by David Mume
The following custom rules are used for the Pokemon Trading Card game. These are NOT the official game rules, but rather preferable ones used by us. These rules consist of a rather hybrid of the original rules, the new rules, and our own added rules. You are welcome to follow them if you wish, looking at your own official rule book to note differences. DO NOT try to use these rules when attending a Nintendo Trading Card Game tournament unless it is unofficial. I am not responsible for any banning or ill-treatment you suffer from attempting to use these rules in an official event.
Here are the rules (the yellow highlighted areas indicate change in the rules, and the green highlight is an addition to them):
What's the basic game?
You and your opponent take the role of competing Pokemon Trainers. Each turn, that player can boost his or her Pokemon's attack power by adding Energy cards to that Pokemon, play special Trainer cards, and even evolve his or her Pokemon into stronger forms. Your goal is to Knock Out your opponent's Pokemon by attacking with your Pokemon.
What do you need to play?
You and your opponent will need a 60-card deck. You will also need some counters to keep track of damage on the different Pokemon in play and a coin for flipping. You may also use the playmat included with new Pokemon decks to help learn the game step-by-step, but it's not required to play.
OPTIONAL: Before playing, all players MAY decide to not include Weakness or Resistance, or having only one player having Weakness or Resistance, ect. If you are playing this way, all players MUST agree. Once it's agreed, you can not change in the middle of the game.
1) Shake hands with your opponent.
2) Shuffle your deck and draw a starting hand of 7 cards. Put the rest of your deck face down in front of you.
3) If you don't have any basic Pokemon cards in your hand (it'll say "Basic Pokemon" in the upper left-hand corner), show your hand to your opponent, shuffle it into your deck, and draw 7 new cards. Your opponent may then draw up to 2 extra cards. If you still don't have any Basic Pokemon in your new hand, you can repeat this process, but your opponent gets to draw up to 2 extra cards each time!
4) You and your opponent each choose a Basic Pokemon card from your hands and put them face down. These will be your Active Pokemon.
5) Each may, if he or she wishes, choose up to 5 Basic Pokemon from his or her hand and put them face-down on his or her Bench (this is where Pokemon wait when they are not Active).
6) Put the top 6 cards of your deck face-down in front of you. These are your Prizes, which you take as your opponent's Pokemon are Knocked Out. You can't look at a Prize card until you take it.
7) Flip a coin to see who goes first.
8) Flip over all the Active and Benched Pokemon that have been put on the table.
As you play, you and your opponent take turns. During your opponent's turn, you don't do anything except replace your Active Pokemon if it gets Knocked Out (see below). During your turn, go through the steps below.
1) Draw a card
You always begin your turn by drawing a card. (If your deck is empty at the beginning of your turn, the game is not over, and your opponent does not win).
2) Now Do any of these in whatever order you want:
Put a Basic Pokemon on the Bench (as many as you want)
Choose a Basic Pokemon from you hand and put it on your bench. You can have no more than 5 Pokemon on your Bench at any time, so you can put a new Basic Pokemon there only if your bench has 4 or fewer Pokemon on it.
Evolve Pokemon (as many as you want)
If you have a card in your hand that says "Evolves from so-and-so" and so-and-so is the name of a Pokemon you already have in play, you may play that card in your hand on top of the Pokemon so-and-so. This is called "evolving" a Pokemon.
Example: Alex has a card called Monferno that says "Evolves from Chimchar," and she has a Chimchar card in play. She may play the Monferno card on top of the Chimchar card.
When a Pokemon evolves, it keeps any Energy cards, and Evolution cards, and any damage counters it might already have. All other things about the Pokemon go away - Sleep, Confusion, Paralysis, Poison, Burn, or anything else that might be the result of an attack some Pokemon made earlier. You may evolve a Basic Pokemon to a Stage 1 Pokemon, or a Stage 1 Pokemon to a Stage 2 Pokemon. When a Pokemon evolves, old attacks and Poke-Powers and Poke-Bodies of the Pokemon it evolved from go away. All of these things go away.
Attach 1 Energy card 1 of your Pokemon (only once per turn)
Take an Energy card from your hand and attach it to one of your Pokemon in play (put it under the Pokemon card) Either one of your benched Pokemon, or your active Pokemon, NOT BOTH.
