Pokemon Deck Builder

Rulebook
Index
Preface ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________3
Overview____________________________________________________________________________________________________________3
Contents ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________3
Reading the Cards _________________________________________________________________________________________________4
Line-up Example___________________________________________________________________________________________________6
Game Setup _________________________________________________________________________________________________________7
Ending the Game __________________________________________________________________________________________________9
Winning the Game_______________________________________________________________________________________________ 10
Gameplay _________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 10
Gaining and Losing Energy_____________________________________________________________________________________ 12
Buying and Gaining Cards______________________________________________________________________________________ 12
Availability & Targeting ________________________________________________________________________________________ 13
The Line-up & Respective Main Decks _______________________________________________________________________ 13
Priority ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 14
Zones of Play _____________________________________________________________________________________________________ 15
Attack & Defense ________________________________________________________________________________________________ 16
Meeples & Traveling ____________________________________________________________________________________________ 17
Gym Leaders & Badges _________________________________________________________________________________________ 18
Trainer Cards ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ 19
Subtypes & Ability Types_______________________________________________________________________________________ 19
Tall Grass _________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 21
Misstep Cards ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ 21
Destroying & Replacing Cards _________________________________________________________________________________ 22
Discarding Cards ________________________________________________________________________________________________ 22
The Bin & Shuffling______________________________________________________________________________________________ 22
Investigating, Scoring, Coins & Dice __________________________________________________________________________ 23
Alternate Game Types __________________________________________________________________________________________ 24
Pokdex ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 25

2
Preface
My first Gameboy was the yellow limited edition with the Pikachu and Jigglypuff on screen. It came with
Pokemon Yellow, the best game of all time! Countless hours of my childhood were spent playing
Pokemon, and for the rest of my life, I would develop a deep love for those crazy evolving creatures.
When I turned 20, a gaming friend introduced me to the deck-building game, Dominion. While it wasnt
particularly thrilling, it got my attention. Soon after, I found myself buying the DC Deck-Building Game,
but again I was disappointed. I was certain I loved the deck-building mechanic, but these games were
lacking on theme and clarity.
While sitting in my room one night, a brilliant idea came to mind. Pokemon is all about collecting pocket
monsters, gathering items, and making new friends along the way. This was a concept that seemed to
make sense in a deck-building environment more than any other deck building game Id played before. I
furiously began creating, and soon enough, I had a fresh and innovative design with a powerful theme!
Four years and about four major overhauls later, we arrive at a clean, polished product. It wasnt easy.
There are a plethora of challenges with balancing cards for a deck-builder, but with time and patience
came a great design.
I certainly didn't do it alone.
Id like to thank everyone who helped me in this process, most notable my play-testing group, which was
led by my brother, Nic. He helped work out the rough edges, and more importantly, wasnt afraid to tell
me when my ideas were terrible.
This game is for all the Pokemon fans, the gamers, and the true innovators. I hope you can find joy in
exploring the world Ive created. Don't forget...
Always be the best, like no one ever was!
~Benjamin David Friedman

Overview
This is the world of Pokmon Deck Builder! You and your friends will take on the role of an up-and-
coming Pokmon Trainer in the race to become the best there ever was! Your journey begins in the tall
grass, starter Pokmon by your side! Its up to you to gather the courage to explore the world and its
various Locations, all while catching Pokmon, collecting items, and earning Badges! New cards will be
added to your deck as you play, and in the end, the player with the most Experience Points in his or her
deck wins the game!

Contents
Gen 1
208 Cards
9 Starter Pokmon
9 Trainer cards
4 Starter Location cards
10 Location cards
8 Gym Leader cards
24 Badge cards (3 of each)
32 Energy cards
32 Misstep cards.
10 Pokeball cards
70 Main Deck cards.
Gen 1.5
91 Cards
9 Starter Pokemon
9 Trainer cards
4 Starter Location cards
10 Location cards
10 Rocket Member cards
49 Main Deck cards.
Elite 4
8 Cards
8 Elite Four Pile cards.
Gen 2
208 Cards
9 Starter Pokmon
9 Trainer cards
4 Starter Location cards
10 Location cards
8 Gym Leader cards
24 Badge cards (3 of each)
32 Energy cards
32 Misstep cards.
10 Ultra Ball cards
70 Main Deck cards.

