Deck
The deck (Japanese: デッキ deck; 山札 deck) contains the cards used by players of the Pokémon Trading Card Game. An official deck is either purchased or built with 60 cards, composed of Pokémon cards, Energy cards, and Trainer cards. The term Deck, however, is a general term that may mean a player Constructed Deck, Deck archetype, Half Deck, Preconstructed Deck (Theme Deck or Trainer kit), or World Championship Deck.
Terminology
In Japanese, the word デッキ refers to a deck configuration (the set of cards found in a deck), while the word 山札 refers to the deck pile from which the cards are drawn (as in the phrases "shuffle the deck", "draw a card from the deck"). They are equally translated as "deck" in English.
Gameplay
At the start of a match, both players shuffle their decks and draw the top 7 cards. They are not allowed to see the cards in the deck or change the order of the cards during the game except as the effect of certain cards. Some cards also allow the player to draw cards or return cards to the deck.
The player draws a card from the top of the deck at the start of each turn. If a player is out of cards in the deck at the start of the turn, they lose the game.
Deck building
The deck is required to have at least one Basic Pokémon. A deck can have up to four Pokémon or Trainer cards of the same name, but there is no limit of Energy cards. For instance, it is possible to have four Bulbasaur cards. The Pokémon cards with the same name may have some differences such as their HP or attacks.
In the case of variations of the same Pokémon species, it is possible to have four of each card as long as they have different names, such as four "Meowth", four "Alolan Meowth", four "Galarian Meowth", and four "Team Rocket's Meowth" cards in the same deck.
Pokémon LV.X and δ Delta Species cards count as cards of the same name as the regular cards. Cards such as Pokémon-EX, Pokémon ex, Pokémon 
, and the different varieties of Pokémon SP cards (Pokémon 
, Pokémon 
, Pokémon 
, Pokémon 
, Pokémon 
, and Pokémon 
) count as cards with different names. For instance, the player can have a combination of up to four Gengar or Gengar LV.X cards in addition to four Gengar ex cards.
In the case of Pokémon V-UNION, a group of four matching cards of the same name are pieces of a single larger card. Only one four-card group of each name is allowed. The four cards must be from the same group, specifically from the same set and artist, with consecutive numbers, with no possibility of mixing between two card groups in the same deck. For instance, the deck can contain the four Pikachu V-UNION cards as well as the four Mewtwo V-UNION cards, but although there are multiple prints of the Morpeko V-UNION, only one of them is allowed per deck.
The deck is allowed to contain no more than a single ACE SPEC card, a single Radiant Pokémon, and one of each Prism Star card.
Constructed Deck
- See Deck list for examples
A Constructed Deck (also referred to as Full Deck) is a 60-card deck built by a player from that player's own Pokémon Trading Card Game collection. These decks often follow a certain Deck archetype in their design and structure. While there are many competing theories and strategies as to the best balance of card types (Pokémon, Energy, and Trainer) in a 60-card deck, a common theory for beginner players is: 2/5th Pokémon (24), 2/5th Trainers (24), 1/5th Energy (12).
Deck archetype
- Main article: Deck archetype (TCG)
- Also see the Deck archetypes list.
A Deck archetype is a player Constructed Deck utilizing a set structure or theme (a certain Pokémon type and/or Energy type, specific Pokémon cards and/or Trainer cards, etc.). Various players often have slight differences between their own decks of the same archetype. These decks are a great way for players to gain inspiration and see how others have used cards that may be available in their own player collection.
Booster pack
- Main article: Booster pack (TCG)
Booster packs are not decks, but in certain contexts their contents are used as a deck. The Pack Battle format uses decks created from a single booster pack plus 10 Basic Energy cards. Limited formats in general involve the opening of a certain number of booster packs then building a deck from their contents and any number of Basic Energy cards. Some formats include the opening of other products, such as a Build & Battle Box. In such cases the cards from those products can also be used in deck construction.
Preconstructed Deck
Half Deck
- Main article: Half Deck (TCG)
- Also see the TCG half decks list.
The Half Deck is popular among many Pokémon Trading Card Game players, particularly in Japan. In Half Deck play, both players use Preconstructed 30-card decks instead of a traditional 60-card one and lays out three Prize cards instead of six. Numerous official Half Decks have been released in Japan.
Theme Deck
- Main article: Theme deck (TCG)
- Also see the Theme Decks list and the Exclusive Online Theme Decks list.
A Theme Deck is a Preconstructed 60-card deck that is sold pre-packaged. Most Theme Decks are designed with a specific strategy (such as Special Conditions) or theme (such as first partner Pokémon) in mind. They tend not to be as strong as player Constructed Decks, but can otherwise be a sound introduction to the game for new players since they have all the cards necessary for a single player to begin playing immediately.
