How to Set Up Cards in the Pokémon Card Game

Reviewed by Emchompite

Last Updated: November 5, 2025

Playing the Pokémon card game can be very fun! The rules, though, can be difficult to grasp at first. Start at step one to learn how to set up cards in order to play the game.

Steps

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1
Grab and shuffle your deck. You need a deck that at least have 60 cards, or more. Half needs to be Energy cards, since they allow you to attack. If you don't have Energy cards, you can’t play at all. Once you have your deck, shuffle it and put it to the side.^{[1]
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2
Draw seven cards from your deck. This will be your hand. Your hand is where you play Energy cards, Trainer cards, Supporter cards, Item cards, and Stadium cards.^{[2]
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3
Draw and put down your Prize cards. Without looking at them, draw six cards from your deck. These are your Prize cards. These are for when you knock out one of your opponent’s Pokémon. You take one Prize card for each of your opponent’s Pokémon you knock out (two for EX, Mega EX, GX, V and V Max Pokémon). Place your six Prize cards face-down at the far right side of your deck.
4
Put down your Active Pokémon. If you have at least one basic Pokémon in your hand, use it as your Active Pokémon.^{[3]
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- Basic Pokémon are Pokémon that haven’t been evolved yet. You can see if your Pokémon is a basic or not by looking at the top left corner of the Pokémon card. Your Active Pokémon should be placed on the left side of your deck. Your Active Pokémon will be the Pokémon used for attacking your opponent’s Pokémon.
- If you don’t have a Basic Pokémon in your deck, show your hand to your opponent and shovel it back in your deck. Draw another seven cards. If the same thing happened again, repeat. Each time you do this process, your opponent gets one extra card (Also known as a 'Mulligan').^{[4]
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5
Put down your Benched Pokémon. If you put down your Active Pokémon, and you still have more Basic Pokémon in your hand, put those directly underneath your Active Pokémon. This will be your Bench. If your Active Pokémon is Knocked Out, or you simply want to retreat your Active Pokémon, you can take one of your Benched Pokémon and switch it as your Active Pokémon.
- Your Bench can only hold up to five Basic Pokémon.
6
Know where your discard pile is. Your discard pile is where all of your used Supporter, Stadium, Item, and Knocked-Out Pokémon cards go. Your discard pile is located directly underneath your deck.
7
There you go! You are now ready for your Pokémon battle to begin! Have fun!

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Question

Do I need energies?

Community Answer

Yes, you need energies if you want to play the game according to the standard rules. However, if you are just a collector, only special or rare energies have any value. Regular energies, such as psychic or electric, are somewhat common and probably won't add to your collection.

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Do all Pokémon starting on the Bench have to be Basic Pokémon?

Pokechamp

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Yes, that's correct. "Stage 1" cards can only be played a turn after you put down the Basic Pokémon to the Bench, and "Stage 2" cards can only be played a turn after you put down the Stage 1 Pokémon to the Bench. There are some cards that let you skip this wait, such as Forest of Giant Plants.

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Question

How do I sort a binder?

Nathaniel Coddington

Community Answer

Sort the binder by type of card (like electric, then water, etc.) or by power/HP (highest to lowest or lowest to highest).

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Tips

Be a good sport about the battle. Don’t get angry if you lose.

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Use lots of strategy while playing.

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