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Reading the Cards
A.) Generation Symbol:
The generation symbol is located at the top left corner
of each card and determines which set each card
belongs to.
There are four set at this time:
o Gen.1
o Gen.1.5
o Gen.2
o Elite 4
When filling Location cards from the Line-up, the
generation symbol determines which Main Deck you
pull cards from.

B.) Name Box:

The name box sits to the right of the generation
symbol and contains the name of each card.
Card names are written in blue text.

C.) Cost Circle:

The cost circle is located at the top right of each card.
Within each cost circle you will find a number or a slash.
The number represents the amount of Energy you must pay to buy or defeat a given card.
Cards with a slash in their cost circle have no cost and cannot be bought or defeated.
The background color of each cost circle identifies which pile or deck the card belongs to.

D.) Experience Point Value (XP Value):

The XP Value of a card is located in a black or gold star above each card's cost circle.
Each star will contain a number or an 'X', which indicates the number of points each card is worth.
Numbers in a gold star represent a positive XP Value, while numbers in a black star represent a
negative XP Value.
An 'X' means that the card's ability text box determines the XP Value of the card.
An 'X' always counts as zero until the end of the game or if the condition of the card is not met.
When a Location enters the Line-up for the first time, it is filled with a number of cards from its
Respective Main Deck equal to that Location's XP Value. (See The Line-up & Respective Main Decks)

E.) Art:
The art of a card is located below its name and above the Type Box.
 F.) Card Type - Subtype (Ability Type) Text Box:
Below the art is a colored box that contains a card Type, Subtype, Ability Type, and Pile Icon.
The color of this box correlates with the cards Type.
o Pokemon (Blue)
o Item (Gray)
o NPC (Red)
o Trainer (Dark Blue)
o Location (Green)
o Energy Cards (Yellow)
o Misstep Cards (Purple)
Card Types are always represented in yellow text.
Subtypes are usually represented by Icons but can also be words such as 'Keeper' and 'Gym Leader'.
o Sub-Types are always written in orange text. (See Subtypes & Ability Types)
Ability Types are always contained in parentheses (), and describe the nature of the Ability Text
Box. (See Subtypes & Ability Types)
Pile Icons are shown on Pile Cards to identify which pile each card belongs to.

G.) Ability Text Box:

The ability text box is located below the type box and contains the abilities of each card.
Ability lines separate cards with multiple abilities.
Each ability line has a symbol, which tells players from what zone the ability can be used.
o Hand:
The ability is used when the card is in your hand.
o Play:
The ability is used when played from your hand into the play zone.
o Bin:
The ability is used when the card is in your bin.
o Triggered:
The ability is triggered when another event or action is taken.
o Experience Points:
The ability is related the card's XP Value.

H.) Illustrator & Card #:

The name of each illustrator is located at the bottom left of each card.
To the right of the illustrator's name is a card number as it relates to each expansion.

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Line-up Example

6
Game Setup
1.) Main Decks
Thoroughly shuffle each Main Deck being used, then place each of them face-down near the center
of the play area.
o Only cards with a black background in their Cost Circle belong in a Main Deck, and each Main
Deck must be separated by Generation Symbol.
o This means there can be multiple Main Decks if you are playing with more than one expansion.

2.) Location Deck

All Location cards from all generations go in the same Location Deck.
o Only cards with a green background in their Cost Circle belong in the Location Deck.
Thoroughly shuffle the Location Deck, then place it face-down near the Main Decks.
Starter Location cards do not belong in the Location Deck.

3.) Gym Leader & Badge Piles

For each Gym Leader Pile you decide to play with, place the Gym Leaders face-up near the Main
Deck in number order.
Do the same for each corresponding Badge Pile.
o For both Gen.1 & Gen.2, there are 8 Gym Leaders and 24 Badge cards (3 of each Badge).
o Only cards with an orange background in their Cost Circle belong in the Gym Leader and Badge
Piles.

4.) Misstep Pile

Take all 32 Misstep cards and place them in a face-up pile near the Main Decks.
o Misstep cards have a purple background in their Cost Circle.

5.) Pile Cards

Take each set of Pile Cards that you decide to play with and place them in face-up piles near the
Main Decks.
o Pile cards have a red background in the Cost Circle and should be separated by their
Generation Symbol/Pile Icon.
Each expansion has a set of 10 Pile cards.
o Gen.1: Pokeballs.
o Gen.1.5: Rocket Members
o Gen.2: Ultra Balls.
o Elite 4: A unique pile of numbered cards, 1-8.
o If you are playing with the Elite 4 expansion, place that pile face-up near the other piles in
number order.

