Pokémon TCG Glossary
Every Pokémon Trading Card Game word you'll hear, explained in simple language. Perfect for new trainers and for parents catching up.
- Ability
- A special power printed on a Pokémon card that works without attacking, as long as the Pokémon is in play.
- Attack
- A move printed on a Pokémon card. You pay its Energy cost to deal damage or create an effect during your turn.
- Basic Pokémon
- A Pokémon that can be played straight from your hand without evolving from anything else.
- Booster Pack
- A sealed pack of randomly selected cards from a specific Pokémon TCG set.
- Bench
- The area beside your Active Pokémon where up to five extra Pokémon wait to be brought into play.
- Damage Counter
- A marker placed on a Pokémon to track how much damage it has taken.
- Deck
- The 60-card collection a player builds and plays with in a standard Pokémon TCG match.
- Energy Card
- A card you attach to a Pokémon so it can pay for attacks. Each type of Energy matches a Pokémon type.
- Evolution
- Playing a Stage 1 or Stage 2 card on top of the matching Pokémon to make it stronger.
- Expansion / Set
- A themed batch of new Pokémon cards released together, identified by a set symbol on each card.
- Full Art
- A card where the artwork covers the entire card face rather than sitting inside a frame.
- Holo (Holofoil)
- A card with a shiny foil finish, usually across the artwork area.
- HP (Hit Points)
- The amount of damage a Pokémon can take before it is knocked out.
- Knocked Out
- What happens when damage on a Pokémon reaches or passes its HP. The card goes to the discard pile and the opponent takes a prize card.
- Mint / Near Mint
- Condition grades describing how well a card has been kept. Mint means essentially flawless.
- Prize Card
- One of six cards set aside at the start of a game. You take one each time you knock out an opponent's Pokémon.
- Rarity Symbol
- The small symbol at the bottom of a card: circle (common), diamond (uncommon), star (rare).
- Resistance
- A printed reduction in damage a Pokémon takes from a specific type of attack.
- Retreat Cost
- The Energy you must discard to swap your Active Pokémon with a Benched Pokémon.
- Reverse Holo
- A card where the foil covers the card frame instead of the artwork.
- Sleeve / Toploader
- Protective plastic used to keep cards from bending, scratching, or getting dirty.
- Stage 1 / Stage 2
- Evolution levels. Stage 1 evolves from a Basic Pokémon; Stage 2 evolves from a Stage 1.
- Trainer Card
- A support card that is not a Pokémon or Energy. Trainer cards include Items, Supporters, and Stadiums.
- Type
- A Pokémon's element — such as Fire, Water, Grass, Lightning, or Psychic — which decides its Energy and matchups.
- Weakness
- A type that deals extra damage to a Pokémon, printed near the bottom of the card.