Anatomy of a Pokémon card

Pokémon cards are the stars of the show — they're your attackers, your blockers, and the way you take prize cards. Let's break down everything on the card so you can read any new one at a glance.

Looking at a card like N's Zoroark ex, you'll see seven things worth knowing.

1. Name and stage

The name is at the top. Next to it is the stage, which tells you how this Pokémon enters play:

• Basic — you can play it directly from your hand to your Bench
• Stage 1 — you can play it on top of a matching Basic that's already in play
• Stage 2 — you can play it on top of a matching Stage 1

Cards marked ex are special: they're stronger, but they give up 2 prize cards when knocked out instead of 1. We'll talk about that trade-off in a later lesson.

A Mega Pokémon is the next step up — a Pokémon ex that has Mega Evolved. It plays like a Stage 1: you put it on top of a matching basic ex already in play. Mega Pokémon hit hard and have huge HP, but the trade-off is steep — they give up 3 prize cards when knocked out.

2. HP

The big number in the top-right corner is Hit Points. When damage on a Pokémon equals or exceeds its HP, it's knocked out. N's Zoroark ex has 280 HP — high for a Stage 1 ex. A typical Basic might have 60–80.

3. Type

The colored symbol near the HP is the Pokémon's type (Fire, Water, Grass, Lightning, Psychic, Fighting, Darkness, Metal, Dragon, or Colorless). Type determines which energy powers its attacks and what it's weak to.

4. Abilities

Some Pokémon have an Ability — a special power you can use without attacking. Abilities trigger from your hand, your Bench, or your Active spot depending on the wording. They're free, and they're often what makes a card good.

5. Attacks

Each attack has three parts:

• Energy cost (the symbols on the left) — what you need attached to attack
• Name and damage — how much it hits for
• Effect text — what else it does, if anything

To attack, your Pokémon needs the right energy attached and must be in the Active spot.

6. Weakness

If your opponent's Pokémon's type matches your weakness, their attacks do double damage to you. A Fire Pokémon weak to Water takes 2× damage from Water attacks. This single number can swing whole games.

7. Retreat cost

The energy symbols at the bottom show how many energies you have to discard to retreat your Active back to the Bench. High retreat cost = hard to swap out, which matters more than it sounds.

That's a Pokémon card. In the next lesson, we'll look at Trainer cards — the actions and tools that make the Pokémon work.