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6.) Starter Locations
Take 2 Tall Grass cards and 2 other Starter Location cards of your choice and place them face-up
near the Location Deck in a horizontal row.
o Add an additional Tall Grass card to the Line-up when playing with 5 players.
o Starter Locations have a yellow background in their Cost Circle.
o Put the remaining Starter Location cards into the game box.

7.) Determine Turn Order

Determine who will take the first turn.
o Turn order can be determined by having each player roll 1d6 (one six-sided die). The player
who rolls the highest is considered first player.

8) Draft Trainers & Starter Pokemon Cards

Beginning with the first player and continuing in clockwise order, players choose a Trainer card and
places it face-up on the table in front of them.
o Trainer cards have a dark blue background in their Cost Circle containing a slash (/).
Beginning with that last player to choose a Trainer card and continuing in counter clockwise order,
each player chooses a Starter Pokemon card, reveals that card, then adds it to their Starting Deck.
o Starter Pokmon have a light blue background in their Cost Circle.
Put all remaining Trainer and Starter Pokemon cards in the game box.

9) Create Starting Decks

To create a starting deck, each player performs the following actions:
o Take three Misstep cards from the Misstep Pile.
o Take six Energy cards from the game box.
o Shuffle the "Missteps", "Energy", and your Starter Pokemon card to create a 10-card deck.
Each player places their 10-card deck face-down on the table near their Trainer card.
Put all remaining "Energy" cards back into the box.

10) Meeples, Coins, and Dice

Each player chooses one of the five Meeples.
o Put all remaining Meeples back into the box.
Players place their Meeples on the same Tall Grass card in the Line-up.
Place all the coins and dice within reach of all players.

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11) Filling the Line-up
For each available Starter Location card in the Line-up, place one card from its Respective Main
Deck face-up and on top of that Starter Location.
Do no fill the Tall Grass card containing the Meeples.
o Pile Locations and Locations with Meeples occupying them cannot be filled or have cards
moved to them. (See The Line-up & Respective Main Decks)

12) Set Badge Goal

As a group, determine the number of Badges a player must obtain in order to initiate the final round
of turns.
o This can be any number between 1 and 8, where 1 is an extremely short game and 8 is a
fairly long game.
o When playing with two Gym Leader piles, the Badge Goal can be as high as 16, where 16 is
an extremely long game.
Once the Badge Goal has been determined the game begins and players take turns in clockwise
order beginning with the first player to choose a Trainer card.
o If a player has chosen the Detective as their Trainer card, they take the first turn of the
game even if another player was determined to be the first player.

Ending the Game

The game ends when any one of the following conditions is met:
The game ends immediately if a Location card cannot be
filled with a card from a Main Deck.
o The filling action must fail to resolve, which means an
empty Main Deck doesnt automatically end the game.
The game ends immediately if an empty pile in the Line-up
cannot be filled with a card from the Location Deck.
o The filling action must fail to resolve, which means an
empty Location Deck doesnt automatically end the
game.
The first player to achieve or exceed the Badge Goal
initiates the final round of turns.
o Each other player gets one final turn, then the game is
over.
The game ends immediately when a player buys the "Blue"
card.

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Winning the Game
The player who has accumulated the most Experience Points wins.
When the game has ended, each player performs the following actions to determine who wins:
1) Create Final Decks
Players collect all cards they have bought or gained during the game and create a single deck.
o Cards scored by players are NOT added to your final deck.
2) Total Final Score
Total the Experience Points from the cards in your Final Deck, then add one point for each card you
have scored. (See Scoring cards)
o Remember, gold stars represent positive numbers and black stars represent negative numbers.
(See Reading the Cards)
3) Determine the Winner
Players announce their final score.
The player with the highest total Experience Points wins the game.
o If two or more players have the same amount of points, the player with the most Badges gets
an additional point.
o If two or more players have the same amount of points, and those players also have the same
number of Badges, the player with the most cards in their deck gets an additional point.
o If two or more players tie according to all the conditions stated above, those players tie for
placement.

Gameplay
Beginning the Game
The player who picked the first Trainer card takes the first turn of the game unless another player
has chosen the Detective as their Trainer card. (See Game Setup)
Each player shuffles their Starting Deck then draws 5 cards.
Turns are taken in clockwise order until the game comes to an end. (See Ending the Game)

Turn Structure
Each turn is broken down into 3 specific phases:
o Beginning of Turn
o Middle of Turn
o End of Turn.
The player who is taking their turn is considered the Active Player.
Players must declare their intent to move from phase to phase, as other players can respond with
certain game actions.
When a player has finished their End of Turn phase, the next player in the turn order starts their
Beginning of Turn phase.