Play Trainer, Supporter, and Stadium cards
On the first turn of the game, the starting player cannot play any Trainer, Supporter, or Stadium cards from his or her hand, including Fossil Pokemon (such as Claw Fossil Root Fossil, and Mysterious Fossil. When you play a Trainer card, do what it says, then put it in the discard pile. (Certain types of Trainer cards, such as Pokemon Tools and Technical Machines stay in play, but they'll say that on the card.) Supporter cards are played like Trainer cards, except you can only play two each turn. Stadium cards can only be played once each turn, but they stay in play until another card removes them.
Retreat your Active Pokemon
You may switch your Active Pokemon with one of the Pokemon on your Bench; if your Active Pokemon has lots of damage counters on it, you might want to retreat it and bring in one of the Pokemon on your Bench to fight instead. But on most turns, you probably will not retreat. If you are retreating a stage 1 or 2 Pokemon, in order to retreat that Active Pokemon you must discard two Energy cards, ignoring the Active Pokemon's retreat cost that's written in the lower right-hand corner, unless it requires no Energy cost, or one Energy. If you are retreating a basic or baby Pokemon, in order to retreat that Active Pokemon you must discard one Energy card, also ignoring the Active Pokemon's retreat cost that's written in the lower right-hand corner, unless it require no Energy cost. Special effects are still applied (for example, a Poke-Power that makes the defending Pokemon add an energy to it's retreat cost). (You'll read more about costs in the "Attack with Your Active Pokemon" section). If you can't do that, then you can't retreat. Pokemon with no retreat cost don't need to discard any Energy when they retreat - they can retreat 'for free'.
A Pokemon that is Asleep or Paralyzed can't retreat. A Confused Pokemon can TRY to retreat, but it might not succeed. (Why this might happen will be explained later on in the rules).
When your Active Pokemon goes to your Bench (whether it retreated or got there some other way), it keeps any Energy cards, any Evolution cards, and any damage counters it may already have. All other things about the Pokemon go away - Sleep, Confusion, Paralysis, Poison, Burn or anything else that might be the result of an earlier attack. All of these things go away. Retreating does not cost your attack; if you retreat, you may still attack using the switched Pokemon.
Use Poke-Powers
Some Pokemon have special "Poke-Powers" that they can use when they are in play. (Remember, Benched Pokemon are "in play", too, so they can use Poke-Powers, if they have any.) Many of these Powers can be used before you attack. Each Poke-Power is different though, so you should read carefully how each Pokemon Power works.
3) Attack!
If you wish, you may have your Active Pokemon attack your opponent's Active Pokemon (also called the 'Defending Pokemon'). This is the last thing you can do during your turn - you can't do anything else afterward. You can only attack one time during your turn, and your Pokemon can only use one of its attacks each turn. (If your Pokemon has 2 attacks, you must only use 1 of them)
Announce the Attack
To attack, tell your opponent which one of your Pokemon's attacks you're using. For example if you had a Turtwig with Tackle, you may say "I choose Tackle" or "I'm using Tackle on your defending Pokemon" or "Tackle". Once you have announced the attack, you cannot 'undo' the command unless you do not have the required Energy to do so, or if a special effect comes in hand.
Check to make sure you have enough Energy attacked to your Active Pokemon to attack.
You can only use an attack if you have at least the required amount of Energy attached to your Active Pokemon.
Any type of Energy - forest, fire, water, lightning, psychic, fighting, darkness, metal, or colorless - can count toward colorless Energy requirements (the little star). But only Energy of the appropriate type counts toward Energy requirements of that type. So if an attack has an Energy requirement of Fire, you must have a fire energy to make the attack work. But if an attack has a colorless Energy requirement, you just need any one energy - it doesn't matter which kind! For example, you can use an attack with Prinplup, requiring 2 water and 1 colorless Energy, if that Pokemon has at least 3 Energy Cards attached to it, at least 2 of which are water Energy.
**NOTE**You have to have the required amount of Energy attached to a Pokemon to use it's attack, but you do not have to discard those cards to attack. The cards stay attached to your Pokemon unless the attack says otherwise!
