Rulings Compendium LVX - Pokemon Rulings Compendium

Transcription

The Pokémon Trading Card Game
Rulings Compendium LVX
The Compendium LVX was last updated: September 16, 2010, 7:11 pm
Introduction
The Compendium is a compilation of Official Rulings on the Pokémon Trading Card Game as presented
by Pokémon USA, Incorporated (PUI). Only official sources are located here, which, so far, includes the
online documents published via the Pokémon TCG website (http://www.go-pokemon.com/ ) and also the
Pokémon Rules Team Discussions. This compilation was designed to facilitate rulings at Pokémon
tournaments. There may not be an official Judge Accreditation procedure, but there are a surprisingly
large amount of rulings and errata that a Judge should be aware of!
First off, in case you are wondering about the "status" of using the older WotC rulings:
Q. What is the status of rulings that were made while WotC was in control of the
property?
A. Anything that was done for Pokémon, goes to PUI or... well, we're allowed to have
whatever work they produced for Pokémon. (Sep 11, 2003 PUI Rules Team)
Q.So unless something changes the way a card works, those rules should be OK
A. Yes! (Sep 11, 2003 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Will PUI endorse the Compendium as a ruling source for Players, League Leaders,
TOs and Judges, just as WotC has done in the past?
A. You can say that Pokémon. USA thinks you're a great resource. Endorse? Sure. (Sep
11, 2003 PUI Rules Team)
You can't get any better praise than that!
If you have doubts as to the accuracy of the Compendium, we have provided the source for each and
every one of these rulings, so that you may verify them if you wish. The vast majority of these rulings
are literal "copy-and-paste" from the chat transcripts themselves, although we have taken the liberty of
cleaning up spelling, grammar and punctuation (which are often less than optimal in real-time chats)
and we have edited for clarity. In some cases, we have added wording for clarity. These additions will
be inside [brackets]. This editing ensures the copyright of this work and will also help us to verify any
uncredited, "stolen" versions of the Rulings Compendium that might surface out there as unauthorized
copies of our work. Naughty, naughty!
Note, however, although we try to be accurate, we are not responsible for any inaccuracies that may
have crept into the work. If you believe you have found one, we certainly would be happy to have it
brought to our attention so that we can verify it and correct it, if needed. Please read our FAQ first,
however, before sending us any correspondence.
While all the information in here may be available elsewhere (namely, by asking PUI or by perusing
their website or archives), it has been sorted, cleaned up and organized by our team. It represents a
sizable expenditure of our time and effort in compiling it and keeping it current.
Chats & Rules Team Logs: July 6, 2000 - May 12, 2005
Rules Team Logs & Compendium Updates: May 19, 2005 - Present
PDA version of the Current Compendium: http://compendium.pokegym.net/compendium-lvx.pdb
Limited Use Authorization. We give permission for individuals to make copies of the Compendium
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Team
The Compendium LVX Team participates regularly on the PUI Rules Team in order to nominate, test
and record official rulings made by PUI, and to publish them in the Compendium. If you have linked to
our document or wish to contact us directly, please email us at the following address: compendium ~at~
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Thanks for using the Compendium. We hope this Compendium LVX provides the answers you need for
competing and judging in the amazing Pokémon Trading Card Game.
Sincerely,
Team Compendium LVX
THE COMPENDIUM LVX TEAM MEMBERS
Big Daddy Snorlax | bulbasnore | Chrisbo | Gym Leader Blaine | Pokepop
Special thanks to:
Master Trainer Jimmer for his time and work leading the PUI Rules Team
Koribouros, our inspiration and the original founder of this document
Rulings
Current rulings are organized into major categories, below. An alphabetical index of rulings by
individual entry groups is found at the end of the document.
Trainer,
Two on
Meta- Pokemon Pokemon Pokemon Supporter
Energy General
Team
Errata
Two
Index
Rulings Attacks Items
Powers and Stadium Cards Gameplay
Gameplay
Gameplay
Cards
Errata
OFFICIAL CARD TEXT CHANGES PUBLISHED
Ascension
BY
POKEMON USA. (TOP )
(Feebas - EX: Hidden Legends)
* EX Hidden Legends Feebas is receiving errata for its "Ascension"
attack to bring it in line with the Japanese version of the card. It should
read, "Flip a coin. If heads, search your deck for a card that evolves
from Feebas and put it on Feebas. (This counts as evolving Feebas.)
Shuffle your deck afterward." Please note that this only affects Feebas;
Vulpix's "Ascension" attack does not require a coin flip. (Jul 22, 2004
PUI Rules Team)
Balloon Berry
(Balloon Berry - Neo: Revelation; EX: Dragon)
* In the Japanese card, there is a text saying "If Balloon Berry is
attached to one of your Pokémon., the Pokémon.'s retreat cost is 0". So,
you should play Balloon Berry as if it negates the Pokémon.'s retreat
cost while attached to that Pokémon., not just when it actually attempts
to retreat. For example, Muk-EX's "Slimy Water" attack damage will be
reduced to only 40 against a Pokémon. with Balloon Berry attached to
it. (Nov 13, 2003 PUI Rules Team)
Blaze Roar
(Entei - DP:Secret Wonders)
Entei's "Blaze Roar" attack should say "discard 2 Fire Energy CARDS"
rather than just "discard 2 Fire Energy". (Nov 16, 2007 Pokemon
Organized Play News)
Brick Smash
(Machamp - EX: Hidden Legends)
* EX Hidden Legends Machamp is receiving errata for its "Brick
Smash" attack to bring it in line with the Japanese version of the card.
Weakness should be applied to the damage that Machamp deals. It
should read, "This attack's damage isn't affected by Resistance, PokéPowers, Poké-Bodies, or any other effects on the Defending Pokémon."
(Aug 21, 2004 Pokémon World Championships Announcements)
Buffer (Jumpluff - EX: Team Rocket Returns; Skiploom - EX:Team Rocket Returns;
Hoppip - EX:Team Rocket Returns)
* The Poké-BODY "Buffer" found on Hoppip, Skiploom, and Jumpluff
should read, "If Hoppip/Skiploom/Jumpluff would be Knocked Out by
damage from an opponent's attack, flip a coin...". So only attacks that
do damage (not "place counters") would cause Buffer to be invoked.
(Apr 5, 2005 PUI Announcements; Apr 7, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
Claw Fossil
(Ex: Sandstorm)
* While in play, Mysterious Fossil, Claw Fossil, and Root Fossil, count
as both Trainer cards and as Pokémon. Previous rulings did not
consider them to be "Trainer cards" while in play. (Apr 5, 2005 PUI
Announcements; Apr 7, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
Cold Crush
Returns)
(Articuno EX - EX:Fire Red / Leaf Green; Dark Golduck - EX:Team Rocket
* Blastoise-EX and Articuno-EX each have an attack that discards an
Energy card from the Defending Pokémon. The player using those
attacks is also the player who chooses the Energy card to be discarded.
(Jul 25, 2006 PUI Announcements)
Craggy Face
(Glalie - Mysterious Treasures)
* Some abilities referring to "Stage 2 Evolved Pokémon" are receiving
errata. These cards do not care if the Pokémon is evolved or not, only if
it is a Stage 2 Pokémon. So, Stage 2 Pokémon put into play with
abilities like Garchomp LV.X's "Restore" attack still count for these
abilities. Glalie's correct card text should read: "(Poké-Body) Craggy
Face - As long as Glalie is your Active Pokémon, any damage done by
attacks from your opponent's Stage 2 Pokémon is reduced by 20 (after
applying Weakness and Resistance)". (May 1, 2009 Pokemon Organized
Play News; May 7, 2009 PUI Rules Team)
Crush and Burn
(Electrode EX - EX:Fire Red / Leaf Green)
* Electrode-EX's "Crush and Burn" attack does extra damage based on
the number of Energy cards discarded, not the amount of Energy
provided. Official Wording: You may discard as many Energy cards as
you like attached to your Pokémon in play. If you do, this attack does
30 damage plus 20 more damage for each Energy card you discarded.
(Dec 16, 2004 PUI Announcements)
Darkness Chant
(Banette - EX: Hidden Legends)
Q. Does Darkness Chant require the owning player to count either
Basics OR Evolutions in the discard pile, or can both be counted
together?
A. The attack is intended to count both Basics AND Evolutions, not one
or the other. (Jun 17, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
Dialga
(Platinum)
* Dialga from the Platinum expansion is receiving errata to address an
incorrect card template for the parallel holo version of the card. Dialga
(Platinum, 23/127) should use the Metal-type card template, rather than
the Colorless-type card template. (Feb 26, 2009 Pokemon Organized
Play News)
Discharge
(Electivire - DP: Secret Wonders)
* Electivire's "Discharge" attack should say "for each Electric Energy
CARD" rather than just "for each Electric Energy". (Nov 16, 2007
Pokemon Organized Play News)
Double Rainbow Energy
(EX:Team Magma/Team Aqua)
* Double Rainbow Energy should be applied *before* applying
Weakness and Resistance. This brings it in line with the Japanese
version of the card. (Oct 1, 2004 PUI Announcements)
Drowzee
(EX:Fire Red / Leaf Green)
* For purposes of proper Pokémon names, treat all cards referring to
"Drowsee" as "Drowzee". For example, you cannot have four
"Drowsee" plus four "Drowzee" in your deck. (Sep 2, 2004 PUI Rules
Team)
Energy Healer
(Onix - Unleashed)
* Three cards have been added to the list of errata for the Pokémon
Trading Card Game. [...] The text below reflects what the card should
say, not what was originally printed. "When you attach an Energy card
from your hand to Onix, remove a damage counter from Onix." This
Poké-Body only works when you attach an Energy card to Onix. (May
6, 2010 PUI Rules Team; May 7, 2010 TPCi TCG Errata Update)
Energy Shift
(Electrode - DP:Secret Wonders)
* Electrode is receiving errata for the card to reflect that its Poké-Power
can trigger when any attack Knocks Out Electrode, not just during its
owner's turn. "If Electrode would be Knocked Out by damage from an
attack, you may use this power. Electrode isn’t discarded. Instead,
attach it as an Energy card to 1 of your Pokémon. While attached, this
card is a Special Energy card and provides every type of Energy but
provides only 1 Energy at a time. (Has no effect other than providing
Energy.)" (Dec 6, 2007 PUI Rules Team; Jan 29, 2008 Pokemon
Evolutionary Gas
(Skuntank - Stormfront)
* Skuntank is receiving errata for its "Evolutionary Gas" Poké-Power.
Evolutionary Gas's effect ends when the Defending Pokémon is no
longer the opponent's Active Pokémon. The correct card text should
read, "Once during your turn (before your attack), when you play
Skuntank from your hand to evolve 1 of your Active Pokémon, you
may choose 1 of the Defending Pokémon. If that Pokémon tries to
attack during your opponent's next turn, that attack does nothing. (If the
Defending Pokémon is no longer your opponent's Active Pokémon, this
effect ends.)" (Feb 26, 2009 Pokemon Organized Play News)
Fainting Spell
(Gengar - Stormfront)
* Gengar is receiving errata for its Poke-POWER, "Fainting Spell".
Fainting Spell affects your opponent's Attacking Pokemon, not your
Defending Pokemon. The correct card text should read, "Once during
your opponent's turn, if Gengar would be Knocked Out by damage from
an attack, you may flip a coin. If heads, the Attacking Pokémon is
Knocked Out." (Nov 7, 2008 Pokemon Organized Play News)
Flame Bluster
(Magmortar Lv.X - Mysterious Treasures)
* Magmortar LV.X's "Flame Bluster" attack should say "discard 2 Fire
Energy CARDS" rather than just "discard 2 Fire Energy". (Nov 16,
2007 Pokemon Organized Play News)
Ghost Head
(Banette - DP:Secret Wonders)
* Banette is receiving errata for its first attack, Ghost Head. Ghost Head
can't cause Banette to Knock Out itself ... the attack has to leave Banette
with at least 10 HP. "Put as many damage counters as you like on
Banette. (You can't Knock Out Banette.) Put that many damage counters
on the Defending Pokémon." (Jan 29, 2008 Pokemon Organized Play
News)
GUARD
(Unown G - Great Encounters)
Q. Does Unown G's "GUARD" Poke-POWER prevent effects from
attacks that the Unown G is attached to?
A. No, the Poke-POWER only prevent effects from an opponent's
attacks, not your own. Unown-G's "GUARD" Poke-POWER should
say, "As long as Unown G is attached to a Pokemon, prevent all effects
of attacks, excluding damage, done to that Pokemon by your opponent's
Pokemon". (Feb 21, 2008 PUI Rules Team; Feb 28, 2008 Pokemon
Hidden Poison
(Roserade - Stormfront)
* Roserade is receiving errata for its Poke-BODY, "Hidden Poison".
Hidden Poison affects your opponent's Attacking Pokemon, not your
Defending Pokemon. The correct card text should read, "If Roserade is
your Active Pokemon and is damaged by an opponent's attack (even if
Roserade is Knocked Out), the Attacking Pokemon is now Poisoned."
(Nov 7, 2008 Pokemon Organized Play News)
Holon Energy WP
(EX:Delta Species; EX:Dragon Frontiers)
* Holon Energy WP and Ancient Technical Machine [Ice] only prevent
effects that come from attacks, not all effects in play. Trainer cards,
Poké-Powers, and Poké-Bodies are not prevented by those cards. (Jul
25, 2006 PUI Announcements)
Hyper Whirlpool
Returns)
(Blastoise EX - EX:Fire Red / Leaf Green; Kingdra - EX:Team Rocket
* Blastoise-EX and Articuno-EX each have an attack that discards an
Energy card from the Defending Pokémon. The player using those
attacks is also the player who chooses the Energy card to be discarded.
(Jul 25, 2006 PUI Announcements)
Ice Generator
(Ancient Technical Machine [Ice] - EX:Hidden Legends)
Iron Shell
(Forretress - Legends Awakened)
* Forretress's "Iron Shell" Poke-BODY is not optional; you *MUST*
flip a coin whenever attaching a Basic Energy Card to Forretress. (Aug
Knockout Gas
(Koffing - EX:Team Rocket Returns)
* The Poké-BODY "Knockout Gas" found on Koffing should read, "If
Koffing is your Active Pokémon and is Knocked Out by damage from
an opponent's attack, the Attacking Pokémon is now Confused and
Poisoned." So only attacks that do damage (not "place counters") would
cause Knockout Gas to be invoked. (Jun 23, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
Lightning Twister
(Manectric - Mysterious Treasures)
* Manectric's "Lightning Twister" attack should say, "Does 20 damage
times the amount of Energy from basic Energy cards attached to
Manectric." (Feb 28, 2008 Pokemon Organized Play News; Mar 13,
2008 PUI Rules Team)
Lucky Egg
(Arceus)
say, not what was originally printed. "When the Pokémon this card is
attached to is Knocked Out by damage from an opponent's attack and
put into your discard pile, draw cards until you have 7 cards in your
hand." If the Pokémon does not go to the discard pile (for example, if it
goes to the Lost Zone, etc.), you do not get to draw the cards. (May 7,
2010 TPCi TCG Errata Update)
Magnemite
(Magnemite - EX: Dragon)
Q. I got a Reverse Holo Magnemite, and the resistance symbol is an
empty white circle (like the colorless symbol without the star in the
middle).
A. It's just a grey circle (means nothing) where the foil is normally cut
out for Resistance. However for clarification, there should not be any
Resistance on that particular card - the non-foil of that version doesn't
have a Resistance either. (Nov 20, 2003 PUI Rules Team)
Marill
(Maril - EX: Sandstorm)
Q. In the EX:Sandstorm set, there are 2 identical versions of Marill, but
one has a retreat cost and one does not. Which one is the correct
version and how shall the 2 different versions be played?
A. This appears to be a fairly common mistake in the set. Play the card
as written; if you have the Marill with the free retreat you may play it as
such. (Sep 11, 2003 PUI Rules Team)
Mt. Moon
(EX:Fire Red / Leaf Green)
* Mt. Moon should read: "Any Pokémon (both yours and your
opponent's) with maximum HP of 70 or less can't use any PokéPowers." This errata replaces text of "less than 70" with "70 or less". If
a Pokémon has a maximum HP of 70, that Pokémon cannot use a PokéPOWER while this Stadium card is in play. (Oct 1, 2004 PUI
Announcements)
Mysterious Fossil
(Fossil Expansion; Legendary Collection; EX:Sandstorm)
PlusPower
(Unleashed)
say, not what was originally printed. "If the Pokémon PlusPower is
attached to attacks, the attack does 10 more damage to the Active
Pokémon (before applying Weakness and Resistance)." This is to match
past versions of the card. Also, if the Pokémon uses an attack that
would damage itself, PlusPower would also affect that damage. (May 6,
2010 PUI Rules Team; May 7, 2010 TPCi TCG Errata Update)
Pokemon Reversal
(Expedition; EX:Ruby/Sapphire)
Q. The wording on the "Pokémon. Reversal" trainer changed
significantly between the Expedition version and the EX:Ruby/Sapphire
version. How should we play this card? Do we play each one "as
written", or should we play them all the way the latest (or older) version
of the card says?
A. It should read like the Expedition version, with a slight tweak to
make it 2-on-2 applicable. "Choose 1 of your opponent's Benched
Pokémon. Flip a coin. If heads, your opponent switches that Pokémon.
with 1 of his or her Defending Pokémon." The opponent chooses the
defending, but the person playing the card chooses the benched. (Apr 8,
Power Whip
(Tangrowth - Great Encounters)
* Tangrowth's "Power Whip" attack should say, "This attack does 10
damage for each Energy from basic Energy cards attached to
Tangrowth to that Pokemon." (Feb 28, 2008 Pokemon Organized Play
News)
Protect Wing
(Staraptor - Stormfront)
abilities. Staraptor's correct card text should read: "(Poké-Body) Protect
Wing - As long as Staraptor is your Active Pokémon, any damage done
by attacks from your opponent's Stage 2 Pokémon is reduced by 20
(after applying Weakness and Resistance)". (May 1, 2009 Pokemon
Organized Play News; May 7, 2009 PUI Rules Team)
Psychic Guard
(Alakazam - Mysterious Treasures)
abilities. Alakazam's correct card text should read: "Psychic Guard (50)
- During your opponent's next turn, any damage done to Alakazam by
applying Weakness and Resistance)." (May 1, 2009 Pokemon Organized
Ripples
(Mantine - EX:Team Rocket Returns)
* Mantine's Poké-POWER only works when it is the player's Active
Pokémon. Official Wording: Once during your turn (before your
attack), if Mantine is your Active Pokémon, you may remove 1 damage
counter from 1 of your Pokémon (excluding Mantine). This power can't
be used if Mantine is affected by a Special Condition. (Dec 16, 2004
PUI Announcements)
Root Fossil
(EX:Sandstorm)
Sandy Cloak
(Wormadam Sandy Cloak - Secret Wonders)
* Wormadam's "Sandy Cloak" Poke-BODY should say, "Prevent all
effects of attacks, excluding damage, done to Wormadam Sandy Cloak
by your opponent’s Pokemon". (Feb 28, 2008 Pokemon Organized Play
News)
Seed Flare
(Shaymin Lv.X - Platinum)
* Shaymin LV.X is receiving errata for its "Seed Flare" attack. Seed
Flare does additional damage for each Grass Energy card attached
during the attack, rather than each Grass Energy attached during the
attack. The correct card text should read, "Choose as many Grass
Energy cards from your hand as you like and attach them to your
Pokémon in any way you like. If you do, this attack does 40 damage
plus 20 more damage for each Grass Energy card attached in this way."
(Feb 26, 2009 Pokemon Organized Play News)
Sharpedo
(EX:Ruby/Sapphire)
Q. I have an Italian-language Sharpedo, and it's Poké-BODY says it
puts 1 damage counter if it's hurt in an attack. English-language
Sharpedo's say 2 counters. How do I play the card?
A. Play the Sharpedo as if it did 2 damage counters. It didn't get weaker
as it swam the Atlantic. (Feb 26, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
Steven's Advice
(EX:Hidden Legends)
* Steven's Advice should read: "Draw a number of cards up to the
number of your opponent's Pokémon in play. If you have 7 or more
cards (including this one) in your hand, you can't play this card." This
errata replaces text of "more than 7" with "7 or more". If a player has 7
cards in his or her hand (including Steven's Advice), they cannot play
the card. (Oct 1, 2004 PUI Announcements)
Sticky
(Ariados - Mysterious Treasures)
Q. If I have an Ariados with "Sticky" Poke-BODY on the bench and
another one as my Active Pokemon, does the Active Ariados have +1
added to its Retreat Cost or not?
A. Ariados' "Sticky" Poke-BODY should say, "The Retreat Cost for
each player's Pokemon (excluding any Ariados) is {C} more". So
Sticky prevents adding +1 to *ANY* Ariados' Retreat Cost, including
your opponent's Ariados. Keep in mind that this does NOT include
"Dark Ariados", just any Pokemon named "Ariados". (Feb 21, 2008 PUI
Rules Team; Feb 28, 2008 Pokemon Organized Play News)
Strength Charm
(Expedition; EX:Team Magma/Team Aqua)
* Strength Charm should read: "Whenever an attack from the Pokémon
that Strength Charm is attached to does damage to the Active Pokémon
(before applying Weakness and Resistance), the attack does 10 more
damage. At the end of the turn in which the player attacks with the
Pokémon that this card is attached to, discard Strength Charm." This
errata replaces text of "after applying Weakness and Resistance with
before applying Weakness and Resistance". It is also clarified that it is
removed after ANY attack that the Pokémon makes, not just attacks that
do damage. (Oct 1, 2004 PUI Announcements)
String Bomb
(Exeggutor - Mysterious Treasures)
* Exeggutor's "String Bomb" attack should say, "Flip a coin for each
Energy from basic Energy cards attached to Exeggutor and to the
Defending Pokémon." (Feb 28, 2008 Pokemon Organized Play News)
Supreme Command
(Empoleon LV.X - Diamond & Pearl)
Empoleon LV.X from Diamond & Pearl contains an error. Its PokéPOWER symbol was printed with the Poké-Body symbol. In all cases,
play Empoleon's effect as a Poké-Power. The game play of the effect
remains unchanged. (May 25, 2007 PUI Announcements)
VACATION
(Unown V - Legends Awakened)
* Poké-Powers that end your turn are receiving errata to make it clear
that you still end your turn if the Poké-Power is canceled, such as with
Team Galactic's Invention G-103 Power Spray or by Alakazam's
"Power Cancel" Poké-Power. Unown V's correct card text should read:
"(Poké-Power) Vacation - Once during your turn (before your attack),
you may use this power. If you do, your turn ends. Remove 2 damage
counters from each of your Pokémon. This power can't be used if
Unown V is affected by a Special Condition". (May 1, 2009 Pokemon
Waterlog
(Blastoise - Secret Wonders)
"Power Cancel" Poké-Power. Blastoise's correct card text should read:
"(Poké-Power) Waterlog - Once during your turn (before your attack),
you may use this power. If you do, your turn ends. Attach as many basic
{W} Energy cards from your hand to any of your Pokémon in any way
you like. This power can't be used if Blastoise is affected by a Special
Condition." (May 1, 2009 Pokemon Organized Play News; May 7, 2009
PUI Rules Team)
Trainer,
Two on
Energy General
Team
Errata
Two
Index
Gameplay
Gameplay
Cards
Meta-Rulings
META-RULINGS ARE BASED ON THE UNDERLYING RULES OF THE GAME WHICH CANNOT BE BYPASSED BY A CARD OR CARD EFFECT.
ALL META-RULINGS IN THE COMPEDIUM LVX HAVE BEEN REVIEWED AND APPROVED BY THE PUI RULES TEAM. (TOP )
Meta-Rulings
Effects on the Attacking Pokemon cannot add to damage done to
a Benched Pokemon. Examples: PlusPower, Darkness Energy
(special), and Strength Charm. (Jan 31, 2008 PUI Rules Team)
An attack has to do "some" damage before an effect can add
"more" damage to it. (Jan 31, 2008 PUI Rules Team)
Placing damage counters is not the same as doing damage. Things
that add to or subtract from damage done do not affect placing
counters. (Jan 31, 2008 PUI Rules Team)
If an attack requires the discard of an Energy card attached to the
Attacking Pokemon, that discard must be fulfilled or the attack
fails. (Jan 31, 2008 PUI Rules Team)
You cannot have more than 6 Pokemon in play, including Active
and Benched Pokemon. (Jan 31, 2008 PUI Rules Team)
If a Retreat Cost is set to zero by an effect, it cannot be increased.
Note this is different than a Retreat Cost that was reduced to zero
by subtraction. (Jan 31, 2008 PUI Rules Team)
You cannot play a card if it is public knowledge that it will have
no game effect. Paying a cost does not satisfy the requirement
that the card has a game effect. (Jan 31, 2008 PUI Rules Team;
Mar 12, 2009 PUI Rules Team)
Mandatory game actions cannot be forgotten or missed; they must
be done. Examples: Drawing a Prize card, checking for Asleep,
etc. (Jan 31, 2008 PUI Rules Team)
A player must always have an Active Pokemon. There is no time
in which they don't, not even after a KO. Replacement must be
done immediately. (Apr 17, 2008 PUI Rules Team)
Weakness and Resistance never apply to Benched Pokemon. (Apr
Benching a Pokemon removes all Special Conditions on that
Pokemon including Poisoned and Burned, and all Attack effects
on that Pokemon that do not place a Marker (such as Imprison).
(Apr 17, 2008 PUI Rules Team)
An attack that copies another Pokemon's attack can only copy
attacks printed on that Pokemon, not other attacks that the
Pokemon may use due to Poke-POWERs, Poke-BODYs,
Stadiums, etc. (with the exception of Lv.X Pokemon since they
are considered "extensions" of the original Pokemon). (Apr 17,
When a Pokemon refers to itself by name, interpret that card as
though the text reads "this Pokemon". This has the practical effect
of not including other Pokemon of the same name. If a Pokemon
copies that text, it refers to itself, not the original Pokemon. (Apr
The game has no knowledge of the contents of your deck. For
example, if you search your deck for something and fail, you can
still use other cards or effects to search for the exact same thing.
The contents of your deck are technically unknown. If an effect
calls on you to search your deck for a specific card or category of
card, you may choose not to find a card, even if it is present in
the deck. (Worlds 2006 PCL Announcement; May 8, 2008 PUI
Rules Team)
A Pokemon is considered an evolved Pokemon if it has a
Pokemon card with a different name underneath it; this does not
include Pokemon cards that are attached (e.g. tool cards, energy
cards, etc.). (Jan 15, 2009 PUI Rules Team)
Effects on the attacking Pokemon are applied before weakness
and resistance. Effects on the defending Pokemon are applied
after weakness and resistance. (Jan 15, 2009 PUI Rules Team)
Effects of Poke-Powers and Poke-Bodies do not end when a
Pokemon is moved from Active to Bench and vice-versa. (Feb
Trainer,
Two on
Energy General
Team
Errata
Two
Index
Gameplay
Gameplay
Cards
Pokemon Attacks
OFFICIAL RULINGS ON POKEMON ATTACKS (TOP )
* Attacks in General
Q. What's the exact definition of "Defending Pokémon"?
A. It is your opponent's Active Pokemon when you are attacking. (Jul
19, 2001 WotC Chat, Q40)
Q. Can I attack with a Pokémon if I just played it?
A. Yes, as long as it's your Active Pokémon (only your Active
Pokémon can attack) and as long as it has the required amount of
Energy for the attack. (Basic FAQ, WotC Website)
Q. When I attack, do I discard the Energy card(s) I used to power the
attack?
A. Energy is not used up by an attack. Unless that attack specifically
says to discard an Energy, it stays attached to the Pokémon. (Basic
FAQ, WotC Website)
Q. Moves that have a Pokémon's own name in the attack, like Scyther's
Swords Dance, does it mean ALL Scythers you have in play at the
moment? Or does it only affect the Scyther that used it?
A. Those particular attacks only affect the Pokémon that used it, not all
Pokémon of the same name. (Jan 20 WotC Chat)
Q. Do you have to attack if you have enough Energy cards attached to
your Pokémon?
A. No, you always have the choice whether to attack on your turn or
not. (Jan 27 WotC Chat)
Q. I have a question. Let's say a Charmander is battling a Bulbasaur. If
Charmander uses scratch does that do 20 damage? Or is it 10 damage
since the energy needed is colorless?
A. It does 20. It's the type of Pokémon that affects Weakness and
Resistance, NOT the type of energy that the attack uses. (April 20, 2000
WotC Chat Q119)
Q. Say you are using a Golduck (from the Fossil set) and you use his
Psybeam. Would this be a Psychic or Water attack?
A. A Water attack as Psyduck is a Water Pokémon. [Ed. Note: This
answer can be generalized further: When a Pokémon attacks, that attack
is considered to be an attack of that Pokémon's type; it's not dependent
on the energy requirement.] (Aug 31, 2000 WotC Chat Q76)
Q. When a card's attack "does damage to itself", is this damage
considered to be an ATTACK against the Defending Pokémon? Let's
say you had an Electabuzz versus a Team Rocket Porygon and Team
Rocket Porygon switched Electabuzz's Weakness to Lightning. You
Thunderpunched with Electabuzz and flipped tails. Would Electabuzz
receive 10 or 20 damage? Furthermore, would Defender prevent this
damage? (Defender prevents damage from attacks).
A1. Well, assuming it was an attack that did damage to itself then
defender would help with that damage. (Aug 3 2000 WotC Chat, Q4)
A2. 20, it is considered an attack. (Aug 3 2000 WotC Chat, Q81)
It has been ruled that W/R does not apply to the bench unless
specificly mandated by the card. Period. That is a meta-game
rule. It was never intended that the W/R would apply to the bench
unless specificly stated. Yes we do know that some Pokemon say
not to apply W/R to the Bench. [But] if it doesn't say then you
wouldn't apply Weakness and Resistance (the default for benched
Pokemon is to NOT apply Weakness and Resistance). This has
been verified. (May 3, 2001 WotC Chat Announcements & Q44)
ANY Pokemon attack or Power that can only be used once per
turn, is reset if that Pokemon evolves or devolves or leaves play
and that power or attack could be used again if that Pokemon
came into play again that same turn. The "can't use this attack
next turn" sets up a status effect that can be ended through the
normal means: benching, leaving play, evolving or devolving.
With Pokemon Powers though, you can't get around the once per
turn by benching. Benching a Pokemon does NOT get around
these effects as they are still the same Pokemon and still in play.
[Ed.Note: This does not apply to Tentacool Lv.10 (Fossil) which
specifically states in the text of the power that it cannot be used
on the same turn it comes into play.] (Sep 27, 2001 WotC Chat,
after-Q53; Feb 14, 2002 WotC Chat, Q18; May 23, 2002 WotC
Chat, Q266)
Once you have declared an attack, you cannot leave the attack
step without your opponent's permission. If you declare an
"illegal" attack (e.g., you don't have the proper energy required to
perform the attack), you may ask your opponent's permission to
back out of the attack step. If he or she says "yes", you can go
back and take any actions that you could have taken prior to the
attack step. If he or she says "no", you may either select an attack
that is legal or you may pass. (Mar 14, 2007 POP Announcement,
POP Professor Forums; Mar 15, 2007 PUI Rules Team)
Damage effects applied by the attacker (i.e. Nidoking's "Power
Gene" adding +10 to Nidoqueen) are handled before weakness
and resistance. Damage effects applied by the Defending
Pokémon are handled after weakness and resistance. (Sep 23,
If an attack has an energy discard requirement, a Pokémon
copying that attack must also be able to do that discard in order to
copy the attack. (Mar 15, 2007 PUI Rules Team)
If an attack has an *optional* effect triggered by a discard, a
Pokémon copying that attack must be able to do that discard in
order to get the additional effect; if they cannot perform the
optional discard, it still gets the base effect and damage. (Mar 15,
If a Pokémon attack copies another attack that says "discard all
[X] Energy", then you must be able to discard at least one energy
card of that type in order to use that effect or attack requirement.
(Mar 15, 2007 PUI Rules Team)
Q. I've noticed that some cards say "Does 10 damage to the Defending
Pokémon", whereas others say "Put 1 damage counter on the defending
Pokémon". Is there any reason for the different wording? I've spoken to
someone who says that you do not apply weakness or resistance for
attacks where it specifies Damage Counters; is this the case?
A. There is a difference. As you mention, weakness and resistance are
not applied when placing counters. Also, things like Defender and
Metal Energy will not block Placing Damage Counters. It will not
trigger things like Base Set Machamp's Strike Back. In the steps of
resolving an Attack, "placing Damage Counters" counts as an Effect of
the attack, it is not part of "doing damage". (Sep 18, 2003 PUI Rules
Team)
Q. Some attacks, like Exploud's "Knock Back" and Staraptor [FB]'s
"Whirlwind", say "Your opponent switches the Defending Pokemon...",
while other attacks like Swampert's "Drag Off" and Blaziken [FB]'s
"Luring Flame" say, "Switch the Defending Pokemon...". Who gets to
choose which Pokemon gets switched?
A. If it says, "Your opponent switches..." then your opponent gets to
choose. Otherwise you get to choose. (Supreme Victors FAQ; Aug 20,
Agility (Pikachu - Nintendo Black Star Promos; Ponyta - Stormfront; Metang - Legends
Awakened; Others)
Q. Does Fearow's Agility attack block Kangaskhan's Fetch?
A. Actually it does not; Fearow's Agility says stops damage done to
Fearow, and the Fetch just draws a card. This is the new ruling from
R&D. (Feb 3, 2000 WotC Chat)
Q. If my Pokémon uses Agility and get heads then on my opponent's
next turn he benches his Pokémon, does that [Ed. Note: Agility's effect]
end? If that Pokémon was Knocked Out, would Agility still be on the
next Pokémon that he sends up?
A. Since the Agility Attack references Rapidash, only Benching or
Evolving him ends the effect. Also since it only refers to Rapidash it
would still be in effect if the other player benched. (6-30-00 WotC
Chat)
Q. If a Raichu (or whatever) does Agility and flips heads, does an
attack that would do damage to benched pokemon, or some other effect
that does NOT do damage or something to Raichu work?
A. Yes it would, while all attacks are considered against the defending
Pokemon (which is why something that prevents attacks would stop it in
this case), Agility only prevents the effects of that attack if they affect
Raichu only. (Jul 19, 2001 WotC Chat, Q83)
Q. When using Raichu's Agility attack it states that if heads, Raichu will
not receive damage until after the opponent's turn. If Raichu is poisoned
and then gets heads, will he take damage from poison at the end of his
turn?
A. Yes, Agility is referring to effects of attacks on Raichu during your
opponent's next turn. (June 1, 2000 WotC Chat, Q87)
Q. If I flipped heads on Seadra's Agility attack, would that prevent
Cradily's Spiral Drain from removing damage counters?
A. Agility only prevents damage and effects done to Seadra, not other
effects that may extend to other Pokémon. (Mar 25, 2004 PUI Rules
Team)
Q. Player A attacks and flips a heads for "Agility". Then Player B uses
Machamp's "Brick Smash" attack; would this ignore Agility?
A. In this case, Agility would be considered an "effect on the Defending
Pokémon" and therefore Brick Smash would be able to overcome
Agility. (Feb 17, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
Amnesia
Others)
(Bibarel - Stormfront; Gulpin - Legends Awakened; Slowbro - Great Encounters;
Q. If Wooper uses Amnesia on Scyther's Slash, then Scyther retreats for
another Pokémon, then that Pokémon [is Switched] for Scyther again,
can Scyther use Slash? There's a ruling in the Compendium right now
that seems to contradict the general effects interpretation.
A. Amnesia references the defending Pokemon, when that Pokemon is
benched the effect ends. (Apr 12, 2001 WotC Chat, Q269)
Q. Can you use "Amnesia" on an attack not on the defending Pokémon's
card? For example, could you use it against one of the earlier stage's
attacks if "Meteor Falls" stadium was in play, or against "Feint Attack"
with Rocket's Tricky Gym in play or against "Stone Generator" that
your opponent may play on the next turn?
A. No, you can only use Amnesia on the attacks that are present on the
opponent's card at the time of your attack. (Mar 10, 2005 PUI Rules
Team)
Q. Can you select to prevent the opponent's attached Technical Machine
G's "Damage Porter" attack when using "Amnesia"?
A. No, Amnesia can't prevent attacks provided by Technical Machines,
because it is an attack the opponent's active "can use" but it isn't one of
its attacks. (Jun 4, 2009 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Bidoof uses "Amnesia" on Murkrow's own "Feint Attack". Can
Murkrow then use Honchkrow LV.X's "Feint Attack" instead?
A. No. Amnesia blocks all attacks of the same name. (Apr 3, 2008 PUI
Rules Team)
Anger Revenge
(Bastiodon - OP Series 6; Bastiodon - Mysterious Treasures)
Q. Does "Anger Revenge" still work if Bastiodon was a Shieldon when
it was attacked?
A. No. It must be a Bastiodon when it was attacked. (Mysterious
Treasures FAQ; Aug 23, 2007 PUI Rules Team)
Antigravity
Q. If I use Bronzong's "Antigravity" attack and make its Retreat Cost
zero until the end of my next turn, what happens if my opponent uses
Warp Point on their next turn?
A. Unfortunately when Bronzong is no longer active its Retreat Cost
will return to its original value. (PL:Arceus FAQ; Nov 5, 2009 PUI
Rules Team)
Q. If I use Bronzong's "Antigravity" attack and make its Retreat Cost
zero until the end of my next turn, what happens if my opponent does
something that increases my Pokemon's Retreat Cost?
A. Once a Pokemon's Retreat Cost is set to zero it stays at zero until
that particular effect wears off. (PL:Arceus FAQ; Nov 5, 2009 PUI
Rules Team)
Ascension
(Silcoon - Platinum; Cascoon - Platinum; Shuppet - Crystal Guardians; Others)
Q. Can I use Vulpix's or Feebas' "Ascension" attack on the first turn of
the game?
A. Yes. This attack can evolve a Pokémon, even during the first turn of
the game. (Jun 17, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
Balloon Tackle
Q. If I attach Defender to Drifblim and do "Balloon Tackle", does
Defender prevent the 20 self damage from that attack?
A. Yes. Play Defender as if the damage prevention wording was
printed, "Any damage done by attacks to the Pokémon Defender is
attached to is reduced by 20 (after applying Weakness and Resistance)."
(Aug 19, 2010 PUI Rules Team)
Black Fire
(Houndoom - Great Encounters)
Q. When using Houndoom's "Black Fire" attack, what happens if I
discard an Energy card that provides multiple types of Energy at the
same time?
A. If the Energy card you discarded provides all types (for example,
Rainbow Energy), then both effects would trigger - the "Black Fire"
attack would to 70 damage AND apply the Burned Special Condition to
the Defending Pokemon. (DP:Great Encounters FAQ; Feb 21, 2008 PUI
Rules Team)
Q. Houndoom's "Black Fire" attack says 'Discard a fire energy or a
Dark Energy attached to Houndoom'. Can I discard a DRE, Holon's
Castform, Scramble Energy, etc. that provides more than one energy
unit?
A. Yes, you can. (Mar 13, 2008 PUI Rules Team)
Blast Burn
(Charizard - Secret Wonders)
Q. What happens if I have only two Double Rainbow Energy on
Charizard and try to attack with "Blast Burn" and flip tails?
A. Since the tails flip requires you to discard four energy CARDS (not
"four energies"), if you cannot discard four cards the attack does not do
any damage. But if you flip heads, then you would be okay with
discarding the two DRE cards. (Dec 6, 2007 PUI Rules Team)
Blaze Roar
(Entei - Secret Wonders)
* Entei's "Blaze Roar" attack should say "discard 2 Fire Energy
CARDS" rather than just "discard 2 Fire Energy". (Nov 16, 2007
Brick Smash (Machamp - Power Keepers; Hariyama - Delta Species; Dark Marowak Team Rocket Returns; Others)
Q. For Machamp's "Brick Smash" attack, do trainers on the Defending
Pokémon (like "Buffer Piece") or Metal Energy affect the amount of
damage done?
A. No, trainers & Metal Energy would be considered as "effects on the
Defending Pokémon" for the purposes of this attack and would not get
factored into damage calculation. (May 19, 2005 PUI Rules Team; Jan
Bring Down
(Gardevoir Lv.X - Secret Wonders)
Q. What happens if Gardevoir LV.X uses "Bring Down", but the lowest
HP Pokemon is protected by some effect like Holon Energy WP?
A. The Pokemon with Holon Energy WP attached can still be attacked
with Bring Down, but it will not get Knocked Out because the
protection of Holon Energy WP prevents all effects (including
automatic KO) except damage done to that Pokemon. (Jan 31, 2008 PUI
Rules Team)
Q. If my opponent uses "Bring Down" on the 'wrong' Pokemon, can
they take it back or do they have to use "Bring Down" no matter what –
even if it means Knocking Out their own Pokemon?
A. Your opponent must use the Bring Down attack once announced. If
they called an invalid target, they must choose a valid one, even if that
is one of their own Pokemon. (Feb 28, 2008 PUI Rules Team)
Broken-Space Blow
Q. If my Pokémon that has Unown-G attached to it is Knocked Out by
my opponent's Giratina's "Broken-space Blow" attack or by my
opponent's Giratina Lv.X's "Darkness Lost" attack, do I have to put the
Pokémon in the Lost Zone?
A. No, the effect of going to the Lost Zone is prevented and you discard
the KO'd Pokémon that had Unown-G attached. (Feb 12, 2009 PUI
Rules Team)
Q. If a Water type Pokemon is KO'd by Giratina's "Broken Space
Blow" attack, can Floatzel GL Lv.X's "Water Rescue" Poke-BODY
save it from going to the Lost Zone?
A. No. Water Rescue takes the cards from the discard pile, but the
Water type Pokemon's cards aren't there to get. (Jun 11, 2009 PUI Rules
Team)
Bulk Up
(Combusken - Great Encounters)
Q. Combusken's "Bulk Up" attack says "during your next turn, each of
Combusken's attacks does 30 more damage to the Defending Pokemon".
Does that mean the effect of "Bulk Up" only works if both Combusken
AND the Defending Pokemon remain active?
A. The effect of Bulk Up only resides on Combusken's attacks. If the
Defending Pokemon retreats, evolves, etc. the effect still remains on
Combusken. (May 8, 2008 PUI Rules Team)
Call for Family (Dunsparce - Platinum; Weavile [G] - Platinum; Exeggcute - Legends
Awakened; Others)
Q. If my bench if full can I still use "Call for Family" to search my
deck?
A. Yes, you could search your deck, but not put out any Pokemon.
(Supreme Victors FAQ; Aug 27, 2009 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Can I use Eevee's "Call for Family" to search through my deck if I
already have four Eevee's in play or in the discard pile?
A. Yes you could use Call for Family, because contents of a deck
search cannot be deduced, even on the basis of public knowledge. As
long as you meet the requirements to use an attack, you follow what it
does (in this case, searching your deck). (Jul 17, 2008 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Can an attack which looks for Basic Pokemon, such as Stantler's
"Call for Family", get LEGEND Pokemon cards from the deck?
A. Neither the LEGEND halves in the deck nor the LEGEND cards in
play are Basic Pokemon. They are LEGEND Pokemon. You cannot
select them with any effect that is looking for Basic Pokemon.
(HS:Unleashed FAQ; May 13, 2010 PUI Rules Team)
Call for Friends (Treecko - Stormfront; Mantyke - Diamond and Pearl; Wobbuffet - Holon
Phantoms; Others)
Q. Can you use Strike and Run, or Call for Friends type attacks to
retrieve Fossils from your deck? What about using Pokémon Retriever
to get them from your discard pile?
A. No, you cannot search for a Fossil trainer with any Pokémon
searching technique. (Jul 7, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
Calling Wave
(Gastrodon East Sea - Rising Rivals)
Q. If I use Gastrodon East Sea's "Calling Wave" attack, can I get a
Gastrodon West Sea with it?
A. Yes, Calling Wave refers to any Pokemon with Gastrodon in its
name. (PL:Rising Rivals FAQ; May 21, 2009 PUI Rules Team)
Chain Lightning (Manectric - Mysterious Treasures; Electrode - Legendary Collection;
Electrode - Jungle; Others)
Q. If Manectric uses "Chain Lightning" and the Defending Pokemon or
a Benched Pokemon is multiple types, do all of the types have to match
or just one?
A. It can match any of the types. If the Defending Pokemon is multiple
types, Benched Pokemon of multiple types can also be affected, as long
as they share at least one type with the Defending Pokemon.
(Mysterious Treasures FAQ; Aug 23, 2007 PUI Rules Team)
Counter Punch
(Hitmonchan - Legends Awakened)
Q. My opponent uses Hitmonmchan's "Counter Punch" attack against
my Active Pokemon. Then on my turn I attach an Unown-G to my
Active Pokemon and attack the Hitmonchan. Since Unown-G was not
on my Pokemon when it was attacked by "Counter Punch", does
"GUARD" prevent the placing of damage counters or not?
A. The effect of Counter Punch resides on Hitmonchan, not on the
Pokemon that Hitmonchan attacked. So regardless of when the UnownG is attached the effect on Hitmonchan is not prevented, meaning that
you take the damage counters. (Jul 30, 2009 PUI Rules Team)
Counting Song
(Duskull - Stormfront)
Q. If my Duskull only has 10hp remaining, can I use it's "Counting
Song" attack and place three damage counters on itself to do maximum
damage to my opponent?
A. Yes, you may. Just because Duskull only has 10hp left doesn't mean
you can't place more damage counters on it during Counting Song's
attack. (Dec 4, 2008 PUI Rules Team)
Crash Chant
(Mismagius - Stormfront)
Q. My confused Mismagius attacks with "Crash Chant". Do I still
discard the tools if I flip tails for confusion?
A. No. You do not perform any effects of an attack when the confusion
flip fails. (Nov 12, 2009 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If Unown-G is attached as a tool to a Pokemon and the opponent
uses Mismagius' "Crash Chant" attack, would Unown-G be discarded or
not?
A. Well, it depends on which player's Unown-G is being discarded. If
Mismagius tries to discard Unown-G attached to an opponent's
Pokemon, GUARD would prevent it from being discarded and you don't
get to add +20 damage for that tool to Crash Chant's damage either.
However, since GUARD only protects against attacks done by your
opponent [see Errata], you can discard an Unown-G attached to your
own Pokemon and add +20 damage for that tool. (Nov 20, 2008 PUI
Rules Team; Feb 4, 2010 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If I use Mismagius' "Crash Chant" attack against a Defending
Pokemon with the Bubble Coat tool attached to it, does the effect of
Bubble Coat apply before I discard it or not?
A. The effect of Bubble Coat would not apply since it is being
discarded before the damage calculation process has completed. (Sep
Critical Move
(Slaking - Power Keepers; Slaking - RubySapphire)
Q. If I use Slaking's "Critical Move" attack, and on my next turn I use
Switch and then retreat for the same Slaking, can I then use his "Critical
Move" attack again? Does the effect of "Slaking can't attack during
your next turn" get removed when he goes to the bench?
A. Effects like this go away when the active goes to the bench. So if
Slaking goes to the bench and becomes active once again, he can then
use Critical Move on that turn. (Feb 12, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If I have a R/S Slaking that is confused, and try to attack with
"Critical Move" but flip tails, can I try "Critical Move" again on my
next turn or not?
A. Since the flip for confusion was tails, the normal function of the
attack did not occur. So in this situation you could try Critical Move
again on your next turn. (Sep 15, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
Crunch (Sharpedo - Rising Rivals; Houndoom - Neo Discovery; Houndoom - Neo
Discovery)
Q. On neo 2 's Houndoom, does the Crunch effect go away if the
defending pokemon is benched and then comes back?
A. Correct the effect would go away. (Jun 7, 2001 WotC Chat, Q3)
Q. If Houndoom does "Crunch", the +20 effect ends when the
defending pokemon is benched. However, what happens if the
Houndoom gets benched? Does the effect reside on the Defending
pokemon only, or does it require that the Houndoom stay active too?
A. Benching Houndoom does not end the effect. (Aug 9, 2001 WotC
Chat, Q265)
Q. Houndoom's attack Crunch when I use it does my opponent's next
attack increase by 20?
A. No. Only if they attack themselves. (Jun 21, 2001 WotC Chat, Q22;
Jun 28, 2001 WotC Chat, Q32)
Q. Since Houndoom's Crunch lasts "until end of my next turn", I get to
add 20 if I damage them this turn, the opponent adds 20 for any selfdamage on their turn, and then I still get to add 20 on my following turn
as long as they're still active. Right?
A. You are partially correct. You do NOT add extra damage on the turn
you do Crunch as all text from an attack takes place AFTER damage is
already applied. But you are correct about self damage and attacking on
your next turn. (Jun 28, 2001 WotC Chat, Q12)
Q. If you use Houndoom's Crunch attack, and your opponent uses a
self-damaging attack during their turn (while Crunch is in effect), a)
will the self-damage be increased by 20? B) will you still get the +20
effect during your next turn if you do damage to that Pokémon?
A. a) Yes. B)Yes. (Jun 7, 2001 WotC Chat, Q51)
Q. Does Sharpedo's "Crunch" effect add the 40 extra damage to the
"Crunch" attack the first time it's used?
A. No, it adds to any attack done on the following turn. (May 21, 2009
PUI Rules Team)
Q. If I use Sharpedo's "Crunch" attack to damage the Defending
Pokemon, and then Sharpedo is knocked out or goes to the bench does
that Defending Pokemon still take 40 more damage from my attack next
turn?
A. Yes, the extra damage effect is on the Defending Pokemon.
(PL:Rising Rivals FAQ; May 21, 2009 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If I use Sharpedo's "Crunch" attack, and then on the opponent's turn
the Pokemon that was attacked by "Crunch" does an attack that
damages itself, does it take extra damage?
A. Yes, the Crunch effect lasts "until the end of your next turn", which
includes during your opponent's turn too. (May 21, 2009 PUI Rules
Team)
Damage Breakdown
Q. If Weezing does not have any damage counters on it when using its
"Damage Breakdown" attack, does Weezing still become Confused?
A. No, if you don't put any damage counters onto the Defending
Pokemon Weezing does not become Confused. (May 21, 2009 PUI
Rules Team)
Damage Porter
(Team Galactic's Invention G-107 Technical Machine G - Rising Rivals)
Q. If I have "Team Galactic's Invention G-107 Technical Machine G"
attached to a SP Pokemon and also "Team Galactic's Invention G-101
Energy Gain", can I use the attack "Damage Porter" if I just have two
energy attached to my SP Pokemon?
A. Yes, Energy Gain reduces the attack cost of Damage Porter by one
colorless energy. (Jun 4, 2009 PUI Rules Team)
Dark Roar
Q. Which player chooses the card to discard with the effect of
Houndoom's "Dark Roar" attack, the owner of the Houndoom who used
the attack, or the opponent?
A. The opponent gets to choose which card they will discard.
(HS:Undaunted FAQ; Sep 9, 2010 PUI Rules Team)
Dark Slumber
(Darkrai - Majestic Dawn)
Q. Say I use Darkrai's "Dark Slumber" attack which puts the Defending
Pokemon to sleep at the end of my opponent's next turn. But then on
their next turn they attach an Unown-G to that Pokemon. Would
"GUARD" prevent it from going to sleep?
