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THE RULES COMPENDIUM EX |
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Last Updated: February 1st, 2008
The Compendium is a compilation of Official Rulings on the Pokémon Trading Card Game as presented by Pokémon USA (PUI). Only official sources are located here, which, so far, includes the online FAQs at the Pokémon TCG website (http://www.Pokémon-tcg.com/ ) and also the Pokémon Rules 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.
Limited Use Authorization We give permission for
individuals to make copies of the Compendium for personal
use. We also authorize limited, free distribution. If you
are a participant or Judge in a Tournament or a League, we
authorize the free distribution to other participants
and/or Judges. We do not authorize the distribution if it
involves any charges or fees for this document. This
includes, but is not limited to, fees for copying or paper.
If you have been charged a fee for this document, please
contact us at 
to alert
us.
The Pokémon Rules Compendium EX must be copied and printed intact, including this notice and all credit and reference information. We do allow you to quote rulings from the Compendium in message boards, chats, or correspondence; as long as you credit this source.
At this time we cannot allow this document
to be directly posted on other websites than its
home, http://compendium.pokegym.net
, as we need to maintain the integrity of the document.
If you wish to link to the Compendium from your website,
please contact us at and we will
be happy to consider your request.
If a source is listed with a (*), it means
the actual transcript has not been posted on PUI website
yet, and the information presented herein from that chat
was obtained through personal logs of the chat. After the
official transcripts are posted, we will review them for
accuracy and make any corrections as needed. If a source is
listed as "partial", it means we only got bits and pieces
of the Chat for that day. If you have full logs of a chat
listed here as "partial" (or not at all), or if you find
any significant questions we have missed, please contact us
through .
Thanks, and we hope this Compendium EX provides the answers you are looking for,
Sincerely,
THE COMPENDIUM TEAM EX (in alphabetical order)
BigDaddySnorlax | Bulbasnore | Chrisbo | Gym Leader Blaine
| PokéPop
Emeritus members contributing to the COMPENDIUM EX
[IPGeek21] | [Sensei]
P.S. Special thanks to Koribouros, our inspiration and the original founder of this document & MT Jimmer for his time & consideration
If you cannot find a ruling under one of these headings, please try related topics. Rulings that apply to multiple Powers, Attacks, or Trainers will be given under one of those and the others will be reference with a notation of [SEE "Other"], where "Other" is the location of the ruling.
Within a topic, rulings are arranged thematically first, then general to specific, then finally by date. This is a rough guide, and we have deviated from this pattern on occasion for clarity's sake.
What isn't here: While the contents of the FAQs are listed, generally, if something is asked on the Chats which is explained directly in the rules, we won't reprint them here. It is the Judge's responsibility to be up-to-date on the printed rulebook first and foremost. Also, only questions relating to gameplay will be found here.
DEFINITIONS: Several abbreviations are used in this Compendium EX. We have tried to expand all abbreviations for the sake of clarity.
[ Top | Errata | Pokémon Powers | Pokémon Attacks | Pokémon Items | Trainer Cards | Energy Cards | General Gameplay | Two on Two Gameplay | Team Gameplay]
* 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)
* 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)
* 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)
* 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, Poké-Powers, Poké-Bodies, or any other effects on the Defending Pokémon." (Aug 21, 2004 Pokémon World Championships Announcements)
* 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)
* 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)
* 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)
* 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 [B]card[/B] you discarded. (Dec 16, 2004 PUI Announcements)
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)
* 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 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)
* 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)
* 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 isnít 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 Organized Play News)
* Magmortar LV.X's "Flame Buster" attack should say "discard 2 Fire Energy CARDS" rather than just "discard 2 Fire Energy". (Nov 16, 2007 Pokemon Organized Play News)
* 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)
* 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)
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)
Q. If the Defending Pokemon has a Holon Energy WP and a
basic Water energy attached, what happens to the "your
opponent can't use any Poke-Powers" part of Gardevoir's
"Psychic Lock" attack?
A. The effect of Psychic Lock is on your opponent, not on
their 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 10, 2008 PUI Rules Team)
* 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)
* 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)
* 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)
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)
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 should read: "Any Pokémon (both yours and your opponent's) with maximum HP of 70 or less can't use any Poké-Powers." 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 Poké-POWER while this Stadium card is in play. (Oct 1, 2004 PUI Announcements)
* 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)
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, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
* 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)
* 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)
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 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)
* 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)
* Empoleon LV.X from Diamond & Pearl contains an error. Its Poké-Power 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)
[ Top | Errata | Pokémon Powers | Pokémon Attacks | Pokémon Items | Trainer Cards | Energy Cards | General Gameplay | Two on Two Gameplay | Team Gameplay]
* 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 & Poké-Powers. 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 "Poké-Powers & Poké-Bodies").
(Oct 16, 2003 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Say your active Pokémon gets knocked out. You
promote a Pokémon to the active position with an 'if
active between turns' Pokémon power like Victreebel's
'Acid Sampler' or Butterfree's 'Sooth Dust'. Does that
power get activated?
A. It depends on if the Pokémon was KO'd between
turns (i.e. Poison), or by an attack. If by an attack, then
the power would activate because the Pokémon is
replaced right away. If between turns, the Pokémon is
not replaced until the end of that phase, so the power
would NOT activate. (Sep 2, 2004 PUI Rules Team; Mar 3,
2005 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Say your active Victreebel uses "Acid Sampler" and the
opponent's defending Pokémon gets KO'd. So the
opponent promotes a new Pokémon in its place; since
it's still "between turns", does the new defending
Pokémon get Acid Sampled too?
A. No. Between turns, 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. When my Active Pokémon is Butterfree (from FR/LG)
and my opponent's Active Pokémon is Victreebel (also
from FL/LG), which Poké-Body works first?
A. Either way. The player who has Pokémon that gets
affected by effect(s) of Poké-Bodies gets to decide.
(Sep 23, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
Q. What happens if Victreebel has only 10hp left and is
poisoned; can its "Acid Sampler" Poké-BODY work before
it gets KO'd?
A. Yes, it can use "Acid Sampler" before getting KO'd by
poison. In fact, since it is not an optional power, you
MUST place the damage counter. (Nov 4, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Can Flygon use its "Energy Shower" attack to attach
energies to the legendary birds with
Anti-(Lightning/Fire/Water) Powers, since this is an attack
effect and not a 'normal' energy attachment?
A. No, Energy Shower does not override the Poké-BODY.
(Jan 29, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
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. 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)
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.
(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, 2003 PUI Rules
Team)
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. 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)
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. (Apr 19, 2007
PUI Rules Team)
Q. Does Blaziken's "Blaze" Poké-Body work after each
player's turn, or does it only apply when Blaziken attacks?
A. It only applies to attacks made by Blaziken that do
damage. If Blaziken does not attack you do not get to do
the +40 damage. (May 5, 2005 PUI Rules Team; May 19, 2005
PUI Rules Team)
Q. Say I have a Double Rainbow Energy attached to Blaziken
from EX:Emerald. Does this reduce its "Searing Flame"
attack to zero and not allow me to use its "Blaze"
Poké-Body (since I'd be doing no damage to "add 40
more" to)?
A. They are applied during the same step in calculating
damage. The player attacking with Blaziken may choose the
order. (May 19, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
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)
Q. Do I have to be able to discard Energy cards to heal my
Pokémon using "Blissful Support"?
A. No, you can heal Pokémon that don't have any
energy cards attached to them. (Sep 8, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
Q. When using "Blissful Support", can I discard an Energy
card from a Pokémon that doesn't have any damage on
it?
A. Yes, you can discard an Energy card from an undamaged
Pokémon when using Blissful Support. (Aug 11, 2005 PUI
Rules Team)
Q. If Vileplume ex is placed active and there are Fossils
on a player's bench, what happens to those fossils?
A. They stay where they are... Block Dust only affects
non-supporter trainers being played from the hand. (Jul 7,
2005 PUI Rules Team)
* The Poké-BODY "Buffer" found on Hoppip, Skiploom, and Jumpluff should read, "If Hoppip/Skiploom/Jumpluff would be Knocked Out [B]by damage[/B] 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)
Q. Say TRR Skiploom has 50 damage on it and the opponent
uses ATM-Rock to devolve Skiploom back to Hoppip. Would
Hoppip's "Buffer" Poké-BODY come into play in a
situation like this?
A. No, Buffer only works when damage is done to a
Pokémon; devolving does not cause Buffer to be
invoked, and the Hoppip would be knocked out because there
are too many damage counters on it. (Dec 2, 2004 PUI Rules
Team; Apr 7, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Let's say Charizard-EX uses "Burn Down" on a Jumpluff.
Would Jumpluff get to use it's "Buffer" or not (because
"Burn Down" is not affected by Poké-Bodies)?
A. The Burn Down attack is not affected because Buffer
does not kick in until *after* Burn Down has done all its
damage. However, after Burn Down has done its mega damage,
Buffer kicks in and if successful would get to remove
damage counters from Jumpluff until 10 HP are left. (Feb
17, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If a Rocket's Mewtwo-EX has 9 damage counters on it and
uses "Darkness Switch" against Jumpluff (Buffer), would
that trigger "Buffer"?
A. No, because Darkness Switch is moving counters, not
doing damage. (Apr 7, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Is the "Buffer" Poké-BODY activated by "Swift"
attacks or when Hidden Legends Electrode uses the "Mass
Destruction" attack which knocks out both Pokémon?
A. "Yes" for Swift because the damage is still being done,
which in turn THEN causes Buffer to invoke. But "No" for
Mass Destruction, because no damage is actually being done;
the Pokémon with Buffer is simply Knocked Out. (Apr 7,
2005 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If your active Pokémon is KO'd by Poison between
turns and you send out Typhlosion, does its "Burning Aura"
Poké-BODY apply right away?
A. No, you don't send out a new Pokémon until all of
the between turns effects have been resolved. (Oct 20, 2005
PUI Rules Team)
Q. Say you have Quilava in play with Crystal Shard attached
and no other fire-type Pokémon in play. Then you
evolve it into Typhlosion-EX from Unseen Forces. Can you
get Fire energy with its "Bursting Up" Poké-Power and
if so, what happens to it?
A. No. Since it is public knowledge that you don't have
any valid Pokémon to attach the energy to, you don't
even get to search for it. (Jan 12, 2006 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Say I've got Energy Root attached to Quilava, and then I
evolve into Typhlosion-EX from my hand. Is Energy Root
discarded before "Bursting Up" triggers, or does it stop
"Bursting Up" and then get discarded because it is attached
to a Pokémon 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 20, 2006 PUI Rules Team)
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)
Q. Dragonite's EX Poké-POWER says, "As often as you
like during your turn, you may move an energy card from 1
of your Pokémon. to Dragonite EX." Since the typical
phrase "Before your attack..." is missing, does this allow
me to move energy even after the attack phase (i.e. before
drawing a prize, etc.)?
A. The phrase "before your attack" in cases like this is
just reminder text. Per the rule book, once you have
finished all steps of your attack, your turn is over. So
no, you cannot move energy around after your attack. (Nov
20, 2003 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Just to clarify, "Chain of Events" on Plusle and Minun
allows you to have two attacks in your turn??
A. Chain of Events is considered a separate, second
attack. It occurs immediately after the first attack is
completely over, but before going to the end of the turn.
(Nov 20, 2003 PUI Rules Team)
Q. In a 2-on-2 battle, if I have either Plusle or Minun as
one of my Actives and it is Asleep, if the other active
attacks does "Chain of Events" allow my asleep one to use
"Cheer On"? In other words, when "Chain of Events" is
triggered, is Plusle/Minun actually using the attack? If
so, does this mean that if it's Asleep or Paralyzed, it can
still 'attack'?
A. Chain of Events only makes the extra attack possible;
Minun or Plusle still needs to be able to attack in order
to take advantage of it. (Mar 18, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
Q. With Expedition Gengar's "Chaos Move" Poké-POWER,
can I move a damage counter from one of my Pokémon to
one of my opponent's Pokémon?
A. Yes, you can. Older rulings did not allow for this, but
it has been recently confirmed from Japan that it is
permissible. (Sep 9, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
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)
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)
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 Pokémon. 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 Pokémon. that gets an energy attached to
it. (Jan 29, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Ampharos-EX and Dark Ampharos both have the
"Conductivity" Pokémon. Power (Poké-BODY) that
puts one damage counter on the opponent's Pokémon.
whenever an energy is attached to it from hand.
Ampharos-EX's power says that "you cannot place more than
one damage counter, even if there is more than one
Ampharos-EX in play." Dark Ampharos's says "you cannot ...
even if there is more than one Dark Ampharos in play." Can
you place 2 damage counters on the Pokémon., per
energy from hand, if you have a Dark Ampharos and
Ampharos-EX in play? Why or why not?
A. Yes, since they do not restrict each other you could
place 2 Damage counters per energy if you had one of each
in play. (Mar 25, 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 Poké-POWER 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, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
Q. I attack my opponent's Regice-EX ("Crystal Body") with
Electrode's "Mass Destruction". Does "Crystal Body" save
Regice-EX?
A. Yes. Crystal Body protects against everything but
damage. (Jun 16, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If I use Dark Slowking's "Cunning" to look at the top of
my opponent's deck, may I choose to not shuffle or is it
mandatory that I shuffle their deck afterward?
A. It is optional; you may look and choose to not shuffle
if you wish. (Nov 4, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Is Dark Slowking's "Cunning" power cumulative?
A. Sure. You could look at the top card of their deck and
have them shuffle for the first Dark Slowking, and then if
you have another Dark Slowking in play you could do it
again for the second one. (Apr 21, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
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)
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, 2007 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Let's say Rocket's Suicune-EX has a special condition
and it has no Darkness Energy currently on it. If I attach
a Darkness Energy does the special condition go away or
does it remain?
A. Yes, attaching or moving a Darkness Energy onto
Rocket's Suicune-EX would cure it of any special
conditions. (Jan 27, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If I use a benched Weavileís "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. 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 16, 2006 PUI Rules Team)
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 shutdown 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)
Q. If Murkrow is taking advantage of Honchkrow's "Dark
Genes" Poke-BODY 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.
Q. Let's say my opponent has a benched Honchkrow with 3
Darkness energies attached, and a Murkrow active. If I have
Azelf, Uxie, and Mesprit in play, would Azelf's "Downer
Material" Poke-BODY require that Murkrow have an energy
attached in order for it to use Honchkrow's attack via its
"Dark Genes" Poke-BODY?
A. No. Dark Genes says that Murkrow gets to use Honchkrow's
attack without any energy. There is no energy cost to add
onto for Murkrow. (Jan 24, 2008 PUI Rules Team)
Q. For Rocket's Snorlax EX's "Dark Healer" Poké-BODY,
does the energy have to be an actual Darkness Energy card,
or can it be a Dark Metal, Rainbow, or Multi Energy to
activate the Poké-BODY?
A. Any card that is providing the Dark energy type will
allow it to remove one damage counter from itself between
turns. (Jan 6, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
Q. May I use "Dark Trance" to move around Rainbow Energy?
Or R-Energy? Or Magma/Aqua Energy???
A. Yes, all of the above provide Dark energy, so they can
be moved around by Dark Trance. (Nov 4, 2004 PUI Rules
Team)
Q. Would Dark Dragonite be able to move a functioning Multi
Energy (providing all energy types including Darkness) to a
Pokémon that already has other special energies on it?
A. Yes you can, but once moved the Multi Energy would then
become colorless as long as the other Special Energy Cards
remain attached. (Jan 6, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
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
17, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
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)
Q. Once I attach R-Energy to a Dark/Rocket's Pokémon,
can I then use "Dark Trance" to move it to a non-Dark or
non-Rocket's Pokémon?
A. Yes, but if you do so the R-Energy would have to be
discarded since it cannot be attached to a non-Dark or
non-Rocket's Pokémon. (Dec 1, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
* Umbreon-EX's "Darker Ring" Poké-POWER is optional. You do not have to switch one of your opponent's benched Pokémon if you do not want to. (Sep 21, 2006 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Dark Ampharos' "Darkest Impulse" says that you can't use
more than 1 Darkest Impulse Poké-BODY each turn. Does
that mean that this power goes off every time they evolve a
Pokémon, or does it only go off the first time they
evolve that turn?
A. Darkest Impulse applies whenever the opponent evolves a
Pokémon, but you cannot combine multiple Dark
Ampharoses to do additional damage. The intent of the
"can't use more than one" phrase is to prevent it from
being cumulative (i.e. 4 Dark Ampharos cannot be combined
to place 8 damage counters). (Dec 2, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Does Rare Candy activate Dark Ampharos' "Darkest
Impulse"?
A. Yes, it does. (Nov 4, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
Q. How does Dark Ampharos' "Darkest Impulse" work with
"Baby Evolution"? Does the evolving Pokémon heal from
Baby Evolution first and then take 20 damage, or does it
work the other way around?
A. The Baby Evolution power finishes first. Then Darkest
Impulse gets applied after that. (Nov 4, 2004 PUI Rules
Team)
Q. Say my opponent has Dark Ampharos, and I use Milotic
with "Energy Shower". Can I have Energy Shower remove the
damage AFTER Dark Ampharos' "Darkest Impulse" places a
counter on Milotic?
A. Healing Shower and Darkest Impulse happen at the same
time. So the player controlling Milotic would decide which
effect to apply first. (Mar 3, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If my opponent has a Benched Dark Ampharos in play, and
I evolve Eevee to Espeon-EX, how do the "Darkest Impulse"
and "Devo Flash" effects resolve?
A. The effects would be simultaneous. The player whose
turn it is would choose the order in which they would be
played. (Mar 9, 2006 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Can Dark Electrode's "Darkness Navigation" allow it to
search for "R Energy" (double-Darkness)?
A. No, it only allows you to search for either a card
named "Darkness Energy" or "Dark Metal Energy". You cannot
use it to search for "Magma Energy" or "Aqua Energy"
either, sorry. (Nov 4, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
Q. For Crawdaunt's Darkness Protection power, do Dark Metal
and Rainbow energies work with the power to reduce damage?
A. Yes, any card that provides Darkness Energy works for
Darkness Protection. (Jun 16, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Say you have a Relicanth active and a Dark Gengar on the
bench. Since both of them have the "Deep Sleep"
Pokémon Power, does that mean you have to flip FOUR
coins to see if you wake up?
A. No, Deep Sleep is not a cumulative power; you only have
to flip exactly 2 coins. You cannot flip more than 2 coins
if you had two Relicanth active in 2-on-2 play either. (Oct
7, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If my opponent has an attack that can copy Latios'
"Psychic Force" attack and I also have a Latias or
Latias-EX in play, does the opponent require the reduced
attack cost that Latios' "Delta Aura" Poké-BODY has
modified, or the original attack cost as printed on the
card?
A. No, the benefit of Delta Aura only applies to the
Pokémon that has that power. The copying attack would
still cost the original amount printed on the card. (Nov 3,
2005 PUI Rules Team)
Q. What does it mean on "Delta Guard" where it says to
ignore the effect of the "Lightning Storm" attack?
A. Lightning Storm still does damage to the Defending
Pokémon. The *effect* of putting 7 damage counters on
Rayquaza is the effect to be ignored. (EX:Delta Species
FAQ; Nov 3, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
Q. What happens if I have two Umbreon's with "Delta Moon"
Poké-BODY in play when an opponent attaches a Special
Energy Card?
A. Delta Moon applies whenever the opponent attaches a
Special Energy Card, but you cannot combine multiple
Umbreons to do additional damage. The intent of the "can't
use more than one" phrase is to prevent it from being
cumulative (i.e. 4 Umbreons cannot be combined to place 8
damage counters). (May 18, 2006 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If I have 4 Gyarados with "Delta Reactor" on the bench,
and a Holon Ruins stadium in play, does Exeggutor's "Split
Bomb" do 70 to two Pokémon?
A. No. Although "Delta Reactor" can be cumulative (i.e. 4
Gyarados adds +40 damage), the effect of the extra damage
can only be done to the Defending Pokémon. Delta
Reactor has no effect when it comes to bench damage. So in
this case, Split Bomb could do either 70 to the Defending
Pokémon and 30 to one benched Pokémon, or 30 each
to two benched Pokémon. (Aug 3, 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, 2007 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If my opponent has a Benched Dark Ampharos in play, and
I evolve Eevee to Espeon-EX, how do the "Darkest Impulse"
and "Devo Flash" effects resolve?
A. The effects would be simultaneous. The player whose
turn it is would choose the order in which they would be
played. (Mar 9, 2006 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If I use Crobat-EX's "Distortion" power and then retreat
it for a different Crobat-EX, can I use the second one's
Distortion power too?
A. Yes, but you can only use each Crobat-EX's Distortion
only once per turn, and only when it is currently active.
(May 12, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Let's say my opponent has a benched Honchkrow with 3
Darkness energies attached, and a Murkrow active. If I have
Azelf, Uxie, and Mesprit in play, would Azelf's "Downer
Material" Poke-BODY require that Murkrow have an energy
attached in order for it to use Honchkrow's attack via its
"Dark Genes" Poke-BODY?
A. No. Dark Genes says that Murkrow gets to use Honchkrow's
attack without any energy. There is no energy cost to add
onto for Murkrow. (Jan 24, 2008 PUI Rules Team)
Q. For Rayquaza with the "Dragon Aura" Poké-BODY, do
you have to have both Fire AND Lightning basic energy
attached in order for it to work? Or is it Fire OR
Lightning?
A. Sorry, you must have both Fire AND Lightning attached.
(Feb 10, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Let's say Player A's Active Rayquaza has a Lightning
Energy card attached; Player B attacks the Rayquaza and
successfully Poisons it with the attack. During Player A's
next turn, he attaches a Fire Energy card to Rayquaza. Does
Dragon Aura remove the Poison Special Condition in this
instance?
A. No. Dragon Aura doesn't look back in time to see where
the effect came from, just the attack at the time it is
being attacked. (Feb 17, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Does Rayquaza's "Dragon Aura" prevent an attack that
places damage counters?
A. Yes, "placing counters" is not the same as "doing
damage", so placing counters is prevented by Dragon Aura.
(May 19, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
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. Salamence-EX's "Dragon Lift" Poké-BODY makes
Retreat Cost 0, but Dark Muk's "Sticky Goo" Poké-BODY
adds 2. So if Salamence-EX is on the bench and the
Defending Pokémon is Dark Muk, how much would it cost
to retreat my Active Pokémon that normally has a
Retreat Cost of 1? Is it 0, 2, 3, or what??
A. Anything that sets retreat to zero is not affected by
pluses and minuses, so Dragon Lift sets the retreat cost to
zero, despite Dark Muk's Sticky Goo. (Jun 2, 2005 PUI Rules
Team)
Q. If a Kingdra with "Dragon Veil" was in play and the
opponent used "Brick Smash" against a Fighting-weak
Pokémon or "Fastwave" against a Psychic-weak
Pokémon, would the attack's damage be normal or
doubled? In other words, would the attack override the
Dragon Veil, allowing the attack to apply Weakness?
A. Dragon Veil is an effect on the defending Pokémon
and is ignored by attacks that ignore effects on the
defending Pokémon. Therefore, it does not protect from
weakness damage applicable for those attacks and the damage
would be doubled for weakness. (July 21, 2005 PUI Rules
Team)
Q. For Salamence's "Dragon Wind", who chooses the Benched
Pokémon., the attacker or the defender?
A. The Active Player chooses which Benched Pokémon.
to switch; the opponent chooses which of their Defending
Pokémon. [in the case of 2-on-2 play]. (Nov 20, 2003
PUI Rules Team)
Q. If I attach a Rainbow/Multi/Scramble/etc. energy to
Magcargo, does that activate its "Dual Armor"
Poké-BODY?
A. As long as the energy card provides Fighting Energy
(whether it is basic or not), Dual Armor would work. (Sep
8, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If I attach a Fighting Energy to a poisoned Magcargo
having the "Dual Armor" Poké-BODY, and if the Island
Cave stadium is in play, does the poison condition get
removed?
A. Yes, it does. (Sep 22, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
Q. For Hypno's "Eerie Aura" Poké-BODY, do you put the
two damage counters on BEFORE or AFTER checking for sleep?
A. Both you & your opponent check for sleep first, and
then each Pokémon that REMAINS ASLEEP after everything
gets two damage counters. (Sep 2, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Does Hypno's "Eerie Aura" Poké-BODY apply to itself
if it becomes Asleep?
A. Poké-Bodies are not shut off by Special Conditions
(unless the text says otherwise), so Hypno would indeed be
susceptible to its own Eerie Aura power. (Sep 2, 2004 PUI
Rules Team)
Q. If an opponent's Hypno and my Active Pokémon both
remain Asleep between turns, and if Hypno only has 20 hp
left, can my Active avoid the damage from Hypno by waiting
until the opponent knocks itself out?
