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However, with the release of Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire Game Boy video games, Nintendo took back the card game from Wizards of the Coast and started publishing the cards themselves. The latest incarnations of the card games is known as Pokémon-e Trading Card Game, the cards of which (for the large part) are compatible with the Nintendo e-Reader.
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Video game releases
On December 18, 1998, Nintendo released a Game Boy Color game called Pokémon Trading Card. It was a game based on the original Pokémon games, but with trading cards instead of actual "monsters". This title was released in North America on March 31, 2000 and in Europe on December 8, 2000. It included the cards from the base set as well as its first two expansions, along with cards that are exclusive to the game.
A second Game Boy game, called Pokémon Card GB2, was released in Japan on March 28, 2001. It introduced a trading card parallel to Team Rocket, called Great Team Rocket, and also added cards from the Team Rocket expansion.
Game concepts (Original/ Full Deck)
The game is centered around the concept of the Pokémon battle, similar to that of the video games. The objective of the game is to knock out six opposing Pokémon. To do this, you are given three types of cards: Pokémon cards, which represent the actual Pokémon; Trainer cards, which allow for immediate-like activity; and Energy cards, which function as the game's "currency unit".
Pokémon cards were the actual Pokémon from the video game. You could have only six Pokémon at a time out, with only one being active and the other five being "benched" Pokémon. If a Pokémon was removed from the bench, you could place another from your hand into play, but only if there was less than five Pokémon on the bench. The rules of the Pokémon TCG can be easily extended as to allow multiple battles such as the two-on-two battling found in Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire.
A simplified type system was used for the trading card game: instead of 17 types of Pokémon, only nine exist (with Darkness and Metal introduced with the Team Rocket and Neo expansions):
- Colorless (Gray/White) - consisting mainly of Pokémon of Normal, Flying, and Dragon types
- Darkness (Black) - consisting mainly of Pokémon of Dark type
- Fighting (Brown) - consisting mainly of Pokémon of Rock, Ground, or Fighting types
- Fire (Red) - consisting mainly of Pokémon of Fire type
- Grass (Green) - consisting mainly of Pokémon of Grass, Bug, and Poison types
- Lightning (Yellow) - consisting mainly of Pokémon of Electric type
- Metal (Silver) - consisting mainly of Pokémon of Steel type
- Psychic (Purple) - consisting mainly of Pokémon of Psychic and Ghost types
- Water (Blue) - consisting mainly of Pokémon of Water and Ice types
Many Pokémon have one and only one type (some are now beginning to have two), and unlike its video game counterpart, the type of the Pokémon and not the type of the attack that a Pokémon uses is used to determine weakness and resistance.
Later expansion sets featured Dark Pokémon, Pokémon that were darker than their normal versions. These Pokémon were often used, story-wise, by evil trainers or evil organisations such as Team Rocket. There were also “gym leader” versions of Pokémon that had stronger attacks and higher HP, but also required more energy. Light Pokémon, representing Pokémon that were exceptionally good, as well as Shining Pokémon, which parallels the shiny Pokémon introduced in the Pokémon Gold and Silver video games and often requires energy cards of three different types to be effective. There are also Pokémon EX cards that are more powerful than their normal counterparts, but incur greater consequences should they be knocked out. Pokemon Star cards debuted at the EX-Team Rocket Returns set, these cards are very powerful, and only 1 can be in your deck at a time. The first 3 Star Cards ever were Torchic, Treecko, and Mudkip.
Pokémon featured attacks that would reduce the HP of the opposing active Pokémon. These attacks required Energy and they came in the form of Energy cards. The attacks would require certain color energy depending on the type of attack and the Pokémon using it. There were initially seven types of energy cards, including Fighting, Fire, Grass, Lightning, Psychic, Water, and Double Colorless energy.
Trainer cards were support cards that allowed you to do something to enhance the game. Cards like Potion and Super Potion removed damage from your Pokémon to keep it from being knocked out as easily. Others allowed for searching your deck for Pokémon, removing energy from the opposing Pokémon, and reviving Pokémon that has been knocked out. There are many other types of Trainer cards.
Game Concepts (Half Deck/ 30-card deck)
The "Half Deck" is a new trend of playing Pokémon cards in Japan and Hong Kong that is not as well-known in the West.
Most of the rules are the same with Full deck, apart from the number of cards and some rules. The following is the list of differences between Full Deck and Half Deck:
- A Half Deck has 30 cards, compared to 60 cards in a Full Deck game.
- You only display 3 prize cards in Half Deck, but 6 in Full Deck.
- Half Deck is more suitable for people that had little time or patience, or wanted a more exciting game.
Pokémon Card Laboratory and Pokémon Card professors
Pokémon Card Laboratory (PCL) is an official association first funded in Japan. This society involves PCL lab assistances, researchers and professors to research and investigate Pokemon Cards. PCL now has extended into different countries, yet little is known other than 7 professors are from Hong Kong PCL (http://pcl.hkpokemona.org), with its head professor being Vincent Ho (vincent0906 in PokeGym).