A. No, it would not be prevented. The Dark Slumber effect was already
on the Pokemon prior to the attachment of Unown-G. (Jan 8, 2009 PUI
Rules Team)
Dark Wing Flaps
(Giratina - Platinum; Honchkrow - Mysterious Treasures)
Q. If Murkrow is taking advantage of Honchkrow's "Dark Genes" PokeBODY to copy its "Dark Wing Flaps" attack, does it do any added or
reduced damage if the Honchkrow has a Darkness Special Energy or a
Double Rainbow Energy attached?
A. No, the added/reduced damage only applies when attached to the
Pokemon performing the attack. So if the active Murkrow has a
Darkness Special Energy attached, then you would get to add +10
damage extra to the attack. But you would not receive any
benefit/drawback from Special Energy cards attached to the benched
Honchkrow. (Aug 23, 2007 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If my opponent has no cards left in their hand, and I use
Honchkrow's "Dark Wing Flaps" attack, does my opponent shuffle his
or her deck?
A. No, because the instruction is to shuffle a "card" into their deck. If
the instruction had been to shuffle their "hand" in, then they would
shuffle even with a hand of zero cards. (Dec 6, 2007 PUI Rules Team)
Darkness Grace
Q. If you have no Pokemon in play that can evolve, can you still use
Spiritomb's "Darkness Grace" attack to search through your deck?
A. Yes. As long as you can pay the attack cost of an attack, you can use
it and do as much of it as you can. (Dec 10, 2009 PUI Rules Team)
Darkness Lost
(Giratina Lv.X - DP Promos; Giratina Lv.X - Platinum)
Rules Team)
Q. What happens to Dusknoir Lv.X when it is KO'd by Giratina Lv.X's
"Darkness Lost" attack? Does it go to the Lost Zone, or does
"Ectoplasm" allow it to become a Stadium?
A. When Dusknoir Lv.X would be Knocked Out, it becomes a Stadium
instead of being discarded. Since it is not going to the discard pile, it is
not sent to the Lost Zone. (Feb 12, 2009 PUI Rules Team)
Darkness Wing
(Honchkrow Lv.X - Secret Wonders)
Q. If I attack Machamp Lv.X with Honchkrow Lv.X's "Darkness Wing"
attack, but Machamp Lv.X survives with a heads flip for "StrongWilled", would I get to put a card from my Discard Pile into my hand
or not? After all, Machamp Lv.X "would have been KO'd", right?
A. Yes, Machamp Lv.X would have been KO'd from the attack
(regardless of whether it was saved or not by Strong-Willed), so you
would get to put a card from your Discard Pile into your hand. (Jul 2,
Deep Sea Swirl
Q. What happens if I have no cards in my hand and use Manaphy's
"Deep Sea Swirl" attack?
A. You always have a hand, even it you have zero cards in it. So you
shuffle your deck and draw 5 cards. (HS:Unleashed FAQ; May 13, 2010
PUI Rules Team)
Delta Reduction
(Meganium δ - Dragon Frontiers; Deoxys (Defense)δ - Holon Phantoms)
* The correct wording for the "Delta Reduction" attack should be,
"During your opponent's next turn, any damage done by attacks from
the Defending Pokémon is reduced by 30 (before applying Weakness
and Resistance)." This means that the effect of Delta Reduction resides
on the Pokémon being attacked by Delta Reduction, not on the one
performing Delta Reduction. (Jan 18, 2007 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Can a Pokémon that was attacked with Meganium's "Delta
Reduction" use "Feint Attack" to do full damage to Meganium?
A. Feint Attack ignores effects on the Defending Pokémon, but the
Delta Reduction effect is on the Pokémon that was attacked by Delta
Reduction, the one now using Feint Attack. Therefore, Feint Attack's
damage will be reduced since it does not get to ignore Delta Reduction.
Derail (Drapion - Stormfront; Exploud ex - Crystal Guardians; Machamp - Legend Maker;
Others)
Q. If my Exploud-EX uses its "Derail" attack against a Pokémon with a
Metal Energy attached, does the Metal get to reduce damage by -10
before being discarded or not?
A. The -10 for Metal Energy is calculated in before it gets discarded by
Derail. (Nov 16, 2006 PUI Rules Team)
Destiny Bond
Base)
(Froslass - Legends Awakened; Gastly - Legendary Collection; Gastly -
Q. On Destiny Bond, if the opponent uses it can't I just use Gust Of
Wind or pass for my turn? Then the Gastly would be basically useless.
A. Yes. (Dec 7, 2000 WotC Chat, Q137)
Q. If my Gastly is poisoned, charred, etc. and Gastly uses Destiny Bond,
and is not KOd by the opponent's attack but rather the effects, will the
opponent still be KOd too?
A. Nope. (Jan 25, 2001 WotC Chat, Q78)
Q. If my opponent's Froslass attacks with "Destiny Bond", can I retreat
and attack with a new Pokemon without Knocking my own Pokemon
out?
A. No, the effect of Destiny Bond is on Froslass. If it remains Active,
the Destiny Bond effect is still there. (Aug 28, 2008 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Can Unown-G's "GUARD" Poke-POWER prevent the effect of my
opponent's Froslass's "Destiny Bond" attack last turn?
A. The effect of Destiny Bond is on Froslass. The Unown-G's PokePower GUARD prevents the effect of your opponent's attacks, so it will
protect your Pokemon that has Unown-G attached to it from being
Knocked Out by Destiny Bond. (Sep 11, 2008 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If my opponent used Froslass' "Destiny Bond" attack, then on my
turn I use Starmie's "Star Boomerang" to Knock Out Froslass, would I
get to put Starmie into my hand before the "Destiny Bond" effect can
knock it out?
A. If you put Starmie back into your hand with Star Boomerang, the
attack completes first and Destiny Bond cannot return the knockout.
(Dec 11, 2008 PUI Rules Team)
Destructive Jaw
Q. If the Defending Pokemon has no Energy attached to it, can it still
be Paralyzed by the effect of Mawile's "Destructive Jaw" attack if the
coin flip is heads?
A. Yes, it can. Even if Energy can't be discarded from the Defending
Pokemon, it can still become Paralyzed as long as no other effects are
preventing it. (HS:Undaunted FAQ; Sep 9, 2010 PUI Rules Team)
Detour
(Jirachi - Rising Rivals; Magby - Team Rocket Returns)
Q. If I use Magby's "Detour" attack to use the effect of a Supporter card
in play, do I have to meet all the requirements of that Supporter? For
instance, if I want to Detour a Steven's Advice do I have to have less
than 7 cards in my hand at that time? Or do I have to shuffle in a card
when Detour'ing Bill's Maintenance?
A. You can use Detour, but you must still meet all requirements that are
necessary to play the card normally (except for the supporter rule). If
you don't or can't meet those restrictions, the effect fails. (Dec 15, 2005
PUI Rules Team)
Devoluter
(Technical Machine TS-2 - Legends Awakened)
Q. Technical Machine TS-2's "Devoluter" attack says to choose an
opponent's evolved pokemon (excluding Lv.X). Does this mean I
remove the Stage 2 but leave the Level X card?
A. No. It means that you cannot target any Pokemon that has a Level X
Pokemon attached to it. You can't use Devoluter against it at all. (Aug
Dirge
(Shiftry ex - Power Keepers)
Q. If Shiftry-EX uses "Dirge" against a LV.X Pokemon, does it also
damage any regular non-leveled-up Pokemon of the same name?
A. Yes. Leveled up Pokemon have the same name as their regular
counterparts, so if you use Dirge to attack one then the others also get
damaged. (Apr 3, 2008 PUI Rules Team)
Discharge (Electivire - Secret Wonders; Lightning Cube 01 - Aquapolis; Flaaffy - Neo
Genesis; Others)
* Electivire's "Discharge" attack should say "for each Electric Energy
CARD" rather than just "for each Electric Energy". (Nov 16, 2007
Doom News
Q. When I use Absol [G]'s "Doom News" attack, is my opponent's
Pokemon still Knocked Out if they retreat it during their next turn?
A. Since it is an attack effect on the Defending Pokemon, it is removed
if that Defending Pokemon is no longer Active. (Supreme Victors FAQ;
Aug 27, 2009 PUI Rules Team)
Drag Off (Regigigas - DP Promos; Feraligatr δ - Dragon Frontiers; Blaziken ex - Crystal
Guardians; Others)
Q. What happens if I use Regigigas' "Drag Off" attack and choose to
bring up a benched Pokemon that has an Unown-G attached to it?
A. You may target the Benched Pokemon with Unown-G attached, but
since the Unown-G's GUARD would prevent the effect of switching out
that Pokemon the switch is prevented. Damage is not done to the
Benched or Defending Pokemon, since the chosen target cannot switch.
(Jan 21, 2010 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If my Feraligatr uses "Drag Off" against an Active Pokémon with
Cessation Crystal attached, does it get to use its "Battle Aura" Poké-
BODY to do +10x to the Pokémon brought up from the bench
(assuming it does not have a Cessation Crystal attached)?
A. Yes, when the Cessation Crystal Pokémon goes to the bench, the
Battle Aura turns on before the damage is done. Drag Off delays doing
damage until the switch is made; therefore, Battle Aura can take effect.
Dragon Finish
(Salamence - Secret Wonders)
Q. If I use Salamence's "Dragon Finish" attack, can I discard 2 Fire
Energy cards and 2 Water Energy cards for both effects?
A. No. You have to choose either 2 Fire Energy cards or 2 Water
Energy cards; you can't choose to discard both sets. (DP:Secret
Wonders FAQ; Nov 15, 2007 PUI Rules Team)
Dragon Rush
Q. If Garchomp [C] Lv.X has Special Energy cards attached and
discards all of them when using its "Dragon Rush" attack, can it do
damage to a Scizor that has the "Red Armor" Poke-BODY?
A. No. First choose which two energies to discard, then do the damage
(before any other effects), then you actually discard the energy at the
end of the attack. So it will still be attached at the point when damage
would be done, but the damage will be blocked. (Aug 19, 2010 PUI
Rules Team; Sep 2, 2010 PUI Rules Team)
Dragon Steam
Q. How much damage does Kingdra's "Dragon Steam" attack do if a
LEGEND Pokemon with Entei is in play?
A. Since Entei's Fire type applies to the types on the card, Dragon
Steam's damage is reduced to 20. (HS:Unleashed FAQ; May 13, 2010
PUI Rules Team)
Drain Punch
(Breloom - Secret Wonders)
Q. If the Defending Pokemon has just a single Scramble Energy
attached, how many damage counters can Breloom remove with its
"Drain Punch" attack?
A. Drain Punch is based on amount of Energy, not Energy cards. So if
the opponent is behind on prizes then Breloom removes three counters,
otherwise it only removes one counter. (Apr 3, 2008 PUI Rules Team)
Drought
(Groudon - Legends Awakened)
Q. If I use Groudon's "Drought" attack to attach two Basic Fighting
Energy cards from my hand onto one of my Pokemon, but my opponent
has Electivire Lv.X with "Shocking Tail" active, how many damage
counters do I take, 2 or 4?
A. Each energy attached with Shocking Tail activated places 2 damage
counters, so you would place a total of 4 damage counters for Shocking
Tail in this situation. (Sep 4, 2008 PUI Rules Team; Jun 3, 2010 PUI
Rules Team)
Dual Draw
Q. When using Misdreavus' "Dual Draw" attack, do the players have to
draw all 3 cards, or can they just draw 1 or 2 (or none)?
A. You must draw all three if you are able to (or as many as you can if
you have less than three). The attack does not say "up to 3 cards".
Dual Stream
(Salamence ex δ - Dragon Frontiers)
Q. Can Salamance-EX use "Dual Stream" to do 40 damage to a
Benched Pokémon if a Pokémon with "Safeguard" or Mysterious Shard
is active?
A. The phrase "if you do" in the Dual Stream attack is the equivalent of
"if you make this choice, then you can do this". You can still do 40 to
the Bench. (Jan 4, 2007 PUI Rules Team)
Eeeeeeek
(Cleffa - Unseen Forces; Cleffa - Neo Genesis)
Q. Can I use the effect of Cleffa's "Eeeeeeek" attack to put Cleffa to
sleep when I don't have any cards in my deck or in my hand?
A. Yes, Eeeeeeek will still put Cleffa to sleep. (GS:Heart Gold/Soul
Silver FAQ; Feb 11, 2010 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Can I use the effect of Cleffa's "Eeeeeeek" attack to draw cards from
my deck when I don't have any cards in my hand?
A. Yes, but you must shuffle your deck first before you draw. (GS:Heart
Gold/Soul Silver FAQ; Feb 11, 2010 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Can I use the effect of Cleffa's "Eeeeeeek" attack to shuffle cards
into my deck when I don't have any cards in my deck?
A. Yes, but you must draw 6 cards after you shuffle in your hand. After
shuffling, if you have 6 or fewer cards in your deck, draw them all.
(GS:Heart Gold/Soul Silver FAQ; Feb 11, 2010 PUI Rules Team)
Electric Current
(Flaaffy - Neo Genesis; Lt. Surge's Electabuzz - Gym Heroes)
Q. If you have no benched Pokemon and you do Electivire [FB]'s
"Electric Current" attack, what happens?
A. You do as much as you can. So you do the 40 damage and do not
move an energy card. (Supreme Victors FAQ; Aug 27, 2009 PUI Rules
Team)
Electromagnetic Jam
(Electrike - Mysterious Treasures)
Q. Where does the effect of Electrike's "Electromagnetic Jam" reside,
on the Defending Pokemon or on the opposing player? If the opponent
retreats after being attacked by "Electromagnetic Jam", can they attach
an energy card to the new Active Pokemon?
A. The effect of Electromagnetic Jam resides on the opposing player. So
retreating, evolving, etc. makes no difference; they cannot attach any
energy cards from their hand to the Active Pokemon, period. (Oct 11th,
Electromark
(Tyranitar ex δ - Dragon Frontiers)
Q. What ways can a Pokémon get rid of an attached "Imprison" marker
or "Shock-wave" marker?
A. Evolving, devolving, leveling up (i.e. LV.X), leaving play, and
Tropius' "Tropical Heal" Poké-POWER are currently the only ways to
get rid of an Imprison or Shock-wave Marker. Retreating or benching
does NOT get rid of the marker. (May 31, 2007 PUI Rules Team)
Energy Antics
Q. May I use Smoochum's "Energy Antics" attack if my opponent only
has an Active Pokemon and no Benched Pokemon?
A. Yes you can, although it won't move or discard the energy. There
must be a Pokemon on the bench or you can't move the energy off the
defending Pokemon. (Feb 18, 2010 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Does Smoochum's "Energy Antics" attack work like Ambipom [G]'s
"Tail Code" attack in regards to Unown-G? That is, if you try to move
an energy from one Pokemon to another Pokemon who has Unown-G
attached, you discard the energy instead?
A. Yes, that is correct. (Feb 18, 2010 PUI Rules Team)
Energy Flare
(Shaymin Lv.X - DP Promos; Shaymin Lv.X - Platinum)
Q. If I use Shaymin Lv.X's "Energy Flare" attack, but the Defending
Pokemon is Garchomp with the "Dragon Intimidation" Poke-BODY,
which effect comes first? The moving of energy from "Energy Flare" or
the return of energy into the hand from "Dragon Intimidation"?
A. You would complete all the moving around of energies with "Energy
Flare" first, and then if there are any energy cards still attached to the
Attacking Pokemon you return one of them to the hand from "Dragon
Intimidation". (Jan 14, 2010 PUI Rules Team)
Entangle Tackle
Q. When using Swalot's "Entangle Tackle" attack, can I target Old
Amber with the "Hard Amber" Poke-BODY or a Pokemon with "Bench
Shield" attached on my bench and prevent the bench damage from that
attack?
A. Yes, you can choose Old Amber or a Pokemon with Bench Shield
attached as your benched Pokemon to receive Entangle Tackle's bench
damage and it will be prevented. (PL:Arceus FAQ; Nov 5, 2009 PUI
Rules Team)
Errand-Running
Others)
(Pachirisu - DP Promos; Munchlax - Rising Rivals; Mareep - Platinum;
Q. If I use Budew's "Errand-Running" attack to search for a Trainer,
can I search for any Pre-D/P Supporters or Stadiums?
A. No. Since this is a "D/P era" attack it refers to the newer definition
of "Trainer cards", and therefore you may not search for a Supporter or
Stadium card. (May 31, 2007 PUI Rules Team)
Even Game
(Luvdisc - Crystal Guardians)
Q. If I attack with Luvdisc's "Even Game" and I have more than the
number of my opponent's Pokémon in play, what happens?
A. You still get to search for up to as many Basic Pokémon as your
opponent has Pokémon in play, regardless of which player has more of
them. (Nov 30, 2006 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If I attack with Luvdisc's "Even Game", what happens if I already
have a full bench? Do I get to search anyway and put the extra basics
into my hand?
A. No, if your bench is full you cannot even do the search part. And no,
any "extras" do not go into your hand either; you can only search for as
many Basic Pokémon as you have open slots on your bench. (Nov 30,
Evoluter
(Technical Machine TS-1 - Legends Awakened)
Q. Can I use Technical Machine TS-1's "Evoluter" attack to search
through my deck if I don't have any Pokemon in play that can evolve
any further?
A. Yes you could use Evoluter, because contents of a deck search
cannot be deduced, even on the basis of public knowledge. As long as
you meet the requirements to use an attack, you follow what it does (in
this case, searching your deck). (Dec 4, 2008 PUI Rules Team)
Evolution Wish
(Phione - Majestic Dawn)
Q. When using Phione's "Evolution Wish" attack, can I put a Stage 2
evolution card on one of my Basics (like Rare Candy)?
A. No, you can only place the next stage higher; you cannot skip a stage
with this attack. (May 29, 2008 PUI Rules Team)
Feint (Nuzleaf - Rising Rivals; Gallade [4] - Rising Rivals; Persian - Legends Awakened;
Others)
Q. If I use Lucario's "Feint" attack that says "this attack's damage isn't
affected by Resistance" against a Venomoth who attacked the previous
turn with "Disturbance Dive" which "prevents all effects" of the next
turn's attack, do I calculate Resistance for Lucario's "Feint" or not?
A. Ignoring resistance is part of the damage calculation. It is not an
effect on Venomoth, so the damage is not reduced. (Feb 7, 2008 PUI
Rules Team)
Feint Attack (Nuzleaf - Rising Rivals; Persian - Legends Awakened; Murkrow - Secret
Wonders; Others)
Q. If Mukrow has 2 Darkness Energy attached, and attacks the
Defending Pokémon with Feint Attack, how much damage does the
Defending Pokémon receive? And if Mukrow attacks a benched
Pokémon with Feint Attack, how much damage does that Pokémon
receive?
A. 40 HP damage [if attacking a Defending Pokémon]; 20 [if attacking
a Benched Pokémon]. Darkness will only add extra if you attack the
Defending Pokémon with the attack. (Dec 21, 2000 WotC Chat, Q9 &
Q12 & Q101)
Q. If the player using Feint Attack to attack a benched AQ Jumpluff
that has one damage on it, does the player need to flip for Jumpluff's
Poke-Body Fluff?
A. No. [ED NOTE: This particular answer is in reference to Aquapolis
Houndour's Feint Attack which DOES ignore effects on benched
pokemon; Neo Genesis Murkrow's & Neo Discovery Umbreon's Feint
Attack only ignores effects on the Defending Pokemon.] (Feb 27, 2003
WotC Chat, Q223; Mar 6, 2003 WotC Chat, Q276 & Q287)
Q. If you use Feint attack on a Giovanni's Machamp with a focus band,
and knock it out, does it flip for Fortitude and Focus Band?
A. Yes, it would. (Aug 30, 2001 WotC Chat, Q11)
Q. If Shiftry uses "Feint Attack" against Whiscash with "Submerge"
Poké-BODY on the bench, which one prevails? The attack or the PokéBODY?
A. Feint Attack ignores ANY effect on that Pokémon which attempts to
prevent its damage; the attack itself specifically states that the attack's
damage isn't affected by Poké-Powers and Poké-Bodies (and other
things as well). (Jan 8, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If Shiftry uses "Feint Attack" against a Pokémon that successfully
used "Agility" the previous turn, would Agility prevent the Feint Attack
or not?
A. No, the Feint Attack ignores any effects on the Defending Pokémon,
including Agility, Wonder Guard, etc. (Jan 8, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If Shiftry uses "Feint Attack" against a Pokémon that used
"Smokescreen" the previous turn, would it have to flip for Smokescreen
or not?
A. Yes it would have to flip. The effect of Smokescreen lies on the
Shiftry, and Feint Attack only ignores effects on the DEFENDING
Pokémon (Jan 8, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Does Double Rainbow Energy reduce Cacturne's Feint Attack?
A. Yes. Feint Attack refers to ignoring effects on the opponent's
Pokémon, not yours. (Mar 25, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If an opponent's Rhydon with "Power Diffusion" is active and my
"Feint Attack" targets the bench, the Poké-BODY trying to prevent the
damage is not on the Pokémon being attacked. So would Rhydon stop
any Feint Attack damage to the bench or not?
A. The active Rhydon's "Power Diffusion" is considered "an effect on
the benched Pokémon", so in this case Feint Attack would ignore it.
Q. Can a Pokémon that was attacked with Meganium's "Delta
Reduction" use "Feint Attack" to do full damage to Meganium?
A. Feint Attack ignores effects on the Defending Pokémon, but the
Delta Reduction effect is on the Pokémon that was attacked by Delta
Reduction. Therefore, Feint Attack's damage will be reduced. (Apr 5,
Flame Bluster
(Magmortar Lv.X - Mysterious Treasures)
* Magmortar LV.X's "Flame Bluster" attack should say "discard 2 Fire
Energy CARDS" rather than just "discard 2 Fire Energy". (Nov 16,
2007 Pokemon Organized Play News)
Flame Dance
(Monferno - Diamond and Pearl)
Q. Can I use Monferno's "Flame Dance" attack if I don't have any fire
energy in my discard pile?
A. Yes you can. It is an effect, not a requirement. (Jun 28, 2007 PUI
Rules Team)
Flare Bonus
Q. If I can't discard a Fire energy from my hand, can I attack with
Numel's "Flare Bonus"?
A. Yes, but the attack does nothing. (HS:Unleashed FAQ; May 13, 2010
PUI Rules Team)
Flare Destroy
Q. When I use Typhlosion's "Flare Destroy" attack, which player
chooses the Energy card to discard from the Defending Pokemon?
A. The player that used the attack gets to choose which Energy cards
get discarded from both the Active and Defending Pokemon. (GS:Heart
Q. If the Defending Pokemon doesn't have any Energy cards attached to
it, does Typhlosion's "Flare Destroy" attack still require Typhlosion to
discard an Energy from itself?
A. Yes, if the attacking Pokemon has any Energy cards attached, it must
discard one of them. (GS:Heart Gold/Soul Silver FAQ; Feb 11, 2010
PUI Rules Team)
Flash Cannon
Pearl)
(Dialga - DP Promos; Dialga - Great Encounters; Dialga - Diamond and
Q. If I use Dialga's "Flash Cannon" to attack my opponent's Infernape
LV.X, what happens?
A. Dialga's Flash Cannon attack would remove the highest Stage
Evolution card, in this case, the regular Infernape. You would also
remove Infernape LV.X too since the Pokémon is no longer an
Infernape. The LV.X goes wherever the Stage 2 goes. (Diamond &
Pearl FAQ; May 31, 2007 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If I use Dialga's "Flash Cannon" against a Basic Pokemon, can I still
return the energy cards into my hand?
A. Yes you can. There is no pre-condition that the Defending Pokemon
must be evolved in order to return the energy cards into your hand. (Jan
Focus Punch
(Poliwrath - Legends Awakened)
Q. If Poliwrath was damaged by an attack during its previous turn,
would switching or retreating remove the effect and allow Poliwrath to
use its "Focus Punch" attack?
A. The fact does not change that Poliwrath was damaged during the
previous turn, regardless of whether it was moved to/from the bench or
not. You could use Focus Punch, but the attack would do nothing under
those conditions. (Sep 25, 2008 PUI Rules Team)
Frenzy Plant
(Torterra - Majestic Dawn)
Q. If I use Torterra's "Frenzy Plant" this turn, can I use it again next
turn if I level up to Torterra Lv.X?
A. According to the rule book, leveling up a Pokemon removes all
effects and status. So yes you would be able to use Frenzy Plant after
leveling up to Torterra Lv.X. (Jul 10, 2008 PUI Rules Team)
Gadget Bolt
Q. What happens if I have Luxray with an "Expert Belt" attached, use
its "Gadget Bolt" attack and discard the Expert Belt to KO my
opponent's Gengar, but my opponent flips heads for Gengar's "Fainting
Spell" Poke-POWER? Does my opponent take two prizes or just one?
A. The tool was discarded as part of the attack prior to the check for
Fainting Spell. So the opponent only gets to take one prize. (Jun 3, 2010
PUI Rules Team)
Get Help
(Mothim - Majestic Dawn)
Q. Mothim's "Get Help" attack does 30 damage times the number of
different types of Wormadam on your bench. Does this mean color, or
type of "cloak"?
A. 30 damage for each energy type; the "cloak" form is actually part of
the card's name. The name of the Wormadam doesn't matter, just its
color. (May 29, 2008 PUI Rules Team; Jul 3, 2008 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If you have two Wormadam Sandy Cloaks on your bench and one of
them has a Crystal Shard attached, how much damage does Mothim's
"Get Help" attack do?
A. The Crystal Shard changes its type from Fighting to Colorless, so
Get Help would now do 60 damage instead of 30. (Jul 3, 2008 PUI
Rules Team)
Giga Drain
(Turtwig [GL] - Rising Rivals; Beautifly - Diamond and Pearl)
Q. If Beautifly does "Giga Drain" and the Defending Pokémon only has
10 HP left, does Beautifly still heal itself for 50 damage?
A. Yes, because the 50 damage is still done, even though it is more than
enough to KO the Defending Pokémon. (May 31, 2007 PUI Rules
Team)
Gravity Wave
(Dusclops - Diamond and Pearl)
Q. Dusclops' "Gravity Wave" attack does 10 damage to each Benched
Pokémon with no Retreat Cost. What does that include?
A. It includes Fossils with no Retreat Cost at all, Pokémon with a
Retreat Cost of zero, and Pokémon that have a game effect which sets
their Retreat Cost to zero. (Jun 28, 2007 PUI Rules Team)
Group Swim
Q. Can I use Mantine's "Group Swim" attack to put one half of a Lugia
LEGEND card in my hand?
A. Yes. Either half of the Lugia LEGEND card is still considered "a
Water-type Pokemon", so you can search for it with Group Swim.
Happy Chance
(Blissey - Mysterious Treasures)
Q. Say I attack with Dusknoir's "Night Spin", then on the opponent's
next turn they use Blissey's "Happy Chance" attack. If Blissey started
its attack with only two energy on it, would "Night Spin" protect
Dusknoir if "Happy Chance" attaches a third energy from the discard
pile onto Blissey?
A. No, the attachment of energy is done before damage, so at the point
when damage is done Blissey has three energies on it and therefore gets
past Night Spin. (Dec 4, 2008 PUI Rules Team)
Harden
(Seedot - Rising Rivals; Onix - Stormfront; Cascoon - Diamond and Pearl; Others)
Q. If I use Cascoon's "Harden" attack which prevents any attack
damage that is 30 or less during the opponent's next turn, does that come
before or after calculating for Weakness/Resistance?
A. Weakness & Resistance are factored in before determining whether
Harden blocks it or not. So if a fire Pokémon's attack does 20 damage
to Casoon and then +20 more is added for Cascoon's Weakness, Harden
would not prevent the damage. (May 31, 2007 PUI Rules Team)
Head Smash
(Rampardos - Platinum)
Q. If I use Rampardos' "Mold Breaker" attack which reduces damage
done to Rampardos by -20 until the end of my next turn, and then on
the next turn I use Rampardos' "Head Smash" attack which can possibly
do +40 damage to itself, would the effect of "Mold Breaker" reduce the
self-damage from "Head Smash"?
A. Yes, that is correct; it would reduce the self-damage by -20. (Apr 2,
Hidden Power / E
Q. Can you use Illumise's "Scent Conduct" Poke-POWER if Unown-E's
"Hidden Power" attack's effect is ongoing (all flips are tails)?
A. Yes, you can still use the Poke-POWER, but the effect of any coin
flips done will be tails. (Apr 3, 2008 PUI Rules Team)
Hydro Wave
(Salamence ex - Power Keepers)
Q. Can you use Salamence-EX's "Hydro Wave" attack if the opponent
has no Benched Pokemon?
A. Yes. Salamence-EX would simply discard all attached Water Energy
and that's all. (Apr 3, 2008 PUI Rules Team)
Ice Barrier
(Latios ex δ - Dragon Frontiers; Regice * - Legend Maker)
Q. My opponent attacks with Latios-EX's "Ice Barrier" attack. If I can
send their Latios-EX to the bench and bring it active again (e.g.
Cyclone Energy & Pokémon Reversal), can I attack it with my
Pokémon-EX?
A. Yes. Ice Barrier's effect resides on Latios-EX and is cleared by
moving it to the bench. (Apr 5, 2007 PUI Rules Team)
Ice Bind
(Glaceon - Rising Rivals; Walrein - Mysterious Treasures)
Q. For Glaceon's "Ice Bind" attack, does the opponent *have to*
discard a card from their hand?
A. No, it is the opponent's choice. But if they choose not to discard, the
Defending Pokemon becomes Paralyzed. (PL:Rising Rivals FAQ; May
Impersonate
(Sableye - Stormfront)
Q. If I have no hand, can I use Sableye's "Impersonate" attack to get &
discard a Bebe's Search? I can't use the effect of Bebe's Search because
I can't put a card on top of the deck before I search, Does this also mean
that I can't select Bebe's Search to begin with?
A. You can use Impersonate to search for the card, discard it, then
shuffle your deck. But since you don't meet the requirements for using
Bebe's Search you cannot use its effect. (Apr 2, 2009 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If I use Sableye's "Impersonate" attack to search for a supporter and
I find "Charon's Choice" and use its effect, does Charon's Choice go
back into my hand at the end of my turn or do I discard it per Sableye's
attack?
A. When using Impersonate, the Charon's Choice card goes to the
discard pile rather than next to the Active Pokemon. Since it is already
in the discard pile, you cannot bring the Charon's Choice card back into
your hand. (Jun 11, 2009 PUI Rules Team)
Inviting Trap
(Trapinch - Secret Wonders)
Q. If my opponent has a Toxicroak [G] with the "Anticipation" PokeBODY or a Pokemon with Unown-G attached as a tool with its
"GUARD" Poke-Power active, can I use my Trapinch's "Inviting Trap"
attack or Blaziken [FB]'s "Luring Flame" attack and choose to switch
the Defending Pokemon with one of their benched Pokemon?
A. Yes, it can. The intended wording of Trapinch's Inviting Trap and
Blaziken [FB]'s Luring Flame place an effect on the Benched Pokemon,
so even if the Defending Pokemon has a condition that prevent effects
of attacks the switch can still occur. (Aug 5, 2010 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If my opponent has a Toxicroak [G] with the "Anticipation" PokeBODY on their bench, or a Pokemon with Unown-G attached as a tool
with its "GUARD" Poke-Power on their bench, can I use my Trapinch's
"Inviting Trap" attack or Blaziken [FB]'s "Luring Flame" attack and
choose to switch the Defending Pokemon with one of those on the
bench?
A. No, you cannot. The intended wording of Trapinch's Inviting Trap
and Blaziken [FB]'s Luring Flame place an effect on the Benched
Pokemon, so if the Benched Pokemon has a condition that prevents
effects of attacks excluding damage done, the switch cannot occur.
Keen Eye
(Furret - Secret Wonders)
Q. Furret's "Keen Eye" attack says to search your deck for up to 2
cards. Does this mean I can voluntarily fail and choose zero cards if I
want to?
A. No. A voluntary fail happens when you are searching for a specific
card that might or might not be in your deck. Since Keen Eye has you
search for any card (not a specific card) you must choose at least one
card when using this attack. (Dec 4, 2008 PUI Rules Team)
Land Shake
(Torterra - Stormfront)
Q. On Player-A's turn, Torterra used "Land Shake". Then on Player-B's
turn they play a Toxicroak-G from his or her hand. Does Toxicroak-G
receive 2 damage counters from "Land Shake's" effect? Or does
Toxicroak-G's "Anticipation" Poke-BODY prevent the effect?
A. The effect of placing two damage counters is one that resides on
Player-B and is no longer "part of the attack" during the opponent's next
turn. Anticipation would therefore not block the placing of damage
counters in this situation. (May 7, 2009 PUI Rules Team)
Leaf Hurricane
(Wormadam Plant Cloak - Secret Wonders)
Q. For Wormadam Plant Cloak's "Leaf Hurricane" attack, do you check
the Defending Pokemon's remaning HP before or after doing damage?
A. If the Defending Pokemon has fewer remaining HP *before doing
damage*, then the Defending Pokemon is confused. (Jul 17, 2008 PUI
Rules Team)
Leaf Storm
(Torterra - Diamond and Pearl)
Q. If my Torterra uses its "Leaf Storm" attack against Electrode, does
"Leaf Storm's" healing effect resolve before or after Electrode's
"Radiance" Poke-BODY places damage counters?
A. Radiance does not activate until the Leaf Storm attack is complete.
So the "remove 2 damage counters" part of Leaf Storm goes first, and
then Radiance places a damage counter on each of your Pokemon
afterward. (Dec 18, 2008 PUI Rules Team)
Leech Life
(Nincada - Dragon; Golbat - Fossil; Zubat - Fossil; Others)
Q. If I attack with Venonat's Leech Life and do 10 damage, how many
damage counters do I remove from Venonat?
A. You remove one damage counter, which equals 10 damage. (Jungle
FAQ, WotC Website)
Q. If Ariados' "Leech Life" attack does 30 damage but the opponent's
Active Pokemon has only 10 HP remaining, how many damage
counters will be removed from Ariados?
A. Leech Life does 30 damage, which is not affected by the fact that the
KO only required 10 damage. Therefore, Ariados will remove 3 damage
counters, or all if there are less than 3. (GS:Heart Gold/Soul Silver
FAQ; Feb 11, 2010 PUI Rules Team)
Life Drain
Challenge)
(Gengar - Diamond and Pearl; Kirlia - RubySapphire; Sabrina's Kadabra - Gym
Q. Would Sabrina's Kadabra's Life Drain be an instant Knock Out if it
has a Plus Power attached?
A. No, Life Drain doesn't do damage, it just places damage counters.
Plus Power only works when damage is done. (Oct 12, 2000 WotC
Chat, Q136)
Q. If a Defender [or Buffer Piece] is attached to the defending
Pokémon, and you do Life Drain and it works, do they have 30 damage
left instead of 10?
A. No, because Life Drain [places] damage counters and Defender
doesn't stop that. (Oct 26, 2000 WotC Chat, Q12)
Q. Sabrina's Kadabra's Life Drain attack would not worry about
Weakness and Resistance, right?
A. Correct sir! (Oct 12, 2000 WotC Chat, Q36)
Q. If Sabrina's Kadabra attacks with Life Drain on a Rocket's Scyther
after it used Shadow Images last turn, would the amount of damage
counters put on Scyther depend on the 2nd coin flip or both coin flips?
A. Life Drain is not damage so that wouldn't be stopped by Shadow
Images. (Oct 12, 2000 WotC Chat, Q72)
Q. If Sabrina's Kadabra does Life Drain against an undamaged Mr.
Mime, how many damage counters are placed on Mr. Mime?
A. 3 damage counters, the Invisible Wall does not prevent the
placememnt of damage counters, only damage. (Oct 19, 2000 WotC
Chat, Q26)
Q. Since "Life Drain doesn't do damage, it just places damage
counters," does this mean that Life Drain will place damage counters
equal to 110 on Chansey, even if Chansey has successfully done
Scrunch?
A. Correct!!! (Oct 19, 2000 WotC Chat, Q31)
Lightning Twister
(Manectric - Mysterious Treasures)
* Manectric's "Lightning Twister" attack should say, "Does 20 damage
times the amount of Energy from basic Energy cards attached to
Manectric." (Feb 28, 2008 Pokemon Organized Play News; Mar 13,
Luring Flame
(Slugma - Dragon)
bench?
Mach Wind
Q. A Vespiquen that used its "Mach Wind" attack on my previous turn
was hit by Grimer's "Sticky Liquid" attack during my opponent's turn.
In this instance, what is Vespiquen's retreat cost during my next turn?
A. It has no Retreat Cost. When effects that increase something like
Retreat Cost by a particular amount are stacked on top of effects that
make something like Retreat Cost vanish, the vanishing effect takes
priority. (HS:Undaunted FAQ; Sep 9, 2010 PUI Rules Team)
Magical Step
(Grumpig - Legends Awakened)
Q. If Grumpig uses "Magical Step" to confuse the Defending Pokemon,
do you put six damage counters on it right away? Or does it act like a
double confusion where you only put six damage counters if the flip for
Confusion is tails?
A. Magical Step does not place any damage counters when it attacks.
The effect is that the Confused Pokemon puts six damage counters if the
flip for Confusion is tails. (Aug 7, 2008 PUI Rules Team)
Metronome (Clefable - Diamond and Pearl; Togepi - Team Rocket Returns; Clefable ex Fire Red Leaf Green; Others)
Q. Please explain Metronoming attacks where the attack mentions the
specific name of the opponent's Pokémon.
A. Anytime an attack is self referencing (meaning it mentions itself)
and you copy that attack with Metronome or Ditto, you replace the selfreferenced name with the name of the Clefable/Clefairy/Ditto, etc. (Dec
14, 2000 WotC Chat, Q66)
Q. Can Clefable copy Pokémon Powers?
A. No, only attacks. (Jul 6, 2000 WotC Chat, Q264)
Q. Suppose Clefairy uses Metronome to copy Chansey's Double-edge
attack (which does 80 damage and has the text "Chansey does 80
damage to itself"). Does that mean Clefairy does 80 damage to Chansey
plus Chansey does 80 damage to itself, for a total of 160 damage to
Chansey?
A. No, Clefairy will do 80 damage to Chansey and Clefairy will do 80
damage to itself. In general, if Pokémon A copies an attack from
Pokémon B, any copies of Pokémon B's name in Pokémon B's attack
should be replaced by Pokémon A's name. (Think of Pokémon A's
name, when written on Pokémon A's card, as really being "this
Pokémon.") (Base Set WotC FAQ)
Q. How much damage would Metronome do when the damage of the
attack copied is dependent on the amount of Energy discarded?
A. Ok. Here we go: the Metronome attack copies the attack and negates
the cost (a.k.a. the Energy cost of the attack). However on cards like
Blastoise and any other card that has any added attack bonus for extra
Energy or attached cards you have to follow those rules as normal.
Example: if Clefable copied Hydro Pump he would do 40 points of
damage unless he had extra Water Energy on him, the same holds true
for discarding for extra effects. (Feb 24 WotC Chat)
Q. When Clefable Metronomes Big Eggsplosion how much damage
does it do... and what is needed?
A. You would flip a coin for each Energy card attached to CLEFABLE
(not Exeggutor). For each heads that comes up it would do 20 damage.
(Mar 2, 6-22-00 Q37 WotC Chat)
Q. If I use Clefable's Metronome copying Lapras' Water Gun attack
(Lapras having 3 Water on him)... how much would the attack do?
A. The base damage is 10; it would do 10 more for each additional
Water Energy on CLEFABLE, not on Lapras. (Mar 2 WotC Chat)
Q. So to Clarify, Clefable with any 3 energy could do the "extra"
damage in a Hydro Pump? They would not have to be water energy?
A. Nope! You could use any kind of energy to pay for the metronome
attack, THEN energy PAST that would have to be water energy to do
the extra Water Pump damage. (April 6, 2000 WotC Chat Q74)
* Whenever Metronome is used to copy an attack that "refers to itself"
like Chansey's Double Edge, (does 80 to defending Pokémon AND does
80 damage to Chansey), you would replace the self reference with
Clefable or Clefairy. So the attack would read "does 80 damage to
defending Pokémon and 80 damage to itself (i.e., Clefable or Clefairy).
If an attack does refer to other Pokémon, like Bellsprout's Call for
Family attack (Search your deck for a Basic Pokémon named Bellsprout
and put it onto your Bench), you would NOT replace the reference with
Clefable or Clefairy. So if you used Metronome to copy this attack, you
could only search your deck for Bellsprouts. (Mar 2 WotC Chat)
Q. If you Metronome Haunter's "Dream Eater" does the Defending
Pokémon have to be Asleep or not to work?
A. Yes, it does. (Mar 2 WotC Chat)
Q. How would it go if it Metronome'd Swords Dance? Next turn, would
it will deal twice as much according to the Japanese Text? Or would it
state in the US Text.
A. You would have to Metronome the Sword Dance the first turn and
then Metronome the Slash the next and it would be doubled for your
Clefable. (Mar 2 WotC Chat)
Q. Clefable CAN use MP Moltres's Hyper Flame if the Clefable had a
Fire energy, right? What about a Rainbow energy?
A. That would work too. (Aug 3 2000 WotC Chat, Q113)
Q. If a Clefable uses Metronome and it copys TR Zapdos' Electroburn
does it take any damage if it has 0 lightning energies on it?
A. Right-o [Ed.Note: No, it does not take any damage]. (Oct 26, 2000
WotC Chat, Q15)
Q. If Clefable metronomes Latias-EX's "Power Crush" attack, what
happens if there are no Fire Energies attached to Clefable?
A. Clefable can copy the Power Crush attack without having any Fire
Energy to discard as long as the Defending Pokémon is not Knocked
Out by the attack. If the Defending Pokémon was Knocked Out and you
cannot discard 2 Fire Energies, then this attack does nothing. (Jul 19,
Mimic (Chatot - Majestic Dawn; Mew * δ - Dragon Frontiers; Sudowoodo - Aquapolis;
Others)
Q. Can I use Jynx's "Mimic" attack to draw cards from my deck when I
don't have any cards in my hand?
A. Yes, but you must shuffle your deck first before you draw. (GS:Heart
Q. Can I use Jynx's "Mimic" attack to shuffle my hand into my deck
when my opponent has no cards in his or her hand?
A. Yes, but you won't draw any cards after you shuffle it in. (GS:Heart
Mining
(Mawile - Crystal Guardians)
Q. Mawile's "Mining" attack says to search your deck for a Trainer.
Can it also get a Supporter or Stadium?
A. Yes, since Mawile is a pre-Diamond and Pearl card, when it says
"Trainer" it includes all Trainers, Supporters and Stadiums, regardless
of set. (Oct 25, 2007 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Mawile's "Mining" attack let's you search your deck for a Trainer
and put it in your hand, or if its a Pokemon Tool attach it to one of
your Pokemon. Can you use "Mining" to attach a Strength Charm to
Mawile?
A. Yes, but it will be discarded from the attacking Pokemon at the end
of the turn. If you attach it to another Pokemon, it is not discarded,
because that Pokemon did not attack. (Oct 25, 2007 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If I use "Mining" to attach a Buffer Piece to one of my Pokemon, is
it still discarded at the end of my opponent's turn, even though I didn't
'play' it?
A. Yes, the attachment via the attack is handled as if it was played on
the turn of the attack. (Oct 25, 2007 PUI Rules Team)
Miraculous Light
(Latias - OP Series 7; Latias - Great Encounters; Latios * - Deoxys)
Q. Latias' attack, "Miraculous Light" does damage and heals 2 damage
counters. Sharpedo's "Rough Skin" Poke-BODY is activated when
damage is done, and places two damage counters. In what order do
these effects take place?
A. The attack damage and effect are applied, then the effect of "Rough
Skin" is applied. (Apr 16, 2009 PUI Rules Team)
Mirror Shot
(Magnezone - DP Promos)
Q. If my opponent uses "Mirror Shot" on my Active Pokemon, would I
still have to flip a coin for my attack if I retreat?
A. No, retreating would clear the effect of Mirror Shot. (HS:Undaunted
FAQ; Sep 9, 2010 PUI Rules Team)
Mold Breaker
Q. If I use Rampardos' "Mold Breaker" attack which reduces damage
done to Rampardos by -20 until the end of my next turn, and then on
the next turn I use Rampardos' "Head Smash" attack which can possibly
do +40 damage to itself, would the effect of "Mold Breaker" reduce the
self-damage from "Head Smash"?
A. Yes, that is correct; it would reduce the self-damage by -20. (Apr 2,
Moon Skip
(Cresselia Lv.X - Great Encounters)
Q. If Cresselia Lv.X uses its "Moon Skip" attack to KO a confused
Weezing that has the "Camouflage Gas" Poke-BODY, how many Prize
Cards would be taken (if any)?
A. None. Camouflage Gas says that the attacking player "can't take a
Prize card" if Weezing is Confused when it gets KO'd. (Jul 23, 2009
PUI Rules Team)
Mountain Eater
(Larvitar - Aquapolis)
Q. My Larvitar is poisoned with 10 HP left. My opponent has one prize
remaining and no cards in the deck. Can I attack with "Mountain Eater"
and win the game?
A. You can attack, but if you can't discard the card you don't get to
remove two damage counters. Larvitar will be KO'd between turns and
your opponent will take the last prize. (HS:Unleashed FAQ; May 13,
Needle Shock
(Beedrill - Rising Rivals)
Q. Beedrill's "Needle Shock" attack says to ignore the effect part if any
of my Pokemon used "Needle Shock" last turn. So what happens if the
Pokemon that used "Needle Shock" last turn is KO'd, scooped up, in the
Lost Zone, or something like that?
A. This particular effect is on the player, not on the Pokemon. If you
had a Pokemon in play last turn that used Needle Shock, you must
ignore the effect portion of Needle Shock this turn. (PL:Rising Rivals
FAQ; May 21, 2009 PUI Rules Team)
Night Spin
(Dusknoir - Stormfront)
Q. Say I attack with Dusknoir's "Night Spin", then on the opponent's
next turn they use Blissey's "Happy Chance" attack. If Blissey started
its attack with only two energy on it, would "Night Spin" protect
Dusknoir if "Happy Chance" attaches a third energy from the discard
pile onto Blissey?
A. No, the attachment of energy is done before damage, so at the point
when damage is done Blissey has three energies on it and therefore gets
past Night Spin. (Dec 4, 2008 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If I use Rampardos' "Head Smash" attack with only one energy
attached against Dusknoir who used its "Night Spin" attack on the
previous turn, would Rampardos' "Iron Skull" Poke-BODY allow me to
ignore the "Night Spin" effect that prevents all effects of attacks from
Pokemon with 2 or less energy attached?
A. The Iron Skull Poke-BODY says its attack's damage is not affected
by "any other effects on the Defending Pokemon", so yes it would
ignore the Night Spin effect residing on Dusknoir. (Apr 9, 2009 PUI
Rules Team)
Ninja Fang
Q. If the damage dealt by Gliscor's "Ninja Fang" attack is reduced to 0
by damage-reducing effects like Special Metal Energy or the Trainer
card "Defender", does the Defending Pokemon become Paralyzed or
not?
A. No, it does not. The Defending Pokemon can only be Paralyzed if
Ninja Fang does 10 damage or more after all other affects have been
evaluated. (HS:Undaunted FAQ; Sep 9, 2010 PUI Rules Team)
Octazooka
(Octillery - Platinum; Octillery - Neo Revelation)
Q. How long does "Octazooka's" effect remain on the Defending
Pokemon?
A. Octazooka's effect lasts on the Defending Pokemon until it is no
longer active, or if it evolves, levels up, etc., regardless of how many
turns go by. (Jun 11, 2009 PUI Rules Team)
Q. On Octillery, if you flip heads for Octazooka, then the Defending
Pokémon must flip heads when attacking to do damage or effects. This
is true as long as the Defending Pokémon remains active, regardless of
whether Octillery remains active or in play, and regardless of whether
you flip heads next turn when using Octazooka, correct?
A. Correct. (Oct 11, 2001 WotC Chat, Q56)
Q. If I [Knock Out] a pokemon with Octazooka and flip a head, does
that mean the pokemon the opponent brings in has to flip to do its
move?
A. The effect from that attack goes onto that Defending Pokemon which
is then Knocked out. You would NOT do the effect on the next one that
comes up. (Mar 7, 2002 WotC Chat, Q555)
Q. Say my Misty's Horsea Lv. 16 (Gym:C) attacks with "Ink Spurt",
and then the following turn I retreat it for Octillery and do "Octazooka".
Does the opponent have to flip twice if they try to attack, or only once?
A. They would have to flip twice because those are two separate effects.
(Jan 17, 2002 WotC Chat, Q1266)
Parallel Drain
(Butterfree - Great Encounters)
Q. Does Butterfree's "Parallel Drain" attack take Weakness &
Resistance into account before or after removing the damage counters
on my own Pokemon?
A. Anything that adds to (Weakness, PlusPower) or removes from
(Resistance, etc.) the final amount of damage done affects the number
of damage counters you may remove. It's simple - if the final result of
the attack does 60 damage to the Defending Pokemon, then you remove
six damage counters from one of your Pokemon. (Mar 20, 2008 PUI
Rules Team)
Q. If I use Butterfree's "Parallel Drain" attack, may I choose to remove
fewer damage counters than the amount of damage done by the attack?
A. You may choose a Pokemon with fewer damage counters on it and
remove all of them, but you cannot choose to remove fewer damage
counters if the Pokemon already has as many or more damage counters
on it than the attack damage did. For example, if you did 30 damage
and have 50 damage on the Pokemon you choose, you cannot remove
less than three damage counters from that Pokemon. (Mar 20, 2008 PUI
Rules Team)
Perish Song
(Altaria - Platinum; Misdreavus - Neo Revelation)
Q. If I use Misdreavus' Night Eyes attack on my turn and the Defending
Pokémon wakes up between turns, can I put it to sleep with Rocket
Drowzee or a Sleep! trainer in order to knock the Defending Pokémon
out with Perish Song on my next turn?
A. Yes you could, it just has to be Asleep and have been attacked by
Night Eyes last turn. It doesn't matter if it is asleep from another effect
or not. (Oct 11, 2001 WotC Chat, Q5)
Q. If a Pokemon that was attacked by Night Eyes last turn goes to the
bench, could I Gust it up, put it to sleep (with the Sleep! trainer or TR
Drowzee), and then KO it with Perish Song?
A. Yes it would. (Nov 1, 2001 WotC Chat, Q9)
Q. Regarding the Perish Song Attack - Is there any way to clear the
effect between the Night Eyes Attack and the Perish Song Attack next
turn. Benching doesn't seem to as long as the conditions are met.
A. There is no effect to clear; it's a check of the Game State. Evolving,
Devolving, or leaving play alters the Game State such that it is no
longer the same Pokemon that got attacked by Night Eyes. But not
benching. (Nov 1, 2001 WotC Chat, Q33; Apr 2, 2009 PUI Rules Team)
* When a Pokemon evolves or devolves it is NO longer considered to
be the same Pokemon. So if Misdreavus used Night Eyes against a
Squirtle last turn and then that Squirtle evolves to Wartortle,
Misdreavus could NOT use Perish song (even if Wartortle was asleep)
as it is NOT the same Pokemon! (Oct 18, 2001 WotC Chat
Announcements)
Q. Say I use Altaria's "Midnight Eyes" on an active Infernape. On my
opponents turn, they level their Active up to Infernape Lv.X. On my
next turn I put the active Infernape Lv.X back to sleep and use "Perish
Song". Will this KO the active Infernape Lv.X?