Check Weakness and Resistance of your opponent's Pokemon
Some Pokemon have a Weakness or Resistance to Pokemon of certain other types. (For example, Chimchar has a Weakness to Water Pokemon.) Look to see if the Defending Pokemon has Weakness or Resistance to the Attacking Pokemon's type. If the attack does damage, the defending Pokemon takes more damage from a Pokemon it has Weakness to, and it takes less damage from a Pokemon that it has Resistance to. When Benched Pokemon receive damage, do not apply Weakness or Resistance. A Defending Pokemon takes double damage from a Pokemon that it has a Weakness to, and it subtracts damage from a Pokemon that it has a resistance to.
Put Damage Counters on the Defending Pokemon
When you attack, put a damage counter on your opponent's Active Pokemon for each 10 damage your Pokemon's attack does (written to the right of the attack name). If an attack says to do something else, be sure to do that, too!
Check to see if your Pokemon Knocked Out your opponent's Pokemon
If a Pokemon ever has total damage at least equal to it's Hit Points (for example, 5 or more damage counters on a Pokemon with 50HP), it is immediately Knocked Out.
**NOTE**Usually the attack does not depend on the order you do this in, but if it does, then this is how you figure it out! First, pay any costs (discarding Energy cards, for example). Second, apply any effects on the Attacking Pokemon. Next, apply Weakness and resistance for the Defending Pokemon. Finally, apply any other effects on the Defending Pokemon.
Take a Prize card (if you Knocked Out your Opponent's Pokemon).
Whenever you Knock Out your opponents Pokemon, your opponent puts his or her Basic Pokemon card and all cards attached to it (Evolution cards, Energy cards, and so on) in the discard pile. You then choose one of your Prizes (you do this even if your opponent Knocked Out his or her own Pokemon, or if it is Knocked Out between turns!) and put it into your hand. A player who loses his or her Active Pokemon must immediately replace it with a Pokemon from his or her Bench. (If a player can't do this because his or her bench is empty, that player loses.) If both Active Pokemon are Knocked Out at the same time, the player whose turn it is replaces his or her Pokemon last. After that, your opponent must replace his or her Active Pokemon with a Pokemon from his or her Bench. (If your opponent and your opponent's Active Pokemon are Knocked Out at the same time, the player whose turn it is replaces his or her Pokemon last. The player whose turn it is chooses his or her Prize card last as well.
4) Your Turn is Over Now
Sometimes there are things to do after your turn is over but before your opponents turn begins. After you do those things, your opponent's turn begins.
After each player's turn, if either player's Active Pokemon is Poisoned, it'll take damage; if it's Burned, it might take damage; and if it's Asleep or Paralyzed it might recover. Then the next players turn begins.
How do you win?
You win the game if any one or more of these things occur:
>>You collect all of your Prize cards (collect Prize cards as your opponent's Pokemon are Knocked Out).
>>Your opponent runs out of ALL playable Pokemon in his or her deck.
>>Your opponent decides to end the game (he can only choose when all of his Pokemon in play are Knocked Out).
Ways you DON'T win
You do not win the game if any one or more of these things occur:
>>Your opponent is out of cards in his or her deck, when he or she goes to draw a card at the beginning of the turn.
How do Special Conditions work?
Some attacks cause the Defending Pokemon to be Asleep, Confused, Paralyzed, Poisoned, or Burned. These conditions are called "Special Conditions". They do not happen to a Benched Pokemon, only to an Active Pokemon -- in fact, if a Pokemon goes to the Bench, Special Conditions are removed from it. And evolving a Pokemon also means it is not longer affected by a Special Condition.
Asleep
If a Pokemon is Asleep, it can't attack or retreat. As soon as a Pokemon is Asleep, turn it sideways to show that it is Asleep (preferably facing the the left). After each player's turn, flip a coin. On heads, the Pokemon wakes up,(turn the card back right-side up), but on tails it is still Asleep and you have to wait until after the next turn to try to wake it up again.
Confused
If a Pokemon is Confused, you have to flip a coin whenever you try to attack with that Pokemon. Turn a Confused Pokemon with its head pointed toward you to show it's confused.
A Confused Pokemon can retreat to the Bench normally, where it loses all Special Conditions.
When you attack with a Confused Pokemon, you flip a coin. On heads, the attack works normally, but on tails your Pokemon receives 3 damage counters and ends the attack. (Only apply Weakness and Resistance for actual damage, not counters) The Active Pokemon receives 3 damage counters even if it's attack normally does not do damage (like Treecko's Poison Breath attack).