A. Even if Hypno is KO'd, the same effect still gets
applied to both players, meaning your Active takes two
damage counters if it remains asleep. (Oct 7, 2004 PUI
Rules Team)
Q. If Muk-EX's "Toxic Gas" is present when Shedinja with
the "Empty Shell" Poké-BODY is KO'd, do you take a
prize?
A. Yes, Empty Shell is turned off by Toxic Gas. (Jun 23,
2005 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Will "Fastwave" allow my opponent to knock out my
Shednija (with "Empty Shell") and take a prize since it
says its not affected by Poké-Bodies?
A. The Damage done by Fastwave is not affected by Empty
Shell, but that has nothing to do with whether you take a
prize or not. You still get no prize because of "Empty
Shell". (Jan 12, 2006 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Space Center is in play. When you play Shedinja as a
Basic Pokémon by using Ninjask's "Loose Shell"
Poké-Power and Shedinja is Knocked Out by "Wreck" done
by Primeape (which also discards the stadium in play), can
I take a prize card?
A. No, you can't. The Stadium card is discarded after
damage but before Shedinja is Knocked Out from the damage.
So Shedinja's "Empty Shell" would reactivate prior to it
being KO'd, and you would not get to take a prize. (Jul 13,
2006 PUI Rules Team)
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 don't have any cards
left in your deck, you can't use this power. When a card
says "draw up to X cards", it addresses a range of 1 to X.
(Jul 19, 2007 PUI Rules Team)
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)
Q. For Neo Discovery Eevee, can you attach an energy and
using its power (if heads) and evolve first turn?
A. Yes, this is now permissible. (Jul 22, 2004 PUI Rules
Team)
Q. If I attach a Rainbow Energy to Eevee, what Energy type
does it count as for "Energy Evolution"?
A. Whatever Energy type you would like - if you decide to
use its Poké-Power after attaching a Rainbow Energy,
you can look through your deck for any of Eevee's evolution
cards to put onto it. You don't need to announce the Energy
type before searching your deck. (Aug 11, 2005 PUI Rules
Team)
Q. If I attach a Multi Energy to Eevee, what Energy type
does it count as for "Energy Evolution"?
A. If there are no other Special Energy Cards already
attached, then it behaves the same as when attaching a
Rainbow Energy. Otherwise, it counts as colorless and you
cannot search through your deck. (Aug 11, 2005 PUI Rules
Team)
Q. What happens if I attach an energy type to Eevee that it
doesn't have an evolution for (i.e. Grass, Fighting, etc.)?
A. Since Eevee has no evolution of that particular energy
type, you do not get to search through your deck. (Aug 11,
2005 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Will Eevee's "Energy Evolution" power still trigger if
it has an Energy attached to it while it's affected by a
Special Condition?
A. There is no text on the card to say it's shut off, so
it still works even when afflicted by a Special Condition.
(Aug 25, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If I attach an energy to Eevee during the first turn of
the game, can I use it's "Energy Evolution" Poké-POWER
right away?
A. The current ruling allows Poké-Powers to avoid
first-turn evolution restrictions. You can evolve using the
"Energy Evolution" power on Eevee's first turn in play,
even on the first turn of the game. (Aug 25, 2005 PUI Rules
Team)
Q. Say I attach a Water Energy to Eevee and do "Energy
Evolution". I want to find a Vaporeon-EX, but unfortunately
I only have a regular Vaporeon in my deck. Do I have to
attach the regular Vaporeon to Eevee?
A. Yes, since you searched your deck you MUST attach some
kind of Water evolution of Eevee if you have one in your
deck, even if it isn't the particular one you wanted. (Jan
26, 2006 PUI Rules Team)
Q. What happens, if my Eevee has 10 HP left and I attach a
Rainbow Energy to it, can I use Energy Evolution to save it
from KO by evolving to a higher HP Eeveelution?
A. Both actions (placing the damage counter from the
Rainbow energy and evolving using the Poké-POWER)
happen at the same time, so the player using Eevee gets to
decide the order of the actions.
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 Charizard-EX'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. If my Muk-EX is active and gets KO'd by an opponent's
attack, and I have a Lanturn with the power "Energy
Grounding" on the bench, can I then use Energy Grounding to
take an energy card from Muk-EX and attach to Lanturn?
A. No, you cannot. The effect of Toxic Gas 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; Feb 1, 2007 PUI
Rules Team)
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. Can I attach a Boost Energy to Skyridge Alakazam and
then move it to a basic Pokémon.? If so, then would I
have to discard the Boost Energy as soon as it is moved
because Boost Energy says, "when the Pokémon. Boost
Energy is attached to is no longer an Evolved
Pokémon., discard Boost Energy". Boost Energy was
never ATTACHED to the basic Pokémon., it was MOVED to
it.
A. First off, yes you can use Energy Jump to move Boost
Energy after attaching it to the Alakazam. However, if you
move it to a Basic Pokémon. it would be discarded
immediately because it is "no longer an Evolved
Pokémon.". (Dec 4, 2003 PUI Rules Team)
Q. When I use Blastoise-EX to "Energy Rain" several
energies onto one of my Pokémon, do I have to place
one damage counter for each energy that was attached in
this manner? Or do I get to place only one counter
regardless of how many energies I attach to that
Pokémon?
A. You can use the "Energy Rain" Poké-POWER as many
times as you like during your turn (before your attack),
but you must place one counter per energy that gets
attached. (Sep 9, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
* 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" Poke-POWER 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. 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)
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
17, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
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)
Q. If Kecleon has a Rainbow or Multi Energy attached, does
it then get to be all colors??
A. It only applies to basic Energy cards. So, no. (Sep 11,
2003 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If Kecleon has several types of energy attached, is it
ALL types simultaneously or do you have to choose which
type it is at a given time?
A. Energy Variation does not replace any types.... Kecleon
can be up to all 6 simultaneously; it can be multiple types
at the same time. (Sep 11, 2003 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Does Kecleon lose its Colorless type, when it has any
kind of basic Energy card on it?
A. Yes. Kecleon may become multiple types based on the
variety of basic Energy attached to it; however, it loses
its Colorless trait after the first basic Energy card. (Oct
2, 2003 PUI Rules Team)
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, double-Resistance would result in -60 damage (-30
times two). (May 13, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
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 the Energy on Kecleon is altered in some way, does
Kecleon look at the original energy card or what it's been
changed into? For example, if you somehow changed Fire to
Darkness, would Kecleon be a Darkness-type Pokémon
instead of a Fire-type?
A. Kecleon looks at what the Energy card has been changed
into. (Sep 26, 2003 PUI Rules Team)
Q. What would happen if a promo Smeargle paints a
multi-type (more than one type of basic energy card
attached) Kecleon? And for that matter, what would happen
if an already painted Kecleon changed into another type
with its body?
A. Even though Kecleon's underlying type may change, the
Coloring Counter overrides whatever type Kecleon is, or may
become. (Jan 29, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Suppose that Kecleon has a Fire Energy and a Lightning
Energy attached to it. Can Venomoth (Jungle) use Kecleon as
a reference to Shift into a Fire or Lightning type? Or does
it shift into a multi-type (i.e. both Fire AND Lightning)
to mimic Kecleon's behavior?
A. In this case, all of Kecleon's color types are copied.
You cannot select only one of several Energy types. (Jan
29, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If I have DRE & Darkness on a Dark Electrode with
all basics on my bench, can I move just the Darkness to my
benched basic and keep the DRE on the Dark Electrode?
A. Nope, if you choose to move ANY energies with "Energy
Bomb", you must move them ALL. So if you move the DRE to a
basic Pokémon when using the optional "may move"
effect, it will be discarded. (Dec 1, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
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, 2007 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Can Shiftry's "Evolutionary Fan" Poké-BODY return a
Shiftry-EX into your hand?
A. Evolutionary Fan only excludes any Pokémon named
"Shiftry" (not just the one using the power); since
"Shiftry EX" is a different name, you may pick it up. (Jan
18, 2007 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If you use Electrode-EX's Poké-POWER and Knock it
out, can you search for any of the Energy cards that were
attached to it that are now in the discard pile, to attach
to one of your other Pokémon?
A. Yes, you may. (Oct 7, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
Q. What happens if you try to use Electrode-EX's "Extra
Energy Bomb" and you have less than 5 energy cards in your
discard pile?
A. If you have five, you must take five. If you have less
than five, you must take whatever you have. It does not say
"up to 5" on the card. (Oct 28, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If I use Electrode-EX's "Extra Energy Bomb" power and KO
him, must my opponent take prizes, or is it optional?
A. When a Pokémon is KO'd, the opponent never has a
choice whether to take prizes or not. So if you use Extra
Energy Bomb, your opponent MUST take two of their prizes.
(Feb 10, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
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)
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. (Feb 22, 2007 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If my opponent has an active Nidoking and a benched
Nidoqueen and there is a Team Aqua Hideout in play what is
the Retreat cost of Nidoking?
A. Anything that sets retreat to zero is not affected by
pluses and minuses, so Family Bonds sets the retreat cost
to zero, despite Team Aqua's Hideout. (Sep 23, 2004 PUI
Rules Team)
Q. If my opponent has a Nidoqueen with "Family Bonds" in
play, does that mean that I can reduce my own Nido's
Retreat Costs to zero as well?
A. Family Bonds does not specify "your Pokémon" or
theirs, so it can apply to both players' sides. (Oct 7,
2004 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Can Flygon use its "Energy Shower" attack to attach
energies to the legendary birds with
Anti-(Lightning/Fire/Water) Powers, since this is an attack
effect and not a 'normal' energy attachment?
A. No, Energy Shower does not override the Poké-BODY.
(Jan 29, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
Q. What happens if I attach a "Holon's" Pokémon
(providing more than 1 Energy) to Arcanine-EX? Does "Fire
Remedy" remove 1 or 2 damage counters?
A. Fire Remedy is triggered by the act of attaching an
Energy - it doesn't matter if the Energy card provides more
than 1 Energy, it just removes 1 damage counter. (Mar 9,
2006 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If a Pokémon.'s attack "places damage counters" on
Growlithe or Arcanine, does it get to use its "Fire Veil"
power or not?
A. Damage counters are typically phrased that way to mean
something other than damage. So, Fire Veil does not trigger
on damage counters. (Sep 11, 2003 PUI Rules Team)
Q. I use Starmie's "Energy Flip" vs. an active damaged
Swablu with the "Fluff" Poké-BODY. Does Fluff let my
opponent flip to block me from moving an energy from a
benched Pokémon to Swablu?
A. Moving an Energy to Swablu is an "effect done to
Swablu", and therefore your opponent flips to see if it is
blocked (since Swablu already had a damage counter on it).
(Mar 3, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If Dark Raticate uses "Dark Seed" against a damaged
Swablu, is the "Fluff" coin flip done as soon as the attack
is announced, when the 5 damage counters are placed, or
both times?
A. It would only be done the first time. You would flip
for Fluff when the Dark Seed attack puts the effect onto
the Swablu; but you would not flip when the five damage
counters are placed because that's a *result of the effect*
on Swablu rather than a direct result of the Dark Seed
attack [just like you wouldn't flip each time you placed a
damage counter for poison]. (Apr 21, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Can I use Deoxys' "Form Change" to search for the same
kind of Deoxys (i.e. different physical card, but same
type, HP, attacks, etc.)?
A. Yes, because you search for the card in your deck
before putting the current Deoxys back into the deck. (Mar
10, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
Q. My opponent uses an "Amnesia" attack against my Dexoys'
"Link Blast" attack. On my turn I use Deoxys' "Form Change"
Poké-POWER. What happens if I replace the Deoxys Link
Blast for a Deoxys Energy Crush; can I attack with Energy
Crush?
A. Yes you can. But if you replace the old Deoxys with the
same kind it would not be able to use its "Link Blast"
attack because Form Change retains the same effects as the
Deoxys that had been Amnesia'd. (Mar 10, 2005 PUI Rules
Team)
Q. Say I have Ditto from FR/LG on my bench and it has been
a couple of turns. Now say I use Ditto's power & switch
it with a Weedle from my discard pile. Can I on the same
turn evolve it into Kakuna or do I have to wait a turn to
"evolve normally"?
A. As long as it is not Ditto's first turn in play, you
can evolve the new Pokémon into a subsequent
evolutionary stage. (Sep 9, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
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)
Q. If I have Rapidash with the "Fiery Aura" Poké-BODY,
and if the Full Flame stadium is in play, does that mean a
Burned Pokémon takes eight damage counters when burned
(two times two equals four, times two again equals eight)?
A. No, these two effects are not cumulative. They both say
"put four damage counters instead of two", and four is
four, no matter which one gets you there. (Feb 16, 2006 PUI
Rules Team)
Q. Can I use Deoxys' "Form Change" to search for a
Deoxys-EX, or vice versa?
A. No, Deoxys can only Form Change to a regular Deoxys,
and Deoxys-EX can only Form Change to another Deoxys-EX.
(Feb 10, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Illumise's "Glowing Screen" power says "As long as
Volbeat is in play..." Does this count for ANY Volbeat
(yours or opponent's) or only your own?
A. No. There was an error in translation that left it
vague - a player must have both of them in play on their
side, to use those Poké-Powers (Sep 26, 2003 PUI Rules
Team)
Q. I attack Illumise (with Volbeat in play) using Team
Magma's Groudon. As it is not actually a resistance, does
Groudon's Pulverize attack get reduced by 30 or 60?
A. Only 30. Just because the Team Magma's Groudon is both
Fighting & Darkness types, doesn't mean that Illumise
gets to double its power. (Apr 8, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
Q. What happens if my Active Pokémon is already
Poisoned when a Grass Energy is attached to the
Pokémon while I have Sceptile with "Green Essence" in
play?
A. All Special Conditions are removed from your
Pokémon at any point that the Pokémon has Grass
Energy attached to it. (May 5, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
Q. What happens if Sceptile with "Green Essence" enters
play when a Pokémon is already affected by a Special
Condition?? Are they instantly cured?
A. Yes, those Pokémon would lose any Special
Conditions on them, providing they have a Grass Energy
attached to them. . (May 5, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If I use Swampert's "Water Call" to place an energy, can
I use Venusaur's "Harvest Bounty" power to double it?
A. Venusaur says "as part of your turn" - this does not
refer to the playing of an energy card via Poké-Powers
or Poké-Bodies. (Mar 18, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Bellossom's "Heal Dance" says. "...you may remove 2
damage counters from 1 of your Pokémon..." So if I had
a Pokémon with only 1 damage counter on it, would I be
able to remove that damage counter or not?
A. Yes, you may remove one counter if that's all the
damage that Pokémon has on it. But you must remove two
if it has more than one damage counter. (Mar 3, 2005 PUI
Rules Team)
Q. Bellossom & Gardevoir both have the "Heal Dance"
Poké-POWER. Could you use Gardevoir's Heal Dance
first, and then use Bellossom's Heal Dance too?
A. Sorry, but the power says that you may use ONLY ONE
Heal Dance per turn, regardless of which Pokémon uses
it first. (Jun 2, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Does the Healing Shower Poké-POWER remove damage
counters from my Pokémon-ex?
A. No. Healing Shower removes damage counters from all
Pokémon in play, excluding Pokémon-ex. (EX:Hidden
Legends FAQ)
Q. Is Milotic's "Healing Shower" mandatory when I play it
from my hand, or is it optional? Can I choose to NOT heal
any Pokémon?
A. Yes. It says "may", and is therefore optional. (Jun 3,
2004 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Can you use Milotic's "Healing Shower" Poké-POWER
more than once if you play more than one Milotic per turn
from your hand?
A. Yes, each separate Milotic has its own "Healing Shower"
power which can be used individually. (Jun 10, 2004 PUI
Rules Team)
Q. What happens when I evolve Milotic using Rare Candy?
Does "Healing Shower" trigger or not?
A. Yes, Healing Shower will trigger. Milotic is coming
into play from your hand, and will trigger normally. (Feb
24, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Say my opponent has Dark Ampharos, and I use Milotic
with "Healing Shower". Can I have Healing Shower remove the
damage AFTER Dark Ampharos' "Darkest Impulse" places a
counter on Milotic?
A. Healing Shower and Darkest Impulse happen at the same
time. So the player controlling Milotic would decide which
effect to apply first. (Mar 3, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If I have more than one Xatu in play, can I use each of
their "Healing Wind" powers to remove multiple damage
counters from my active Pokémon?
A. Yes. Dangerous, but correct. Removing lots of damage is
good. (Sep 11, 2003 PUI Rules Team)
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)
Q. Does Ampharos' "Holon Veil" Poké-BODY make both
players' Pokémon in play delta-species type, or just
your own?
A. Holon Veil only affects your own Pokémon. It's
implied that it's only your own Pokémon in play as
well. (Nov 30, 2006 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Can Togetic be ATM-Rock'd by a dark Pokémon?
A. No, because ATM-Rock's "Stone Generator" still counts
as an attack that would be blocked by Togetic's "Holy
Shield". (Jan 6, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Can Machamp with the "Immunity" Poké-BODY be
brought up from the bench (or sent to the bench) with
attacks like Dark Gengar's "Pull In" or Metagross-EX's
"Metal Reversal"?
A. Machamp cannot be moved by Gust-like effects from
attacks, even if the "main target" is another Pokémon.
Switching a Pokémon up from the Bench with the Active
Pokémon is considered "affecting" both the benched
Pokémon and the Active Pokémon, and in this case
it is prevented. (Aug 5, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
Q. What would happen if Blaziken-EX attacked Machamp (with
the "Immunity" Poké-BODY) with its "Blaze Kick"
attack?
A. On heads, it would do 50 damage. On tails, it would
only do 30 damage. Machamp is only affected by damage and
cannot get Burned while its Immunity Poké-BODY is in
effect. (Aug 5, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
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, 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. 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)
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)
Q. Does "Intimidating Fang" also help prevent damage to
benched Pokémon?
A. That is correct. As long as Mightyena (or Arbok) is one
of your Active Pokémon, it will reduce damage done to
ANY of your Pokémon by 10. (Sep 25, 2003 PUI Rules
Team)
Q. Does "Intimidating Pattern" also help prevent damage to
benched Pokémon?
A. That is correct. As long as Masquerain is one of your
Active Pokémon, it will reduce damage done to ANY of
your Pokémon by 20. (Apr 21, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Can Deoxys-EX's "Fastwave" attack get through Ursaring's
"Intimidating Ring" Poké-BODY?
A. Fastwave only prevents the *amount of damage done* from
being affected by Poké-Powers, Poké-Bodies, etc.
Since Deoxys-EX is a Basic, Intimidating Ring doesn't even
let it start the attack in the first place. (Sep 29, 2005
PUI Rules Team)
Q. Does Ursaring's "Intimidating Ring" Poké-BODY
prevent coming into play Powers like Zapdos EX's "Legendary
Ascent"?
A. Yes, it does. There is no longer any special treatment
for Powers activated by "coming into play". (Sep 8, 2005
PUI Rules Team)
Q. Considering the wording of Pelipper's "Swallow" attack,
does the damage on Pelipper get removed BEFORE or AFTER
Claw Fossil's "Jagged Stone" Poké-BODY damages
Pelipper? Jagged Stone places 1 damage counter on Pelipper
as a result of Pelipper's attack, then the text of Swallow
says to remove damage counters AFTER the attack (implying
that the attack has been completely resolved).
A. The language used for Swallow is over-specific. The
process at the end of the attack: Do damage; next, do the
rest of the Attacking Pokémon's effects; lastly, do
any of the Defending Pokémon's effects. So in this
case, Pelipper's Swallow removes damage counters FIRST (if
any), and then Claw Fossil's "Jagged Stone" kicks in
afterward. (Oct 30, 2003 PUI Rules Team)
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)
Q. If a player uses ATM: Rock to devolve your active
Weezing, and if there is enough damage on Koffing to knock
it out, does that activate Koffing's "Knockout Gas"
Poké-BODY?
A. No. Although ATM: Rock's "Stone Generator" is
considered an attack, it does not "do damage" and would
therefore NOT cause Knockout Gas to activate. (Jun 23, 2005
PUI Rules Team)
Q. Let's say I have a Dark Pupitar out and I use "Explosive
Evolution" and flip heads, so I get to search my deck for a
Dark Tyranitar. However I also KO a Koffing that has the
"Knockout Gas" Poké-BODY. Am I now Confused and
Poisoned? Or does my evolution remove the special
conditions before they effect me in any way?
A. You do the damage from an attack first, if that
triggers anything (in this case it does) you then do what
is triggered, then you continue and do what the attack says
besides damage. So the evolution portion of "Explosive
Evolution" takes place AFTER Koffing's "Knockout Gas" goes
off. (Sep 22, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Does Slaking's "Lazy" Poké-BODY prevent
coming-into-play Poké-Powers?
A. Yes, "coming into play" powers are prevented by
Slaking's "Lazy" [similar to the behavior of Muk-EX's
"Toxic Gas"]. (Apr 21, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Does Slaking's "Lazy Aura" Poké-BODY reduce damage
done to benched Pokémon from an opponent's
Pokémon-EX?
A. If Slaking is Active, then yes it does. (Mar 23, 2006
PUI Rules Team)
Q. The "Legendary Ascent" Poké-POWER says, "...you may
switch 1 of your Active Pokémon with
Articuno-EX/Moltres-EX/Zapdos-EX. If you do, you may also
move any number of basic W/F/L energy cards attached to
your Pokémon to Articuno-EX/Moltres-EX/Zapdos-EX."
Now, can you move energy from all of your benched
Pokémon, or just from the Pokémon that is forced
to the bench by the power?
A. The last line of the text says "attached to YOUR
Pokémon" meaning you can move energy from any of your
Pokémon onto the one using "Legendary Ascent". If it
had said, "attached to THAT Pokémon", then you would
only be able to move it from the one that got sent to the
bench. (Sep 9, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Does Muk's "Toxic Gas" prevent the "Legendary Ascent"
Poké-POWER found on the legendary birds of
FireRed/LeafGreen from happening?
A. As soon as the Pokémon is played, "Toxic Gas" will
prevent its Poké-Power; so "Legendary Ascent" is
prevented by "Toxic Gas". (Apr 21, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Can you use Rocket's Raikou-EX's "Lightning Burst"
Poké-POWER when you attach a Dark Metal Energy and
Rocket Energy from your hand to it? Or is "Darkness Energy
Card" the only card you can attach in order to activate the
Power? And what about Rainbow Energy??
A. Yes, anything that provides Darkness Energy when
attached will activate Lightning Burst. The only one that
would NOT work would be attaching a Multi Energy when
there's already another Special Energy Card attached to
Rocket's Raikou-EX. (Jun 23, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Latios-EX's "Link Wing" Poké-Body doesn't mention
Latias* or Latios* are their Retreat Costs set to 0 as
well?
A. No. Latias* is not the same as Latias... if it's not
mentioned in the Poké-Body, it doesn't get the cheap
Retreat Cost. (EX:Dragon Frontiers FAQ; Oct 26, 2006 PUI
Rules Team)
Q. Lunatone's "Lunar Eclipse" power says "If Solrock is in
play..." Does this count for ANY Solrock (yours or
opponent's) or only your own?
A. No. There was an error in translation that left it
vague - a player must have both of them in play on their
side, to use those Poké-Powers. (Sep 26, 2003 PUI
Rules Team)
Q. If I use Lunatone's Lunar Eclipse Power to change it
from a Psychic to a Darkness type, would I get the special
bonuses from Darkness Energy for the turn?
A. Yes, it does. (Sep 25, 2003 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Team Magma's Claydol's "Magma Switch" says "Once during
your turn, you may move an energy attached to your
Pokémon with Team Magma in its name to another of your
Pokémon". Does that mean I can move an energy from
each of my Team Magma Pokémon to another, or only from
one of my Team Magma Pokémon to another? (it does not
say "one of your Pokémon with Team Magma...")
A. No, you can only move an energy from ONE of your Team
Magma Pokémon to any of your other Pokémon It's
just not worded very clearly. (Apr 8, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Can Strength Charm be used to get around the Mr.Mime-EX
powers that block even or odd amounts of damage?
A. Yes, the Strength Charm is factored into the amount of
damage being done before Mr.Mime-EX's power is checked.
(Oct 28, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
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)
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 26, 2007 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Does the Metal Juncture Poké-POWER only let me move
a Metal Special Energy card, or any Energy card that also
provides a Metal Energy?
A. Yes. Any card that produces Metal Energy could be
moved. (EX:Hidden Legends FAQ)
Q. Can I use Starmie's "Metal Navigation" to search my deck
for a Dark Metal Energy card?
A. No, while Dark Electrode's "Darkness Navigation"
explicitly says you can, Starmie's "Metal Navigation" does
not explicitly say you can search your deck for a Dark
Metal Energy card. Sorry. (Dec 1, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
Q. In 2-on-2 Play, if you have 2 Dark Weezings active is
the "Methane Leak" Poké-BODY cumulative so that both
of them each add a damage counter between turns?