A. Although evolving or devolving would not allow Perish Song to be
used (since it is no longer the same Pokemon), a Leveled Up Pokemon
is still the same Pokemon as it was before and in this case the Infernape
Lv.X would get KO'd by Perish Song. (Apr 2, 2009 PUI Rules Team)
Plasma Arrow
Q. When using Rotom's "Plasma Arrow" attack, I get to choose one of
the opponent's Pokemon and do 20 damage for each Energy attached to
it; but do I do the damage to the Defending Pokemon, or to the
Pokemon I chose?
A. To the Pokemon that was chosen. If the damage were to be done to
the Defending Pokemon, there would be a "20x" value in the damage
field of the attack. (HS:Undaunted FAQ; Sep 9, 2010 PUI Rules Team)
Playground
Q. If my opponent uses Pichu's "Playground" attack on the first turn of
the game, and I am going second, can I evolve the Pokemon I put onto
my Bench with "Playground" since I did not put them in play on my
turn?
A. It is a basic game rule that neither player can normally evolve any
Pokemon on their first turn of the game, even if they are going second.
(Feb 4, 2010 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If neither player puts any Basic Pokemon onto their Bench as an
effect of Pichu's "Playground" attack, does Pichu fall Asleep?
A. Yes. The phrase "Pichu is now Asleep" is activated at the end of the
attack, independent of the other results of the attack. The corresponding
phrase acts the same way for the attacks of all the HGSS set's Pokemon
with the "Sweet Sleeping Face" Poke-BODY (e.g. Cleffa's "Eeeeeeek",
Smoochum's "Energy Antics", etc.). (GS:Heart Gold/Soul Silver FAQ;
Feb 11, 2010 PUI Rules Team)
Plunder (Meowth - Nintendo Black Star Promos; Skuntank - Stormfront; Mightyena Power Keepers; Others)
Q. Say Murkrow uses "Plunder" on a Pokémon that has Energy Root
attached and 10 HP left (including the extra HP from Energy Root).
When the Tool is discarded, is the Defending Pokémon KO'd right
away and does the new Defending take the attack damage?
A. The Pokémon is KO'd immediately, but is not removed from play
until all of the attack effects are finished; so the original Defending
takes the attack damage before the other Pokémon comes up. (Sep 22,
Q. The effect text of "Plunder" says: "Before doing damage, discard all
Trainer cards attached to the Defending Pokémon." So what happens to
Fossils in this case?
A. Fossils are not "attached" to themselves, so they are not discarded by
Plunder. (Feb 16, 2006 PUI Rules Team)
Power Claw
Q. The damage from Tyranitar's "Power Claw" attack isn't affected by
Poke-POWERS, Poke-BODIES, or any other effects on the Defending
Pokemon. Would you apply weakness and resistance to its damage?
A. Yes, weakness or resistance to Tyrantitar's type would be applied
where appropriate. These are game rules and not considered effects on
the Defending Pokemon. (HS:Unleashed FAQ; May 13, 2010 PUI Rules
Team)
Power Whip
(Carnivine [G] - DP Promos; Tangrowth - Great Encounters)
* Tangrowth's "Power Whip" attack should say, "This attack does 10
damage for each Energy from basic Energy cards attached to
Tangrowth to that Pokemon." (Feb 28, 2008 Pokemon Organized Play
News)
Q. How does the Tangrowth errata affect "Power Whip" with Sceptile's
"Wild Growth" in play?
A. Tangrowth does 10 damage for each Energy from basic Energy cards
– 1 basic Grass Energy card provides 2 Energy, so it would do 20 total
damage. (Feb 28, 2008 PUI Rules Team)
Primal Breath
(Aerodactyl [GL] - Rising Rivals)
Q. Does Aerodactyl GL's "Primal Breath" attack prevent my opponent
from using Rare Candy on their next turn? Or what about using the
Broken Time-Space stadium?
A. Yes, Primal Breath prevents the use of both of those because it
prevents the Evolution Card from leaving your hand. (May 21, 2009
PUI Rules Team)
Q. If I use Aerodactyl GL's "Primal Breath" attack, and on my
opponent's turn they switch the Defending Pokemon for a different one,
can they then evolve the Pokemon that was attacked by "Primal
Breath"?
A. Yes. The Primal Breath attack is an effect on the Defending
Pokemon, the one that was attacked. If another Pokemon takes its place
the effect is cleared. (Aug 6, 2009 PUI Rules Team)
Psychic Cut
(Gallade - OP Series 7; Gallade - Secret Wonders)
Q. When I attack with Gallade's "Psychic Cut", do I have to announce
how many prizes I'm flipping over ahead of time?
A. Yes, you must announce how many prize cards you're going to flip
before revealing any prize cards or doing any damage. (Jan 10, 2008
PUI Rules Team)
Q. If the Defending Pokemon has a Holon Energy WP and a basic
Water energy attached, does it prevent the prize flipping portion of
Gallade's "Psychic Cut"?
A. No. You can still flip up the prize cards and increase the amount of
damage, as flipping is part of the damage calculation and is not an
effect done to directly to the Pokemon with the Water and Holon WP
energies attached. (Jan 10, 2008 PUI Rules Team)
Psychic Guard
abilities. Alakazam's correct card text should read: "Psychic Guard (50)
- During your opponent's next turn, any damage done to Alakazam by
applying Weakness and Resistance)." (May 1, 2009 Pokemon Organized
Psychic Lock
(Gardevoir - Secret Wonders)
Q. If I attack with Gardevoir's "Psychic Lock", can my opponent use
any Poké-POWERs if they evolve their Pokémon on the following
turn?
A. The effect of Psychic Lock is on your opponent, not on their
Pokémon. So no matter what happens to their Pokemon, the opponent
cannot use any of their Poké-Powers. That also means there is no way
to clear the effect. (Dec 6, 2007 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If the Defending Pokémon has a Holon Energy WP and a basic
Water energy attached, what happens to the "your opponent can't use
any Poké-Powers" part of Gardevoir's "Psychic Lock" attack?
Pokémon. So since the Holon Energy WP only protects the Pokémon,
the opposing player is still unable to use any of their Poké-Powers. (Jan
Q. If I knock out Ho-Oh with Gardevoir's "Psychic Lock" attack, does
the disabling of Poke-Powers happen before or after Ho-Oh's "Phoenix
Turn" Poke-POWER?
A. Psychic Lock says they can't use any Poke-Powers "during your
opponent's next turn". Phoenix Turn starts and finishes during the
attack, before "your opponent's next turn," so Psychic Lock does not
stop Phoenix Turn. (Jul 10, 2008 PUI Rules Team)
Psychic Restore
(Uxie - Legends Awakened)
Q. If I use Uxie's "Psychic Restore" attack to KO my opponent's
Pokemon, then place Uxie back onto the bottom of my deck, who
replaces their Active Pokemon first?
A. Uxie is gone before KO's are checked, so the Uxie player replaces
first. (Jan 8, 2009 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If I use Uxie's "Psychic Restore" attack where it does 20 and puts
itself into the deck, but Gengar's "Fainting Spell" Poke-POWER would
knock out Uxie, what happens?
A. If you choose to put Uxie in the deck with Psychic Restore the attack
completes first, and Gengar cannot return the knockout. However, if
you do not put Uxie in the deck, then Gengar's Fainting Spell would
Knock Out Uxie if the coin flip is heads. (Oct 30, 2008 PUI Rules
Team)
Psychic Strategy
(Exeggutor - Legends Awakened)
Q. If I have no cards in my hand, can I use Exeggutor's "Psychic
Strategy" attack where each player counts the number of cards in his or
her opponent's hand, shuffles his or her hand into the deck, and draws a
number of cards up to the number of cards the opponent's hand?
A. Yes, you can have a hand of zero cards and use this attack. The
opponent would not get to draw any cards. (Sep 4, 2008 PUI Rules
Team)
Q. If Exeggutor's "Psychic Strategy" attack is used and my opponent
has any cards in their hand, can I choose to draw no cards?
A. No, you must draw at least one card if the opponent has any cards in
their hand. (Sep 4, 2008 PUI Rules Team)
Pulse Barrier
(Electivire Lv.X - Mysterious Treasures)
Q. If Electivire Lv.X's "Pulse Barrier" attack is used, does its effect
prevent damage and effects from all sources, or just from attacks?"
A. It only prevents effects or damage caused by attacks. Any affects or
damage caused by Poke-POWERs, Poke-BODYs, trainers, supporters,
etc. still happens. (Aug 30, 2007 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If Electivire LV.X's "Pulse Barrier" attack is used against a
Defending Pokemon with Holon Energy WP and a basic Water Energy
attached, I know you would not discard any tools attached to the
Defending Pokemon, but you would discard your opponent's stadium.
Does the attack's protective effect still apply in this situation?
A. Pulse Barrier does not check to see if all the cards are discarded. It
checks if ANY cards were discarded, in order to start the protective
effect. (Oct 25, 2007 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If Electivire Lv.X uses "Pulse Barrier" to discard tools against a
Defending Pokemon with Unown-G's "GUARD" attached, does the
Unown-G get discarded or does "GUARD" prevent that effect?
A. The Unown-G would prevent Pulse Barrier's effect of discarding
tools, so it would stay attached. But Unown-G does not prevent any
tools attached to other Pokemon from being discarded. (Mar 20, 2008
PUI Rules Team)
Raging Thunder
(Zapdos - Majestic Dawn; Rocket's Zapdos ex - Team Rocket Returns)
Q. Can I direct the bench damage from Zapdos' "Raging Thunder"
attack to my Old Amber and have it prevented by Old Amber's "Hard
Amber" Poke-BODY?
A. Sure, that will work. (May 22, 2008 PUI Rules Team)
Raid
(Absol - Secret Wonders)
Q. If you put Absol on your Bench or as your Active Pokémon during
the set-up for the game, does Absol's "Raid" attack do 40 damage or 10
damage?
A. It does 10. If you place Absol during the set-up for the game, you are
not playing Absol from your hand during your turn. (DP:Secret
Wonders FAQ; Nov 15, 2007 PUI Rules Team)
Rambunctious Party
Q. When using Slowpoke's "Rambunctious Party" attack, can I choose
no Basic Pokemon even if some are in the top 5 cards I drew?
A. Yes, you can choose as many or as few (including zero) as you like.
Q. Can I use Slowpoke's "Rambunctious Party" attack if my Bench is
full?
A. Yes you can perform the attack, but all you get to do is look at the
top 5 cards and then shuffle them all back into your deck.
Reaper Pulse
(Dusknoir - DP Promos)
Q. If I use Dusknoir's "Reaper Pulse" attack, but the opponent's only
benched Pokemon has Unown-G with "GUARD" attached to it, can I
still remove 2 damage counters from Dusknoir?
A. No, the damage counters have to be able to be moved to one of your
opponent's benched Pokemon, or else they cannot be moved at all. (Dec
Reflect Energy
Dawn; Others)
(Electrode [G] - Rising Rivals; Ampharos - Platinum; Rotom - Majestic
Q. If I have no bench, what happens when I use Lanturn's "Reflect
Energy" attack?
A. Since there is no bench, you can't move the energy, but the damage
is still done. (HS:Unleashed FAQ; May 13, 2010 PUI Rules Team)
Remove Lost
(Dialga [G] Lv.X - Platinum)
Q. If the Defending Pokemon is Knocked Out by Dialga-G Lv.X's
"Remove Lost" attack, is a coin still flipped to see if the Energy
attached to the Defending Pokemon will be sent to the Lost Zone?
A. Yes, you calculate the damage dealt first, then flip for the energies to
go to the Lost Zone, and finally remove any Pokemon that are knocked
out. (Apr 2, 2009 PUI Rules Team)
Restore
(Uxie - Legends Awakened; Garchomp Lv.X - Majestic Dawn)
Q. When using Garchomp Lv.X's "Restore" attack, do I have to attach a
basic Energy card from my discard pile if I have any?
A. No. It says you "may" search your discard pile for the energies. (May
Q. Can I use Garchomp Lv.X's "Restore" attack, even if I don't have an
open spot on my Bench?
A. Yes you could do the attack, but it would have no effect (other than
perhaps to get rid of Holon Circle, etc.). (Jul 10, 2008 PUI Rules Team)
Return (Aggron - Rising Rivals; Mismagius [GL] Lv.X - Rising Rivals; Team Galactic's
Invention G-105 Poke Turn - Platinum; Others)
Q. Can I use Dunsparce's "Return" attack with 6 or more cards in my
hand?
A. Yes, it will do 10 base damage and you will not draw any cards.
Return Blow
(Aggron - Rising Rivals)
Q. Is Aggron's "Return Blow" attack damage affected by Weakness &
Resistance?
A. Yes, you apply Weakness & Resistance to the amount of damage that
Return Blow deals. It does not state on the card to ignore Weakness &
Resistance. (PL:Rising Rivals FAQ; May 21, 2009 PUI Rules Team)
Revenge
Others)
(Shaymin Lv.X - DP Promos; Toxicroak [G] - DP Promos; Kricketune - Platinum;
Q. When using Machamp's "Revenge" attack, does it have to be in play
at the time the Pokémon was Knocked Out, or can it evolve on my turn
and still get the extra 50 damage?
A. Machamp does not have to be in play on the previous turn. It is
known to both players that a Pokémon was Knocked Out on the
previous turn. (Diamond & Pearl FAQ; May 31, 2007 PUI Rules Team)
Rock Hurl (Swampert - Crystal Guardians; Donphan - Holon Phantoms; Quagsire Unseen Forces; Others)
Q. If the Defending Pokemon is currently protected from effects of
attacks, do I apply Resistance to Donphan's "Rock Hurl" attack or not?
A. No, because the phrase "Don't apply Resistance" is part of the
damage calculation, not an effect of the attack. (GS:Heart Gold/Soul
Roost
(Swablu - Platinum)
Q. If Spearow has less than 4 damage counters can I use its "Roost"
attack?
A. Yes. You do as much as you can to perform the effect of the attack;
in this case remove all the damage counters. (HS:Unleashed FAQ; May
Rushing Flames
(Infernape - Platinum; Dark Typhlosion - Neo Destiny)
Q. When using Infernape's "Rushing Flames" attack, do I have do
discard all the energies first and then flip, or can I do them one at a
time?
A. You must choose how many Fire energies to discard first before
doing any coin flips. (Jun 11, 2009 PUI Rules Team)
Sand Sonic
(Flygon - Secret Wonders)
Q. If I attach a Fighting Energy from my hand to Flygon, and then later
that same turn level it up to Flygon Lv.X, does the "Sand Sonic" attack
get to add the bonus damage or not?
A. The effect of "attaching a Fighting Energy from your hand to
Flygon" is not removed when leveling up; it is a game state check, and
the Pokemon is still named Flygon. So in this case, you do get to add
the bonus damage for Sand Sonic. (Jun 18, 2009 PUI Rules Team)
Sand Wall
(Flygon - Rising Rivals)
Q. Flygon uses its "Sand Wall" attack to discard an Opponent's Stadium
card. The next turn, Raichu Levels Up and attacks twice due to its
"Link Lightning" Poke-BODY. Is Flygon protected against both
attacks?
A. Yes. Sand Wall would protect Flygon against both of Raichu Lv.X's
attacks during the opponent's next turn. (Sep 3, 2009 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If I have Dusknoir Lv.X in play as a Stadium card and the opponent
uses Flygon's "Sand Wall" attack to return the Dusknoir Lv.X card to
my hand, does the opponent's active Flygon still get to prevent all
effects of an attack including damage during their next turn?
A. Yes, Flygon is still protected. (Jan 28, 2010 PUI Rules Team)
Scrunch
(Chansey - Mysterious Treasures; Shelgon - Dragon; Chansey - Base)
Q. I attack my opponent's Shelgon (who used "Scrunch" successfully
last turn) with Electrode's "Mass Destruction". Does Scrunch save
Shelgon?
A. No. Scrunch only protects against damage. (Jun 16, 2005 PUI Rules
Team)
Seal Off
(Shiftry - Rising Rivals)
Q. Say I just attacked the defending Dialga-G Lv.X with RR Shiftry's
"Seal Off" attack, thus shutting down its "Time Crystal" Poke-BODY.
On my opponent's turn, he/she retreats Dialga-G Lv.X, however I have
a Dugtrio on my bench. Does Dugtrio's "Sinkhole" Poke-BODY put any
damage counters on Dialga?
A. Yes, Sinkhole would place damage counters. Sinkhole is triggered
and resolved before the Seal Off effect is cleared. (Jun 11, 2009 PUI
Rules Team)
Seed Flare
(Shaymin Lv.X - Platinum)
* Shaymin LV.X is receiving errata for its "Seed Flare" attack. Seed
Flare does additional damage for each Grass Energy card attached
during the attack, rather than each Grass Energy attached during the
attack. The correct card text should read, "Choose as many Grass
Energy cards from your hand as you like and attach them to your
Pokémon in any way you like. If you do, this attack does 40 damage
plus 20 more damage for each Grass Energy card attached in this way."
(Feb 26, 2009 Pokemon Organized Play News)
Q. If I have Sceptile with "Wild Growth" in play, do the Grass Energy
cards I attach for Shaymin Lv.X's "Seed Flare" attack add +20 or +40
(twenty times two) each?
A. Seed Flare has been errata'd to calculate damage based on the
number of Grass Energy CARDS, so each card would only add +20
regardless of how many Grass energies that card provides. (Feb 26,
Q. Shaymin Lv.X's "Seed Flare" attack let's me attach Grass Energy
from my hand to as many Pokemon as I as I like. If I have Dawn
Stadium in play, and 3 heavily damaged Grass Pokemon, and I attach 2
Grass Energy cards to each one with Shaymin's attack, how much
damage do I remove?
A. Dawn Stadium's effect is activated once for each time you attach an
energy card to a Grass or Water Pokemon. In this case, you'll remove
one damage counter for each energy card you attach to these Grass
Pokemon. (Mar 12, 2009 PUI Rules Team; Mar 26, 2009 PUI Rules
Team)
Send Back
(Omastar - Majestic Dawn)
Q. For Omastar's "Send Back" attack, do you switch the opponent's
Pokemon before or after doing the damage?
A. You do the damage first, then switch the Defending Pokemon with
one of the opponent's Benched Pokemon. (May 29, 2008 PUI Rules
Team)
Shadow Force
(Giratina - Legends Awakened)
Q. If I use Giratina's "Shadow Force" attack but my opponent has no
Benched Pokemon, can I still flip a coin to see if I can prevent all
effects of attacks done to Giratina during my opponent's next turn?
A. Yes, the coin flip portion of this attack is not dependent on whether
your opponent has any Benched Pokemon or not. (Sep 25, 2008 PUI
Rules Team)
Shadow Room
Q. If Gengar uses "Shadow Room" against a Lv.X Pokemon that has no
Poke-POWER, but the card underneath the Lv.X *does* have a PokePOWER, does "Shadow Room" place three or six damage counters?
A. The Lv.X Pokemon has the Poke-POWERs and Poke-BODYs from
the card underneath it, so Shadow Room would place six damage
counters in this situation. (Nov 20, 2008 PUI Rules Team)
Shock-wave
(Tropius δ - Dragon Frontiers; Tyranitar ex δ - Dragon Frontiers)
Q. If a Pokémon has the anti-Pokémon-EX Poké-Body "Safeguard",
can it be Knocked Out by Tyranitar-EX's "Shock-wave" attack?
A. No. As long as the Pokémon could still use Safeguard, the Shockwave marker could not be placed on that Pokémon, and it could not be
Knocked Out by the Shock-wave attack. (EX:Dragon Frontiers FAQ;
Oct 26, 2006 PUI Rules Team)
Silver Wind
Others)
(Mothim - OP Series 7; Mothim - Secret Wonders; Dustox ex - Legend Maker;
Q. Which Pokémon is the Silver Wind effect attached to?
A. The effect is attached to the Defending Pokémon that was attacked
by Masquerain's Silver Wind. If the Defending Pokémon retreats to the
Bench, that effect is removed. (EX:Hidden Legends FAQ)
Q. If I use Silver Wind once, then I use it again on my next turn, it
would do 60 damage (assuming there's no weakness or resistance, and
that neither active Pokémon is switched out). On the third turn would it
do +30 more damage (bringing it up to 90), and on the fourth 120
damage, and so on?
A. Sorry, but Silver Wind only adds 30 to the base damage done by the
attack; it is not cumulative in the manner you suggest. (Jun 17, 2004
PUI Rules Team)
Q. Say that on one turn you use Masquerain's "Silver Wind" which does
+30 on your next attack. However, you switch Masquerain for a
Pokémon that attacks with "Swift"; after resolving Swift's effects, does
the +30 from Silver Wind get tacked on to do the extra damage
(providing the Defending Pokémon was not Benched during your
opponent's turn of course)?
A. Silver Wind is an effect that is attached to the Defending Pokémon.
So unfortunately for you the Swift attack would ignore that and not get
the +30 bonus. (Jul 29, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If I use Dustox-EX's "Silver Wind" this turn, and next turn I attack
with Dark Tyranitar's "Spinning Tail", does that mean that Spinning Tail
now does 50 damage to all my opponent's Pokémon?
A. No, the Silver Wind effect only applies to the Defending Pokémon,
not to benched Pokémon. So the Defending Pokémon would take 50
damage, but the benched Pokémon would only take 20 damage. (Feb 9,
Skill Copy
(Alakazam * - Crystal Guardians)
Q. If I use Alakazam*'s "Skill Copy" attack and discard a Banette with
"Spiteful Pain" on it, would it do 40 damage (before Banette is in the
discard pile) or would it do 80 damage (after Banette is in the discard
pile)?
A. The discard is a requirement of the Skill Copy attack and takes place
before the damage calculation. So Banette will be in the discard pile and
Skill Copy will do 80 damage. (Jul 10, 2008 PUI Rules Team)
Q. What happens if I use Alakazam*'s "Skill Copy" attack but discard a
Pokemon that has no attacks on it (i.e. the Snorlax that only has a PokePOWER and a Poke-BODY)?
A. In this case the Pokemon would stay in the discard pile and nothing
else happens. (Jul 17, 2008 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Can I use Alakazam*'s "Skill Copy" attack to discard a Pokemon but
then choose to not use one of its attacks?
A. No, you must pick one of the discarded Pokemon's attacks and use it
if you are able to. However, if you pick one of the attacks that you do
not have the proper energy requirements for, the attack does nothing.
(Jul 17, 2008 PUI Rules Team)
Q. What happens if I use Alakazam*'s "Skill Copy" and pick an attack
that cannot be completed, such as Shuppet's "Ascension" which has you
search your deck for an evolution of that Pokemon?
A. You may pick the "Ascension" attack in this scenario, but you would
not get to search your deck because Alakazam* cannot evolve higher.
Refer to the "Metronome" section for other possible scenarios that
cannot be copied. (Jul 17, 2008 PUI Rules Team)
Skill Hack
(Shiftry ex - Power Keepers)
Q. If I use Shiftry-EX's "Skill Hack" attack and find that my opponent's
Pokémon don't have any attacks I want, can I choose to not do any
attack?
A. No, if you find any Pokémon with attacks in your opponent's hand
you MUST choose one of them. (Feb 22, 2007 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If I use Shiftry-EX's "Skill Hack" attack and copy an attack like
Salamence-EX's "Hydro Wave" or Steelix-EX's "Mudslide", do I have
to have any Water energy or Fighting energy attached to Shiftry-EX or
not?
A. Basically when it comes to statements like "discard X Energy", they
are considered necessary to use that attack. So for Hydro Wave ShiftryEX would need to have at least one Water energy to discard, and for
Mudslide Shiftry-EX would need to have two Fighting energy to
discard. If you can only choose an attack that has requirements and you
don't have the correct energy cards attached, then the Skill Hack attack
does nothing. (Mar 15, 2007 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If I use Shiftry-EX's "Skill Hack" attack and find that my opponent
also has a Shiftry-EX's with "Skill Hack", can I choose to use one of
the attacks in MY own hand?
A. No, when you copy an opponent's attack you copy it from the point
of view of the Pokémon doing the "copying" attack. So if you copied
your opponent's Skill Hack, you would simply get to look at their hand
AGAIN! But to do this in a recursive, infinite fashion would result in
delay-of-game penalties or "unsportsmanlike conduct". (Feb 22, 2007
PUI Rules Team)
Sludge Drag
Q. When Muk attacks with "Sludge Drag", who chooses which of the
opponent's Benched Pokemon get brought forward?
A. The attacking player gets to choose. (HS:Undaunted FAQ; Sep 9,
Smash Short
(Pachirisu - Great Encounters)
Q. When attacking with Pachirisu's "Smash Short" against a Pokemon
with Unown G attached as a Pokemon Tool, would I still get to discard
Unown G and look at my opponent's hand?
A. No. Pachirisu's Smash Short attack would do 40 damage, but Unown
G prevents itself from being discarded. Because Unown G is not
discarded, you do not get to look at the opponent's hand. (Feb 28, 2008
PUI Rules Team)
Smokescreen (Skuntank [G] - Platinum; Horsea - Legends Awakened; Charmander Power Keepers; Others)
Q. When Smokescreen stops an attack, does it stop all effects of the
attack, even those that might be done to the attacking Pokémon?
A. Yes, it stops all effects. (May 4, 2000 WotC Chat, Q123)
Q. What about cards that do not state when the effect ends? Like Fossil
Magmar's Smokescreen? I think for only one turn (the opponent's next
turn), but some Apprentice people say it lasts until Magmar is Benched!
A. The effect says tries to attack during your opponent's next turn, so it
only works on the next turn after you use the attack. (May 4, 2000
WotC Chat, Q131)
Q. If you use Smokescreen then retreat the Pokémon that is Smoke
screened or if Magmar Retreats is it still in effect?
A. Smokescreen references the defending Pokémon, so if you bench that
Pokémon the effect ends. If you bench Magmar then Smokescreen is in
effect. (April 6, 2000 WotC Chat Q11)
Q. If your Pokémon has been Smokescreened on the previous turn, and
you choose an attack that requires you to do something (such as
discarding Energy) in order to use the Attack, do you pay the attack
costs before you flip for the Smokescreen Effect?
A. Yes before, you still attempt the attack; the Smokescreen might just
stop it from having any effect. (Apr 13, 2000 WotC Chat, Q20; Apr 5,
2001 WotC Chat, Q27)
Q. If Magmar's Smokescreen Knocks Out the Defending Pokémon, does
the new Active have to flip to see if its attack is effective?
A. No, it only effects the Defending Pokémon the attack was done
against. (Feb 24 WotC Chat)
Q. Does Magmar's Smokescreen affect end if the Defending Pokémon
evolves?
A. Since Magmar's Smokescreen attack references the Defending
Pokémon, by it evolving, it removes that effect. (Feb 3 WotC Chat)
Q. Would Magmar's Smokescreen stop Kangaskhan's Fetch?
A. Yes, it would, since Fetch is an attack. (Feb 10 WotC Chat)
Q. If a Gloom Confused you, and next turn a Magmar Smokescreened
you, do you flip for Confusion or Smokescreen first?
A. You flip for Smokescreen first. (Jul 13, 2000 WotC Chat, Q328)
Q. My Koffing used its "Smokescreen" attack on the Defending
Pokemon which was already Confused. If that Pokemon attacks during
my opponent's next turn, do they flip 2 coins and the attack fails if both
coins aren't heads?
A. No, your opponent must flip each coin separately. First, flip a coin
for the effect of Smokescreen; if the flip is tails the attack ends. If the
first flip is heads, then flip a second time for the effect of Confusion.
Solar Suggestion
Q. When using Espeon's "Solar Suggestion" attack, do I have to move
all four damage counters from one of my Pokemon to one of my
opponent's Pokemon, or can I split the damage counters from multiple
different Pokemon on each player's side?
A. You can choose up to 4 counters from as many of your own
Pokemon as you like, and can split them up on your opponent's
Pokemon in any way you want. (HS:Undaunted FAQ; Sep 9, 2010 PUI
Rules Team)
Q. If I choose 4 damage counters on my Pokemon with Espeon's "Solar
Suggestion" attack, can I then place 3 or fewer damage counters on my
opponent's Pokemon?
A. No, you can't. You must place the same number of damage counters
on your opponent's Pokemon as you removed from your own Pokemon.
Q. Can Espeon's "Solar Suggestion" attack place damage counters onto
a Jolteon that can't be hit by effects due to a successful coin flip during
its "Agility" attack, or onto a Toxicroak [G] with its "Anticipation"
Poke-BODY enabled? If I can't place them, what do I do with the
damage counters I removed from my Pokemon?
A. You cannot place damage counters onto that Jolteon or Toxicroak
[G], but you can still remove damage counters from your own
Pokemon. If you select a Pokemon under the status of not receiving
effects, the damage counters that would be placed onto that Pokemon
simply disappear from play. (HS:Undaunted FAQ; Sep 9, 2010 PUI
Rules Team)
Sonic Blade
(Gallade - OP Series 7; Gallade - Secret Wonders)
Q. If a Defending Pokemon has 50 HP or less remaining, does Gallade's
"Sonic Blade" attack still switch the Defending Pokemon?
A. No. That effect of Sonic Blade only happens if you put 1 or more
damage counters on the Defending Pokemon. (DP:Secret Wonders
FAQ; Nov 15, 2007 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If my Active Pokemon is attacked with "Sonic Blade", can I choose
a Pokemon on my bench with Unown-G's "GUARD" Poke-POWER
attached to it and prevent the switching portion of "Sonic Blade"?
A. Yes, you may do this. (Sep 11, 2008 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If I use Gallade's "Sonic Blade" attack against a Pokemon with an
extra +20hp due to Espeon's "Sunlight Veil" Poke-BODY, does that
+20 get factored in to the number of damage counters?
A. When the +20hp is added to the Pokemon's total HP, you must take
that into account when placing damage counters for Sonic Blade. The
attack would leave the Pokemon with 50hp remaining, not 70hp. (May
Spacial Rend
Others)
(Palkia - DP Promos; Darkrai - DP Promos; Palkia - Great Encounters;
Q. If Palkia's "Spacial Rend" attack fails to find a Stadium card in your
deck, do you still get to discard any Stadium card in play?
A. No, if you don't take a Stadium card from your deck, you don't get to
discard a Stadium card in play. (Mar 27, 2008 PUI Rules Team)
Speed Evolution
Q. Can I use Weedle's "Speed Evolution" attack on my first turn of the
game or the turn it comes into play?
A. Yes. An attack can override the normal rules for evolution.
Q. Can I use Weedle's "Speed Evolution" attack to search my deck for
Beedrill and place it on Weedle?
A. No, you can't choose Beedrill from the deck. Beedrill states it
evolves from Kakuna, so it is not a card that evolves from Weedle.
Spike Armor
(Sandslash - Mysterious Treasures)
Q. If my opponent uses Sandslash's "Spike Armor" attack, but then on
my turn I attack Sandslash with a Pokemon having Unown-G attached
with its "GUARD" Poke-POWER, would Sandslash's "Spike Armor" be
able to place any damage counters on my Pokemon or not?
A. The effect of Spike Armor is on Sandslash. The Unown-G's PokePower GUARD will prevent the effect of your opponent's attacks, so
you don't put damage counters on your Active Pokemon that has
Unown-G attached to it after doing damage to Sandslash. (Sep 11, 2008
PUI Rules Team)
Spine Missile
(Cloyster - Secret Wonders)
Q. If I have a Double Rainbow Energy attached to Cloyster and then
use it's "Spine Missile" attack, do I have to reduce -10 damage for each
successful coin flip or is it -10 per each Pokemon I do damage to?
A. You add up the damage to each Pokemon first and then apply the
effects of DRE after. So it would be -10 per each Pokemon you do
damage to. (Nov 15, 2007 PUI Rules Team)
Q. For Cloyster's "Spine Missile" attack, can I flip four coins and then
choose how to deal the damage? Or do I have to flip a coin, then
choose, then flip the second coin, then choose, etc.?
A. You resolve all of the coin flips first, before choosing targets. Then if
you choose the same Pokemon more than once, the flips are combined
together into the base damage, before applying any other effects such as
Double Rainbow Energy, Weakness, Resistance, etc. (Dec 6, 2007 PUI
Rules Team)
Spiteful Pain
(Banette - Secret Wonders)
Q. How does Banette's "Spiteful Pain" attack work if a Pokemon copies
that attack? A. It is not a self-referencing attack, so you would need to
have a Banette in your discard pile to do the increased damage as well
as the other effect. (DP:Secret Wonders FAQ; Nov 15, 2007 PUI Rules
Team)
Star Boomerang
(Starmie - Legends Awakened; Misty's Staryu - Gym Challenge)
Q. If my opponent used Froslass' "Destiny Bond" attack, then on my
turn I use Starmie's "Star Boomerang" to Knock Out Froslass, would I
get to put Starmie into my hand before the "Destiny Bond" effect can
knock it out?
A. If you put Starmie back into your hand with Star Boomerang, the
attack completes first and Destiny Bond cannot return the knockout.
(Dec 11, 2008 PUI Rules Team)
Static Electricity
(Mareep - Neo Genesis)
Q. If I attach Memory Berry to Mareep, evolve it to Ampharos, then
attack with "Static Electricity", would I search my deck for energies
based on the number of Mareep or the number of Ampharos in play?
A. In the latter part of the Static Electricity attack Where the English
card says "attach them to Mareep", the Japanese card actually says
"attach them to this Pokemon". So, you would count the number of
Mareep in play and attach that many Lightning energy to Ampharos.
(Jul 15, 2010 PUI Rules Team)
Sticky Liquid
Q. A Vespiquen that used its "Mach Wind" attack on my previous turn
was hit by Grimer's "Sticky Liquid" attack during my opponent's turn.
In this instance, what is Vespiquen's retreat cost during my next turn?
A. It has no Retreat Cost. When effects that increase something like
Retreat Cost by a particular amount are stacked on top of effects that
make something like Retreat Cost vanish, the vanishing effect takes
priority. (HS:Undaunted FAQ; Sep 9, 2010 PUI Rules Team)
String Bomb
(Exeggutor - Mysterious Treasures)
* Exeggutor's "String Bomb" attack should say, "Flip a coin for each
Energy from basic Energy cards attached to Exeggutor and to the
Defending Pokémon." (Feb 28, 2008 Pokemon Organized Play News)
Strong-Willed
(Machamp Lv.X - Stormfront)
Q. If I use Torterra's "Crash Impact" attack to knock out Machamp
Lv.X which used "Strong-Willed" on its previous turn, what would
happen? Does "Crash Impact" switch Machamp Lv.X to the bench first
before it knocks it out, meaning "Strong-Willed" will not take effect?
Or does Machamp Lv.X get to flip for "Strong-Willed" first before
going to the bench?
A. If Machamp Lv.X is no longer the Active Pokemon, the StrongWilled effect is cleared. So the damage is done to Machamp Lv.X first,
then it is switched to the bench, then the attack is over and Machamp
Lv.X does not get to check for Strong-Willed. (May 7, 2009 PUI Rules
Team)
Q. If I attack Machamp Lv.X with Honchkrow Lv.X's "Darkness Wing"
attack, but Machamp Lv.X survives with a heads flip for "StrongWilled", would I get to put a card from my Discard Pile into my hand
or not? After all, Machamp Lv.X "would have been KO'd", right?
A. Yes, Machamp Lv.X would have been KO'd from the attack
(regardless of whether it was saved or not by Strong-Willed), so you
would get to put a card from your Discard Pile into your hand. (Jul 2,
Supreme Blast
(Mesprit Lv.X - Legends Awakened)
Q. I used "Supreme Blast" but didn't have the right Pokemon in play to
do 200 damage. Do I still have to discard all energy attached to Mesprit
Lv.X?
A. No. You can do the attack without Azelf Lv.X and/or Uxie Lv.X in
play. In that case, the attack "does nothing," so you don't do damage or
discard the energy either. (May 28, 2009 PUI Rules Team)
Surprise
(Duskull - Stormfront; Gible - OP Series 6; Altaria - Power Keepers; Others)
Q. Would we be able to use Murkrow's "Surprise" attack even when
your opponent has no hand, just to screw up your opponent's Oracle or
PokéNav, or whatever...?
A. Sorry, but if you can't choose a card from your opponent's hand,
there would be nothing for you to shuffle in. (Jan 22, 2004 PUI Rules
Team)
Swift (Grovyle - Nintendo Black Star Promos; Staryu - Rising Rivals; Jirachi - Rising
Rivals; Others)
Swift and Feint attacks (against the Defending Pokemon) ignore
ANY effect attempting to reduce their damage. This also means
that a colorless Pokemon using a Swift or Feint attack is NOT
reduced by a Sprout Tower either. These attacks cannot have their
damage reduced by any game effect. (Feb 14, 2002 WotC Chat,
Q18)
The SWIFT attack ignores all Pokémon Powers, Weaknesses,
Resistances, or ANY other effects that attempt to alter the amount
of damage done by this attack. SWIFT does NOT prevent
anything that prevents the attack from actually occurring however
like Smokescreen or Transparency. So SWIFT will ignore a
Defender that is attached to the Defending Pokémon as it is an
affect that is attempting to alter the amount of damage done by
the attack. (Aug 24, 2000 WotC Chat Announcements)
Q. Does Misty's Staryu's Swift hit through Scrunch? Transparency?
How about Barrier?
A. It hits through ALL Pokémon Powers or attack effects or Weakness
or Resistance. (August 17, 2000 WotC Chat Q69)
Q. When you use Misty's Staryu's Swift, do you still have to flip for
Sand-attack?
A. Any effect that PREVENTS attacks must still be checked. Swift (if
allowed to go off) basically ignores anything that tries to effect the
amount of damage done. [Ed. Note: Sand-attack reads "If tails, this
attack does nothing." This text can be interpreted as "If tails, the attack
is prevented (including effects and damage)." Since Swift ONLY
ignores effects that modify damage, one still needs to flip the coin for
Sand-attack's effect.] (Aug 31, 2000 WotC Chat Q39)
Q. Could you use Swift when your Asleep?
A. Nope (August 17, 2000 WotC Chat Q247)
Q. Would Misty's Stayu's (the one that does damage regardless of
Weakness/Resistance/Pokémon Powers/effects of attack) do damage to
a Raichu/Rapidsah/Seadra/Fearow/Blaine's Ponyta that got a heads on
Agility? Cause Agility says prevent all effects of attacks, and the game
text of the Staryu's attack IS an effect.
A. Yes it would still do damage, it ignores the effect from the Agility as
stated on the card. (August 17, 2000 WotC Chat Q165)
Q. If base set Mewtwo used it's Barrier attack and if a pokemon used
Swift, would Swift cause damage?
A. Yes it would. (Aug 9, 2001 WotC Chat, Q263)
Q. If I use Misty's Staryu's Swift attack or Neo: Genesis' Electabuzz's
Swift attack and I attach PlusPowers, will it go through Invisible Wall?
A. The Swift attack ignores Invisible Wall regardless of the PlusPower
being added on. (Aug 31, 2000 WotC Chat, Q85; Dec 21, 2000 WotC
Chat, Q111 & Q112)
Q. If I use the Swift attack and the opponent has a Metal Energy
attached to the defending Pokémon, does the Metal Energy reduce the
amount of damage or do the conditions of the Swift attack override the
Metal Energy effect?
A. Swift will override the Metal energy card effect [on the opponent].
(Jan 18, 2001 WotC Chat, Q68b; Jan 25, 2001 WotC Chat, Q18)
Q. If a Darkness or Metal Energy is attached to an active Pokémon
using the Swift attack, would Swift negate the added/reduced damage
that the energy card normally provides? I would think not because the
text on Swift refers to the *defending* Pokémon.
A. Right. Swift only ignores effects on the defending Pokémon, not
your own. So it will still reduce [or add to] the damage you do. (Jan 25,
2001 WotC Chat, Q20 & Q75)
Synchro Removal
Q. Spinda has a Cyclone Energy attached, which counts as a colorless
energy, and uses its "Synchro Removal" attack. Can it discard an Upper
Energy from the defending Gallade?
A. Yes, it may be discarded by this attack, because the type of energy
attached to Spinda is the same as that of Upper Energy on Gallade. (Sep
Q. Spinda has a Rainbow Energy attached, which counts as every type
of energy, and uses its "Synchro Removal" attack. Can it discard a Call
Energy from the defending Luxray [GL]?
A. Yes, Call Energy may be discarded by this attack, because the types
of energy attached to Spinda includes colorless, the same type as that of
Call Energy. (Sep 3, 2009 PUI Rules Team)
Tail Code
(Ambipom [G] - Rising Rivals; Flaaffy - Platinum)
Q. If I use Ambipom [G]'s "Tail Code" attack to move an energy card
from the Defending Pokemon to one of my opponent's Pokemon that
has an Unown-G attached to it, what happens?
A. While Unown-G prevents the attachment of the energy to the
protected Pokemon, it does not prevent the removal of the energy card
from the Defending Pokemon. The energy card is discarded. (Jan 14,
Q. May I use Ambipom [G]'s "Tail Code" attack if my opponent only
has an Active Pokemon and no Benched Pokemon?
A. Yes you can, although it won't move or discard the energy. There
must be a Pokemon on the bench or you can't move the energy off the
defending Pokemon. (Jan 28, 2010 PUI Rules Team)
Take Away
(Erika's Dragonair - Gym Heroes)
Q. What happens if one of the players doesn't have a benched Pokemon
when using Drifblim's "Take Away" attack?
A. There is no restriction on using the attack if there is no benched
Pokemon. If a player has no Benched Pokemon, that player loses. If
neither player has Benched Pokemon, then it is a tie and a game of
Sudden Death must be played. (HS:Undaunted FAQ; Sep 9, 2010 PUI
Rules Team)
Take Out
(Machamp - Stormfront)
Q. If I have an unevolved Active Pokemon with Unown-G attached to
it, and my opponent uses Machamp's "Take Out" attack, would it do
nothing at all, or would it do 40 Damage?
A. It would do nothing. Since it is an unevolved Pokemon, the Knock
Out effect replaces the 40 damage and that effect is blocked. (Nov 6,
Tentacle Strike
(Tentacruel - Legends Awakened)
Q. If Tentacruel's "Tentacle Strike" attack attaches a Special Metal
Energy to one of your opponent's Metal-type Pokemon, does the
damage reduction kick in immediately, reducing Tentacruel's damage to
that Pokemon by 10?
A. Yes, it would. (Nov 20, 2008 PUI Rules Team)
Time Hollow
Q. Can I apply Jirachi's "Time Hollow" attack to a Stage 2 Pokemon
and also the Stage 1 underneath it?
A. No. You only remove the highest stage evolution from the Pokemon
you choose at the start of the attack. You cannot choose the same
Pokemon more than once in order to remove additional Stages.
Time Spiral
(Haunter - Legend Maker; Lileep - Sandstorm)
Q. What happens if I use Omastar's "Time Spiral" attack and choose an
Evolved Pokemon that has been leveled up?
A. The Pokemon Lv.X is returned into their deck as well. (PL:Arceus
Top Drop
Q. If Primeape's "Top Drop" attack reveals a LEGEND Pokemon card
with no HP printed on it, how much damage does it do (if any)?
A. No damage is done regardless of which LEGEND half is revealed by
Top Drop, because even the half with HP written on it is not considered
"a Pokemon" while in the Discard Pile. (Feb 4, 2010 PUI Rules Team;
Transback
(Palkia - DP Promos; Palkia - Great Encounters; Palkia - Diamond and Pearl)
Q. If Palkia's "Transback" attack does enough damage to KO the
Defending Pokémon, can I still choose to flip the coin and if heads
return the Defending Pokémon and its attached cards back into the deck
instead?
A. Well, the order of attack rules say to "do any damage first, then do
any other effects, and finally Knock Out any Pokémon that have
damage greater than or equal to their Hit Points". So yes, you can
choose to try the coin flip effect before the Defending Pokémon is KO'd
by the Transback attack's damage. (May 31, 2007 PUI Rules Team)
Volcanic Flame
(Salamence ex - Power Keepers)
Q. Salamence-EX's "Volcanic Flame" attack says to discard the top 5
cards from your deck. What happens if you have less than five cards?
Or even zero cards?
A1. You still get to do the damage even if you have no cards left in
your deck, but if you do have five or less cards in your deck you must
discard all of them. (Oct 11th, 2007 PUI Rules Team)
Wake-Up Punch
Q. Vigoroth has the attack "Wake-Up Punch" which does 60 damage
instead of 10 damage if Vigoroth evolved from an asleep Slakoth during
this turn. If I use Broken Time-Space stadium to evolve from Slakoth to
Vigoroth to Slaking all in one turn, then attach a Memory Berry to
Slaking and use Vigoroth's "Wake-Up Punch", how much damage does
it do?
A. Using Memory Berry substitutes "this Pokemon", i.e. Slaking, in the
Wake-Up Punch attack, by the self-referencing rule. In that case,
Slaking did not evolve from Slakoth this turn, but rather from Vigoroth.
Therefore, the attack does only 10 damage. (Mar 26, 2009 PUI Rules
Team)
Trainer,
Two on
Energy General
Team
Errata
Two
Index
Gameplay
Gameplay
Cards
Pokemon Items
OFFICIAL RULINGS ON POKEMON ITEMS (TOP )
* Items in General
Q. Are berry (non-tool) items considered an effect on the Defending
Pokemon? What turns them off?
A. It is considered an effect on the Defending Pokemon, but the Item
can't be turned off; however, it could be ignored by Feint Attack, Swift,
and similar attacks. (Mysterious Treasures FAQ; Aug 23, 2007 PUI
Rules Team)
Q. If I level up a Pokemon that has an Item on it (like Dialga's
"Adamant Orb" or Palkia's "Lustrous Orb"), does the Lv.X Pokemon
also get to take advantage of that item?
A. Yes, items must still be used when a Pokemon levels up. (May 22,
Dusk Stone
(Murkrow - Secret Wonders)
Q. Does Duskull's "Reaper Cloth" item, or Clefairy's "Moon Stone"
item, or Murkrow's "Dusk Stone" item let you evolve on the first turn of
the game?
A. Yes, they do. Duskull, Clefairy, and Murkrow can be evolved during
the first turn of the game, even if you put them on your Bench or as
your Active Pokemon during setup. (Nov 15, 2007 PUI Rules Team)
Moon Stone
(Clefairy - Secret Wonders)
the game?
your Active Pokemon during setup. (Nov 15, 2007 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Say I start with Cleffa then use its "Baby Evolution" to evolve into
Clefairy with the "Moon Stone" item; can I then immediately use the
"Moon Stone" to evolve into Clefable, all on the same turn?
A. Wow, yes you can! (Nov 15, 2007 PUI Rules Team)
Reaper Cloth
(Duskull - Secret Wonders)
the game?
your Active Pokemon during setup. (DP:Secret Wonders FAQ; Nov 15,
Trainer,
Two on
Energy General
Team
Errata
Two
Index
Gameplay
Gameplay
Cards
Pokemon Powers
OFFICIAL RULINGS ON POKEMON POWERS (WHICH INCLUDES POKE -BODYS, POKE -POWERS AND OLDER POKEMON
POWERS). (TOP )
* Pokémon Powers in General
Q. If I intend to use a Poke-POWER, do I have to announce its name or
can I just take the action specified?
A. You have to clearly communicate your intent to use a Poke-POWER
by some method other than just performing its game effect. Show or tell
your opponent which Pokémon is going to use what Power. (Nov 13,
Q. Can I use the "Pokémon Power" of a Benched Pokémon?
A. Yes. (Basic FAQ, WotC Website)
Q. Can Pokémon Powers be used all the time?
A. Each Power tells you specifically when or how often it can be used.
(Feb 17, 2000 WotC Chat)
Q. If I have 2 of the same Pokémon in play that have a Pokémon
Power, can I use that power twice? What powers wouldn't be useable
twice, or more for that matter?
A. Sure, depends on the particular power though. If you had two Muks
for example, then only one power is necessary. (May 11, 2000 WotC
Chat, Q60 & Q81)
Q. Can you use Pokémon Powers that can be used "anytime" while the
effect of another power is in progress?
A. No. (Jan 25, 2001 WotC Chat, Q96)
Q. [There is] Some confusion on the Boards about Pokémon Power,
Poke-Powers and Poke-Bodies. Poke-Powers and Poke-Bodies are sub
categories of Pokémon Powers.
A. Correct. (May 22, 2003 WotC Chat, Q1670)
Q. Do older effects that target "Pokémon Powers" also affect both the
new "Poke-POWERs" and "Poke-BODYs"?
A. Yes they do. (May 22, 2003 WotC Chat, Q1658)
Q. For the E-cards that target only Poke-POWERS, do they also target
Pokémon Powers? What about E-cards that target only Poke-BODYs?
Do they also target the older PokémonPowers?
A. No they do not. As previously stated, anything that effects Pokémon
Powers (like Sputter) affects both Poke-POWERs and Poke-BODYs. It
does NOT work in reverse. (May22, 2003 WotC Chat, Q1680)
* Unless specifically stated on the card, all Poké-Powers are optional
and may or may not be used. However, Poké-Bodies are not optional
unless specifically stated on the card. (Nov 30, 2006 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Something that affects Pokémon Powers in general, affects both
"Poké-Powers" and "Poké-Bodies", right? So also, does something that
affects both "Poké-Bodies" and "Poké-Powers" affect older style
"Pokémon Powers" too?
A. Pokémon Powers are the general term for Poké-Bodies & PokéPowers. Older cards that reference Pokémon Powers include both
'Bodies and 'Powers. Newer cards that affect both 'Powers AND 'Bodies
affect older "Pokémon Powers" (as if "Pokémon Powers" read "PokéPowers & Poké-Bodies"). (Oct 16, 2003 PUI Rules Team)
Afterburner
Q. Can Typhlosion's "Afterburner" Poke-POWER be used if there is no
Energy in the discard pile, just to place a damage counter on one of my
Pokemon?
A. No. Since you can't attach an Energy from your discard pile to one
of your Pokemon, you can't use the rest of the power. (GS:Heart
Allergy Flower
Q. Can I still play Supporters or Stadiums while Vileplume's "Allergy
Flower" Poke-BODY is in effect?
A. Yes. They are not Trainers. (HS:Undaunted FAQ; Sep 9, 2010 PUI
Rules Team)
Anticipation
(Toxicroak [G] - Platinum)
Q. On Player-A's turn, Torterra used "Land Shake". Then on Player-B's
turn they play a Toxicroak-G from his or her hand. Does Toxicroak-G
receive 2 damage counters from "Land Shake's" effect? Or does
Toxicroak-G's "Anticipation" Poke-BODY prevent the effect?
A. The effect of placing two damage counters is one that resides on
Player-B and is no longer "part of the attack" during the opponent's next
turn. Anticipation would therefore not block the placing of damage
counters in this situation. (May 7, 2009 PUI Rules Team)
bench?
Aqua Reaction
(Helix Fossil - Majestic Dawn)
Q. What happens if Ampharos with the "Conductivity" Poke-BODY is
in play and I attach the appropriate energy card to my Dome Fossil or
Helix Fossil to activate their "Rock Reaction" or "Aqua Reaction"
Poke-BODY?