Paralyzed
If a Pokemon is Paralyzed, it cannot attack or retreat. Turn the Pokemon sideways to show it is Paralyzed (preferably facing the right). If an Active Pokemon is Paralyzed it recovers after its player's next turn. Turn the card right-side up again.
Poisoned
If a Pokemon is Poisoned, place a "poison marker" on it to show that is poisoned.
As long as it's still Poisoned, place a damage counter on it after each player's turn, ignoring Weakness and Resistance. If an attack would poison a Pokemon that is already Poisoned, it does not get doubly poisoned; instead, the new Poison condition replaces the old one. Make sure whatever you use for a Poison marker looks different from a damage counter.
Burned
If a Pokemon is Burned, place a "Burn marker" on it to show that it is Burned. As long as it's still Burned, flip a coin after each player's turn. If tails, place 2 damage counters on it, ignoring Weakness and Resistance. If an attack would Burn a Pokemon that is already Burned, it does not get doubly Burned; instead the new burn condition replaces the old one. Make sure whatever you use for a Burn marker looks different from a damage counter.
If a Pokemon is Asleep, Confused, or Paralyzed, and a new attack is made against it that causes it to become Asleep, Confused, or Paralyzed, the old condition is erased and only the new one counts. But these three conditions are the only attack effects that erase each other. For example, a Pokemon can be Confused and Poisoned at the same time.
How Do You Make a New Deck?
Your deck has to have exactly 60 cards, and you can't have more than four of any one card other than basic Energy cards in your deck or 1 Pokemon (Star) and 1 Shining Pokemon (the basic Energy cards are grass, fire, water, lighting, physic, fighting, and some metal and darkness). A card counts as the same as another card if it has the same name - it doesn't matter whether the cards have different art or come from different sets. So, for example, you could have 4 Brock's Sandshrew and 4 Sandshrew in your deck, but you can't have more than four Pokémon named Sandshrew total even if they were different versions of Sandshrew.
To make a new deck, first notice that all of the cards other than the Trainers have different Energy types on them. Your deck should probably include one or two of the basic Energy types, and you can choose to add some Colorless Pokémon if you like. If you just choose one Energy type, you will always have the right kind of Energy for your Pokémon but not as much variety. If you have several Energy types, you'll have more Pokémon to choose from, but you'll run the risk of sometimes not drawing the right type of Energy for your Pokémon. And be sure your deck has enough Energy cards (most decks need 20 to 25).
Once you choose your Energy types, pick Pokémon and Trainer cards that work well together. Do you want to build up big Pokémon to crush your opponent? Then put in a lot of Evolution cards and some Trainer cards, like Poké Ball, that help you find those Evolution cards.
After you make your deck, play it as often as you can against as many other decks as you can. See what works and what doesn't, and then make changes. If you keep working at it, you'll have a deck that will show everyone you're the greatest Pokémon Master of all time!
What Counts as an Attack?
Anything written on a Basic Pokémon or Evolution card under the picture where attacks are found (except for a Poké-Power or Poké-Body) is considered an attack even if it doesn't do anything to your opponent's Pokémon. So, for example, Linoone's Seek Out and Poochyena's Knock Off would be prevented by an effect like Magmar ex's Smokescreen.
In What Order Do You Do Your Attack?
The exact steps to go through when attacking are listed here. For most attacks, it won't matter what order you do things in, but if you have to work your way through a really complicated attack, follow these steps in order and you should be fine.
- If the Defending Pokémon is a Baby Pokémon, flip a coin to see if your turn ends without an attack. (If your turn ends without an attack, don't do any of the other steps. You're done now.)
- Announce which attack your Active Pokémon is using. Make sure your Pokémon has enough Energy attached to it to use this attack.
- If necessary, make any choices the attack requires you to make. (For example, Swampert's Water Arrow attack says "Choose one of your opponent's Pokémon." So you choose now.)
- If necessary, do anything the attack requires you to do in order to use it. (For example, discard Energy cards, as in Camerupt's Fire Spin attack, which makes you discard 2 basic Energy cards attached to Camerupt in order to use it.)
