, playing energy(one per turn generally, needed to use most attacks), using non-attack Pokémon abilities and retreating their active Pokémon. At the end of their turn, a player may use one of their Active Pokémon's attacks, provided the prerequisite amount and types of energy are attached to that pokemon. Game effects from that attack are activated and damage is put on the defending Pokémon (some attacks simply have game effects but do not do damage). If the damage exceeds the defending Pokémon's HP, it is knocked out (i.e. discarded along with any attached cards) and the active player takes a prize card and ends their turn.
As with almost any card game, the "Golden Rule of Card Games" applies, stating that "whenever a card's text overrides the game rules, the card takes precedence". For example, the game rules state a player may only play one energy card per turn, but several Pokemon abilities allow additional energy to be played if that card is in play.
Pokémon cards are the basis of all decks (which consist of 60 cards). Without them a player cannot play the game, since both players begin the game by placing a Basic Pokémon in the active position on the playing field. Each Pokémon card depicts a Pokémon from the video games. Each player may have up to six Pokémon on the playing field at a time: one “active” Pokémon and up to five on the bench (these are considered to be in reserve, but they can still affect gameplay). Each Pokémon card has a name, a type, amount of Hit Points, level of evolution, attack(s), weakness, resistance, retreat cost, and flavor text. Some Pokémon have effects, called Poké-Powers, Poké-Bodies, or ability that are not attacks but can affect gameplay; occasionally a Pokémon will have no attacks. From Diamond & Pearl to HeartGold SoulSilver each Pokémon's level is given next to its name, although not part of the name itself (e.g. Riolu Lv.15).
Most Pokémon feature attacks that deal damage to the opponent's active Pokémon, or occasionally, their benched Pokémon; still others perform different functions, such as manipulating players' possession of cards. The vast majority of these attacks require Energy, which comes in the form of Energy cards, though the occasional Pokémon may have an attack that requires no energy (these attacks typically are weak or perform a function other than damage).
The two types of Pokémon cards are Basic Pokémon and Evolved Pokémon. Basic Pokémon are Pokémon that have not evolved, and can be play directly onto the Bench. Each deck must have at least one Basic Pokémon to be considered legal. In contrast, an Evolved Pokémon cannot normally be placed directly onto the field; they must be played on the corresponding lower-stage Pokémon. Stage 1 Pokémon evolve from Basic Pokémon, and Stage 2 Pokémon evolve from Stage 1 Pokémon. As a Pokémon evolves, it gains HP and can use Energy more effectively. Baby Pokémon cards, introduced in Neo Genesis, are a special kind of Basic Pokémon, sometimes distinguished by a Poké-Power called "Baby Evolution." Baby Pokémon have low HP, but their attacks have strange and sometimes very powerful effects. Baby Pokémon with the kick ability can evolve into another Basic Pokémon, specified on the card. When a Baby Pokémon evolves into what would normally be a Basic Pokémon, that Basic Pokémon counts as being an Evolved Pokémon for the purposes of cards that affect Basic Pokémon and Evolved cards differently. Variations of Basic, Evolved, and Baby Pokémon cards have appeared in many sets, usually indicated with a word before or after the Pokémon's name.
The Diamond & Pearl set introduced a new type of Pokemon Card, Lv.X cards. Lv.X cards would replace the previous EX cards. Lv.X's are considered neither Basic Pokémon nor are they considered Evolution Cards, but simply Pokémon Cards. They are placed on the Pokémon Card in which the name specifies (i.e.: Lucario to Lucario Lv.X). In turn, though, Lv.X cards are not "named" cards. That means that only 4 altogether including regular and Lv.X's are allowed. They can also only be placed when the Pokémon is active cards,players may use all powers and attacks on the Lvl X card IN ADDITION to the powers and attacks printed on the card it was attached to.
HeartGold SoulSilver replaced Lv X cards with Pokemon "Prime". Prime cards function exactly like any other basic or evolution card, but are generally more powerful and often have better artwork. Prime cards are distinguished by a specific silver border foil pattern. Also introduced in the HGSS series were Pokemon Legends. These cards depicted legendary pokemon, however were used as a combination of 2 cards. Initially just Ho-Oh and Lugia, subsequent set Legends depicted 2 separate Pokemon on each set of cards such as Deoxys/Rayquaza and Entei/Raikou. Because of this, Legend sets depicting 2 Pokemon have more than 1 Pokemon type and are worth 2 prize cards when knocked out.