A. Yes, in the case of 2-on-2 Play "Methane Leak" is
cumulative. Two active Dark Weezings would result in two
additional counters per turn if the opponent is poisoned.
(Jan 27, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Say I have a Skyridge Alakazam on the bench, a Light
Dragonite active, and any Dark/Rocket's Pokémon on the
bench; if I attach R-Energy to the Dark/Rocket's
Pokémon, could I be use Alakazam's "Energy Jump" to
move the energy to a non-Dark/Rocket's Pokémon (as
Light Dragonite would take away the effects of R-Energy)?
A. Yes, but if Light Dragonite leaves play, the R Energy
would be removed if the current Pokémon it was
attached to is not Rocket's or Dark. (Dec 2, 2004 PUI Rules
Team)
Q. If Skyridge Wobbuffet is attacked by "Toxic" or "Triple
Poison", does the attacking Pokémon also receive the
double-poison or triple-poison special
condition too?
A. They are Poisoned, but it is just normal Poison and
they take only one damage counter between turns. (Jan 27,
2005 PUI Rules Team)
Q. I attacked with Ancient Technical Machine [Ice] last
turn. During my opponent's turn, he evolves his Feebas into
Milotic-EX. Does "Mystic Scale" get rid of my protection
for the turn?
A. The TM has already been discarded from play at the end
of the previous turn. Any effects placed on a Pokémon
by the attack from that TM are not canceled and remain.
(May 5, 2005 PUI Rules Team; May 12, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
Q. When I attach a Rainbow Energy card to Swampert, which
works first; remove 1 damage counter from Swampert using
the Poké-Body or put 1 damage counter due to attaching
a Rainbow Energy card?
A. Either way is OK. The Swampert player decides which
effect goes first. (Sep 23, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Is my opponent allowed to rearrange his or her hand
after I look at his or her cards with Night Vision?
A. Yes. Your opponent can mix up the order of his or her
hand once the Poké-Power has been resolved, even if
you have an effect that lets you discard a card from his or
her hand without looking during that same turn. (EX:Deoxys
FAQ, Q3; Feb 3, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Does Meganium-EX's "Nurture and Heal" Poké-Power
count against the 1 Energy card attachment per turn?
A. No. Nurture and Heal is its own effect, so you can
still do your normal energy attachment too. (Aug 11, 2005
PUI Rules Team)
Q. Can I attach a Rainbow Energy card using "Nurture and
Heal"?
A. No - it would need to be a Grass Energy card in your
hand in order for it to be attached as part of Nurture and
Heal's effect, and Rainbow does not count as Grass while in
your hand. (Aug 11, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Does Meganium-EX's "Nurture and Heal" Poké-Power
stack? Like, if you had 2 could you attach 2 Grass
Energies?
A. Yes, it's Poké-Power would stack. (Aug 11, 2005
PUI Rules Team)
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, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
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 a Pokémon's attack "places damage counters" on
Cacturne or Cacnea, does it get to use its "Poison Payback"
power or not?
A. Damage counters are typically phrased that way to mean
something other than damage. So, Poison Payback does not
trigger on damage counters. (Sep 11, 2003 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Is it true that only an attack that "does damage" will
trigger Cacturne's Poké-BODY which is "damaged by an
attack"?
A. Correct. Cacturne's Poké-BODY only reacts to
damage, not damage counters. (Mar 25, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Steelix-EX's "Poison Resistance" says that Steelix-EX
can't be Poisoned. So lets say I play down a Battle
Frontier, and then poison my opponent's Steelix-EX. On his
turn, he counters my Stadium. Does Poison stay on him or is
it taken away?
A. The Poison Special Condition would be removed, as soon
as Steelix-EX had its Poké-Body back. (Jan 26, 2006
PUI Rules Team)
Q. If my Active Pokémon has an owner in its name, and
its attack does damage to my own benched Pokémon,
would Ledian's "Powder Protection" protect it from such
damage.
A. Yes, that is correct. (Nov 18, 2004, PUI Rules Team)
Q. If Ledian is the active Pokémon, does the damage
reducing (-40) effect take place before or after the
appplying of Weakness and Resistance?
A. After - it's an effect on the Defending Pokémon.
(Dec 2, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If I use Rocket's Zapdos EX's "Raging Thunder" attack
which says to do 30 damage to one of your own Pokémon,
can I direct that damage onto Ledian and use its "Powder
Protection" to reduce that damage?
A. Powder Protection does not specify that the
Pokémon must be the opponent's, so yes it can be used
to block self-damage like this. (Dec 9, 2004 PUI Rules
Team)
Q. For Team Aqua's Walrein's "Power Blow" attack, does it
do 10 or 20 damage if there's only a single energy card on
it?
A. It does 20 damage, 10 plus 10 more for each energy
attached (regardless of whether it's paying for the attack
cost or not). (May 20, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Does Power Diffusion reduce the number of damage
counters placed, or just damage for Benched Pokémon?
A. Power Diffusion just reduces damage, not damage
counters for the Benched Pokémon. (EX:Hidden Legends
FAQ)
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. (Mar 3, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Is Nidoking's "Power Gene" Poké-BODY cumulative?
A. Yes, it is. (Sep 2, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If you have FR/LG Nidoking in play and make an attack
that does no direct damage (i.e. puts opponent to sleep, or
poisons them), does Nidoking's power add +10 damage or not?
A. The implication of "Power Gene" is that you must do at
least SOME damage in order to do "10 MORE". If the attack
does no damage, then Power Gene does not work. (Sep 16,
2004 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Does Nidoking's "Power Gene" add +10 to the attack
before or after Weakness/Resistance?
A. Nidoking's effect is done before Weakness and
Resistance. (Sep 23, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Is Crawdaunt's Power Pinchers cumulative?
A. Yes, but Crawdaunt must be Active in order for his
power to work, so the only way it can be cumulative would
be in 2-on-2 play. (Nov 20, 2003 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Are Team Magma's Groudon and Team Aqua's Kyogre
themselves counted as a Team Magma's/Aqua's Pokémon
for their own "Power Saver" Poké-BODY?
A. Yes, that is correct. (Jan 13, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If I use Team Aqua's Manectric to "Power Shift" energies
to another Pokémon, does each energy have to go to the
same target, or can I shift the energies to multiple
targets?
A. You may move as many energies as you want, but they
must all be moved onto the same destination Pokémon.
And don't forget that you are only allowed to do that once
per turn per Team Aqua's Manectric in play. (Feb 10, 2005
PUI Rules Team)
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) [Note: This ruling does not
conflict with the Primal Aura/Pull/Stare rulings; the
prevention mechanisms are different.]
Q. If I have a benched Fossil Aerodactyl and a Dark Pupitar
active, and I flip heads on "Explosive Evolution", do I get
to search for a card that evolves from Dark Pupitar and
evolve it?
A. It's been established in earlier rulings that
"Prehistoric Power" affects Pokémon being evolved by
Evolution cards being played from your hand as a normal
evolution. Since "Explosive Evolution" comes from your
Deck, Aerodactyl does not prevent it from happening. (Jan
20, 2005 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
12, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Does Primal Pull also affect Claydol?
A. Yes. Claydol would need at least 2 Energy attached to
use its Muddy Eye attack. (EX:Hidden Legends FAQ)
Q. Does Claydol's "Primal Pull" add energy cost to attacks
from TM trainers? The TM's say you can "use this card's
attacks instead of its own".
A. The intent of Primal Pull is that the active
Pokémon must pay one more energy whenever it attacks,
regardless of whether its attack is printed on the card or
referenced from somewhere else like a TM or a stadium. (Apr
21, 2005 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
12, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
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)
Q. If I have a Sableye active and I'm facing an Armaldo, I
use "Supernatural" and find a Copycat in his hand. May I
use the Copycat or does the attack do nothing as a result
of Armaldo's Poké-BODY??
A. Well, Supernatural says "You may use the effect of a
Supporter card you find there as the effect of the attack".
That is not the same thing as "playing a Supporter", so it
would not be prevented by Armaldo and you can use the
effect of the Supporter card. (Dec 4, 2003 PUI Rules Team)
Q. My opponent has Cradily ex in play. Can I use a Trainer
card, or an attack on a Pokémon to evolve my Active
Pokémon?
A. You could not use an Pokémon's attack or play a
Trainer card to evolve your 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.] (Team Magma vs Team Aqua
Prerelease FAQ, Q9; Mar 4, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If I use Skyridge Ditto's "Copy" attack and choose my
opponent's Rayquaza-EX's "Dragon Burst" attack, would I
have to discard ALL of my Basic Energy cards?
A. Ditto's "Prismatic Body" Poké-BODY says that all
basic energy provides EVERY TYPE of energy, much like
Rainbow Energy does. So no matter which energy type you
choose to discard for Dragon Burst, all Basic Energy cards
would have to be discarded because they would be providing
all types simultaneously. (Feb 20, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If Machamp attacks Venomoth with "Brick Smash", does the
attack work?
A. Venomoth's "Protective Dust" says to prevent all
effects of attacks except damage done to Venomoth, so yes
the Brick Smash would get through. (Jan 26, 2006 PUI Rules
Team)
Q. My opponent has a R/S Dustox active (or on the bench); I
play a Sandstorm Omastar and use Pull Down; does this
attack effect Dustox or not?
A. No. Dustox's Protective Dust prevents all effects done
to Dustox by the opponent's Attacking Pokémon; this
would include Omastar's Pull Down. (Oct 2, 2003 PUI Rules
Team)
Q. Would Dustox prevent something like Dusclops' "Judgment"
attack that says "the Defending Pokémon is Knocked
Out" (if both coins are heads)?
A. Since the attack is not actually doing any damage, then
yes the effect of being KO'd would be prevented. (Oct 30,
2003 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If I have an attack that "places damage counters", is
that considered an effect which is blocked by Dustox's
"Protective Dust"?
A. Yes it is; placing damage counters is NOT the same as
damage (doing damage) and would therefore be blocked. (Oct
30, 2003 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If Dustox is confused and flips tails when attempting to
attack, does its "Protective Dust" Poké-BODY prevent
the placing of three damage counters?
A. Well, it does say to prevent all effects of attacks
done to Dustox by the Attacking Pokémon So yes, the
confusion self-damage would be prevented since Dustox is
considered "the Attacking Pokémon" in this scenario.
(May 13, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Will Dustox stop Team Magma's Houndoom from doing "Magma
Spurt"?
A. No, the discarding portion of Magma Spurt is used to
calculate how much damage is to be done; it is not "an
effect done to Dustox". And damage done is NOT prevented by
Dustox. (Apr 8, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
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. (Oct 16, 2003 PUI Rules
Team)
Q. Can I discard 3 cards for Flygon-EX's "Psychic
Protector" Poké-BODY 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)
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)
Q. If I have two Claydols in play and one of them is
currently Active, can I use "Psychic Trace" on the first
one, retreat it for the other Claydol, and use the second
one's "Psychic Trace" on the same turn?
A. Yes, you may use one "Psychic Trace" per Claydol per
turn, but remember that the must be in the Active slot in
order for the Poké-POWER to work. (Feb 10, 2005 PUI
Rules Team)
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 25, 2006 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Since Rainbow Energy counts as all types, would it also
count for Aquapolis Entei's Pure Body?
A. No, Rainbow Energy, Multi Energy, and Crystal Energy
provide non-colorless energy types only when they are in
play, not when they are in the process of being attached.
So, you can attach Rainbow Energy to Entei, Raikou, and
Suicune with "Pure Body" and not have to discard another
energy card. (Oct 16, 2003 PUI Rules Team; Oct 30, 2003 PUI
Rules Team; in reference to Q on Jun 19, 2003 WotC Chat,
Q2008)
Q. Can Flygon use its "Energy Shower" attack to attach
energies to the legendary dogs (i.e. Entei, Raikou,
Suicune) with "Pure Body" powers, since this is an attack
effect and not a 'normal' energy attachment?
A. You can attach to Pokémon with "Pure Body", but
you still have to discard an energy card in order to do
this. (Jan 29, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Say I use Pidgeot's "Quick Search" and then scoop it up
with Mr.Briney or something. If I then use the scooped up
card to evolve my benched Pidgeotto, can I then use Quick
Search again because all the effects of the previous
Pidgeot are gone?
A. No, it doesn't work that way. The text on Quick Search
says, "you can't use more than 1 Quick Search
Poké-Power each turn". The effect lasts throughout the
remainder of the turn; it does not specifically reside on
the Pidgeot that used it. (Oct 28, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If you use Pidgeot's "Quick Search" power, do you *have
to* take a card from your deck?
A. Yes, if you decide to use the Power you must take a
card. (Mar 10, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
Q. What happens if Rayquaza-EX with "Rage Aura" is affected
by something that could increase the cost of its "Special
Circuit" or "Sky-high 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)
Q. Does an Emerald Raichu Ex "Rai-Shield" Poké-BODY
protect a Sandstorm Raichu EX in the active from attacks
that ignore effects on the defending Pokémon, like
Fastwave?
A. Regardless of where the effect is generated, it is
still an effect ON the defending Pokémon. It is
ignored by Fastwave. (Jul 7, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If several of your Raichu-EX are damaged at once by an
opponent's Pokémon-EX, is damaged reduced by 30 for
all of them?
A. Yes, but multiple Raichu-EX's with "Rai-Shield" do not
increase the damage reduction. (July 21, 2005 PUI Rules
Team)
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)
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)
Q. If I use Buried Fossil's "Reconstruction"
Poké-POWER and there are no Kabutos or Omanytes do I
still put the Energy into the deck?
A. No, if you don't have a Kabuto or Omanyte in your deck
then you don't bury the energy. (Nov 13, 2003 PUI Rules
Team)
Q. Can Buried Fossil evolve into Aerodactyl-EX?
A. Buried Fossil has special text on it that says, "You
may play a Pokémon card that evolves from Mysterious
Fossil on top of Buried Fossil". So yes, you are allowed to
evolve your Buried Fossil to Aerodactyl-EX. (Jan 29, 2004
PUI Rules Team)
Q. For Snorlax's "Rest Up" Poké-BODY, can you choose
to remove the two damage counters BEFORE checking for
sleep, or do you have to do it AFTER performing the sleep
check?
A. You flip for the sleep check and then if Snorlax
REMAINS ASLEEP after everything then you can remove two
damage counters. (Sep 2, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
Q. For Snorlax's "Rest Up" Poké-BODY, can you use
Miracle Berry or Lum Berry to heal it AFTER removing the
two damage counters?
A. Well, the Lum Berry would heal it before the end of the
turn so Snorlax would not "remain asleep" and therefore
could not remove two damage counters. But with the Miracle
Berry you have a choice: you MAY remove the special
condition at any time between turns, but you MUST remove it
at the start of the turn. So you could choose to "remain
asleep" between turns and remove two damage counters, but
then at the start of the next turn Miracle Berry would kick
in and cause Snorlax to wake up. (Sep 2, 2004 PUI Rules
Team)
Q. Say Snorlax is Asleep and the opponent has a Hypno. Can
Snorlax use its "Rest Up" Poké-BODY before or after
taking damage from Hypno's "Eerie Aura"?
A. Snorlax can choose whether to use its "Rest Up" either
before or after Hypno's "Eerie Aura". (Oct 7, 2004 PUI
Rules Team)
Q. Say Snorlax is Asleep and the opponent has a Hypno.
Also, Snorlax has a Lum Berry attached and fails to wake up
from the coin flip. Can Snorlax heal its 2 damage counters
first, then trigger the Lum Berry to avoid Hypno's damage?
A. You can choose to use the Lum Berry either before or
after the coin flip; it's up to player what gets done
first. So for Snorlax, you have to either choose to wake
him up with Lum Berry, or stay asleep and use the "Rest Up"
Poké-BODY; it cannot avoid Hypno's damage if it stays
asleep. (Oct 7, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Is Dodrio's "Retreat Aid" Pokémon Power cumulative?
A. Yes it is. Each Dodrio would reduce the retreat cost
additionally. (Sep 9, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
* 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)
Q. Since the wording of Mantine's "Ripples" power says that
it excludes Mantine, can one Mantine use its power to heal
a different Mantine?
A. Yes, the wording is intended simply so that Mantine
cannot heal itself. (Nov 4, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
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. What if I put up a Mewtwo EX against Wobbuffet and try
to use Energy Absorbtion? Would that trigger Wobbuffet's
"Safeguard" Poké-BODY?
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. Charizard-EX's "Burn Down" attack says it is not
affected by Poké-Bodies, etc. So when going up against
Wobbuffet, Ninetales, or Dewgong with "Safeguard", which
takes precedence?
A. Charizard-EX's attack specifically states to ignore
Poké-BODY's, so in this case the attack gets through
"Safeguard". (Sep 9, 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 24, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
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)
Q. If your playing Quagsire or Wooper with Blastoise-EX, do
you apply 1 damage counter from Blastoise-EX's "Energy
Rain" Poké-POWER before or after the "Saturation"
Poké-BODY. Or do you get to choose?
A. Blastoise's Energy Rain finishes first. If
Quagsire/Wooper lives through it, then you get to remove
damage counters & all Special Conditions. (Nov 4, 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 Poké-POWER 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, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Can you use Wooper's or Quagsire's "Saturation"
Poké-BODY with an energy placed by Blastoise's "Rain
Dance" or Swampert's "Water Call"?
A. Yes, you can. (Jun 16, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Does playing a Rainbow Energy from your hand onto a
Wooper or a Quagsire allow you to use the "Saturation"
Poké-BODY?
A. Yes it does. The effects would also be simultaneous -
player would choose the order of effects between Saturation
and Rainbow Energy. And as a side note, the Pokémon
would not be Knocked Out until both of the simultaneous
effects were resolved. (Jun 23, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If I play a Double Rainbow Energy onto Quagsire with the
"Saturation" Poké-BODY, can I remove FOUR damage
counters?
A. Double Rainbow Energy counts as one CARD, so you still
only get to remove two counters. (Oct 20, 2005 PUI Rules
Team)
Q. When using Furret's "Scavenger Hunt", what happens if
after I put two cards into my deck and then search for
energy but can't find any? Would the two cards stay? And
even if you know there is no more energy in there, can you
use another Scavenger Hunt just to put two cards back in
your deck?
A. You have already put the two cards back in your deck.
If you cannot find Energy cards, the effect ends there.
(Aug 5, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If Gengar is attacked with enough damage to KO it, but
is saved by Focus Band, does Gengar's "Shadow Curse"
Poké-POWER still work?
A. No, Gengar has to be actually knocked out in order for
Shadow Curse to work. (Feb 9, 2006 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Say Gengar with "Shadow Curse" also has a Curse Powder
trainer attached. What happens if the opponent's
Medicham-EX with "Wise Aura" knocks out the Gengar, and
then Curse Powder KO's Medicham-EX? Would Shadow Curse then
work?
A. By the time Curse Powder triggers, Gengar is already
KO'd so it cannot use its Shadow Curse because Wise Aura
was still on at the time it was KO'd. (Feb 9, 2006 PUI
Rules Team)
Q. If Gengar is KO'd by an attack that "places damage
counters", can it still use its "Shadow Curse"
Poké-POWER?
A. No, Shadow Curse is only invoked if Gengar is KO'd by
an attack that "does damage"; placing damage counters is
not the same as doing damage. (May 4, 2006 PUI Rules Team)
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. What are the rules for using Banette-EX's "Shady Move"
Poké-POWER?
A. You can move 1 damage counter from any Pokémon in
play to another Pokémon in play; it can be different
players' Pokémon or it can be the same player's
Pokémon (either you or your opponent). (EX:Legend
Maker FAQ; Feb 16, 2006 PUI Rules Team; Feb 23, 2006 PUI
Rules Team)
Q. If there is more than one Banette-EX in play can the
player perform "Shady Move" more than once (i.e. perform
Shady Move with active, then retreat, switch, etc., perform
it again with the new active)?
A. Yes, you could do that. However, going to the bench
does not allow the same Banette-EX to do Shady Move again;
you are limited to one Shady Move per Banette-EX per turn,
assuming you can get them into the active slot. (Apr 20,
2006 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If I use Brock's Ninetales and equip it with a EX, and
if that Pokémon is knocked out how many prizes does my
opponent draw?
A. If it's knocked out while being treated as an "EX"
Pokémon, your opponent would draw 2 Prizes. (Mar 25,
2004 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Say I have a Brock's Ninetales with a Double Rainbow
Energy attached; I then use Shapeshift to become an -EX
Pokémon. What happens to the DRE? Does it stay or get
discarded??
A. Since Shapeshift says to "treat it as that
Pokémon", and since you cannot have a DRE attached to
an -EX Pokémon, the DRE would get discarded. (Apr 7,
2005 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Would "Shining Star" do the additional 100 damage vs. a
Brock's Ninetales that has used its "Shapeshift" power to
put a Stage 2 on it, like Aggron or something?
A. Yes, the Brock's Ninetales (on top of Brock's Vulpix)
would satisfy the evolution part of the criteria, and the
Stage 2 evolution card attached to it would satisfy the
Stage 2 part of the criteria for Shining Star. (Apr 7, 2005
PUI Rules Team)
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; Feb 1, 2007 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Suppose that Kecleon has a Fire Energy and a Lightning
Energy attached to it. Can Venomoth (Jungle) use Kecleon as
a reference to Shift into a Fire or Lightning type?
A. Sure. (Nov 20, 2003 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Suppose that Kecleon has a Fire Energy and a Lightning
Energy attached to it. Can Venomoth (Jungle) use Kecleon as
a reference to Shift into a Fire or Lightning type? Or does
it shift into a multi-type (i.e. both Fire AND Lightning)
to mimic Kecleon's behavior?
A. In this case, all of Kecleon's color types are copied.
You cannot select only one of several Energy types. (Jan
29, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Say I have Electivire LV.X active and my opponent uses
Blastoise's "Waterlog" Poke-POWER to attach a bunch of
Water energy to their Pokemon. How does Electivire LV.X's
"Shocking Tail" Poke-BODY interact with "Waterlog"?
A. Shocking Tail places 2 damage counters for each energy
that is attached. (Jan 24, 2008 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Can the Unseen Forces Unown-S use its "Shuffle"
Poké-POWER to pull up an Unown-A from the D/P
expansion?
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)
Q. I attack with Salamence-EX's "Bright Flame", against my
opponent's Lugia-EX. Who chooses which Energy to discard or
move, in what order?
A. Resolve your attack, then discard 2 Energy as a result
for Salamence-EX's attack. Your opponent then resolves the
Silver Sparkle (flip, and possible return of energy to
hand). (Sep 29, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Is Magcargo's "Smooth Over" Poké-POWER cumulative?
A. Yes, if you have more than one Magcargo in play each
one may use its Smooth Over once per turn. (Mar 10, 2005
PUI Rules Team)
Q. Can I use Aipom's "Snappy Move" Poké-POWER if there
are no cards left in my deck to draw from? Its text says
"you MAY draw a card...", so can I just choose not to draw
and then put Aipom on the bottom as the only card in my
deck?
A. The Poké-POWER is optional, that's what the "you
may" phrase is referring to. If you do not draw a card then
you cannot place Aipom into your deck. (Sep 8, 2005 PUI
Rules Team)
Q. Solrock's "Solar Eclipse" power says "If Lunatone is in
play..." Does this count for ANY Lunatone (yours or
opponent's) or only your own?
A. No. There was an error in translation that left it
vague - a player must have both of them in play on their
side, to use those Poké-Powers. (Sep 26, 2003 PUI
Rules Team)
Q. Say your active Pokémon gets knocked out. You
promote a Pokémon to the active position with an 'if
active between turns' Pokémon power like Victreebel's
'Acid Sampler' or Butterfree's 'Sooth Dust'. Does that
power get activated?
A. It depends on if the Pokémon was KO'd between
turns (i.e. Poison), or by an attack. If by an attack, then
the power would activate because the Pokémon is
replaced right away. If between turns, the Pokémon is
not replaced until the end of that phase, so the power
would NOT activate. (Sep 2, 2004 PUI Rules Team; Mar 3,
2005 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Let's say I have a Butterfree out and my opponent
poisons me. Since he attacked it's my turn, so Butterfree's
"Sooth Dust" Poké-BODY would go off, but so does
poison too. So which one comes first?
A. The Butterfree player gets to choose when between turns
they use Sooth Dust. (Sep 23, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
Q. When my Active Pokémon is Butterfree (from FR/LG)
and my opponent's Active Pokémon is Victreebel (also
from FL/LG), which Poké-Body works first?
A. Either way. The player who has Pokémon that gets
affected by effect(s) of Poké-Bodies gets to decide.
(Sep 23, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
Q. In 2-on-2 Play, if you have 2 Butterfrees active does
the "Sooth Dust" healing stack? ie take off two damage
counters between turns?
A. Yes, in the case of 2-on-2 Play "Sooth Dust" is
cumulative. (Jan 27, 2005 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. 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; Feb 16, 2006 PUI
Rules Team)
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)
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)
Q. Does Dark Muk's "Sticky Goo" Poké-BODY add to the
amount of damage done by its "Slimy Water" attack?