- If necessary, apply any effects that might alter or cancel the attack. (For example, if your Pokémon was hit last turn by Magmar ex's Smokescreen attack, that attack said that if you tried to attack with that Pokémon during your next turn, you should flip a coin. If tails, your Pokémon's attack does nothing.)
- If your Active Pokémon is Confused, check now to see if the attack fails.
- Do whatever the attack says. Do any damage first, then do any other effects, and finally, Knock Out any Pokémon that have damage greater than or equal to their Hit Points.
How Do You Figure Out the Damage?
Usually the amount of damage an attack does won't depend on the order in which you do things. But if you have to figure out an attack in which a lot of different things might change the damage, follow these steps in order (skip any steps that don't apply to that attack).
- Start with the base damage. This is the number written to the right of the attack, or, if that number has an ¥, -, +, or ? next to it, it's the amount of damage the attack text tells you to do.
- Figure out damage effects on the Attacking Pokémon (for example, Darkness Energy effect, or Ralt's Link Blast). Then if the base damage is 0 (or if the attack doesn't do any damage at all), just stop figuring the damage. You're done now. Otherwise, keep going.
- Add damage if the Defending Pokémon has Weakness to the Attacking Pokémon's type.
- Subtract damage if the Defending Pokémon has Resistance to the Attacking Pokémon's type.
- Figure out damage effects of Trainer cards and Energy cards on the Defending Pokémon (like Speicial Metal Energy).
- Apply any relevant effects resulting from the Defending Pokémon's last attack (for example, Aron's Teary Eyes) or relevant Poké-Powers and Poké-Bodies.
- For each 10 damage the attack ends up doing, place one damage counter on the Defending Pokémon. (If at this point the damage done turns out to be less than 0, don't do anything.)
- Now that damage has been done, if the attack does anything other than damage, do all of that.
In What Order Do Things Happen after Each Player's Turn?
Usually it doesn't matter in what order you do things after each player's turn, but if things get complicated, follow these steps in order.
- Place damage counters on any Poisoned Pokémon.
- Flip a coin to see if Pokémon with Burn markers get damage counters placed on them.
- Flip a coin to see if Asleep Pokémon recover, and have eligible Paralyzed Pokémon recover.
If a Pokémon has a Pokémon Tool card attached to it and that card does something between turns, that card can be used at any time between turns that the person who played the Pokémon wants.
If your Pokémon and your opponent's Pokémon are Knocked Out at the same time between turns or during an attack, the player who is about to take a turn replaces his or her Pokémon first (and chooses his or her Prize card first as well).
Pokémon that Refer to Themselves
Sometimes a Pokémon refers to itself by name. For example, Goldeen's Flail attack says "Does 10 damage for each damage counter on Goldeen." Read the name as "this Pokémon" if the attack somehow gets used by another Pokémon. So if Togetic copies Goldeen's Flail with Mini-Metronome, Togetic would do 10 damage for each damage counter on it, just as if Togetic said "Does 10 damage for each damage counter on this Pokémon" on it.
Illegal Evolutions
Whenever you evolve a Pokémon, the Evolution card has to say it "Evolves from" the name of the Pokémon it goes on top of. Special Trainer Pokémon (such as Erika's Oddish) or Pokémon-ex (like Scyther ex) don't evolve into normal versions. A Pokémon card would have to state "Evolves from Scyther ex" to allow for that evolution.
How Do You Retreat Using Double Energy Cards?
Paying Retreat Costs can get confusing with Double Energy cards. Here's the way it works: Discard Energy cards one at a time until you've paid the Retreat Cost (or maybe more). Once you've paid the cost, you can't discard any more cards.
For example, suppose your Pokémon has a Retreat Cost of two colorless Energy and it has two fire Energy cards and a double colorless Energy card attached. You can pay the Retreat Cost in several ways - by discarding double colorless Energy, by discarding two fire Energy, or by discarding fire Energy first and then double colorless Energy. You can't discard all three cards, though.
What Happens if a Card Tells You to Draw More Cards than You Have Left?
If a card tells you to do something to a certain number of the top cards of your deck, and you have fewer cards than that left in your deck, do whatever you're supposed to do to the cards that you have left and continue play as normal. For example, if a card tells you to draw seven cards or to look at the top five cards of your deck, and you have only three cards left in your deck, you draw the top three or look at the top three. Remember, you lose if you can't draw a card at the beginning of your turn, not if you can't draw one because a card told you to.