Pokemon Black and White once again abandoned the previous sets special card (Prime) and introduced Full art chase cards. These cards have identical stats and abilities as other cards in the set, but have no borders, but rather feature art along the entirety of the playing card. It has been revealed that in a set in the near future, EX Pokemon will be reintroduced.
Energy cards are attached to a Pokémon to enable it to attack. There are two types of Energy cards: Basic Energy cards and Special Energy cards. There are eight different Basic Energy types: Fighting, Fire, Grass, Lightning, Psychic, Water, Darkness and Metal. Darkness and Metal Energy could only be provided through Special Energy cards until the Diamond & Pearl expansion set, where they became Basic Energy types. Basic Energy cards only provide one Energy of the specified type, while Special Energy cards have additional benefits and varying Energy provisions. Additionally, the amount of Basic Energy cards allowed in a deck is unrestricted, while Special Energy cards follow the standard rule restricting the number of cards with the same name in a deck to four.
Some attacks require a certain type and amount of Energy, depending on the type of attack and the Pokémon using it. If an attack requires Basic Energy, then that type and amount of Energy must be attached to the Pokémon, whereas if the attack has a Colorless Energy requirement, that requirement can be met by any Energy card. Colorless Energy is neither a Basic nor a Special Energy type and can be provided through both Basic and Special Energy cards. However, the Double Colorless Energy (released as the first Special Energy in Base Set) can count as only colorless Energy.
Trainer cards perform various functions to affect the game. Some can remove damage counters from Pokémon, remove energy from the opposing Pokémon, or revive Pokémon that have been knocked out. Before the Diamond & Pearl expansion, all cards that were not Pokémon or Energy were considered Trainer cards, though they have since been subdivided into categories: Item cards that directly affect the battling Pokémon, Stadium cards represent custom arenas that add a special mechanic to gameplay and Supporters represent other characters in the Pokemon world.
Most Trainer cards are simply classed as Trainer: Item. The player follows the directions on the card and then usually discards it. They were introduced from the very beginning of the card game's history, with the Base Set. Normal Trainer cards make up the largest number of Trainer cards by far, and can affect any part of the game, including other Trainer cards. They are often illustrated using computer-generated imagery, the most having been done by Keiji Kinebuchi.
Pokémon Tools, a subset of Trainer: Item cards, first appeared in Neo Genesis. They are the card game's equivalent to Pokémon items, objects that Pokémon can carry around and use at will. Which Pokémon can receive the Pokémon Tool is specified on the card, and a Pokémon may not hold more than one at a time. Some Pokémon Tools can stay on the Pokémon until it gets Knocked Out, whereas some are discarded after a certain condition is met. Like ordinary Trainer cards and Stadium cards, Pokémon Tools are illustrated in CGI, mostly by Keiji Kinebuchi and Ryo Ueda. While Technical Machines can be considered a subdivision of Pokémon Tools, they are worded as a separate category. These are the most recently introduced of the current kinds of Trainer cards, starting in the Expedition set. Technical Machines, like Pokémon Tools, are attached to a Pokémon and either stay with the Pokémon until it gets Knocked Out, or are discarded after a certain condition is met. However, a Technical Machine will always have an attack as its text, and as long as the Pokémon holds the Technical Machine, it can use the attack provided on the Technical Machine instead of its normal attack. Illustrations for Technical Machines were once the domain of "Big Mama" Tagawa, but they are now exclusively done by Mitsuhiro Arita.
The first Stadium cards were from the Gym Heroes set. They initially were all themed on Pokémon Gyms and would benefit the Gym Leader. Later Stadium cards became locations within the Pokémon video games and sometimes areas completely original to the card game. Unlike other Trainer cards, Stadium cards stay on the field once played, unless another Stadium card is played or something happens that requires the Stadium card to be discarded. Stadium cards always provide the same effect to each player. Stadium cards are predominantly CGI (a few are hand-illustrated) and were once in the domain of Keiji Kinebuchi. Ryo Ueda now illustrates most of them.
Supporter cards were introduced in the Expedition Base Set. Normal Trainer cards themed on Pokémon characters have since been assigned to Supporter cards instead. They are substantially more powerful than Trainer cards, but only one can be played per turn (as opposed to normal Trainers, which have no limit). Supporter cards tend to interact with the deck, such as finding a card of the player's choice from the deck and putting it in play. Because they feature Pokémon characters, the dominant artist for Supporter cards is Ken Sugimori, who designed the characters in the video games and anime. The illustrations for Supporter cards are always hand-drawn.