Sets
Pokémon trading cards are loosely grouped into sets. Most sets is roughly grouped into the following order, with cards in the same group following alphabetical order:
- Rare holographic (holofoil) cards, Pokémon cards before Trainer and Energy cards
- Pokémon cards, in descending order of rarity
- Trainer cards, in descending order of rarity (subdivisions of Trainer cards, such as Stadium cards not being considered)
- Energy cards, in descending order of rarity.
In general, more evolved Pokémon tended to be rarer than their less evolved counterparts.
Here is a list of all the sets:
| Set Name | Set Size (Japan) | Set Size (North America) | Release Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base Set | 102 | 102 | January 19, 1999 in North America |
| Jungle | 48 | 64 | June 16, 1999 in North America |
| Fossil | 48 | 62 | October 10, 1999 in North America |
| Base Set 2 | N/A | 130 | February 28, 2000 in North America |
| Southern Islands | 18 | 18 | February 28, 2000 in North America |
| Team Rocket | 66 | 83 | April 24, 2000 in North America |
| Gym Heroes / Gym 1 | ??? | 132 | August 14, 2000 in North America |
| Gym Challenge / Gym 2 - Challenge From the Dark | ??? | 132 | August 14, 2000 in North America |
| Neo Genesis / Neo 1 | 96 | 111 | December 16, 2000 in North America |
| Neo Discovery / Neo 2 | 56 | 75 | July 7, 2000 in Japan / June 1, 2001 in North America |
| Pokémon *VS | 141 | N/A | July 19, 2001 in Japan |
| Neo Revelation / Neo 3 | 57 | 64 | November 23, 2000 in Japan, September 21, 2001 in North America |
| Pokémon *Web | 48 | N/A | October 20, 2001 in Japan |
| Neo Destiny / Neo 4 - Darkness to Light | 112 | 113 | March 9, 2001 in Japan / February 28, 2002 in North America |
| Legendary Collection | N/A | 110 | May 24, 2002 in North America |
| Expedition / Card-E 1 | 128 | 165 | December 1, 2001 in Japan, September 15, 2002 in North America |
| Aquapolis / Card-E 2 - The Town on No Map and Card-E 3 - Wind From the Sea | ??? | 182 | March 8, 2002 (Card-E 2) and May 24, 2002 (Card-E 3) in Japan / January 15, 2003 in North America |
| Skyridge / Card-E 4 - Split Ground and Card-E 5 - The Mysterious Mountain | ??? | 182 | August 24, 2002 (Card-E 4) and October 4, 2002 (Card-E 5) in Japan, May 12, 2003 in North America |
| EX & Ruby and Sapphire / ADV1 | 100 | 109 | January 31, 2003 in Japan / June 18, 2003 in North America |
| EX Sandstorm / ADV2 - Miracle of the Desert | 53 | 100 | April 18, 2003 in Japan / September 15, 2003 in North America |
| EX Dragon / ADV3 - Champion of the Sky | 84 | 97 | June 25, 2003 in Japan / November 24, 2003 in North America |
| EX Team Magma vs Team Aqua / ADV EX1 | 132 | 95 | October 24, 2003 / March 31, 2004 in North America |
| EX Hidden Legends / ADV EX2 | ??? | 101 | ???/ June 18, 2004 in North America |
| EX FireRed & LeafGreen / ADV EX3 - Flight of the Legends | |||
| EX Team Rocket Returns / ADV EX4 | |||
| EX Deoxys / ADV EX5 - Clash of the Blue-Green Sky | ?? | ?? | Coinsides with M7 release: Febuary 14th 2005/Summer 2004 in Japan |
| EX Emerald / Featuring cards from "ADV EX6-Golden Sky-Silvery Sea" | 60+ | ?? | May 2005 in North America |
| EX Unseen Forces | not in Japan | 150+ | Unreleased, set for Summer release in North America |
| Wizards of the Coast Promos | N/A | 53 | |
| Wizards of the Cost - Best of Game Promos | N/A | 9 |
The differences in set sizes were usually attributed to the North American version having holographic and non-holographic versions of the same cards, as well as the reinclusion of Energy cards and the inclusion of cards from other sets.
Cards were available either as prebuilt theme decks, the favored method of distribution in Japan, or booster packs, the favored method of distribution in North America.
Base Set 2 and Legendary Collection were both North American re-release expansions, expansions that only included cards that have been previously released in other expansions (or the Base Set). Pokémon *Web is similarly a Japanese re-release expansion.
The Expedition, Aquapolis, Skyridge, and many EX are compatible with the e-Reader.
External links
- Team Compendium (http://compendium.pokegym.net/) is an unofficial body that archives, reconciles, and publicizes rulings for the Trading Card Game dating to its WotC days.
- Hong Kong Pokemon Card Laboratoryis (http://pcl.hkpokemona.org/) a Pokemon Card website under prosperty of Pokemon Card Laboratory Japan, and Hong Kong Pokemon Alliance (http://hkpokemona.org/). Regular tournaments, regular researches, regular investigations and tuitions to all sorts of Pokemon Card players, including beginners.de:Pokémon Sammelkartenspiel