What Happens if Neither Player Gets a Basic Pokémon Card in His or Her First seven Cards?
Sometimes neither you nor your opponent get any Basic Pokémon cards in your first hands of seven cards. If this happens, both players shuffle and draw seven new cards. In this case, neither player gets to draw an extra card. Repeat this process until at least one of the players has a Basic Pokémon card in his or her hand of seven cards. If the other player still doesn't have a Basic Pokémon card in his or her hand, that player can shuffle and draw seven new cards, but the player who already has a Basic Pokémon card can draw an extra card as usual. Continue this process until each player has a Basic Pokémon card in his or her hand of seven cards.
What Happens if Both Players Win at the Same Time?
You win if you take your last Prize or if your opponent has no Benched Pokémon to replace his or her Active Pokémon if it gets Knocked Out or otherwise removed from play. But it might happen that both players "win" in one of these ways at the same time. If this happens, play Sudden Death. However, if you win in both ways and your opponent wins in only one way, you win!
What's Sudden Death?
If Sudden Death occurs, play a new Pokémon game, but have each player use only one Prize instead of the usual six. Except for the number of Prizes, treat the Sudden Death game like a whole new Pokémon game: Set everything up again, including flipping a coin to see who goes first. The winner of this game is the overall winner. It may happen that the Sudden Death game also ends in Sudden Death; if that happens just keep playing Sudden Death games until somebody wins.
2-on-2 Battle Rules
There's a new challenge in the Pokémon trading card game, and it's 2-on-2 Battle! Each player has two Active Pokémon on the battlefield at a time, doubling the excitement. The game is played like a regular game of Pokémon, except for a couple of rules listed below.
Starting the Game
You and your opponent will each need your own deck of 60 cards. If you have at least two Basic Pokémon cards when you draw a starting hand of seven cards, put two Basic Pokémon into play as your Active Pokémon. You can start the game with only one Basic Pokémon in play, and still play 2-on-2 Battle, if that is the only Basic Pokémon in your hand. When a player has two Active Pokémon, he or she may choose up to four Basic Pokémon cards from his or her hand and put them on the Bench (where the Pokémon wait until they become one of the Active Pokémon).
Only One Active Pokémon?
Even if you only have one Active Pokémon, you can still continue 2-on-2 Battle. At any point during the game, if you only have one Active Pokémon, but still have a Pokémon on the Bench, choose a Benched Pokémon to go into the battlefield.
Attack!
During 2-on-2 Battle, you choose one of your Active Pokémon to attack, and then select the attack you want to use. You choose one of your opponent's Active Pokémon to attack, and finish the attack normally. Attacks that refer to "each Defending Pokémon" will affect both of the Defending Pokémon for that player.
Retreat!
As in the basic game, you can only retreat once per turn, even if you have two Active Pokémon in play. Choose wisely!
Pokémon with Special Conditions
When both of your Pokémon are Asleep, Confused, Poisoned, or Burned, you can make an attempt to recover or avoid damage in whatever order you would like. When one of your Active Pokémon gets Paralyzed, it will be out of action on your next turn, and then it will be okay again. You can still attack with your other Pokémon.
Trainer Cards
If the Trainer card has an effect on your Active Pokémon, you choose only one of your Active Pokémon for that card's effect (unless the card tells you to apply the effect to two or more of your Pokémon). For example, Potion allows you to remove two damage counters from one of your Pokémon, but it would not allow you to remove one damage counter from two of your Pokémon.
Special Energy Cards
When a Special Energy card is attached to one of your Active or Benched Pokémon, its effect is only applied to that Pokémon.
Baby Pokémon
When your Pokémon makes an attempt to attack an opponent's Baby Pokémon, you flip a coin. The rule for Baby Pokémon is applied only when your Pokémon tries to attack a Baby Pokémon.
Benched Pokémon
You can have up to 4 Pokémon on your Bench.
2-on-2 Advance Battle rules (all of these rules are additions to the game)
Similar to regular 2-on-2 battle, as each player has two Active Pokémon on the battlefield at a time, except with 2 decks per player. This game is also played like a regular game of Pokémon, except for a couple of rules listed below.