With the release of the first "Black and White" based TCG expansion, all Trainer, Supporter and Stadium cards have been brought back together under the Trainer Card designation. Each different type of card is marked as a Trainer, then marked with a sub-type; Trainer: Item (what would have previously been a "Trainer" card), Trainer: Supporter and Trainer: Stadium. All card rules are the same, namely only being able to play 1 Trainer: Supporter per turn and the Stadium rules for Trainer: Stadium.
There are also some cards that are two card types in one card. Examples include the "Clefairy Doll" Trainer card in the Base Set, which can be played as a Pokémon card, or special Pokémon that can, rather than battle, be attached to other Pokémon as Energy cards. Certain Unown cards are both Pokémon and Pokémon Tools.
Fossil cards were first introduced in the Fossil expansion on October 8, 1999, though only Mysterious Fossil was introduced then and would be the only Fossil card until 2003, when it was joined by Root Fossil, Dome Fossil and armored fossil. Fossil cards are counted as Trainer cards while in the deck or in the player's hand, but when put into play, they also count as a Basic Pokémon. All Fossil cards in play count as the Colorless type. Certain Pokémon are required to evolve from these fossils except under special circumstances. For example, Kabuto, Omanyte, and Aerodactyl must evolve from a Mysterious Fossil card. Older Fossil cards were illustrated by Keiji Kinebuchi; newer ones are illustrated by Ryo Ueda. Beginning with the 4th Japanese Black and White set, Fossil cards are played differently. Rather than evolving from the player's hand, a Player may look at a number of cards from the bottom of their deck and if they find the required pokemon may play it to their bench.
Pokémon with more than one type were in the Delta TCG sets. These Pokémon were two different types. They also had abnormal types. For example, a Pokémon that would normally be a fighting type may be a fire type in the delta species. Dual type Pokemon were reintroduced in the second HGSS set, HGSS:Undaunted, in the form of Pokemon Legend cards.
A simplified type system was used for the trading card game. Instead of 17 types of Pokémon, only nine exist. Seven were in the Base Set, and Darkness and Metal types appeared when Pokémon Gold and Silver introduced the Dark and Steel types. The types usually follow this pattern:
| TCG type | Color | Type(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Grass | Green | Bug, Grass,(Poison)1 |
| Fire | Red | Fire |
| Water | Blue | Water, Ice |
| Lightning | Yellow | Electric |
| Psychic | Purple | Psychic, Ghost, Poison1 |
| Fighting | Brown/Orange | Fighting, Rock, Ground |
| Darkness | Black | Dark |
| Metal | Silver | Steel |
| Colorless | White | Normal, Flying, Dragon |
Most Pokémon have only one type. However, EX Team Magma vs Team Aqua introduced Dual-type Pokémon, which have two different types. All existing Dual-type cards have either Darkness or Metal as their secondary type, with the exception of certain Pokémon cards with the Dual Armor Poké-Body, such as Medicham from the EX Crystal Guardians expansion, which can have multiple types when certain energy are attached.
Weakness and resistance are determined by the type of the attacking Pokémon (unlike the video game series, where they are determined by the type of the attack used). In older sets, Pokémon that are weak to another type take twice the base damage in an attack, while resistance decreases attack damage by 30 points. However, starting in the Diamond & Pearl expansion, Pokémon cards state how much more or less damage they take from an opponent’s attack if weakness or resistance applies. If an older card is Modified-legal (meaning that there has been a reprint in the current Modified format), use the newer card as a reference, even if the older card is being played.
If a Pokémon has two types, both of those types are calculated as far as weakness and resistance are concerned. For example, if a Pokémon has weakness to two types, and a Pokémon that is both of those types attacks, that attack will do four times its normal damage.
The Pokémon Platinum Base Set introduced Pokémon SP cards, a variant of trainer specific Pokémon cards from older sets, that reintroduced the 'double damage' weakness standard from older sets without a base number next to the type weakness while adding an actual 'x2' to avoid confusion by newer players (ex: Infernape SP has a weakness of 'Water x2', meaning a Water attack that deals 30 points of damage deals 60 instead). Only Pokémon SP cards would maintain this 'double damage' standard, while remaining non-SP Pokémon would simply have normal weakness calculations. With the introduction of the HeartGold/SoulSilver Base Set in 2010, all weaknesses on Pokémon cards revert back to taking twice the damage, with the same 'x2' written next to each weakness. Similarly, the second set under this block, HS Unleashed, also reintroduces the concept of dual-type Pokémon cards- in this case, the LEGENDS cards for the three legendary beasts of the Johto region Suicune, Raikou, and Entei. Each LEGENDS 'pair' features two of the three beasts battling together, giving each card dual-types (ex: Suicune/Entei LEGEND being a Water/Fire Pokémon card) and subsequently dual-weaknesses under the new 'double damage' printing (ex: Raikou/Suicune LEGEND having "Fighting/Electric x2" weaknesses).
