Pokemon TCG Glossary

69 terms covering rules, mechanics, card types, rarities, and formats.

A B C D E G H I K L M N O P R S T U W

A

Active Pokemon: The Pokemon in the front position that attacks and takes hits from the opponent's attacks.
Ability: A special power on a Pokemon card that can be used at any time during your turn (unless restricted by another effect).
Attack: An action a Pokemon can take on your turn by paying the listed Energy cost. Attacks deal damage and may have additional effects.
Archetype: A recognizable and established deck strategy built around a specific Pokemon or mechanic, like Charizard ex or Gardevoir ex.

B

Bench: The zone where you keep up to 5 Pokemon in reserve behind your Active Pokemon.
Basic Pokemon: Pokemon cards that can be played directly to your Bench without evolving from another card.
Booster Pack: A sealed pack containing 10 cards from a specific set, including guaranteed commons, uncommons, and at least one rare.
Booster Box: A factory-sealed box of 36 booster packs from a single set. The primary purchase for collectors and investors.
BGS (Beckett Grading Services): A major grading company that grades cards using four sub-scores (centering, corners, edges, surface) averaged to a final grade.

C

Common: The most frequently pulled rarity in booster packs, marked with a circle symbol. Generally the least valuable cards.
CGC (Certified Guaranty Company): A third major grading company, popular for its faster turnaround times and competitive pricing compared to PSA and BGS.

D

Damage Counter: A counter placed on a Pokemon representing 10 damage. When counters total the Pokemon's HP, it is Knocked Out.
Decklist: The specific 60-card list used in a deck, including card names, set codes, and quantities.
Draw Engine: The combination of cards in a deck that enables consistent card drawing to find what you need each turn.
Disruption: Deck strategies or individual cards designed to slow down or hinder the opponent's setup and strategy.

E

Expanded Format: A Pokemon TCG format that uses cards from Black & White onward, giving access to a much larger card pool than Standard.
Energy: Cards attached to Pokemon to power their attacks. Basic Energy matches a Pokemon type; Special Energy provides unique effects.
Evolution: The process of placing a higher Stage card on top of a Basic or Stage 1 Pokemon to power it up.

G

Graded Card: A card that has been professionally authenticated, evaluated for condition, and sealed in a tamper-proof plastic case (slab).

H

HP (Hit Points): The number of damage points a Pokemon can take before it is knocked out. Printed in the upper right corner of the card.
Holo Rare: A Rare card with a holographic (foil) artwork, creating a shimmery effect. Marked with a star.
Heavily Played (HP): A card in poor condition with severe wear, creases, or damage affecting the card's structural integrity.

I

Item Card: Trainer cards that can be played any number of times per turn. Examples: Rare Candy, Ultra Ball, Quick Ball.
Item Lock: An effect that prevents the opponent from playing Item cards from their hand for the turn.

K

Knockout (KO): When a Pokemon's damage counters equal or exceed its HP, it is Knocked Out and sent to the discard pile.

L

Low Price: The lowest available listing price for a card on TCGPlayer in Near Mint condition.
Lightly Played (LP): A card condition with minor wear — slight scratches, soft corner whitening — but still presentable.
Lost Zone: A game zone separate from the discard pile. Cards placed in the Lost Zone are removed from the game entirely for the rest of the match.
Lost Box: A popular competitive deck archetype centered around sending cards to the Lost Zone to power up Cramorant and Mirage Gate.

M

Market Price: The current average sale price of a card on TCGPlayer, calculated from recent sold listings.
Mid Price: The median listing price for a card on TCGPlayer, representing the middle of the price range.
Meta (Metagame): The current competitive landscape of dominant decks and strategies in a given format.
Moderately Played (MP): A card with visible wear including creases, notable edge wear, or surface scuffs that are clearly visible.

N

Near Mint (NM): The highest playable condition grade for Pokemon cards. Minimal to no wear, suitable for competitive play.

O

One-Prize Attacker: A Pokemon that only gives up 1 Prize card when Knocked Out, used in decks to counteract multi-Prize strategy.

