Pokemon TCG First Turn Rules: What Every Player Must Know

Let the Pokemon battle begin tabletop style while applying the official Pokemon TCG first turn rules!

In Pokemon TCG, various types of cards can affect the rules of the game. 

You have Pokemon ex that give out two Prize cards upon knocking them out, trainer cards that allow you to draw more than one card per turn, and Pokemon moves that inflict status conditions to an opposing Pokemon.

With all the abovementioned mechanics, it’s easy for some players to forget the basic rules of playing the game.

To keep the game as fair as possible, specific limitations were imposed on the official Pokemon TCG rules to prevent the starting player from gaining a significant advantage over a player that hasn’t done anything yet in the game.

Let’s take a step back to all the other complexities in the game and talk more about what you can do if you took the first turn in an official Pokemon TCG game.

Other helpful articles for new and seasoned Pokemon TCG players:

• Pokemon TCG Damage Counter Rules
• How to Build a Pokemon TCG Deck?
• How to Battle With Pokemon Cards

Pokemon TCG First Turn Rules: Dos and Don’ts

Every Pokemon TCG game often starts with a handshake or a fist bump between players as a sign of respect, but for most occasional games, it begins with a coin toss.

More about the rules of Pokemon TCG with PokeCardHQ’s complete guide on how to play Pokemon cards.

If you win the coin toss, you’ll be given the power to choose whether you want to have the first turn or not.

Since the player taking the first turn can easily set up the field with their cards, it’s common knowledge in Pokemon TCG that first turn players tend to have a slight advantage in the game.

However, such an advantage can still depend on your strategy, as some decks may contain cards that can completely ruin an opponent’s game (yes, we’re talking about cards like Iono!)

Anyway, if you decided to take the first turn of the game, here are some things that you should remember in a battle of Pokemon cards:

Dos:

1. Draw a card. Of course, you don’t mind drawing a card on your first turn, as your opponent will do it too. If it gives you an advantage by drawing a good card that you need, your opponent will probably experience the same in the next turn.
2. Put Basic Pokemon cards in the Bench Spot. You are free to put as many Pokemon cards in the Bench as you want, but they should all be Basic Pokemon.
3. Attach an Energy card to a Pokemon. If you have some Energy cards in your hand, feel free to attach one on your first turn. You are not allowed to attach more than one Energy card in a turn, unless you have a card that can alter this rule.
4. Play Stadium, Item, and Tool cards. Keep in mind that you can play as many as item and tool cards as you can, but only one Stadium card for every turn. If your opponent plays their Stadium card, it will replace the one you have in the field.
5. Use Pokemon abilities. A Pokemon ability is different from an attack, and since you usually don’t have to pay any Energy card for an ability, you can use it given that you have the requirements for it to work.
6. Retreat your Active Pokemon. Before retreating your Active Pokemon, ensure that you can pay its retreat cost and you have a Benched Pokemon that can replace it in the Active Spot.

Note: Except for drawing a card from your deck, the other do’s on your first turn can be performed in any order you want. After that, you can end your turn.

Don’ts

1. Play a Supporter card. Supporter cards contain abilities that are just too powerful to be used in anyone’s first turn. Even if they’re allowed to be used in the following turns, each player can only play one Supporter card on each turn.
2. Evolve a Basic Pokemon card. First turn evolutions aren’t allowed either, due to obvious reasons. Some cards, however, have the ability to evolve in the first turn, so they can bypass this rule. 
3. Attack the opposing Pokemon. Again, your opponent hasn’t done anything yet in the game, so to make the competition more balanced, you as the first turn player won’t be allowed to damage your opponent’s Pokemon. After your turn, your opponent can draw the first blood by attacking you, but it’s fine since you already have the privilege of setting up the field.

Note: You can’t evolve a Pokemon that hasn’t seen an entire turn. This means if you just put a Charmander in play, you can only evolve it in your following turns.

Final Thoughts

With these Pokemon TCG first turn rules governing the game, you don’t need to worry too much any more about whether you want to take the first turn or not.

Remember, the rules above refer to the player who gets the first turn of the entire game. Every player can literally have their own first turn, but we specifically pertain to the actual first turn of the starting player.

Do you have any other questions about this topic? You can help us improve this article by asking your queries in the comments section.

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