A. As long as the Poké-BODY is not somehow turned
off, then yes it adds to the damage. (Nov 4, 2004 PUI Rules
Team)
Q. What happens when Dark Muk uses "Slimy Water" to attack
a Fossil (no printed retreat cost)?
A. The Fossil does not have a retreat cost, so Dark Muk's
Sticky Goo Poké-BODY can not add to it. Thus Slimy
Water does no damage. (Jan 6, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
Q. In 2-on-2 Play, if you have 2 Dark Muks
active is the "Sticky Goo" Poké-BODY cumulative so
that your opponent would have to pay FOUR additional
energies to retreat?
A. Yes, in the case of 2-on-2 Play "Sticky Goo" is
cumulative like that. (Jan 27, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If I were to pull a Boost Energy onto my opponent's
active using Tentacruel's Poké-Power, would the Boost
be discarded at the end of the turn? Or would it stay on
the Pokémon?
A. It would get discarded. And remember, you can only use
Strange Tentacles to attach it to an evolved Pokémon
(Jan 15, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
* 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" Poké-BODY 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. (Mar 3, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Does the +20 HP from "Energy Root" combine with extra HP
from cards like "Low Pressure System" or with the specific
HP set by Solrock from EX Deoxys?
A.Yes. In both cases, the Pokémon would receive
additional HP. (EX:Unseen Forces FAQ)
Q. In 2-on-2 Play, does Cradily's "Super Suction Cups"
power apply to both of the opponent's Pokémon, or do
you have to designate one of them?
A. Cradily's Poké-POWER affects each of your
opponent's Active Pokémon in 2-on-2 Battle. (Oct 2,
2003 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Can I use Metagross' "Super Connectivity"
Poké-POWER and get Dark Metal Energy from my discard
pile?
A. No. Only Psychic or Metal Energy card. (Feb 10, 2005
PUI Rules Team)
* Empoleon LV.X from Diamond & Pearl contains an error. Its Poké-Power 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; May 31, 2007 PUI Rules Team)
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)
Q. Is it possible that Skyridge Xatu can use Team Magma and
Team Aqua's Technical Machines, even if the text says that
these Technical Machines are specified only for the
corresponding team?
A. Yes, Xatu's Poké-BODY states that you may attach
any TM to Xatu. (Mar 18, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
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)
Q. Say FR/LG Raticate is poisoned while its Poké-BODY
is off thanks to Muk-EX's "Toxic Gas". If Muk-EX leaves
play, does Raticate remain poisoned, or does its
Poké-BODY get rid of it for him?
A. When the Muk-EX leaves play and the "Thick Skin"
Poké-BODY comes back on, Raticate won't be poisoned
any more. (Oct 7, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
Q. What happens if I use Swoop!Teleporter to switch a
poisoned Dunsparce for a Roselia with "Thick Skin" (can't
be affected by Special Conditions)? Does the status effect
go away or does it stay on because it was already on?
A. Well, since Thick Skin says it "can't be affected by
Special Conditions", the status effect would be removed
automatically when Swoop'ing for Roselia. (Dec 2, 2004 PUI
Rules Team)
Q. If Castform is hit with an attack like Smokescreen,
Silver Wind, etc., does that effect remain if Castform uses
"Temperamental Weather" to switch out for a different
variant of Castform?
A. Yes, the Smokescreen effect remains even after Castform
invokes "Temperamental Weather". (Jun 10, 2004 PUI Rules
Team)
Q. Say you have a Castform that was hit with Amnesia which
prevents it from using one of its attacks the following
turn. What happens if Castform uses "Temperamental Weather"
to switch out for a different variant of Castform?
A. Well, if the new variant of Castform has the same
attack name it would be prevented from using that
particular attack. Any other attacks with different names
would not be affected by the Amnesia condition. (Jun 10,
2004 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Does an opposing Muk-EX stop Milotic's power (or any
other "coming into play power" on a different Pokémon)
from working?
A. As soon as Milotic is evolved, "Toxic Gas" will prevent
its Poké-Power, so Milotic cannot use "Healing
Shower". (Apr 21, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If Grimer is active and evolves into Muk-EX while Dark
Ampharos is on the opposite side of the field, would Muk-EX
take 20 damage from "Darkest Impulse"?
A. Darkest Impulse and Toxic Gas would occur at the same
time, so the player evolving his or her Grimer into a
Muk-EX would get to choose the order. So you could either
have "Toxic Gas" turn off powers and nothing happens, or
you could choose to allow the "Darkest Impulse" to go first
before Toxic Gas if for some reason you wanted to take the
damage (to use a Gold Berry, for example). (Feb 24, 2005
PUI Rules Team)
Q. Since Muk-EX's "Toxic Gas" says it shuts off all
Poké-Powers and Poké-Bodies, does that mean that
in unlimited play it shuts off Pokémon-Powers (like
Raindance)?
A. Yes, "Poké-POWER" and "Poké-BODY" cover all
types of "Pokémon Powers, and the intent of Toxic Gas
is to prevent all powers. (Jun 2, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Fossil Ditto vs. EX:Sandstorm Kecleon: would a Ditto
with no Basic Energy cards attached be all the types of
Basic Energy cards attached to Kecleon as per Kecleon's
Poké-BODY?
A. No, Ditto copies the card, not effects on the card.
Treat Ditto as if it were a copy of that card in all
respects of the actual card, not the "Pokémon". So
Ditto would still be colorless until it has Basic Energy
cards on it. (Nov 13, 2003 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Fossil Ditto vs. EX:Sandstorm Kecleon: per the wording
on both Kecleon's Poké-BODY and Ditto's power, if
Ditto has a Basic Energy card attached to it, would it be
every single type simultaneously?
A. Ditto would use the actual color of the card for its
"Energy Variation", not what energy it provides at any
given time. You go by the color of the actual card since it
designates "type of basic Energy card". (Nov 13, 2003 PUI
Rules Team)
Q. When Fossil Ditto is KO'd by an -EX Pokémon are two
prizes awarded or just one? For example, if I have Fossil
Ditto as my active Pokémon and my opponent has
Mewtwo-EX as his active Pokémon, when Mewtwo-EX knocks
out Ditto does my opponent get two prizes?
A. Yes, Ditto copies the "two-prize" effect from -EX
Pokémon (Jan 8, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If I use Mew's "Type Change" power to copy a new type
for Mew, and then I play Swoop!Teleporter to switch Mew for
a new Basic Pokémon, does the new Pokémon keep
the modified type Mew was changed into?
A. Yes. It's an effect, and any effect on the original
Pokémon stays with the new one when you play Swoop!.
(Mar 9, 2006 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)
Q. Volbeat's "Uplifting Glow" power says "As long as
Illumise is in play..." Does this count for ANY Illumise
(yours or opponent's) or only your own?
A. No. There was an error in translation that left it
vague - a player must have both of them in play on their
side, to use those Poké-Powers. (Sep 26, 2003 PUI
Rules Team)
Q. For Mew-EX's "Versatile" Poké-BODY, do I need to
have the same energy types as the attack I'm copying, or
will any type of energy work as long as I have the correct
number of energies?
A. You must meet the energy requirements as to both type
and number for the attack Mew-EX is copying. So if the
attack requires two Water energy, you will need to have at
least two Water energy attached to Mew-EX. (Feb 16, 2006
PUI Rules Team)
Q. If Meteor Falls is in play, can Mew-EX use its
"Versatile" Poké-BODY to copy any pre-evolution
attack? Or can it copy attacks from attached Technical
Machine trainers?
A. No. Mew-EX can only copy attacks from the Pokémon
that are in play. It cannot copy attacks granted by other
cards, such as Technical Machines or Stadium cards. (Feb
23, 2006 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If I use Mew-EX's "Versatile" Poké-Body to pick up
an attack, would I have to pay requirements or effects for
that attack?
A. Yes, absolutely. Mew-EX lets you copy an attack, but
you copy everything about that attack, including
requirements or effects to use it. (Mar 9, 2006 PUI Rules
Team)
Q. Can I use "Disable" or "Amnesia" against my opponent's
active Mew-EX to prevent "Versatile" from using the attack
of another Pokémon in play?
A. No. Versatile only let's Mew-EX *use* the attack of
another Pokémon in play. Versatile does not copy the
attacks onto Mew-EX, so they cannot be targeted by Disable
or Amnesia. (Feb 8, 2007 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Let's say both players have Vigoroth in the Active
position. Would this in effect add +20 (ten times two) to
each player's attacks?
A. Yes, in a Vigoroth vs. Vigoroth battle the "Vigorous
Aura" power would add +10 for each player (both you and
your opponent). It would also do +20 in the case of a
2-on-2 battle where one person has two Vigoroth's active.
(Feb 17, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
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. Is Holo Swampert's Poké-POWER 'Water Call'
cumulative? i.e. can I use 2 'Water Call's' in the same
turn if I have 2 different Swampert's in play?
A. Yes, each Swampert could use Water Call. (Sep 18, 2003
PUI Rules Team)
Q. If I use Swampert's "Water Call" to place an energy, can
I use Venusaur's "Harvest Bounty" power to double it?
A. Venusaur says "as part of your turn" - this does not
refer to the playing of an energy card via Poké-Powers
or Poké-Bodies. (Mar 18, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Can I move a Double Rainbow Energy using Kingdra onto my
bench from my active?
A. Yes, it provides Water energy, so it can be moved. (Mar
25, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Can Flygon use its "Energy Shower" attack to attach
energies to the legendary birds with
Anti-(Lightning/Fire/Water) Powers, since this is an attack
effect and not a 'normal' energy attachment?
A. No, Energy Shower does not override the Poké-BODY.
(Jan 29, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Say I have Electivire LV.X active and my opponent uses
Blastoise's "Waterlog" Poke-POWER to attach a bunch of
Water energy to their Pokemon. How does Electivire LV.X's
"Shocking Tail" Poke-BODY interact with "Waterlog"?
A. Shocking Tail places 2 damage counters for each energy
that is attached. (Jan 24, 2008 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Does Medicham-EX's "Wise Aura" Poké-BODY prevent
coming into play powers?
A. Yes, unless the Pokémon coming into play is an EX.
(Jun 16, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
Q. What happens to the other 4 cards I looked at with the
Wishing Star Poké-Power?
A. After looking at them and choosing 1 to go to your
hand, shuffle the other 4 cards in with the rest of the
deck. (EX:Deoxys FAQ, Q2; Feb 3, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Does Shedinja's "Wonder Guard" Poké-BODY prevent
placing of damage counters?
A. Yes, it does. (Apr 15, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If I have an evolved Pokémon that knows Agility,
could it use Agility against Shedinja or not?
A. Yes it would; the Agility effect is not "being done to
Shedinja" so WonderGuard would not block it. (Apr 22, 2004
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. Shedinja active vs Cradily active, Cradily uses Lure
Poison to lure a benched Pokémon; is Shedinja actually
moved to the bench and the attack is done as normal?
A. No. Wonder Guard says "prevent all effects of
attacks...", so it could not get moved to the bench nor
would it get poisoned from the attack. (Feb 5, 2004 PUI
Rules Team)
Q. If I use Archie or Maxie to get a stage 2 Pokémon
on my bench, can it hurt Shedinja?
A. Yes, it is being treated as a Basic. (Mar 25, 2004 PUI
Rules Team)
[ Top | Errata | Pokémon Powers | Pokémon Attacks | Pokémon Items | Trainer Cards | Energy Cards | General Gameplay | Two on Two Gameplay | Team Gameplay]
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. If I have an evolved Pokémon that knows Agility,
could it use Agility against Shedinja or not?
A. Yes it would; the Agility effect is not "being done to
Shedinja" so WonderGuard would not block it. (Apr 22, 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)
Q. My Dragonite successfully attacks Magby with "Agility".
On my opponent's next turn, would Magby's "Sputter" turn
off Dragonite's "Delta Charge" Poké-Power?
A. Sputter would not affect Dragonite that turn. Agility's
effect would wear off at the end of the opponent's turn,
and Magby's global effect resumes upon Dragonite. (Jul 6,
2006 PUI Rules Team; Jul 13, 2006 PUI Rules Team)
Q. My opponent uses an "Amnesia" attack against my Dexoys'
"Link Blast" attack. On my turn I use Deoxys' "Form Change"
Poké-POWER. What happens if I replace the Deoxys Link
Blast for a Deoxys Energy Crush; can I attack with Energy
Crush?
A. Yes you can. But if you replace the old Deoxys with the
same kind it would not be able to use its "Link Blast"
attack because Form Change retains the same effects as the
Deoxys that had been Amnesia'd. (Mar 10, 2005 PUI Rules
Team)
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. What would happen if a Claydol had a Multi Energy and a
Water Energy attached and used "Ancient Mantra". Would the
Multi count as being both Psychic and Fighting at the same
time, or can it only be one at once?
A. Multi Energy, Rainbow Energy, etc. count as all energy
types all the time (unless the conditions on the card say
otherwise). So in the example above, the Multi would
satisfy both of the extra conditions requiring Psychic and
Fighting. (Feb 10, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
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)
Q. Team Aqua's Mightyena (30) has an attack called Aqua
Call - can I search for up to 3 different Pokémon with
Team Aqua in their name, or up to 3 of one specific
Pokémon?
A. Either way; it works in any combination as long as it
adds up to three or less. The player could search for up to
3 different Team Aqua Pokémon, or they can search for
up to 3 of the same Team Aqua Pokémon. (Team Magma vs
Team Aqua Prerelease FAQ, Q10; Mar 4, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If I don't have any Benched Pokémon, can I still
use Manaphy's "Aqua Ring" attack?
A. Yes, you can. You would only switch with a Benched
Pokémon if you had one. (Diamond & Pearl FAQ; May
31, 2007 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Team Aqua's Sharpedo's "Aqua Slash" attack states that
Team Aqua's Sharpedo can't attack next turn. But if I
retreat to a new Pokémon and then come back with him
can I attack again with Aqua Slash?
A. Effects like this go away when the active goes to the
bench. So if Team Aqua's Sharpedo goes to the bench and
becomes active once again, he can then use Aqua Slash on
that turn. (Apr 8, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Team Aqua's Sharpedo's "Aqua Smash" says, "If the
defending Pokémon is affecting by a special condition,
this attack does 50 damage plus 20 more damage." What if
the defending Pokémon has more than one special
condition? Like what if the defending Pokémon is
burned, poisoned, and asleep, do they take 50 plus 20 more
for every special condition?
A. No, you only get a maximum of +20 if it is affected by
ANY special condition (not for EACH condition). (Apr 15,
2004 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Team Aqua's Sealeo (Aqua Trance): It says "At the end of
your opponent's next turn, the Defending Pokémon is
now Asleep." If I retreat the Pokémon that Team Aqua's
Sealeo attacked, does it make the new Defending
Pokémon Asleep?
A. The effect is tied to the Pokémon that Team Aqua's
Sealeo attacked. It goes away if the Pokémon that was
attacked goes to the bench, evolves, or otherwise leaves
play. (Team Magma vs Team Aqua Prerelease FAQ, Q1; Mar 11,
2004 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If a Pokémon has been attacked by Sealeo's Aqua
Trance, can you play a Full Heal on it and not fall asleep
at the end of your turn?
A. Full Heal won't have any effect since the Pokémon
is not Asleep yet! Now Lum Berry or Miracle Berry would
work to cure sleep, since it happens in between turns after
you actually become Asleep. (Mar 11, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
* 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)
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)
Q. If I attach Boost Energy to a Forretress from EX-Dragon
with no energy on it, can I use Backspin and switch
Pokémon with the attack? Or does the Boost Energy get
discarded before I can use the switching effect?
A. Yes, that would work. The discarding part is done after
the attack, but technically "before the end of the turn".
(Feb 20, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If I attach a Darkness Energy to Absol and then do "Bad
News", will my opponent take 10 damage after I discard
their cards?
A. Darkness Energy only does +10 extra damage if any
damage is done to begin with. So since "Bad News" doesn't
do any damage, the extra 10 does not apply. (Apr 8, 2004
PUI Rules Team)
Q. After doing 10 damage on the first turn, does each
successive use of Pelipper's "Bay Dance" attack do 40
damage, even after knocking out the opponent's first active
Pokémon, and going to the second?
A. That is correct. As long as Pelipper remains active and
keeps using the attack, you'll keep doing 40 damage (i.e.
10, 40, 40, ...). It does NOT accumulate an additional +30
each turn (NOT 10, 40, 70, 100, ...). (Feb 17, 2005 PUI
Rules Team)
Q. When they put that you add 10 extra damage for every
Fighting energy attached to Breloom, does that include if
(F) are used for the attack's cost?
A. Yes, it does. (Sep 25, 2003 PUI Rules Team)
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)
* 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)
Q. If Kecleon's "Blind Scratch" attack flips tails, who
gets to chose which one of your Pokemon the 20 damage goes
on, you or your opponent?
A. It is your Kecleon. Unless stated otherwise, you make
the choices for Kecleon's attacks. (Jan 24, 2008 PUI Rules
Team)
Q. When I use Lombre's Blot attack and Lombre only has 1
damage counter, can I remove just the 1?
A. Yes. You would remove 2 if you could; 1, if you had
only 1; and Zero, if there were none. (Jun 16, 2005 PUI
Rules Team)
Q. If my Meganium only has 10hp left, can I still place
five counters on it with "Bouncy Move" and do 50 more
damage?
A. Yes, Bouncy Move is not restricted by the remaining HP
of the attacking Pokémon. (Oct 20, 2005 PUI Rules
Team)
Q. The wording of Dark Ariados' "Breaking Impact" attack
does not specifically indicate to whom the damage is done.
So could I choose a benched Pokémon with a large
retreat cost (i.e. Wailord-EX) and apply that damage onto
the Defending Pokémon?
A. No, that's not how it works. If you choose a benched
Pokémon, then you apply the damage onto that benched
Pokémon. (Nov 18, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
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)
* 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, Poké-Powers, Poké-Bodies, or any other effects on the Defending Pokémon." (Aug 21, 2004 Pokémon World Championships Announcements)
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)
Q. For HL Machamp's "Brick Smash" attack, do trainers on
the Defending Pokémon (like "Buffer Piece") or Metal
Energy affect the amount of damage done?
A. Yes, trainers & Metal Energy would be considered as
"effects on the Defending Pokémon" for the purposes of
this attack. (May 19, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
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. Salamence-EX's "Bright Flame" attack reads "Discard two
energy attached to Salamence-EX"; does this mean I can
discard a Boost Energy to satisfy the effect of that
attack?
A. Well, since it says "discard 2 Energy" (instead of
"discard 2 Energy CARDS"), then yes you can discard a Boost
Energy to satisfy that requirement. (Feb 10, 2005 PUI Rules
Team)
Q. I attack with Salamence-EX's "Bright Flame", against my
opponent's Lugia-EX. Who chooses which Energy to discard or
move, in what order?
A. Resolve your attack, then discard 2 Energy as a result
for Salamence-EX's attack. Your opponent then resolves the
Silver Sparkle (flip, and possible return of energy to
hand). (Sep 29, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Charizard-EX's "Burn Down" attack says it is not
affected by Poké-Bodies, etc. So when going up against
Wobbuffet, Ninetales, or Dewgong with "Safeguard", which
takes precedence?
A. Charizard-EX's attack specifically states to ignore
Poké-BODY's, so in this case the attack gets through
"Safeguard". (Sep 9, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Charizard-EX's "Burn Down" attack says it is not
affected by "any other effects on the Defending
Pokémon". Does that mean it gets around Tools like
Buffer Piece, or other trainer cards like Defender?
A. Yes, trainers attached to the Defending Pokémon do
not alter the amount of damage from Charizard-EX's Burn
Down attack. (Sep 9, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Charizard-EX's "Burn Down" attack says it is not
affected by Poké-Bodies, etc., but what about
Jumpluff's Fluff? As I understand the power - I flip, if
heads the attack still happens, but Jumpluff just doesn't
take any affects. So would a heads flip on Fluff be the
only way to survive a "Burn Down"?
A. Nope, just like Burn Down ignores Safeguard, it also
ignores Fluff too. Unless something can completely "stop
the attack" (i.e. Baby Rule flip), Burn Down cuts through
it. (Sep 16, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Charizard-EX's "Burn Down" damage isn't affected by
Weakness, Resistance, Poké-Powers, Poké-Bodies,
and any other effects on the Defending Pokémon.
Several attacks (like Agility, Psychic Shield) prevent
damage on the next turn; is "Burn Down" damage prevented by
such attacks?
A. All those attacks place an effect on the Pokémon
that used the attack, and are thus ignored by "Burn Down".
Unless you can stop the attack entirely (e.g. Baby Rule
flip), or where the attack effect resides on Charizard-EX
(e.g. Smokescreen), Burn Down does its damage. (July 21,
2005 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If Sandstorm Arcanine has a Multi energy/Rainbow energy
card and two other non fire energy cards attached and uses
its Burn Up attack and flips tails, would it have to
discard the Multi/Rainbow energy Card?
A. Yes. They are considered Fire Energy cards since they
provide Fire Energy. (Mar 25, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
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. Ludicolo's "Circular Steps" attack says it "does 10
damage times the number of Pokémon excluding
Ludicolo". Does this excludes all Ludicolo in play or only
the one using the attack.
A. This is a self-referencing attack, so the only Ludicolo
that gets excluded is the one doing the attack. (Feb 24,
2005 PUI Rules Team)
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)
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)
* 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)
Q. If I used Porygon's "Conversion 1" attack against a
Pokémon with two weaknesses, would I change only 1 of
the weaknesses or both? Or could I change them both to the
same type (i.e. double-weak to Fire), and if so would an
attack from that type do quadruple damage?
A. You can only change one weakness per turn, but if you
used Conversion 1 twice in a row you may change both of the
weaknesses to the same color. And the damage would be
quadrupled if weakness gets applied twice. (Feb 12, 2004
PUI Rules Team)
Q. If I use Skyridge Ditto's "Copy" attack and choose my
opponent's Rayquaza-EX's "Dragon Burst" attack, would I
have to discard ALL of my Basic Energy cards?
A. Ditto's "Prismatic Body" Poké-BODY says that all
basic energy provides EVERY TYPE of energy, much like
Rainbow Energy does. So no matter which energy type you
choose to discard for Dragon Burst, all Basic Energy cards
would have to be discarded because they would be providing
all types simultaneously. (Feb 20, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Corsola's Coral Glow attack says, "Draw a number of
cards up to the number of your opponent's basic
Pokémon in play. (You can't have more than 10 cards in
your hand in this way)." If you choose to draw less than
the total number of your opponent's basic Pokémon in
play, do you have to specify how many you will draw before
you start drawing?
A. You choose a number on the resolution of the attack,
before you start to draw cards. It goes with "make any
choices that you need to make for this attack" phase. (Jun
10, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If you use Corsola's "Coral Glow" and you have nine
cards in your hand and your opponent has 3 Pokémon in
play, would you draw just one card, or you can't use the
attack?
A. You can use it at 9 and draw 1. (Jul 1, 2004 PUI Rules
Team)
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)
* 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)
Q. Say I use Moltres-EX's "Crushing Flames" against a
Pokémon with only 10hp remaining. May I discard an
energy to Confuse the Pokémon even though it will be
KO'ed at the end of the turn (for example, if I need a Fire
energy in the discard pile for Blaziken's "Firestarter")?
A. Yes, technically you may do this. (Jun 2, 2005 PUI
Rules Team)
Q. When using Corsola's "Cry for Help", can I search for
any 1 (Fighting Pokémon excluding Pokémon-ex) or
1 (Water Pokémon of any type)?
A. You can search for either a Water Pokémon or a
Fighting Pokémon, when using this attack. No matter
which one you choose, that Pokémon cannot be a
Pokémon-EX. (Aug 11, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Say you use Deoxys' "Crystal Laser" attack, and then use
"Form Change" for a different Deoxys on the next turn.
Would the new Deoxys' attack still add the +40 damage from
the previous "Crystal Laser"?
A. "Form Change" dictates that effects on Deoxys transfer
to the new Deoxys, so the added damage will apply to the
new Deoxys' attack. (EX:Holon Phantoms FAQ; Jun 22, 2006
PUI Rules Team)
Q. For Deoxys' "Crystal Laser" attack that says, "during
your next turn, Deoxys's attacks do 40 more damage to the
Defending Pokémon", does that effect reside on Deoxys
or on the Defending Pokémon? For example, what happens
if I bench one or the other?
A. Crystal Laser's effect resides on Deoxys, so if the
Defending Pokémon is benched, evolved, etc. the effect
remains; but if Deoxys is benched the effect goes away. And
keep in mind that if Deoxys' attack does any damage to the
bench, you do NOT get to add +40 more to the bench damage.