With the release of Black and White: Emerging Powers on August 31, 2011, there are currently 47 different Pokémon TCG sets released in English and 49 released in Japanese. These sets have a vast range of sizes, from Fossil (the smallest at 62 cards), to Aquapolis and Skyridge (both the largest, with 182 normal cards, 182 reverse-foil cards and four box toppers - 368 cards in total). Only seven of these sets (Heartgold Soulsilver and all subsequent sets) are legal in the current Modified Format, under which all major tournaments are played. A rarely played format is Unlimited, in which all cards released in English are legal (except oversized cards, such as large box topper cards, and banned cards including Ancient Mew or _______'s Pikachu).
Early in the game, sets were released in seemingly random intervals, but ever since Nintendo took over the production of the sets, there has been a constant stream of four sets per year, released at 2.5 to 3.5 month intervals (February, May, August, October/November).
The current 50 released expansions are: Base Set, Jungle, Fossil, Team Rocket, Gym Heroes, Gym Challenge, Neo Genesis, Neo Discovery, Neo Revelation, Neo Destiny, Legendary Collection, Expedition Base Set, Aquapolis, Skyridge, EX Ruby And Sapphire, EX Sandstorm, EX Dragon, EX Team Magma vs Team Aqua, EX Hidden Legends, EX FireRed And LeafGreen, EX Team Rocket Returns, EX Deoxys, EX Emerald, EX Unseen Forces, EX Delta Species, EX Legend Maker, EX Holon Phantoms, EX Crystal Guardians, EX Dragon Frontiers, EX Power Keepers, Diamond & Pearl Base Set, Diamond & Pearl - Mysterious Treasures, Diamond & Pearl - Secret Wonders, Diamond & Pearl - Great Encounters, Diamond & Pearl - Majestic Dawn, Diamond & Pearl - Legends Awakened, Diamond & Pearl - Stormfront, Platinum Base Set, Platinum - Rising Rivals, Platinum - Supreme Victors, Platinum - Arceus, HeartGold and SoulSilver Base Set, HeartGold and SoulSilver - HS Unleashed, HeartGold and SoulSilver - HS Undaunted, HeartGold and Soulsilver - HS Triumphant, Call of Legends, Black and White (Base Set), Black and White - Emerging Powers, and Black and White - Noble Victories.
Every few sets, new types of cards are introduced to the Pokémon Trading Card Game. Several of these include: Dark Pokémon (Team Rocket); Owners' Pokémon and Stadium cards (Gym Heroes); Darkness-type and Metal-type Pokémon, the second generation, and Pokémon Tools (Neo Genesis); Shining Pokémon (Neo Revelation); Light Pokémon (Neo Destiny); Supporter cards and Technical Machines (Expedition); Crystal-type Pokémon (Aquapolis); Pokémon-ex (EX Ruby & Sapphire); Dual-type Pokémon (EX Team Magma vs Team Aqua); Pokémon-* (EX Team Rocket Returns); Delta Species Pokémon and Holon's Pokémon (EX Delta Species); Pokémon LV.X, the separation of Trainer, Supporter and Stadium cards, and the addition of Metal and Darkness as Basic Energy types (Diamond & Pearl); Pokémon With Items (Mysterious Treasures); Trainer cards of which two can be played at once (Stormfront); owner-specific Pokémon SP (Platinum) , Pokémon LEGEND (HeartGold and SoulSilver Collection), Pokémon PRIME which replace Pokémon Lv. X ("HeartGold and SoulSilver Collection") and Full Art cards (Black and White) These changes, along with yearly format rotations, make for a constantly evolving game.
In addition to the collectible aspect of the card game, The Pokémon Company International (formerly known as Pokémon USA) has also created Play! Pokémon, formerly known as Pokémon Organized Play (POP), which is in charge of the organization of an official League program, where players can battle others in local environments and earn player points, two-card booster packets from a promotional set, badges, stickers and other materials. These are run by League leaders and owners. POP also runs a professor program, in which individuals age 18 or over may become a professor, who can sanction and run tournaments and leagues.