Starting the Game
You and your opponent will each need 2 of your own decks of 60 cards. Treat this like two separate decks, one on each side of you, facing the your opponent's decks. For example, draw 7 cards for one of your decks, and 7 other cards for your other deck. Make sure to keep your hand of cards from one deck separated from the other hand of cards from another deck, as you cannot merge or mix up. Instead of having 2 Pokemon on your active Pokemon's space, you have one per space, so you have one Pokemon per deck. You are only required to draw one Pokemon card and put it as your active Pokemon per deck on your first turn. You are also allowed 5 Pokemon per bench, like the basic rules. Unlike the regular 2-on-2 battle, you must start out with at least one active Pokemon per deck. However, if one active Pokemon faints, you keep going with your other active Pokemon until you get another basic Pokemon for your other deck. If you do not draw a basic Pokemon in your first turn, your opponent's deck that is across from you receives the extra card, and you shuffle your hand and draw another 7 cards like the rules.
Only One Active Pokémon?
Even if you only have one Active Pokémon, you can still continue 2-on-2 Battle. If both of your decks run out of Pokemon in play, the basic rules apply (you may choose to forfeit or not).
Attaching Energy
You may attach 1 Energy to 1 of your Pokemon per each deck's turn, like the basic rules.
Attack!
During 2-on-2 Battle, you choose one of your Active Pokémon to attack, and then select the attack you want to use. You choose one of your opponent's Active Pokémon to attack, and finish the attack normally. Attacks that refer to "each Defending Pokémon" will affect both of the Defending Pokémon for that player.
Retreat!
As if it were two basic games, you can retreat once per each deck's turn.
Pokémon with Special Conditions
When both of your Pokémon are Asleep, Confused, Poisoned, or Burned, you can make an attempt to recover or avoid damage in whatever order you would like. When one of your Active Pokémon gets Paralyzed, it will be out of action on your next turn, and then it will be okay again. You can still attack with your other Pokémon.
Trainer, Supporter, and Stadium Cards
If the Trainer, Supporter, or Stadium card has an effect on your Active Pokémon, you choose only the Active Pokémon that is with the deck in which you drew your card: for that card's effect (unless the card tells you to apply the effect to two or more of your Pokémon). For example, Potion allows you to remove two damage counters from one of your Pokémon, but it would not allow you to remove one damage counter from two of your Pokémon. You may not use a Trainer, Supporter, or Stadium Card on your other deck's Pokemon. However, on cards like double full heal, you must use the effects on both of your active Pokemon. You may only use 2 Supporter or Stadium cards per each deck's turn.
Special Energy Cards
When a Special Energy card is attached to one of your Active or Benched Pokémon, its effect is only applied to that Pokémon.
Baby Pokémon
When your Pokémon makes an attempt to attack an opponent's Baby Pokémon, you flip a coin. The rule for Baby Pokémon is applied only when your Pokémon tries to attack a Baby Pokémon.
Benched Pokémon
You can have up to 5 Pokémon on your Bench per deck.
2-on-2 Advance Battle Rules -- 3 Player and 4 Player
2-on-2 Advance Battle -- 3 Player and 4 Player is the same as the 2-on-2 Advance battle, except you may have one player per deck, or one player per two decks, in any order, or any way you want. For example, you could play:
Dick Steve
[_] [_]
Opponent's deck #1 Opponent's deck #2
Your deck #1 Your deck #2
[_] [_]
Julian Rory
Or you could play:
Dick Steve
[_] [_]
Opponent's deck #1 Opponent's deck #2
Your deck #1 Your deck #2
[_] [_]
Julian
Or the normal way you play:
Dick
[_] [_]
Opponent's deck #1 Opponent's deck #2
Your deck #1 Your deck #2
[_] [_]
Julian
You may use a many varieties to fight with: as long as each player/team has two decks.
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| | If it is an older card (a card that does not show a number near the weakness), apply a Weakness (if they have any) by +10 if it's a baby Pokemon or basic that evolve, +20 if it's a 1st stage, +30 if it's a 2nd stage, +40 if it's an Pokemon EX, and +20 if it's a basic Pokemon that does not evolve. |
| | If it is an older card, ignore the resistance points noted on the card, and instead apply -10 for basic and baby Pokemon that evolve, -20 for 1st stage, -30 for 2nd stage, and -20 for Pokemon EX and basic Pokemon that do not evolve. |
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