A. Attaching an Energy card to Dome Fossil or Helix Fossil causes its
Poke-BODY and Ampharos' Conductivity to trigger at the same time,
so the player can resolve them in the order of their choosing. If you
resolve Conductivity first, the Fossil Pokemon takes a damage counter
and then evolves. However, if you resolve Rock Reaction or Aqua
Reaction first, the Fossil's Poke-BODY searches for a card and evolves,
but Conductivity no longer sees the Pokemon that triggered it, so no
damage counter is placed. (Aug 5, 2010 PUI Rules Team)
Aqua Skin
(Manaphy - Majestic Dawn)
Q. If I use Manaphy's "Fountain" attack, could I trigger "Aqua Skin" on
a Benched Manaphy?
A. Yes. The Water Energy cards are coming from your hand, which is
the trigger for Aqua Skin. If you attach 2 Water Energy cards that way,
you would remove 4 damage counters from the Benched Manaphy.
(DP:Majestic Dawn FAQ; May 22, 2008 PUI Rules Team)
Baby Evolution
Others)
(Mime Jr. - DP Promos; Pichu - OP Series 9; Munchlax - Rising Rivals;
Q. For the Pokémon with the power "Baby Evolution", can I use this
power to attach its evolved form on the same turn it comes into play?
A. Baby Evolution can be played on the first turn that Pokémon is in
play, even if it is the first turn of the game. (Sep 11, 2003 PUI Rules
Team; Jul 22, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If I use "Baby Evolution" to evolve Pichu into Pikachu, or Wynaut
into Wobbuffet, is the resulting Pokémon. (Pikachu, Wobbuffet, etc.)
considered an "Evolved Pokémon.", or is it still considered as a "Basic
Pokémon."?
A. Any time you evolve a Pokémon. into another stage, it is considered
to be an "Evolved Pokémon.", even if the words written on the card say
"Basic". (Jan 22, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If EX-Sandstorm Pichu's "Baby Evolution" power is turned off by
Muk's "Toxic Gas" power, does that mean that it cannot evolve into
Pikachu?
A. Pichu's Baby Evolution is the only way it evolves to Pikachu. If that
is turned off, Pichu can't evolve. (Sep 11, 2003 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Can Elekid evolve into "Electabuzz EX" since Quilava can evolve
into "Typhlosion EX"?
A. Elekid's Baby Evolution states it can evolve into Electabuzz.
Electabuzz and Electabuzz EX are two different names, thus considered
two different Pokémon. So the answer to this question is "no". (Sep 11,
Q. Does Mt. Moon shut off the "Baby Evolution" Pokémon Power?
A. Yes, it does. (Dec 9, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If a Pokémon uses "Baby Evolution", does it trigger Shiftry-EX's
"Dark Eyes"?
A. No. The Pokémon that used "Baby Evolution" is actually no longer
in play. (Nov 16, 2006 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Does the "Baby Evolution" Poké-POWER get turned off when
affected by a Special Condition? It doesn't say so on the card.
A. Poké-POWERs are not turned off by Special Conditions unless it
says so on the card. So Baby Evolution still works when poisoned,
asleep, etc. (Sep 11, 2003 PUI Rules Team; Jan 10, 2008 PUI Rules
Team)
Balloon Sting
(Qwilfish - Secret Wonders)
Q. Say a Pokemon attacks Qwilfish with an attack that causes the
attacking Pokemon to be switched to the bench (i.e. Murkrow's "Hide
Crowd" attack). Does Qwilfish's "Balloon Sting" Poke-POWER poison
the new Pokemon or not?
A. The "attacking Pokemon" would get poisoned, but since it
immediately goes to the bench (which removes the effect) no damage is
taken due to poison. (Dec 6, 2007 PUI Rules Team)
Battle Aura
(Feraligatr δ - Dragon Frontiers)
Cessation Crystal attached, does it get to use its "Battle Aura" PokéBODY to do +10x to the Pokémon brought up from the bench
Battle Rush
(Salamence - Stormfront)
Q. Is Snowpoint Temple's +20hp towards Basic Pokemon factored in
when calculating whether or not Salamence's "Battle Rush" PokeBODY works or not?
A. Yes, it is. Effects that add to a Pokemon's HP are counted when
calculating its Maximum HP. (Jan 8, 2009 PUI Rules Team)
Burning Coat
(Entei - Secret Wonders)
Q. If my Entei KO's two of the opponent's Pokemon with its "Blaze
Roar" attack, does Entei's "Burning Coat" Poke-BODY force them to
discard six cards from their deck, or just three cards no matter how
many Pokemon were KO'd?
A. Burning Coat has your opponent discard three cards per KO'd
Pokemon, but only if they are knocked out by an attack. So that would
be six cards in this case. (Dec 6, 2007 PUI Rules Team)
CALL
(Unown C - Diamond and Pearl)
Q. Can Unown-C's "Call" Poké-POWER be used to search for an older,
pre-D/P (non-D/P) Unown?
A. Yes, it can. If a card refers to "Unown" it refers to all Unown, both
D/P and older. (May 31, 2007 PUI Rules Team)
Camouflage Gas
(Weezing - Rising Rivals)
Q. What happens if Weezing is confused and KO'd by an attack that
also sends it to the Bench? Does "Camouflage Gas" prevent my
opponent from taking a prize or not?
A. Camouflage Gas only works if Weezing is confused at the time the
KO is resolved. It is not confused when it goes to the Bench, so
therefore your opponent gets a prize. (Jul 2, 2009 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If Cresselia Lv.X uses its "Moon Skip" attack to KO a confused
Weezing that has the "Camouflage Gas" Poke-BODY, how many Prize
Cards would be taken (if any)?
A. None. Camouflage Gas says that the attacking player "can't take a
Prize card" if Weezing is Confused when it gets KO'd. (Jul 23, 2009
PUI Rules Team)
Celebration Wind
Q. When I use Shaymin's "Celebration Wind" Poke-POWER, can I
move my energy cards in play around to any and all of my Pokemon
that I want, or just to one Pokemon?
A. You can move the energy cards from more than one Pokemon and
move them to more than one Pokemon, as desired. However, once you
have taken another action, like playing a Pokemon card onto your
bench, attaching an energy card from your hand, retreating your Active
Pokemon, etc. you can no longer move any energy cards around.
Cheerful Voice
(Ludicolo - Platinum)
Q. Does Ludicolo's "Cheerful Voice" Poke-POWER work if the
opponent switches or evolves their Active Pokemon during their turn?
A. Yes, it works. The effect of Cheerful Voice resides on Ludicolo, not
on the Defending Pokémon. (Feb 12, 2009 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If Ludicolo uses "Cheerful Voice" and then before or during the
player's following turn Ludicolo retreats or is switched to/from the
Bench, does the effect of Cheerful Voice go away?
A. Cheerful Voice's effect remains on Ludicolo until the end of the
player's next turn regardless of whether Ludicolo switches or Retreats.
Q. If you use Ludicolo's "Cheerful Voice" Poke-POWER and your
opponent then plays "Team Galactic's Invention G-103 Power Spray", is
your turn over?
A. Yes, your turn is over because it still counts as using the power. (Feb
26, 2009 PUI Rules Team; Oct 29, 2009 PUI Rules Team)
Chilling Breath
(Walrein ex - Power Keepers)
Q. If Walrein-EX uses "Chilling Breath" and then KO's the Defending
Pokémon, does the effect go away?
A. No, this affect resides on the opposing player, not on any Pokémon
in play. (EX:Power Keepers FAQ; Feb 1, 2007 PUI Rules Team)
Chilly Breath
(Glaceon Lv.X - Majestic Dawn)
Q. What happens if I Knock Out my opponent's Gengar using some
kind of hit & run attack, but I bring up Glaceon Lv.X with the "Chilly
Breath" Poke-BODY that shuts down Poke-Powers?
A. The Chilly Breath would shut off Gengar's Fainting Spell before it
would have a chance to be used. (Jan 15, 2009 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If your opponent has an Active Glaceon Lv.X with the "Chilly
Breath" Poke-BODY (prevents use of Poke-Powers), and you knock it
out with Moltres' "Scorching Wing" attack (discard all Fire energy
attached to Moltres), would you be allowed to use Heatran Lv.X's "Heat
Wave" Poke-POWER to reattach up to two of those energy after the
Glaceon Lv.X is KO'd?
A. Yes, you could use Heat Wave in this scenario. Glaceon Lv.X is
Knocked Out by the attack during the turn, so Poke-POWERs would
come back on before the end of the turn when Heat Wave is checked.
Chlorophyll
(Venusaur - Crystal Guardians)
Q. Does Venusaur's "Chlorophyll" Poké-BODY turn Boost Energy into
one Grass Energy, three Grass Energy, or not affect it at all?
A. It would provide three Grass Energy as long as the Boost is attached
to a grass-type Pokémon. It does not matter how many energies the card
is providing, as long as the energy is only colorless. (Jan 18, 2007 PUI
Rules Team)
Cloudy Sky
Q. If I have multiple Cherrim in play, can I use all of their "Cloudy
Sky" Poke-BODYs or only one of them?
A. Cloudy Sky is cumulative, so you must use them all. (PL:Arceus
Cold Feet
(Mightyena - Platinum)
Q. Does Mightyena's "Cold Feet" Poke-BODY ignore the extra damage
that Special Darkness Energy provides (if Mightyena is affected by a
Special Condition)?
A. Cold Feet says to "ignore all Energy necessary to use Mightyena's
attacks". This only pertains to the energy cost required for the attack; it
does NOT ignore the extra damage that Special Darkness Energy
provides for Dark type Pokemon. (Sep 24, 2009 PUI Rules Team)
Colorful Body
(Kecleon - Rising Rivals)
Q. If Kecleon with the "Colorful Body" Poke-BODY is played while
Miasma Valley is in play, does Kecleon take two damage counters?
A. No. Kecleon immediately counts as all types, including Grass and
Psychic, and so does not take any damage. (Jul 23, 2009 PUI Rules
Team)
Q. What happens if Kecleon with "Colorful Body" attacks a Pokemon
which has both Weakness and Resistance?
A. Since Colorful Body makes Kecleon more than one type, you
calculate both Weakness and Resistance, weakness first. (PL:Rising
Rivals FAQ; May 21, 2009 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If I have a Floatzel GL Lv.X with "Water Rescue" on the Bench and
my Kecleon is knocked out, does it return to my hand because of
Kecleon's "Colorful Body" making it a Water Type Pokemon?
A. Yes, Kecleon would return back to your hand. The check for Water
Rescue happens when a Pokemon is KO'd, even though the rescue is
from the discard pile. It is still the same Pokemon in the discard pile,
even if it isn't Water type any more. (Jun 18, 2009 PUI Rules Team)
Conductivity
(Ampharos ex - Dragon; Dark Ampharos - Neo Destiny)
Q. Would Flygon's "Energy Shower" attack set off Ampharos-EX's
"Conductivity" power? Like if I set down 6 energy, it would do 60
Damage (however I set down the energy)? And if yes, would the
damage be done to Flygon or to each separate Pokemon. that I attach an
energy to?
A. Yes, Flygon would indeed trigger Ampharos-EX's Conductivity; it
also works the same way for Azumarill's "Drizzle" attack. And the
damage would be done to each individual Pokemon that gets an energy
attached to it. (Jan 29, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If I have Quagsire and my opponent has Ampharos-EX in play and I
attach an energy card to my Quagsire from my hand, which PokePOWER gets applied first, Saturation or Conductivity?
A. Conductivity and Saturation happen at the same time, so the player
attaching energy would get to decide which effect to apply first. (Mar 3,
Poke-BODY?
Conversion
Others)
(Porygon-Z - Great Encounters; Porygon - Team Rocket; Gastly - Fossil;
Q. If I use Porygon-Z's "Conversion" Poke-POWER to change it to a
different energy type, does it stay that type when it levels up to
Porygon-Z Lv.X?
effects and status. So Porygon-Z Lv.X would revert back to Colorless at
that point. (Jul 10, 2008 PUI Rules Team)
Cosmic Power
(Claydol - Great Encounters)
Q. Can I use Claydol's "Cosmic Power" Poke-POWER if I already have
more than 6 cards in my hand?
A. Yes, you can. If you have 6 or more cards in your hand after putting
1 or 2 on the bottom of your deck, you simply do not draw anything at
that point. (Feb 21, 2008 PUI Rules Team)
Craggy Face
(Glalie - Mysterious Treasures)
abilities. Glalie's correct card text should read: "(Poké-Body) Craggy
Face - As long as Glalie is your Active Pokémon, any damage done by
applying Weakness and Resistance)". (May 1, 2009 Pokemon Organized
Q. If you have Glalie with the "Craggy Face" Poke-BODY Active,
would an opponent's Benched Pokemon take any damage on a tails flip
for their Empoleon's "Surf Together" attack?
A. No. Even damage done to the opponent's own Pokemon is reduced,
so their Benched Pokemon would take no damage in that situation. (Jan
Q. Staraptor's "Protect Wing" attack and Glalie's "Craggy Face" PokeBODY have similarly worded effects, yet Glalie has the protection from
20 damage "before applying Weakness and Resistance" while Staraptor
has it "after applying weakness and resistance". What is going on here?
A. Based on the Japanese wording of those cards, both effects should be
understood as being applied on the attacking Pokemon, and therefore
preventing 20 damage "before applying weakness and resistance." (Mar
Cursed Eyes
(Absol ex - Power Keepers)
Q. When using Absol-EX's "Cursed Eyes", do I have to move all three
counters or can I choose to move less than three (like if I only need to
move one counter to KO another Pokémon and wished to leave the
other two where they are)?
A. You must move 3 from that Pokémon if there are 3 that can be
moved. (EX:Power Keepers FAQ; Feb 1, 2007 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If my opponent has a Pokémon with only 2 damage counters on it,
can I still use Absol-EX's "Cursed Eyes" Poké-POWER on it?
A. Yes, you can. If you use this power, you move the 2 damage
counters to another one of your opponent's Pokémon. (EX:Power
Keepers FAQ; Feb 1, 2007 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If my opponent has more than one Pokémon with damage on it, can I
use Absol-EX's "Cursed Eyes" Poké-POWER on one that has less than
3 damage counters even if they have another Pokémon with 3 or more
damage counters on it?
A. You may choose to use Absol-EX's power against any Pokémon
with damage counters, but if it has less than three you would move all
of the damage counters off of it. (Feb 1, 2007 PUI Rules Team)
Cursed Glare
(Dusclops - Crystal Guardians; Cacturne ex - Emerald)
Q. If my opponent has Cacturne-EX in play, does the "Cursed Glare"
Poké-Body stop me from attaching a Rainbow Energy from my hand to
my Active Pokémon?
A. Yes. It prevents you from attaching a range of Special Energy cards
from your hand - R Energy, Dark Metal Energy, and Rainbow Energy,
just to name a few. The only Special Energy cards it can't stop are the
actual Darkness and Metal Energy cards. (May 5, 2005 PUI Rules
Team)
Q. If I have Dusclops with "Cursed Glare" active, can my opponent
attach a Holon's Castform from their hand as an energy card?
A. No, Cursed Glare prevents all Special Energy cards other than
Darkness and Metal from being attached, and Holon's Castform counts
as a Special Energy card when being played as Energy. (Oct 5, 2006
PUI Rules Team)
Q. Does Flygon's "Delta Supply" Poké-POWER let you attach a Delta
Rainbow Energy against Cacturne-EX's "Cursed Glare" Poké-BODY or
not?
A. Cacturne-EX's Poké-BODY spefically prevents any energy
placement from the hand to the Active Pokémon (other than Darkness
or Metal), so Delta Supply would not work in this situation. (Feb 22,
Damage Bind
(Ampharos - Platinum)
Q. Say Ampharos with the "Damage Bind" Poke-BODY is in play on
the opponent's side and a stadium such "Galactic HQ" or "Miasma
Valley" is in play. If I evolve a Pokemon with a Poke-POWER or put a
Basic Pokemon with a Poke-POWER from my hand onto the bench,
would I be able to use that Poke-POWER before the damage counters
from the stadium are placed?
A. No, you could not. Before declaring the Poke-POWER, the damage
counters from the stadium are placed. The Pokemon then becomes
affected by Ampharos' "Damage Bind" Poke-BODY and therefore
cannot use its Poke-POWER. (Apr 9, 2009 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If an undamaged Gengar receives enough damage from an attack to
knock it out, does Ampharos' "Damage Bind" Poke-BODY cancel out
Gengar's "Fainting Spell" Poke-POWER?
A. Yes, Damage Bind prevents Gengar's Fainting Spell because Gengar
has the damage counters placed onto it before it gets KO'd. (Jun 18,
Dark Engage
(Weavile - Secret Wonders)
Q. If I use a benched Weavile's "Dark Engage" Poke-POWER to
change the type of the Active Pokemon to Dark, and then I place a
Cessation Crystal on the Active Pokemon, is his type still Dark?
A. Yes it stays Dark. Cessation Crystal does not cancel the effects of a
Poke-POWER that was used prior to Cessation Crystal becoming
active. (Jan 10, 2008 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Say I have a Charizard with "Energy Burn" active with 4 Basic Dark
Energies attached to it. My benched Weavile uses its "Dark Engage"
Poke-POWER to turn my Charizard to Darkness type for the rest of the
turn. I also have a Heatran Lv.X with "Heat Wave" on the bench.
Charizard uses its "Fire Spin" attack, discarding two Basic Darkness
Energies. So can Heatran LV X's "Heat Wave" Poke-POWER bring two
of the energies back to Charizard?
A. Dark Engage is still activated at the point when the energy is
discarded; since the energy is being discarded by a Darkness type
Pokemon, Heat Wave would not be able to be used in this scenario.
(Nov 20, 2008 PUI Rules Team)
Dark Eyes
(Shiftry ex - Crystal Guardians)
Q. Is Shiftry-EX's "Dark Eyes" Poké-BODY cumulative?
A. Yes, if you have multiple Shiftry-EX's in play, each one can use its
"Dark Eyes" whenever an opponent's Pokémon uses a Poké-POWER.
(Sep 14, 2006 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Does the Poké-Body "Dark Eyes" take effect when you return your
opponent's Shiftry-EX by using the Poké-Power "Splash Back"?
A. No, it doesn't. Since Shiftry-EX isn't in play after the effect of the
Poké-Power "Splash Back", the Poké-Body "Dark Eyes" doesn't work.
(Oct 12, 2006 PUI Rules Team)
Q. What happens if Shiftry-EX is Knocked Out from the effect that
would also trigger "Dark Eyes"?
A. Dark Eyes activates prior to the Shiftry-EX leaving play; when
Damage is enough to KO a Pokémon, all effects are resolved prior to
the KO. (Nov 16, 2006 PUI Rules Team)
Q. What happens if Shiftry-EX leaves play from an effect that would
normally trigger "Dark Eyes" (i.e. Crawdaunt-EX's "Splashback")?
A. Since Shiftry-EX is no longer in play, Dark Eyes has no effect. (Nov
Q. What happens if a Pokémon uses a Power while Shiftry-EX is in
play, but the Pokémon that used the power leaves play or evolves as a
result of that Power?
A.Dark Eyes affects the Pokémon that uses a Power, so if the Pokémon
has somehow left play or evolved as a result of that Power Dark Eyes
has no effect. (Nov 16, 2006 PUI Rules Team)
Q. What happens if a Pokémon uses a power to shut down Shiftry-EX's
"Dark Eyes"? Would "Dark Eyes" get to put 2 damage counters on it or
not?
A. If Dark Eyes is shut down by a power, then it would not get to place
any damage counters. (Nov 16, 2006 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If a Pokémon uses "Baby Evolution", does it trigger Shiftry-EX's
"Dark Eyes"?
A. No. The Pokémon that used "Baby Evolution" is actually no longer
in play. (Nov 16, 2006 PUI Rules Team)
Q. What happens if Gardevoir-EX uses "Imprison" against Shiftry-EX?
Would "Dark Eyes" get to put 2 damage counters on Gardevoir-EX, or
would it already be shutdown by the Imprison marker?
A. Imprison shuts down Shiftry-EX's Dark Eyes before Gardevoir-EX
would take the damage. (Nov 16, 2006 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Shiftry-EX with "Dark Eyes" is in play. If an opponent's Pokémon
uses its Poké-POWER but the 2 damage counters from "Dark Eyes"
KO's that Pokémon, does that Poké-POWER take effect?
A. Dark Eyes' wording begins, "After, your opponent uses..." so the
damage counters happen after the effect is resolved. (Jan 18, 2007 PUI
Rules Team)
Dark Genes
(Honchkrow - Mysterious Treasures)
Q. If Murkrow is taking advantage of Honchkrow's "Dark Genes" PokeBODY to copy its "Dark Wing Flaps" attack, does it do any added or
reduced damage if the Honchkrow has a Darkness Special Energy or a
Double Rainbow Energy attached?
A. No, the added/reduced damage only applies when attached to the
Pokemon performing the attack. So if the active Murkrow has a
Darkness Special Energy attached, then you would get to add +10
damage extra to the attack. But you would not receive any
benefit/drawback from Special Energy cards attached to the benched
Honchkrow. (Aug 23, 2007 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If I play Honchkrow LV.X on top of Honchkrow with the "Dark
Genes" Poke-BODY, does that allow my Murkrow to use the attacks of
Honchkrow LV.X as well?
A. Yes, it does. Honchkrow LV.X is still the same Honchkrow after all,
and it has the Attacks & Powers of both Honchkrow cards.
Darkness Drive
(Tyranitar - Stormfront)
Q. If my opponent uses a Poke-POWER to discard some cards into my
discard pile, and if one or more of those cards happens to be a basic
Darkness Energy, can I use Tyranitar's "Darkness Drive" Poke-BODY
to attach one of them to Tyranitar?
A. Darkness Drive does not interrupt Poke-POWERS, it occurs AFTER
all effects of a Poke-POWER completes. So if you discarded a basic
Darkness Energy, it would be a valid selection for Darkness Drive.
Dig Well
(Blastoise - Platinum)
Q. If you use Blastoise's "Dig Well" Poke-POWER and reveal any
Water Energy cards, can you choose to discard them all and not attach
any?
A. Yes, you can choose to discard them all. (May 28, 2009 PUI Rules
Team)
Disturbance Dive
(Venomoth - Secret Wonders)
Q. If I use Lucario's "Feint" attack that says "this attack's damage isn't
affected by Resistance" against a Venomoth who attacked the previous
turn with "Disturbance Dive" which "prevents all effects" of the next
turn's attack, do I calculate Resistance for Lucario's "Feint" or not?
A. Ignoring resistance is part of the damage calculation. It is not an
effect on Venomoth, so the damage is not reduced. (Feb 7, 2008 PUI
Rules Team)
Ditto DNA
(Ditto - Legends Awakened)
Q. Say Ditto is Active against a Ralts with 60 HP printed on it and
Snowpoint Temple stadium is in play. Does the "Ditto DNA" PokeBODY give it 60+20 HP, or does it copy Ralts' adjusted Maximum HP
which is 80 and then also get the bonus from the Stadium giving it a
total of 100 HP?
A. Ditto copies Ralts' 60 HP for a total of 80 HP with Snowpoint
Temple in play. In other words, Ditto is always copying the Defending
Pokemon's HP as written on its card. (Aug 7, 2008 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If Ditto is active against a Lv.X Pokemon, does it have access to the
lower level Pokemon's attacks?
A. Yes, it does. The underlying Pokemon's attacks are part of the Lv.X
and are therefore copied by Ditto DNA. (Sep 4, 2008 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Can "Ditto DNA" copy an opponent's Technical Machine's attacks?
A. No, Ditto DNA can't copy attacks provided by an opponent's
Technical Machines, because it is an attack the opponent's active "can
use" but it isn't one of its attacks. (Jun 18, 2009 PUI Rules Team)
Q. My opponent has Ditto active with 70 damage on it against my
Gardevoir with 110 HP. I have Palkia Lv.X and use its "Restructure"
Poke-POWER. If my opponent brings up a pokemon with 70 or less HP
before I bring up a different pokemon, would the Ditto be KO'd?
A. Even though each action takes place one by one in reality, in game
terms Ditto is not checked for KO until the Poke-POWER has been
fully resolved. (Mar 18, 2010 PUI Rules Team)
Q. When Ditto with the "Ditto DNA" Poke-BODY is attacked with
something that makes it go to the bench, is the damage applied before or
after the switch takes place? For example, let's say the attack does
enough damage to KO Ditto with his current state of HP, but the switch
to a new bench would give him enough HP to remain alive. Is he KO'd
before the switch or does he switch first and not get KO'd?
A. All attack effects are done before checking for KO's, so Ditto would
get switched to the bench first and then the check for KO takes place
after the attack is finished. (Jul 30, 2009 PUI Rules Team)
Double Fall
Q. Can I use Salamence Lv.X's "Double Fall" Poke-POWER every
turn?
A. No, you can only use it on the turn when you put Salamence Lv.X
from your hand onto your Active Pokemon. It does not carry over from
turn to turn. (PL:Arceus FAQ; Nov 5, 2009 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If I play Salamence Lv.X with "Double Fall" this turn, and then use
Salamence's "Shoot Through" attack to KO two Pokemon, does that
mean I get to take four prizes (two for each KO'd Pokemon)?
A. Wow, yeah! (Nov 19, 2009 PUI Rules Team)
Downer Material
(Azelf - Mysterious Treasures)
Q. If my opponent has a Technical Machine attached to his Active
Pokemon, but I have Azelf, Uxie, and Mesprit in play, would Azelf's
"Downer Material" Poke-BODY add to the attack cost of the Technical
Machine?
A. Yes, it would. (Jan 14, 2010 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If I have Uxie, Azelf, and Mesprit with the "Downer Material" PokeBODY in play, and my opponent has a Legend Pokemon in play, do
they have to pay more for the Legend Pokemon's attacks?
A. No, they don't. Downer Material looks at the actual type of Pokemon
printed on the card; it has to say "Basic Pokemon" on the card, and
Legend Pokemon are not considered Basics. (May 27, 2010 PUI Rules
Team)
Q. If I have Uxie, Azelf, and Mesprit with the "Downer Material" PokeBODY in play, and my opponent has a Snorlax evolved from a
Munchlax in play, do they have to pay more for the evolved Basic
Pokemon's attacks?
A. Yes, they do. While Snorlax is evolved it is still a Basic Pokemon
card, and that is what Downer Material is looking at. (May 27, 2010
PUI Rules Team)
Dragon DNA
(Gyarados - Mysterious Treasures)
Q. If an undamaged Gyarados uses "Flail" due to its "Dragon DNA"
Poke-BODY, does it do zero or 30 damage?
A. Dragon DNA will add to any damage done, but there has to be at
least some damage done to start with. So if Flail does zero damage, then
Dragon DNA will NOT add anything to it. (Dec 6, 2007 PUI Rules
Team)
Q. If Garchomp Lv.X uses "Restore" to bring back Gyarados as a basic
Pokemon, does Gyarados' "Dragon DNA" Poke-BODY then apply to
itself to give its "Enrage" attack +30 damage?
A. No, the intent of Dragon DNA is to give +30 damage to attacks from
Gyarados' previous stage. You cannot apply Dragon DNA if Gyarados
is not an evolved Pokemon. (May 29, 2008 PUI Rules Team)
Dragon Intimidation
Q. If I use Shaymin Lv.X's "Energy Flare" attack, but the Defending
Pokemon is Garchomp with the "Dragon Intimidation" Poke-BODY,
which effect comes first? The moving of energy from "Energy Flare" or
the return of energy into the hand from "Dragon Intimidation"?
A. You would complete all the moving around of energies with "Energy
Flare" first, and then if there are any energy cards still attached to the
Attacking Pokemon you return one of them to the hand from "Dragon
Intimidation". (Jan 14, 2010 PUI Rules Team)
Ectoplasm
(Dusknoir Lv.X - Stormfront)
Q. If Dusknoir Lv.X is Knocked Out by an effect of an attack that
places damage counters (such as "Damage Even"), would "Ectoplasm"
trigger?
A. No, placing Damage Counters is an effect and would not trigger
Ectoplasm. The attack has to do Damage in order for Ectoplasm to
work. (Jan 15, 2009 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If you have an Expert Belt attached to Dusknoir Lv.X and it would
be knocked out from damage, is Expert Belt discarded before prize
cards are taken? In other words, would the opponent take 1 or 2 prize
cards as Dusknoir Lv.X moves into a stadium due to its "Ectoplasm"
Poke-POWER?
A. Dusknoir is still a Knocked Out Pokemon and Expert Belt is
attached at the time the Knock Out is checked for, so the opponent
would draw 2 prize cards. (Dec 10, 2009 PUI Rules Team)
Q. When Dusknoir Lv.X is acting as a stadium due to its "Ectoplasm"
Poke-POWER, do both players' Pokemon have damage counters placed
on them between turns, or only the opponent of the owner of the
stadium?
A. Only the opponent of the owner of the stadium takes damage
between turns for Ectoplasm. (Nov 6, 2008 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If Dusknoir Lv.X is in play as a Stadium, would Luxray's "Rivalry"
Poke-BODY be triggered and add 50 to the damage done from its
attacks?
A. No. Dusknoir Lv.X does not count as a Pokemon Lv.X while in play
as a Stadium. (Nov 13, 2008 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If I have a Dusknoir Lv.X in play acting as a stadium due to its
"Ectoplasm" Poke-POWER, then I Knock Out my opponent's active
Dusknoir Lv.X that also has "Ectoplasm", would the opponent's
Dusknoir Lv.X follow standard stadium rules about not being able to
replace another stadium of the same name while in play? Or would it
replace my Dusknoir Lv.X because the card has no reference to the
same name rule?
A. Since placing Dusknoir Lv.X as a stadium is the effect of a PokePOWER, it does not follow the standard stadium rules and therefore
would replace the current Dusknoir Lv.X stadium in play. (Nov 6, 2008
PUI Rules Team)
Q. If I have a Dusknoir Lv.X in play acting as a stadium due to its
"Ectoplasm" Poke-POWER, and another one of mine gets Knocked Out
by my opponent, does my new Dusknoir Lv.X replace the old one
acting as a stadium which then in turn goes into my hand?
A. That is correct. (Nov 20, 2008 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If I have Dusknoir Lv.X in play as a Stadium card and the opponent
uses Flygon's "Sand Wall" attack to return the Dusknoir Lv.X card to
my hand, does the opponent's active Flygon still get to prevent all
effects of an attack including damage during their next turn?
A. Yes, Flygon is still protected. (Jan 28, 2010 PUI Rules Team)
Q. What happens to Dusknoir Lv.X when it is KO'd by Giratina Lv.X's
"Darkness Lost" attack? Does it go to the Lost Zone, or does
"Ectoplasm" allow it to become a Stadium?
A. When Dusknoir Lv.X would be Knocked Out, it becomes a Stadium
instead of being discarded. Since it is not going to the discard pile, it is
not sent to the Lost Zone. (Feb 12, 2009 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If you have a Lucky Egg attached to Dusknoir Lv.X with the
"Ectoplasm" Poke-POWER and it would be knocked out from damage,
is Lucky Egg discarded before you get to draw until you have 7 cards?
A. Since the Dusknoir LV.X is not discarded due to Ectoplasm, you do
not get to draw any cards for Lucky Egg. (May 27, 2010 PUI Rules
Team)
Q. I have a Dusknoir Lv.X active with 10 HP left. My opponent attacks
Dusknoir Lv. X with an attack like "Whirlwind" that does 10 damage
and "your opponent switches one of his Active Pokemon with one of
his benched Pokemon". So does its "Ectoplasm" Poke-POWER work
because Dusknoir Lv.X was Active when it was first attacked, or does it
fail because it is KO'd while on the Bench?
A. Dusknoir Lv.X was active when it was attacked, so Ectoplasm may
be used. (Dec 4, 2008 PUI Rules Team)
Electric Barrier
(Manectric - Platinum)
Q. If Manectric with "Electric Barrier" is knocked out by an attack that
also would damage the bench, does it protect the bench even though it
is KO'd?
A. When attacking you apply damage first, then all other effects, then
check for KO's. The Poke-BODY is still there when the damage is
done, so the bench is protected. (May 7, 2009 PUI Rules Team)
Emerge (Metapod - Great Encounters; Cascoon - Legend Maker; Flygon ex - Legend
Maker; Others)
Q. If I use Caterpie's "Pupate" Poke-POWER to successfully evolve
into Metapod, can I then immediately use Metapod's "Emerge" PokePOWER to attempt to evolve into Butterfree, all on the same turn?
A. Yes, you can. (Feb 21, 2008 PUI Rules Team)
Emperor Aura
(Empoleon - Stormfront)
Q. If I use Empoleon's "Emperor Aura" Poke-POWER during my turn,
can my opponent use an attack like "Drizzle" to attach energy cards
during their turn?
A. Drizzle attaches two energy cards from the player's hand, so that
would be prevented if Emperor Aura was in effect. (Dec 4, 2008 PUI
Rules Team)
Q. If Empoleon uses its "Emperor Aura" Poke-POWER when it
evolves, does it only prevent the once-per-turn energy attachment, or
does it also prevent attaching as the effect of an attack or power such as
Shaymin Lv.X's "Seed Flare", Groudon's "Drought", or Blastoise's
"Waterlog"?
A. Emperor Aura says "your opponent can't attach ANY energy cards
from his/her hand...", so this would include preventing attachments
from their hand due to Attacks, Powers, etc. as well. (Apr 2, 2009 PUI
Rules Team)
Energy Draw
Others)
(Latios - OP Series 7; Latios - Great Encounters; Delcatty - Power Keepers;
Q. Delcatty's "Energy Draw" Poké-POWER states: "Once during your
turn (before your attack), you may discard 1 energy card from your
hand. Then draw up to 3 cards from your deck." Can you discard the
energy and not draw because it states "draw UP TO 3 cards"?
A. No. If you discard an Energy card, you must draw at least 1 card
from your deck if you can. When a card says "draw up to X cards", it
addresses a range of 1 to X. If you don't have any cards left in your
deck you may still use this power to discard a card from your hand, it
just won't do anything else. (Jul 19, 2007 PUI Rules Team; Mar 12,
Q. When using Delcatty's "Energy Draw" power (or ANY card that lets
you draw cards and says 'up to'), must you declare how many you are
going to draw first, or can you draw one card to see if it's the one you
need, and if not draw another, and another, etc.?
A. Technically speaking you must declare how many cards you are
going to draw before you draw them. If you do not announce, then you
must take the maximum number allowable, no less. (Aug 12, 2004 PUI
Rules Team)
Energy Grounding
(Lanturn - Power Keepers; Lanturn - Hidden Legends)
Q. If I KO one of my opponent's Pokémon, and he or she does not use
"Energy Grounding" Poké-POWER before but instead draws a card to
start the turn, at that point can Energy Grounding still be used for the
KO'd Pokémon?
A. Once their turn has started, no. They can either move the Energy
card before discarding the KO'd Pokémon, or discard the KO'd
Pokémon and immediately take the energy card from the discard pile
and attach it. (Jul 7, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
Q. When a Pokémon that Cessation Crystal is attached to is Knocked
Out, can I move basic Energy cards attached to that Pokémon to
Lanturn using its Poké-Power "Energy Grounding"?
A. No, you cannot. The effect of Cessation Crystal goes away at the
same time when the KO'd Pokémon gets discarded. At that point,
Lanturn cannot retreive any Energy from that Pokémon. (Oct 12, 2006
PUI Rules Team)
Q. If Ho-Oh with "Phoenix Turn" Poke-POWER is KO'd by damage
from an attack, but you also have a Lanturn with "Energy Grounding"
Poke-POWER in play too, how does this resolve?
A. You would flip for Ho-Oh's "Phoenix Turn" first. If you flip heads,
the energy stays attached to Ho-Oh and you cannot do "Energy
Grounding" because no energies were discarded. If you flip tails, then
you would have the option to use "Energy Grounding" to recover one of
the energies from the discarded Ho-Oh. (Apr 3, 2008 PUI Rules Team)
Energy Healer
say, not what was originally printed. "When you attach an Energy card
from your hand to Onix, remove a damage counter from Onix." This
Poké-Body only works when you attach an Energy card to Onix. (May
6, 2010 PUI Rules Team; May 7, 2010 TPCi TCG Errata Update)
Energy Recycle
(Swampert ex - Crystal Guardians; Cleffa - Skyridge)
Q. I try to use Electivire [FB] Lv.X's "Energy Recycle" Poke-POWER,
but my opponent uses Power Spray. Does my turn end?
A. Yes, your turn is over because it still counts as using the power. (Oct
Energy Refresh
(Leafeon - Rising Rivals)
Q. If I attach a Rainbow Energy to Leafeon with the "Energy Refresh"
Poke-BODY, does it take the damage from Rainbow Energy before or
after the Poke-BODY heals 2 damage counters?
A. Since both effects have the same trigger (attaching the Rainbow
energy), you may choose the order in which to apply them. (Sep 3, 2009
PUI Rules Team)
Energy Shift
(Electrode - Secret Wonders)
Electrode's "Energy Shift" Poke-POWER works on either player's
turn; it should not say, "once during YOUR turn". (Dec 6, 2007
PUI Rules Team)
Q. Say I use Electrode's "Ion Blast" attack to KO both the Defending
Pokemon plus Electrode, however the Defending Pokemon has a
Cessation Crystal attached to it. Does Electrode's "Energy Shift" PokePOWER get to work or not?
A. The effect of Cessation Crystal was on during the period that
Electrode was in play. Since Electrode is no longer in play, it no longer
can use its Poke-Power. (Dec 6, 2007 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Say I use Electrode's "Ion Blast" attack and it KO's itself. If I bring
up a Pokemon from my bench with Cessation Crystal attached, is
Electrode's "Energy Shift" Poke-POWER shut off before it can activate?
A. No, the new Pokemon is not even brought up until after all effects
from the KO (including "Energy Shift") have been resolved. (Apr 10,
Q. If Electrode gets Knocked Out and does "Energy Shift" to attach
itself as an energy instead of getting discarded, does the opponent get to
draw a Prize card or not?
A. Yes, Electrode is still considered Knocked Out even though it doesn't
go to the discard pile. (DP:Secret Wonders FAQ; Nov 15, 2007 PUI
Rules Team)
Energy Trans (Sceptile - Stormfront; Sceptile - OP Series 4; Venusaur ex - Fire Red Leaf
Green; Others)
Q. Can Venusaur put other energies on Fire Pokémon?
A. Only other grass energy. (May 11, 2000 WotC Chat, Q13)
Q. If Porygon2 has changed a Grass energy to Lightning, would it be
fair to say that Venusaur could not Energy Trans it (for the rest of the
turn)?
A. Correct. (Jan 17, 2002 WotC Chat, Q1384)
Q. Can you "Energy Trans" or "Dark Trance" a Rainbow Energy, Multi
Energy, or any
other special energy cards?
A. As long as they are providing the proper energy type and don't
violate any other
restrictions written on the card, then yes you may. (May 6, 2004 PUI
Rules Team; Nov
Q. If I use "Energy Trans" or "Dark Trance" to move a Double
Rainbow Energy to my own Basic Pokémon, would the DRE get
discarded if I do this?
A. Yes, it would. (Dec 1, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
Enthusiasm
(Politoed - Legends Awakened)
Q. If I have an evolved Poliwrath in play, is that enough to trigger
Politoed's "Enthusiasm" Poke-BODY? After all, I have a Poliwhirl and
a Poliwag underneath it.
A. No. The Poliwhirl and Poliwag are not counted when they are
underneath another card. (Aug 7, 2008 PUI Rules Team)
Equip
Q. Does Unown-E's "EQUIP" Poke-POWER follow the normal rules
for attaching Pokemon Tools (only 1 tool per Pokemon)?
A. Yes. You cannot attach it to a Pokemon that already has a Pokemon
Tool, and you cannot attach a Pokemon Tool to the Pokemon that
Unown-E is already attached to. (Mysterious Treasures FAQ; Aug 23,
Evolutionary Gas
(Skuntank - Stormfront)
* Skuntank is receiving errata for its "Evolutionary Gas" Poké-Power.
Evolutionary Gas's effect ends when the Defending Pokémon is no
longer the opponent's Active Pokémon. The correct card text should
read, "Once during your turn (before your attack), when you play
Skuntank from your hand to evolve 1 of your Active Pokémon, you
may choose 1 of the Defending Pokémon. If that Pokémon tries to
attack during your opponent's next turn, that attack does nothing. (If the
Defending Pokémon is no longer your opponent's Active Pokémon, this
effect ends.)" Skuntank is an exception to the rule about effects of
Poke-Powers and Poke-Bodies remaining when a Pokemon is moved
from Active to Bench and vice-versa, because the card's text
specifically states that the effect ends (similar to "Stance", on Lucario
Lv.X). (Feb 26, 2009 Pokemon Organized Play News; Feb 26, 2009 PUI
Rules Team)
Extra Liquid
(Sceptile ex δ - Crystal Guardians)
Q. Rayquaza-EX's "Rage Aura" Poké-BODY lets him ignore all
coloress attack costs if you're behind on prizes. But Sceptile-EX's
"Extra Liquid" Poké-BODY adds +1 colorless cost to attacks by -EX
Pokémon. Which Poké-BODY prevails?
A. The effect of Rage Aura removes all colorless attack costs from
Rayquaza-EX's "Special Circuit" and "Sky-high Claws" attacks,
including effects that would add to its colorless attack costs. Therefore,
Rayquaza-EX would still attack for less, despite Sceptile-EX's Extra
Liquid. (Apr 26, 2007 PUI Rules Team)
Extra Smoke
(Kingdra ex δ - Dragon Frontiers)
Q. Say I have a Kingra-EX with "Extra Smoke" on the bench and a
Stage 2 Pokémon-EX Active (other than Kingdra-EX). If my opponent
attacks with "Swift" does it ignore "Extra Smoke" or not?
A. The effect of Extra Smoke is always attached to whatever Pokémon
that the opponent attacks with, not on the Defending Pokémon nor even
on the benched Kingdra-EX. And since Swift only ignores effects on
the Defending Pokémon (not the player or Pokémon attacking with
Swift), it does NOT ignore Extra Smoke and damage is reduced by -10.
Fainting Spell
* Gengar is receiving errata for its Poke-POWER, "Fainting Spell".
Fainting Spell affects your opponent's Attacking Pokemon, not your
Defending Pokemon. The correct card text should read, "Once during
your opponent's turn, if Gengar would be Knocked Out by damage from
an attack, you may flip a coin. If heads, the Attacking Pokémon is
Knocked Out." (Nov 7, 2008 Pokemon Organized Play News)
Q. Gengar's "Fainting Spell" Poke-POWER says when it's KO'd by
damage from an opponent's attack to flip a coin and if heads "the
Defending Pokemon is Knocked Out". But since Gengar was acting as
the "Defending Pokemon" when it was attacked what does this mean?
A. To clarify, if the coin flip is heads, Fainting Spell causes the
opponent's Attacking Pokemon, which KO'd Gengar, to be Knocked
Out. (Oct 30, 2008 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If I use Uxie's "Psychic Restore" attack where it does 20 and puts
itself into the deck, but Gengar's "Fainting Spell" Poke-POWER would
knock out Uxie, what happens?
A. If you choose to put Uxie in the deck with Psychic Restore the attack
completes first, and Gengar cannot return the knockout. However, if
you do not put Uxie in the deck, then Gengar's Fainting Spell would
Knock Out Uxie if the coin flip is heads. (Oct 30, 2008 PUI Rules
Team)
Q. If Gengar is KO'd by a Pokemon using some kind of hit & run
attack, does Gengar's "Fainting Spell" Poke-POWER target the new
Defending Pokemon or the one that just attacked?
A. The one that attacked and went to the bench would be KO'd if
Gengar flips heads. (Oct 30, 2008 PUI Rules Team)
Q. What happens if I Knock Out my opponent's Gengar using some
kind of hit & run attack, but I bring up Glaceon Lv.X with the "Chilly
Breath" Poke-BODY that shuts down Poke-Powers?
A. The Chilly Breath would shut off Gengar's Fainting Spell before it
would have a chance to be used. (Jan 15, 2009 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If an undamaged Gengar receives enough damage from an attack to
knock it out, does Ampharos' "Damage Bind" Poke-BODY cancel out
Gengar's "Fainting Spell" Poke-POWER?
A. Yes, Damage Bind prevents Gengar's Fainting Spell because Gengar
has the damage counters placed onto it before it gets KO'd. (Jun 18,
PUI Rules Team)
Fan Shift
(Fan Rotom - Rising Rivals)
Q. If one of my Rotoms from the Rising Rivals set is affected by a
special condition, can it use its Poke-POWER?
A. Yes. In general, you may use a Poke-POWER when your Pokemon
is affected by a Special Condition, unless the power specifically says
you cannot do so. (PL:Rising Rivals FAQ; May 21, 2009 PUI Rules
Team)
Fin Luster
(Lumineon - Stormfront)
Q. When using Lumineon's "Fin Luster" Poke-POWER, may I
voluntarily fail to choose a Basic Pokemon from their hand if I want
to?
A. No, the power says "you may look" (optional) but it does not say
"you may choose", so if you find a Basic Pokemon in their hand you
must choose one of them and you must switch it with the Defending
Pokemon. (Nov 6, 2008 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If I use Lumineon's Poke-POWER "Fin Luster" to place a basic fire
type pokemon from my opponent's hand onto his or her bench would
Miasma Valley place 2 damage counters on it?
A. Yes, you would place the 2 damage counters for Miasma Valley.
Despite the wording of Fin Luster, it is still the opponent putting their
own Pokemon onto their own Bench. (Apr 16, 2009 PUI Rules Team)
Final Wish
(Jirachi - Rising Rivals)
Q. If my Jirachi has a "Lucky Egg" Pokemon Tool attached, what
happens when it is knocked out from damage so that both the "Final
Wish" Poke-POWER and the "Lucky Egg" tool are triggered?
A. Final Wish is resolved first. Effects that happen when the Pokemon
"would be knocked out" are resolved before effects that happen when it
"is knocked out". (Nov 19, 2009 PUI Rules Team)
Firestarter (Typhlosion - Mysterious Treasures; Blaziken - Power Keepers; Blaziken RubySapphire)
Q. Is Blaziken's "Firestarter" Poké-POWER cumulative? For example,
if I get three of them in play, can I take three fire energies out of my
discard pile and attach them?
A. That is correct. (Sep 11, 2003 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If I use Blaziken's "Firestarter" power do I still get to do my normal
once-per-turn energy attachment?
A. Sure. It does not replace your normal once-per-turn placement of
Energy. (Sep 11, 2003 PUI Rules Team)
Flame Body
(Magmortar - Secret Wonders)
Q. When I attach a Fire energy to my Magmortar while it's facing an
Electivire LV.X, which Poke-BODY is applied first, "Flame Body"
which removes two damage counters, or "Shocking Tail" which places
two damage counters?
A. Since both Bodies are triggered by the same event (attaching the Fire
energy), the person controlling the Pokemon receiving the energy
decides in which order they are applied. (May 8, 2008 PUI Rules Team)
Flare Condition
(Arcanine - Rising Rivals)
Q. What happens if Walrein's "Cold Crush" attack discards the only Fire
Energy attached to Arcanine? Does Weakness then apply to its "Flare
Condition" Poke-BODY?
A. No. Damage is done first, then other effects such as discarding an
opponent's energy. (PL:Rising Rivals FAQ; May 21, 2009 PUI Rules
Team)
Fossil Armor
(Armaldo - Legends Awakened)
Q. Does Armaldo's "Fossil Armor" Poke-BODY take things like
Weakness and Buffer Piece into account?
A. Yes. Poke-Bodies on the Defending Pokemon are taken into account
during the last step of Damage Calculation after things like Weakness,
Tools, etc. (Aug 7, 2008 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Say Armaldo has a Memory Berry attached and uses Anorith's
"Guard Claw" attack. The opponent then uses an attack that does 70
damage. How much damage would end up on Armaldo? Would "Guard
Claw" first reduce it to 50, causing it to be prevented by Armaldo's
"Fossil Armor" Poke-BODY (resulting in no damage)? Or would the
attack get through "Fossil Armor" first before being reduced by "Guard
Claw" (resulting in only 50 damage)?
A. The text of Fossil Armor says "if Armaldo would be damaged by an
attack...", so this indicates that it happens after all damage calculations
have been finished. Therefore, in this scenario the Guard Claw
reduction happens first, and then the Fossil Armor evaluation happens
last bringing the resulting damage down to zero. (Jul 30, 2009 PUI
Rules Team)
Frost Shift
(Frost Rotom - Rising Rivals)
Team)
Gravity Change
(Lunatone - Great Encounters)
Q. For Lunatone's "Gravity Change" Poke-POWER, can I always
discard a card from my hand even if I do not have a Solrock in play?
Or what if I have no cards left in my deck?
A. As long as you have one or more cards in your hand you may use
Gravity Change. If Solrock is in play you may then draw a card from
your deck. If your deck is empty you draw zero cards. (Oct 2, 2008 PUI
Rules Team)
Green Breath
Q. If I have Sceptile with "Wild Growth" in play, do I get to remove 4
damage counters when I attach a Basic Grass Energy card to a Sceptile
with the "Green Breath" Poke-BODY?
A. No, Green Breath only allows you to remove 2 damage counters
when attaching a Grass Energy CARD, not per the number of energy
that card provides. (Feb 4, 2010 PUI Rules Team)
GUARD
(Unown G - Great Encounters)
Q. Does Unown G's "GUARD" Poke-POWER prevent effects from
attacks that the Unown G is attached to?
A. No, the Poke-POWER only prevent effects from an opponent's
attacks, not your own. Unown-G's "GUARD" Poke-POWER should
say, "As long as Unown G is attached to a Pokemon, prevent all effects
of attacks, excluding damage, done to that Pokemon by your opponent's
Pokemon". (Feb 21, 2008 PUI Rules Team; Feb 28, 2008 Pokemon
Q. What happens if I use Regigigas' "Drag Off" attack and choose to
bring up a benched Pokemon that has an Unown-G attached to it?
A. You may target the Benched Pokemon with Unown-G attached, but
since the Unown-G's GUARD would prevent the effect of switching out
that Pokemon the switch is prevented. Damage is not done to the
Benched or Defending Pokemon, since the chosen target cannot switch.
bench?
Q. If Unown-G is attached as a tool to a Pokemon and the opponent
uses Mismagius' "Crash Chant" attack, would Unown-G be discarded or
not?
A. Well, it depends on which player's Unown-G is being discarded. If
Mismagius tries to discard Unown-G attached to an opponent's
Pokemon, GUARD would prevent it from being discarded and you don't
get to add +20 damage for that tool to Crash Chant's damage either.
However, since GUARD only protects against attacks done by your
opponent [see Errata], you can discard an Unown-G attached to your
own Pokemon and add +20 damage for that tool. (Nov 20, 2008 PUI
Rules Team; Feb 4, 2010 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If I use Unown-G's "GUARD" Poke-POWER to attach it as a Tool
to one of my Pokemon, does it get discarded at the end of the turn?
A. When attached at a Tool, Unown-G stays attached until that
Pokemon is Knocked Out or leaves play. (Feb 21, 2008 PUI Rules
Team)
Q. If Electivire Lv.X uses "Pulse Barrier" to discard tools against a
Defending Pokemon with Unown-G's "GUARD" attached, does the
Unown-G get discarded or does "GUARD" prevent that effect?
A. The Unown-G would prevent Pulse Barrier's effect of discarding
tools, so it would stay attached. But Unown-G does not prevent any
tools attached to other Pokemon from being discarded. (Mar 20, 2008
PUI Rules Team)
Q. If my Active Pokemon is attacked with "Sonic Blade", can I choose
a Pokemon on my bench with Unown-G's "GUARD" Poke-POWER
attached to it and prevent the switching portion of "Sonic Blade"?