A League Leader may assist in organizing the league, while a League Owner is the one officially in charge of the league, reporting to the Organized Play program any results and/or problems every seven weeks. The leagues run in yearly cycles, based on a certain aspect of one of the Pokémon Game Boy or DS games: the current cycle is based upon the Energy types.
Prerelease tournaments are organized just before each set is released. Usually, they are run on the two weekends before a set is released in stores to the public. At prereleases players are given booster packs from the judge and must construct a 40 card deck, with only 4 prize cards, using only the cards pulled from the packs and the judges provide the energy, but not special energy cards.
Many fans have come up with alternative methods of playing the Trading Card Game. Certain websites such as PokéCap are dedicated to providing players with a new twist to their card game with new game rules they can follow. New methods may be based more on the video game adaptations of Pokémon or the Pokémon television show.
Players in a tournament are split into three age categories: Junior (born in 2000 or later), Senior (born in 1996-1999), and Master (born in 1995 or earlier). These tournaments play a number of rounds, where players will play a standard game against each other and wins and losses will be recorded. In most tournaments, there are a number of Swiss-style rounds where players are paired up against others of similar win/loss ratios, usually from their own age group (this does not always occur in smaller events, though). Afterwards, there will either be a cut of the top record-holders (usually the top 25% of an event) where players will play best two out of three matches, and the loser gets eliminated (standard tournament bracket style), with an eventual winner.
POP runs a season for these tournaments, which allows players to earn larger prizes and play in a more competitive environment in comparison to League. These range from City and State Championships, all the way up to the Pokémon World Championships, the single invite-only event of the year. Players can earn invites to the World Championships by winning or ranking high at National Championships, having a good Premier Rating (based on the Elo rating system, which allows players to win or lose points at any Battle Roads or higher-level event), or by qualifying in the Last Chance Qualifier. The World Championships is a two-day tournament, with one eventual winner in each age group; the winner of the Masters Division age group is generally noticed as the best player in the world for that season.
Some of these methods are only used in the USA, as PUI and POP are based in the USA, but they are represented by local distributors who provide the Organized Play program to their own country.
Over the different generations, and tournament formats, there have been several main stars when it comes to decks. During the first and second generations, the Haymaker deck consisting of Hitmonchan, Electabuzz, Magmar, and sometimes Scyther. Ideally, it would start with one of those three Pokémon, then one would play Trainer and Energy cards to get the upper hand. In the current format "TyRam", "DonChamp", "ZPS", "Stage 1s", "Mewbox" and "Lostgar" are a few decks currently being used in competitive play, each with varying strategies, advantages and disadvantages. Information of up to date and recent decks can be found on most Pokemon websites, such as heytrainer.org, thedeckout.com or sixprizes.com.
On August 26–27, 2000, forty-two Pokémon trainers from around the world met at the Hilton Hawaiian Village in Honolulu for the Tropical Mega Battle, an international communication event for the Pokémon Trading Card Game. The Tropical Mega Battle brought together children aged 14 and under from the United States, Japan, France, Italy, Canada, Spain, Germany, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom, for two days in Honolulu, Hawaii. Children participating in the Tropical Mega Battle received invitations through Qualifier tournaments, DCI rankings, and other events in their respective countries.
The first Super Trainer Showdown was held in Long Beach, California inside of the cruise liner, the Queen Mary on July 22, 2000. The format was unlimited, meaning that all Pokémon cards released in the United States were legal for deck construction. The winners were Joseph Viray, Jack Savage, Wesley Hsu, and Andrew Marshall.[1]
The second Super Trainer Showdown was held at the Meadowlands Exposition Center in Secaucus, NJ on November 18, 2000. There were over 700 players in all three age divisions competing for the title. The tournament was eight rounds of Swiss style pairings followed by a cut to a top-eight single-elimination playoff. All games were best-of-one. The format was titled “15/3” in that you were allowed to construct 60-card decks using only fifteen “Trainer” cards and only three of any one card, save basic Energy Cards. Jonathan Brooks, Rudy Rodriguez, Wesley Hsu, and Tom Hanley were the event champions.
The third Super Trainer Showdown was held again in the Meadowlands Exposition Center in Secaucus, New Jersey. It was held on June 23–24, 2001 and more than 1,600 players attended the event. The format for this event was titled “Modified” and allowed players to construct 60-card decks using a maximum of four of any card other than basic energy from the sets Team Rocket, Gym Heroes, Gym Challenge, and Neo Genesis. The card “Sneasel” from the Neo Genesis set was banned from play. The event ran for 2 days, with 3 champions name each day. Paul Lamancusa, Jonathan Brooks, Josh Goldstein, Phil Mondiello, Tom Liesegang, Jeremy Borchardt, Wesley Hsu, and Tom Hanley were the winners.