Trainer Kit
Similar to Theme Decks, Trainer Kits, such as the Black & White Trainer Kit, come with two Preconstructed 30-card Half Decks, which may be combined to form one complete 60-card deck or can be built upon with a player's own cards to make two 60-card play decks. Trainer Kits also typically include game aids such as Booster packs, a rulebook, a double-player play mat, damage counters, Special Conditions, a Coin, and a deck box – almost everything a single player could need to begin playing immediately. In the Pokémon Trading Card Game Online's Trainer Challenge, special Theme Decks combining both Half Decks can be obtained by redeeming the codes from some of these Kits. The Current Trainer Kits include:
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World Championship Deck
- Main article: World Championships Deck (TCG)
- Also see the World Championship Decks list.
Similar to Theme Decks, World Championship Decks are purchasable non-tournament-legal prints of 60-card decks used by World Championship players. Like browsing Deck archetype decks, these decks are a great way for players to gain inspiration and see how others have used cards that may be available in their own player collection. They also offer a quick and easy way for players to see what is like to play some of the top player Constructed Decks in the world.
In the video games
Pokémon Trading Card Game and Pokémon Trading Card Game 2: The Invasion of Team GR!
- Main article: Deck (TCG GB)
In the video games Pokémon Trading Card Game and Pokémon Trading Card Game 2: The Invasion of Team GR!, duelists use 60-card decks. The player may have up to 4 decks and save additional customized decks in the Deck Save Machine. Additional predefined deck configurations may be built with the Auto Deck Machines if the player has all the required cards. The decks are edited using the Deck option in the menu.
Pokémon Trading Card Game Online and Pokémon Trading Card Game Live
In Pokémon Trading Card Game Online and Pokémon Trading Card Game Live, a deck is merely a collection of cards following rules on the maximum number of cards with a given name in the same deck. However, in order to be played in any mode a deck has to be a valid deck, which does have to adhere to all normal deck construction rules for a given format. (TCG Live enforces this by preventing an invalid deck from being set as the Active Deck.) It does have to have exactly 60 cards, with rules for the number of cards in a deck of a specific name being followed, and cannot have any cards which are not legal or banned in the format. Additionally, the player has to own every card in the deck in order for it to be valid. The ____ function in TCG Online and the Test Deck function in TCG Live waive the latter requirement, allowing a player to play with an invalid deck against computer opponents as long as the only reason the deck is invalid is that the player does not own cards in the deck.
A deck has a Deck Box, Card Sleeves, and a Coin. The Deck Box is displayed before each game, and in Pokémon Trading Card Game Online is placed next to the Bench during the game. Card Sleeves determine what unrevealed cards from the deck look like. The coin is used for any coin flips the player performs during the game.
Decks can be named to help differentiate which one they are, though these names are not shown during gameplay. A deck can also be duplicated, or have the decklist exported to the user's clipboard. Of course, decks can be deleted as easily as they are created.
In Pokémon Trading Card Game Online, Theme Decks are special objects. Their contents cannot be changed, nor can their Deck Box, Card Sleeves, or Coin. In those cases, the sleeves are always the default Pokémon card back, and the Coin and Deck Box are the same as in the product. Theme Decks are the only decks legal in the Theme format.
Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket
- Main article: Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket → Gameplay
Due to the simpler rules and mechanics used when battling in Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket, decks are structured very differently to those in the Pokémon Trading Card Game and associated video games. Decks in Pokémon TCG Pocket contain only 20 cards, all of which are Pokémon cards and Trainer cards due to the absence of Energy cards; additionally, only two copies of cards with the same name can be included in a deck. Decks are unlocked once players complete the basic lessons in the battle guide, and deck missions are unlocked once players reach level 3 in the game.
When creating a deck, players can customise the deck's name and the colour of the deck box, and can also choose a coin and playmat to use in battles. Up to three cards can be chosen to highlight the deck, the first of which will be displayed on the front of the deck box, while any others will be displayed next to it. Players will also be able to choose up to three types of Energy to use with the deck; these will be generated once per turn from the Energy Zone or produced by the effects of a card (such as an attack or a Trainer card), and if more than one type of Energy is selected when creating a deck, the Energy generated will be chosen at random.
Starting with Genetic Apex, a number of new preconstructed decks and related deck missions are made available alongside each new expansion. There are two primary methods of obtaining these decks via missions:
- Rental decks are usually obtained by collecting the deck's highlight card(s), as shown in the deck mission. Players do not need to own any other cards from the deck, but can only use the rental deck a maximum of 10 times.
- Theme deck lists are usually obtained by collecting all 20 cards in the deck. Players can use a theme deck list to immediately construct that deck, as long as they still own all required cards.
Deck missions and theme deck lists do not require a specific version of a card; instead, any functionally identical cards from the same expansion will count towards completion of the mission.
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This article is part of Project TCG, a Bulbapedia project that aims to report on every aspect of the Pokémon Trading Card Game. |