P

Prize Cards: Six cards set aside at the start of the game. You take one (or more) each time you Knock Out an opponent's Pokemon. The player who takes all 6 wins.
Pokemon ex: Pokemon cards introduced in the Scarlet & Violet era with high HP and powerful attacks. When Knocked Out, the opponent takes 2 Prize cards.
Pokemon V: Powerful Pokemon cards from the Sword & Shield era. When Knocked Out, the opponent takes 2 Prize cards.
Pokemon VMAX: Pokemon that evolve from Pokemon V with extremely high HP (often 300+). Giving up 3 Prize cards when Knocked Out.
Pokemon VSTAR: Pokemon that evolve from Pokemon V, featuring a VSTAR Power (either an attack or ability) that can be used once per game.
Pokemon GX: Powerful Pokemon from the Sun & Moon era with a GX attack that can be used once per game across all your GX cards.
Pokemon Tool: Trainer cards that attach to a Pokemon and provide a continuous effect. Each Pokemon can hold one Tool at a time.
Promo Card: Cards distributed through special events, products, or promotions rather than standard booster packs.
PSA (Professional Sports Authenticator): The largest and most recognized card grading company. Cards are graded on a 1-10 scale based on condition.

R

Rotation: The annual process where older sets are removed from Standard format legality, keeping the competitive card pool fresh.
Resistance: A type advantage printed on a Pokemon card. Attacks from the resistance type deal 30 less damage.
Retreat Cost: The number of Energy cards you must discard from your Active Pokemon to move it to the Bench.
Regulation Mark: A letter (A-H) on modern Pokemon cards indicating which Standard format rotation cycle they belong to.
Rare: Cards marked with a star symbol. The standard rare slot in a booster pack, guaranteed at least one per pack.
Raw Card: An ungraded Pokemon card, as opposed to a professionally graded card in a slab.

S

Standard Format: The most competitive Pokemon TCG format, using only cards from the most recent sets (typically the last 2-3 years). Rotations happen annually.
Special Condition: A status effect affecting a Pokemon: Asleep, Burned, Confused, Paralyzed, or Poisoned.
Special Energy: Energy cards with effects beyond providing basic Energy. Examples include Double Turbo Energy, Reversal Energy, and Triple Acceleration Energy.
Stage 1 Pokemon: Pokemon that evolve from a Basic Pokemon. They are generally more powerful than their Basic counterparts.
Stage 2 Pokemon: The fully evolved Pokemon that evolve from Stage 1. They have the highest stats and strongest attacks but require the most setup.
Supporter Card: Powerful Trainer cards limited to one use per turn. Examples: Professor's Research, Iono, Boss's Orders.
Stadium Card: Trainer cards placed in a central zone that affect both players. A new Stadium replaces any existing one.
Special Illustration Rare (SIR): The highest rarity in modern Scarlet & Violet sets, featuring full-art illustrated cards with unique artwork extending beyond the card border.
Secret Rare: Cards with a card number exceeding the official set total (e.g., 201/197). Among the rarest cards in any set.
Set: A collection of Pokemon cards released together with a shared theme, numbered 1 through the set total.
Series: A group of related sets released under the same generation banner (e.g., Scarlet & Violet, Sword & Shield, Sun & Moon).

T

Trainer Card: Non-Pokemon cards that provide items, supporters, stadiums, and tools to support your strategy.
TCGPlayer: The largest online marketplace for Pokemon TCG card buying and selling in the United States.
Tier: A ranking system for competitive decks. Tier 1 is dominant, Tier 2 is competitive, Tier 3 is viable but weaker.
Tech Card: A card included in a deck specifically to counter a common threat or exploit a weakness in the current meta.

U

Unlimited Format: A Pokemon TCG format where any card from any set in the game's history can be used, including Base Set cards from 1999.
Uncommon: A mid-tier rarity marked with a diamond symbol. More powerful than Commons but less rare than Rare cards.
Ultra Rare: Cards pulled at a lower rate than standard Rares. Includes Pokemon ex, Full Art, and similar high-rarity cards.

W

Weakness: A type disadvantage printed on a Pokemon card. Attacks from the weakness type deal double (×2) damage.