(Aug 3, 2006 PUI Rules Team)
Q. What's happen if Shedinja uses its "Damage Curse" attack
on Sharpedo? Does Sharpedo's "Rough Skin" get to work? And
if so, would Shedinja's "Wonder Guard" Poké-BODY
prevent Sharpedo's recoil?
A. Since Damage Curse "places counters", Sharpedo's Rough
Skin does not get to work. (Feb 26, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Damage Curse says, "Put 1 damage counter, plus 1 more
damage counter for each damage counter on Shedinja, on the
Defending Pokémon". Everyone has been playing the card
the following way: you have 2 damage counters on Shedinja,
so you would place a total of 3 damage counters on the
Defending Pokémon But I think you could also read it
as "place 1 damage counter plus 1 more damage counter for
EACH damage counter on Shedinja". I took this as possibly
meaning you would place 2 for each one.... so you would
place a total of 4. But I think the commas will help
determine this. Which way is the correct way?
A. The first way is correct. If it had meant 2 per
counter, it would have said 2 per counter. You place 1
counter, then one additional counter per counter on
Shedinja, for a total of 3 counters. (Mar 25, 2004 PUI
Rules Team)
Q. Can the card Tickling Machine (Gym Heroes) be involved
where effects make use of Rocket's Secret Machine cards
(such as Rocket's Meowth's first attack), even though
Tickling Machine is labeled as a "Rocket's Secret Robot"?
A. Tickling Machine is considered a "Rocket's Secret
Machine" for the purposes of Rocket's Meowth and Rocket's
Wobbuffet. (Feb 24, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If you discard a D energy from Sableye when using Dark
Bind, does the attack get the Darkness Energy bonus damage?
A. Sableye's Dark Bind attack has an optional discarding
of Energy, therefore it takes place at the end of damage
calculation. So you would indeed get to add the +10 damage
for the Darkness Energy. (Sep 11, 2003 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If I discard a Darkness Energy card when using Team
Aqua's Cacturne's "Dark Bind" attack, would I still get the
+10 damage bonus?
A. Yes, the +10 is figured into the damage calculation
portion prior to the step where the Darkness Energy would
be discarded. (Mar 11, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
Q. With Dark Houndoom, can you discard an "R-Energy" to pay
for the "Dark Fire" attack and do the extra +20 damage? And
if so, will it also add the normal +10 more damage for
"R-Energy" just like regular "Darkness Energy" does?
A. Yes on all counts. The intent of the card is that
Darkness Energy and R-Energy would still get to do its
extra +10 damage even though it is in fact being discarded
BEFORE damage is actually done. (Apr 21, 2005 PUI Rules
Team)
Q. Say I have Dark Hypno active with 2 Psychic energy, and
Dark Ampharos on the bench with 1 Lightning energy. If I
use Dark Hypno's "Dark Link" attack to copy my Dark Amphy's
"Shock Bolt", would I have to discard the (L) energy on
Dark Ampharos?
A. Not from Dark Ampharos. However, if the Dark Hypno has
any L energy attached to it, those must be discarded when
copying Shock Bolt. (Jan
13, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
Q. I would like to know whether Dark Hypno's "Dark Link"
can copy another Dark Hypno's "Black Magic" attack since it
says "other than this Pokémon"?
A. Yes, if you had a second Dark Hypno in play, you could
do that. (Apr 7, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Dark Celebi's "Dark Provide" attack states "attach up to
1 Grass or Darkness Energy card to your Pokémon". I am
assuming they mean choose 1 Pokémon and attach another
energy but the way it is written "your hand to your
Pokémon" you could make a case for 1 energy to each
Pokémon.
A. The intent of the attack is to attach only one energy,
period. Not one energy to each of your Pokémon. (Jul
15, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Can Dark Celebi use its "Dark Provide" attack to attach
a Dark Metal Energy card?
A. Sorry, but "Dark Metal Energy" only provides Darkness
& Metal energy when in play. While it's in your hand it
does not count as such, therefore Dark Celebi cannot use
Dark Provide to attach it. The same applies to Rainbow
Energy, Double Rainbow Energy, Multi Energy, etc. as well.
(Nov 18, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If my Dark Raticate attacks with "Dark Seed", will the
effect of this attack still be performed if Dark Raticate
is forced to retreat or is knocked out during my opponent's
turn?
A. The effect is on the Defending Pokémon, not Dark
Raticate. So even if Dark Raticate is KO'd or is benched,
the effect still applies. (Dec 2, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If you attack with Dark Raticate's "Dark Seed" attack,
and on your oppenent's turn they evolve their Active
Pokémon, does the effect of the Dark Seed attack go
away?
A. Yes, the effect is on the Defending Pokémon, not
the Dark Raticate. So if the Defending Pokémon
evolves, retreats, etc. the effect goes away and no damage
is taken. (Jan 27, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
Q. For Sharpedo's "Dark Slash" attack, can I discard a
Rainbow Energy as the Darkness requirement?
A. Yes, you can discard a Rainbow Energy as the Darkness
requirement. (Sep 11, 2003 PUI Rules Team)
Q. When you discard a Darkness Energy card from Sharpedo's
"Dark Slash" attack, do I still get to add the +10 damage
that the Darkness Energy card provides?
A. Darkness Energy will only add 10 more damage for
attacks by Darkness or Pokémon with Dark in their
name, so Sharpedo will not receive this benefit, being
Water type. (Sep 11, 2003 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If Murkrow is taking advantage of Honchkrow's "Dark
Genes" Poke-BODY 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)
Q. If I use Sharpedo-EX's "Darkness Blast", who chooses the
Energy card discarded from the Defending Pokémon?
A. The attacker would choose and discard an Energy card
from the Defending Pokémon. (If it's a Metal Special
Energy card on a Metal Pokémon, the damage would still
be reduced before discarding the Energy card.) (EX:Deoxys
FAQ, Q8; Feb 3, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
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)
Q. If a Rocket's Mewtwo-EX has 9 damage counters on it and
uses "Darkness Switch" against Jumpluff (Buffer), would
that trigger "Buffer"?
A. No, because Darkness Switch is moving counters, not
doing damage. (Apr 7, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
Q. For Salamence's "Delta Blast", can I discard any Energy
card that provides Metal because of Holon Research Tower?
A. Yes. You could discard one of your basic Energy cards
attached to Salamence if Holon Research Tower is in play
because they provide Metal Energy as well as their normal
basic energy type. (EX:Delta Species FAQ; Nov 3, 2005 PUI
Rules Team)
Q. Would Salamence's "Delta Blast" attack have to discard
energy if it fails a confusion flip?
A. Since the flip for confusion was tails, the normal
function of the attack did not occur. In this situation,
you would not discard the Metal energy. (Sep 21, 2006 PUI
Rules Team)
* 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 Defending Pokémon, not on the one performing the attack. (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.
Therefore, Feint Attack's damage will be reduced. (Apr 5,
2007 PUI Rules Team)
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)
Q. If Gastly has a Focus Band attached and used Destiny
Bond, if it is KO'd and flips heads, is the Attacking
Pokémon Knocked Out?
A. No, the Focus Band prevents Gastly from being Knocked
Out, so therefore it would not Knock Out the Attacking
Pokémon (Apr 8, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
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)
Q. If I play a Holon trainer supporter and then use Magby's
"Detour" attack, do I have to discard a card to do Detour?
A. Yes, you would have to discard a card in order to use
Detour in this particular situation. (Dec 15, 2005 PUI
Rules Team)
Q. When using Cradily's "Devolution Wave", can I choose a
Stage 2 Pokémon twice, removing both evolution cards
from it?
A. No. You make all choices before any evolution cards are
removed, and then each evolved Pokémon that you chose
only loses its highest evolution. (EX:Legend Maker FAQ; Feb
16, 2006 PUI Rules Team)
* 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)
Q. If you use Manectric-EX's "Disconnect" attack, is there
any way that someone can stop the affect of being unable to
play Trainer cards?
A. Sorry, but this effect is on the opponent, not on any
Pokémon. So there is currently no way to negate the
effects of "Disconnect". (Feb 10, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Where does the effect of Manectric-EX's "Disconnect"
attack reside? On Manectric-EX, on the Defending
Pokémon, or someplace else?
A. This is one of those attacks whose effect essentially
resides on the opponent, since it doesn't specify any
Pokémon in the attack text. (Apr 7, 2005 PUI Rules
Team)
Q. Can Manectric-EX's "Disconnect" attack stop you from
playing your Fossils on your bench?
A. Yes, Manectric-EX prevents people from playing all
Trainers other than supporters, including fossils. (May 18,
2006 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Say I have a Rocket's Sneasel-EX with one Darkness
Energy on him. If I use "Drag Off" and bring up a benched
Pidgey, does it do 20 damage (10 from the attack and 10
from Darkness)? Or does it do 30 damage (10+10 to the
initial Pokémon for Darkness Energy, then "10 damage
to the new Defending Pokémon" in addition to that)?
A. The Drag Off attack says, "before doing damage...". So
in the scenario above, no damage would be done to the
current Defending Pokémon and then 20 damage (10+10)
would be done to the one brought up from the bench. (Apr 7,
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. 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. (Apr 19, 2007
PUI Rules Team)
Q. If I have a Rayquaza-EX Active with three Lightning
energy and a Rainbow Energy and used Dragon Burst, would I
have to discard the Rainbow Energy along with the Lightning
energy? Would the same apply with a Multi Energy?
A. Yes, Rainbow Energy counts as all types, so it would
have to be discarded along with the rest of the Lightning
Energy (if that's the type you choose to discard). Same
goes for Multi Energy as long as no other special energy
cards are attached at the time of attack. This is a
REVERSAL of what was stated in the EX-Dragon prerelease
FAQ. (Feb 12, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
Q. For Gyarados' "Dragon Crush" attack, who chooses which
energy to discard?
A. The way it's written, the attacking player chooses.
(Dec 18, 2003 PUI Rules Team)
Q. For Gyarados' "Dragon Crush" attack, do you get to
discard the Defending Pokémon's energy cards
regardless of the outcome of the coin flip? Or do you only
discard energy if the coin flip is heads?
A. The energy is only discarded if the coin flip is heads.
(Nov 20, 2003 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Altaria's Dragon Dance says: "During your next turn, if
any of your current Active Pokémon does damage to any
Defending Pokémon, that attack does 40 more damage." I
thought that this meant that if Altaria retreated, then the
effect is off (in single play). However, a judge at a
recent tourney ruled that the effect stayed if Altaria was
benched. Could you please clarify the ruling for me?
A. The reason it is worded this way is for the purposes of
2-on-2 Play; with 2-on-2, if Altaria is benched the second
active still retains the Dragon Dance effect. Likewise, if
the second active is benched, it would lose the Dragon
Dance effect but Altaria would still retain it. However, in
normal 1-on-1 play, Altaria is the only Active
Pokémon, so the effect would go away when Altaria is
benched. (Nov 20, 2003 PUI Rules Team)
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)
Q. Altaria's Dragon Song says: "Each Defending Pokémon
is now Asleep." Does this mean that both my opponent and
Altaria go to sleep? Or is the phrase "each defending"
referring to 2-on-2 battle?
A. It is referring to 2-on-2 battle. Normally in 2-on-2
the attack only affects one of the opponent's Defending
Pokémon, but with Dragon Song both of the opponent's
Defending Pokémon are asleep (the damage part is only
done to one of them though). In normal 1-on-1 play, only
the opponent's Defending Pokémon is put to sleep. (Feb
20, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
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)
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, 2007 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)
Q. Can I use Suicune-EX's "Energy Flip" attack to move a
Double Rainbow Energy to either a Basic Pokémon, or an
EX Pokémon?
A. Yes you can, but if you do the Double Rainbow Energy
will be discarded since you cannot have DRE attached to a
Basic Pokémon, or Pokémon-EX. (Jul 19, 2007 PUI
Rules Team)
Q. Dark Steelix's "Energy Link" attack allows you to get an
energy card out of your discard pile and attach it to Dark
Steelix; if you pull an "R Energy" from the discard pile do
you get to add +10 to the damage right away?
A. No, that part is figured after the damage is
calculated. You could fetch it, but then it's discarded
immediately at the end of the turn. (Dec 9, 2004 PUI Rules
Team)
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 Pokémon 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 Pokémon for each energy that gets attached
to it. (Jan 29, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Can Flygon use its "Energy Shower" attack to attach
energies to the legendary dogs (i.e. Entei, Raikou,
Suicune) with "Pure Body" powers, since this is an attack
effect and not a 'normal' energy attachment?
A. You can attach to Pokémon with the "Pure Body"
Power, but you still have to discard an energy card in
order to do this. (Jan 29, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Can Flygon use its "Energy Shower" attack to attach
energies to the legendary birds with
Anti-(Lightning/Fire/Water) Powers, since this is an attack
effect and not a 'normal' energy attachment?
A. No, Energy Shower does not override the Poké-BODY.
(Jan 29, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
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, 2006 PUI Rules
Team)
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)
Q. For Dark Pupitar's "Explosive Evolution", do you have to
evolve it no matter what?
A. If you use the attack and get heads, then you must
search and evolve. It is not "optional". (Nov 4, 2004 PUI
Rules Team)
Q. If I have a benched Fossil Aerodactyl and a Dark Pupitar
active, and I flip heads on "Explosive Evolution", do I get
to search for a card that evolves from Dark Pupitar and
evolve it?
A. It's been established in earlier rulings that
"Prehistoric Power" affects Pokémon being evolved by
Evolution cards being played from your hand as a normal
evolution. Since "Explosive Evolution" comes from your
Deck, Aerodactyl does not prevent it from happening. (Jan
20, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Say I have Dark Tyranitar with a Memory Berry attached,
or I play a Recall trainer card, or if the Meteor Falls
stadium is in play. What happens if I try to have it use
the underlying Dark Pupitar's "Explosive Evolution" attack?
A. You cannot search since there does not exist a card
that can be searched for that evolves from Dark Tyranitar.
But it would still do 10 damage to your
opponent's Pokémon. (Jan 27, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Let's say I have a Dark Pupitar out and I use "Explosive
Evolution" and flip heads, so I get to search my deck for a
Dark Tyranitar. However I also KO a Koffing that has the
"Knockout Gas" Poké-BODY. Am I now Confused and
Poisoned? Or does my evolution remove the special
conditions before they effect me in any way?
A. You do the damage from an attack first, if that
triggers anything (in this case it does) you then do what
is triggered, then you continue and do what the attack says
besides damage. So the evolution portion of "Explosive
Evolution" takes place AFTER Koffing's "Knockout Gas" goes
off. (Sep 22, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Metagross-EX's "Extra Comet Punch" attack says, "During
your next turn, E.C.P. does 50 damage plus 50 more damage".
Does this mean that on the first turn I do 50, then on the
second consecutive turn 100, then on the third consecutive
turn 150, then 200, etc.?
A. No, but it does mean that whenever you do Extra Comet
Punch in consecutive turns you add +50 to the base damage
of the attack. So on the first turn you would do 50, then
second turn does 100 (Base 50 plus extra 50 from previous
turn), then third turn does 100 (again, Base 50 plus extra
50 from previous turn), etc. But don't forget, benching or
switching Metagross-EX ends this effect! (Jun 17, 2004 PUI
Rules Team)
Q. The Deoxys-EX attack "Fastwave" says, "this attack's
damage isn't affected by Resistance, Poké-Powers,
Poké-Bodies, or any other effects on the Defending
Pokémon". But what about Weakness; do you apply it or
not?
A. Since Weakness was not specifically mentioned, you
apply it when using the Fastwave attack. (Jun 2, 2005 PUI
Rules Team)
Q. Since "FastWave" says "its damage isn't affected by
Poké-Powers, Poké-Bodies, or any other effect on
the Defending Pokémon", does it get through if the
opponent used Deoxys-EX's "Psychic Shield" the previous
turn?
A. Yes, FastWave says to ignore effects so it would get
through Psychic Shield since it's "an effect on the
Defending Pokémon". (Jun 9, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Can Deoxys-EX's "Fastwave" attack get through Ursaring's
"Intimidating Ring" Poké-BODY?
A. Fastwave only prevents the *amount of damage done* from
being affected by Poké-Powers, Poké-Bodies, etc.
Since Deoxys-EX is a Basic, Intimidating Ring doesn't even
let it start the attack in the first place. (Sep 29, 2005
PUI Rules Team)
Q. If Deoxys-EX uses "Fastwave" to attack a Pokémon
with Pyschic Weakness and that Pokémon has something
to remove weakness (such as Protective Orb or Holon FF
Energy), is Weakness applied?
A. Fastwave isn't affected by "any other effects on the
Defending Pokémon". Weakness is applied in all cases.
(Jan 12, 2006 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Will "Fastwave" allow my opponent to knock out my
Shednija (with "Empty Shell") and take a prize since it
says its not affected by Poké-Bodies?
A. The Damage done by Fastwave is not affected by Empty
Shell, but that has nothing to do with whether you take a
prize or not. You still get no prize because of "Empty
Shell". (Jan 12, 2006 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Does "Feint Attack" allow you to ignore the Baby Rule?
A. No, the Baby Rule is not an "effect" on the Defending
Pokémon It is a game rule. (Jan 8, 2004 PUI Rules
Team)
Q. Does Feint Attack go through Metal Energy or not?
A. Feint Attack normally ignores ANY effect attempting to
reduce its damage, even Metal Energy. But, Feint Attack is
worded differently on some of the older sets where the
"ignoring" part only applies to the Defending Pokémon
On those older cards, Metal Energy does reduce the damage
when Feint Attack targets the bench; but on more recent
cards, ignoring reduction applies to both Defending and
Benched Pokémon (Feb 20, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If Shiftry uses "Feint Attack" against Whiscash with
"Submerge" Poké-BODY on the bench, which one prevails?
The attack or the Poké-BODY?
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. (Mar 3, 2005 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.
Therefore, Feint Attack's damage will be reduced. (Apr 5,
2007 PUI Rules Team)
* Magmortar LV.X's "Flame Buster" attack should say "discard 2 Fire Energy CARDS" rather than just "discard 2 Fire Energy". (Nov 16, 2007 Pokemon Organized Play News)
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)
Q. If my Flareon-EX uses "Flame Screen" and then my
opponent uses Warp Point on their next turn to send
Flareon-EX to the bench, does the protective effect of
"Flame Screen" wear off?
A. Yes, benching Flareon-EX removes Flame Screen's
protective effect. (Jan 18, 2007 PUI Rules Team)
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 31, 2008 PUI Rules Team)
Q. What happens if I try to use Roselia's "Flick Poison",
but the opponent has no benched Pokémon? Is the
Defending Pokémon poisoned or not?
A. The text of the attack says, "the *NEW* Defending
Pokémon is poisoned". So since there is no *NEW*
Defending Pokémon without switching one up from the
bench, Flick Poison does nothing to the Defending
Pokémon if it cannot be switched out. (Aug 3, 2006 PUI
Rules Team)
Q. Wobbuffet's "Flip Over" says "...does 10 damage to
itself, and don't apply weakness or resistance to this
damage." Now what doesn't apply weakness and resistance,
the 50 base damage or the 10 damage to itself?
A. The phrase applies to the damage being done by Flip
Over to Wobbuffet. Weakness/Resistance is ignored for the
damage being done to itself. (Sep 25, 2003 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Say I have [an evolved] 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. If I use Taillow's "Fly" attack and flip Heads, can the
opponent still use an attack like "Collect" that simply
lets them draw a card?
A. The effect of "Fly" only protects Taillow; anything
else such as bench damage or things done on the attacking
player's side (like drawing a card or healing) still work
normally. (Feb 17, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Do I *have* to discard a fire energy when using
Blaziken's "Fire Stream" attack, or is it optional?
A. It does not say "you may discard...", so it is
mandatory in this case. (Oct 23, 2003 PUI Rules Team)
Q. When using "Full Bloom", does the attacking Bellossom
count as one of the three mentioned in the attack text?
A. Yes. You would only need two other Bellossoms in play
on your side for the extra damage. (Aug 11, 2005 PUI Rules
Team)
Q. If a Pokémon is more than one type, does
Mightyena's "Gang Up" attack add 20 damage when counting
that Pokémon (+10 for each type)?
A. No. It looks at all of your Pokémon in play - is
it either Metal and/or Dark? Great, +10 more damage for
that Pokémon. (EX:Delta Species FAQ; Nov 3, 2005 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. When Kingdra-EX uses "Genetic Memory" to use Seadra's
"Energy Cannon" attack, does the attack cost for Genetic
Memory count as "not used to pay for this attack's Energy
Cost"?
A. Kingdra-EX doesn't have to pay for THAT attack's energy
cost, but it still has to pay for its own. So the Energy
Cannon would to 20 if one energy is attached, 30 if two
energies are attached, and 40 if three energies are
attached. The 1 water is paying the Genetic Memory's attack
cost which is taking the place of the Energy Cannon's
attack cost; that 1 water would NOT count as an extra. (May
6, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
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)
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)
Q. Can I discard Claw Fossil or Root Fossil to use Dark
Marowak's "Hard Bone" attack?
A. No, you cannot. (Feb 10, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
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)
Q. Healing Egg says, "Remove 2 counters (1 if there is only
1) from each of your Pokémon; remove no damage
counters from Chansey EX." So what happens if you have
other Chansey EX's sitting on the bench when this attack is
used?
A. Healing Egg refers to Chansey EX - generally it implies
"this Pokémon". In this case, Healing Egg will heal
other Chansey ex. It is self-referencing. (Sep 18, 2003 PUI
Rules Team)
Q. If I flip heads twice for "Healing Milk", can I remove 2
damage counters from two separate Pokémon, or just 4
damage counters from one of them?
A. You must remove all of the damage counters from the
same Pokémon. (Aug 11, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If Ludicolo has no damage counters and it uses "Healing
Steps", can you still discard cards from your hand?
A. Healing Steps says, "you may discard as many cards as
you like from your hand"; this comes before the "if you do"
phrase, so yes you may discard more cards than Ludicolo has
damage counters (even if Ludicolo has no damage). (Oct 6,
2005 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If I have a Deoxys Skarmory with two Dark Metal Energies
attached, would I be able to flip when I use its "Heavy
Metal" attack?
A. Yes, you could flip for each of your attached Dark
Metal Energies since they do indeed provide Metal Energy.
You would also be able to flip if you had Rainbow, Multi,
etc. (Apr 14, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
Q. For Unown-E's "Hidden Power", if the defending
Pokémon has a Holon Energy WP and a Water Energy
attached, how much of the attack can I do? I'm pretty
certain I cannot perform the switching part, but can I put
the Pokémon down from the opponent's hand or not?
A. Yes you can. You would put the basic onto the bench,
but Holon Energy WP would prevent the switching part of the
attack. (Jun 1, 2006 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If I've played Giant Stump to bring my opponents bench
to 3 current Pokémon, can I use Unown-E's "Hidden
Power" to bring a basic from my opponent's hand to the
active position?
A. No, you cannot use Unown-E's "Hidden Power" if the
opponent's bench is full, and with Giant Stump in play 3 is
considered a full bench. (Feb 8, 2007 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Unown E's "Hidden Power" attack makes all flips to be
treated as tails during your opponent's next turn. Since it
is public knowledge that trainers like "Super Scoop Up" and
"Energy Removal 2" will have no effect, can you still play
them?
A. Technically the Hidden Power effect is not applied until
you flip, so Trainers requiring a flip can still be played.
(Jan 24, 2008 PUI Rules Team)
Q. For Unown-G's "Hidden Power", do you place a number of
damage counters equal to the number of damage counters on
all your own Pokémon, or do you place a number of
counters equal to the number of Pokémon that are
damaged?
A. You place a number of counters equal to the number of
Pokémon that are damaged. For instance, if you have
three Pokémon with twelve damage counters spread among
them, you only get to place three damage counters on the
Defending Pokémon. (Oct 20, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
Q. What happens to any Pokémon Tools attached to
Unown-O when it uses its "Hidden Power" attack?
A. The Unown and all Energy cards attached to it would go
into your hand, but any other cards that may be attached to
it would go into the discard pile. (Sep 8, 2005 PUI Rules
Team)
Q. If I attach Energy Root to Unown-Z, does it still do
damage to itself with "Hidden Power"?
A. Just because Energy Root prevents a Pokémon from
USING the Poké-POWER or Poké-BODY, it still HAS
it on the card. So Unown-Z would still damage itself when
using its Hidden Power. (Sep 8, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Say you have FR/LG Farfetch'd out and use "Hoard", then
attach a Crystal Shard to it. Does the Shard get discarded
since it attacked, or does the Shard stay since he just
attacked and the Shard got attached AFTER the attack?
A. Crystal Shard would stay. It wasn't there for the
trigger of the Pokémon starting the attack and doesn't
look back in time for a triggering. (July 21, 2005 PUI
Rules Team)
Q. For Team Magma's Torkoal's "Hot Air", do I *have to*
discard a fire energy or is that part optional? What if the
opponent has no bench?
