Pokémon TCG

Today's review is of the 1996 release, Pokémon TCG. For 2 players, it takes 20 minutes.

Overview

In this collectible card game, you build a deck of 60 cards and battle your opponent. There are three basic card types: Pokémon (basic or 'evolved' monsters, which stack on top of the matching basic ones), energy, and trainer. In this game, your Pokémon battle your opponent's Pokémon. When you knock one out (meaning its damage exceeds its hit points), you gain a prize card. The first to gain six prize cards wins!

On your turn, you can play one or more Pokémon, play one energy card, play trainer cards, and make one attack with your active Pokémon. Turns alternate until someone depletes their prize card pile and wins. Some basics follow.

You have one active Pokémon and up to 5 bench Pokémon. You must play a 'basic' Pokémon first, and then its 'evolved' version (called stage 1 or stage 2) can stack on top of it on a later turn.

Basic and evolved Pokemon examples; image from here

Each Pokémon is free to play, but require energy cards (which you stack under it) to activate its attacks. The number and nature of the energy is printed on the card for a given attack, along with the damage that attack does (plus other effects, if any). You can play only one energy card per turn. There are 11 types of energy in the game.

Energy types; from the official rulebook

Trainer cards are key to healing your Pokémon, drawing more cards, or strategically swapping an active and bench Pokémon. There are two types of trainers: items and supporters. You can play any number of item cards on a turn, but only one supporter card.

Once per turn, your active Pokémon can activate an attack (if it has the appropriate energy on it) to do the stated amount of damage—generally to the other active Pokémon, but some have special abilities allowing you to target bench Pokémon. Whenever a Pokémon receives damage equal to or greater than its printed hit points, it is defeated, and your opponent discards it (to include former versions and energy stacked on it). You then draw a card from your prize card pile. If the prize card pile is empty, you win!

Zones in the game; from the official rulebook

That's it in a nutshell; the official rulebook can be found here.

Review

I happily ignored this game for years, but my boys grew interested recently, so I have been playing it with them. This is a solid, though not spectacular, game. It, like Magic: the Gathering, has endured far longer than any other trading card game, so that speaks to its quality. It is not as complex as Magic (expected, as it is for ages 6+), and it can only be played 1 on 1, which I felt detracted from the game. It is also less interactive: you cannot play cards on your opponent's turn. You cannot prevent damage, and attacks are automatic hits (unless the attack you use requires flipping a coin). On the plus side, the trainer cards enable lots of card draw which speeds the game up a good deal. 

Rating: B