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1) Beginning of Turn
It is at this time that beginning of turn triggered abilities resolve.
All players may use activated abilities of cards available to them.
When the active player declares their intent to move to the next phase, priority moves around the
table.
o When Priority returns to the active player and all abilities have resolved, they move to the
next phase.

2) Middle of Turn
During this phase, the active player may take any of the following actions available to them:
o Play cards from their hand.
o Use activated abilities of cards available to them.
o Use per turn abilities of cards available to them.
o Spend Energy to travel to Locations.
o Spend Energy to buy or defeat cards in the Line-up.
When the active player declare their intent to move to the next phase, priority moves around the
table.
o When Priority returns to the active player and all abilities have resolved, they move to the
next phase.

3) End of Turn
It is at this time that end of turn triggered abilities resolve.
All players may use activated abilities of cards available to them.
After all triggered abilities and game actions have been resolved, the active player takes the
following actions:
o 1) Put all cards from your hand and all the cards youve played this turn into your bin.
All unspent Energy in each player's Energy Pool is emptied.
Cards with the 'Keeper' Subtype are not discarded at the end of turn.
o 2) Draw a new hand of 5 cards from your deck.
If you run out of cards in the process, shuffle the cards from your bin, make that your new
deck, then continue drawing.
o 3) If there are any empty piles in the Line-up where a Location card would be, fill that pile with
the top card from the Location Deck. (See The Line-up and Respective Main Decks)
When a new Location enters the Line-up for the first time, fill that Location with cards
from its respective Main Deck equal to that Location's XP Value.
o 4) Fill any available Location cards in the Line-up with one card from its respective Main Deck.
Locations with Meeples located on them cannot be filled with cards.
o 5) Pass the turn.

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Gaining and Losing Energy
Energy is the currency that drives the game.
Throughout a players turn, they may play cards from their
hand and use card abilities in order to accumulate Energy.
Energy can be spent to do a variety of thing, such as buying
cards, traveling, or defeating Gym Leaders.
All unspent Energy accumulated by players during a turn is
lost at the 'End of Turn' phase.
It's possible for non-active players to accumulate Energy
during the active player's turn.
o Energy accumulated by non-active players may only
be spent to pay the cost of activated abilities.

Energy Pool
When Energy is gained, it is held in a theoretical place
called the Energy Pool.
The Energy Pool is simply the amount of Energy each
player has accumulated throughout their turn.

Losing Energy
Some cards force players to lose Energy.
When an amount of Energy is lost by a player, they must subtract that amount from their Energy
Pool.
Players cannot have a negative amount of Energy.
o If an ability would cause a player to lose more Energy than they have in their Energy Pool, they
go to zero Energy.

Buying and Gaining Cards

Buying Cards
Cards are bought by spending Energy and paying the cost of the card.
Each card that can be bought has a number in its cost circle. (See Reading the Cards)
Only available cards can be bought. (See Availability and Targeting)
Cards can only be bought by the active player during their Middle of Turn phase. (See Gameplay)
o Cards cannot be bought in response to game actions and abilities that have yet to resolve.
When the active player has accumulated enough Energy to pay the cost within a card's cost circle,
they must declare their intent to buy that card.
o Priority moves around the table before the purchase of a card resolves. (See Priority)
When all other game actions and abilities have resolved and priority returns to the active player, if
they still have the required amount of Energy, the purchase then resolves.
o When a purchase is resolved, the active player subtracts an amount of Energy from their
Energy pool equal to the number within the card's Cost Circle.
o Cards that are bought by a player are put into that player's bin unless an ability says
otherwise.
o If priority returns to the active player and they no longer have enough Energy to purchase
the card, their turn continues as normal. (See Turn Structure)

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Gaining Cards
Cards are gained by playing or using abilities of cards available to you.
An ability that allows or forces a player to gain a card always determines what type of card can or
must be gained and from where that card is gained.
Cards that are gained by a player are put into that player's bin unless an ability says otherwise.
If a Location occupied by a Meeple is bought or gained, that Location is put directly into play under
the control of the player who bought or gain it.

