Pokémon Trading Card Game - Playing the Game

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Playing the Game

When it is your turn, do the following.

Draw a card from your deck. If your deck has run out of cards, then the game is over and your opponent is the winner.

[You may do the following in any order, as many times as you want.]

Place a Basic Pokémon on your Bench. Choose a Basic Pokémon on your hand and place it face up on the Bench. You can only keep up to five Pokémon on the Bench at once.
Evolve a Pokémon. See below to learn how to do this.
Attach an Energy Card to one of your Pokémon (under the Pokémon card), even on the bench. You can only do this once during a turn.
Play your Trainer cards. When playing a Trainer card, do what it says on the card, and put it on the discard pile unless the card says different.
Retreat your Pokémon and bring out another. To retreat the Pokémon, you should discard one Energy card attached to the Pokémon for each star symbol shown on its retreat cost. then place it into your Bench and send out another Pokémon card into the arena. If you are Confused you must flip a coin, if tails you may not retreat but still must discard the energy, if heads you may retreat normally. If you are Asleep or Paralyzed you may not retreat. (You may not retreat if your bench is full. There must be a Pokémon in the arena at all times. If a Pokémon in the arena is knocked out, replace it immediately. Remember the retreat cost!)
Use your Pokémon power. A Pokémon Power works on the bench too. Do the damage or whatever it says. If you knock the opponent’s Pokémon out, pick up a prize.

Finally, you attack. Announce the attack you will use. If there are enough Energy cards to use the attack, the attack is executed. You can find the amount of damage it does by checking the number near the attack. Then put enough damage counters to represent the damage done. You can end the turn without attacking, when you find out that not enough energy is placed on your Active Pokémon, or when it is Paralyzed or Asleep.

After you attack, when your opponent’s Pokémon has run out of HP, the Pokémon is Knocked Out. Place it and all attached Energy cards to your opponent’s discard pile. Then, draw from one of your Prizes.

Evolving a Pokémon

If you have a card in your hand that says "Evolves from ???" and ??? is the name of a Pokémon that you have in play, you may play that card in your hand on top of that Pokémon. You must have the right Evolution card to evolve the right Pokémon. Rules:

When a Pokémon evolves, it keeps all the cards attached to it (Energy cards, Evolution cards, etc.) and any damage it might already have, but the old attacks and Pokémon Powers of the Pokémon it evolved from go away.
All conditions the Pokémon is in also go away - Sleep, Confusion, Paralysis, Poison, or anything else that might be the result of an attack some Pokémon made earlier.
You can’t evolve a Pokémon that you just played or evolved on that turn.
Neither player can evolve a Pokémon on the first turn.
You can evolve a Pokémon on your Bench.

Attack Conditions

Paralysis: When a Pokémon is Paralyzed, turn the card to its side (to the right). Your Pokémon can’t attack or retreat on your next turn. Afterward, paralysis is removed, and you can turn the card right side up again.
Sleep: When a Pokémon is Asleep, turn the card to its side (the opposite side as Paralysis, the left). After each turn (including your opponent’s), flip a coin. If heads, your Pokémon wakes up. If tails, your Pokémon remains asleep. Your Pokémon can’t attack or retreat while it’s asleep.
Confusion: When a Pokémon is Confused, turn the card upside down. When you want to attack or retreat, flip a coin. If tails while you’re attacking, your attack takes no effect and your Pokémon takes 20 HP damage (applying weakness and resistance). If tails while you’re retreating, your retreat is not successful but you still have to discard the energy cards you need to regularly retreat. Your Pokémon remains confused until you retreat it.
Poison: When a Pokémon is Poisoned, place a poison marker on it. At the end of each player’s turn your Pokémon takes 10 HP damage without applying weakness or resistance. When your opponent poisons your Pokémon again, it isn’t doubly poisoned. Your Pokémon remains poisoned until you retreat it.