The fourth and final Super Trainer Showdown was held at the San Diego Convention Center in San Diego, California on December 1–2, 2001. The format was again "Modified", however the newest set Neo Discovery was also legal for the tournament. The card “Sneasel” was again disallowed from play. This year's champions included Michael Perucca, Eric Brooks, David Bui, Seena Ghaziaskar, Robert Frac, Wesley Hsu, and Matthew Moss.
Although TPCI tries to keep Organized Play as equal as possible all over the Earth, there are some notable differences in how POP is run outside of the USA.
The Pokémon Card Laboratory (PCL), located in Japan, is the designer of new cards and the ultimate authority on any matter relating to the Pokémon Trading Card Game. It can declare rulings on any in-game circumstance, issue errata, change card text after publishing, and change the basic game rules, although the latter three rarely occur. PCL runs Organized Play in Japan.
Pokémon TCG retail distribution in the UK is currently run by Esdevium Games Ltd, and Organized Play by D & A Games from 2007 until 2009. In August 2009, control of OP was given to long time UK Judge and Tournament Organizer Ian Fotheringham. The UK has one of the largest player bases outside the United States and Japan. Its players have performed admirably over the past few years at the World Championships, including a 4th Place for Fares Sekkoum in the 10-division (2006), a Top 16 place for Jake Arnold in the 10-division (2005) a 7th Place for Sami Sekkoum in the 15+ (2005), a Top 16 finish for Yacine Sekkoum in the 15+ (2006) and a Top 16 10th place finish for Faisal Khan ("Freddy-K") in the 15+ (2005).
Held in May 2008, the UK Pokémon TCG National Championships was held in London, a much more popular choice of venue location for the majority of players who were mainly based in the South East of England. In 2006 around 70 players were invited to play in each age group, with approximately 55 players per division in 2007. The prizes have included Nintendo DS consoles, televisions and invites to represent the UK in the World Championships. The 2008 UK Nationals was the first event of its kind in the country to be open to all players and required no qualification for entry. The 2009 UK Nationals was held at Kempton park on the 16th May 2009 with a high 180 attendance. Sami Sekkoum won Masters again, and newcomer Samuel McLewee took 2nd in the seniors at his first Nationals. Also new for the 2008/09 Season was the UK Battle Royale events. However it is unlikely these will return for the 2009/10 season.
Smaller City Championships, and for the first time in 2006 UK Pokémon Regional championships, are held between November and April. These were held in Hull, London, Bournemouth, Manchester and Glasgow.
A few cards were banned from both general play and Modified Format under Wizards of the Coast.
The bans that WotC placed were removed when Pokémon Organized Play took over the game. Their only limitation is that cards must have the normal English or Japanese card back to be playable. In addition, the cards printed in the promotional World Championship Decks are not allowed in any competitive events. These cards are supposed to be printed as promotional items and are not meant to help people collect the large numbers of rare and valuable cards that were played in these decks.
Burger Kings world wide sold BK Meals with Pokémon toys that are a total of 12 cards and accessories combined. Announced on June 10, 2008, the toys were released at participating Burger Kings on July 7, 2008.[2]
In 2011, McDonald's released a set of eight toys (not all were released outside of North America) and twelve cards, featuring Pokémon from the Pokémon Black and White era of the TCG.
As an interesting point, a misprint in 2002 by WotC caused the English translated Mew to halt in production, only several were produced but it was banned as a precaution. This was later remedied and the misprinted card was branded as a collectible. It had only participated in one minor tournament.[3]
| Pokémon Trainer Challenge | |
|---|---|
| Platform(s) | Internet browser |
| Release date(s) | April 2011 |
| Genre(s) | Trading Card Game |
| Mode(s) | Single-player and Multi-player |
Pokémon Trainer Challenge is an online browser game based on the Pokémon Trading Card Game.[4] The game initially offers three starting decks, and features more content after release. After April 6, players can buy cards from the Black and White series, which will have a code to be digitally represented.[5] Players can also create a custom avatar.[6] There are now booster pack codes, special items, and blister packs.
GamesRadar praised the game, stating "Everything looks to be faithfully recreated, including the card mat, prize card layout, and even coins."[6]