A. The discarding of Fire energy is mandatory in this
case, regardless of whether there are any Pokémon on
the opponent's bench. (Mar 4, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
Q. For Team Magma's Torkoal's "Hot Air", who chooses the
benched Pokémon to be switched?
A. Your opponent does. (Mar 4, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
Q. For Team Magma's Torkoal's "Hot Air", do you do the
damage portion before or after switching the opponent's
Pokémon?
A. The damage is done before switching. (Mar 4, 2004 PUI
Rules Team)
Q. Can you use Double Rainbow Energy with Team Aqua's
Walrein? If you can, it's good because then you can return
it from a benched Poké for 20 more damage without
having to reduce Walrein's attack damage by ten.
A. Sorry, but Team Aqua's Walrein's "Hydro Reverse"
specifically says that you can only return Basic Water
energy cards for extra damage. (Mar 11, 2004 PUI Rules
Team)
Q. Claydol's Hyper Beam attack says, "If heads discard 1
energy attached to the Defending Pokémon." Can you
choose to discard a card that provides 2 energy, such as a
Double Rainbow, even if there are other basic energy
attached to the Defending Pokémon?
A. Claydol's Hyper Beam should say, "...discard 1 energy
CARD attached to the Defending Pokémon." So yes, you
can choose to discard an energy card that provides more
than one energy. (Jun 10, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Swampert-EX's 'Hyper Pump' attack says, "does 20 damage
plus 20 more damage for "each basic energy attached" but
not used to pay for the attack cost". Since the attack says
"basic energy" and not "basic energy card", does that mean
that cards like Rainbow and Multi would count towards the
extra damage or not? And if those do, would Metal and
Darkness energies work too? And what about colorless
energies like Boost, Recycle, DCE, etc.?
A. The intent of Hyper Pump is to do more damage for each
Basic Energy CARD attached to Swampert-EX. So Metal,
Darkness, Rainbow, or any other Special Energy cards do not
add to the damage. (May 6, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
* 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)
Q. Blastoise-EX's "Hyper Whirlpool" attack says, "...for
each heads, your opponent discards an Energy card attached
to the Defending Pokémon". Does my opponent choose the
Energy card discarded, or does the attacker?
A. 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. (Sep 9, 2004 PUI
Rules Team; Jul 25, 2006 PUI Announcements; Jul 27, 2006
PUI Rules Team)
Q. TRR Kingdra's "Hyper Whirlpool" says "Flip a coin until
you get tails. For each heads, discard an Energy card
attached to the Defending Pokémon." Who chooses the
Energy card(s) to discard, you or the opponent?
A. The wording on Kingdra's "Hyper Whirlpool" is different
than the same attack on Blastoise-EX. But for both cards'
"Hyper Whirlpool" attack, the player using those attacks
gets to choose the Energy card to be discarded. (Mar 10,
2005 PUI Rules Team; Jul 25, 2006 PUI Announcements; Jul
27, 2006 PUI Rules Team)
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)
* 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)
Q. What happens if I play ATM-Ice but the opponent doesn't
have any trainer cards in play?
A. If you cannot discard any of the opponent's trainers,
you do not get the added protection benefit of the attack.
You can still use the attack when they have no trainers in
play; it just doesn't have any effect. (Jun 10, 2004 PUI
Rules Team)
Q. If I use "Ice Generator" from Ancient Technical Machine
[Ice] and then that Pokémon gets benched, does the Ice
Generator effect remain or not?
A. No, it does not. Just like Agility and other similar
attacks, the protection benefit goes away when benched.
(Jun 10, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If I use the Ancient Technical Machine [Ice] and my
opponent has Claw Fossil, Root Fossil, etc. in play are
they discarded?
A. Yes, Fossil cards are to be treated as both Trainer
Cards and as Pokémon while in play. (Apr 5, 2005 PUI
Announcements; Apr 7, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If I have a Lileep evolved from a Root Fossil in play
and my opponent uses ATM-Ice, what happens?
A. ATM-Ice does not remove fossil cards that have already
evolved into actual Pokémon. (Apr 14, 2005 PUI Rules
Team)
Q. Does "Ice Generator" from Ancient Technical Machine
[Ice] prevent effects from trainers like Warp Point during
your opponents turn? Or is the card text missing "from your
opponent's attack" as an additional qualifier?
A. The phrase 'Prevent all effects, including damage' is
supposed to refer to attacks, similar to Holon Energy WP.
Trainer cards, Poké-Powers, and Poké-Bodies are
still effective against a Pokémon who used "Ice
Generator" on its previous turn. (May 4, 2006 PUI Rules
Team; Jul 25, 2006 PUI Announcements; Jul 27, 2006 PUI
Rules Team)
Q. Lileep's Influence. Can you search for more than 2? And
if you do, what do you do with the extra ones? Keep them in
your hand?
A. You can only retrieve up to 2 from your deck and put
them onto your Bench. If you already have 4 Pokémon on
your Bench, you may only retrieve one from your deck. (Sep
11, 2003 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Can you use Lileep's "Influence" attack to pull an
Aerodactyl-EX from your deck?
A. No, the cards "Aerodactyl" and "Aerodactyl-EX" are
considered different Pokémon, much like the "Dark"
Pokémon from earlier sets. So you cannot use Influence
to search for an Aerodactyl-EX. (Nov 20, 2003 PUI Rules
Team)
Q. If the opponent does not have any benched Pokémon
and I use Ninetales ex's "Intense Glare", what will
happen??
A. It refers to affecting the *new* Defending
Pokémon. It cannot affect a Pokémon it did not
switch. (Jul 1, 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 24, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Would Dusclops take damage from Claw Fossil's "Jagged
Stone" Poké-BODY?
A. No, there is no damage to trigger the effect. It's just
KO'd. (Sep 11, 2003 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Say my Typhlosion-EX attacks using "Kindle", but my
opponent's Defending Pokémon doesn't have any Energy
cards attached to it. Do I still have to discard an Energy
attached to Typhlosion-EX?
A. Yes, you still have to discard an Energy card from
Typhlosion-EX. (Aug 11, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
Q. When using "Kindle" who gets to choose which Energy card
is discarded from the Defending Pokémon?
A. The attacking player chooses both Energy cards that get
discarded. (Aug 11, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
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 25, 2006 PUI Rules Team)
Q. How does Weezing's "Liability" attack work when the
Defending Pokémon has an ability that reduces damage?
A. Weezing's attack puts damage counters on the Defending
Pokémon - abilities that reduce damage don't have an
effect on that kind of attack. (EX:Deoxys FAQ, Q6; Feb 3,
2005 PUI Rules Team)
Q. What does it mean on "Delta Guard" where it says to
ignore the effect of the "Lightning Storm" attack?
A. Lightning Storm still does damage to the Defending
Pokémon. The *effect* of putting 7 damage counters on
Rayquaza is the effect to be ignored. (EX:Delta Species
FAQ; Nov 3, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Sandstorm Jolteon's Lightning Strike attack says, "You
may discard all lightning energy from Jolteon. If you do,
this attacks base damage is 70" or something like that.
Does that mean that the attack's base damage is 70
throughout the whole match?
A. No, the base damage is only raised for the remainder of
that turn. (Jan 8, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
Q. When I use Lanturn's "Lightning Strike" and discard
Double Rainbow Energy, what is the damage to the Defending
Pokémon?
A. It's 80 [that is, 90-10], because the effect of Double
Rainbow Energy reduces the damage by 10 prior to it being
discarded. (Sep 23, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Where does the effect of Sableye's "Limitation" attack
reside? On Sableye, on the Defending Pokémon, or
someplace else?
A. This is one of those attacks whose effect essentially
resides on the opponent, since it doesn't specify any
Pokémon in the attack text. (Apr 7, 2005 PUI Rules
Team)
Q. Say I use Cubone's "Look For Friends" attack and the
first card I pick up from my deck is a Basic. Since I did
not reveal any other cards, am I still supposed to shuffle
my deck?
A. If Cubone pulls a Basic Card as the first revealed
card, the deck is not shuffled as there are no as there are
no "other revealed cards" to shuffle back in. (Jan 27, 2005
PUI Rules Team)
Q. If I use Cubone's "Look for Friends" attack and I turn
over a Mysterious Fossil card, can I play it or do I keep
going until I find a basic Pokémon?
A. No, Fossils don't count as Pokémon while in the
deck. They don't "turn into" Pokémon until they are
being Played from the hand to the Bench. (Feb 10, 2005 PUI
Rules Team)
Q. Can you use Slugma's "Luring Flame" attack if your
opponent has no Pokémon on their bench to switch with?
A. No, if the opponent has no benched Pokémon you
cannot use Luring Flame. You can't do the first thing, so
you don't do the second thing. (Dec 4, 2003 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If I have a Technical Machine that gets discarded after
the attack, would Porygon2's "Machine Burst" still count
it?
A. Yes, it would count the Technical Machine that gets
discarded. (EX:Delta Species FAQ; Nov 3, 2005 PUI Rules
Team)
Q. Will Dustox stop Team Magma's Houndoom from doing "Magma
Spurt"?
A. No, the discarding portion of Magma Spurt is used to
calculate how much damage is to be done; it is not "an
effect done to Dustox". And damage done is NOT prevented by
Dustox. (Apr 8, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Can I use TM Houndoom's "Magma Spurt" when there are
only 4 or less cards left in my deck?
A. Yes, you can. (Jan 13, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Can I use Make a Wish to evolve a Pokémon on the
first turn of the game?
A. Yes. The attack can evolve a Pokémon, even during
the first turn of the game. (EX:Hidden Legends FAQ)
Q. If I attack with Jirachi's "Make A Wish" attack, do I
have to declare what card I am getting before I look
through my deck?
A. No. You can look through your deck before deciding on
which Pokémon to evolve. (Jun 16, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If I use HL Jirachi's "Make A Wish" but do not find any
evolutions in my deck, does Jirachi still take the damage
to itself?
A. No, if you cannot find an evolution you don't place a
damage counter on Jirachi. (Sep 8, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
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)
Q. Is the "Buffer" Poké-BODY activated by "Swift"
attacks or when Hidden Legends Electrode uses the "Mass
Destruction" attack which knocks out both Pokémon?
A. "Yes" for Swift because the damage is still being done,
which in turn THEN causes Buffer to invoke. But "No" for
Mass Destruction, because no damage is actually being done;
the Pokémon with Buffer is simply Knocked Out. (Apr 7,
2005 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Does Marowak's "Metal Crusher" affect Pokémon that
are Metal-type as well as something else?
A. Yes. Dual-type Pokémon are always considered both
types all of the time. (EX:Delta Species FAQ; Nov 3, 2005
PUI Rules Team)
Q. With Mawile's "Metal Hook", do I *have* to switch the
opponent's Pokémon or not?
A. Mawile says "....you may switch". You do not have to
switch. (Sep 18, 2003 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If I'm playing a 2 on 2 battle, can I use Mawile's
"Metal Hook" attack to deal 20 damage to both defending
Pokémon if I switch one with a benched Pokémon?
Or does this attack only do 20 damage with or without the
switch?
A. Mawile doesn't gain any further damage powers in 2-on-2
Battle. It does 20 to the Pokémon Mawile attacks, or
20 damage to the newly switched Pokémon Not both;
Mawile's cool, but not bogus. (Sep 18, 2003 PUI Rules Team)
Q. For Metagross-EX's "Metal Reversal" attack, if I switch
my opponent's Pokémon, does it do 40 and 40 more to
the new Defending Pokémon?
A. No. You either do 40 damage to the Pokémon you
initially attacked, or 40 damage to the new Defending
Pokémon. (EX:Hidden Legends FAQ)
Q. If I use "Metronome" and copy Lugia-EX's "Elemental
Blast" attack, do I have to discard a Fire, Water and/or
Electric energy if I have any of them attached?
A. Yes, when using Metronome in this fashion you do as
much of it as you can. So if Clefable-EX only has two Water
energy attached, you have to discard one of the Water
energy cards (but not both). And if you have a basic Water
Energy and a Rainbow Energy attached, you would have to
count the Rainbow as one of the other types and discard
both cards. (May 4, 2006 PUI Rules Team)
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, 2007 PUI Rules Team)
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)
Q. If Rocket's Meowth's "Miraculous Comeback" attack
damages itself, do I add +10 damage for each Darkness
Energy Card attached to it?
A. Any active Pokémon that takes damage takes 10 more
for each Darkness Energy Card attached to the attacking
Pokémon. Of course, this only applies for the actual
Darkness Energy card [and R-Energy too]; other cards that
provide Dark energy don't have the same effect [i.e.
Rainbow, Dark Metal, etc.] (Jun 16, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Can you do Pidgeot's "Mirror Move" attack if the
opponent's last attack "placed damage counters" (as opposed
to "doing damage")?
A. No. Placing damage counters is an effect. Damage from an
attack is the straight-up damage done, such as "40" or
"40+30". (Jan 24, 2008 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If you don't have any damage counters on Larvitar when
it does "Mountain Eater", does the attack fail because you
cannot remove any damage?
A. No, the removal of damage is not a requirement of being
able to do the attack. However, if you do have any damage
counters on Larvitar, then you MUST remove one if you
perform this attack; it is not an optional action. (Nov 20,
2003 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Does Rainbow Energy always count as Psychic for adding
to Gorebyss' "Mystic Water" damage?
A. Yes, that is correct. (Jul 15, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
Q. I attack with my confused Steelix-EX, using "Mudslide".
Do I discard two Fighting energy if I fail the confusion
flip?
A. You discard the energy after the confusion flip, and
then only if the attack is successful. Discarding energy is
not a requirement to do the attack; it is an effect of the
attack, which does not happen if you flip tails. (Mar 9,
2006 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Can I still use Pinsir's "Overhead Toss" attack if I
don't have any benched Pokémon?
A. Yes, the attack will still work. (EX:Legend Maker FAQ;
Feb 16, 2006 PUI Rules Team)
Q. What would happen if a promo Smeargle paints a
multi-type (more than one type of basic energy card
attached) Kecleon? And for that matter, what would happen
if an already painted Kecleon changed into another type
with its body?
A. Even though Kecleon's underlying type may change, the
Coloring Counter overrides whatever type Kecleon is, or may
become. (Jan 29, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Raticate's "Pickup" attack says you get a basic
Pokémon, a Trainer, and an Energy. What happens if you
don't have one of each of those in your discard pile? Can
you still take what you do have?
A. If you are missing any of the three cards specified in
the attack, you can still search for the others and put
them into your hand. (Sep 9, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
Q. For Raticate's "Pickup" attack, is it mandatory to take
one of each kind of card (basic Pokémon, trainer,
energy) if they are available in my discard pile? Or could
I choose to pick a Trainer and an Energy, but not a basic
Pokémon?
A. If there is at least one of those three types of cards
in your discard pile, you MUST choose one if available.
(Sep 9, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
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, 2005 PUI
Rules Team)
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)
Q. Is Nidoqueen included as an "evolved Pokémon" in
its "Power Lariat" attack?
A. Yes, Nidoqueen counts itself. (Sep 9, 2004 PUI Rules
Team)
Q. Can Mew-EX switch with a Benched Pokémon after
using "Power Move" even if no Energy cards are left in your
deck?
A. Yes, you may switch Mew-EX whether an energy is found
or not. (May 25, 2006 PUI Rules Team; Jun 1, 2006 PUI Rules
Team))
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. Politoed-EX uses "Punch and Run" and Knocks Out a
Pokémon with Curse Powder attached. Which Pokémon
receives the 3 damage counters, the Politoed-EX or the one
that comes up to replace it?
A. Politoed-EX would receive the damage counters from
Curse Powder since it was the "Attacking Pokémon" at
the time. (Aug 11, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
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)
Q. If I attack with Gardevoir's "Psychic Lock", can my
opponent use any Poke-POWERs if they evolve their Pokemon
on the following turn?
A. The effect of Psychic Lock is on your opponent, not on
their Pokemon. So no matter what happens to their Pokemon,
the opponent cannot use any of their Poke-Powers. That also
means there is no way to clear the effect. (Dec 6, 2007 PUI
Rules Team)
Q. If the Defending Pokemon has a Holon Energy WP and a
basic Water energy attached, what happens to the "your
opponent can't use any Poke-Powers" part of Gardevoir's
"Psychic Lock" attack?
A. The effect of Psychic Lock is on your opponent, not on
their 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 10, 2008 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Since "FastWave" says "its damage isn't affected by
Poké-Powers, Poké-Bodies, or any other effect on
the Defending Pokémon", does it get through if the
opponent used Deoxys-EX's "Psychic Shield" the previous
turn?
A. Yes, FastWave says to ignore effects so it would get
through Psychic Shield since it's "an effect on the
Defending Pokémon". (Jun 9, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
Q. How do I figure the damage for Xatu with Double Rainbow
Energy attached since it does 10 to each bench, and DRE
says reduce all damage done to the defending Pokémon
by 10?
A. Actually, Xatu's "Psyimpact" attack says to "place 1
damage counter on each of your opponent's Pokémon".
DRE only reduces damage, not other effects of an attack
(such as placing damage counters). So each of your
opponent's Pokémon including benched ones would
receive 1 damage counter on them from Xatu's attack. (Apr
8, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
Q. For Xatu's "Psyloop" attack, what all does the phrase
"Trainer cards your opponent has in play" include? Does it
include ones in discard pile?
A. It includes things like Pokémon Tools that are
attached to your opponent's Pokémon, Stadium cards
your opponent played, or Claw Fossil, Root Fossil, or
Mysterious Fossil your opponent has in play. Cards in the
discard pile are not considered to be "in play". (Feb 10,
2005 PUI Rules Team; Apr 7, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
Q. For Espeon-EX's "Psyloop" attack, does a Stadium count
as a Trainer on your opponent's side of the field. If it
does, does it have to be set by opponent or can it be you
as well?
A. If you play the Stadium, it's your Stadium card
affecting play; if your opponent plays a Stadium, it's
their Stadium card affecting play. Espeon-EX only cares
about your opponent's Stadium cards (and your opponent's
other Trainer cards)....not yours. (Sep 29, 2005 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. If the Defending Pokémon is affected by a Special
Condition, and I attack them with Omastar's "Pull Down"
attack, does the removal of the highest Stage Evolution
card cause the Defending Pokémon to be cured of that
Special Condition?
A. In most cases, whenever a Pokémon changes its
evolutionary state any Special Conditions are removed from
it. That would be the case in this situation too; the
Special Condition is removed. (Jan 8, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If I use Sandstorm Omastar's "Pull Down" attack and my
opponent has an evolved baby in play, does he have to pick
up the basic Pokémon that the baby has evolved into?
A. Yes, that is correct. (Feb 5, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
Q. What happens if you use "Pull Down" against a Stage 1 or
Stage 2 Pokémon brought into play by trainers "Archie"
or "Maxie"?
A. It will not work; Archie & Maxie state to treat
those cards as Basic Pokémon, so they cannot be Pulled
Down. (Apr 8, 2004 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 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)
Q. Yanma's "Quick Search" for energy, would it be for any
amount of 4 types?
A. No, you can only get one card for each of the 4 types
you choose. (Dec 9, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
Q. I use Ninjask's "Quick Touch" attack against my
opponent's Cacturne (Sandstorm with Poison Payback) and
decide to switch. Would my new active Pokémon be
poisoned or would the effect of Poison Payback effect
Ninjask before it switches?
A. The Poison Payback would have affected Ninjask, but
then it gets moved to the bench (thus removing the poison
condition) before any damage counters get placed. (Jul 8,
2004 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Rocket's Zapdos ex's Raging Thunder says: "This attack
does 30 damage to 1 of your Pokémon". Could you target
a Pokémon such as Wobbuffet (Sandstorm), Shedinja
(Dragon), or Ledian (Team Rocket Returns) and do no damage
to it due to their Poké-Bodies?
A. Well, Wobbuffet's & Shedinja's powers specifically
say to prevent damage from an OPPONENT, so that won't work.
But the Ledian would be safe since it can prevent damage
from your own attacks (as long as there's an owner in the
attacking Pokémon's name). (Nov 18, 2004 PUI Rules
Team)
Q. If Togetic's "Rainbow Moves" copies an attack like Dark
Golbat's "Night Ambush" which says it "can't attack during
your next turn", that means that Togetic may not attack at
all the next turn unless it gets benched, right?
A. Yes, that is correct. (Dec 2, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Togetic has 3 basic energies attached and uses "Rainbow
Moves" to copy Quagsire's "Hyper Pump". Does the attack do
20, 60, or 80 damage? Rainbow Moves basically says to
ignore the Energy Cost, so how much does it do?
A. Same ruling as Kingdra-EX & "Energy Cannon" - the 3
Energy is considered as "the payment" for Togetic's attack
cost. It would do only 20 with 3 Energy attached to it.
(Dec 2, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If I have an active Togetic and my opponent has one on
their bench, can I attack with "Rainbow Moves" and copy the
opponent's benched "Rainbow Moves" and in effect copy one
of my own benched Pokémon's attacks?
A. No, all you would be doing is copying the same text
that you already have on Togetic, making a loop, doing
nothing. Togetic copying Togetic's Rainbow Moves -
congratulations, you get to use Rainbow Moves on your
opponent's Benched Pokémon... again. (Dec 2, 2004 PUI
Rules Team)
Q. Togetic uses "Rainbow Moves" to copy Quagsire's "Hyper
Pump" attack. Togetic has 3 basic energies attached to it,
so does the attack do 20 damage, 60 damage, or 80 damage?
A. Quagsire's Hyper Pump adds damage after the attack
cost, but it is being copied by Togetic which has a 3
attack cost. Therefore no extra damage is added, so only 20
is done. (Jan 13, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Togetic vs. Lanturn... I believe you should be able to
do 90 using "Rainbow Moves" to copy "Lightning Strike",
because it says discard ALL lightning energies. If i have
none that is still a number that I discard.
A. It says, "IF you discard all Lightning energies". You
didn't do any discarding (since you had none), so you can't
do 90 damage in this way. But if you DO have a Ligtning
energy attached and you discard it, THEN you would get to
do 90. (Mar 10, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If you have Togetic use "Rainbow Moves" to copy Dark
Ampharos' "Shock Bolt", do you still do 70 damage even if
Togetic doesn't have any Lightning energies attached?
A. No. Per current rulings from Japan, all discards are
mandatory and in order to do an attack where you discard
all Lightning energy you would need to have at least one
attached in order to perform the attack. (Apr 26, 2007 PUI
Rules Team)
Q. Starmie's "Rainbow Star" attack does 10 damage for each
type of Basic energy attached to the Defending
Pokémon. Would Darkness and Metal increase the damage,
even though they are not Basic cards?
A. No, they would not. Metal & Darkness are not
considered Basic Energy types. (Jun 17, 2004 PUI Rules
Team)
Q. If the defending Pokémon has a Rainbow Energy
attached to it, how does that factor into the HL Starmie's
"+10 more damage for each type of basic energy attached to
the Defending Pokémon"? Does it make it do +60 damage
(10 times each of the 6 basic energy types)?
A. Rainbow Star only counts the basic Energy cards that
are attached to the Pokémon - not Special Energy
cards. (Jul 1, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If I use Milotic Ex "Reflect Energy" attack, but have no
basic energy attached or I have no benched Pokémon to
move it to, does it still do damage?
A. Yes, you do as much of the attack as you can. (Jul 7,
2005 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If I use the Strange Cave stadium or an Omanyte uses
"Team Assembly" to put other Omanytes on the bench, they
are to be "treated as a Basic Pokémon" per the text on
the card. Now, after evolving that benched Omanyte (that
has no fossil under it) into Omastar, do you treat Omastar
as a Stage 1 or as a Stage 2 Pokémon for the purposes
of Wailord's "Rely on Friends" attack ("...does plus 10
more damage for each of your Benched Stage 1 Evolved
Pokémon")?
A. The Omastar would still be considered a "Stage 2"
Pokémon, even if there is no Fossil underneath it. The
Omanyte would be a non-evolved (Basic) Pokémon that is
"Stage 1". (Feb 16, 2006 PUI Rules Team)
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)
Q. Rocket's Scizor-EX attacks with "Rotating Claws". If I
recover a Boost Energy from my discard pile, would it be
discarded at the end of THAT turn, or the next turn?
A. It would be discarded immediately at the end of the
current turn. (Jun 16, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If I attach a Holon Castform (as energy) to Flygon, then
do its "Sand Sonic" attack, does the Holon Castform count
as Fighting Energy to do an extra +20 damage, or not?
A. Yes, it does. Sand Sonic does not say "Basic Fighting
Energy card", so attaching any card from your hand that
provides Fighting energy (i.e. Rainbow, Multi, etc.) would
add +20 damage to the attack on that turn. (Jan 17, 2008
PUI Rules Team)
Q. Does Sandslash's "Sand Swirl" attack prevent both
defending Pokémon from retreating during the following
turn? (NOTE: The plural of Pokémon is still
"Pokémon".)
