Pokémon cards: Important information for parents

Your child has exchanged his toy cars and trains for Pokémon cards, but you don’t understand him half the time. How do you define Pokémon? A booster pack: what is it? What is meant by a trainer? Furthermore, who is this Pikachu guy that he keeps bringing up? Although your child will likely always know more about Pokémon than you do, this handbook is a wonderful place to start.

Read More: Pokemon Cards

How do you define Pokémon?

The Japanese video game series Pokémon has been active for more than 20 years—its 25th anniversary was celebrated in 2021. Pokémon, which is short for “pocket monsters,” is a TV series, trading card game, video game, and toy franchise. The actual Pokémon are animals that either live in the wild or with their trainer, who is usually their owner, such as your child. The trainer wants to “catch them all,” and by all we mean all nine hundred and more of them.

How are Pokémon cards designed to be used?

Younger children (JK to first grade, for example) usually merely gather and exchange the cards. They might choose to play the trading card game as they gain up reading skills. The goal of gathering the cards is to assemble a strong 60-card deck that will enable you to defeat rival trainers in combat. However, your child may just be drawn to gathering the cards that he finds most appealing or useful. Since every pack of cards is unique, you might want to start your child off with a theme deck, which is a pack of 60 cards housed in a tiny cardboard box or metal tin, if he doesn’t already have any cards (or just a few).

Along with cardboard markers and a coin, theme cards also include a die that may be used to count damage or determine who goes first during games. In addition, booster packs of ten cards are available in tins or blister packs.

Every time a new season of the TV program airs, new cards are usually published as well; your child may refer to this as a new “generation” or “series.” The newest video game titles and the new series typically release at the same time. Since the trading card game is currently in its eighth generation, the box art for any newer card collections will read “Sword & Shield”. At the end of 2022, Pokemon, on the other hand, just launched its ninth generation.

Which kinds of Pokémon cards are there?

A deck of cards in the Pokémon world can contain cards from three distinct categories: Trainer cards, Energy cards, and Pokémon character cards.

Cards with characters

In the trading card game, there are eleven different types of Pokemon, including Fire, Water, Psychic, Metal, and Dragon. The upper left-hand corner of every Pokémon card will display the character’s level of “evolution,” indicating whether they are in their basic, Stage One, or Stage Two forms.

The Legendary Pokémon are the shiny cards that your kids are most likely to want. They are some of the most potent cards in the trading card game, non-evolving, and exclusive to booster packs.

Cards of energy

Basic Energy cards are always included in packs of cards that you purchase, and they are essential for powering your Pokémon throughout the game. Moreover, there are Special Energy cards that, based on the sort of Pokémon you have, offer a distinct boost. For around $5, whole packs of 50 energy cards provide a reasonably priced way to play the well-liked game.

Trainer cards

These are the cards you use to access the equipment, allies, and combat zones. The bottom of these cards indicates any unique rules that apply. Trainer boxes are very sought for and make thoughtful presents.

My child is requesting GX and EX Pokémon cards. What do they consist of?

These Pokémon cards are more potent and feature better pictures. They literally say “EX” or “GX” next to the character name. Little ones really want them since they can occasionally be sparkling or holographic.

What are booster and expansion packs for Pokémon? My child is requesting them.

A fresh set of cards published inside a specific generation or series is called an expansion. About 100–200 new cards are included with every expansion release. An expansion cannot be bought in its whole at once. Rather, booster packs are what you buy; these are collections of ten cards that you may use to expand your collection; typically, they are themed around a particular expansion, so the cards within can be any of the cards that were published within that expansion set.