Availability & Targeting

Availability
A card is considered to be available if it is face-up and on the top of its pile.
Locations with Meeples on them are considered to be available, but cannot be filled with cards from
a Main Deck or with cards from the Line-up that have been moved with Tall Grass. (See Tall Grass)
Cards outside of the Line-up are not synonymous with Availability restrictions.

Targeting
Some abilities use the word 'target' to select one or more cards, abilities, or players that will be
involved in the resolution of the ability.
Cards in the Line-up cannot be targeted unless they are available.
o An ability that has a player 'choose' a card in the Line-up without using the word 'target' is not
restricted by availability.

The Line-up & Respective Main Decks

The Line-up is created before the game begins. (See Line-up Example and Game Setup)
Cards in the Line-up include:
o Un-bought Locations spawned from the Location Deck.
o Un-bought Cards spawned on Locations from Main Decks.
o Pile Cards (excluding Misstep cards and Badges).
o Gym Leaders.
Locations in the Line-up can hold no more than three Main Deck cards.

Respective Main Decks

Main Decks are separated by Generation Symbol:
o Gen.1
o Gen.1.5
o Gen.2
(See Game Setup)
Locations are to be filled with cards from the Main Deck that corresponds to its generation.
o This is called a Location's Respective Main Deck
o For Example:
If you are filling a Gen.1 Location, fill that card with cards from the Gen.1 Main Deck.
Pile Locations cannot be filled with cards from a Main Deck.

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Filling the Line-up
At the end of each turn, if one or more Locations were bought or gained that turn, fill each empty
pile with the top card from the Location Deck.
o When a new Location enters the Line-up for the first time, fill that Location with cards from its
Respective Main Deck equal to that Location's XP Value.
o To fill a card, take the top card of its Respective Main Deck and place it face-up on that
Location.
o If a Location would be filled with more than one card, the Main Deck cards are stacked on top
of one another.
The same is true when players use the "Tall Grass" ability to move cards in the Line-up.
(See Tall Grass)

Priority
Priority refers to the player who is allowed to take game actions available to them in various zones
of play.
At the beginning of the active players turn, they gain priority.
When a player has priority, they may take actions available to them according the rules of turn
structure. (See Gameplay)
Whenever an action is taken that would cause priority to be passed, it moves amongst players in
clockwise order originating from the player who took the action.
o When priority returns to the player who took the game action, that action resolves.
o When all actions have been resolved and all players have passed priority, priority returns to
the active player.
The following actions cause priority to be passed:
o Announcing your intent to move to another phase.
o Using an activated ability.
o Using a Per Turn ability.
o Triggering a Triggered ability.
o Announcing the intent to spend Energy to travel.
o Announcing the intent to buy or defeat a card from the Line-up.

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Zones of Play
A zone of play refers to a physical area within the game.

Line-up
The Line-up contains all face-up cards that can be bought, gained, or defeated by the players. (See
Game Setup and The Line-up & Respective Main Decks)
Cards in play under a player's control are not a part of the Line-up.
Main Decks and the Location Deck are not a part of the Line-up.
The Misstep Pile and Badges are not a part of the Line-up.

Temporary
A temporary zone occurs when cards are being shuffled or when cards move from zone to zone.
Cards in temporary zones cannot be the target of abilities.

Main Deck
A Main Deck is a face-down deck used to fill Location cards.
Main Decks are separated by Generation Symbol and shuffled before the game begins. (See Game
Setup)

Location Deck
The Location Deck is a face-down deck containing all Location cards not currently in play or in the
Line-up. (See Game Setup)

Player Deck
Each player has their own face-down deck which contains the cards they have bought or gained
throughout the game.

Hand
Cards in a player's hand are concealed from other players unless an ability says otherwise.
A player may have any number of cards in their hand.

Bin
Cards that have been bought, gained, or played throughout a player's turn are put in their bin.
Cards that are played during a player's turn or that are left over in their hand are put into their bin
at the 'end of turn' phase.
All cards that become discarded are placed in their owner's bin.
This zone is considered open information, meaning all players may view these cards.

15
Play
The play zone is where Keeper cards are kept and includes any cards that have been played from a
players hand during their turn.

Destroy Pile
Cards that become destroyed are put into the Destroy Pile.
The Destroy Pile is empty at the beginning of the game and is not considered part of the Line-up.
Cards put into the Destroy Pile are kept face-up and considered open information for all players to
see.

Score Pile
Cards that have been scored are kept face-down beneath a players Trainer card.
Scored cards are kept secret and cannot be targeted by abilities.