A. Yes, you may do this. (Sep 11, 2008 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Can Unown-G's "GUARD" Poke-POWER prevent the effect of my
opponent's Froslass's "Destiny Bond" attack last turn?
A. The effect of Destiny Bond is on Froslass. The Unown-G's PokePower GUARD prevents the effect of your opponent's attacks, so it will
protect your Pokemon that has Unown-G attached to it from being
Knocked Out by Destiny Bond. (Sep 11, 2008 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If my opponent uses Sandslash's "Spike Armor" attack, but then on
my turn I attack Sandslash with a Pokemon having Unown-G attached
with its "GUARD" Poke-POWER, would Sandslash's "Spike Armor" be
able to place any damage counters on my Pokemon or not?
A. The effect of Spike Armor is on Sandslash. The Unown-G's PokePower GUARD will prevent the effect of your opponent's attacks, so
you don't put damage counters on your Active Pokemon that has
Unown-G attached to it after doing damage to Sandslash. (Sep 11, 2008
PUI Rules Team)
Q. Say I use Darkrai's "Dark Slumber" attack which puts the Defending
Pokemon to sleep at the end of my opponent's next turn. But then on
their next turn they attach an Unown-G to that Pokemon. Would
"GUARD" prevent it from going to sleep?
A. No, it would not be prevented. The Dark Slumber effect was already
on the Pokemon prior to the attachment of Unown-G. (Jan 8, 2009 PUI
Rules Team)
Q. If I use Dusknoir's "Reaper Pulse" attack, but the opponent's only
benched Pokemon has Unown-G with "GUARD" attached to it, can I
still remove 2 damage counters from Dusknoir?
A. No, the damage counters have to be able to be moved to one of your
opponent's benched Pokemon, or else they cannot be moved at all. (Dec
Q. If I use Ambipom [G]'s "Tail Code" attack to move an energy card
from the Defending Pokemon to one of my opponent's Pokemon that
has an Unown-G attached to it, what happens?
A. While Unown-G prevents the attachment of the energy to the
protected Pokemon, it does not prevent the removal of the energy card
from the Defending Pokemon. The energy card is discarded. (Jan 14,
Rules Team)
Hard Amber
(Old Amber - Majestic Dawn)
Amber" Poke-BODY?
attack?
Rules Team)
Heat Metal
(Heatran Lv.X - DP Promos; Heatran Lv.X - Stormfront)
Q. If I have Heatran Lv.X in play and I use "Devoluter" to devolve the
opponent's Active Burned Pokemon, does the "Heat Metal" PokeBODY prevent the Special Condition from being removed?
A. Heat Metal is intended to prevent any evolving/devolving from
removing the Special Condition, regardless of who initiated the
evolution/devolution action. (Jan 8, 2009 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If I level-up a burned Dialga-G, does Dialga-G Lv.X's Poke-BODY
"Time Crystal" turn off Heatran Lv.X's "Heat Metal" Poke-BODY and
remove the burn?
A. No, the effect of Time Crystal is not applied until after Dialga-G
Lv.X is in play. (Apr 16, 2009 PUI Rules Team)
Heat Shift
(Heat Rotom - Rising Rivals)
Team)
Heat Wave
(Heatran Lv.X - DP Promos; Heatran Lv.X - Stormfront)
Q. If I use an attack that discards only one basic energy card, can
Heatran Lv.X's "Heat Wave" bring two energy cards back or only the
one?
A. Heat Wave says to "attach up to 2 of *those* Energy cards to that
Pokemon". This means that the only choices you have are from what
you discarded, and since you only discarded one energy card you may
only choose from that one energy card. (Jun 18, 2009 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Say I have a Charizard with "Energy Burn" active with 4 Basic Dark
Energies attached to it. My benched Weavile uses its "Dark Engage"
Poke-POWER to turn my Charizard to Darkness type for the rest of the
turn. I also have a Heatran Lv.X with "Heat Wave" on the bench.
Charizard uses its "Fire Spin" attack, discarding two Basic Darkness
Energies. So can Heatran LV X's "Heat Wave" Poke-POWER bring two
of the energies back to Charizard?
A. Dark Engage is still activated at the point when the energy is
discarded; since the energy is being discarded by a Darkness type
Pokemon, Heat Wave would not be able to be used in this scenario.
Q. If your opponent has an Active Glaceon Lv.X with the "Chilly
Breath" Poke-BODY (prevents use of Poke-Powers), and you knock it
out with Moltres' "Scorching Wing" attack (discard all Fire energy
attached to Moltres), would you be allowed to use Heatran Lv.X's "Heat
Wave" Poke-POWER to reattach up to two of those energy after the
Glaceon Lv.X is KO'd?
A. Yes, you could use Heat Wave in this scenario. Glaceon Lv.X is
Knocked Out by the attack during the turn, so Poke-POWERs would
come back on before the end of the turn when Heat Wave is checked.
Q. If my opponent used Mesprit's "Psychic Bind" to shut off any PokePOWERs used during my next turn, would I be able to use Heatran
Lv.X's "Heat Wave" Poke-POWER since it happens "at the end of your
turn"?
A. No, Psychic Bind covers the entirety of the opponent's next turn,
including the end of the turn. (Feb 12, 2009 PUI Rules Team)
Hidden Poison
(Roserade - Stormfront)
* Roserade is receiving errata for its Poke-BODY, "Hidden Poison".
Hidden Poison affects your opponent's Attacking Pokemon, not your
Defending Pokemon. The correct card text should read, "If Roserade is
your Active Pokemon and is damaged by an opponent's attack (even if
Roserade is Knocked Out), the Attacking Pokemon is now Poisoned."
(Nov 7, 2008 Pokemon Organized Play News)
Q. If Swalot uses "Damage Roller" to put damage counters onto
Haunter, would Haunter's "Hidden Poison" Poke-BODY trigger or not?
A. No, Swalot's attack places counters, it does not "do damage". An
attack must do damage and not just place counters in order to activate
Hidden Poison. (PL:Arceus FAQ; Nov 5, 2009 PUI Rules Team)
Holon Veil
(Ampharos δ - Dragon Frontiers)
Q. When Ampharos' "Holon Veil" is in effect, does it even affect
Fossils?
A. Yes, to a limited degree. Any time the Fossils are considered
Pokémon, they would be Delta Species Pokémon. If a Fossil is in the
Trainer-card-only state, it is not a Pokémon, and couldnít be affected
by Holon Veil. (EX:Dragon Frontiers FAQ; Oct 26, 2006 PUI Rules
Team)
Imprison
(Tropius δ - Dragon Frontiers; Gardevoir ex δ - Dragon Frontiers)
Q. I realize that Imprison markers remain if Garvevoir-EX leaves play,
but does the effect of "Imprison" still remain in that the Pokémon
cannot use any Poké-POWERS or Poké-BODIES?
A. Yes, even if Gardevoir-EX leaves play the effects of "Imprison" still
apply to any Pokémon that have Imprison markers on them. (Nov 16,
Q. What happens if Gardevoir-EX uses "Imprison" against Shiftry-EX?
Would "Dark Eyes" get to put 2 damage counters on Gardevoir-EX, or
would it already be shutdown by the Imprison marker?
A. Imprison shuts down Shiftry-EX's Dark Eyes before Gardevoir-EX
would take the damage. (Nov 16, 2006 PUI Rules Team)
Q. What ways can a Pokémon get rid of an attached "Imprison" marker
or "Shock-wave" marker?
A. Evolving, devolving, leveling up (i.e. LV.X), leaving play, and
Tropius' "Tropical Heal" Poké-POWER are currently the only ways to
get rid of an Imprison or Shock-wave Marker. Retreating or benching
does NOT get rid of the marker. (May 31, 2007 PUI Rules Team)
Intense Voltage
(Electivire - Diamond and Pearl)
Q. Can I use Electivire's "Intense Voltage" to move non-basic Electric
energy like Rainbow, Multi, etc.?
A. The lightning-bolt symbol in the text of Intense Voltage indicates
Electric energy in general, not "Basic Electric Energy". Intense Voltage
can move Rainbow, etc. (May 31, 2007 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If an Electivire uses "Intense Voltage" to move multiple energies to
itself while Shiftry-EX with "Dark Eyes" is in play, it takes 2 damage
counters per energy moved, correct?
A. Right. Many players take the shortcut of moving energy cards all at
once, but the Intense Voltage Poké-POWER is technically moving only
one energy each time, thus invoking the Dark Eyes Poké-BODY each
time it is used. (May 31, 2007 PUI Rules Team)
Intimidating Roar
(Infernape [4] Lv.X - Rising Rivals)
Q. When I use Infernape 4 Lv.X's "Intimidating Roar" Poke-POWER,
who gets to choose which Pokemon comes up from the Bench, me or
my opponent?
A. It says "you may have your opponent switch his or her Active
Pokemon...", so the opponent gets to choose which one comes up from
the Bench. (May 21, 2009 PUI Rules Team)
Invisible Tentacles
(Giratina Lv.X - DP Promos; Giratina Lv.X - Platinum)
Q. If my Pokemon does "Smokescreen" on the previous turn and I also
have Giratina Lv.X with the "Invisible Tentacles" Poke-BODY in play,
when the opponent tries to attack do they have to discard a card for
"Invisible Tentacles" even if the attempted attack is blocked by the
"Smokescreen" effect?
A. Yes, the Invisible Tentacles Poke-BODY occurs regardless of
whether the flip for Smokescreen is successful or not. (Feb 12, 2009
PUI Rules Team)
Q. If my opponent has Giratina Lv.X with "Invisible Tentacles" in play,
and I use an attack that put cards back into my deck (i.e. "Upthrow"
which puts all Fighting energy cards back into the deck), do I get to put
the card I discarded for "Invisible Tentacles" if it meets the criteria?
A. Yes, the discard for Invisible Tentacles is done before you do any
part of the attack. (Apr 2, 2009 PUI Rules Team)
Iron Shell
(Forretress - Legends Awakened)
* Forretress's "Iron Shell" Poke-BODY is not optional; you *MUST*
flip a coin whenever attaching a Basic Energy Card to Forretress. (Aug
Q. If I use Blastoise's "Waterlog" Poke-POWER to attach a bunch of
Basic Water energies onto a Forretress with the "Iron Shell" PokeBODY, can I attach an energy, then flip for "Iron Shell", then attach
another energy, then flip again, etc.?
A. No, when using Waterlog you attach all the energies first, and then
after that you perform the Iron Shell flips for each of the energies that
got attached to Forretress. (Apr 14, 2009 PUI Rules Team)
Iron Skull
Q. If I use Rampardos' "Head Smash" attack with only one energy
attached against Dusknoir who used its "Night Spin" attack on the
previous turn, would Rampardos' "Iron Skull" Poke-BODY allow me to
ignore the "Night Spin" effect that prevents all effects of attacks from
Pokemon with 2 or less energy attached?
A. The Iron Skull Poke-BODY says its attack's damage is not affected
by "any other effects on the Defending Pokemon", so yes it would
ignore the Night Spin effect residing on Dusknoir. (Apr 9, 2009 PUI
Rules Team)
Q. If Rampardos attacks a Pokemon with Bubble Coat attached, does
the "Iron Skull" Poke-BODY ignore Bubble Coat's "no weakness"
effect or not?
A. Yes, Rampardos ignores Bubble Coat's effect and applies Weakness.
(May 21, 2009 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If my opponent has Lucario-GL with "Boundary Aura" in play, but
my Rampardos with "Iron Skull" Poke-BODY attacks a Pokemon with
Weakness, is the Weakness x2 or not?
A. Lucario-GL's Boundary Aura Poke-BODY would be ignored. In this
case Iron Skull ignores doubling Weakness, so the original Weakness
value is applied. (Jul 30, 2009 PUI Rules Team)
Jamming
(Ampharos - OP Series 7; Ampharos - Secret Wonders)
Q. If I play a supporter that takes a Pokemon out of play (like "Mr.
Briney's Compassion"), does Ampharos' "Jamming" Poke-BODY place
the damage counter before or after the Pokemon leaves play?
A. You complete the action of the supporter first, and then apply
Ampharos' Jamming afterwards. (Dec 6, 2007 PUI Rules Team)
Jumbo Fin
(Mantine - Mysterious Treasures)
Q. If I have more than one Mantine in play, can I use each of their
"Jumbo Fin" Poke-POWERs cumulatively?
A. Yes, Jumbo Fin is stackable. (Mar 27, 2008 PUI Rules Team)
Lazy Paunch
(Slaking - Platinum)
Q. If my Slaking with the "Lazy Paunch" Poke-BODY attacks, then on
my next turn I switch Slaking to the Bench and back to the Active
position again, is Slaking then able to attack?
A. No, the Lazy Paunch Poke-BODY does not place an effect that can
be removed by benching; it is checking for a previous game state. (Nov
Level Down
Q. If I use Gengar Lv.X's "Level Down" Poke-POWER and the
opponent has zero remaining HP, is it knocked out immediately?
A. Yes it is. (PL:Arceus FAQ; Nov 5, 2009 PUI Rules Team)
Link Lightning
(Raichu Lv.X - Stormfront)
Q. Raichu Lv.X's "Link Lightning" Poke-BODY says if I level up and
use "Voltage Shoot" in the same turn, I can attack with another of
Raichu's attacks. Can I use "Voltage Shoot" again?
A. Yes, you may choose Voltage Shoot again as your second attack.
Q. When using Raichu Lv.X's "Link Lightning" Poke-BODY, if I
Knock Out the Defending Pokemon when using "Voltage Shoot" as my
first attack, is a new Defending Pokemon promoted before I do my
second Attack?
A. As the Defending Pokemon is Knocked Out, your opponent has to
choose and set their new Active Pokemon before Raichu's Link
Lightning Poke-BODY works. You take a Prize card after your
opponent brings up a new Active Pokemon, and Raichu uses an attack
one more time. (Oct 30, 2008 PUI Rules Team)
Q. What happens if Raichu Lv.X uses its "Link Lightning" Poke-BODY
and the first attack it does knocks out a Pokemon with a recoil effect
that makes Raichu paralyzed (or poisoned, asleep, etc.)? Does Raichu
get to use its second attack, or is "Link Lightning" shut off because of
the Special Condition?
A. If Raichu Lv.X is affected by a Special Condition as a result of its
first attack, Link Lightning would shut off and you could not use a
second attack. (Dec 11, 2008 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If Raichu Lv.X uses its "Link Lightning" Poke-BODY plus its
"Voltage Shoot" attack to knock out Gengar, if Gengar successfully
flips Heads for its "Fainting Spell Poke-POWER does Raichu Lv.X get
KO'd before or after doing the second attack for "Link Lightning"?
A. The Fainting Spell Poke-POWER has to be resolved before the
second attack can begin, so the second attack would be lost since it has
to be an attack from the Raichu Lv.X that was KO'd. (Dec 11, 2008 PUI
Rules Team)
Q. If Raichu Lv.X comes into play and uses "Voltage Shoot" to KO an
opponent's Dialga-G Lv.X with the "Time Crystal" Poke-BODY, does
Raichu Lv.X's "Link Lightning" Poke-BODY turn on and allow Raichu
Lv.X to attack again?
A. Yes, once the Pokemon with Time Crystal is KO'd, Link Lightning
can then activate and allow Raichu Lv.X a second attack (as long as
Link Lightning's conditions are met). (Apr 2, 2009 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Flygon uses its "Sand Wall" attack to discard an Opponent's Stadium
card. The next turn, Raichu Levels Up and attacks twice due to its
"Link Lightning" Poke-BODY. Is Flygon protected against both
attacks?
A. Yes. Sand Wall would protect Flygon against both of Raichu Lv.X's
attacks during the opponent's next turn. (Sep 3, 2009 PUI Rules Team)
Lost Cyclone
(Palkia [G] Lv.X - Platinum)
Q. If Palkia-G Lv.X uses its "Lost Cyclone" Poke-POWER to put one
or more of my benched Pokemon into the Lost Zone, do those Pokemon
count as being KO'd and the opponent takes a prize for each one?
A. No, they do not. (Apr 2, 2009 PUI Rules Team)
Magnetic Field
(Magneton - Power Keepers; Magneton - Dragon)
Q. With EX:Dragon's Magneton, could you discard say a Lightning
energy, and call it "#1", then if you have 2 other Lightning energies in
your discard pile, "#2" and "#3", could you get those?
A. As long as either of those cards are not the one you just discarded,
you can retrieve them even if they are the same type. (Nov 20, 2003 PUI
Rules Team)
Q. Magneton's "Magnetic Field" Poké-POWER states: "Once during
your turn (before your attack), if you have basic energy cards in your
discard pile, you may discard any 1 card from your hand. Then search
for up to 2 basic Energy cards from your discard pile, show them to
your opponent, and put them into your hand." Can you discard the
energy and choose none because it states "search for UP TO 2 cards"?
A. You cannot play a card to no effect when failure of the effect is
known in advance. In this case, since you know there is energy in the
discard, you must take at least 1 to play the card. (Mar 18, 2004 PUI
Rules Team; September 18, 2007)
Metal Gravity
(Skarmory ex - Power Keepers)
Q. If my opponent retreats a Pokémon with Cessation Crystal attached,
would my Skarmory-EX's "Metal Gravity" get to place any damage
counters on that Pokémon or not?
A. No. By the time Cessation Crystal is inactive, the retreated Pokémon
is already on the bench. (Feb 8, 2007 PUI Rules Team)
Q. What happens if my opponent retreats their Active Pokémon for one
that has Cessation Crystal attached, but I have Skarmory-EX with
"Metal Gravity"? Would my Skarmory-EX's "Metal Gravity" get to
place any damage counters on that Pokémon or not?
A. Yes. By the time Cessation Crystal is active, the Metal Gravity
Poké-BODY has already been set in motion and is not shut off. (Apr
Mischievous Trick
Q. When I switch a Prize card and a card from my Deck with Rotom's
"Mischievous Trick" Poke-POWER, can I look at either card?
A. No, you cannot. Keep both cards face-down when you switch them.
Q. Can I use Rotom's "Mischievous Trick" Poke-POWER when I have
no cards in my deck, to put a Prize card into my deck?
A. No, you can't. That would be far too mischievous. (HS:Undaunted
FAQ; Sep 9, 2010 PUI Rules Team)
Moonlight Veil
(Umbreon - Majestic Dawn)
Q. Does the Pokemon have to have Eevee beneath it in order to receive
the benefits from Espeon's "Sunlight Veil" or Umbreon's "Moonlight
Veil" Poke-BODIES?
A. No. Let's say you brought in an Umbreon using Garchomp Lv.X's
"Restore" attack— it's still a Pokemon that “Evolves from Eevee,” even
though it didn't evolve that way to get into play. (DP:Majestic Dawn
Q. Does Glaceon Lv.X, Leafeon Lv.X, etc. get the benefits from
"Sunlight Veil" and "Moonlight Veil" Poke-BODIES?
A. Since the underlying Pokemon below the Lv.X evolves from Eevee,
you do get the benefits of Sunlight Veil and Moonlight Veil. (May 29,
Mow Shift
(Mow Rotom - Rising Rivals)
Team)
Multitype
Q. If I place Arceus Lv.X with the "Multitype" Poke-BODY on top of a
Fighting type Arceus, does that make it both Fighting *and* Colorless
type?
A. No, it does not make it a dual-type Pokemon. It simply replaces
Colorless with the type of the previous level, in this example Fighting
only. But if the Multitype Poke-BODy is somehow shut off or ignored,
then Arceus Lv.X would be Colorless only, not the color of its previous
level. (PL:Arceus FAQ; Nov 5, 2009 PUI Rules Team)
Nurse Call
(Blissey - Platinum)
Q. Can I use Blissey's "Nurse Call" Poke-POWER to discard a card
from my hand even if I have no damaged Pokemon in play?
A. Yes, you can. (Jun 11, 2009 PUI Rules Team)
Opponent's Choice
Q. When using Slowking's "Opponent's Choice" Poke-POWER, do you
have to show your opponent what the cards are since it says 'you may
reveal the top 2 cards'?
A. Of course you have to show the opponent what the cards are. The
"you may" refers to using the power, not to being able to use it without
showing them the cards. (HS:Undaunted FAQ; Sep 9, 2010 PUI Rules
Team)
Overeager
(Sableye - Stormfront)
Q. In a best-of-3 match, if I lose the previous round and decide to go
first and my opponent starts with a Sableye with the "Overeager" PokeBODY, does that override my choice to start first?
A. Yes, since Overeager is a Poke-BODY it overrides who starts the
game. (Jun 4, 2009 PUI Rules Team)
Overzealous (Machamp - Power Keepers; Ludicolo δ - Crystal Guardians; Machamp Hidden Legends)
Q. Machamp's "Overzealous" Poké-POWER adds 30 more damage to
its attacks; is this 30 done before or after Weakness/Resistance?
A. Overzealous adds +30 to the attack, but does not change the attack's
base damage (for purposes of other Pokémon copying Machamp's
attacks). It is figured in at Step [b], when you add damage effects on the
Attacking Pokémon. (Jul 1, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If I have more than one HL Machamp in play, would their
"Overzealous" Poké-BODIES be cumulative upon all the Machamps?
For example, if I had three Machamps in play would that add a total of
+90 to their attacks?
A. No, Overzealous is a self-referencing power and only counts for the
card that contains it. It is not cumulative. (Jan 6, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Does "Overzealous" take effect when Meteor Falls is in play and
Machamp uses an attack from Machop or Machoke?
A. Yes, if your opponent is playing a Pokémon-EX. Machamp is still
attacking, even though it is using its pre-evolution's attacks. (Feb 24,
Phoenix Turn
(Ho-oh - Secret Wonders)
Q. If Ho-Oh gets KO'd and uses its "Phoenix Turn" Poke-POWER and
gets heads on the coin flip, does Ho-Oh stay active, or go back to the
owner's hand, or what?
A. If the coin flip is heads Ho-Oh is still considered knocked out, but it
stays in the active spot after removing all damage counters, special
conditions, etc. (DP:Secret Wonders FAQ; Nov 15, 2007 PUI Rules
Team)
Q. If Ho-Oh with "Phoenix Turn" Poke-POWER is KO'd by damage
from an attack, but you also have a Lanturn with "Energy Grounding"
Poke-POWER in play too, how does this resolve?
A. You would flip for Ho-Oh's "Phoenix Turn" first. If you flip heads,
the energy stays attached to Ho-Oh and you cannot do "Energy
Grounding" because no energies were discarded. If you flip tails, then
you would have the option to use "Energy Grounding" to recover one of
the energies from the discarded Ho-Oh. (Apr 3, 2008 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If I knock out Ho-Oh with Gardevoir's "Psychic Lock" attack, does
the disabling of Poke-Powers happen before or after Ho-Oh's "Phoenix
Turn" Poke-POWER?
A. Psychic Lock says they can't use any Poke-Powers "during your
opponent's next turn". Phoenix Turn starts and finishes during the
attack, before "your opponent's next turn," so Psychic Lock does not
stop Phoenix Turn. (Jul 10, 2008 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If Ho-oh has "Lucky Egg" attached and would be KO'd by damage
from an attack, but the coin flip for its "Phoenix Turn" Poke-POWER
comes up heads, do I get to draw until I have 7 cards in my hand due to
"Lucky Egg" or not?
A. Since Ho-Oh is not discarded you can't use the drawing effect of
Lucky Egg. (Nov 12, 2009 PUI Rules Team; Jun 3, 2010 PUI Rules
Team)
Q. If my opponent's Ho-oh has "Expert Belt" attached and would be
KO'd by damage from an attack, but the coin flip for its "Phoenix Turn"
Poke-POWER comes up heads, do I get to draw two prize cards or only
one?
A. You draw 1 prize. Phoenix Turn is resolved after fully processing the
attack but before processing Knock Outs. Expert Belt's extra prize effect
only applies if it is in play when the Pokemon is removed from play due
to Knock Out (or would be removed, in Ho-Oh's case). Since it was
discarded prior to this by Phoenix Turn, you don't get the extra prize.
(Jun 3, 2010 PUI Rules Team)
Portrait
Q. Can I use Smeargle's "Portrait" Poke-POWER if I have already used
a Supporter this turn?
A. Yes, you are not playing a second Supporter, you are just using the
Supporter's effect as the effect of the power. (HS:Undaunted FAQ; Sep
Q. When I use Smeargle's "Portrait" Poke-POWER to look at my
opponent's hand, can I terminate the power's effect without choosing a
Supporter card?
A. No, you cannot. You must choose a Supporter card when you use the
effect if the opponent has one in their hand. (HS:Undaunted FAQ; Sep
Power Cancel
"Power Cancel" Poké-Power. (May 1, 2009 Pokemon Organized Play
News; May 7, 2009 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Say my opponent has two Gardevoirs in play and one of them uses
its "Telepass" Poke-POWER, but I block it with my Alakazam's "Power
Cancel" Poke-POWER. Can the opponent then use the "Telepass" from
their other Gardevoir in this case?
A. The first Telepass counts as having been used. You cannot use a
second Telepass on the same turn. (Apr 10, 2008 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If I try to use Electivire's "Intense Voltage" Poke-POWER but my
opponent's Alakazam uses its "Power Cancel" to negate it, does Power
Cancel shut down the whole power and render Electivire unable to
move energies at all for the rest of the turn? Or does "Power Cancel"
only cancel one energy transfer and then Electivire is free to use
"Intense Voltage" as often as I like after that?
A. You can use Electivire's Intense Voltage as often as you like; so
using Alakazam's Power Cancel once does not entirely shut down the
power, just the first attempt of using it. (Oct 2, 2008 PUI Rules Team;
Q. If I use a Poke-POWER that says something like "choose two of
your opponent's benched Pokemon...", but the opponent has Alakazam
with "Power Cancel" that can optionally negate my Poke-POWER, do
they have to use "Power Cancel" before I declare which two Pokemon
or can they wait until after that point?
A. Power Cancel is tricky as it interrupts the typical flow of things. If
you are activating the Poke-POWER described above, you may request
whether or not the opponent wishes to "Power Cancel" it prior to
declaring which two Benched Pokemon are being chosen. On the other
hand, if you rushed through and said "I activate Power-XXX and
choose these two Pokemon" before the opponent has had enough time
to Power Cancel it, the opponent may still invoke the Power Cancel up
until the Poke-POWER is deemed unrewindable (i.e. searching or
shuffling deck, etc.). But once the opponent says they are not going to
use Power Cancel, they cannot change their mind until the next PokePOWER gets activated. (Jul 10, 2008 PUI Rules Team)
Primal Shell
(Kabutops - Majestic Dawn)
Q. Does Kabutops' "Primal Shell" Poke-BODY prevent playing Fossils?
A. Yes. Fossil cards are still Trainer cards and would be prevented from
being played. (DP:Majestic Dawn FAQ; May 22, 2008 PUI Rules
Team)
Primal Stare
(Kabutops - Power Keepers; Omastar - Skyridge)
Q. Does Kabutops' "Primal Stare" Poke-POWER prevent your opponent
from leveling up to a LV.X?
A. No, because "leveling up" is not the same thing as "evolving". Once
a LV.X is placed, it takes on the stage of the Pokemon from which it
leveled up. (Jan 10, 2008 PUI Rules Team)
Primal Swirl
(Omastar - Majestic Dawn)
Q. What happens if I use Omastar's "Primal Swirl" Poke-POWER and
my opponent has an Evolved Pokemon Lv.X in play?
A. The Pokemon Lv.X is returned to the hand as well (Pokemon Lv.X
keep the evolution state of the original - Darkrai Lv.X is still considered
a Pokemon that isn't Evolved). (DP:Majestic Dawn FAQ; May 22, 2008
PUI Rules Team)
Protect Wing
(Staraptor - Stormfront)
abilities. Staraptor's correct card text should read: "(Poké-Body) Protect
Wing - As long as Staraptor is your Active Pokémon, any damage done
by attacks from your opponent's Stage 2 Pokémon is reduced by 20
(after applying Weakness and Resistance)". (May 1, 2009 Pokemon
Q. Staraptor's "Protect Wing" attack and Glalie's "Craggy Face" PokeBODY have similarly worded effects, yet Glalie has the protection from
20 damage "before applying Weakness and Resistance" while Staraptor
has it "after applying weakness and resistance". What is going on here?
A. Based on the Japanese wording of those cards, both effects should be
understood as being applied on the attacking Pokemon, and therefore
preventing 20 damage "before applying weakness and resistance." (Mar
Q. Does Staraptor's "Protect Wing" Poke-BODY reduce damage done
to benched Pokemon as well as to Staraptor?
A. Protect Wing says, "any damage done by attacks from your
opponent's Stage 2 Evolved Pokemon is reduced by 20". Since it does
not say "any damage done to Staraptor...", this implies that it will
reduce damage done to your benched Pokemon as well. (Jan 22, 2009
PUI Rules Team)
Psy Shadow
(Gardevoir - Power Keepers; Gardevoir - RubySapphire)
Q. Is Gardevoir's Poké-POWER cumulative? Like, if you have 3 in
play, can you attach 3 [P] Energy cards, and still have your "free"
energy attachment for the turn?
A. Yes, Gardevoir's "Psy Shadow" is cumulative. (Oct 16, 2003 PUI
Rules Team)
Q. What is the proper thing to do if you use Gardevoir's "Psy Shadow"
Poké-POWER, and there are no psychic energies left in the deck? Do
you still take the damage for searching through your deck, or do you
NOT take damage for NOT attaching an energy?
A. Since you did not place a Psychic Energy on any Pokémon, you
cannot place any damage counters. You might want to, but you cannot.
Psybarrier
(Mewtwo Lv.X - DP Promos; Mewtwo Lv.X - Legends Awakened)
Q. Would Mewtwo Lv.X's "Psybarrier" Poke-BODY prevent damage
from an attack by a Stage 2 that was put in play by Garchomp Lv.X's
"Restore"?
A. If the Pokemon has no other Pokemon cards beneath it (other than
cards acting as Tools, etc.), it is treated as a Basic Pokemon and
Psybarrier would prevent all effects of attacks from that Pokemon. (Aug
Psychic Bind
(Mesprit - Legends Awakened)
Q. If my opponent used Mesprit's "Psychic Bind" to shut off any PokePOWERs used during my next turn, would I be able to use Heatran
Lv.X's "Heat Wave" Poke-POWER since it happens "at the end of your
turn"?
A. No, Psychic Bind covers the entirety of the opponent's next turn,
including the end of the turn. (Feb 12, 2009 PUI Rules Team)
Psychic Protector
(Flygon ex - Power Keepers)
Q. Can I discard 3 cards for Flygon-EX's "Psychic Protector" PokéBODY even if it is only being attacked for 10 damage?
A. Yes, you can discard more cards than you are being damaged for (up
to four). (EX:Power Keepers FAQ; Feb 1, 2007 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Does Flygon-EX's "Psychic Protector" effect trigger before
Weakness & Resistance, or after?
A. The effect triggers after Weakness & Resistance have been applied
to the damage. (EX:Power Keepers FAQ; Feb 1, 2007 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If Mightyena uses "Pull Away" against Flygon-EX, can I use
Flygon-EX's "Psychic Protector" Poké-BODY before the discarding
effect of "Pull Away"?
A. Yes, Psychic Protector is invoked at the point when damage is done.
The latter part of the attack which checks for cards in the opponent's
hand is done later after the damage calculation steps. (Feb 22, 2007 PUI
Rules Team)
Q. Will attacks that ignore effects on the defending Pokémon, like
"Fastwave", prevent Flygon-EX from using its "Psychic Protector"
Poké-BODY?
A. Fastwave's damage is not affected by Poké-Bodies. Psychic Protector
is a Poké-BODY that takes effect DURING the attack, not after. You
could discard the cards (since only damage is prevented), but the
damage reduction is nullified by Fastwave. (Apr 5, 2007 PUI Rules
Team)
Psychic Shift
(Xatu - Secret Wonders)
Q. If I use Xatu's "Psychic Shift" Poke-POWER to transfer my
Pokemon's Paralyzed condition to my opponent's Active Pokemon, does
the paralysis end after my turn is over or after my opponent's next turn?
A. Regarding "Paralyzed", the rulebook says that the Pokemon
"recovers after its player's next turn". So after your turn is over, your
opponent remains Paralyzed until after the end of their next turn. (Sep
Q. If I use Xatu's "Psychic Shift" Poke-POWER to transfer an increased
Special Condition like "Toxic" (Poisoned for 2 damage counters instead
of 1) or "Torrid Wave" (Burned for 3 damage counters instead of 2),
does the Defending Pokemon also receive the increased damage?
A. No. It just moves the Special Condition, not the "improved" version
of the Special Condition. (Jan 24, 2008 PUI Rules Team)
Psychic Vision
(Mew ex - Holon Phantoms)
Q. If I use Mew-EX's "Psychic Vision" to look at an opponent's hand,
are they allowed to rearrange their hand before I pick a card to discard
when I attack with Hariyama-EX's "Knock Off" attack?
A. Yes, as soon as you're finished looking at their hand with Psychic
Vision, the opponent may rearrange those cards if they want to. (May
Radiance
(Electrode - Stormfront)
Q. If my Torterra uses its "Leaf Storm" attack against Electrode, does
"Leaf Storm's" healing effect resolve before or after Electrode's
"Radiance" Poke-BODY places damage counters?
A. Radiance does not activate until the Leaf Storm attack is complete.
So the "remove 2 damage counters" part of Leaf Storm goes first, and
then Radiance places a damage counter on each of your Pokemon
afterward. (Dec 18, 2008 PUI Rules Team)
Rage Aura
(Rayquaza ex δ - Dragon Frontiers)
Q. What happens if Rayquaza-EX with "Rage Aura" is affected by
something that could increase the cost of its "Special Circuit" or "Skyhigh Claws" attacks?
A. Rage Aura sets Rayquaza-EX's attacks to specific costs, similar to
when an effect sets a Pokémon's Retreat Cost to 0. Special Circuit
would remain {L} and Sky-high Claws would remain {L}{L}.
Q. If a Pokémon copies Rayquaza-EX's "Special Circuit" or "Sky-high
Claws" attacks while Rayquaza-EX's "Rage Aura" Poké-BODY is in
effect, does it get the cheaper attack cost?
A. No. Rayquaza-EX's Rage Aura ONLY affects Rayquaza-EX if a
Pokémon copies the attack, it's as if that attack was photo-copied and
placed on that copying Pokémon it didn't copy anything else.
Q. Rayquaza-EX's "Rage Aura" Poké-BODY lets him ignore all
coloress attack costs if you're behind on prizes. But Sceptile-EX's
"Extra Liquid" Poké-BODY adds +1 colorless cost to attacks by -EX
Pokémon. Which Poké-BODY prevails?
A. The effect of Rage Aura removes all colorless attack costs from
Rayquaza-EX's "Special Circuit" and "Sky-high Claws" attacks,
including effects that would add to its colorless attack costs. Therefore,
Rayquaza-EX would still attack for less, despite Sceptile-EX's Extra
Liquid. (Apr 26, 2007 PUI Rules Team)
Rain Dish (Ludicolo - Nintendo Black Star Promos; Ludicolo - Secret Wonders; Lombre Sandstorm; Others)
Q. Ludicolo's Rain Dish Poké-BODY says "at any time between turns
remove 1 damage counter...", so does this mean I can remove 1 damage
counter more than once between turns?
A. You are allowed to use its ability at any time between each players
turn, but just once. (Sep 11, 2003 PUI Rules Team)
Rainbow Scale
(Garchomp - Mysterious Treasures)
Q. If a Pokemon has multiple Weaknesses, does Garchomp's "Rainbow
Scale" do 40 more damage for each Weakness?
A. No. It only matters that the Defending Pokemon has ANY Weakness
to the basic Energy attached to Garchomp. More than 1 type of
Weakness won't change the damage bonus. (DP:Mysterious Treasures
FAQ; Aug 23, 2007 PUI Rules Team)
Red Armor
Q. If Garchomp [C] Lv.X has Special Energy cards attached and
discards all of them when using its "Dragon Rush" attack, can it do
damage to a Scizor that has the "Red Armor" Poke-BODY?
A. No. First choose which two energies to discard, then do the damage
(before any other effects), then you actually discard the energy at the
end of the attack. So it will still be attached at the point when damage
would be done, but the damage will be blocked. (Aug 19, 2010 PUI
Rules Team; Sep 2, 2010 PUI Rules Team)
Regi Cycle
(Regirock - Legends Awakened)
Q. Can I use Regirock's "Regi Cycle", or Registeel's "Regi Heal", or
Regice's "Regi Move" Poke-POWER if I only have one card in my
hand?
A. No, you must be able to discard two cards in order to use Regi
Cycle, Regi Heal, or Regi Move. (Sep 18, 2008 PUI Rules Team)
Regi Heal
(Registeel - Legends Awakened)
hand?
Q. Can you discard 2 cards from your hand with Registeel's "Regi Heal"
Poke-POWER even if Registeel doesn't have any damage on it?
A. Yes, you can, but no effect gets triggered. (Sep 4, 2008 PUI Rules
Team)
Regi Move
(Regice - Legends Awakened)
hand?
Q. Can you discard 2 cards from your hand with Regice's "Regi Move"
Poke-POWER even if the opponent's Defending Pokemon is not a Basic
Pokemon? Or what if they have no Benched Pokemon?
A. Yes, but then you cannot switch the opponent's Defending Pokemon.
(Sep 4, 2008 PUI Rules Team; Jan 22, 2009 PUI Rules Team)
Relaxing Shower
Q. If I have more than one Lopunny in play, can each of them use their
"Relaxing Shower" Poke-POWER or only one of them?
A. Yes, each one is allowed to use its Poke-POWER once per turn.
(PL:Arceus FAQ; Nov 5, 2009 PUI Rules Team)
Restructure
(Palkia Lv.X - DP Promos; Palkia Lv.X - Great Encounters)
Q. Say I use Palkia LV.X's "Restructure" Poke-POWER, but then my
opponent brings up one of my benched Pokemon with a Cessation
Crystal attached. It is now my turn to choose one of their Pokemon to
bring up, but does the Cessation Crystal negate the second part of
"Restructure" now that it is active?
A. No. Restructure would finish resolving, as Cessation Crystal does
not prevent a Poke-POWER's effect that has already been started. (Apr
Q. My opponent has Ditto active with 70 damage on it against my
Gardevoir with 110 HP. I have Palkia Lv.X and use its "Restructure"
Poke-POWER. If my opponent brings up a pokemon with 70 or less HP
before I bring up a different pokemon, would the Ditto be KO'd?
A. Even though each action takes place one by one in reality, in game
terms Ditto is not checked for KO until the Poke-POWER has been
fully resolved. (Mar 18, 2010 PUI Rules Team)
Rivalry
(Luxray - Legends Awakened)
Q. If Dusknoir Lv.X is in play as a Stadium, would Luxray's "Rivalry"
Poke-BODY be triggered and add 50 to the damage done from its
attacks?
A. No. Dusknoir Lv.X does not count as a Pokemon Lv.X while in play
as a Stadium. (Nov 13, 2008 PUI Rules Team)
Roast Reveal
Q. Can I use Ninetales' "Roast Reveal" Poke-POWER when I have no
cards in my deck?
A. Yes, you do as much of the power as you are able; discard 1 Fire
Energy card from your hand, then the Poke-POWER's effect ends,
without drawing any cards. (GS:Heart Gold/Soul Silver FAQ; Feb 11,
Rock Reaction
(Dome Fossil - Majestic Dawn)
Poke-BODY?
Rough Skin (Sharpedo - Secret Wonders; Carvanha - Power Keepers; Carvanha RubySapphire; Others)
Q. If an attack "places damage counters" on Sharpedo or Carvanha,
does "Rough Skin" get to work?
A. Damage counters are typically phrased that way to mean something
other than damage. So, Rough Skin does not trigger on damage
counters. (Feb 26, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Latias' attack, "Miraculous Light" does damage and heals 2 damage
counters. Sharpedo's "Rough Skin" Poke-BODY is activated when
damage is done, and places two damage counters. In what order do
these effects take place?
A. The attack damage and effect are applied, then the effect of "Rough
Skin" is applied. (Apr 16, 2009 PUI Rules Team)
Sacrifice
(Regigigas Lv.X - DP Promos; Regigigas Lv.X - Stormfront)
Q. If I use Regigigas Lv.X's "Sacrifice" Poke-POWER but there are no
Basic Energy in the discard pile, can I still remove 8 damage counters?
A. Yes, you can. (Dec 4, 2008 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Can I use Regigigas Lv.X's "Sacrifice" Poke-POWER and choose to
knock itself out?
A. Yes, it can knock itself out with Sacrifice; but you would not be able
to do anything with the energy since Regigigas Lv.X is no longer in
play. (Dec 4, 2008 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If I use Regigigas Lv.X's "Sacrifice" Poke-POWER to Knock Out
one of my Pokemon with energy attached to it, may I attach some of
that energy from the discard pile to Regigigas Lv.X for the second part
of the "Sacrifice" Poke-POWER?
Q. For Regigigas Lv.X's "Sacrifice" Poke-POWER, do I have to attach
at least one energy from the discard pile if there are any, or can I
choose to attach no energy if I want?
A. It does not say "you may", so you must attach at least one energy if
you are able. (Feb 12, 2009 PUI Rules Team)
Safeguard
(Ninetales - Power Keepers; Wobbuffet - Power Keepers; Banette - Crystal
Guardians; Others)
Q. What if I put up a Mewtwo EX against Wobbuffet and try to use
Energy Absorbtion? Would that trigger Wobbuffet's "Safeguard" PokéBODY?
A. No, Mewtwo EX's "Energy Absorption" is not doing any effects to
Wobbuffet, so Safeguard would not prevent it. (Dec 4, 2003 PUI Rules
Team)
Q. Say Shedinja or Wobbuffet is my active Pokémon and my opponent
uses Kingdra EX's Genetic Memory attack and chose Seadra's Water
Arrow to attack my benched Pokémon Is Genetic Memory blocked by
Shedinja's Wonder Guard and Wobbuffet's Safeguard when attacking
something on the bench?
A. The wording of Shedinja's "Wonder Guard" and Wobbuffet's
"Safeguard" are very similar to Neo Revelation Suicune's "Crystal
Body" power. So basically anything that is not being directly done to
Shedinja or to Wobbuffet does not get ignored. (Dec 4, 2003 PUI Rules
Team)
Q. What happens if Aggron-EX uses "Metal Surge" VS. an active
Wobbuffet? Does Wobbuffet take no damage and all benched Pokémon
take 20 damage? Or does the "Safeguard" Poké-Body prevent damage
and effects done to the benched Pokémon too?
A. Sorry, Wobbuffet's Safeguard only protects itself. The benched
Pokémon would be damaged by Aggron-EX. (Jan 8, 2004 PUI Rules
Team)
Q. Wobbuffet vs. Ninetales-EX... I try to use "Intense Glare" (switch 1
your opponent's Benched Pokémon with 1 of the Defending Pokémon...)
on Wobbuffet. Does Wobbuffet's Safeguard Poké-BODY prevent the
switch?
A. Yes it would prevent the switch. In addition, you could not do
Intense Glare to bring up a Wobbuffet from the bench either, as that
would be an "effect being done to Wobbuffet by a Pokémon-EX." (Feb
Sand Damage
(Flygon ex δ - Dragon Frontiers; Dark Tyranitar - Team Rocket Returns)
Q. If Dark Tyranitar has 10 HP left and is Poisoned, would it be
Knocked Out before "Sand Damage" took place?
A. No. Even if a Pokémon receives more damage counters from Special
Conditions, Poké-Bodies, or Poké-Powers than its remaining HP, that
Pokémon isn't Knocked Out until "between turns" is over. (Feb 24, 2005
PUI Rules Team)
Q. My Active Pokémon got Knocked Out between turns because it was
poisoned and Dark Tyranitar now becomes the Active Pokémon; does
the Poké-BODY "Sand Damage" work?
A. No, because you wouldn't replace your KO'd Pokémon until the
between turn phase is over. When the Dark Tyranitar comes up, it's too
late for Sand Damage at that time. (Feb 24, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
Sand Reset
(Hippowdon Lv.X - Rising Rivals)
Q. Can you explain how Hippowdon Lv.X's "Sand Reset" PokePOWER works?
A. As stated on the card, each player removes all cards in play,
excluding Pokemon and Supporter cards. This means that all energy,
Tools, Stadiums, etc. are shuffled back into yours and your opponent's
deck. Prizes, the Discard Pile, and any cards in the Lost Zone don't
count as being in play, so they are not shuffled back in. (PL:Rising
Q. If my opponent used the Hippowdon Lv.X's "Sand Reset" PokePOWER, does that prevent me from using it with my Hippowdon Lv.X
in the same game?
A. Each player may use Sand Reset for their own Hippowdon Lv.X
once during the game. (PL:Rising Rivals FAQ; May 21, 2009 PUI
Rules Team)
Q. If I try to use Hippowdon Lv.X's "Sand Reset" Poke-POWER but
my opponent uses Power Spray or "Power Cancel" can I try to use it
again on my next turn?
A. No, you cannot. Once Sand Reset is used, even if it was blocked, you
cannot use it again for the rest of the game. (PL:Rising Rivals FAQ;
May 21, 2009 PUI Rules Team)
Sandy Cloak (Burmy Sandy Cloak - Majestic Dawn; Wormadam Sandy Cloak - OP Series
7; Burmy Sandy Cloak - OP Series 7; Others)
* Wormadam's "Sandy Cloak" Poke-BODY should say, "Prevent all
effects of attacks, excluding damage, done to Wormadam Sandy Cloak
by your opponent’s Pokemon". (Feb 28, 2008 Pokemon Organized Play
News)
Second Sight
Q. If my opponent has less than 3 cards in his or her deck, so that I can't
reorder the top 3 cards, can I still use Slowking's "Second Sight" PokePOWER to look at the remaining cards in the deck?
A. Yes, you look at your opponent's remaining cards, then put them
back in the deck in any order. (GS:Heart Gold/Soul Silver FAQ; Feb
Set Up
(Uxie - Legends Awakened)
Q. Can I use Uxie's "Set Up" Poke-POWER if I already have 7 or more
cards in my hand?
A. No, you cannot. (Mar 5, 2009 PUI Rules Team; Sep 24, 2009 PUI
Rules Team)
Shadow Command
(Dusknoir - Stormfront)
Q. If I have no cards left in my deck, can I use Dusknoir's "Shadow
Command" Poke-POWER and put two damage counters on Dusknoir?
A. No, if you can't draw any cards, you can't use its Power. (Oct 30,
Q. When using Dusknoir's "Shadow Command" Poke-POWER, do you
always put two damage counters on Dusknoir or only if you had to
discard cards from your hand?
A. Yes, you always have to put 2 damage counters on Dusknoir when
using Shadow Command. (Oct 30, 2008 PUI Rules Team)
Sharing
(Milotic δ - Dragon Frontiers)
Q. If I use Milotic's "Sharing" Poké-POWER to use one of my
opponents Supporters, can I also play my own Supporter during the
same turn?
A. Yes you may. Milotic's Poké-POWER does not use up your normal
"one Supporter per turn" condition. (Jan 4, 2007 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If I go first and play Rare Candy to evolve to Milotic and then use
its "Sharing" Poké-POWER, can I use a supporter from my opponent's
hand on the first turn of the game?
A. Yes, you can; "using a Supporter" as the effect of a Poké-POWER is
treated differently than "playing a Supporter card". Of course, you must
still meet all requirements that are necessary to use that Supporter
normally (except for the Supporter rule). (Dec 7, 2006 PUI Rules Team;
Shocking Tail
(Electivire Lv.X - Mysterious Treasures)
Q. When I attach a Fire energy to my Magmortar while it's facing an
Electivire LV.X, which Poke-BODY is applied first, "Flame Body"
which removes two damage counters, or "Shocking Tail" which places
two damage counters?
A. Since both Bodies are triggered by the same event (attaching the Fire
energy), the person controlling the Pokemon receiving the energy
decides in which order they are applied. (May 8, 2008 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If I use Groudon's "Drought" attack to attach two Basic Fighting
Energy cards from my hand onto one of my Pokemon, but my opponent
has Electivire Lv.X with "Shocking Tail" active, how many damage
counters do I take, 2 or 4?
A. Each energy attached with Shocking Tail activated places 2 damage
counters, so you would place a total of 4 damage counters for Shocking
Tail in this situation. (Sep 4, 2008 PUI Rules Team; Jun 3, 2010 PUI
Rules Team)
Sinkhole
(Dugtrio - Platinum; Dark Dugtrio - Team Rocket; Dark Dugtrio - Team Rocket)
Q. Can Dugtrio use "Sinkhole" if the opponent uses Switch or Warp
Point instead of retreating? Or what happens if I attack with Dugtrio's
"Push Down" to send the Defending Pokemon to the Bench?
A. Only the game action of Retreat triggers the Body's effect. Switch
and other effects that move the Active Pokemon to the bench do not
trigger Sinkhole. (Feb 12, 2009 PUI Rules Team; Feb 26, 2009 PUI
Rules Team)
Rules Team)
Stages of Evolution (Jynx δ - Dragon Frontiers; Magmar - Legend Maker; Wobbuffet Legend Maker; Others)
Q. Several Basic Pokémon have a Poké-Body called "Stages of
Evolution" that says, "As long as {name of Basic Pokémon} is an
Evolved Pokémon...". What does this mean?
A. Each of those Pokémon have a corresponding Basic Pokémon that
"evolve" into those Pokémon. For example, Elekid has a special "Baby
Evolution" Poké-POWER that allows Elekid to evolve into Electabuzz,
therefore allowing the evolved Electabuzz to use its "Stages of
Evolution" Poké-BODY. (Aug 11, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Is Wobbuffet's "Stages of Evolution" Poké-BODY cumulative?
Like, if I have three evolved Wobbuffets the Defending Pokémon would
have to add +3 to its Retreat Cost?
A. Yes, this is correct. But it only works for evolved Wobbuffets that
have the "Stages of Evolution" Poké-BODY. (EX:Legend Maker FAQ;
Q. If I have an evolved Wobbuffet on my bench with the "Stages of
Evolution" that has your opponent pay one more energy to retreat
his/her Active Pokémon, and I also have Dark Ariados active and attack
my opponent's benched pokemon with "Breaking Impact", how much
damage will it do?
A. Wobbuffet only increases the retreat cost for Active Pokémon, not
for Benched Pokémon. So it would not add to any damage done to
Benched Pokémon by Breaking Impact. (May 25, 2006 PUI Rules
Team)
Stance
(Lucario Lv.X - DP Promos; Lucario Lv.X - Mysterious Treasures)
Q. Does Lucario LV.X's "Stance" Poke-POWER prevent attacks like
"Swift" that ignore effects on the Defending Pokemon?
A. Stance is an effect on Lucario Lv.X, so Swift ignores it and does full
damage. (Aug 30, 2007 PUI Rules Team)
Q. My Lucario LV.X comes into play, uses its Poke-POWER "Stance".
If I play Cessation Crystal on it, or if my opponent plays a Cessation
Crystal on his or her turn, does the "Stance" effect end?