A. Yes. Both Defending Pokémon would be affected by
the inability to retreat. (Sep 11, 2003 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If Shelgon uses Scrunch and gets heads, and then the
defending Pokémon Elekid uses Playful Punch and gets
heads, will Scrunch prevent Playful Punch damage?
A. Scrunch will block it because it doesn't specify that
the damage has to come from an attack. (Jan 29, 2004 PUI
Rules Team)
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)
Q. Say I have a Double Rainbow Energy attached to Blaziken
from EX:Emerald. Does this reduce its "Searing Flame"
attack to zero and not allow me to use its "Blaze"
Poké-Body (since I'd be doing no damage to "add 40
more" to)?
A. They are applied during the same step in calculating
damage. The player attacking with Blaziken may choose the
order. (May 19, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Let's say I use Baltoy's "Selfdestruct" attack. If it
Knocks Out my opponent's Pokémon, does the new Active
Pokémon still get the 10 damage it would have received
when it was on the Bench?
A. Yes. Resolve all of the effects of the Selfdestruct
attack before removing the KO'd Pokémon. The Benched
Pokémon would take 10 damage before moving up to the
Active Pokémon spot. (EX:Deoxys FAQ, Q7; Feb 3, 2005
PUI Rules Team)
Q. Can I get just one, but not the other? What happens if
only one of the two is in the deck?
A. You must get both, if you can. If you do not have both
in your deck, but have at least one, you can get the one
that is in your deck. (EX:Hidden Legends FAQ)
Q. If Wobbuffet attacks with "Shadow Tag" (place 7 damage
counters on the defending Pokémon at the end of your
opponent's next turn), then if the Pokémon that was
attacked goes to the bench or evolves/devolves will it
still take the 7 damage counters or not?
A. The effect is on the Defending Pokémon, not
Wobbuffet. So if the Defending Pokémon evolves,
retreats, etc. the Shadow Tag effect goes away and no
damage is taken. (Feb 16, 2006 PUI Rules Team)
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 Shock-wave 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)
Q. If my opponent used Archie or Maxie on a Stage 1
Pokémon and then evolved that Pokémon into its
Stage 2 evolution, would I be attacking the new
Pokémon with Latios*'s "Shining Star" for 50 or 150
damage?
A. Shining Star requires two conditions to be met in order
to do the extra damage: 1) The opponent's Pokémon
needs to say "Stage 2" on the card; 2) It needs to have a
card beneath it, i.e. be "Evolved" (it does not need two
evolutions beneath it, but at least one). For example, if a
Pidgey had been Rare Candy'd to Pidgeot, the attack would
do 150. If you had started with a Stage 1 that evolved to a
Stage 2, the attack would do 150. If you had Maxie'd a
Stage 2 directly into play, the attack would do only 50.
(Apr 7, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Would "Shining Star" do the additional 100 damage vs. a
Brock's Ninetales that has used its "Shapeshift" power to
put a Stage 2 on it, like Aggron or something?
A. Yes, the Brock's Ninetales (on top of Brock's Vulpix)
would satisfy the evolution part of the criteria, and the
Stage 2 evolution card attached to it would satisfy the
Stage 2 part of the criteria for Shining Star. (Apr 7, 2005
PUI Rules Team)
Q. For Caterpie's new move, do you have to get a Metapod
AND a Butterfree? What if you only find one or the other,
can you just get that?
A. If you have both Metapod and Butterfree in your deck,
you MUST take one of each; it is not optional. However, if
you do not have one of the two, you still must take the one
that you do find in your deck. (Sep 9, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
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,
2006 PUI Rules Team)
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 Shiftry-EX 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)
Q. Medicham-EX uses "Sky Kick" against a Pokémon with
Resistance to Fighting, and Magnetic Storm is in play -
does Medicham-EX still do the extra 40 damage?
A. Yes. Magnetic Storm does not eliminate the Fighting
Resistance; it just means that the Defending Pokémon
doesn't get to reduce the damage by 30. (May 5, 2005 PUI
Rules Team)
Q. If I have a Slaking active with Meteor Falls in play,
and I use "Slack Off" to remove the damage counters off
Slaking, can I attack with Slaking next turn?
A. No, Slaking is the one performing the Slack Off attack,
so it must also abide by the restriction that it cannot
attack during your next turn. (Jun 2, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Dodrio's "Slashing Strike" attack says, "Flip a coin. If
tails, Dodrio can't use Slashing Strike during your next
turn." If I retreat Dodrio and then use a Switch to make
him active again, does that clear the effect so I could use
Slashing Strike again?
A. Yes, that is correct. (Jun 10, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Does High Pressure system change the amount of damage
Muk-EX does with Slimy Water?
A. Yes, provided that the Pokémon's retreat cost
isn't already zero - there is no such thing as a negative
retreat cost. Anything that reduces the retreat cost will
affect the damage Muk-EX does with its Slimy Water attack.
(Feb 5, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Team Aqua Hideout reads, "Each Pokémon that does
not have Team Aqua in its name pays (*) more to retreat."
So does Muk-EX's "Slimy Water" attack add +10 damage
because of this stadium?
A. Yes, that is correct. (Sep 9, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Does Dark Muk's "Sticky Goo" Poké-BODY add to the
amount of damage done by its "Slimy Water" attack?
A. As long as the Poké-BODY is not somehow turned
off, then yes it adds to the damage. (Nov 4, 2004 PUI Rules
Team)
Q. What happens when Dark Muk uses "Slimy Water" to attack
a Fossil (no printed retreat cost)?
A. The Fossil does not have a retreat cost, so Dark Muk's
Sticky Goo Poké-BODY can not add to it. Thus Slimy
Water does no damage. (Jan 6, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
Q. "Slow-Acting Poison" says, "At the end of your
opponent's next turn, the Defending Pokémon is now
poisoned". What happens if the opponent switches or
retreats the Pokémon that was attacked by Slow-Acting
Poison?
A. The effect is tied to the Pokémon that Team Aqua's
Sharpedo attacked. It goes away if the Pokémon that
was attacked goes to the bench, evolves, or otherwise
leaves play. (Mar 11, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If a Pokémon has been attacked by "Slow-Acting
Poison", can you play a Full Heal on it and not be poisoned
at the end of your turn?
A. Full Heal won't have any effect since the Pokémon
is not Poisoned yet! Now Lum Berry or Miracle Berry would
work to cure poison, since it happens in between turns
after you actually become Poisoned. (Mar 11, 2004 PUI Rules
Team)
Q. Can the card Tickling Machine (Gym Heroes) be involved
where effects make use of Rocket's Secret Machine cards
(such as Rocket's Meowth's first attack), even though
Tickling Machine is labeled as a "Rocket's Secret Robot"?
A. Tickling Machine is considered a "Rocket's Secret
Machine" for the purposes of Rocket's Meowth and Rocket's
Wobbuffet. (Feb 24, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Can I use Linoone's "Sniff Out" to return a supporter to
my hand that I played the same turn? The supporter would
still be sitting next to my active, not in the discard
pile.
A. It is not in the discard pile yet - Linoone could not
recover it. (Aug 5, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
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. Chinchou's Spark attack says, "choose 2 of your
opponent's benched Pokémon..." What happens if my
opponent only has one Benched Pokémon?
A. You still would deal damage to the single Benched
Pokémon. (EX:Hidden Legends FAQ)
Q. Does Forretress' "Spiky Shell" damage the Pokémon
if they retreat to the bench? If not, does it damage the
new active Pokémon at the end of their turn? Or does
it not damage anyone if they switch?
A. The effect of Spiky Shell goes away if the Defending
Pokémon retreats, evolves, etc. (Sep 8, 2005 PUI Rules
Team)
Q. Does Forretress' "Spiky Shell" damage the Pokémon
if they retreat to the bench? If not, does it damage the
new Active Pokémon? Or does it not damage anyone if
they switch?
A. The effect is on the Defending Pokémon that was
attacked, and it goes away if the Defending Pokémon
goes to the Bench, leaves play, or evolves. (Sep 29, 2005
PUI Rules Team)
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)
Q. If you have a Double Rainbow Energy attached to Steelix
(Sandstorm), does its "Spinning Tail" attack get reduced by
10 even though there's no damage number listed in the text
area?
A. Yes, the DRE would indeed reduce the damage to both the
Active and Benched Pokémon in this situation. (Oct 28,
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,
2006 PUI Rules Team)
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)
Q. My Dragonite successfully attacks Magby with "Agility".
On my opponent's next turn, would Magby's "Sputter" turn
off Dragonite's "Delta Charge" Poké-Power?
A. Sputter would not affect Dragonite that turn. Agility's
effect would wear off at the end of the opponent's turn,
and Magby's global effect resumes upon Dragonite. (Jul 6,
2006 PUI Rules Team; Jul 13, 2006 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If Registeel-EX does "Steel Wave" against a Pokémon
that is dual-type (like Team Aqua's Walrein that is both
Darkness & Water), then would it affect any benched
Pokémon that are of either of its individual types
(like Spheal and Absol in this example)?
A. Yes. A dual-type Pokémon represents both of its
types, so Steel Wave would affect any Pokémon that are
of any of those two specified types. (Sep 9, 2004 PUI Rules
Team)
Q. Say Registeel-EX does "Steel Wave" against a
Pokémon that is dual-type (like Team Aqua's Walrein
that is both Darkness & Water). If you have another
Pokémon on the bench with the same dual-type (like a
second Team Aqua's Walrein), then would the attack do 40
damage to the bench (20 per type)?
A. No. While a dual-type Pokémon does represent two
types, Steel Wave does not count a Pokémon card more
than once when figuring out bench damage. It would only do
20. (Sep 16, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If I attack a Scizor-Ex which used "Steel Wing" last
turn with an attack that ignores effects on the Defending
Pokémon, such as Machamp's "Brick Smash", do I ignore
the damage reduction from "Steel wing"?
A. Steel Wing places a defensive effect on Scizor-Ex. This
is ignored by attacks like "Brick Smash", "Swift",
"Fastwave", etc.; they will do the normal amount of damage.
(Feb 8, 2007 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If a Pikachu is in play and evolved from a Pichu does
ATM-Rock work the same way?
A. Yes, in this case Pikachu is considered to be an
evolved Pokémon, and is subject to removal by
ATM-Rock. (Jul 29, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Can I use Dunsparce's "Strike and Run" attack to search
for baby Pokémon as well?
A. Strike and Run can fetch Baby Pokémon, as they are
considered Basic Pokémon (Sep 11, 2003 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Can I use Dunsparce's "Strike and Run" attack to search
for a Mysterious Fossil, Claw Fossil, or Root Fossil?
A. Strike and Run cannot fetch Mysterious/Claw/Root Fossil
Trainer cards, as they are only Pokémon when they are
in play. (Sep 11, 2003 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Can I use Dunsparce's Strike and Run and get zero
Pokémon, even though I have room on my Bench, and
Basic Pokémon left in my deck?
A. Yes. Dunsparce states "up to" which includes zero. (Mar
25, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
Q. For Dunsparce, if I choose to switch, does it have to be
one of the Pokémon that was on my bench at the time of
the attack, or can I switch for one of the new benched
Pokémon that I just searched for?
A. Dunsparce can switch with any of your Benched
Pokémon, including those that you placed as a result
of the attack. (Sep 18, 2003 PUI Rules Team)
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, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
Q. When you use Strike and Run, I know you can select 0
Pokémon to get, but are you allowed to select 0 and
then switch Dunsparce with another Pokémon on your
bench still? I would think so because it doesn't say "After
doing so you may switch dunsparce" it just says "You may
switch Dunsparce with 1 of your benched Pokémon".
A. That is correct; you can still switch the Dunsparce
even if you select zero Pokémon (Apr 8, 2004 PUI Rules
Team)
Q. If you have a full bench can you "Strike and Run" for 0
basics, shuffle your deck, then switch with a benched
Pokémon?
A. No. You must be able to have room on your bench in
order to do any part of the "Strike and Run" attack. (Sep
9, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
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. If I have a Sableye active and I'm facing an Armaldo, I
use "Supernatural" and find a Copycat in his hand. May I
use the Copycat or does the attack do nothing as a result
of Armaldo's Poké-BODY??
A. Well, Supernatural says "You may use the effect of a
Supporter card you find there as the effect of the attack".
That is not the same thing as "playing a Supporter", so it
would not be prevented by Armaldo and you can use the
effect of the Supporter card. (Dec 4, 2003 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If there is a Chaos Gym stadium card in play, would I
still have to roll a heads to see if I can use the trainer
card for Sableye's "Supernatural" attack?
A. Well, Supernatural says "You may use the effect of a
Supporter card you find there as the effect of the attack".
That is not the same thing as "playing a Supporter", so you
can use the effect of the Supporter card without having to
flip for Chaos Gym. (Mar 18, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Could you use Sableye's "Supernatural" 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 Supernatural, 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)
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)
Q. Considering the wording of Pelipper's "Swallow" attack,
does the damage on Pelipper get removed BEFORE or AFTER
Claw Fossil's "Jagged Stone" Poké-BODY damages
Pelipper? Jagged Stone places 1 damage counter on Pelipper
as a result of Pelipper's attack, then the text of Swallow
says to remove damage counters AFTER the attack (implying
that the attack has been completely resolved).
A. The language used for Swallow is over-specific. The
process at the end of the attack: Do damage; next, do the
rest of the Attacking Pokémon's effects; lastly, do
any of the Defending Pokémon's effects. So in this
case, Pelipper's Swallow removes damage counters FIRST (if
any), and then Claw Fossil's "Jagged Stone" kicks in
afterward. (Oct 30, 2003 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Can I use the additional 10 hit points from Low Pressure
Stadium in calculating the HP of Swalot in order to use its
"Swallow Up" attack?
A. Yes, Swalot would do extra damage in that instance.
(Jul 8, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
Q. What happens if you attack with Luvdisc's "Sweet
Temptation", but the opponent has no Pokémon on their
bench? Does it do any damage or not?
A. Since you cannot switch the opponent's Pokémon
there is no "new Defending Pokémon" to be damaged. So
basically nothing happens there. (Jun 10, 2004 PUI Rules
Team)
Q. Is the "Buffer" Poké-BODY activated by "Swift"
attacks or when Hidden Legends Electrode uses the "Mass
Destruction" attack which knocks out both Pokémon?
A. "Yes" for Swift because the damage is still being done,
which in turn THEN causes Buffer to invoke. But "No" for
Mass Destruction, because no damage is actually being done;
the Pokémon with Buffer is simply Knocked Out. (Apr 7,
2005 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Crobat's "Target Attack" says, "if that Pokémon
already has damage counters on it, this attack does 60
damage instead". Since it says "counters" (plural), does
this mean that it has to have at least two on it in order
for Crobat to do 60 damage?
A. No, if the Pokémon has one or more counters on it,
then it receives 60 damage from "Target Attack". (Nov 3,
2005 PUI Rules Team)
Q. What happens if Sandstorm Zangoose uses his "Target
Slash" attack vs. Team Aqua's Seviper? 10 damage or 40
damage?
A. Only 10 damage. "Seviper" and "Team Aqua's Seviper" are
not the same thing. (Mar 11, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Can I use Kabuto's or Omanyte's "Team Assembly" attack
to search for baby Pokémon as well?
A. Kabuto & Omanyte may search for Baby Pokémon,
as they are considered Basic Pokémon (Sep 11, 2003 PUI
Rules Team)
Q. Since "Team Assembly" has the phrase "...or any Basic
Pokémon", does that mean that I don't have to search
for Omanyte or Kabuto and can only pick Basic Pokémon?
A. Yes, that is correct. (Oct 16, 2003 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Can I use Kabuto's or Omanyte's "Team Assembly" attack
to search for a Mysterious Fossil, Claw Fossil, or Root
Fossil?
A. They cannot search for Mysterious/Claw/Root Fossil
Trainer cards, as they are only Pokémon when they are
in play. (Sep 11, 2003 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Does "Team Assembly" mean that if you use this attack
you can put Kabutos and Omanytes on your bench without
Mysterious Fossil?
A. Team Assembly can allow you to put Stage 1 (Kabutos and
Omanytes) directly onto your Bench, without needing a
Mysterious Fossil. The reason why Team Assembly says "Treat
them as Basic Pokémon" is because of cards that
de-evolve Evolved Pokémon don't affect these quirky
fellows. (Sep 18, 2003 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If I use the Strange Cave stadium or an Omanyte uses
"Team Assembly" to put other Omanytes on the bench, they
are to be "treated as a Basic Pokémon" per the text on
the card. Now, after evolving that benched Omanyte (that
has no fossil under it) into Omastar, do you treat Omastar
as a Stage 1 or as a Stage 2 Pokémon for the purposes
of Wailord's "Rely on Friends" attack ("...does plus 10
more damage for each of your Benched Stage 1 Evolved
Pokémon")?
A. The Omastar would still be considered a "Stage 2"
Pokémon, even if there is no Fossil underneath it. The
Omanyte would be a non-evolved (Basic) Pokémon that is
"Stage 1". (Feb 16, 2006 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Does Team Magma's Zangoose count all the Team Magma
Pokémon on one side, or on both sides?
A. The "Team Play" attack counts ALL Pokémon in play
with Team Magma in their name. That means both yours and
your opponent's. (Mar 11, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Is the Thunder Slash attack phrase "Dark Flaaffy can't
use Thunder Slash during your next turn" only applied when
the defending Pokémon is a Basic Pokémon?
A. No, you cannot use Thunder Slash the following turn
regardless of whether the Defending Pokémon is basic
or not. The only way you could use it is if Dark Flaaffy is
switched out, evolved/devolved, etc. (Nov 18, 2004 PUI
Rules Team)
Q. Can a Pokémon with any move that has the ability to
copy another move (i.e. Metronome, Rainbow Moves, etc.)
copy Snorlax's "Toss and Turn" while asleep?
A. Togetic or Clefable has to start using its attack
BEFORE it chooses a Pokémon's attack to copy. Since it
can't get that far if it is asleep, it doesn't get to the
point of copying that sleep text on Snorlax. (Dec 9, 2004
PUI Rules Team)
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)
Q. Can I search for Rocket's Scyther-EX with the "Twin
Play" attack?
A. No - you can only search for Pokémon cards named
"Scyther" and/or "Scyther-EX". (Aug 11, 2005 PUI Rules
Team)
Q. If Gyarados-EX does "Twister" to a Pokémon with a
Special Energy Card that provides more than one unit (i.e.
DCE, DRE, Scramble Energy, etc.) attached, and Gyarados-EX
gets only one heads, what would happen?
A. You may discard it just like you would if paying a
Retreat Cost of 1 with a DCE, DRE, etc. (Jun 9, 2005 PUI
Rules Team)
Q. If Gyarados-EX does "Twister" to a Pokémon with a
basic energy card and a Special Energy Card that provides
more than one unit (i.e. DCE, DRE, Scramble Energy, etc.)
and Gyarados-EX gets two heads, can I discard both cards or
do I *have to* discard the Special Energy Card?
A. You may choose to discard the basic energy card for the
first heads and then the Special Energy Card for the second
heads. However, if you discard the Special Energy Card
first, that would pay for both heads and you would not get
to discard the basic energy (or other Special Energy) card.
(Jun 9, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Tangela's "Vine Tease" allows you to look at your prizes
and switch one of them with the top card of your deck. Are
the prizes then shuffled around or are they simply laid
down, so that the player who used Vine Tease knows all his
prizes with the exception of the new one?
A. The player using Vine Tease may place their prizes back
down in any order they want. (Dec 2, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
Q. With Double Rainbow Energy on Blaziken-EX: if you
discard Double Rainbow Energy for the 2 {F} requirement,
does it reduce the damage done by the Volcanic Ash attack
or not?
A. Sorry, but you cannot have a Double Rainbow Energy on a
Blaziken-EX; it would have been discarded when it evolved.
(Mar 25, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
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)
Q. Can I use Omanyte's "Water of Evolution" attack on the
first turn of the game if I can somehow get it into play
(like with Fossil Egg or Underground Lake)?
A. If you can get Omanyte into play, then yes you can use
"Water of Evolution" on the first turn. (Jul 22, 2004 PUI
Rules Team)
Q. With Spinda's "Whimsy Draw", do I HAVE TO keep flipping
until I get tails? I may not want to draw all of those
cards.
A. Yes, you have to keep flipping until you get tails.
Then, you MUST draw all the cards you should get from
flipping heads. (EX:Legend Maker FAQ; Feb 16, 2006 PUI
Rules Team)
Q. Space Center is in play. When you play Shedinja as a
Basic Pokémon by using Ninjask's "Loose Shell"
Poké-Power and Shedinja is Knocked Out by "Wreck" done
by Primeape, can I take a prize card?
A. No, you can't. The Stadium card is discarded after
damage but before Shedinja is Knocked Out from the damage.
So Shedinja's "Empty Shell" would reactivate prior to it
being KO'd, and you would not get to take a prize. (Jul 13,
2006 PUI Rules Team)
[ Top | Errata | Pokémon Powers | Pokémon Attacks | Pokémon Items | Trainer Cards | Energy Cards | General Gameplay | Two on Two Gameplay | Team Gameplay]
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. 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)
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)
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)
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.
(DP:Secret Wonders FAQ; Nov 15, 2007 PUI Rules Team)
[ Top | Errata | Pokémon Powers | Pokémon Attacks | Pokémon Items | Trainer Cards | Energy Cards | General Gameplay | Two on Two Gameplay | Team Gameplay]
* 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. 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. (Nov 6, 2003 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Can you place a Grass Cube on Scyther, evolve it to
Scizor, and then have Scizor use the attack from that TM?
A. Yes. You met the conditions needed to attach the TM. It
is only checked when attaching. [ED. NOTE: This would apply
to all type Cubes, not just "Grass Cube".] (Mar 25, 2004
PUI Rules Team)
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. 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)
* On the first turn of the game, the starting player may not play any Supporter cards from their hand. This rule was introduced in Japan earlier this year, and will provide greater balance to how the game is played. (Jul 30, 2004 PUI Rules Update)
Q. Ancient Ruins is clear that its effect of drawing a card
can only be triggered if you have not played a Supporter
that turn and have none in your hand. However, if after
using the effect you now have a Supporter in your hand, can
you play it?
A. Sure. There isn't anything written on the card that
prevents you from playing a Supporter if you draw one. (Oct
23, 2003 PUI Rules Team)
* The Ancient Technical Machines from EX Hidden Legends are removed, if the Pokémon they are attached to evolves into a Pokémon-ex or de-evolves into a Basic Pokémon. The restriction for attaching the TMs still remain a condition for the TM to stay attached. (Jul 30, 2004 PUI Rules Update)
Q. In regards to the Ancient TMs, would the words "Light"
or "Dark" in a Pokémon's name be considered an owner?
A. No, "Light" and "Dark" are more of a characteristic
than indicative of ownership. You are allowed to attach the
Ancient TM's to "Light" and "Dark" Pokémon. (Jul 1,
2004 PUI Rules Team)
Q. What happens if I start the turn with a Stage 1
Pokémon, attach an Ancient Technical Machine to it,
and then evolve it to a Stage 2 -EX Pokémon (i.e.
Kingdra-EX)? Do I get to keep the ATM because it was
already attached, or must it be discarded?
A. Since the ATM's cannot be attached to a
Pokémon-EX, it must be discarded and cannot be used.
It would also be the same for a Pokémon that
de-evolved as well. (Jul 8, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Let's say you have already attached an Ancient Technical
Machine Ice/Rock/Steel to a Pokémon. What happens if
the Pokémon they are attached to evolves into a
Pokémon-ex or de-evolves into a Basic Pokémon?
A. The Ancient Technical Machine is removed. The
restriction for attaching the TMs still remain a condition
for the TM to stay attached. (Jul 22, 2004 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. Can Apricorn Maker be used to search for the Trainer
"Balloon Berry"? Taking the card literally, *BALL*oon Berry
contains the exact same "Ball" as given on Apricorn Maker.
A. Of course not, don't be silly! You can only search for
cards like Poké Ball, Fast Ball, Master Ball, etc.
Nice try, slick... (Nov 13, 2003 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Can I play "Archie" or "Maxie" on my first turn?
A. It isn't considered evolving, so sure. (Mar 4, 2004 PUI
Rules Team)
Q. Am I allowed to evolve a Pokémon on the same turn
that it was brought into play by Archie or Maxie?
A. No. The Pokémon played by the Trainer is still
subject to normal Evolution restrictions after it comes
into play. (Mar 11, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
Q. What happens if I play a Stage 1 Pokémon using
Archie or Maxie - does it receive 1 damage counter?
