Series 1
Series 1
So many cards, so little time...At first ALL these cards can be confusing. Don't worry, it is really pretty simple...Well...now it is starting to get confusing. This page covers the what I call the Series 1 cards. These are the first cards that we were able to start collecting and playing with.
The cards and preconstructed decks listed on this page may not be available any more except through card dealers or auction web sites. But never fear, Series 2 is basically the same Pokémon but with some minor differences.
If you are just starting out you may want to start with the Series 2 page.
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Collect or Play The Cards How Cards Are Packaged Player Levels, The Card Deck |
Card Chart Card Map Collecting Fake Pokémon Cards |
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Collect or Play
You can just collect these cards and put them away, look at them once in a while and hope they are worth something years later. Or you can actually PLAY with these cards!
I recommend playing with the cards and enjoying the game. The only cards I would recommend saving are any "First Edition" cards and maybe some of the holographic cards. More later on collecting.
The Cards
The complete set of Pokémon Trading Cards contains 228 individual cards. All the cards have a Rarity Symbol located on the lower right. The cards with a Star are Rare and harder to find. There are 47 holographic foil cards that are Rare and hard to find. The cards with a Diamond are Uncommon and easier to find. The cards with a Circle are Common and the easiest to find.
These cards are broke down into 3 card sets:
- Base Set
- 102 cards, 16 are holographic.
- Jungle Set
- 64 cards, 16 are holographic.
- Fossil Set
- 62 cards, 15 are holographic.
Within these sets are 4 types of cards:
- Basic Pokémon Cards
- These are your main cards. These are your Pokémon in there basic form. They do all the fighting for you.
- Evolution Cards
- Some Pokémon can evolve into bigger, better Pokémon. That's what these cards do. Even some evolved Pokémon can evolve again.
- Trainer Cards
- These cards are great! They can really help you win your battles. Some cards let you remove damage from a damaged Pokémon.
- Energy Cards
- These cards give your Pokémon the power they need to battle. There are several types of energy - Fighting, Fire, Grass, Lightning, Psychic, and Water.
How Cards Are Packaged
Player Levels, The Card Deck
The way the cards are packaged and the player levels seem to go hand in hand. The player levels and packaging are as follows:
- Starter Level
- There is only one item on this level, the 2 Player Starter Set (see Card Chart below).
- Advanced Level
- The items on this level are the Preconstructed Theme Decks. Currently there are 8 Theme Decks (see Card Chart below).
- Expert Level
- The only item on this level is the Booster Packs. These packs contain random cards to collect and to build your own deck to battle with (see Card Chart below).
For game play, each player has a deck of 60 cards (except for the 2 Player Starter Set). Out of each deck you can not have more than 4 of any one card other than energy cards. To make things easy you can buy Preconstructed Theme Decks. The way these Theme Decks are put together they will teach you Pokémon strategies and deckbuilding. It is also a good way to start your collection.
Repeat Cards
Remember the sports, Star Wars, King Kong trading cards? You could buy 10 packs and half would be repeats. I always hated that and quit buying those things. With the Pokémon Trading Card Game you WANT repeats! This is a GOOD THING! So don't get discouraged if you do have repeat cards. Consider this, if you build your own deck you want about 25 to 30 energy cards. You NEED repeats.