A. No. Cessation Crystal does not cancel the effects of a Poke-POWER
that was used prior to Cessation Crystal coming into play. (PUI Rules
Team, Sep 18th, 2007)
Sticky (Gastrodon East Sea - Rising Rivals; Silcoon - Platinum; Ariados - Mysterious
Treasures; Others)
Q. If I have an Ariados with "Sticky" Poke-BODY on the bench and
another one as my Active Pokemon, does the Active Ariados have +1
added to its Retreat Cost or not?
A. Ariados' "Sticky" Poke-BODY should say, "The Retreat Cost for
each player's Pokemon (excluding any Ariados) is {C} more". So
Sticky prevents adding +1 to *ANY* Ariados' Retreat Cost, including
your opponent's Ariados. Keep in mind that this does NOT include
"Dark Ariados", just any Pokemon named "Ariados". (Feb 21, 2008 PUI
Rules Team; Feb 28, 2008 Pokemon Organized Play News)
Q. If I have three Ariados with the "Sticky" Poke-BODY in play, what
would the Active Ariados' Retreat Cost be?
A. It would have a retreat cost of one energy. No Ariados is affected by
any of the other's Poke-Bodies. (Feb 28, 2008 PUI Rules Team)
Strikes Back (Vigoroth - Power Keepers; Rocket's Hitmonchan ex - Team Rocket Returns;
Machoke - Hidden Legends; Others)
Q. Does Machamp do damage if he is hit by a Stretch Kick?
A. Yes, his Pokémon power Strikes Back would damage the other
Pokémon even if Machamp is hit when he is on the bench. (Feb 17
WotC Chat)
Q. Can Strikes Back trigger Strikes Back (if two base Machamps face
each other)?
A. No it's not an attack. Make sure you check the wording on the cards.
(Aug 9, 2001 WotC Chat, Q410)
* When Rocket's Hitmonchan-EX's "Strikes Back" occurs, the damage
counters it gives out is resolved before establishing a win. If the 2
damage counters would KO the Attacking Pokémon, both would be
considered KO'd at the same time. (Jun 23, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Player-A's Pokémon is 10 hp from being knocked out, has two prizes
left. Player-B has a Rocket's Hitmonchan-EX active with only one
prize left. Player-A KO's Player-B's EX for the two prize win. My
question is if Player-B's Hitmonchan can use its "Strikes Back" PokéBODY to damage the attacking Pokémon letting Player-B take his/her
last prize also winning the game for Player-B? And if so, would this
result in a Sudden Death or does Player-A KO the Hitmonchan before
its power gets to strike back?
A. The "Strikes Back" Poké-BODY would get to go off as part of
resolving Player-A's attack. This scenario would go to Sudden Death.
Sunlight Veil
(Espeon - Majestic Dawn)
Q. Does the Pokemon have to have Eevee beneath it in order to receive
the benefits from Espeon's "Sunlight Veil" or Umbreon's "Moonlight
Veil" Poke-BODIES?
A. No. Let's say you brought in an Umbreon using Garchomp Lv.X's
"Restore" attack— it's still a Pokemon that “Evolves from Eevee,” even
though it didn't evolve that way to get into play. (DP:Majestic Dawn
Q. Does Glaceon Lv.X, Leafeon Lv.X, etc. get the benefits from
"Sunlight Veil" and "Moonlight Veil" Poke-BODIES?
A. Since the underlying Pokemon below the Lv.X evolves from Eevee,
you do get the benefits of Sunlight Veil and Moonlight Veil. (May 29,
Q. If I use Gallade's "Sonic Blade" attack against a Pokemon with an
extra +20hp due to Espeon's "Sunlight Veil" Poke-BODY, does that
+20 get factored in to the number of damage counters?
A. When the +20hp is added to the Pokemon's total HP, you must take
that into account when placing damage counters for Sonic Blade. The
attack would leave the Pokemon with 50hp remaining, not 70hp. (May
Sunny Heal
Q. If I have multiple Cherrim in play, can I use more than one "Sunny
Heal" Poke-POWER?
A. Yes, you can. (HS:Unleashed FAQ; May 13, 2010 PUI Rules Team)
Sunshine Song
(Torterra - Stormfront)
Q. Can I evolve Treecko to Grovyle and then use Torterra's "Sunshine
Song" Poke-POWER to evolve that Grovyle into Sceptile all on the
same turn?
A. Yes, you can; effects like this get to ignore the normal timing rules
for evolution. However, if you had used Sunshine Song to evolve
Treecko into Grovyle first, you would NOT be allowed to evolve that
Pokemon any further on this turn. (Jan 15, 2009 PUI Rules Team)
Supreme Command
(Empoleon Lv.X - DP Promos; Empoleon Lv.X - Diamond and Pearl)
* Empoleon LV.X from Diamond & Pearl contains an error. Its PokéPower symbol was printed with the Poké-Body symbol. In all cases,
play Empoleon's effect as a Poké-Power. The game play of the effect
remains unchanged. (May 25, 2007 PUI Announcements)
Q. My opponent used Empoleon LV.X's "Supreme Command" on his
last turn, and during my turn I attach a Cessation Crystal to my
Pokémon. Do I get my 2 cards back?
A. No. The Poké-POWER has already been used, and you will not get
your cards back until the end of your turn. (Diamond & Pearl FAQ;
Q. If I have 8 cards in my hand and my opponent uses Empoleon
LV.X's "Supreme Command" on me, can I play Steven's Advice on my
turn?
A. The two face down cards do not count as being in your hand during
your entire next turn. So with only six cards in your hand you may use
the Steven's Advice. (May 31, 2007 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If my opponent uses Empoleon LV.X's "Supreme Command" to
place two cards face down from my hand, am I allowed to look at them
during my turn?
A. No, you cannot. Once they are out of play they cannot be looked at
until they return to your hand. (Jan 24, 2008 PUI Rules Team)
Sweet Sleeping Face
Q. Is it possible to evolve Pichu from the "Heart Gold/Soul Silver"
expansion into Pikachu or Raichu?
A. No, because Pikachu would need to have "Evolves from Pichu"
printed on the card in order to do this. Pichu cards from other sets with
the "Baby Evolution" Poke-POWER provide a way to bypass this
requirement, but this isn't possible with Pichu from "Heart Gold/Soul
Silver". None of the HGSS set's Pokemon with the "Sweet Sleeping
Face" Poke-BODY can evolve without a corresponding card that says it
evolves from them. (GS:Heart Gold/Soul Silver FAQ; Feb 11, 2010 PUI
Rules Team)
Q. If neither player puts any Basic Pokemon onto their Bench as an
effect of Pichu's "Playground" attack, does Pichu fall Asleep?
A. Yes. The phrase "Pichu is now Asleep" is activated at the end of the
attack, independent of the other results of the attack. The corresponding
phrase acts the same way for the attacks of all the HGSS set's Pokemon
with the "Sweet Sleeping Face" Poke-BODY (e.g. Cleffa's "Eeeeeeek",
Smoochum's "Energy Antics", etc.). (GS:Heart Gold/Soul Silver FAQ;
Telepass
(Gardevoir - Secret Wonders)
Q. Say my opponent has two Gardevoirs in play and one of them uses
its "Telepass" Poke-POWER, but I block it with my Alakazam's "Power
Cancel" Poke-POWER. Can the opponent then use the "Telepass" from
their other Gardevoir in this case?
A. The first Telepass counts as having been used. You cannot use a
second Telepass on the same turn. (Apr 10, 2008 PUI Rules Team)
Q. What happens if you have exactly 6 cards in your hand and you want
to use Gardevoir's "Telepass" Poke-POWER to use a Steven's Advice in
my oponent's discard pile? You have six cards in hand but Steven's
Advice says "including this one", but you don't actually have that card
in your hand...
A. You can NOT use the effect of Steven's Advice. If you have 6 cards
in your hand when you try this, you cannot choose your opponent's
Steven's Advice. (Apr 10, 2008 PUI Rules Team; Aug 15, 2008
Pokémon World Championships Announcements)
Teleportation (Kirlia - Platinum; Gardevoir Lv.X - Secret Wonders; Mesprit - Mysterious
Treasures; Others)
Q. The wording on Gardevoir LV.X's "Teleportation" Poke-POWER
makes it seem that it is mandatory; so do I have to use "Teleportation"
every turn when possible?
A. No. All Poke-POWERs are optional effects, so you don't have to use
Teleportation if you do not want to. (Dec 6, 2007 PUI Rules Team)
Temper Tantrum
(Banette - Platinum)
Q. When using Banette's "Temper Tantrum" Poke-POWER, am I
allowed to discard more than enough cards to knock out Banette if I
want to?
A. Yes, you may. (Feb 12, 2009 PUI Rules Team)
Time Crystal
(Dialga [G] Lv.X - Platinum)
Q. If I level-up a burned Dialga-G, does Dialga-G Lv.X's Poke-BODY
"Time Crystal" turn off Heatran Lv.X's "Heat Metal" Poke-BODY and
remove the burn?
A. No, the effect of Time Crystal is not applied until after Dialga-G
Lv.X is in play. (Apr 16, 2009 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If Raichu Lv.X comes into play and uses "Voltage Shoot" to KO an
opponent's Dialga-G Lv.X with the "Time Crystal" Poke-BODY, does
Raichu Lv.X's "Link Lightning" Poke-BODY turn on and allow Raichu
Lv.X to attack again?
A. Yes, once the Pokemon with Time Crystal is KO'd, Link Lightning
can then activate and allow Raichu Lv.X a second attack (as long as
Link Lightning's conditions are met). (Apr 2, 2009 PUI Rules Team)
Rules Team)
Time Walk
(Azelf - Legends Awakened)
Q. Can I rearrange the order of my prize cards after using Azelf's "Time
Walk" Poke-POWER?
A. Yes, you can. (Oct 16, 2008 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Can I rearrange the order of my opponent's prize cards after they use
Azelf's "Time Walk" Poke-POWER?
A. No, you may not. (Dec 18, 2008 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Can Azelf's "Time Walk" Poke-POWER let you choose any of your
prizes that have already been turned face-up due to Gallade's "Psychic
Cut" or Mawile's "Pick Out" attacks?
A. No, Time Walk let's you look and choose from your face-down prize
cards only. (Jan 28, 2010 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Can you perform Azelf's "Time Walk" with no cards in your hand
just to look at your prizes and rearrange them?
A. The word "may" is used in the wording of Time Walk, so you can
choose to look without switching. Since not switching is a legal choice,
you can also choose to look even if you cannot switch. (Jan 15, 2009
PUI Rules Team)
Q. If I want to take notes during a tournament about my game and I use
Azelf's "Time Walk" Poke-POWER to look at my prizes, can I write
down what those prizes are?
A. Any notes you take during a tournament must be confined to changes
in the game state only. This does not include what the contents of your
prizes are. (Oct 2, 2008 PUI Rules Team; Dec 4, 2008 PUI Rules Team)
Toxic Virus
(Weezing - Great Encounters)
Q. If I have more than one Weezing in play, can I use its "Toxic Virus"
multiple times?
A. Yes, you put one additional damage counter on each poisoned
Pokemon for each Toxic Virus Poke-BODY in play. (Feb 21, 2008 PUI
Rules Team)
Trade Off
(Uxie Lv.X - Legends Awakened)
Q. Can you use Uxie Lv.X's "Trade Off" Poke-POWER when there's
only 1 card left in your deck?
A. Yes. You would put the one card you drew into your hand, but
nothing goes back into the deck. (Jan 8, 2009 PUI Rules Team)
Trump Card
(Slowking - Great Encounters)
Q. If I had two Pokemon KO'd during my previous turn, would
Slowking's "Trump Card" Poke-POWER allow me to draw two cards?
A. No, "Trump Card" only allows you to draw one card regardless of
how many Pokemon got Knocked Out the previous turn. (Mar 20, 2008
PUI Rules Team)
Q. If I have two Slowkings with the "Trump Card" Poke-POWER in
play, would I get to use both of them during the turn after my opponent
KO's one of my Pokemon?
A. Yes, in that situation you would get to draw one card for each
"Trump Card" Poke-POWER you have in play. (Mar 20, 2008 PUI
Rules Team)
Undevelop
(Vaporeon - Rising Rivals; Jolteon - Rising Rivals; Flareon - Rising Rivals)
Q. If I use the "Undevelop" Poke-POWER to devolve Flareon, Jolteon,
or Vaporeon, can I then use that same card (or another) to re-evolve
Eevee again in the same turn?
A. No, you must wait until the following turn before you can evolve
that Eevee again, unless you use Rare Candy, Broken Time-Space, etc.
to bypass the normal evolutionary rules. (PL:Rising Rivals FAQ; May
Unlucky Wind
(Shiftry - Rising Rivals)
Q. Shiftry's "Unlucky Wind" Poke-BODY says, "as long as Shiftry is
your Active Pokémon, whenever your opponent flips a coin during his
or her turn, treat it as tails". Does this apply to checking for Sleep?
A. No, checking for sleep "in between turns" is not the same as "during
his or her turn". So if the flip for sleep is heads, the Pokemon will wake
up. (PL:Rising Rivals FAQ; May 21, 2009 PUI Rules Team)
VACATION
"Power Cancel" Poké-Power. Unown V's correct card text should read:
"(Poké-Power) Vacation - Once during your turn (before your attack),
you may use this power. If you do, your turn ends. Remove 2 damage
counters from each of your Pokémon. This power can't be used if
Unown V is affected by a Special Condition". (May 1, 2009 Pokemon
Volunteer
(Ninetales δ - Dragon Frontiers)
Q. Could I use Ninetales' "Volunteer" Poké-Power to get multiple
Ninetales?
A. If the next Ninetales you brought into play also had the Volunteer
Poké-Power, that Ninetales could use its Poké-Power Volunteer as well.
(EX:Dragon Frontiers FAQ; Oct 26, 2006 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Say a card is attached to Ninetales that can only be attached to an
evolved Pokémon. If Ninetales then uses "Volunteer", does that card get
discarded while Vulpix is in play?
A. Yes, it would get discarded since it has temporarily devolved into a
Basic Pokémon. (Dec 7, 2006 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If Garchomp Lv.X uses its "Restore" to bring up Ninetales (Delta
Species) from the discard pile, can Ninetales use its "Volunteer" PokePOWER to find another Ninetales or Ninetales-EX?
A. No. The Volunteer Poke-POWER must be able to leave a Vulpix in
play. (May 29, 2008 PUI Rules Team)
Wash Shift
(Wash Rotom - Rising Rivals)
Team)
Water Rescue
(Floatzel [GL] Lv.X - Rising Rivals)
Q. If a Water type Pokemon is KO'd by Giratina's "Broken Space
Blow" attack, can Floatzel GL Lv.X's "Water Rescue" Poke-BODY
save it from going to the Lost Zone?
A. No. Water Rescue takes the cards from the discard pile, but the
Water type Pokemon's cards aren't there to get. (Jun 11, 2009 PUI Rules
Team)
Q. If I have a Floatzel GL Lv.X with "Water Rescue" on the Bench and
my Kecleon is knocked out, does it return to my hand because of
Kecleon's "Colorful Body" making it a Water Type Pokemon?
A. Yes, Kecleon would return back to your hand. The check for Water
Rescue happens when a Pokemon is KO'd, even though the rescue is
from the discard pile. It is still the same Pokemon in the discard pile,
even if it isn't Water type any more. (Jun 18, 2009 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If an active Water Pokemon with Lucky Egg on it were to be
Knocked Out while Floatzel [GL] Lv.X was on the bench, what would
happen first - would you draw from Lucky Egg first, or would you
return the cards to your hand with "Water Rescue" first?
A. It would be the player's choice whether to draw for Lucky Egg first
or to return the cards to your hand first. (Feb 11, 2010 PUI Rules Team)
Waterlog
(Blastoise - Secret Wonders)
"Power Cancel" Poké-Power. Blastoise's correct card text should read:
"(Poké-Power) Waterlog - Once during your turn (before your attack),
you may use this power. If you do, your turn ends. Attach as many basic
{W} Energy cards from your hand to any of your Pokémon in any way
you like. This power can't be used if Blastoise is affected by a Special
Condition." (May 1, 2009 Pokemon Organized Play News; May 7, 2009
PUI Rules Team)
Basic Water Energy cards to a Water or Grass type Pokemon, how
many damage counters do I get to remove if Dawn Stadium is in play?
A. You get to remove one damage counter per each energy card that
you attach, since Dawn Stadium triggers "whenever" you attach an
energy card from your hand. (May 29, 2008 PUI Rules Team; Mar 12,
2009 PUI Rules Team; Mar 26, 2009 PUI Rules Team)
Basic Water energies onto a Forretress with the "Iron Shell" PokeBODY, can I attach an energy, then flip for "Iron Shell", then attach
another energy, then flip again, etc.?
A. No, when using Waterlog you attach all the energies first, and then
after that you perform the Iron Shell flips for each of the energies that
got attached to Forretress. (Apr 14, 2009 PUI Rules Team)
Wild Growth
(Sceptile - Great Encounters; Meganium - Neo Genesis)
Q. If I have Sceptile with "Wild Growth" in play, do the Grass Energy
cards I attach for Shaymin Lv.X's "Seed Flare" attack add +20 or +40
(twenty times two) each?
A. Seed Flare has been errata'd to calculate damage based on the
number of Grass Energy CARDS, so each card would only add +20
regardless of how many Grass energies that card provides. (Feb 26,
Q. If I have Sceptile with "Wild Growth" in play, do I get to remove 4
damage counters when I attach a Basic Grass Energy card to a Sceptile
with the "Green Breath" Poke-BODY?
A. No, Green Breath only allows you to remove 2 damage counters
when attaching a Grass Energy CARD, not per the number of energy
that card provides. (Feb 4, 2010 PUI Rules Team)
Trainer,
Two on
Energy General
Team
Errata
Two
Index
Gameplay
Gameplay
Cards
Trainer, Supporter and Stadium Cards
OFFICIAL RULINGS ON TRAINER, SUPPORTER AND STADIUM CARDS. (TOP )
* Fossils in General
Q. Pokemon Breeder cannot be used on a Mysterious Fossil, since it is
not a Basic Pokémon, correct?
A. It can. It counts as a basic Pokémon while in play. Omastar and
Kabutops are Stage 2 Pokemon; you could use Breeder on Mysterious
Fossil to skip to them. (May 16, 2002 WotC Chat, Q208 & Q238)
Q. Can you put a Defender on Mysterious Fossil; likewise can you use
Revive on a discarded Mysterious Fossil?
A. While the Fossil is in play it acts as a Basic so the Defender would
work, however Revive says that it can bring back a Basic card, which
the Fossil is not [when it's in the Discard Pile]. (Feb 24 WotC Chat)
Q. I assume that if Dark Vileplume is Active [which stops the play of
Trainers], Mysterious Fossil cannot be played?
A. Correct. (April 27, 2000 WotC Chat Q57)
Q. Can you use Strike and Run, or Call for Friends type attacks to
retrieve Fossils from your deck? What about using Pokémon Retriever
to get them from your discard pile?
A. No, you cannot search for a Fossil trainer with any Pokémon
searching technique. (Jul 7, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
Q. At the beginning of the game, can I start with a
Mysterious/Claw/Root Fossil as my Active Pokémon even if I have
another "real" Pokémon on the bench?
A. Yes, you can start with a Fossil Trainer card as your Active
Pokémon, at the start of the game. (Oct 2, 2003 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Can cards like Multi Technical Machine 01 or the various Mystery
Plates be used by Mystery/Claw/Root Fossil to provide a usable attack?
A. Mysterious/Claw/Root Fossil states that it "has no attacks of its own"
which does not preclude you from giving one to the Fossil which it can
attack with. (Sep 18, 2003 PUI Rules Team)
* A Pokemon that evolves from "Dome Fossil", "Helix Fossil", or "Old
Amber" cannot evolve from "Mysterious Fossil". Likewise, a Pokemon
that evolves from "Mysterious Fossil" cannot evolve from "Dome
Fossil", "Helix Fossil", or "Old Amber". (May 22, 2008 PUI Rules
Team)
* Trainers in General
Any Diamond & Pearl or later cards that mention "Trainers"
do not include any Supporters or Stadiums, even those that
used to be labeled as Trainers in older sets. Pre-Diamond &
Pearl cards that mention "Trainers" do include all
Supporters and Stadiums from any set. (May 3, 2007 PUI
Rules Team; Aug 30, 2007 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Can I play more than one Trainer card on my turn?
Q. Is there a difference between "trading" your cards such as Energy
Retrieval and "discarding" your cards such as an Item Finder? Say that I
only have one Energy in my discard pile, and I use Energy Retrieval
using Energy to trade, You only are able to retrieve the Energy in your
discard pile, not the card you traded. Right? Cause it would make sense
about "trading".
A. Yes, that's right. (Mar 2, 2000 WotC Chat)
* When you use a Trainer card, first you pay the cost (if any), then you
resolve the effect of the Trainer card, then you discard that Trainer card.
So you could NOT use Item Finder to bring itself back from the discard
pile (you would discard 2 other cards from your hand, then pull a
Trainer card from your discard pile to your hand, THEN you would
discard the Item Finder). (Mar 2, 2000 WotC Chat)
Q. Can a Pokémon Tool be attached to a Pokémon that already has
another trainer card (Defender,Plus Power,etc...) attached to it?
A. Yes you could attach a tool to a Pokémon that had another trainer on
it (as long as it isn't a Tool as well). (Dec 21, 2000 WotC Chat, Q29 &
Q184)
Q. If I have one of the Unowns with a Poke-POWER that lets me attach
it as a Tool, can I use it if there is already a Tool card attached?
A. No, you cannot have more than one Tool attached to a Pokemon;
therefore you could not use Unown's Poke-POWER to make it a second
Tool card. (Jul 10, 2008 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Do Pokémon Tools stay attached to the Pokémon when it evolves?
A. Yup. (Dec 21, 2000 WotC Chat, Q24)
Q. Can you play 2 TM's together on your active Pokemon?
A. Yup. One attack per turn, doesn't matter if you have two copies of it.
You can only use one cube to attack. You don't have two attacks. (Feb
13, 2003 WotC Chat, Q970 & Q992)
Q. As far as Supporters go, when you play one it tells you to lay it next
to your active, first, does it stay attached to that active you put it on, or
does it come back when they're benched, 2nd, Can you play down a
Supporter, and use the effect for later in your turn, like laying one
down, Elm'ing and then using it, or does the card go into effect
immediately?
A. The Supporter is not actually attached to your active Pokemon. It's
just used as a marker to show that you have already played a Supporter
that turn. You use the Supporter when you play it. You merely lay it
down next to the Active Pokemon so you don't forget that you played
one that turn. (Sep 19, 2002 WotC Chat, Q415 & Q473)
Q. Is there a clarification on the supporters as i have heard 3 different
rulings of when you can USE the card? I mean like when do you do
what the supporter card says, before your attack, at the end of your
turn?
A. You can play 1 supporter at any point during your turn (before your
attack). You play the effect immediately just as playing ANY trainer.
You have to leave the supporter out though to indicate that you already
played one this turn. At the end of the turn you discard it but you would
have used its effect when you actaully played it from your hand. (Oct 3,
2002 WotC Chat, Q7 & Q25)
Q. Last week you said that many cards (Lass, etc.) don't require
shuffling their deck if they don't have any cards in their hand (Nov 30,
2000, Q4 & Q15). But, a previous ruling for Gambler said that you DO
have to shuffle (May 11, 2000, Q131). Please clarify & confirm.
Thanks.
A. Read every card...on Gambler it specifically states 'shuffle your hand
into your deck'. Since your 'hand' can be a 'hand' of zero cards you
could shuffle if you had no cards in your hand in this case. However,
cards that say trade a card in your hand for one in your deck, and you
don't have one to trade; you can't shuffle in that case. Lass says 'shuffle
all Trainer cards in your hand back into your deck. If you have no
trainers, you can't shuffle your deck. (Dec 7, 2000 WotC Chat, Q20)
Q. When you use a Trainer that requires you to shuffle your hand into
your deck does that Trainer get shuffled back into the Deck too or does
it go to the Discard Pile?
A. No, the trainer that you play doesn't go back into your deck. {When
you played it, you put it down on the table. It is no longer in your hand]
(Mar 29, 2001 WotC Chat, Q190 & Q207)
Q. If I use Pokémon Trader or Energy Search and there aren't any
Pokémon or Energy in my deck, do I have to show my deck to my
opponent? If there isn't any in my deck, do I get to put the Pokémon
Trader or Energy Search back in my hand either?
A. You don't have to show your deck and you don't put the trainer back
in your hand [Ed. note: It goes into the discard pile]. (August 17, 2000
WotC Chat Q80)
Q. Can Pokemon be Knocked Out partway through completing the
Trainer card?
A. A Pokemon cannot be Knocked Out partway through the Trainer
card. You must complete all of the actions of a Trainer card BEFORE
you check for game state checks (to see if a Pokemon is Knocked out
for example). (Mar 6, 2002 WotC Rules Team Update; Mar 7, 2002
WotC Chat, Q550)
Q. Could I use the effect of a Stadium card already in play, then play a
Stadium card from my hand to remove the old stadium, and still be able
to use my new stadium's effect?
A. Yes, provided you have not already played a Stadium card that turn
[and the new one has a different name]. (Nov 6, 2003 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Could I play a trainer if it's obvious that it will have no effect (i.e.
Life Herb on a Pokémon without any damage and with no Special
Conditions on it)?
A. No, you cannot play a card if it is obvious that you cannot do what
the card is supposed to do at that moment. (Sep 22, 2005 PUI Rules
Team)
Q. I have never had this come up and I can't find anything saying you
can't, but can you attach 2 Technical Machines to the same Pokémon at
the same time?
A. There are no restrictions on TM's that say you cannot, so yes you
can. (Jan 26, 2006 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Can you attach multiple copies of the same TM to the same
Pokémon?A. Sure. (Feb 23, 2006 PUI Rules Team)
Q. The new Technical Machine cards [TS-1 and TS-2] don't say that
they are discarded at the end of the turn. The rule book says that TMs
do get discarded. Do these get discarded or does the rule book need
updating?
A. No, they do not get discarded. This is correct for TM TS-1 and TM
TS-2; there are some TM cards that get discarded and others remain
attached to your Active Pokémon after using an attack. The current
[Legends Awakened & Stormfront] rule book needs to be updated. (Aug
Battle Frontier
(Power Keepers; Emerald)
Q. If I have a Dual-type Pokémon, say Darkness + Psychic, would
Battle Frontier prevent it from using any "Poké-POWER" or "PokéBODY"?
A. If one of the Pokémon's two types is Colorless, Darkness, or Metal,
then yes its powers would be prevented. (May 5, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Does Battle Frontier prevent old-style "Pokémon Powers" from older
sets (i.e. Base Set thru Neo Destiny)?
A. Yes, "Poké-POWER" and "Poké-BODY" cover all types of
"Pokémon Powers, and the intent of Battle Frontier is to prevent all
powers. (May 5, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
Battle Tower
Q. If you play Level Max to level up one of your benched Pokemon
while the Battle Tower stadium is in play, do you get to remove 4
damage counters from that Pokemon or not?
A. No, you cannot remove any damage counters. Level Max has you
search your deck for the Lv.X Pokemon, but Battle Tower only works
when you play the Lv.X card from your hand. (Sep 24, 2009 PUI Rules
Team)
Bebe's Search
(Rising Rivals; Secret Wonders; Mysterious Treasures)
Q. Can I play Bebe's Search with no cards in my deck?
A. Yes. When you put a card on your deck as the first step, you will be
able to do the search in the second step. (May 8, 2008 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Can I use cards that search for a Pokemon, like "Bebe's Search" or
"Poke Ball" to get a Pokemon LEGEND card from my deck?
A. Any effect that lets you search your deck or discard pile or do
something from your hand with "a Pokemon" will let you use that effect
on one half of a Pokemon LEGEND set, but not both halves. (GS:Heart
Beginning Door
Q. Can I use Beginning Door to search for Arceus Lv.X?
A. Yes. Arceus Lv.X counts as being named "Arceus". (PL:Arceus
Bench Shield
attack?
Rules Team)
Bill's Maintenance
(OP Series 5; Crystal Guardians; Fire Red Leaf Green; Others)
Q. Can I use Bill's Maintenance if it is the only card in my hand? In
other words, do I have to be able to shuffle a card into my hand in order
to use it?
A. Nope. If you can't put a card into your deck then you don't get to
draw three. (Nov 7, 2002 WotC Chat, Q307)
Broken Time-Space
(Platinum)
Q. If the "Broken Time-Space" stadium is in effect, can I evolve a
Pokemon on the same turn it comes into play? And what if the
Pokemon comes into play first, and then I play the stadium?
A. Whenever "Broken Time-Space" is in play as a stadium you can
evolve your Pokemon as much as you like, regardless of when it comes
into play. (Feb 12, 2009 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If I go second, can I use "Broken Time-Space" stadium to evolve a
Pokemon that was already in play as part of my pre-game setup?
A. Yes, you may. (Feb 26, 2009 PUI Rules Team)
Buck's Training
(Legends Awakened)
Q. Can I use Buck's Training if there are no cards left in my deck? And
if so, would I still get the +10 attack bonus?
A. No, you have to be able to draw at least one card from your deck in
order to play Buck's Training. (Sep 25, 2008 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If I forgot to discard Buck's Training at the end of my turn and it is
still next to my active on the following turn, do I get 10 more damage to
my attack?
A. No. Discarding the Supporter at the end of your turn is not optional.
If you forgot to do it, you have to correct the game state and discard it.
It does not count as being in play for the next turn. (Aug 7, 2008 PUI
Rules Team)
Q. If I use Gardevoir's "Telepass" to copy an opponent's "Buck's
Training", would I get the added +10 attack bonus or not, since "Buck's
Training" is not actually next to my Active Pokemon?
A. Good point! In this case since the opponent's Buck's Training is in
the discard pile you would get to draw 2 cards but you would NOT get
the added +10 attack bonus. (Aug 28, 2008 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Buck's Training says, "as long as Buck's Training is next to your
Active Pokemon, each of your Active Pokemon's attacks does 10 more
damage to the Active Pokemon". Does this mean that your Pokemon
can damage itself???
A. Well, if either your Active Pokemon or your opponent's Active
Pokemon receive damage by an attack in this situation, that Pokemon
receives 10 more damage while Buck's Training is in play. (Aug 28,
Castaway
(Crystal Guardians)
Q. If I use Castaway, can I voluntarily choose to not take one or all of
the cards mentioned even if they are in my deck? Like can I take a
Supporter and a Tool, but skip the Basic Energy? Or can I choose to
take nothing at all?
A. The game has no knowledge of the contents of your deck, so you
can choose to not take any of those cards. But you must still search
through your deck and shuffle afterwards regardless. (Apr 24, 2008 PUI
Rules Team)
Celio's Network
(Crystal Guardians; EX Trainer Kit 2; Fire Red Leaf Green)
Q. Can I use Celio's Network to search my deck for a Pokémon LV.X?
A. Yes, you can. Earlier card references of "Basic Pokémon or
Evolution card" refers to Pokémon in general, which includes Pokémon
LV.X. (May 10, 2007 PUI Rules Team)
Cessation Crystal
(Crystal Guardians)
Q. Does Cessation Crystal stop "Pokémon Powers" on older cards (like
"Rain Dance")?
A. Yes, since it stops both Poké-Powers and Poké-Bodies, it also stops
older Pokémon Powers too. (Oct 5, 2006 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If I my Active Pokémon with Cessation Crystal attached gets KO'd,
and I bring up another Pokémon with Cessation Crystal attached, does
the second Cessation Crystal activate instantaneously so that there isn't
a gap in the effect of the Cessation Crystal? Or is there a small slice of
time that Cessation Crystal isn't active, allowing the use of PokéPowers and Poké-Bodies?
A. Nope, the replacement is instantaneous so there is no "time" when
there is not a Cessation Crystal in effect. (Feb 8, 2007 PUI Rules Team)
Q. What happens if my opponent retreats their Active Pokémon for one
that has Cessation Crystal attached, but I have Skarmory-EX with
"Metal Gravity"? Would my Skarmory-EX's "Metal Gravity" get to
place any damage counters on that Pokémon or not?
A. Yes. By the time Cessation Crystal is active, the Metal Gravity
Poké-BODY has already been set in motion and is not shut off. (Apr
Q. Say I use Palkia LV.X's "Restructure" Poke-POWER, but then my
opponent brings up one of my benched Pokemon with a Cessation
Crystal attached. It is now my turn to choose one of their Pokemon to
bring up, but does the Cessation Crystal negate the second part of
"Restructure" now that it is active?
A. No. Restructure would finish resolving, as Cessation Crystal does
not prevent a Poke-POWER's effect that has already been started. (Apr
Q. Say I use Electrode's "Ion Blast" attack and it KO's itself. If I bring
up a Pokemon from my bench with Cessation Crystal attached, is
Electrode's "Energy Shift" Poke-POWER shut off before it can activate?
A. No, the new Pokemon is not even brought up until all effects from
the KO (including "Energy Shift") have been resolved. (Apr 10, 2008
PUI Rules Team)
Q. If you have Cessation Crystal attached to an Eevee, and evolve it to
an -EX evolution with a Poké-POWER that activates when it comes
into play (i.e. Flareon-EX with "Evolutionary Flame), can you use that
power [since you have to discard the Cessation Crystal when you
evolve into the EX]?
A. Since these actions both happen at the same time, it would be
player's choice to resolve it in the order that they want. (Apr 19, 2007
PUI Rules Team; Aug 7, 2008 PUI Rules Team)
Cessation Crystal attached, does it get to use its "Battle Aura" PokéBODY to do +10x to the Pokémon brought up from the bench
Q. Scenario: Player A has a Stantler with Cessation Crystal with 40
damage; Player B has a Gengar with Cursed Powder with 80 damage.
Player A attacks for 20 damage to KO the Gengar, then Cursed Powder
on Gengar is triggered to KO Stantler at the same time. Would Gengar's
"Shadow Curse" Poké-POWER trigger because Stantler is KO'd from
the Cursed Powder? Or does it all happen at the same time?
A. Gengar's Shadow Curse would be turned off by Cessation Crystal
during the period in which the Poké-POWER could be triggered. At the
point when Cessation Crystal is no longer in play, Gengar would have
already gone to the discard pile. (Apr 26, 2007 PUI Rules Team)
Q. My Lucario LV.X comes into play, uses its Poke-POWER "Stance".
If I play Cessation Crystal on it, or if my opponent plays a Cessation
Crystal on his or her turn, does the "Stance" effect end?
A. No. Cessation Crystal does not cancel the effects of a Poke-POWER
that was used prior to Cessation Crystal coming into play. (PUI Rules
Team, Sep 18th, 2007)
Charon's Choice
(Rising Rivals)
Q. If I shuffle Rotom into my deck using "Charon's Choice", but I don't
find any other Rotom, can I choose the same one and put it back?
A. Actually, you search your deck first, then when you find a Rotom
you put your original Rotom on the deck to be shuffled. If you don't
take a Rotom from your deck, your original Rotom stays in play,
including any effects or Special Conditions it may have. (PL:Rising
Q. If I use "Charon's Choice", can I get the same type of Rotom as I
currently have in play, or does it have to be different?
A. Yes, it can be the same type. For example, if you have a Mow
Rotom in play, using Charon's Choice you may choose any Rotom from
your deck, even another Mow Rotom. When you switch, remove effects
and Special Conditions from the new Rotom, but keep all damage
counters and cards attached. (PL:Rising Rivals FAQ; May 21, 2009 PUI
Rules Team)
Q. If I use Sableye's "Impersonate" attack to search for a supporter and
I find "Charon's Choice" and use its effect, does Charon's Choice go
back into my hand at the end of my turn or do I discard it per Sableye's
attack?
A. When using Impersonate, the Charon's Choice card goes to the
discard pile rather than next to the Active Pokemon. Since it is already
in the discard pile, you cannot bring the Charon's Choice card back into
your hand. (Jun 11, 2009 PUI Rules Team)
Copycat
(Dragon Frontiers; Team Rocket Returns; Expedition)
Q. Can I use the Supporter "Copycat" when my opponent has no cards
in his or her hand?
A. Yes, you can. Shuffle your hand into your deck, but don't draw any
cards. (GS:Heart Gold/Soul Silver FAQ; Feb 11, 2010 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Can I play the Supporter "Copycat" when it's the only card in my
hand?
A. Yes, you can. Shuffle your deck, then draw cards equal to the
number of cards in your opponent's hand. (GS:Heart Gold/Soul Silver
Crystal Beach
(Crystal Guardians)
Q. Will Crystal Beach also shut off the special effects of double and
triple Energy cards?
A. Crystal Beach only changes the Energy produced; it does not change
any of the other extra effects of the Energy card (card name, discarding
Boost, damage reduction of DRE, etc.). (Dec 7, 2006 PUI Rules Team)
Crystal Shard
(Crystal Guardians; Deoxys; Skyridge)
Q. If I have a Kecleon with several basic Energy cards attached and I
attach a Crystal Shard to it, does its Type change back to Colorless or
does its Power override the Tool? Would it be 100% Colorless or
would one of its Types become Colorless (and you would get to choose
which Type now is Colorless)?
A. Crystal Shard does override the Poké-BODY, and a Pokémon
Crystal Shard is attached to becomes "Colorless" only. (Jan 29, 2004
PUI Rules Team)
Q. If I have a Darkness Energy attached to a Darkness-type Pokémon,
and then I attach a Crystal Shard to that Pokémon, does it get to use the
Darkness Energy card's +10 bonus damage or not?
A. When you attach a Crystal Shard the Pokémon becomes Colorless,
so you would no longer get the +10 bonus for that. (Apr 15, 2004 PUI
Rules Team)
Q. Can you attach Crystal Shard to a colorless Pokemon?
A. Yes, you can. It may not change its type, but it does change the fact
that it now has a Tool card attached to it. (Jul 10, 2008 PUI Rules
Team)
Q. So if I put Crystal Shard on TM's Groudon, it becomes Colorless.
But would it do 4 X damage to a Colorless Weak Pokémon? Do Dual
Types have 2 types or are they only 1 type that consists of 2 umm errrr
types?
A. Just because a Pokémon starts out with two types doesn't mean that
Crystal Shard makes it a "double colorless" type. Only one colorless; it
would not do 4x damage. (Apr 15, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If you use Crystal Shard on a dual-type Pokémon (like TM
Groudon), would it become "competely colorless" or can you choose
only one of the types to be replaced?
A. It would become a single-type colorless Pokémon as long as the
Crystal Shard is attached. (Feb 17, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If I have Crystal Shard attached to a confused pokemon and flip
tails, do I have to discard Crystal Shard or can I keep it?
A. A failed confusion flip is still considered an attack. So you would
have to discard the Crystal Shard. (Sep 15, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If you attach Crystal Shard to Salamence-EX and then later during
the same turn use its "Type Shift" Poké-POWER, what color would
Salamence-EX become?
A. As long as Crystal Shard is attached, Salamence-EX's type remains
colorless. (Feb 8, 2007 PUI Rules Team)
Cynthia's Guidance
Q. If I play Cynthia's Guidance, can I choose to not take a card?
A. Not if you have any cards in your deck. It is known that you have
cards in your deck, you are not searching for a specific type of card.
(Supreme Victors FAQ; Aug 27, 2009 PUI Rules Team)
Dawn Stadium
(Majestic Dawn)
Basic Water Energy cards to a Water or Grass type Pokemon, how
many damage counters do I get to remove if Dawn Stadium is in play?
A. You get to remove one damage counter per each energy card that
you attach, since Dawn Stadium triggers "whenever" you attach an
energy card from your hand. (May 29, 2008 PUI Rules Team; Mar 12,
2009 PUI Rules Team; Mar 26, 2009 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Shaymin Lv.X's "Seed Flare" attack let's me attach Grass Energy
from my hand to as many Pokemon as I as I like. If I have Dawn
Stadium in play, and 3 heavily damaged Grass Pokemon, and I attach 2
Grass Energy cards to each one with Shaymin's attack, how much
damage do I remove?
A. Dawn Stadium's effect is activated once for each time you attach an
energy card to a Grass or Water Pokemon. In this case, you'll remove
one damage counter for each energy card you attach to these Grass
Pokemon. (Mar 12, 2009 PUI Rules Team; Mar 26, 2009 PUI Rules
Team)
Defender
(Base)
Q. If I attach Defender to Drifblim and do "Balloon Tackle", does
Defender prevent the 20 self damage from that attack?
A. Yes. Play Defender as if the damage prevention wording was
printed, "Any damage done by attacks to the Pokemon Defender is
attached to is reduced by 20 (after applying Weakness and Resistance)."
Dome Fossil
(Majestic Dawn)
Team)
Dual Ball
(Crystal Guardians; Delta Species; Team Aqua-Team Magma; Others)
Q. If I flip two heads with "Dual Ball" can I choose both halves of a
LEGEND Pokemon?
A. No, because LEGEND are not Basic Pokemon, you cannot choose
them with Dual Ball. (HS:Unleashed FAQ; May 13, 2010 PUI Rules
Team)
Energy Exchanger
Q. Can I use Energy Exchanger to trade a Basic Energy for a Special
Energy card?
A. Yes, the Trainer does not restrict its effect to only Basic Energy
cards. (HS:Undaunted FAQ; Sep 9, 2010 PUI Rules Team)
Energy Recycle System
(Power Keepers; Unseen Forces; Dragon)
Q. With Energy Recycle System, do you have to shuffle 3 energies in or
can you do only 2? Or what happens if you only have 2 in your discard
pile; can you shuffle the two in or not? The card doesn't say "up to" like
some other cards do.
A. If there are less than 3 basic energy cards in the discard pile, you
would return all of them to your deck if you chose that option. (Sep 21,
Q. Are you allowed to play Energy Recycle System if you have no basic
energy cards in your discard pile?
A. No, you are not allowed. "Search" is used here as a general term.
Energy Returner
Q. If I have less than 4 energy cards in my discard pile, can I play
"Energy Returner"?
A. Only if you have at least one energy in your discard. If you have less
than 4 energy, return all of them to your deck. (HS:Unleashed FAQ;
Energy Search
(Majestic Dawn; DP Trainer Kit 1 (Gold); DP Trainer Kit 1 (Blue); Others)
Q. If you use an Energy Search and don't find any Basic Energy, do you
still discard the Energy Search?
A. Yes, you would still discard it. (Jan 15, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If you use an Energy Search and don't find any Basic Energy, can
you then play another Energy Search even though you know it will fail?
A. Yes, you can search for energy cards even if you know you won't
find them. They exist as legal cards, therefore they can be searched for.
(Jan 15, 2004 PUI Rules Team; Jan 22, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
Engineer's Adjustments
Q. If I don't discard an energy, can I play "Engineer's Adjustments"?
A. No. You must be able to discard an energy to play the card.
Expert Belt
Q. If a Pokemon with "Expert Belt" attached is Knocked Out by Poison
damage, does the opponent take an additional Prize card?
A. Yes he must. (Nov 5, 2009 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If my Active Pokemon with "Expert Belt" attached knocks out
Gengar and the coin flip result on "Fainting Spell" is heads, Does my
opponent get to draw 2 prize cards or just one?
A. Expert Belt says, "When the Pokemon this card is attached to is
Knocked Out, your opponent takes one more prize card." It doesn't
matter how that Pokemon is knocked out, so even with Fainting Spell
the opponent would get to draw 2 prizes for KO'ing a Pokemon with
Expert Belt attached. (Nov 5, 2009 PUI Rules Team)
PUI Rules Team)
Q. If Luxray has "Expert Belt" attached and uses the attack "Gadget
Bolt" for 100, does it receive the +20 damage bonus for "Expert Belt"
even though the effect of "Gadget Bolt" discards the "Expert Belt"?
A. Yes, it gets to add the +20 bonus because attack damage is
calculated before effects of the attack are performed. (Nov 5, 2009 PUI
Rules Team)
Q. If I have "Expert Belt" attached to Rampardos and knock out my
opponent's Pokemon with "Head Smash", does Rampardos deal 40 or
60 damage to itself?
A. It only deals 40 damage to itself. Expert Belt only adds to damage
done to the opponent's Active Pokemon. (Nov 5, 2009 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If I have "Expert Belt" attached to Mismagius and discard it using
its "Crash Chant" attack, does it deal 40 or 20 damage?
A. It only does 20 damage. Crash Chant's attack text specifies that you
discard the Tools/TMs as soon as they are chosen and then calculate the
attacks damage based on the number of Tools/TMs discarded. By the
step where you modify that damage for the effect of Expert Belt, it is no
longer attached to Mismagius. (Nov 5, 2009 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If I use Mismagius' "Crash Chant" attack to discard an "Expert Belt"
attached to the Defending Pokemon and Knock it out, do I get to draw
two prize cards or only one?
A. You only get one prize. Since the check for Knock Out happens after
the Pokemon Tool is discarded by the effect of the Crash Chant attack,
the Expert Belt's effect is gone. (Nov 5, 2009 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If my opponent's Ho-oh has "Expert Belt" attached and would be
KO'd by damage from an attack, but the coin flip for its "Phoenix Turn"
Poke-POWER comes up heads, do I get to draw two prize cards or only
one?
A. You draw 1 prize. Phoenix Turn is resolved after fully processing the
attack but before processing Knock Outs. Expert Belt's extra prize effect
only applies if it is in play when the Pokemon is removed from play due
to Knock Out (or would be removed, in Ho-Oh's case). Since it was
discarded prior to this by Phoenix Turn, you don't get the extra prize.
Q. If I have "Expert Belt" attached to a Weezing with the "Camouflage
Gas" Poke-BODY and it's Confused, does my opponent get to take any
prizes when Weezing is knocked out?
A. No. Since they don't take the first prize due to Weezing's PokeBODY, they can't draw an extra one for Expert Belt. (Nov 12, 2009 PUI
Rules Team)
Q. If I were to knock out my opponent's Pokemon with "Expert Belt"
attached using Electivire Lv.X's "Pulse Barrier" attack, do I take two
prizes?
A. No, since the Expert Belt is discarded before the KO check. (Nov 12,
Q. If you have an Expert Belt attached to Dusknoir Lv.X and it would
be knocked out from damage, is Expert Belt discarded before prize
cards are taken? In other words, would the opponent take 1 or 2 prize
cards as Dusknoir Lv.X moves into a stadium due to its "Ectoplasm"
Poke-POWER?
A. Dusknoir is still a Knocked Out Pokemon and Expert Belt is
attached at the time the Knock Out is checked for, so the opponent
would draw 2 prize cards. (Dec 10, 2009 PUI Rules Team)
Felicity's Drawing
(Great Encounters)
Q. Can I discard 0 cards from my hand when playing Felicity's
Drawing?
A. No. You may either discard 1 or 2 cards; there is not an option to
discard 0 cards. (DP:Great Encounters FAQ; Feb 21, 2008 PUI Rules
Team)
Fisherman
(Skyridge)
Q. When I use the Supporter "Fisherman," can I put less than 4 Basic
Energy cards from my discard pile into my hand?
A. If you have 4 or more Basic Energy cards in the discard pile you
must put exactly 4 of them into your hand. But if there are less than 4
Basic Energy cards in the discard pile, you must take them all.
Flower Shop Lady
Q. When using "Flower Shop Lady", do I have to put all 3 Pokemon
and all 3 Basic Energy cards into my deck, or can I choose to return
only 1 or 2 (or none) of each?
A. You must return all three of each if you are able to (or as many as
you can if you have less than three). The card does not say "up to 3".
Fossil Excavator
(Majestic Dawn; Mysterious Treasures)
Q. Can I use Fossil Excavator to retrieve Old Amber or Aerodactyl?
A. No, because Old Amber does not contain the word "Fossil" in its
name, and an Aerodactyl that evolves from Old Amber cannot
be retrieved by Fossil Excavator either. But you can still retrieve an
Aerodactyl that evolves from "Mysterious Fossil".
Galactic HQ
(Platinum)
Good Rod
Q. If you have don't have a Pokemon or a Trainer in your discard pile,
can you play "Good Rod"?
A. No. You can't play a trainer or supporter if it's public knowledge that
it won't have any game effect. If you have at least one Trainer or
Pokemon in your discard pile, you can play Good Rod. (HS:Unleashed
Great Ball
(Stormfront; Power Keepers; Delta Species; Others)
Q. Can you use Great Ball if your bench is full? Like, to search your
deck and not pull anything out?
A. Of course not, don't be foolish. (Oct 28, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
Helix Fossil
(Majestic Dawn)
Team)
Holon Circle
(Crystal Guardians)
* Holon Circle works like this: You announce the attack - before
ANYTHING else, the attack ends. No "Smokescreen", no Spinda, no
discarding cards...nothing. (Nov 16, 2006 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If I announce an attack but cannot meet the energy requirements for
that attack, is Holon Circle discarded or not?
A. No, if you don't meet the energy requirements for the attack, you
cannot discard the Holon Circle stadium. (Jul 17, 2008 PUI Rules
Team)
Interviewer's Questions
Q. When I use "Interviewer's Questions" and I don't want to choose
some or all of the energy I find, do I show those energy cards to my
opponent?
A. Show only the energy cards you chose to your opponent. Don't
reveal any cards you will shuffle back in. (HS:Unleashed FAQ; May 13,
Island Hermit
(Dragon Frontiers)
Q. Island Hermit states "Choose up to 2" can I choose not to reveal any
of my Prize cards?
A. No. If you have any face-down Prize cards, you must put at least one
of them face-up. But if all of your Prize cards are face-up, you can still
play this Trainer card and draw 2 cards. (EX:Dragon Frontiers FAQ;
Judge
Q. What happens if a player has no hand when "Judge" is played?
A. The player shuffles his or her deck and draws 4 cards (or as many
cards as possible if the deck contains less than 4 cards). (HS:Unleashed
Lake Boundary
(Mysterious Treasures)
Q. How does "Lake Boundary" affect Pokemon that have had their
Weakness removed or reduced to zero?
A. It only affects Pokemon that have Weakness, changing the modifier
for that Weakness to x2 instead of whatever other modifier that
Pokémon may have had. If the weakness has been reduced to zero, then
zero times two is still zero. (Mysterious Treasures FAQ; Aug 23, 2007
PUI Rules Team)
Level Max
(Platinum)
Q. Can I use Level MAX to level up a Benched Pokemon?
Q. Can I use Level MAX on a Pokemon that I just put into play or
evolved this turn?
Q. If you play Level Max to level up one of your benched Pokemon
while the Battle Tower stadium is in play, do you get to remove 4
damage counters from that Pokemon or not?
A. No, you cannot remove any damage counters. Level Max has you
search your deck for the Lv.X Pokemon, but Battle Tower only works
when you play the Lv.X card from your hand. (Sep 24, 2009 PUI Rules
Team)
Looker's Investigation
(Platinum)
Q. If player a uses Looker's Investigation and decides that they want to
draw the cards, can they choose zero as their up to amount?
A. No, the player must draw at least one card if they are able to. (Feb
Lucky Egg
say, not what was originally printed. "When the Pokémon this card is
attached to is Knocked Out by damage from an opponent's attack and
put into your discard pile, draw cards until you have 7 cards in your
hand." If the Pokémon does not go to the discard pile (for example, if it
goes to the Lost Zone, etc.), you do not get to draw the cards. (May 7,
2010 TPCi TCG Errata Update)
Q. If my Jirachi has a "Lucky Egg" Pokemon Tool attached, what
happens when it is knocked out from damage so that both the "Final
Wish" Poke-POWER and the "Lucky Egg" tool are triggered?