Attack & Defense

Attacking
Attack abilities are considered activated abilities. (See Subtypes and Ability Types)
The zone from which each attack can be made is determined by the icon on the ability line. (See
Reading the Cards)
Attacks made from the Play Zone must be used at the time they are played and may only be used
once during that turn, not at a later time.
When an attack is made, all targets must be chosen before priority moves.
o Priority moves around the table before the attack resolves. (See Priority)
When all other game actions and abilities have resolved and priority returns to the active player, the
attack resolves.
o When an attack resolves, the text after the second colon (:) is carried out, and all targets and
players involved in the attack must complete what the attack entails.
o If a player uses a defense ability to avoid that attack, they are not considered to be involved in
the attack and do not suffer the effects of it.
o If all players that would be involved the attack avoid it, the attack does not resolve and the text
after the second colon is not carried out.

Defending
Defense abilities are considered activated abilities.
Whenever an attack is made, priority moves to each player in clockwise order.
When priority is received by a player who is under attack, they may use activated abilities available
to them, such as defense abilities.
A player may only use one defense ability per each attack they suffer.
When a defense ability resolves, the text after the second colon (:) is carried out.
When a player avoids an attack, they are not considered to be involved in the attack and do not
suffer the effects of it.
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Meeples & Traveling
Meeples
Each player chooses one of the five Meeples before the game begins.
Your Meeple determines where you are located in the Pokemon world.
Before the game begins, all Meeples are placed on the same Tall Grass card in the Line-up. (See
Game Setup)
The Location your Meeple is located on grants you the ability of that card. (See Subtypes & Ability
Types)
When a player travels to a Location, they move their Meeple to that Location.
If a Location occupied by one or more Meeples would leave the Play Zone, all Meeples on that
Location are moved to their owner's Trainer card.
o Meeples located on their Trainer card may travel as normal.

Traveling
Traveling means to move your Meeple from its current Location to another available Location card.
Players may travel to available Locations in the Line-up or to Locations owned by players in the Play
Zone. (See Zones of Play)
A player cannot travel to a Location they are already located on.
Non-active players cannot spend Energy to travel during the active player's turn.
There are two methods of traveling:
1) Spending Energy to Travel:
When the active player has accumulated enough Energy to pay the cost within a
Location's cost circle, they must declare their intent to travel to that card.
Priority moves around the table before traveling resolves. (See Priority)
When all other game actions and abilities have resolved and priority returns to the active
player, if they still have the required amount of Energy, traveling then resolves.
When traveling resolves, the active player subtracts an amount of Energy from their
Energy Pool equal to the number within the Location's cost circle.
The active player then moves their Meeple to the Location they intended to travel to.
If priority returns to the active player and they no longer have enough Energy to
travel to that Location, their turn continues as normal. (See Turn Structure)
2) Using a Card Ability to Travel:
Certain cards allow players to travel when played, activated, or triggered.
When a card ability allows a player to travel, priority does not move around the table, it
simply resolves.

17
Gym Leaders & Badges
Gym Leaders are the highest-ranking members of their gym and
serve the purpose of testing the skill, strength, and cunning of each
trainer along their journey. Players must challenge Gym Leaders to
Gym Battles in order to earn their Badge. Badges give players
Experience Points and can have a variety of triggered, per turn,
activated or static abilities.
Gym Leaders cannot be bought or gained, they must be
defeated in a Gym Battle.
A Gym Leader must be available in order to be challenged. (See
Availability & Targeting)
Gym Leaders can only be challenged by the active player
during their 'Middle of Turn' phase. (See Gameplay)
A player cannot defeat a Gym Leader more than once.
If you own the Badge of an available Gym Leader, you may use
a "Tall Grass" card to put that Gym Leader on the bottom of its
pile. (See Tall Grass)

Challenging Gym Leaders

When the active player has accumulated enough Energy to pay
the cost within a Gym Leader's cost circle, they must declare
their intent to challenge that Gym Leader to a Gym Battle.
o Priority moves around the table before the Gym Battle
resolves. (See Priority)
When all other game actions and abilities have resolved and
priority returns to the active player, if they still have the
required amount of Energy, the Gym Battle then resolves.
o When a Gym Battle resolves, the active player subtracts
an amount of Energy from their Energy pool equal to the
number within the Gym Leader's Cost Circle.
o The active player resolves the ability text box of the
defeated Gym Leader, then puts that Gym Leader on the
bottom of its pile.
o If priority returns to the active player and they no longer
have enough Energy to defeat the Gym Leader, their turn
continues as normal. (See Turn Structure)

