The rulebook that comes in a starter deck runs to a dozen pages, but the actual game is quick to pick up once you've seen a turn or two played out.
What you need
A legal deck is exactly 60 cards: a mix of Pokémon, Trainer and Energy cards. You can run up to 4 copies of any individual card, except Basic Energy cards, which have no limit. Each player also needs 6 Prize cards set aside at the start of the game — these come from your own deck, not a separate pool.
How a turn works
On your turn you draw a card, then you can play Basic Pokémon from your hand, attach one Energy card, play Trainer cards, evolve your Pokémon, retreat your Active Pokémon for a Benched one, and finally attack. Attacking ends your turn, so it's usually the last thing you do.
How you actually win
There are three routes to victory: knock out Pokémon until you've claimed all 6 of your Prize cards, knock out every Pokémon your opponent has in play with none left to send out, or have your opponent unable to draw a card on their turn because their deck is empty.
Starting your first deck
Building a deck from scratch is a rabbit hole best saved for later. A pre-built theme deck is tournament-legal, already balanced, and lets you learn the game without decision paralysis over which 60 cards to run. Once you've got a feel for it, picking up singles to fill gaps — commons and uncommons from Pitch Black or Phantasmal Flames — is the natural next step.
Frequently asked questions
How many cards do you need to play Pokémon TCG?
Exactly 60 cards per deck, with a maximum of 4 copies of any card except Basic Energy.
How do you win a game of Pokémon TCG?
By claiming all 6 Prize cards, knocking out every Pokémon your opponent has in play, or forcing them to run out of cards to draw.
What's the easiest way to start playing?
A pre-built theme deck — tournament-legal and balanced, with no deck-building required.