A. Final Wish is resolved first. Effects that happen when the Pokemon
"would be knocked out" are resolved before effects that happen when it
"is knocked out". (Nov 19, 2009 PUI Rules Team)
Q. When a Pokemon with "Lucky Egg" attached gets KO'd, do you
draw cards before replacing the knocked out Pokemon?
A. Replacing your Active Pokemon is part of the KO action, so you
need to complete that first before drawing. You promote your new
Active Pokemon first, then draw your cards for Lucky Egg. (Feb 11,
Q. If you have a Lucky Egg attached to Dusknoir Lv.X with the
"Ectoplasm" Poke-POWER and it would be knocked out from damage,
is Lucky Egg discarded before you get to draw until you have 7 cards?
A. Since the Dusknoir LV.X is not discarded due to Ectoplasm, you do
not get to draw any cards for Lucky Egg. (May 27, 2010 PUI Rules
Team)
Q. If Ho-oh has "Lucky Egg" attached and would be KO'd by damage
from an attack, but the coin flip for its "Phoenix Turn" Poke-POWER
comes up heads, do I get to draw until I have 7 cards in my hand due to
"Lucky Egg" or not?
A. Since Ho-Oh is not discarded you can't use the drawing effect of
Lucky Egg. (Nov 12, 2009 PUI Rules Team; Jun 3, 2010 PUI Rules
Team)
Q. If an active Water Pokemon with Lucky Egg on it were to be
Knocked Out while Floatzel [GL] Lv.X was on the bench, what would
happen first - would you draw from Lucky Egg first, or would you
return the cards to your hand with "Water Rescue" first?
A. It would be the player's choice whether to draw for Lucky Egg first
or to return the cards to your hand first. (Feb 11, 2010 PUI Rules Team)
Miasma Valley
(Platinum)
Q. If I use Lumineon's Poke-POWER "Fin Luster" to place a basic fire
type pokemon from my opponent's hand onto his or her bench would
Miasma Valley place 2 damage counters on it?
A. Yes, you would place the 2 damage counters for Miasma Valley.
Despite the wording of Fin Luster, it is still the opponent putting their
own Pokemon onto their own Bench. (Apr 16, 2009 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If a LEGEND Pokemon is played down from your hand and a
Miasma Valley stadium card is in play, do you put 2 damage counters
on the LEGEND Pokemon (assuming that it isn't a Grass or Psychic
type), or not?
A. No, you would not. Miasma Valley looks at the actual type of
Pokemon printed on the card; it has to say "Basic Pokemon" on the
card, and Legend Pokemon are not considered Basics. (Jul 15, 2010 PUI
Rules Team)
Moomoo Milk
Q. Do I need to have a current version of "Moomoo Milk" outside my
deck if I'm playing the older versions of the card in Modified Format?
A. Technically speaking the "Heart Gold/Soul Silver" version is a
different card and it does not do the same thing as the older versions
used to (it removes more damage counters now). So you cannot play
"Moo-Moo Milk" from "Neo Genesis" nor "Expedition" in the current
2009-2010 Modified Format. (Feb 18, 2010 PUI Rules Team)
Mr. Stone's Project
(Dragon Frontiers; Holon Phantoms; Emerald)
Q. When using Mr. Stone's Project, if I choose to look for basic Energy
cards in my deck and can't find the ones I want, is it okay to get some
from my discard pile?
A. No. When you play the Supporter card, you must choose either your
deck or your discard pile. But remember, you can look through your
discard pile at any time during the game. (May 5, 2005 PUI Rules
Team)
Mysterious Fossil
(Power Keepers; Holon Phantoms; Legend Maker; Others)
Q. The new Mysterious Fossil trainer from EX:Legend Maker now has
50hp rather than the old 10hp versions. Does this mean that I now play
the older versions as 50hp too?
A. Yes it does. Treat all Mysterious Fossil cards as if they have 50hp.
(EX:Legend Maker FAQ; Feb 16, 2006 PUI Rules Team)
Team)
Night Teleporter
Q. When using Night Teleporter, can the card I put in my hand be one
of the cards that I put on top of my deck?
A. Yes. (Supreme Victors FAQ; Aug 27, 2009 PUI Rules Team)
Old Amber
(Majestic Dawn)
Team)
Q. Can I play Old Amber as a Basic Pokemon during setup, like we do
with other Fossil cards?
A. Old Amber is considered part of the fossil group in general, but not
as a Fossil by name. So you may play it as a Basic Pokemon during
setup, and you must play it if you have no other Basic Pokemon or other
Fossil cards in your hand. (May 22, 2008 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Can I use Fossil Excavator to retrieve Old Amber or Aerodactyl?
A. No, because Old Amber does not contain the word "Fossil" in its
name, and an Aerodactyl that evolves from Old Amber cannot be
retrieved by Fossil Excavator either. But you can still retrieve an
Aerodactyl that evolves from "Mysterious Fossil". (May 22, 2008 PUI
Rules Team)
Amber" Poke-BODY?
attack?
Rules Team)
Phoebe's Stadium
(Power Keepers)
Q. Phoebe's Stadium says, "Each player pays {C}{C} less to retreat his
or her {P} Pokémon." Does this count as reducing the Pokémon's
Retreat Cost?
A. Yes. If another Pokémon has an attack that does damage based on
the Psychic Pokémon's Retreat Cost, that attack would do damage based
on the modified retreat cost (subtract {C}{C}). (EX:Power Keepers
PlusPower
(Platinum; Secret Wonders; Diamond and Pearl; Others)
say, not what was originally printed. "If the Pokémon PlusPower is
attached to attacks, the attack does 10 more damage to the Active
Pokémon (before applying Weakness and Resistance)." This is to match
past versions of the card. Also, if the Pokémon uses an attack that
would damage itself, PlusPower would also affect that damage. (May 6,
2010 PUI Rules Team; May 7, 2010 TPCi TCG Errata Update)
Q. Can you attach more than one PlusPower to a Pokémon? 2,3,4?
A. Well you can have up to 4 in your deck, so if you had all 4 in your
hand you could use them all at once yes. (May 18, 2000 WotC Chat,
Q157)
Q. Can I play a PlusPower then a Gambler, and play another PlusPower
I got from the Gambler?
A. Yes, you can. (Feb 24 WotC Chat)
Q. Situation: Hitmonchan vs. Mime. Hitmonchan has 2 PlusPowers
attached. He Jabs Mr. Mime for 20. Is this considered a KO, or do the
PlusPowers add 20 to the attack itself (for 40) and so fail due to Mr.
Mime's Invisible Barrier?
A. Trainer card effects are added before Pokémon Powers are figured,
so the attack would do 40 total, which Mr. Mime's Pokémon Power
would negate. (Feb 3 WotC Chat)
Q. If you attach a PlusPower to your active Pokémon and then [Switch]
and then advance that Pokémon, will the PlusPower still be in effect?
A. Yes, it will. (June 1, 2000 WotC Chat Announcements)
Q. If I put a PlusPower on my Pokémon and evolve do I discard the
PlusPower?
A. Nope. (Oct 26, 2000 WotC Chat, Q132)
Q. If you use a PlusPower on a attack that does 0 damage, will it do 10
damage? Like for example, Kangaskhan's Fetch will it do 10 damage
with a PlusPower?
A. No, PlusPower will only add 10, *if* damage is done. Fetch doesn't
do damage. (June 1, 2000 WotC Chat, Q30)
Q. Does a PlusPower work with Hitmonlee's Stretch Kick attack?
A. It does not. Pluspower only adds to the total if the attack does
damage to the [Active] Pokémon only. (May 11, 2000 WotC Chat, Q87)
Q. If you attach a PlusPower to Scyther and then retreat for Hitmonchan
and do Jab, will Hitmonchan do 30 instead of 20?
A. The Plus Power will stay attached to the Pokémon you put it on. It
will not be in effect for the Hitmonchan. (June 1, 2000 WotC Chat, Q45
& Q47)
Poke Ball
(Platinum; Majestic Dawn; Diamond and Pearl; Others)
Poke Drawer +
(Stormfront)
Q. Poke Drawer + says to search your deck for up to 2 cards. Does this
mean I can voluntarily fail and choose zero cards if I want to?
A. No. A voluntary fail happens when you are searching for a specific
card that might or might not be in your deck. Since Poke Drawer + has
you search for any card (not a specific card) you must choose at least
one card when using this trainer. (Dec 4, 2008 PUI Rules Team)
Pokedex HANDY910is
(Platinum)
Q. Can you use "Pokedex HANDY910is" if there's only 1 card left in
your deck?
A. Yes, you can. It says to draw two cards, but you do as much as you
can since you only have one card in your deck. Then, you choose one to
keep, so you keep the one you drew. Now, you're supposed to put the
other card back, but since there is no other card you simply don't put
anything back. (Jan 15, 2009 PUI Rules Team)
Pokemon Circulator
Q. Can I play "Pokemon Circulator" if my opponent doesn't have any
benched Pokemon?
A. Since Pokemon Circulator requires your opponent to switch with a
benched Pokemon, you can't play it unless your opponent has a
Pokemon on the bench. (HS:Unleashed FAQ; May 13, 2010 PUI Rules
Team)
Pokemon Collector
Q. Can I use "Pokemon Collector" to choose Pokemon LEGEND cards
as part of the 3 Basic Pokemon I search for in my deck?
A. No, because Pokemon Collector only lets you choose Basic
Pokemon. Pokemon LEGEND are considered "Unevolved Pokemon"
when in play, but they are not considered "Basic Pokemon". (GS:Heart
Pokemon Communicator
Q. If I use Pokemon Communicator to put a Pokemon into my deck, am
I allowed to voluntarily fail and choose to take no Pokemon out of my
deck?
A. The contents of your deck is not public knowledge so the deck
search can fail, even if you've just put a pokemon into the deck. (Feb 4,
Professor Elm's Training Method
(Dragon Frontiers; Unseen Forces; Expedition)
Q. Can I use Professor Elm's Training Method to search my deck for a
Pokémon LV.X?
A. No. Pokémon LV.X are not considered Evolution cards. (May 3,
Professor Oak's Visit
(Secret Wonders)
Q. If I have no cards left in my deck, can I use Prof. Oak's Visit to put
one card from my hand back into my deck pile so I don't run out of
cards the next turn?
A. No, since you are unable to draw any cards you cannot play
Professor Oak's Visit. (Feb 7, 2008 PUI Rules Team)
Professor Rowan
(Secret Wonders; Diamond and Pearl)
Q. If I only have two cards in my hand and play Professor Rowan then
I keep the one remaining card in my hand, but do I shuffle my deck or
not (since I put zero cards from my hand into it)?
A. Shuffling is a must when playing Professor Rowan regardless of
whether you put any cards back into your deck or not. (Apr 3, 2008 PUI
Rules Team)
Quick Ball
(Majestic Dawn; DP Trainer Kit 1 (Gold); Mysterious Treasures)
Q. If I use Quick Ball and the very first card revealed is a Pokemon, do
I still have to shuffle my deck?
A. If the first revealed card is a Pokemon then the deck is not shuffled
as there are no "other revealed cards" to shuffle back in. (Oct 25, 2007
PUI Rules Team)
Rare Candy
(OP Series 8; Great Encounters; OP Series 5; Others)
Q. Could you Rare Candy a Pokémon and NOT play an evolution on it
just to get rid of the Rare Candy?
A. No, you cannot discard a card for free. You must be able to attach
the Stage 1 or Stage 2 card, or you cannot use the Rare Candy. (Oct 30,
2003 PUI Rules Team; Dec 4, 2003 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Can I use Rare Candy on [my] first turn of a game (when Pokémon
are not normally allowed to evolve)?
A. Yes, this is now permissible [if you are going second, of course, per
DP rules changes]. (Jul 22, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Can I use Rare Candy on a Pokémon's first turn in play? For
example, can I place down a Wurmple and then use Rare Candy on the
same turn to evolve it into Dustox or Beautifly?
A. Yes, Rare Candy allows you to evolve a Pokémon the first turn it is
in play. (Sep 11, 2003 PUI Rules Team; Jul 22, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Can I use Rare Candy to place a Stage 2 onto a Basic Pokémon?
A. You can use Rare Candy to evolve a Basic Pokémon into a Stage 1
or Stage 2. This essentially counts as your "Evolution" for that
Pokémon that turn, although it's not restricted by the first turn the
Pokémon is in play. The Stage 1 reference is because the card works on
the turn the Basic is played. (Sep 11, 2003 PUI Rules Team; Jul 22,
Q. Can I use Rare Candy on a Pokémon that has already evolved
normally that turn?
A. No you cannot, because Rare Candy can only evolve Basic Pokémon
If you evolved a Pokémon already this turn, it would not be a Basic any
more. (Oct 23, 2003 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Can I use Rare Candy on a Pokémon that was devolved on that same
turn (i.e. Devolution Spray, Hyper Devolution Spray, etc.)?
A. Yes you can, because Rare Candy ignores normal evolutionary rules.
Q. Does Rare Candy override evolution-preventing effects such as
Fossil Aerodactyl's "Prehistoric Power"?
A. Yes, you can use Rare Candy when Aerodactyl's Prehistoric Power is
in play. (Sep 18, 2003 PUI Rules Team; Jul 22, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Say I use my Pichu's "Baby Evolution" power to evolve Pichu into
Pikachu, which is now an "evolved Basic Pokémon". Can I then play
Rare Candy on my Pikachu to evolve it into Raichu or Raichu-EX
during the same turn?
A. Since Pikachu would be considered an "Evolved Pokémon" at that
point, Rare Candy cannot be used on that Pikachu. Rare Candy can only
be used on "non-Evolved" Pokémon. (Apr 14, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Say I have a Team Aqua's Sealeo (Stage 1) that I Archie'd into play.
Can I use a Rare Candy to evolve it to Team Aqua's Walrein on that
same turn?
A. Yes, you could. Rare Candy bypasses the normal rules of Evolution,
and since you Archie'd it the Team Aqua's Sealeo would count as a
Basic Pokémon. (Apr 14, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If you use Rare Candy to evolve a Pokémon, and the evo card has a
"Coming into Play" Pokémon Power (such as Dark Crobat), does that
coming into play power get activated?
A. Using Powers, Attacks, or Trainers that let you put a Pokémon in the
game from your hand will allow coming into play Powers to activate.
This is a reversal from previous rulings. (Oct 23, 2003 PUI Rules Team;
Apr 14, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Can I play Rare Candy on a Basic Pokémon to evolve it into a Stage
1 even though that Pokémon could evolve that turn normally?
A. Yes, this is possible. (Jan 5, 2006 PUI Rules Team)
Q. What does "This counts as evolving that Pokémon" mean, in game
terms?
A. It counts towards the one evolution per turn for that Pokémon (with
exceptions for Trainers and Pokémon Powers that break that rule) and
removes Special Conditions on that Pokémon. (Sep 26, 2003 PUI Rules
Team)
Q. Can you use Rare Candy to evolve a Mysterious Fossil into an
Omastar or Kabutops, or use it on a Root/Claw Fossil to evolve into
Cradily/Armaldo?
A. It can. It counts as a basic Pokémon while in play. Omastar,
Kabutops, Cradily, and Armaldo are Stage 2 Pokémon; you could use
Rare Candy on the Fossil trainer to skip to them. (Oct 16, 2003 PUI
Rules Team)
Q. Can I use Rare Candy to evolve from Dome Fossil to one of the
Kabutops from older expansions that evolve from Mysterious Fossil?
A. Since Kabutops can evolve from Kabuto of any expansion, you may
use Rare Candy to evolve either Dome Fossil or Mysterious Fossil into
any Kabutops, regardless of expansion. (May 22, 2008 PUI Rules
Team)
Q. Can I use Rare Candy to evolve a Baby Pokémon into its next stage?
What about the newer forms of babies that are considered "Basic
Pokémon" but have the "Baby Evolution" Poké-POWER?
A. Rare Candy states if you have a card that "Evolves From" your
Pokémon There are currently no cards with text saying "evolves from"
its baby form, so Rare Candy will not work on any form of baby
Pokémon (Oct 23, 2003 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Can I use Rare Candy to evolve Pichu into Raichu EX?
A. No, Rare Candy states if you have a card that "Evolves From" your
Pokémon Pikachu does not say that it "Evolves From" Pichu, so Rare
Candy will not work in this situation. (Sep 11, 2003 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Can I use Rare Candy on my Pokémon to go to their evolutions if
either Kabutops or Omastar from Skyridge is in play (with the
powers/bodies that stop evolution)?
A. You could not use a Pokémon's attack or play a Trainer card to
evolve your Benched or Active Pokémon, unless the Evolution card you
would be putting into play comes from somewhere other than your
hand. So Rare Candy cannot be used, but Wally's Training can (when
referring to the Active Pokémon). (Aug 5, 2004 PUI Rules Team; Aug
Q. I evolved Torchic into Combusken using Rare Candy. Can I then do
my "regular" evolution for Combusken into Blaziken?
A. No. "(This counts as evolving that Pokémon)" means that it counts as
a normal evolution in this case. (Sep 26, 2003 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Can someone play a Retro Energy on an Espeon, discard the Espeon,
and then use Rare Candy to evolve the Eevee into a Vaporeon all in the
same turn?
A. Since both cards break the standard rules of evolution, this particular
combination can be considered legal. (Mar 18, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Can I evolve Dratini in play to Dark Dragonite by using Rare
Candy?
A. Yes. [This is true as long as there is a normal evolutionary path
between the basic and the Stage 2 "Dark" Pokémon.] (Feb 10, 2005 PUI
Rules Team)
Q. If I use Rare Candy to put an Empoleon on my Piplup, can I then
immediately put Empoleon LV.X on top of that?
A. No, you may not. Just like you cannot use Rare Candy to attach a
Stage 1 then evolve it into a Stage 2 on the same turn, you cannot place
a LV.X Pokémon on top of a Pokémon that used Rare Candy on that
same turn. (May 31, 2007 PUI Rules Team)
Roseanne's Research
(OP Series 8; Secret Wonders)
Q. Can you use Roseanne's Research to search for a Lv.X Pokemon that
levels up from a Basic (i.e. Mewtwo Lv.X)?
A. No, you cannot. Until they are put in play Lv.X Pokemon are not
considered to be Basics nor Evolution cards. (Sep 25, 2008 PUI Rules
Team)
Sidney's Stadium
(Power Keepers)
Q. If my Darkness Pokémon is already affected by a Special Condition
and then I play Sidney's Stadium during my turn, will the Special
Condition be removed?
A. Yes, similar to Holon Energy GL rulings the Special Conditions will
be removed. (Apr 5, 2007 PUI Rules Team)
Snowpoint Temple
(Legends Awakened)
Q. Does Snowpoint Temple add +20 HP to a Darkrai Lv.X?
A. Yes, a Lv.X Pokemon is consided the same evolution stage as the
card that it Leveled Up from. (Aug 28, 2008 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If you have a Stage 1 or Stage 2 Pokemon in play with no Basic
underneath it (i.e. due to Garchomp Lv.X's "Restore" attack), does it get
+20 HP from Snowpoint Temple?
A. Yes, since it is being treated as a Basic, it gets the bonus. (Aug 28,
Q. Is Snowpoint Temple's +20hp towards Basic Pokemon factored in
when calculating whether or not Salamence's "Battle Rush" PokeBODY works or not?
A. Yes, it is. Effects that add to a Pokemon's HP are counted when
calculating its Maximum HP. (Jan 8, 2009 PUI Rules Team)
Steven's Advice
(Power Keepers; Hidden Legends)
* Steven's Advice should read: "Draw a number of cards up to the
number of your opponent's Pokémon in play. If you have 7 or more
cards (including this one) in your hand, you can't play this card." This
errata replaces text of "more than 7" with "7 or more". If a player has 7
cards in his or her hand (including Steven's Advice), they cannot play
the card. (Oct 1, 2004 PUI Announcements)
Q. Steven's Advice says, "Draw a number of cards up to the number of
your opponent's Pokémon in play." If you choose to draw less than the
total number of your opponent's Pokémon in play, do you have to
specify how many you will draw before you start drawing?
A. You must choose a number before you start to draw cards. (Jun 10,
Q. Could you use Chimecho's "Chime" attack and use a Steven's
Advice from your opponent's discard pile if you have more than 7 cards
in your hand? Steven's Advice says "you can't play this card if you have
7 or more cards in your hand", but you're technically not really playing
the card, just using it as an attack.
A. You can use Chime, but you must still meet all requirements that are
necessary to play the card normally (except for the supporter rule). If
you don't or can't meet those restrictions, the effect fails. (Dec 15, 2005
PUI Rules Team)
Strength Charm
(Dragon Frontiers; Deoxys; Team Aqua-Team Magma; Others)
* Strength Charm should read: "Whenever an attack from the Pokémon
that Strength Charm is attached to does damage to the Active Pokémon
(before applying Weakness and Resistance), the attack does 10 more
damage. At the end of the turn in which the player attacks with the
Pokémon that this card is attached to, discard Strength Charm." This
errata replaces text of "after applying Weakness and Resistance with
before applying Weakness and Resistance". It is also clarified that it is
removed after ANY attack that the Pokémon makes, not just attacks that
do damage. (Oct 1, 2004 PUI Announcements)
Q. In 2-on-2 Play, if I use an attack that damages both defending
Pokémon, would Strength Charm do +10 to both of the opponent's
Active Pokémon?
A. Yes, that is correct. (March 11th 2004 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If I attach a Strength Charm, then use Kirlia's Life Drain, can I onehit-KO the Defending Pokémon?
A. No. Kirlia's Life Drain doesn't strictly do damage [it "places damage
counters"] - Strength Charm only affects things that do damage. (Mar
Q. Does Strength Charm affect self damage, like Wobbuffet's flip over
attack?
A. Yes - it affects damage done by the Attacking Pokémon. (Mar 25,
Switch
(Stormfront; Secret Wonders; Diamond and Pearl; Others)
Q. Can the Switch card be used to retreat a Paralyzed, Confused, or
Sleeping Pokémon?
A. Yes, you can use a Switch card to retreat a Confused, Asleep or
Paralyzed Pokémon. (Feb 3, 2000 WotC Chat)
Q. The new modified rules state you may only retreat once per turn. If
you use a trainer to Switch your Pokémon, can you still retreat that
Pokémon? Or does the Switch count as your one retreat per turn?
A. Switch does not count as your one retreat per turn. If it did affect it, I
would imagine it being written as "(This counts as retreating your
Pokémon)". (Jun 3, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
Team Galactic's Invention G-101 Energy Gain
(Platinum)
Q. Team Galactic's Invention G-101 Energy Gain reduces attacks'
Energy costs by 1 Colorless Energy. What happens if the attack requires
energy to be all of a particular color?
A. It only reduces a colorless energy cost; if the attack requires nothing
but specific energy types, then there is no reduction. (Feb 12, 2009 PUI
Rules Team)
Q. If I have "Energy Gain" attached to one of my SP Pokemon, can I
use an attack that only costs one energy without having any energy
attached to that Pokemon?
A. Yes, as long as that attack costs one Colorless energy. If the attack
costs only one non-colorless energy (i.e. one Fire Energy), then you
would not be able to use that attack. (Jun 4, 2009 PUI Rules Team)
Team Galactic's Invention G-103 Power Spray
(Platinum)
"Power Cancel" Poké-Power. (May 1, 2009 Pokemon Organized Play
News; May 7, 2009 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If it is the very first turn of the game and my opponent tries to use a
Poke-POWER, can I use "Team Galactic's Invention G-103 Power
Spray" to block it?
A. Yes. Only the player going first is restricted from playing Trainers,
Supporters, and Stadiums. The opponent is not restricted. (Feb 26, 2009
PUI Rules Team)
Q. If you use Ludicolo's "Cheerful Voice" Poke-POWER and your
opponent then plays "Team Galactic's Invention G-103 Power Spray", is
your turn over?
A. Yes, your turn is over because it still counts as using the power. (Feb
26, 2009 PUI Rules Team; Oct 29, 2009 PUI Rules Team)
Q. I try to use Electivire [FB] Lv.X's "Energy Recycle" Poke-POWER,
but my opponent uses Power Spray. Does my turn end?
A. Yes, your turn is over because it still counts as using the power. (Oct
Team Galactic's Invention G-107 Technical Machine G
(Rising Rivals)
Team Galactic's Mars
(Secret Wonders)
Q. Can Team Galactic's Mars be played when your deck consists of
zero cards?
A. No, you must be able to draw at least one card from your deck in
order to play this card. (Mar 27, 2008 PUI Rules Team)
Q. What happens if you play Team Galactic's Mars, but your opponent
has no cards in their hand?
A. You would draw two cards and your opponent would do nothing.
Team Galactic's Wager
(Mysterious Treasures)
Q. If I play Team Galactic's Wager can I choose to draw zero cards, or
must each player draw at least one card since it says "UP TO 3" for
losing or "UP TO 6" for winning?
A. Each player must draw at least one card if they are able to. (Feb 21,
Q. Can I play Team Galactic's Wager if I or my opponent have no hand
after playing the card... or no deck?
A. Yes, both players do as much as they can of the required actions. A
player with no hand will shuffle then draw and a player with no deck
will shuffle in and draw. (Sep 18, 2007 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If no one has any cards left in their deck, and no cards in their hand
except for a single Team Galactic's Wager, can I play Team Galactic's
Wager or not?
A. No. At least one player must be able to draw a card. (Feb 21, 2008
PUI Rules Team)
Q. Is it OK to roll a dice to randomize my Rock-Paper-Scissors choice?
A. No. R-P-S is a game of strategy. You must not appear to be
randomizing your choice by any method. (Oct 16, 2008 PUI Rules
Team)
Q. I found some cool cards and dice to indicate my throw in RockPaper-Scissors. Can I use them?
A. You may not use dice to indicate your choice, as it is to easy to
manipulate the dice while it is covered. The requirements for R-P-S
cards are that they must have identical backs, that they clearly say
“Rock” or “Paper” or “Scissors” on the front and that all themes on the
cards be appropriate for a Pokemon Event as determined by the Head
Judge. (Oct 16, 2008 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Is Rock-Paper-Scissors played by pumping my arm 2 times then
throwing my choice, or pumping 3 times then throw?
A. Players should agree on this between themselves before playing. If
they can’t agree, the default to be used will be a three-count priming
and then the simultaneous throw of the choice, for example, "RockPaper-Scissors-Shoot" with the choice thrown on "shoot". (Oct 16, 2008
PUI Rules Team)
Technical Machine TS-1
(Legends Awakened)
Q. Can I use Technical Machine TS-1's "Evoluter" attack to search
through my deck if I don't have any Pokemon in play that can evolve
any further?
A. Yes you could use Evoluter, because contents of a deck search
cannot be deduced, even on the basis of public knowledge. As long as
you meet the requirements to use an attack, you follow what it does (in
this case, searching your deck). (Dec 4, 2008 PUI Rules Team)
(Legends Awakened)
Q. Technical Machine TS-2's "Devoluter" attack says to choose an
opponent's evolved pokemon (excluding Lv.X). Does this mean I
remove the Stage 2 but leave the Level X card?
A. No. It means that you cannot target any Pokemon that has a Level X
Pokemon attached to it. You can't use Devoluter against it at all. (Aug
Volkner's Philosophy
(Rising Rivals)
Q. Do you *have* to discard a card in order to use Volkner's
Philosophy?
A. No, the discard portion of Volkner's Philosophy is optional. (May
Q. Can I play Volkner's Philosophy if I already have more than 6 cards
in my hand? Or what if I don't have any cards in my deck?
A. You have to be able to draw at least one card from your deck,
regardless of whether you discard a card first or not. If you cannot draw
any cards, due to having too many in your hand or zero in your deck,
you cannot play this card. (May 21, 2009 PUI Rules Team)
Warp Point
(Majestic Dawn; Diamond and Pearl; Crystal Guardians; Others)
Q. Can you use Warp Point if you and your opponent both have only
one Pokémon in play each?
A. You may use Warp Point if either player would be affected by it, but
if NEITHER player is affected you cannot use it. (Jan 4, 2007 PUI
Rules Team)
Windstorm
(Crystal Guardians)
Q. What if you play Windstorm and your opponent only has a stadium
in play? Can you play Windstorm and not discard the stadium?
A. No. You must discard at least 1 card in play, or you can't play the
card. (Sep 21, 2006 PUI Rules Team)
Trainer,
Two on
Energy General
Team
Errata
Two
Index
Gameplay
Gameplay
Cards
Energy Cards
OFFICIAL RULINGS ON ENERGY CARDS (TOP )
* Energy Cards In General
Q. Can I attach Energy cards to Benched Pokémon?
Q. Can I lay a Double Colorless Energy and another Energy down on
the same turn?
A. No, you can only attach 1 Energy card per turn. (2-10-00 & 6-30-00
WotC Chats)
Q. Do you have to add Energy to a Pokémon and attack with your
active Pokémon if you have Energies in your hand?
A. No, you don't have to. (Feb 17, 2000 WotC Chat)
Q. Can players mark the energies in their deck by turning them all
upside-down?
A. No, all cards should be facing the same way. (August 17, 2000 WotC
Chat Q81)
A Special Energy Card remains a Special Energy card regardless
of what happens to it. A Fire Burned Rainbow Energy may only
produce Fire energy but it would still be considered a Special
Energy card as well.(Feb 14, 2002 WotC Chat, Q18)
If a card gives off Energy of any type then that card COUNTS as
an Energy card of that type. This means a Buzzap'd Electrode that
was chosen to give 2 Grass Energy COUNTS as a Grass Energy
Card and can be Energy Transferred by Venusaur's Pokémon
Power. (Mar 30 WotC Chat)
Any card that provides Energy is considered an Energy card of
the type it provides. So if you were to Energy Burn a DCE, it
counts as a Fire Energy card that provides 2 fire Energy until the
end of the turn. So it could be Gathered by Team Rocket
Charmander but would only provide 1 coin flip for the
Continuous Fireball attack on Dark Charizard. (Jul 6, 2000 WotC
Chat Announcements)
The [default or normal] amount of energy an Energy card
provides is equal to the number of energy symbols in the upper
right or left corner of the card, regardless of how many different
types of energy is provided. (Apr 8, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
Boost Energy
(OP Series 5; Dragon Frontiers; Unseen Forces; Others)
Q. Boost Energy says, "the Pokemon Boost Energy is attached to
cannot retreat". But you can still use Switch, DoubleGust, etc. on it,
right?
A. Correct. (Mar 20, 2003 WotC Chat, Q575)
Q. Can I play a Boost Energy on an "Evolved" Basic Pokémon (such as
a Wobbuffet that has evolved from Wynaut)?
A. Yes, you can. It states on Boost Energy you can only play it on
Evolved Pokémon and Wobbuffet is considered an "Evolved" Pokémon
in this case. (Oct 16, 2003 PUI Rules Team)
Call Energy
(Majestic Dawn)
Q. Call Energy card says "Once during your turn..." Can I use this
while my Active Pokemon is attacking?
A. No. Once you start your attack, that's all you're doing for the turn.
It's not something that can be interrupted, and after the attack is over
your turn is over as well. (DP:Majestic Dawn FAQ; May 22, 2008 PUI
Rules Team)
Q. Can I use "Call Energy" if my Pokemon is affected by a Special
Condition or anything else that would normally prevent it from
attacking?
A. Yes, you can use Call Energy even if you are unable to attack. Call
Energy is not considered an attack, Poke-POWER, Poke-BODY, etc.
and is not stopped by effects that prevent those things. (May 22, 2008
PUI Rules Team)
Darkness Energy (Special)
(Rising Rivals; Majestic Dawn; Secret Wonders; Others)
Q. I noticed that the wording of Darkness Energy has changed
beginning with the TCG:EX Ruby/Sapphire expansion. Can you
elaborate on this?
A. Beginning with the TCG:EX Ruby/Sapphire expansion, the +10 extra
damage for Darkness Energy is now applied *BEFORE* Weakness &
Resistance rather than after W/R. Also, the extra benefits only apply if
the Pokémon it's attached to is a Darkness type Pokémon or has the
word "Dark" in the Pokémon's name (i.e. "Dark Blastoise"). Finally, the
-10 self-damage attribute has been removed; so if attached to a nonDark Pokémon, it will no longer take any damage to itself as it did in
previous expansions. (Sep 11, 2003 PUI Rules Team)
Q. The wording on Darkness Energy from the EX:Ruby/Sapphire
expansion says, "if the Pokémon Darkness Energy is attached to attacks,
the attack does 10 more damage to the Active Pokémon" Does this
mean that you get to add +10 even if an attack does no damage at all to
the Defending Pokémon (i.e. EX:Sandstorm Murkrow's "Surprise"
attack)?
A. No, it still applies only if there was initial damage to add to. So in
other words, you still have to do some damage in order to have "10
more" done. (Sep 18, 2003 PUI Rules Team)
Double Rainbow Energy
(OP Series 5; Crystal Guardians; Emerald; Others)
Q. Double Rainbow Energy says, "can be attached only to an Evolved
Pokémon (excluding Pokémon-ex)". Does that mean that I can attach it
to a Pokémon-EX that is a basic (like Scyther-EX)?
A. Sorry, but that means that you cannot attach it to ANY -EX
Pokémon whether it's evolved or basic. (Mar 4, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Double Rainbow says, "Damage done to your opponent's Pokémon...
is reduced by 10 (after applying Weakness and Resistance)." Does this
reduction apply if the attack is "placing damage counters" rather than
"doing damage"?
A. No, reduction does not apply if the attack "places damage counters".
Q. Does Double Rainbow Energy reduce the amount of damage done to
an opponent's benched Pokémon, or only to their Active Pokémon?
A. The reduction applies to both their Active and Benched Pokémon
Q. Does Double Rainbow Energy still take 10 damage off of bench
damaging attacks?
A. Yes, DRE can reduce damage done to the Bench. (Mar 25, 2004 PUI
Rules Team)
Q. If I have to discard a Double Rainbow Energy as part of an attack
that says to discard all cards of a chosen energy type, do I still have to
take the -10 penalty for DRE or not?
A. Yes you would still apply the -10 penalty. In the attack step, when
you make choices, you state which cards you'll be discarding. In the
damage calculation step, you figure out the damage first, and then
discard the Energy required after damage has been dealt. (Apr 15, 2004
PUI Rules Team)
Q. Double Rainbow Energy states that it can only be attached to an
Evolved Pokémon. What happens if I play a card, or attack, or
Pokémon Power, etc. that lets me move it to a Basic Pokémon? Or can I
move it to an evolved -EX Pokémon (like Swampert-EX)?
A. If a Double Rainbow Energy gets moved to a Pokémon that cannot
have it attached, the DRE gets discarded. (Jul 19, 2007 PUI Rules
Team)
Q. If I have a Double Rainbow Energy attached to my Kirlia and then it
somehow gets devolved back into Ralts, do I have to discard the DRE
or does it get to stay?
A. Yes, you have to discard DRE whenever the Pokémon devolves into
a basic Pokémon (May 20, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If I have a Double Rainbow Energy attached to my Kirlia and then I
evolve it into Gardevoir-EX, do I have to discard the DRE or does it get
to stay?
A. If the Double Rainbow Energy was already attached to a non-EXPokémon, then you have to remove it when the Pokémon evolves into
an EX-Pokémon. (Mar 25, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Say I have Wobbuffet with a Double Rainbow Energy and I use Flip
Over. I know it will do 40 damage because of DRE's effect, but will
Wobbuffet still receive the 10 self-damage, or does that get erased
because of DRE's effect?
A. The wording on DRE says "Damage done to your OPPONENT's
Pokémon..." gets reduced. So in this case the Wobbuffet will still
damage itself. (Apr 8, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Lets say I have like a Kirlia active with a DRE on it, and then use
"Suprise! Time Machine" for a different Kirlia. Would the DRE get
discarded because it is devolved back into Ralts?
A. Yes, once it becomes a Ralts, it is discarded. It doesn't matter that it
will evolve again. (Jan 13, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Can I use attacks, powers, etc. to move an opponent's Double
Rainbow Energy to a Basic Pokémon?
A. Yes, and if you do so the Double Rainbow Energy would have to be
discarded since it cannot be attached to a Basic Pokémon. (Nov 17,
Holon Energy FF/GL/WP
Q. Several Pokémon reference Holon Energy cards in their text; for
example, Rayquaza's "Delta Guard" Poké-BODY says that if a Holon
Energy is attached, it doesn't take 7 damage counters for using his
"Lightning Storm" attack. My question is: if I've attached one of
Holon's Pokémon (e.g. Holon's Voltorb), as an energy card, is it
considered a Holon Energy?
A. Attaching a Holon's Pokémon as energy does not count as having a
Holon Energy attached. (Nov 3, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If I have a Pokémon with basic Grass Energy attached that is
affected by one or more Special Conditions, when I attach Holon
Energy GL is it cured of those conditions?
A. Yes, it would remove Special Conditions on that Pokémon. (Nov 3,
Q. Is the reduction of damage done from Pokémon-EX's cumulative if I
have more than one Holon Energy GL attached?
A. Yes it is. (Nov 3, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If I have more than one Holon Energy GL attached, do I need to
have one basic Lightning Energy card per Holon Energy GL in order to
use its effect?
A. No, one basic Lightning Energy card is enough to cover all of the
Holon Energy GL attached to that Pokémon. (Nov 3, 2005 PUI Rules
Team)
Q. If you attach Holon Energy GL to a Benched Pokémon, does it
reduce damage done from Pokémon-EX's even if that damage is not
being done to that Pokémon?
A. No, Holon Energies only protect the Pokémon that they are actually
attached to. (Nov 3, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Does Holon Energy WP prevent effects (excluding damage) done by
an opponent's Pokémon powers (i.e. Machoke's "Strikes Back")? Or
does it only prevent the effects from an opponent's attacks?
A. It only prevents the effects (excluding damage done) from an
opponent's attacks. Effects from Trainer cards, Poké-Powers, and PokéBodies are not prevented. (Nov 17, 2005 PUI Rules Team; Jul 25, 2006
PUI Announcements; Jul 27, 2006 PUI Rules Team)
Q. For Holon Energy GL with a basic Lightning energy attached, is the
10 damage reduced before or after Weakness/Resistance?
A. It's reduced after Weakness/Resistance. (Dec 8, 2005 PUI Rules
Team)
Q. What happens if I try to use "Drag Off" to bring up a benched
Pokémon that has a Holon Energy WP attached ("prevent all effects
excluding damage done...")
A. Since the Holon Energy WP would prevent the effect of switching
out that Pokémon, you cannot target it with Drag Off. You will have to
choose a different target. (Mar 23, 2006 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Do I get to remove any Special Conditions (i.e. Poison, Asleep, etc.)
when I attach Holon Energy WP to that Pokémon?
A. No, Holon Energy WP doesn't remove Special Conditions, but it
prevents them from being placed by attacks made after it has been
attached. (May 18, 2006 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Does Holon Energy WP prevent an opponent's attack from placing
damage counters onto that Pokémon?
A. Yes, "placing counters" is not the same as "damage done", so Holon
Energy WP prevents placing counters onto that Pokémon. (May 18,
Q. Wobbuffet attacks an opponent using its "Shadow Tag" attack.
During the next turn a Holon Energy WP is attached to that Pokémon.
Will this prevent the Shadow Tag effect from taking place at the end of
the turn?
A. The Shadow Tag effect is a pre-existing condition on the Active
Pokémon that was attacked by Wobbuffet. Holon Energy WP only
prevents effects from new attacks during the time while it was actually
attached; it does not remove effects already on a Pokémon. So in this
scenario the Shadow Tag effect would still work. (May 18, 2006 PUI
Rules Team)
Q. If I have Holon Energy WP and a basic Water energy card attached,
when my opponent performs an attack that involves discarding a tool
attached to that Pokémon, does the tool get discarded or not?
A. Holon Energy WP would prevent discarding of the tool by an
opponent's attack. (Sep 21, 2006 PUI Rules Team)
Holon Energy WP and Ancient Technical Machine [Ice] only prevent
Water energy attached, does it prevent the prize flipping portion of
Gallade's "Psychic Cut"?
A. No. You can still flip up the prize cards and increase the amount of
damage, as flipping is part of the damage calculation and is not an
effect done to directly to the Pokemon with the Water and Holon WP
energies attached. (Jan 10, 2008 PUI Rules Team)
Water energy attached, what happens to the "your opponent can't use
any Poke-Powers" part of Gardevoir's "Psychic Lock" attack?
Pokemon. So since the Holon Energy WP only protects the Pokemon,
the opposing player is still unable to use any of their Poke-Powers. (Jan
Q. What happens if Gardevoir LV.X uses "Bring Down", but the lowest
HP Pokemon is protected by some effect like Holon Energy WP?
A. The Pokemon with Holon Energy WP attached can still be attacked
with Bring Down, but it will not get Knocked Out because the
protection of Holon Energy WP prevents all effects (including
automatic KO) except damage done to that Pokemon. (Jan 31, 2008 PUI
Rules Team)
Metal Energy (Special)
(Rising Rivals; Majestic Dawn; Secret Wonders; Others)
Q. Does special Metal Energy reduce damage done to me from attacks
by my own Pokemon?
A. Yes, as long as it is attached to a metal type Pokemon. But keep in
mind that Metal Energy does NOT prevent the "placing of damage
counters" (not same as "damage done"). (Sep 11, 2008 PUI Rules Team)
Multi Energy
(Mysterious Treasures; Power Keepers; Holon Phantoms; Others)
Q. The wording for Multi Energy is a bit confusing; does it mean that if
I have Multi Energy already attached, and then I attach a special energy
card, does the "rainbow effect" of Multi Energy disappear at that time?
A. Yes. Multi Energy provides colorless energy when any other Special
Energy card is present on the Pokémon (Sep 11, 2003 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If I have one Multi Energy attached and then I attach a second one,
do they cancel each other out and both become colorless?
A. Yes, since they are both Special Energy cards, each one cancels out
the other. (Sep 11, 2003 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If I have Multi Energy and a special energy card both attached, and
then I remove the special energy card (i.e. retreating, etc.), does the
"rainbow effect" of Multi Energy then turn back on?
A. Yes. It will provide the "rainbow" effect when it is the only Special
Energy card on that Pokémon (Sep 11, 2003 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If you have say 2 Lightning and 1 Multi on an Expedition Raichu,
his attack says "discard all Lightning energy cards"; would you have to
discard the Multi Energy too?
A. Yes. It is providing Lightning Energy at the time, so it gets
discarded. (Dec 18, 2003 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Say Charizard-EX has a Boost Energy and a Multi Energy card
attached to it. All of this energy is converted to Fire due to CharizardEX's "Energy Flame" Poké-POWER, and can be used for the attack and
is discarded at the end of the turn. The fact that Multi Energy being
considered Colorless due to it being attached with other special energies
is overcome by the "Energy Flame" Poké-POWER, right?
A. Yes, that is correct. (Apr 21, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Say I have Lanturn with both a Double Rainbow Energy and a Multi
Energy. When I have to "discard all Lightning Energy", would I have to
discard the Multi Energy or not?
A. At the time when this portion of the attack is being evaluated, it
would not be a Lightning Energy and would not get discarded when the
DRE is discarded. (May 12, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If I have an attack that says to discard a Fire Energy and a Water
Energy, may I discard a single Rainbow Energy card or Multi Energy
card to satisfy that requirement?
A. No, even though Rainbow and Multi provide all energy types
simultaneously, they only provide one unit of energy. You can discard it
for either the Fire or the Water, but you would still need to discard at
least one additional card of the required type. (Dec 11, 2008 PUI Rules
Team)
Rainbow Energy
(Platinum; Legend Maker; RubySapphire; Others)
Q. Can you have more then 4-rainbow energies since it changes into a
basic energy?
A. No, since it's not a basic energy you can only use 4 in a deck. (April
13, 2000 WotC Chat Q124)
Q. If an attack says to discard a specific type of energy card to use that
attack, can a Rainbow Energy be used to pay that cost? There a few
new cards that that would be important to based on the wordings.
A. Yes, you can. (Oct 11, 2001 WotC Chat, Q30)
Q. If I have an attack that says to discard a Fire Energy and a Water
Energy, may I discard a single Rainbow Energy card or Multi Energy
card to satisfy that requirement?
A. No, even though Rainbow and Multi provide all energy types
simultaneously, they only provide one unit of energy. You can discard it
for either the Fire or the Water, but you would still need to discard at
least one additional card of the required type. (Dec 11, 2008 PUI Rules
Team)
Q. If Mewtwo "Energy Absorbs" a Rainbow Energy and then Venusaur
"Energy Trans" it, does the receiving Pokémon take damage?
A. Nope, it only does [places] the damage [counter] when you play the
card from your hand. (June 22, 2000 WotC Chat, Q72)
Q. Can you Energy Trans a Rainbow Energy?
A. Sure. (June 22, 2000 WotC Chat, Q228)
Q. Can you Rain Dance Rainbow Energy?
A. No. Because it does not count as any type while in your hand. (June
22, 2000 WotC Chat, Q247)
Q. Can movie promo Pikachu use Recharge to get a Rainbow Energy
from the deck, or does it have to be a basic Electric Energy card? (If
Rainbow Energy is OK, I assume it does not cause damage, since it is
not played from the hand?)
A. That would not work. Rainbow Energy only counts as all-basic
energy types WHILE IN PLAY. This is not the case when it is in the
deck. (April 27, 2000 WotC Chat Q6)
Q. If I have two Rainbow energy attached to a Dark Charizard and I
flip two heads, can I discard the Rainbow Energy or do I have to have
Fire Energy cards?
A. You could discard the Rainbow Energy as they do count as all basic
energy types. (June 22, 2000 WotC Chat, Q227)
Q. When Neo comes out, will Rainbow Energy count as Darkness and
Metal energy???
A. For the purposes of paying the cost of an attack, yes. Though the
additional effects will not be provided. (Nov 9, 2000 WotC Chat, Q669)
Scramble Energy
(Dragon Frontiers; OP Series 4; Deoxys)
Q. How much energy (and what kind) does Scramble Energy produce if
both players have the SAME number of prizes remaining?
A. Scramble Energy only provides one Colorless if both players have
the same number of prizes. It only provides three "rainbow" if you have
MORE prizes remaining than your opponent. (Feb 10, 2005 PUI Rules
Team)
Trainer,
Two on
Energy General
Team
Errata
Two
Index
Gameplay
Gameplay
Cards
General Gameplay
OFFICIAL RULINGS ON GENERAL GAMEPLAY (TOP )
Bench
Q. Dark Dragonite's Pokémon Power does not have the "you cannot use
this Power if your bench is already full" text like most other Benchbuilding powers and attacks do. Does this mean that by using Dark
Dragonite you can bypass the normal five-Pokémon limit to your
bench?
A. C'mon. That's silly. There isn't room to put the reminder text on
every single card. The rule is the bench can only have 5 max (EVER).
(April 27, 2000 WotC Chat Q43)
Cards in General
Q. Are Promos legal in tourney and league play?
A. Promo cards are legal in tourney and league play [As long as they
have been released in the local area]. (Jan 27 WotC Chat)
Q. What are the rules on foreign cards in DCI play?
A. You can use cards that are copies of already released English cards
only. And you must have at least one English copy with you for
translation purposes [or a copy of the card's text from the official CardDex] (Feb 10 WotC Chat)
Q. When the text for a previously released card changes in a new set,
how are the older cards played?
A. You will need to start using the new text as soon as the set is
released. (Sep 5, 2002 WotC Chat, Q185)
Q. What is a marked card?
A. A card that you can tell what it is by a glance (without seeing the
front). It might have a different back, be scracthed or written on in
some way, be more worn out than the other cards, etc." (Aug 3 2000
WotC Chat, Q186)
Q. Can people have more then one card in a sleeve, I have caught
people trying to cheat this way. Will you get DQ'ed for it ?
A. Having 2 cards in a sleeve counts as a marked card. There are rules
and punishments for this infraction listed on the tournament floor rules.
(Jun 14, 2001 WotC Chat, Q72)
Q. What is an opaque card sleeve?
A. An opaque card sleeve is one that has a backing you cannot see
through...common opaque [sleeves] are red and/or black (7-27-00 WotC
Chat)
Deck
Q. Can I have say 4 Blaine's Arcanine and four regular Arcanine?
A. In one deck? Sure, they have different names. (Jun 22, 2000 WotC
Chat, Q10)
Q. Can I have 4 Deoxys Attack Forme and 4 Deoxys Speed Forme in
my deck?
A. Yes, the "Forme" is part of the name, so you can have 4 of each.
Q. How many Shellos/Gastrodons of the East Sea or West Sea variety
can you have in a deck?
A. You may have four of each. "Shellos East Sea" and "Shellos West
Sea" are different Pokemon. (Apr 30, 2009 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Are you allowed to have as many DCE as you want in a deck like
normal Energy or only four like any other card?
A. Only 4 maximum, it is NOT a basic Energy card (the only type you
can have more than 4 of in your deck). (Jan 27 WotC Chat)
Q. Can you have more than 4 Metal [Special] energy cards in a deck
legally?
A. No. [Ed. Note: Same rule applies to Darkness [Special] Energy too.]
(Dec 21, 2000 WotC Chat, Q253)
Q. Can I have an English Dark Blastoise on the side while having a
water energy with Dark Blastoise written on it in my deck and play it in
a tournament?
A. No, you'll have to use the Dark Blastoise. (May 4, 2000 WotC Chat,
Q98)
Q. Can you play 4 English cards and 4 Japanese cards that do the same
thing if the name does not translate directly? Like, Brock has a different
name in Japanese ["Takeshi"].
A. No you could not, they are the same card. (Mar 15, 2001 WotC Chat,
Q275)
Q. If using foreign language cards, do you need an English copy for
each card you use? Say if I use four Japanese Item Finders, do I need
four English Item Finders or just one?
A. Just one would be fine. (Sep 7, 2000 WotC Chat, Q211)
Q. Is it required to have a Basic Pokémon in your deck? For example,
could I make a deck with just the fossils and no other Basic Pokémon in
it?
A. Starting with EX:Delta Species, there is now a requirement to have
at least 1 Basic Pokémon in a deck in order to be considered a legal
deck. (Jan 12, 2006 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Can you have 4 Electabuzz and 4 Electabuzz-EX in the same deck?
A. Yes, you can play 4 Electabuzz and 4 Electabuzz EX in the same
deck, as they are considered different cards (similar to the ruling for
Trainer Pokémon). (Sep 11, 2003 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Can you have 4 Electivire and 4 Electivire Lv.X in the same deck?
A. No, Lv.X Pokemon are considered the same as other pokemon with
the same name. You may only have a maximum of 4 combined in your
deck (i.e. 3 Electivire, 1 Electivire Lv.X). (Sep 25, 2008 PUI Rules
Team)
Q. Can I put 4 each of the Unown with the "RETURN" Poke-POWER
and the Unown with the "FLASH" Poke-POWER in a 60 card deck?
A. No, you can't. In the case of cards like "Unown G" and "Unown R"
where the Unown's letter is in its name, they are considered different
names, and you can have 4 of each in your deck. When only "Unown"
is written these are cards with the same name, so you can only put up to
4 copies of any with that exact name in a 60 card deck. (GS:Heart
Q. Can you have Japanese or other foreign cards in your deck and if so,
do you have to have an English equivalent of each different foreign
card outside your deck?
A. Yes, foreign cards are allowed. However, you must have an English
or local-language version of the card, outside the deck, for reference
purposes [or a print out of the official Card-Dex text]. (Jan 22, 2004
PUI Rules Team; Mar 31, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Can you mix Team Magma and Team Aqua cards in the same deck?