Badges
Badges are gained when Gym Leaders are defeated during a Gym Battle.
Each Badge awards a player Experience Points and has an ability.
When a player has gained a number of Badges equal to or exceeding the Badge Goal, the final round
of turns is initiated. (See Ending the Game)
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Trainer Cards
Each player chooses a Trainer card before the game begins.
(See Game Setup)
Trainers have the 'Keeper' subtype and stay in play
throughout the entire game.
Each Trainer has a unique ability that makes them stand
out from the others.
Trainer cards cannot be destroyed.
If a Location with one or more Meeples becomes discarded
from play, those Meeples are place on their owner's Trainer
card.

Subtypes & Ability Types

Pokemon Subtypes
There are 18 Pokemon subtypes, all of which are
represented by icons.
A Pokemon can have multiple subtypes.
Each Pokemon subtype is listed below:

NPC Subtypes
There are 4 NPC subtypes, three of which are represented by icons.
The Gym Leader subtype doesn't have an icon because Gym Leaders are not played from hand. (See
Gym Leaders)
Each NPC subtype is listed below:
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Keeper
Cards with the 'Keeper' subtype are not discard from play at the end of turn. (See Gameplay)

Ability Type
Ability types are always contained within parenthesis ( ).
Ability types are used to identify the nature of the text within the card's Ability Text Box. (See
Reading the Cards)
A card with multiple ability types are separated by a dash (/), and correspond respectively with the
abilities of the card.
There are 4 Ability Types:
o (Activated)
Activated abilities require a cost to be paid in order to utilize the ability.
Activated abilities are easy to spot because the cost to activate them are always
underlined, written in bold text, and followed by a colon (:).
Unless the ability says otherwise, activated abilities can be used at any time as long as the
cost can be paid.
o (Per Turn)
Per Turn abilities allow a player to use the card's ability once each turn without paying
any cost.
For each time a player travels to a Location with a Per Turn ability, they may use that
ability again. (See Meeples & Traveling)
For example: If a player owns a card with a Per Turn ability, they may use it once
during their turn. If that player then travels to that Location during their turn, they
may use that ability again. If they travel away from and then back to that Location,
they may use the ability for a third time.
o (Triggered)
Triggered abilities require some condition to be met in order for the ability to resolve.
Triggered abilities use the words when, whenever, or at in their description and only
trigger when certain events take place.
Triggered abilities always resolve before that game action that caused it to be triggered.
o (Static)
Static abilities create an ongoing effect that alters the game in some way.
Static abilities do not require any cost to be paid, nor do they require any condition to be
met. They simply add a constant effect to the game state.

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Tall Grass
Tall Grass cards have a Per Turn ability that allow players
to choose between one of the following options:
o Move target card from the Line-up on a Location to a
different pile in the Line-up containing a Location.
o If you own the badge of target Gym Leader, put that
Gym Leader on the bottom of its pile.
Option One
The first ability allows players to move non-Location cards
in the Line-up with a Location to different piles containing a
Location card.
This allows players to access cards that were previously
unavailable.
You cannot move cards to piles that do not contain a
Location card and you cannot move cards to Locations
outside of the Line-up.
Locations with three cards on them cannot have more cards moved to them.
Option Two
The second ability allows a player to put the current Gym Leader on the bottom of its pile as long as
they own the Badge of that Gym Leader.
This allows players to access new Gym Leaders when the pile cycles back around, or to strategically
cut other players off from defeating certain Gym Leaders.

Misstep Cards
Missteps represent the things that go wrong during your
journey throughout the Pokemon world.
Each player begins the game with three Misstep cards in their
Starting Deck.
Certain cards and abilities can be used to gain or force
opponents to gain Misstep cards.
Misstep cards are gained from the Misstep Pile unless an ability
says otherwise.
o If an ability would cause a player to gain a Misstep card
when the pile is empty, they cannot gain that Misstep card.
The Misstep Pile sits face-up on the table within reach of all
players and contains the remaining Misstep cards not used
after creating Starting Decks. (See Game Setup)
The Misstep Pile is not considered part of the Line-up.
Missteps have negative 1 XP value.
Missteps do nothing when played from hand.

