Until Pokémon Go was released on mobile a few years ago, I imagine that most people thought that Pokémon was just a card game fad from the early 2000’s. The truth is, there is a huge fan base of all ages who still love Pokémon and I will happily admit that I am a 25 year old who flipping loves it. If you are a fan of Pokémon and you have never played the card game, let me convince you why you should.
Unlike card games such as Magic: The Gathering and Yu-Gi-Oh, Pokémon is a lot more simpler to play. If you fancy getting technical then you can buy booster packs and build your own deck, but if you are like me, then you just can’t be bothered with all that faff. As someone who loves spending money, I have 6 pre-built decks. Each pre-built deck contains 60 cards and these vary from energy, support, location, item and Pokémon cards. You also receive a cute little character coin for flipping heads and tales, damage tokens and a mat to aid your game playing experience. All this costs anywhere from £11.99 to £14.99 depending where you shop.
Just like in the Pokémon video games, certain Pokémon types are weakened by others. For instance, 
fighting type are weak to physic, but strong against steel. If you are quite new to the game you can tailor your deck so that weakness won’t effect your game, or you can challenge yourself by picking a deck which is weak to your opponents if you are experienced.
In terms of game play, you need a minimum of 2 people to play. If you are feeling wild you can add in two extra players and have 2 vs 2. The game is turn based and the flip of the coin determines who plays first. Each person shuffles their deck and places 6 cards aside as prize cards. Each, then draws 7 for their hand. Each player must select one basic Pokémon to put down as their active. Any other basic Pokémon can be added to the bench as long as it does not exceed 6.
Now the game has begun, the fun really starts. Each turn gives you the chance to evolve your basic Pokémon into stage 1 or 2 Pokémon, put down energy cards, use items, supporter or location cards. Upon each turn you have the option to attack your opponent, but once you have attached, your turn ends. Item and support cards can aid you in receiving more cards on your turn, reviving Pokémon from the discard pile or heal your wounds. Watch out for different attacks on your Pokémon cards like “draw an extra card” as they can come in very handy. Once you have knocked out one of your opponents Pokémon you may take a card from the prize pile, while you opponent puts their Pokémon in the discard pile. The person to win all the cards from their prize pile wins.
Sure sounds simple right? If you are worrying that it is so simple it might be boring, then don’t. I personally find Pokémon cards ridiculously fun. I must admit that I do usually play against my boyfriend and I get extremely competitive about it. There is nothing quite like crushing his spirit to a pulp by evolving my strongest Pokémon just in the nick of time. Oh, how I love winning. Even if you are not the competitive type though, the game offers mind stimulation and some of the cards are shiny. SHINY!
So fancy playing Pokemon cards yet? I think you should. While sitting here and typing out this article I am wondering why I am writing instead of playing Pokémon! But I digress, if you are a stickler for the video game titles, remember card games and video games can live together in harmony. Why not just play both?