A. Yes. There is no rule preventing you from playing rival teams in the
same deck. The cards generally work better within the same team, but
it's up to the player how they build their decks. (Team Magma vs Team
Aqua Prerelease FAQ, Q2)
Q. Can a World Championship deck card be used as a local language
reference?
A. Yes, it can be used. The card is not being played in a deck, it is
being used as a reference. (Feb 3, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
Q. I like to keep my deck and discard pile sideways to help me keep
them separate from my bench. Is that OK?
A. Your deck must be oriented vertically, to avoid revealing
information during handling or cuts. You may turn your discard pile
'sideways', to help you distinguish it from your bench. (Oct 16, 2008
PUI Rules Team)
Discard Pile
Q. Some players freely examine their own discard pile (or their
opponent's) whenever they want. Is this allowed? Or can a discard pile
only be examined when you have official business there (like after
playing Item Finder).
A. Discard piles are open knowledge (either player could look through
them). (April 6, 2000 WotC Chat Q97)
Q. During a game is it legal to count your Discard pile? Is it also legal
to count your deck as long as you do not look at the cards front?
A. Sure, though if you do it too often during a timed tournament it could
be deemed stalling. (Aug 31, 2000 WotC Chat, Q154)
Q. Can I separate my discard pile in two stacks to make it easier to
count energy?
A. No, you have to have a single neatly stacked discard pile. You may
sort or turn cards neatly in that pile if it helps the game go more quickly,
but they must all be touching. (Oct 16, 2008 PUI Rules Team)
Evolving
Q. How do I evolve a Pokémon?
A. You just play the evolved version of that Pokémon on top of the
Pokémon you want to evolve. In other words, you have to have the
unevolved version already on the table and the evolved version in your
hand, and then you just put the evolved version on top of the unevolved
version. You can evolve an Active or a Benched Pokémon. (Basic
FAQ, WotC Website)
Q. So, after reading Research and Development's ruling from last week,
the only way a Pokémon can evolve on the first turn is through either
Eevee's Chain Reaction or Team Rocket Magikarp's Rapid Evolution?
Otherwise, the normal "Pokémon must be in play for at least one turn"
is still in effect?
A. Yes, essentially, though I don't know a single way you could do
Team Rocket Magikarp's Rapid Evolution on the first turn. (July 27
2000 WotC Chat)
Q. You ruled that Team Rocket's Magikarp's Rapid Evolution can be
used the turn those Pokémon come into play [Ed.Note: see also "Rapid
Evolution" (Jul 13, 2000 WotC Chat Announcements)]. Does that mean
that if I had played TR Magikarp down on the first turn of the game, I
could evolve him (I know that this is not possible, i.e., I cannot get 3
[W] Energy on Magikarp but if we ignore this limitation) ... would it be
possible since Rapid Evolution ignores the normal evolution rule?
A. Yes, *if* you could get three water energy on Team Rocket
Magikarp. (Jul 20, 2000 WotC Chat, Q141)
It is possible for you to have a Pokémon evolve BEFORE your
2nd turn but NOT on your first turn. An example, your opponent
plays first, on your turn you play or already have promo Eevee
out. On his second turn he evolves a Pokémon, you could now
use promo Eevee's Chain Reaction to pull out an evolution card
and put it on Eevee. This is BEFORE your second turn but
AFTER your first turn. (Jul 20, 2000 WotC Chat, mid-point
Announcement [Q149])
Certain attacks & powers (like Erika's Clefairy's Lunar Power
attack, Koga's Kakuna's Emerge Pokémon Power, or TR
Magikarp's Rapid Evolution attack), can break the standard "can't
evolve turn 1 or the turn it was played" rule. You CAN play them
on the first turn and you can sometimes even choose a Pokémon
on your Bench that you just played this turn. To make it easier to
understand, the standard evolution rules ("can't evolve turn 1 or
the turn it was played") deal with the standard means of evolving;
meaning taking the next Stage Pokémon from your hand and
placing it on a Pokémon. Since these attacks and powers have
you take a card from your deck and place it, they are NOT
stopped by the standard evolution limits. This also falls under the
term "played". Aerodactyl's Pokémon Power "Prehistoric Power"
says No more Evolution cards can be played. The above attacks
and powers would NOT be affected by this as those cards are not
"played" (meaning played from your hand). (Nov 30, 2000 WotC
Chat Announcements)
Dark Pokémon evolve from Basic Pokémon. Once you evolve a
Basic Pokémon into a Dark Stage 1 Pokémon, it CANNOT
evolve into a non-Dark Stage 2 Pokémon, only a Dark Stage 2.
"Once you walk down the Dark Path, forever will it dominate
your destiny" - Yoda the non-Pokémon. (Apr 13 WotC Chat)
Q. Can I still use the abilities of the Basic Pokémon after I've evolved
it?
A. No. (Basic FAQ, WotC Website)
Q. In the Team Rocket set does a Stage 2 Dark Pokémon have to evolve
from a Dark Pokémon or can I put it on a plain one?
A. It has to evolve from a Dark Stage 1 Pokémon (unless you use
Breeder of course). (May 18, 2000 WotC Chat, Q52)
Q. Can I evolve a Dratini from the rocket set into a Dragonair from the
first set of Pokémon?
A. Yes. (May 11, 2000 WotC Chat, Q117)
Q. Could you evolve the special Birthday Pikachu into a Raichu or Dark
Raichu?
A. Nope. If there was ever a Birthday Raichu then ok. (Dec 7, 2000
WotC Chat, Q96)
Q. If a Baby Pokémon evolves into a basic Pokémon (for example,
Pichu to Pikachu), is the Basic Pokémon now considered an Evolved
Pokémon?
A. Yes, it is, though you can still play any Basic Pokémon by itself,
without having its Baby Pokémon in play. (Neo Genesis FAQ, WotC
Website)
Q. Can a Baby Pokemon evolve into a Gym Leader's Pokemon (Ex:
Cleffa into Erika`s Clefairy)?
A. No, you can't. (Feb 22, 2001 WotC Chat, Q24)
Evolution effects may take place on the first turn of the game,
unless specifically stated on the card. This will affect Trainer
cards, Poké-Powers, and effects of attacks. In the past, it was
ruled that such an effect would have to state "This may be used
on the first turn of the game." The correct usage is the card would
have to specifically state "This may not be used on the first turn
of the game." (Jul 22, 2004 PUI Rules Team; Jul 30, 2004 PUI
Rules Update)
A guiding rule for evolving Pokémon... If it's not in play at the
start of that player's turn, it can't be evolved normally. And effects
that say "this counts as evolving the Pokémon" count against
being able to evolve a Pokémon normally afterward. So, you can
use Wally's Training after evolving normally, but you can't use
Wally's Training then evolve. (Oct 30, 2003 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Can I play a LV.X Pokémon on one of my Benched Pokémon?
A. No, you can only attach a LV.X card to a Pokémon when it is
Active. It says so on the card. (May 10, 2007 PUI Rules Team)
Q. What does "This counts as evolving that Pokémon" mean, in game
terms?
A. It counts towards the one evolution per turn for that Pokémon (with
exceptions for Trainers and Pokémon Powers that break that rule) and
removes Special Conditions on that Pokémon. (Sep 26, 2003 PUI Rules
Team)
Q. If I use "Baby Evolution" to evolve Pichu into Pikachu, or Wynaut
into Wobbuffet, is the resulting Pokémon (Pikachu, Wobbuffet, etc.)
considered an "Evolved Pokémon", or is it still considered as a "Basic
Pokémon"?
A. Any time you evolve a Pokémon into another stage, it is considered
to be an "Evolved Pokémon", even if the words written on the card say
"Basic". Alternatively, the quick and dirty way to figure this out is...is
there a Pokémon underneath it? If yes, then it's evolved. Likewise,
when you use an attack like Kabuto's & Omanyte's "Team Assembly" to
bring other Kabutos and/or Omanytes onto the bench, they are to be
treated as "Basic Pokémon", even though the words written on the card
say "Stage 1". Is there a Pokémon underneath it? If not, then it's basic.
Q. Is it possible to evolve Pichu from the "Heart Gold/Soul Silver"
expansion into Pikachu or Raichu?
A. No, because Pikachu would need to have "Evolves from Pichu"
printed on the card in order to do this. Pichu cards from other sets with
the "Baby Evolution" Poke-POWER provide a way to bypass this
requirement, but this isn't possible with Pichu from "Heart Gold/Soul
Silver". None of the HGSS set's Pokemon with the "Sweet Sleeping
Face" Poke-BODY can evolve without a corresponding card that says it
evolves from them. (GS:Heart Gold/Soul Silver FAQ; Feb 11, 2010 PUI
Rules Team)
Game Actions
* If an action is mandatory (e.g., draw a card at the beginning of your
turn, take a prize for knocking out a Pokémon, place damage counters
for an attack, etc.), and you forget to take that action, you do not need
your opponent's permission to do it. However, you should immediately
call a judge so that things don't get muddled. (Mar 14, 2007 POP
Announcement, POP Professor Forums)
* If an action is *optional* (e.g., playing a Trainer, attaching an
Energy, attacking your opponent's Pokémon, etc.), and you forget to
take that action, you must ask your opponent for permission to take that
action. For example, if you attach a Grass Energy to your Pokémon,
and you wanted to attach a Fire Energy, you must ask your opponent's
permission to take back the Grass Energy and attach the Fire energy
instead. If he or she says no, you're stuck with the Grass Energy. (Mar
14, 2007 POP Announcement, POP Professor Forums)
Hand
Q. How many cards can I have in my hand?
A. You can have as many cards as you draw. There is no limit to hand
size. (Basic FAQ, WotC Website)
Q. Is there any penalty for accidentally seeing your opponents hand?
A. As long as you both agree it was accidental, then no. (Aug 31, 2000
WotC Chat Q183)
Knock Outs & Prizes
Q. If I Knock Out my own Pokémon, does my opponent still get to take
a Prize?
Q. When you Knock Out more than one of your opponent's Pokémon in
a turn (i.e. using Selfdestruct or Raichu's Gigashock attack) do you
receive a Prize for each Knocked Out enemy Pokémon?
A. Yes you do. And if you knock out some of your own, your opponent
gets to draw prizes as well. (Jan 27 WotC Chat)
Q. When both active Pokémon are knocked out, who places a new
active first?
A. The player whose turn would be next. (Nov 30, 2000 WotC Chat,
Q220)
Q. If Gastly (Fossil) uses Lick and Knocks Out the other Pokémon, does
your opponent bring out another Pokémon and then you do the status
effect?
A. No, a Pokémon is SLATED to be removed when it has sufficient
damage assigned to it. Attack effects resolve BEFORE a replacement
Pokémon is brought up. (Aug 31, 2000 WotC Chat Q232)
Q. Do you apply Pokémon Powers before status effects?
A. Check under 'How do you figure damage' in the Pokémon rules.
Existing status effects are applied first, then Pokémon powers, then
damage is assigned, then lastly new status effects from the attack are
applied (basically). (Sep 7, 2000 WotC Chat, Q62)
Q. If one of your Pokémon was Poisoned, and a few turns later it is
KO'd by the Poison, does your opponent take a Prize card although the
Poison KO'd the Pokémon, and not your opponents Pokémon?
A. Yes, he would still draw a Prize card. Whenever a Pokémon is
Knocked Out, the other player gets Prize cards -- even if you Knock Out
your own. (Feb 10 WotC Chat)
Q. This is probably an incredibly silly question, but I can't find the
answer to it anywhere. If an opponent knocks out one of my Pokémon,
and they forget to draw a prize, are they entitled to it if they remember
later?
A. Technically yes. It is the responsibility of BOTH players to make
sure everything is done correctly. If you spot it and he forgets you can
BOTH get a warning in a tournament if you don't catch it. (August 17,
2000 WotC Chat Q102)
LEGEND Pokemon
Q. Do Pokemon LEGEND count as one Pokemon or two for purposes
of bench space, prizes taken, attack effects, Poke-POWERs, PokeBODYs, and calculating damage?
A. A Pokemon LEGEND is made up of two Pokemon cards each
consisting of 1 half of the Pokemon, but it counts as a single Pokemon
while in play; one bench space, one prize per KO, etc. (GS:Heart
Q. Do the LEGEND cards with two Pokemon on them (i.e. "Entei &
Raikou LEGEND", etc.) count as two Pokemon while in play?
A. No, they only count as a single Pokemon when in play, even if your
opponent takes 2 Prize cards when they are knocked out. (HS:Unleashed
Q. If "Raikou & Suicune LEGEND" attacks "Suicune & Entei
LEGEND", how is weakness calculated?
A. Since "Suicune & Entei LEGEND" is weak to both of "Raikou &
Suicune LEGEND's" types (Electric and Water), you would multiply
the damage x4. (HS:Unleashed FAQ; May 13, 2010 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Can I use "Pokemon Collector" to choose Pokemon LEGEND cards
as part of the 3 Basic Pokemon I search for in my deck?
A. No, because Pokemon Collector only lets you choose Basic
Pokemon. Pokemon LEGEND are considered "Unevolved Pokemon"
when in play, but they are not considered "Basic Pokemon". (GS:Heart
Q. Can I use Mantine's "Group Swim" attack to put one half of a Lugia
LEGEND card in my hand?
A. Yes. Either half of the Lugia LEGEND card is still considered "a
Water-type Pokemon", so you can search for it with Group Swim.
Q. How many of each half of the Pokemon LEGEND cards can I have
in my 60 card deck? Is it 4 total or 4 of each half?
A. You can put up to 4 total halves of each Pokemon LEGEND in your
deck (e.g. 4 Ho-Oh LEGEND halves and 4 Lugia LEGEND halves), but
you cannot put 4 of each half of a Pokemon LEGEND in your deck
(e.g. you couldn't have 4 Lugia LEGEND top half and 4 Lugia
LEGEND bottom half). (GS:Heart Gold/Soul Silver FAQ; Feb 11, 2010
PUI Rules Team)
Q. Can I put three halves of one Pokemon LEGEND card and one of
the other half in my deck?
A. Yes, that is legal if you wish. You do not need to have the same
number of each half in your deck. (GS:Heart Gold/Soul Silver FAQ;
Q. Is LEGEND part of the Pokemon name? Can I have 4 Lugia and 2
Lugia LEGEND sets in a 60 card deck?
A. LEGEND is part of the name, similar to past sets that contained
Pokemon with "Dark" or "-ex" as part of their name. They are not
considered the same as their normal counterpart, so yes you can have 4
"Lugia" and 4 "Lugia LEGEND" halves in your deck. (GS:Heart
Q. Can I play a Pokemon LEGEND as my Active Pokemon or on my
Bench during setup?
A. No. Since a Pokemon LEGEND is not a Basic Pokemon you cannot
play it during setup, even if you have both halves. (GS:Heart Gold/Soul
Q. What if during setup the only Pokemon cards in my hand are
Pokemon LEGEND halves?
A. Since you have no Basic Pokemon to place Active you will let your
opponent look at your hand, then shuffle and redraw your hand as
described in the rulebook. (GS:Heart Gold/Soul Silver FAQ; Feb 11,
Q. If Primeape's "Top Drop" attack reveals a LEGEND Pokemon card
with no HP printed on it, how much damage does it do (if any)?
A. No damage is done regardless of which LEGEND half is revealed by
Top Drop, because even the half with HP written on it is not considered
"a Pokemon" while in the Discard Pile. (Feb 4, 2010 PUI Rules Team;
Q. Can I choose one or both halves of Lugia LEGEND with Garchomp
Lv.X's "Restore" attack, and play it on my Bench?
A. Restore cannot put either of these on the bench. It can't bench both
halves of a Pokemon LEGEND with Restore, because it is searching for
"a Pokemon". A single Pokemon LEGEND half is considered "a
Pokemon" in your discard, so you could only choose one of the two
Lugia LEGEND halves. However, one half of a Pokemon LEGEND
cannot be brought into play alone, so you couldn't put it on your bench.
Q. Can I use Mew's "Re-creation" attack to choose a Lugia LEGEND
card with the attack "Elemental Blast" written on it from my opponent's
discard pile, and use that attack?
A. No, you can't use any attacks from a Pokemon LEGEND unless both
pieces are in play. (Feb 18, 2010 PUI Rules Team)
Leveling Up
Q. Can I play a LV.X Pokémon on one of my Benched Pokémon?
A. No, you can only attach a LV.X card to a Pokémon when it is
Active. It says so on the card. (May 10, 2007 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Does leveling up remove Special Conditions such as poison, asleep,
confusion, etc.?
A. When a Pokemon Lv.X is played, it removes all Special Conditions
and other effects from that Pokemon. (Jul 10, 2008 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If I use an attack this turn that says I cannot use it again next turn,
does leveling up to a Lv.X remove that condition?
effects and status. So yes you would be able to use that attack again
after leveling up. (Aug 28, 2008 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If I use a Poke-POWER that can normally be used only once during
my turn by that Pokemon, but then I level up that Pokemon, can I use
that Poke-POWER again on the same turn?
A. No, you cannot. The Lv.X is still considered the same Pokemon as it
was before leveling up. (Dec 11, 2008 PUI Rules Team; Jan 22, 2009
PUI Rules Team)
Q. If I level up a Basic Pokemon, is it still considered a Basic
Pokemon?
A. Yes, the Lv.X Pokemon has the same evolutionary stage as the card
beneath it. (Jul 10, 2008 PUI Rules Team)
Q. I know you can't level up a Pokemon on the same turn as it evolves,
but what about leveling up a Basic Pokemon (like Darkrai) on same
turn as it is played?
A. No, similar to evolving the Pokemon cannot level up on the same
turn it comes into play, nor on your first turn of the game. (Mar 20,
Q. If I have a Shaymin Lv.X (land forme) in play, can I level it up by
placing a different Lv.X (sky forme) on top of it?
A. No, once a Pokemon has reached Lv.X it cannot level up any higher.
Q. When you level up to a LV.X Pokemon that is a different type than
its predecessor, is the Pokemon considered the new type or dual type?
A. Only Attacks, Poke-POWERs, Poke-BODYs, and Stage
classifications are inherited when a Pokemon levels up. The leveled up
Pokemon is considered only the new type specified on the LV.X card.
Q. If I level up a Pokemon that has an Item on it (like Dialga's
"Adamant Orb" or Palkia's "Lustrous Orb"), does the Lv.X Pokemon
also get to take advantage of that item?
A. Yes, items must still be used when a Pokemon levels up. (May 22,
Q. Does Kabutops' "Primal Stare" Poke-POWER prevent your
oppponent from leveling up to a LV.X?
A. No, because "leveling up" is not the same thing as "evolving". Once
a LV.X is placed, it takes on the stage of the Pokemon from which it
leveled up. (Jan 10, 2008 PUI Rules Team)
Markers
* Imprison & Shock-wave Markers are special markers that were
introduced in EX: Dragon Frontiers and will be included in theme decks
for that expansion instead of the regular Burned and Poisoned Special
Condition markers. After one these markers has been attached to a
Pokémon, they are removed ONLY when the Pokémon evolves or
devolves. Pre-existing cards such as Double Full Heal or Heal Energy
do not remove these new markers an effect would specifically have to
mention Imprison or Shock-wave markers for that effect to remove
these markers. (EX:Dragon Frontiers FAQ; Oct 26, 2006 PUI Rules
Team)
Notes
Q. Since notes must be confined to game state, what actually consitutes
"game state"?
A. Any notes you take during a tournament must be confined to changes
in the game state and taking those notes must not slow down the game.
Game State includes things such as number of Prizes remaining,
number of cards in hand, whether or not a Supporter has been played,
whether or not a Power has been used, how many of a specific card an
opponent has in his/her discard pile (this does not include listing the
entire contents of the discard, just a simple "2x Rare Candy"), etc.
Game State does NOT include which cards are in your hand, which
cards are in your opponent's hand, which cards are in your Prizes,
which cards aren't in your deck because they are in your Prizes, how
many licks it takes to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop, etc. (Dec 18,
Q. Can I take notes in code or make deceptive notes during a match?
A. Per the Tournament Rules, your notes must be taken timely,
restricted to changes in game state and open to review by the other
player. Codes hinder both review and timeliness, because you have to
explain them to the opponent. Of course, dubious game actions intended
to deceive the opponent may earn a disqualification for unsporting
conduct (i.e., no deceptive notes). (Oct 16, 2008 PUI Rules Team)
Randomizers (Coins, Dice, etc)
Q. Will the Coin Flipper on the Chansey E-Card (when used with the
E-Reader) be legal for gameplay purposes?
A. Nope, the e-reader technology is fun but not tournament legal. It's
too distracting to other players, takes too long to actually flip and hard
to see by both players at the same time. (Sep 5, 2002 WotC Chat, Q202;
Sep 12, 2002 WotC Chat, Q293 & Q300)
Q. Is it allowable for a player in a tourney to refuse to let someone use
their randomizer (coin)?
A. Nope. This is done to keep players form gaining an edge with a
possibly unblanaced randomizer. (Jan 11, 2001 WotC Chat, Q80 &
Q115)
Q. A Judging question -- a pokemon that has 5 or 6 cards attached to it
is on the table. A player throws a six sided dice and it lands half on the
table and half sitting on this big stack of cards at about a 25 or 30
degreee tilt. Is this similiar to the "flat coin ruling where the coin flip
counts even if it lands in the damage counter or half on cards. What do
we do? An experienced player gently pushed the cards out from under
the dice to see if they stayed put. Two new players started debating just
where the dice actually landed -- under a lot of cards or just a few???
A. Anything less then a 45 degree angle is fine. (Feb 20, 2003 WotC
Chat, Q76)
Q. In sanctioned tournaments, if you use dice instead of a coin for
heads/tails, do you have to use a D6? In our pre-release yesterday, a
couple players were using D8's and D10's, and I wasn't sure if those
were legal or not.
A. As long as it is random, and clearly defined for the match, it doesn't
matter. Random is random, as long as it's random. [But the Head Judge
gets the final say on what dice are legal](Dec 4, 2003 PUI Rules Team)
Q. In a sanctioned tournament, can the player object to the flipping
device of the opponent and get it changed?
A. If there is any question about the accuracy of the flipping device, call
for a judge. The judge can decide if a device is sufficiently random or
not. (Dec 4, 2003 PUI Rules Team)
Retreating
Q. If I have Zubat (no retreat cost) as my Active and retreat him, can I
bring him back as Active or do I have to bring up another Benched
Pokémon?
A. When you retreat a Pokémon, you are swapping it (a switch) with
another on the bench. So in this case, Zubat goes to the bench, and you
bring up a different Pokémon from your bench. (Feb 17 WotC Chat;
May 11, 2000 WotC Chat, Q31)
Q. When I retreat my Pokémon, do I discard the Energy from my hand
or from the Pokémon?
A. From the Pokémon. (Basic FAQ, WotC Website)
Q. Can you over pay retreat cost? I mean like if you wanted to get rid of
a Darkness Energy from a free retreat pokemon, could you discard the
darkness anyway when you retreat?
A. No. (Aug 9, 2001 WotC Chat, Q311)
Q. If my Active Pokémon has taken damage and I retreat it, does the
damage go away?
A. No. Retreating does not remove damage. (But it does remove Poison,
Confusion, Sleep, or anything else that's the result of a Pokémon's
attack, including special attacks like Porygon's Conversion.) (Basic
FAQ, WotC Website)
Q. Can I retreat my Active Pokémon if my bench is full?
A. Yup, when you retreat you are switching your active for one on your
bench. (Jul 13, 2000 WotC Chat, Q222)
Q. Team Aqua Hideout increases the Retreat Cost for certain types of
Pokémon - how does this affect a Pokémon that has a Poké-BODY that
reduces the cost to zero, or a Pokémon that doesn't have a cost to
retreat?
A. If a Pokémon doesn't have a Retreat Cost, it now has a cost of one.
If a Poké-BODY reduces the cost to zero, the cost remains zero. (Team
Magma vs Team Aqua Prerelease FAQ, Q8)
Q. If I retreat or switch to make a Pokémon LV.X no longer active, do I
have to remove the LV.X card?
A. No, benching a Pokémon LV.X retains its leveled-up status. (May
Searching (Deck or Discard)
Q. Is a player allowed to count the number of cards in his/her deck
during a game, provided he/she doesn't change the order of the cards?
And if so, is it permissible to count your opponent's deck as well?
A. Yes, the number of cards in both your and your opponent's deck are
public information. Although it is recommended that the player counts
his or her cards during their opponent's turn, in a manner that doesn't
disrupt or slow down the game. (May 6, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Could I use a Poké-POWER, Poké-BODY, Attack, or Trainer to
search through my deck for a particular card if I already know that card
is not in my deck (i.e. using Energy Search if you know there are no
basic Energy left in the deck due to previous unsuccessful searches)?
A. Yes you may, but if done repeatedly a judge may evaluate whether
it's being used legitimately or merely as a stalling tactic. (Dec 8, 2005
PUI Rules Team)
Shuffling
Q. I was playing with this guy and he rearranged the order of the cards
in his deck prior to shuffle it, would this be allowed in a tournament?
A. Yes but you would have the right to shuffle it yourself or cut it as
well if you were uncomfortable with his shuffling method. (Sep 14,
Q. At any time during a battle, are you or your opponent allowed to
shuffle your deck?
A. NO! [Ed. Note: This references shuffling at random times, not when
appropriate] (6-29-00 WotC Chat)
Q. Is it illegal to randomly shuffle your deck, and if yes what are the
penalties from doing so?
A. Yes it is illegal. The penalties depend on the tournament rules. (Aug
31, 2000 WotC Chat Q166)
Q. I play an Oracle, and search for two cards. While I am searching, I
find that I have a HUGE energy pocket coming up. So I break it up and
add some trainers in between them. I then shuffle and put 2 cards on
top. Is that legal?
A. As long as you shuffle sufficiently afterwards. (Mar 25, 2004 PUI
Rules Team)
Special Conditions
Q. In the rules it states that when a Pokémon evolves it becomes free of
Poison, Sleep, Confusion, Paralysis, or anything else that may be the
result of an attack. Does this mean that damage is also taken off of it
when it evolves?
A. No. (April 27, 2000 WotC Chat Q49)
Q. Do I flip a coin to see if my Asleep Pokémon wakes up at the end of
the same turn that it fell Asleep?
A. Yes. You also [place] Poison damage at the end of the same turn a
Pokémon got Poisoned. (Basic FAQ, WotC Website)
Q. If you use an attack that puts your opponent's Pokémon to Sleep
(like Haunter's Nightmare), and the Defending Pokémon was already
Asleep before you attacked, do you still have to flip a coin after the
attack to see if it wakes up?
A. Yes, they get to flip at the end of each player's turn. (Feb 10 WotC
Chat)
Q. If my Pokémon fell asleep and it wakes up next turn will it be able to
attack on that turn or the next?
A. You flip at the end of each player's turn. If it wakes up after the
other players turn, BEFORE yours then it would act normal on your
turn. (May 11, 2000 WotC Chat, Q135)
Q. If your Active Pokémon is Asleep, do you have to flip at the end of
each turn, or can you stay Asleep if you wish?
A. You have to flip. (April 20, 2000 WotC Chat Q121)
Q. When a Pokémon is put to Asleep who flips the coin at the end of
the turn?
A. The person whose Pokémon is asleep. (Aug 31, 2000 WotC Chat
Q123)
Q. When both active Pokemon are asleep, who tries to wake up first?
A. Umm, we have no idea why it would matter. Usually you do them at
the same time. If for some future reason it would matter, then the player
whose turn is next would flip first. (Nov 21, 2002 WotC Chat, Q105)
Q. If the Defending Pokémon has a status change (like Poison) but an
attack requires you to flip to see if the same condition is afflicted, do
you still have to flip? (Eg - Weedle's poison sting reads "Flip a coin. If
heads, the Defending Pokémon is Ö.) No?
A. Yes, you have to though I can understand why you would consider it
redundant. (May 11, 2000 WotC Chat, Q118)
Q. My opponent attacks my Active, which causes 20 damage and
Poisons it. Her turn is over. Do I then have to put 1 more damage
[counter] on it because it is still Poisoned?
A. Yes. (Feb 24, 2000 WotC Chat)
Q. How long does Poisoning last?
A. Until the Pokémon is Benched, Evolved, or Knocked Out. (Mar 30,
2000 WotC Chat)
Q. If an opponent already has Nidoking's Toxic double-poison, then
next turn I use a "normal-poison" attack, does the opponent retain
Toxic's double-poison condition or does it now become a single-poison
condition?
A. It would gain a single poison effect (the new effect replaces the old
one). (April 27, 2000 WotC Chat Q19)
Q. Does Benching a Pokémon end ALL effects, including those of
attacks? For example, if I have a Scyther against a Magmar, and
Magmar Smokescreens me, I then retreat Scyther and put up another
Pokémon. I then [Switch] that one and return my original Scyther. Does
Smokescreen no longer apply?
A. Benching a Pokémon removes the effects of any attacks that
reference them. In this case, benching Scyther removed the
Smokescreen effect. (Feb 3, 2000 WotC Chat)
Q. Can you explain the process of Paralysis for me?
A. I paralyze your Pokémon on MY TURN. On YOUR TURN its
Paralyzed, and at the end of YOUR turn it is UNPARALYZED. Back
on MY TURN, it is NOT PARALYZED, comprendez? (May 18, 2000
WotC Chat, Q112)
Q. In the card game if you "Paralyzed" your partners Active Pokémon
and then use an attack that says "10 + Flip a coin, if heads confused" is
that attack a forced check or optional?
A. It is a forced check. (Jul 13, 2000 WotC Chat, Q297)
Q. Does benching ALWAYS 'reset' the Pokémon completely?
A. Benching always reset attack effects. (April 13, 2000 WotC Chat
Q43)
Q. In the new Tournament rules, it is said that when time is called, the
active player is allowed to finish his or her turn. After this, do players
still check for Burn, Poison, and other relevant Special Conditions, or is
the game over before the Special Conditions can take place?
A. When time is called, the end of the game would trigger at the end of
the current player's turn after resolving all of the effects that occur
during that player's turn, but before addressing any actions that happen
between turns such as Special Conditions. (Oct 16, 2003 PUI Rules
Team)
Starting the Game
Q. Do you have to draw [a] card when your opponent Mulligans?
A. No, you don't. You MAY draw [an]extra card. (Mar 2 WotC Chat)
* Beginning with the "Diamond & Pearl" expansion, the player who
goes first now draws a card at the beginning of his or her turn. That
player may not play ANY Trainer cards (including Fossils), Supporter
cards, nor Stadium cards from his or her hand on his or her first turn.
Q. The WOTC Floor Rules for determining who goes first was a) Flip a
coin, b) Winner decides who gets to go first, c) First Player resolves
Mulligans, d) Second Player resolves Mulligans. However, the EXrulebook says "Flip a coin to decide who goes first", and goes on to
describe how Mulligans are to be resolved simultaneously. My question
is twofold: 1> Does the winner of the coin flip HAVE to go first, or do
they have a choice? 2> Should Mulligans now be resolved
simultaneously, or is this "just for beginners"?
A. At this time you play as it is written in the rulebook, unless the pregame instructions in the the POP Floor Rules say otherwise. So now the
winner of the coin flip DOES have to go first, and Mulligans are no
longer handled one player at a time. (Sep 18, 2003 PUI Rules Team;
Apr 22, 2004 PUI Rules Team; Jan 26, 2006 PUI Rules Team)
Q. In a sanctioned Tournament, does the player have to show his hand
in the event they have no Basics at the start of the game? The Floor
Rules don't explicitly say that they have to.
A. Yes, you still reveal your hand before you shuffle it back into your
deck. The rules from the rulebook still apply unless specifically stated
otherwise. (Oct 16, 2003 PUI Rules Team; Jan 26, 2006 PUI Rules
Team)
Q. I've just opened the two Dragons theme decks; however there is no
mention in the new Rulebook of the Fossil trainers cards being basics
for the purposes of starting the game. So are we back to the Fossil
Trainers being just that? You can no longer start with a lone Fossil?
Does the latest rulebook supercede the previous rulebook?
A. No, there was no mention of Fossil Trainers simply because there
aren't any in the EX:Dragon set. You still can play them as basics at the
start [during setup] like you did in EX:Sandstorm. (Dec 4, 2003 PUI
Rules Team)
Q. Before starting the game, Player-A has a Basic Pokémon but PlayerB does not. On Player-A's draw 1 card for mulligan, say they draw a
better choice for starting Pokémon; are they allowed to switch it out
with the one they chose to be their 1st active before the mulligan? And
if they choose to switch, must it stay on the field and not allowed to be
put back into hand?
A. Player A continues his or her setup and can choose to draw an extra
card after setting aside his or her Prize cards. Once placed, the active
cannot be changed during setup, but a mulligan card can be placed onto
the bench. (May 5, 2005 PUI Rules Team; Feb 9, 2006 PUI Rules
Team)
Q. If you have a basic and one or more fossil cards, can you treat any or
all fossils in your opening hand as Basic Pokémon?
A. Yes, you can start the game with a Fossil Trainer card as your
Active Pokémon, and put a normal Basic Pokémon on your Bench (or
vice-versa). (Oct 16, 2003 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If you have basic and fossil Pokémon in your hand at startup, can
you choose to play only the fossils and not the basic?
A. Yes. You can play "just" the Fossil Trainer cards, if you have fossils
and a basic. If your opening hand has Fossil Trainers only, but no
Basic Pokémon cards, you must choose a Fossil Trainer to place
active. (Oct 16, 2003 PUI Rules Team; Jul 27, 2006 PUI Rules Team)
Q. My opponent MUST put their basic down first before they draw 1
card for my mulligan, right? Say my opponent draws a better choice
starter Pokémon when I mulligan, are they allowed to switch it out with
another from their hand?
A. They must place their active Pokémon and their prizes before
optionally drawing a card for the mulligan. Once placed, the active
cannot be changed during setup; but you are allowed to add a new
Pokémon to your bench, if there is room. (Jun 16, 2005 PUI Rules
Team; Feb 9, 2006 PUI Rules Team; Jul 27, 2006 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Can I play a Pokemon LEGEND as my Active Pokemon or on my
Bench during setup?
A. No. Since a Pokemon LEGEND is not a Basic Pokemon you cannot
play it during setup, even if you have both halves. (GS:Heart Gold/Soul
Q. What if during setup the only Pokemon cards in my hand are
Pokemon LEGEND halves?
A. Since you have no Basic Pokemon to place Active you will let your
opponent look at your hand, then shuffle and redraw your hand as
described in the rulebook. (GS:Heart Gold/Soul Silver FAQ; Feb 11,
Weakness and Resistance
Q. At a recent tournament, the TO ruled that if a Pokémon has
resistance to a particular type, and a dual-type Pokémon is that type and
something else, it doesn't affect that Pokémon's attack at all. Is this true?
A. No. If a Pokémon has more than one type, each type still counts
against the Defending Pokémon's Weaknesses or Resistances. (May 20,
Q. If Kecleon has several types of energy attached and the Defending
Pokémon is both Weakness and Resistance to these types, does Kecleon
have to apply both W & R or not?
A. Apply them in order. Weakness, then Resistance. (Sep 11, 2003 PUI
Rules Team)
Q. If Kecleon has two different colored basic energies attached, and it
attacks a Pokémon with weakness to both of those colors (i.e.
Kabutops-EX), is the weakness calculation doubled because Kecleon is
both types?
A. Sure. Damage would be up to x4 for the appropriate double
Weakness. (Sep 11, 2003 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If Kecleon has two different colored basic energies attached, and it
attacks a Pokémon with resistance to both of those colors (i.e.
Salamence is resistant to both Fire & Fighting), is the Resistance
calculation doubled because Kecleon is both types?
A. Yes. Just like double-Weakness would result in x4 damage, doubleResistance would result in -60 damage (-30 times two). (May 13, 2004
PUI Rules Team)
Win States
Q. How do I win?
A. You win when you draw your last Prize or when your opponent loses
his or her Active Pokémon and doesn't have a Pokémon on the Bench to
replace it. You also win if your opponent can't draw a card at the
beginning of his or her turn because his or her deck ran out of cards, but
this doesn't happen very often. (Basic FAQ, WotC Website)
Q. If I draw my last card. It is an Electric Energy so I use Raichu's
Gigashock and it kills all of my opponents. Who wins?
A. You do, because you won't actually lose for being out of cards until
the beginning of your next turn. (Feb 24 WotC Chat)
Q. If my opponent had 3 cards left in his deck and I used Wildfire to
discard the three cards, on his/her next turn do I win?
A. Yup, you would, if someone cannot draw a card at the start of their
turn like they are supposed to, they lose. (Mar 9 WotC Chat)
Q. At the end of a long match, I Selfdestruct Magneton. My opponent
and I both take our last Prize cards. Who wins?
A. Well, if one of you has a Benched Pokémon to replace your Active
Pokémon and the other player doesn't, then the person who can replace
his or her Active Pokémon wins. Otherwise, you play Sudden Death.
This is explained in the Pokémon rules in the Expert Rules section
under "What Happens if Both Players Win at the Same Time?" (Fossil
FAQ, WotC Website)
Q. Scenario: It's down to one prize each, your turn with 10HP left, and
you're poisoned. You attack and KO your opponent to draw your last
prize. But you take poison damage and would be KO'd now too. Do you
win or does it go to Sudden Death?
A. You win, you must complete the rest of the combat sequence, but
then if you win BEFORE the end of the turn, you win, period. Poison
doesn't happen until after the end of your turn. (Oct 5, 2000 WotC Chat,
Q6)
Q. What happens if I use Professor Oak and have less than 7 cards left
in my deck? Do I lose immediately, or do I draw out the remainder of
my deck and lose at the beginning of my next turn (if I don't do
anything to replenish the deck like Recycle, Mr.Fuji,
A. You only lose when you don't have any cards to draw on; the card
draw you must do on the start of your turn. So you would lose on your
next turn if you didn't somehow get some cards back into your [draw]
deck. (Aug 3 2000 WotC Chat, Q43)
Q. I have Hidden Legends Electrode and use "Mass Destruction" to
knock out Electode and the defending Pokémon. If I have only one
prize left and my opponent has more, but I have no bench and my
opponent has a bench, do I still win?
A. No, in this situation it would go to Sudden Death. However, if the
opponent did not have any Pokémon on their bench, the Electrode
player would have two win conditions vs. one, and would therefore win
the game. (Mar 10, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
Trainer,
Two on
Energy General
Team
Errata
Two
Index
Gameplay
Gameplay
Cards
Two on Two Gameplay
OFFICIAL RULINGS FOR
THE
TWO ON TWO FORMAT (TOP )
Attacking
Q. In 2-on-2 Play, if one of the Defending Pokémon is a Baby
Pokémon with the "Baby Rule" printed on it (not one of the newer ones
with the "Baby Evolution" Poké-POWER), would the attacker have to
flip a coin regardless of which of the Defending Pokémon they are
attacking? Or would they only have to flip when attacking the Baby
Pokémon?
A. It only counts if the Baby Pokémon itself is attacked. (Oct 16, 2003
PUI Rules Team)
Q. In 2-on-2 Play, if both of the Defending Pokémon are Baby
Pokémon with the "Baby Rule" printed on it (not one of the newer ones
with the "Baby Evolution" Poké-POWER), would the attacker have to
flip two coins in order to attack (one for each baby)?
A. No, you would only have to flip only one coin. (Oct 16, 2003 PUI
Rules Team)
Q. In 2-on-2 Play, if you are facing two babies and you use an attack
that does something to BOTH Defenders, do you have to flip twice,
once for each Baby?
A. When you attack, you choose a single Defending Pokémon to attack.
Even if the attack says "each". So you would only have to flip once.
Strike and Run
(Dunsparce - EX:Sandstorm)
Q. If I use Dunsparce's "Strike and Run" in 2 on 2 play and Dunsparce
is my only Pokémon, do I have to move a Pokémon up from the bench
first before you choose to use the switch effect of the attack?
A. You would resolve Dunsparce's attack completely, before handling
other game rules such as adding a second Active Pokémon (Mar 18,
Tongue Reel
(Lickilicky - Secret Wonders)
Q. In two vs. two battle, if I attack my opponent's benched Pokemon
with Lickilicky's "Tongue Reel" attack, who chooses which of the
Defending Pokemon to switch?
A. Lickilicky's owner chooses the Pokemon that will be attacked, as
well as the Defending Pokemon to be switched, if any. (Feb 7, 2008
PUI Rules Team)
Q. In two vs. two battle, when using Lickilicky's "Tongue Reel" attack
can I do the damage to one Pokemon but flip to paralyze the other
Active Pokemon?
A. No, the Paralyze check is done against the Pokemon chosen at the
beginning of the attack. (Apr 10, 2008 PUI Rules Team)
Errata
Trainer,
Two on
Energy General
Team
Two
Index
Gameplay
Gameplay
Cards
Team Gameplay
OFFICIAL RULINGS FOR
THE
TEAM FORMAT (TOP )
Agility (Pikachu - Nintendo Black Star Promos; Ponyta - Stormfront; Metang - Legends
Awakened; Others)
Q. In Team Play, when an attack like Kakuna's "Secrete Poison" or "Agility" specifies
the phrase "during your opponent's next turn", does that count for both opponents or do
you have to choose one of the opponents to have the effect during their turn only?
A. You would have to specify which opponent. (May 23, 2002 WotC Chat, Q303)
Q. When using Agility in Team Play, can you specify which of the opposing team's
Active Pokemon is affected by the Agility effect, or does it HAVE to be the Defending
Pokemon that you are attacking with Agility?
A. It does have a you or your in it, so you would be able to select which opponent's
active Pokemon it affects. (Jul 18, 2002 WotC Chat, Q22)
Energy Trans (Sceptile - Stormfront; Sceptile - OP Series 4; Venusaur ex - Fire Red Leaf
Green; Others)
Q. In team battle, can I use my Venusaur to switch grass energy between my teammate's
pokemon (not moving them between owners)?
A. Yes. (Jun 27, 2002 WotC Chat, Q71)
Q. How do we play Team Galactic's Wager in Team Battle, when it
says, "Each player shuffles..."?
A. For this card, treat the text "each player" like "you and your
opponent". Under POP team play rules, this means: pick someone on
your team and someone on the other team. Then only each of those
players shuffle their hand, etc. (Feb 18, 2010 PUI Rules Team)
Team Gameplay in General
Team Gameplay is restored as a Fun Format, for both Limited and Constructed
tournaments (Pokémon Organized Play, Tournament Formats 2007-2008, Sept 1,
2007).
Q. In TMP, if I play a Supporter on my opponent...since it's played on him I cannot use
any more supporters my turn...but he can use them on his turn correct?
A. Correct. [Ed. Note: Just for clarification, the supporter action itself must be played
during the current turn; it cannot be held over until the opponent's turn. The answer here
indicates that the other player may play a Supporter on their turn if they wish.] (Sep 19,
Q. We cannot attack our partner in Team Battle - I had somebody try that at Worlds
while I was judging team. They didn't want to flip to use an Eeeeeeek attack so they
aimed at their patner.
A. Correct, you cannot attack your teammate. (Jun 12, 2003 WotC Chat, Q1902)
Warp Point
Q. When you play a Warp Point in Team Multiplay, how does it work?
A. Play the card as written. The player who uses the card gets to decide which opponent
it affects and which member of his or her team it affects. Each of those players gets to
choose which Pokemon they switch up from their own bench. (Sep 16, 2002 WotC Rules
Team Update, Item 15)
Alphabetical Index
* Attacks in
General
Downer Material Judge
Regi Cycle
* Energy Cards In
General
Drag Off
Jumbo Fin
Regi Heal
* Fossils in General Dragon DNA
Keen Eye
Regi Move
* Items in General
Knock Outs & Prizes Relaxing Shower
Dragon Finish
* Pokémon Powers Dragon
in General
Intimidation
Lake Boundary
Remove Lost
* Trainers in
General
Dragon Rush
Land Shake
Restore
Afterburner
Dragon Steam
Lazy Paunch
Restructure
Agility
Drain Punch
Leaf Hurricane
Retreating
Agility
Drought
Leaf Storm
Return
Allergy Flower
Dual Ball
Leech Life
Return Blow
Amnesia
Dual Draw
LEGEND Pokemon
Revenge
Anger Revenge
Dual Stream
Level Down
Rivalry
Anticipation
Antigravity
Dusk Stone
Ectoplasm
Level Max
Leveling Up
Roast Reveal
Rock Hurl
Aqua Reaction
Eeeeeeek
Life Drain
Rock Reaction
Aqua Skin
Electric Barrier
Lightning Twister
Roost
Ascension
Electric Current Link Lightning
Roseanne's Research
Attacking
Electromagnetic Looker's
Jam
Investigation
Rough Skin
Baby Evolution
Electromark
Lost Cyclone
Rushing Flames
Balloon Sting
Balloon Tackle
Emerge
Emperor Aura
Lucky Egg
Luring Flame
Sacrifice
Safeguard
Battle Aura
Energy Antics
Mach Wind
Sand Damage
Battle Frontier
Energy Draw
Magical Step
Sand Reset
Battle Rush
Energy
Exchanger
Magnetic Field
Sand Sonic
Battle Tower
Energy Flare
Markers
Sand Wall
Bebe's Search
Energy
Grounding
Meta-Rulings
Sandy Cloak
Beginning Door
Energy Healer
Metal Energy
(Special)
Scramble Energy
Bench
Energy Recycle Metal Gravity
Scrunch
Bench Shield
Energy Recycle
Metronome
System
Seal Off
Bill's Maintenance
Energy Refresh Miasma Valley
Searching (Deck or Discard)
Black Fire
Energy
Returner
Second Sight
Blast Burn
Energy Search Mining
Seed Flare
Blaze Roar
Energy Shift
Miraculous Light
Send Back
Boost Energy
Energy Trans
Mirror Shot
Set Up
Brick Smash
Energy Trans
Mischievous Trick
Shadow Command
Engineer's
Mimic
Bring Down
Engineer's
Adjustments
Mold Breaker
Shadow Force
Broken TimeSpace
Entangle Tackle Moomoo Milk
Shadow Room
Broken-Space
Blow
Enthusiasm
Moon Skip
Sharing
Buck's Training
Equip
Moon Stone
Shock-wave
Bulk Up
Errand-Running Moonlight Veil
Shocking Tail
Burning Coat
Even Game
Mountain Eater
Shuffling
CALL
Evoluter
Mow Shift
Sidney's Stadium
Call Energy
Evolution Wish
Evolutionary
Gas
Mr. Stone's Project
Silver Wind
Multi Energy
Sinkhole
Call for Friends
Evolving
Multitype
Skill Copy
Calling Wave
Expert Belt
Mysterious Fossil
Skill Hack
Camouflage Gas
Extra Liquid
Needle Shock
Sludge Drag
Cards in General
Extra Smoke
Night Spin
Smash Short
Castaway
Fainting Spell
Night Teleporter
Smokescreen
Celebration Wind
Celio's Network
Fan Shift
Feint
Ninja Fang
Notes
Snowpoint Temple
Solar Suggestion
Cessation Crystal
Feint Attack
Nurse Call
Sonic Blade
Chain Lightning
Felicity's
Drawing
Octazooka
Spacial Rend
Charon's Choice
Fin Luster
Old Amber
Special Conditions
Cheerful Voice
Final Wish
Opponent's Choice
Speed Evolution
Chilling Breath
Firestarter
Overeager
Spike Armor
Chilly Breath
Fisherman
Overzealous
Spine Missile
Chlorophyll
Cloudy Sky
Flame Bluster
Flame Body
Parallel Drain
Perish Song
Spiteful Pain
Stages of Evolution
Cold Feet
Flame Dance
Phoebe's Stadium
Stance
Colorful Body
Flare Bonus
Phoenix Turn
Star Boomerang
Conductivity
Flare Condition Plasma Arrow
Starting the Game
Conversion
Flare Destroy
Playground
Static Electricity
Copycat
Flash Cannon
Plunder
Steven's Advice
PlusPower
Sticky
Poke Ball
Sticky Liquid
Call for Family
Counter Punch
Flower Shop
Lady
Focus Punch
Counting Song
Fossil Armor
Poke Drawer +
Strength Charm
Craggy Face
Fossil
Excavator
Pokedex
HANDY910is
Strike and Run
Crash Chant
Frenzy Plant
Pokemon Circulator
Strikes Back
Critical Move
Frost Shift
Pokemon Collector
String Bomb
Crunch
Gadget Bolt
Pokemon
Communicator
Strong-Willed
Crystal Beach
Galactic HQ
Portrait
Sunlight Veil
Crystal Shard
Game Actions
Power Cancel
Sunny Heal
Cursed Eyes
Get Help
Power Claw
Sunshine Song
Cursed Glare
Giga Drain
Power Whip
Supreme Blast
Cosmic Power
Cynthia's Guidance Good Rod
Primal Breath
Supreme Command
Damage Bind
Gravity Change Primal Shell
Surprise
Damage
Breakdown
Gravity Wave
Primal Stare
Sweet Sleeping Face
Damage Porter
Great Ball
Primal Swirl
Swift
Dark Engage
Green Breath
Professor Elm's
Training Method
Switch
Dark Eyes
Group Swim
Professor Oak's Visit Synchro Removal
Dark Genes
GUARD
Professor Rowan
Tail Code
Dark Roar
Hand
Protect Wing
Take Away
Dark Slumber
Happy Chance
Psy Shadow
Take Out
Dark Wing Flaps
Hard Amber
Psybarrier
Team Galactic's Invention G-101
Energy Gain
Darkness Drive
Harden
Psychic Bind
Power Spray
Darkness Energy
(Special)
Head Smash
Psychic Cut
Technical Machine G
Darkness Grace
Heat Metal
Psychic Guard
Team Galactic's Mars
Darkness Lost
Heat Shift
Psychic Lock
Darkness Wing
Heat Wave
Psychic Protector
Dawn Stadium
Helix Fossil
Psychic Restore
Team Gameplay in General
Deck
Hidden Poison
Psychic Shift
Deep Sea Swirl
Hidden Power /
Psychic Strategy
E
Defender
Holon Circle
Psychic Vision
Telepass
Pulse Barrier
Teleportation
Derail
Holon Energy
FF/GL/WP
Holon Veil
Quick Ball
Temper Tantrum
Destiny Bond
Hydro Wave
Radiance
Tentacle Strike
Destructive Jaw
Ice Barrier
Rage Aura
Time Crystal
Detour
Ice Bind
Raging Thunder
Time Hollow
Devoluter
Impersonate
Raid
Time Spiral
Dig Well
Imprison
Rain Dish
Time Walk
Dirge
Intense Voltage Rainbow Energy
Tongue Reel
Discard Pile
Interviewer's
Questions
Rainbow Scale
Top Drop
Discharge
Intimidating
Roar
Rambunctious Party Toxic Virus
Disturbance Dive
Invisible
Tentacles
Randomizers (Coins,
Trade Off
Dice, etc)
Ditto DNA
Inviting Trap
Rare Candy
Transback
Dome Fossil
Iron Shell
Reaper Cloth
Trump Card
Doom News
Iron Skull
Reaper Pulse
Undevelop
Double Fall
Island Hermit
Red Armor
Unlucky Wind
Double Rainbow
Energy
Jamming
Reflect Energy
VACATION
Delta Reduction

Rulings Compendium LVX - Pokemon Rulings Compendium

Transcription

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