Glossary of Terms
Ability - An Ability is text on a Pokémon that is not an attack and costs no Energy to use. Some Abilities work automatically while the Pokémon is in play; others you choose to use on your turn. Using an Ability does not end your turn.
Active Pokémon - The single Pokémon in your Active Spot. It is the one that attacks, the one your opponent's attacks normally target, and the only one that can retreat. If it is Knocked Out you must promote a Benched Pokémon to replace it.
Asleep - A Special Condition. A Sleeping Pokémon cannot attack or retreat. Between turns its owner flips a coin; on heads the Pokémon wakes up. Turn the card sideways to show it.
Attack - The move printed on a Pokémon with an Energy cost to its left and damage to its right. You may use one attack per turn with your Active Pokémon, and attacking ends your turn.
Basic Pokémon - A Pokémon that is not an evolution and can be played straight from your hand onto your Bench or Active Spot. You need at least one Basic Pokémon to start a game.
Bench - The area holding your Pokémon that are in play but not Active — up to five of them. Benched Pokémon can be attached to, evolved and promoted, but they cannot attack.
Burned - A Special Condition. Between turns the Burned Pokémon takes damage, then its owner flips a coin; on heads the Burn is removed. Burn stays through retreating and only goes away when the Pokémon leaves play, evolves or the condition is healed.
Confused - A Special Condition. When a Confused Pokémon attacks, its owner flips a coin first; on tails the attack fails and the Pokémon damages itself. Confusion is shown by turning the card upside down.
Damage counter - The marker used to record damage on a Pokémon; each counter is 10 damage. A Pokémon is Knocked Out when damage counters on it reach its HP.
Deck - A constructed deck is exactly 60 cards. You may include at most four cards with the same name, except basic Energy, of which you may have any number.
Discard pile - The face-up pile beside your deck where Knocked Out Pokémon, used Trainer cards and discarded Energy go. Both players may look through either discard pile at any time.
Energy card - The cards you attach to Pokémon to pay for attacks and retreating. You may attach one Energy from your hand each turn. Basic Energy provides one unit of its type; Special Energy has extra text.
Evolution - Playing a Stage 1 or Stage 2 Pokémon on top of the Pokémon named on it. Damage, attached cards and Energy stay on the Pokémon, and evolving removes Special Conditions. A Pokémon cannot evolve on the turn it was played.
Format - The set of cards legal for play. Standard uses only recent sets and rotates each year; Expanded reaches much further back. Tournament decks must be legal in their format.
HP - Hit Points — the amount of damage a Pokémon can take before it is Knocked Out, printed in the top right corner of the card.
Item - A Trainer card you may play any number of times on your turn. Its effect happens immediately and the card then goes to the discard pile.
Knock Out - What happens when damage counters on a Pokémon reach or pass its HP. That Pokémon and everything attached to it go to the discard pile and the attacking player takes a Prize card.
Lost Zone - A separate area for cards that are removed from the game. Unlike the discard pile, cards in the Lost Zone cannot normally be recovered.
Mulligan - If your opening hand has no Basic Pokémon, you reveal it, shuffle it back and draw a new hand. Your opponent may draw one extra card for each of your mulligans.
Paralyzed - A Special Condition. A Paralyzed Pokémon cannot attack or retreat. The condition is removed at the end of its owner's next turn.
Poisoned - A Special Condition. Between turns the Poisoned Pokémon takes damage. Poison stays until the Pokémon leaves play, evolves or the condition is healed.
Pokémon ex - A Pokémon with a rule box marking it as ex. It usually has high HP and strong attacks, but when it is Knocked Out your opponent takes two Prize cards instead of one.
Pokémon Tool - A Trainer card you attach to one of your Pokémon, where it stays and keeps working. A Pokémon can have only one Tool attached at a time.
Prize cards - Six cards set aside face down at the start of the game. You take one each time you Knock Out an opponent's Pokémon — more for Pokémon with a rule box — and taking your last Prize card wins the game.
Resistance - A Pokémon's printed defence against one type. Damage from an attack by a Pokémon of that type is reduced by the listed amount.
Retreat Cost - The Energy you must discard to move your Active Pokémon to the Bench and promote a Benched Pokémon in its place. You may retreat once per turn, and not while Asleep or Paralyzed.
Rule box - The framed text on cards such as Pokémon ex, V and Radiant Pokémon. It marks cards that give up extra Prize cards or carry deck-building restrictions.
Special Condition - A status affecting only the Active Pokémon: Asleep, Burned, Confused, Paralyzed or Poisoned. All Special Conditions are removed when the Pokémon evolves, retreats to the Bench or leaves play.
Stadium - A Trainer card that stays in play and affects both players. Only one Stadium can be in play at a time — playing a new one discards the old.
Stage 1 and Stage 2 - The evolution steps above a Basic Pokémon. A Stage 1 goes on the Basic named on it; a Stage 2 goes on the Stage 1 named on it.
Supporter - A Trainer card representing a character who helps you. You may play only one Supporter per turn, which makes choosing the right one a large part of the game.
Trainer card - The non-Pokémon, non-Energy cards: Items, Supporters, Stadiums and Pokémon Tools. Each kind has its own rules for how often it can be played.
Weakness - A Pokémon's printed vulnerability to one type. Damage from an attack by a Pokémon of that type is increased as the card states, usually doubled.