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Destroying & Replacing Cards
The Destroy Pile
When a card becomes destroyed it's put into the Destroy Pile.
The Destroy Pile is empty at the beginning of the game and is not considered part of the Line-up.
Cards put into the Destroy Pile are kept face-up and are considered open information for all players
to see.

Destroying Cards
Destroying cards is incredibly powerful because it allows players to remove unwanted cards from
their deck, thus ensuring theyll never be drawn again.
An ability that destroys a card will always specify from which zone the card is destroyed. (See Zones
of Play)
When a card is destroyed, put it face-up into the Destroy Pile.

Replacing Cards
Replacing a card means that the card has been destroyed but is replaced in the Line-up by another
card.
An ability that destroys and replaces a card will always specify from which zone the card is
destroyed and from where the replacement will come.

Discarding Cards
When a card becomes discarded it is put into its owner's bin.
An ability that causes a player to discard a card will always specify from which zone the card is
discarded from.
If a single ability causes more than one card to be discarded from one or more zones, all cards are
discarded at the same time.

The Bin & Shuffling

The Bin
A bin is a face-up pile where cards are put when they are bought, gained, or discarded.
Players have their own separate bins.
Bins are kept face-up near each player's deck and are considered open information for all players to
see.
The cards in each player's bin can be kept in any order.
A card is put in to a player's bin when one of the following occurs:
o A card they own becomes discarded;
o They buy or gain a card;
o When an ability puts a card directly into a bin;
o At the 'end of turn' phase, all cards played by the active player and all card left in their hand
are put into their bin, excluding cards in play with the 'Keeper' subtype.

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Shuffling
Shuffling means to randomize the cards in your deck.
Shuffling occurs in response to one of the following game actions:
o If there are no cards in your deck, and an ability YOU control would cause you to draw, discard,
reveal, or look at a card from your deck, immediately shuffle your bin and create a new deck,
then complete the action.
o If there are no cards in your deck, and an ability an OPPONENT controls would cause you to
discard, reveal, or look at a card from your deck, you do NOT shuffle your bin to make a new
deck.
If an ability of an opponent forces you to draw a card from an empty deck, you must
shuffle your bin and draw that card.
If an ability of an opponent forces you to shuffle your bin into your deck, you must
complete the game action.

Investigating, Scoring, Coins & Dice

Investigating

Investigating means to look at a certain number of cards from the top of your deck, and to put those
cards on the top or bottom of your deck in any order.
The word 'Investigate' will always be followed by a number, which indicates how many cards you
look at from the top of your deck.

Scoring

When a player Scores one or more cards, they take that many cards from the top of a single Main
Deck of their choice and place them face down under their Trainer card.
The ability that allows Scoring will always be followed by a number which indicates how many
cards are to be scored.
At the end of the game, each card a player has scored is worth 1 Experience Point.
There is no limit to the number of cards a player can Score.
If there are no cards in any Main Deck, cards cannot be scored.

Flipping Coins

A card ability that flips a coin will always specify how many coins are to be flipped and what results
from the flip.

Rolling Dice & Counters

A card ability that rolls a die will always specify how many dice are to be rolled and what results
from the roll.
The number of die that must be rolled is determined with the following convention:
o 1d6 = one six-sided die.
o 2d6 = two six-sided die.
Some cards require that counters be placed on them. Dice are used as counters, and the face of each
die is used to count the number of counters that are on any given card.

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Alternate Game Types
Below feature three alternate game types, however, feel free to create your own game types and
alternate rules.

Single Player
Badge Goal: 8
Objective:
o The objective is to finish the game while taking the least amount of turns possible.
o When you finish the game, record the following information.
Trainer and Starter Pokmon used;
Number of turns taken;
Final Score;
Number of Badges Earned;
Special Rules:
o Whenever a card with an Attack ability enters the Line-up, you become attacked by that
card.
o Whenever you make an Attack, instead, Score 1.

2-Player Competitive
Badge Goal: 6-8
Special Rules:
o Players must play with multiple expansions.
o During Game Setup, prior to choosing Trainer cards and starting with the first player, each
player chooses a Trainer and Starter Pokmon card they wish to eject.
o A card that has been ejected cannot be chosen as a Trainer or Starter Pokmon.

Multi-Trainer
Badge Goal: Any
Special Rules:
o When choosing Trainer cards, each player chooses two Trainers instead of one.
o When choosing Starter Pokmon, each player chooses two Starters instead of one.
o Players start with five Energy cards in their starting deck instead of 6.

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