A. If you use it to find a Basic or Stage 1 Pokémon,
that Pokémon goes to the Bench [and does not receive
any damage counters]. If it's a Stage 2 Pokémon, it
takes 2 damage counters. Regardless of what Evolution stage
the Pokémon is in, it's treated as a Basic
Pokémon. (This does not remove any Pokémon-ex
rules that may have already been a part of the
Pokémon.) (Team Magma vs Team Aqua Prerelease FAQ, Q7)
Q. If I Archie or Maxie a Stage 2 Pokémon down, can I
place a Double Rainbow Energy on it?
A. Sorry, but DRE can only be attached to an Evolved
Pokémon, and Archie & Maxie specifically state to
treat the retrieved card as a Basic Pokémon (Apr 8,
2004 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If I use "Maxie" to put TM's Lairon on the bench, can I
evolve it into TM's Aggron in the same turn?
A. Not in a regular evolution - Lairon just came into
play. (Mar 25, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If I use Archie or Maxie to get a stage 2 Pokémon
on my bench, can it hurt Shedinja?
A. Yes, it is being treated as a Basic. (Mar 25, 2004 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 my opponent used Archie or Maxie on a Stage 1
Pokémon and then evolved that Pokémon into its
Stage 2 evolution, would I be attacking the new
Pokémon with Latios*'s "Shining Star" for 50 or 150
damage?
A. Shining Star requires two conditions to be met in order
to do the extra damage: 1) The opponent's Pokémon
needs to say "Stage 2" on the card; 2) It needs to have a
card beneath it, i.e. be "Evolved" (it does not need two
evolutions beneath it, but at least one). For example, if a
Pidgey had been Rare Candy'd to Pidgeot, the attack would
do 150. If you had started with a Stage 1 that evolved to a
Stage 2, the attack would do 150. If you had Maxie'd a
Stage 2 directly into play, the attack would do only 50.
(Apr 7, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
* In the Japanese card, there is 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)
Q. If I have Balloon Berry attached to a Pokémon, do I
*have* to use it to pay for the Retreat Cost, or can I
choose to discard energies and save the Balloon Berry for
later?
A. No, you must use Balloon Berry if you retreat that
Pokémon normally. (Nov 13, 2003 PUI Rules Team)
Q. What happens if a free retreater with Balloon Berry
attached retreats? Does Balloon Berry get discarded in
place of 0 cards?
A. Even if you have no retreat cost, you must still
discard the Balloon Berry when retreating. (Jan 15, 2004
PUI Rules Team)
Q. Can I attach a Balloon Berry to a Fossil even though it
says is cannot retreat?
A. Yes you can, but you cannot actually make use of the
Berry until the Fossil evolves into a Pokémon that can
retreat. (Dec 9, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If I have a Dual-type Pokémon, say Darkness +
Psychic, would Battle Frontier prevent it from using any
"Poké-POWER" or "Poké-BODY"?
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. Since Team Aqua's Kyogre and Team Magma's Groudon are
both part Darkness-type, does Battle Frontier prevent their
"Power Saver" Poké-BODY from working and allow them to
attack no matter how many TA/TM Pokémon are in play?
A. No, because Battle Frontier only works on Evolved
Pokémon. (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)
Q. A 40HP Pokémon has a Gold berry attached and 30
damage; it is also poisoned. Since the potential KO takes
place between turns, will Gold Berry activate and save the
40HP Pokémon before the knock out check at the end of
the between-turn actions?
A. With the recent new way to handle between-turn events
(whereas the Pokémon is not removed from play until
all between-turn actions are complete), yes the Gold Berry
would save it. (Apr 28, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
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)
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 Poké-Powers 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 26, 2007 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If you have Cessation Crystal atttached 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?
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)
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. (Apr 19, 2007
PUI Rules Team)
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)
Q. How does Championship Arena work? Do both players
discard cards from their hand at the end of each player's
turn? Or only the player whose turn just ended discards
cards at the end of their turn?
A. The latter is correct. Each player only discards cards
at the end of their own turn. (Sep 29, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If there is a Chaos Gym stadium card in play, would I
still have to roll a heads to see if I can use the trainer
card for Sableye's "Supernatural" attack?
A. Well, Supernatural says "You may use the effect of a
Supporter card you find there as the effect of the attack".
That is not the same thing as "playing a Supporter", so you
can use the effect of the Supporter card without having to
flip for Chaos Gym. (Mar 18, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
* 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)
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 you use trainers like "Pokémon Fan Club" or
attacks like Dunsparce's "Strike and Run" to search for a
Fossil trainer?
A. No. Fossil Trainer cards are only considered Basic
Pokémon while in play, or in the special situation of
starting the game. You cannot search your deck for them as
if they were Pokémon (Oct 16, 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)
Q. It has been ruled in EX:Sandstorm that the various
Fossils can be placed during setup just like a real Basic
Pokémon My question is, does Clefairy Doll, which uses
the same mechanics as Mysterious Fossil, also count?
A. At the current time, only the Fossil Trainer cards are
played as explicitly stated in the EX Sandstorm rulebook;
there is no such provision for Clefairy Doll. There is a
universal rule being applied to Fossil Trainers. (Oct 16,
2003 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Since I can use Mysterious Fossil as my starter
Pokémon, can I also choose to use a Clefairy Doll,
since it basically does the same thing as Mysterious
Fossil?
A. Sorry, but Clefairy Doll has not been changed to allow
for being a starting Pokémon (Jan 15, 2004 PUI Rules
Team)
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)
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 (or one with "Dark" in its name), 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. However, if the Pokémon has "Dark" in its
name, that particular attribute is NOT affected by the
Crystal Shard and you would get the +10 bonus in that
situation. (Apr 15, 2004 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)
Q. Politoed-EX uses "Punch and Run" and Knocks Out a
Pokémon with Curse Powder attached. Which Pokémon
receives the 3 damage counters, the Politoed-EX or the one
that comes up to replace it?
A. Politoed-EX would receive the damage counters from
Curse Powder since it was the "Attacking Pokémon" at
the time. (Aug 11, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If a Pokémon with Curse Powder attached is KO'd by
an attack that "places damage counters", does Curse Powder
still go off?
A. No, Curse Powder is only invoked if the Pokémon is
KO'd by an attack that "does damage"; placing damage
counters is not the same as doing damage. (May 4, 2006 PUI
Rules Team)
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. If I have a Mewtwo-EX with 10 damage on it (90 HP
remaining), does it continue to receive damage counters
while Desert Ruins is in play?
A. Yes, it does. Desert Ruins looks for the amount of HP
written on the card, not the amount of HP remaining. (Jun
17, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
Q. What happens if Desert Ruins is in play and both players
have EXes that will be knocked out between turns? Are both
KO's considered to be resolved at the same time, or do both
players play chicken with each other until they get called
for stalling?
A. Both KO at the same time. (Jul 1, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Can we use the new Dual Ball [TM/TA] to get Baby
Pokémon?
A. Yes you can; the new Dual Ball doesn't say you cannot.
The old one had text restricting getting Baby Pokémon,
the new TM/TA one does not. (Mar 25, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
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, 2006 PUI Rules Team)
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. (Mar 18, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Does the +20 HP from Energy Root combine with extra HP
from cards like Low Pressure System, or the specific HP set
by EX-Deoxys' Solrock?
A. Yes. In both cases, the Pokémon would receive
additional HP from Energy Root. (Aug 11, 2005 PUI Rules
Team)
Q. If I have Energy Root attached to my Pokémon, can
it be damaged by Pusle's "Positive Spark" or Minun's
"Negative Spark"?
A. Yes it can. Just because Energy Root prevents a
Pokémon from USING the Poké-POWER or
Poké-BODY, it still HAS it on the card and therefore
could be damaged by the appropriate attack. (Sep 8, 2005
PUI Rules Team)
Q. If I attach Energy Root to Unown-Z, does it still do
damage to itself with "Hidden Power"?
A. Just because Energy Root prevents a Pokémon from
USING the Poké-POWER or Poké-BODY, it still HAS
it on the card. So Unown-Z would still damage itself when
using its Hidden Power. (Sep 8, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Does Energy Root disable all Powers and Bodies, or only
ones that you decide on?
A. No, it stops ALL Poké-Powers and Poké-Bodies.
(Sep 29, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Does the +20 HP from "Energy Root" combine with extra HP
from cards like "Low Pressure System" or with the specific
HP set by Solrock from EX Deoxys?
A.Yes. In both cases, the Pokémon would receive
additional HP. (EX:Unseen Forces FAQ)
Q. Say I've got Energy Root attached to Quilava, and then I
evolve into Typhlosion-EX from my hand. Is Energy Root
discarded before "Bursting Up" triggers, or does it stop
"Bursting Up" and then get discarded because it is attached
to a Pokémon 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 20, 2006 PUI Rules Team)
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)
Q. If I have EXP.ALL attached to one of my benched
Pokémon and someone uses an attack such as "Cold
Crush" which discards energy and it knocks out my
Pokémon, would I get to use my EXP.ALL or not?
A. You don't get to take one of the "discarded energy",
but if there are any energies still left on the
Pokémon when it is KO'd then you could use it. EXP.ALL
only picks up ones that are on the Pokémon when it was
KO'd, not the one that was removed as an effect. (May 19,
2005 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If I have a Pokémon with EXP.All on it and I evolve
into a Pokémon-EX, does the EXP.All get discarded?
A. Yes, of course it does. (July 21, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Player 1 has an active Dark Slowking with 50 damage and
a Dark and a Psychic energy attached to it. He also had a
benched Slowpoke with an EXP.ALL attached. Player 2 attacks
with ATM Rock. Would the attack with the ATM Rock that
knocked out his now-devolved Slowpoke activate the EXP.ALL?
A. EXP.ALL does not trigger from a KO of your Active
Pokémon if the KO is a result of devolving. The
EXP.ALL should only activate when KO'd due to damage, just
like Jumpluff's "Buffer". (Aug 11, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
Q. When using Fast Ball, if the very first card you turn up
is an evolution, do you still have to shuffle your deck?
A. If FastBall pulls an Evolution Card as the first
revealed card, the deck is not shuffled as there are no as
there are no "other revealed cards" to shuffle back in.
(Jan 15, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If my opponent has a dual type Pokémon in play
(Fighting and Dark, for example), can I use Friend Ball to
get either a Fighting OR a Dark type Pokémon, or can I
only use Friend Ball to get a Fighting/Dark dual type?
A. If the opponent has a dual-type Pokémon, you can
use Friend Ball to search for any single one of its types.
You would not have to search for an identical dual-type.
(May 20, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Could I use Friend Ball to copy a psychic type even if I
don't play psychic in my deck?
A. Yes. Since it is theoretically possible that you may
have a Psychic type Basic in your deck, you can play it.
(Jun 3, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If I have Rapidash with the "Fiery Aura" Poké-BODY,
and if the Full Flame stadium is in play, does that mean a
Burned Pokémon takes eight damage counters when burned
(two times two equals four, times two again equals eight)?
A. No, these two effects are not cumulative. They both say
"put four damage counters instead of two", and four is
four, no matter which one gets you there. (Feb 16, 2006 PUI
Rules Team)
Q. When you discard benched Pokémon as Giant Stump
comes into play, does the opponent get to take prizes for
my discarded Pokémon?
A. No, the Pokémon get discarded but they are not
KO'd, so the opponent does not get to take any prizes for
them. (Feb 16, 2006 PUI Rules Team)
Q. When Giant Stump is in play, can a player with 3 benched
pokemon play a 4th pokemon and then discard one of the 3
orginal pokemon therfore going back to 3?
A. No, a player with three benched Pokémon is unable
to play any more while Giant Stump is in play. It's just as
if your bench size is reduced from the standard five down
to only three. (Feb 16, 2006 PUI Rules Team)
Q. My opponent has 5 benched Pokémon with two of them
being Rocket's Sneasel-EX with 100hp of damage on each of
them and 10HP remaining due to Rocket's Hideout stadium
being in play. If I play Giant Stump, are they knocked out
because they no longer have the +20 bonus or can my
opponent choose to discard them before getting KO'd.
A. When you play Giant Stump, resolve all effects in play
before removing Knocked Out Pokémon. So the Rocket's
Sneasel-EX's could be discarded before being Knocked Out.
(Jul 13, 2006 PUI Rules Team) Save the Sneasel!(tm)
Q. If I've played Giant Stump to bring my opponents bench
to 3 current Pokémon, can I use Unown-E's "Hidden
Power" to bring a basic from my opponent's hand to the
active position?
A. No, you cannot use Unown-E's "Hidden Power" if the
opponent's bench is full, and with Giant Stump in play 3 is
considered a full bench. (Feb 8, 2007 PUI Rules Team)
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)
Q. Since "Here Comes Team Rocket!" has been re-released in
EX:TRR, can I use the old version of the card under the
reprint rule?
A. Yes you may, but you must follow the wording on the
more recent version and treat it as a Supporter. (Nov 4,
2004 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Does High Pressure system change the amount of damage
Muk-EX does with Slimy Water?
A. Yes, provided that the Pokémon's retreat cost
isn't already zero - there is no such thing as a negative
retreat cost. Anything that reduces the retreat cost will
affect the damage Muk-EX does with its Slimy Water attack.
(Feb 5, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If Kecleon has a basic Fire energy card and a basic
Water energy card attached, and a High Pressure System is
in play, would Kecleon's retreat cost be reduced by two?
A. Well, no Pokémon's retreat cost can ever be less
than zero. But to clarify, High Pressure System only allows
a maximum reduction of one energy, regardless of how many
"colors" a Pokémon may be. (Nov 20, 2003 PUI Rules
Team)
* 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. When you discard a card to play Holon Farmer, can you
recover that discarded card into your deck?
A. Yes, you can. (Dec 8, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Can I use Holon Farmer if I don't have 3 Basic Energy
and 3 Pokémon in the discard pile? For example, let's
say I only have 2 Basic Energy in the discard pile...
A. If you do not have enough cards to meet the
requirement, you must choose as many as you can up to
three. But if you do have three or more, then you must
choose three of them. (Dec 8, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Can I use Holon Researcher to search my deck for a Dark
Metal Energy card?
A. No, you can only search for the "Metal Energy" card;
you cannot search for Rainbow, Dark Metal, etc. (Dec 1,
2005 PUI Rules Team)
Q. For Salamence's "Delta Blast", can I discard any Energy
card that provides Metal because of Holon Research Tower?
A. Yes. You could discard one of your basic Energy cards
attached to Salamence if Holon Research Tower is in play
because they provide Metal Energy as well as their normal
basic energy type. (EX:Delta Species FAQ; Nov 3, 2005 PUI
Rules Team)
Q. Does a basic Energy card count as a Special Energy card
with Holon Research Tower in play?
A. No, it's still a basic Energy card of its original
type; it just also happens to provide Metal Energy in
addition to its regular type. (EX:Delta Species FAQ; Nov 3,
2005 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Can you play Holon Scientist if you will not be able to
draw any cards?
A. No, you must be able to draw at least one card after
you have paid the discard cost. (Jan 4, 2007 PUI Rules
Team)
Q. If you use Holon Transceiver, and there are no Holon
supporters are in your deck when you look but there are
some in your discard pile, can you take one from your
discard pile?
A. With Holon Transceiver you choose the mode when you
play the card. You can either do one or the other; if you
choose to search your deck, you cannot go through the
discard pile if it fails. (Jan 5, 2006 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Can you use the "Island Cave" stadium to remove
conditions like Magmar's "Smokescreen" or Masquerain's
"Silver Wind"?
A. No, the phrase "Special Conditions" refers to things
like Poison, Confusion, etc. as outlined in the rulebook.
(Oct 28, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If I attach a Fighting Energy to a poisoned Magcargo
having the "Dual Armor" Poké-BODY, and if the Island
Cave stadium is in play, does the poison condition get
removed?
A. Yes, it does. (Sep 22, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
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; Oct 26, 2006 PUI
Rules Team)
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)
Q. Lanette's Net Search says to "search your deck for up to
three different types of Basic Pokémon cards excluding
Baby Pokémon". Does the phrase "Baby Pokémon"
only refer to older babies (like Neo series), or does it
also apply to newer cards with the "Baby Evolution"
Poké-POWER on them?
A. The new "Baby" Pokémon are written as Basic
Pokémon"Baby Pokémon" refers to older cards as
they have been printed. Basics that have the
Poké-Power"Baby Evolution" are Basics and not Baby
Pokémon, even if other cards of the same name are
considered Baby Pokémon (Sep 11, 2003 PUI Rules Team)
Q. When using Lanette's Net Search, what does the word
"types" mean in this? Does that mean different names or
different types as in fighting, colorless, etc?
A. Lanette's Net Search refers to "type", meaning
Fighting, Lightning, Colorless, etc. (Sep 25, 2003 PUI
Rules Team)
Q. With Lanette's Net Search, if I'm looking for
Pokémon of three different types (i.e. water, grass,
psychic), can I choose Pokémon of different types but
with the same name (i.e. Fighting Kabutops and Water
Kabutops)?
A. Kabutops is not a Basic Pokémon However, if there
is a Basic Pokémon with two different types (like
Grass Exeggcute & Psychic Exeggcute), you could
retrieve each of them. (Sep 25, 2003 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If I use Lanette's Net Search to find three Pokémon
one of them being Team Magma's Groudon (which is both Dark
and Fighting), can I search for a plain Dark or plain
Fighting Pokémon, or does the Groudon count for both
of those types?
A. Dual type Pokémon always count as both of their
types. In this case, no, you could not get a Fighting or
Dark Pokémon if you chose Team Magma's Groudon. (Mar
11, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Lanette's Net Search says to search for 3 different
types of Pokémon. If I get a Fire-Darkness
Pokémon, does that count as 2 of those cards?
A. Yes. If you chose a Dual type Pokémon, you could
only choose 1 more Pokémon (and it couldn't be either
of those two types). (Dec 16, 2004 PUI Announcements)
Q. If I use Lanette's Net Search to search for a Dual Type
Pokémon (like Team Magma's Groudon,
Darkness/Fighting), can the second Pokémon searched
for also be a dual type (such as Jirachi, Metal/Psychic)?
A. No, the total number of TYPES you can search for is
three and those types cannot be duplicated. So if you tried
searching for two Dual Type Pokémon, that would be
four types which is one too many. (Dec 16, 2004 PUI Rules
Team)
Q. If Kecleon has a basic Lightning energy card and a basic
Grass energy card attached, and a Low Pressure System is in
play, would Kecleon get +10hp or +20hp?
A. Sorry, you only get +10 maximum regardless of how many
"colors" Kecleon is. (Nov 20, 2003 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Does the +20 HP from "Energy Root" combine with extra HP
from cards like "Low Pressure System" or with the specific
HP set by Solrock from EX Deoxys?
A.Yes. In both cases, the Pokémon would receive
additional HP. (EX:Unseen Forces FAQ)
Q. If you have a Lum Berry attached to your active
Pokémon and the opponent puts your Pokémon to
sleep, could one try flipping to see if they wake up before
using the Lum Berry?
A. Yep, Lum Berry says "...at any time between turns...".
So you can potentially save the Lum Berry for another time.
(Oct 7, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Say Snorlax is Asleep and the opponent has a Hypno.
Also, Snorlax has a Lum Berry attached and fails to wake up
from the coin flip. Can Snorlax heal its 2 damage counters
first, then trigger the Lum Berry to avoid Hypno's damage?
A. You can choose to use the Lum Berry either before or
after the coin flip; it's up to player what gets done
first. So for Snorlax, you have to either choose to wake
him up with Lum Berry, or stay asleep and use the "Rest Up"
Poké-BODY; it cannot avoid Hypno's damage if it stays
asleep. (Oct 7, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If the dual-type Metagross (Psychic/Metal) attacks
Magneton with Metal resistance, but Magnetic Storm stadium
is in play (damage done by attacks from Psychic &
Fighting Pokémon aren't affected by resistance), does
the resistance get applied or not?
A. Well, the stadium says to ignore resistance from
Pokémon that are those types, and Metagross is indeed
one of those said types. So it looks like it gets around
Magneton's resistance to Metal in this special situation.
(Jul 8, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If HL Jirachi attacks a Metal resistant Pokémon and
Magnetic Storm is in play, is the attack damage reduced?
A. This particular Jirachi is both a Psychic and a Metal
Pokémon. Magnetic Storm checks that Jirachi is Psychic
- therefore its damage is not reduced by Resistance of any
kind. (Apr 14, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If I have a Mudkip that evolved into a Swampert using
Rare Candy, does it count as a "Stage 2 Evolved
Pokémon" for the purposes of Mary's Request?
A. Yes. Swampert has both qualities: Swampert is an
"Evolved Pokémon", and Swampert has "Stage 2" printed
on it. (Aug 11, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
Q. The wording on the new Deoxys verison of "Master Ball"
says, "...Choose a Basic Pokémon or Evolution
card...". However, the wording on the older versions say,
"...you MAY choose..." Does this mean now that if you draw
a Pokémon you MUST take it, or should it still be a
choice?
A. Sorry, you no longer get to choose. You MUST take a
Pokémon if you draw at least one. (Apr 14, 2005 PUI
Rules Team)
Q. If Meteor Falls stadium is in play, and if I have a
Ninetales evolved from the Vulpix with Ascension, can I on
my next turn use Ascention again via Meteor Falls to get
another Ninetales and place on top of the first Ninetales?
A. No, the attack would be considered as
"self-referencing" meaning that you would be able to search
for a card that evolves from Ninetales. But since there is
no such card, you could not use the Ascension attack. (Feb
10, 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, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If I use Clefable's "Metronome" with Meteor Falls in
play, can I use attacks from my opponent's Stage 2, Stage 1
or Basic, or can I only use the highest stage only?
A. Meteor Falls only works when an Active Pokémon
tries to attack; since the Defending Pokémon doesn't
have any of the attacks of its previous evolutions on it,
Metronome would not be able to copy those attacks. (Apr 21,
2005 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If I use Togetic's "Rainbow Moves" with Meteor Falls in
play, can I use attacks from my opponent's Stage 2, Stage 1
or Basic, or can I only use the highest stage only?
A. Meteor Falls only works on Active Pokémon, and
Rainbow Moves only allows you to copy attacks from Benched
Pokémon. So that will never work. (Apr 21, 2005 PUI
Rules Team)
Q. If I have a Slaking active with Meteor Falls in play,
and I use "Slack Off" to remove the damage counters off
Slaking, can I attack with Slaking next turn?
A. No, Slaking is the one performing the Slack Off attack,
so it must also abide by the restriction that it cannot
attack during your next turn. (Jun 2, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If I use "Baby Evolution" to evolve Cleffa into Clefairy
then later evolve into Clefable, may I use Cleffa's
"Eeeeeek" attack if Meteor Falls is in play?
A. Yes, you can. (Sep 22, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Can I use Meteor Falls with my LV.X Pokémon?
A. The Pokémon LV.X keeps the "evolution state" of
its previous card. So if it's on top of a Stage 2 Evolved
Pokémon, it is still a Stage 2 and an evolved
Pokémon. So with Meteor Falls and Torterra LV.X in
play you can still use the the attacks from Grotle and
Turtwig . (May 3, 2007 PUI Rules Team)
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)
* Mt. Moon should read: "Any Pokémon (both yours and your opponent's) with maximum HP of 70 or less can't use any Poké-Powers." 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 Poké-POWER while this Stadium card is in play. (Oct 1, 2004 PUI Announcements)
Q. Mt. Moon says, "Any Pokémon (both yours and your
opponent's) with maximum HP less than 70 can't use any
Poké-Powers." Does that mean that they can still use
Poké-BODY's?
A. Yes, you can still use Poké-BODY's when Mt. Moon
is in play. (Sep 9, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Does Mt. Moon stop the "Pokémon Powers" from older
sets, or just "Poké-Powers" (not "Poké-Body")
from newer sets?
A. While the phrase "Pokémon Power" includes
"Poké-Powers", the reverse is not true. So Mt. Moon
does not stop older "Pokémon Powers. (Oct 28, 2004 PUI
Rules Team)
Q. Does Mt. Moon shut off the "Baby Evolution" Pokémon
Power?
A. Yes, it does. (Dec 9, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Does Mt. Moon prevent coming-into-play Poké-Powers
such as Ninjask's "Loose Shell"?
A. Yes, "coming into play" powers are prevented by Mt.
Moon (similar to the behavior of Muk-EX's "Toxic Gas").
(Apr 21, 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)
* 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)
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 I evolve Lileep or Anorith from a Mysterious Fossil
or not?
A. No. Mysterious Fossil, Claw Fossil, and Root Fossil may
not be freely interchanged to evolve into a different
Pokémon than normally listed. (Sep 11, 2003 PUI Rules
Team)
Q. Can you use trainers like "Pokémon Fan Club" or
attacks like Dunsparce's "Strike and Run" to search for a
Fossil trainer?
A. No. Fossil Trainer cards are only considered Basic
Pokémon while in play, or in the special situation of
starting the game. You cannot search your deck for them as
if they were Pokémon (Oct 16, 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)
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)
Q. If you use the Mystery Zone stadium and you don't have
any basic energy cards remaining in your deck, do you still
get to put an evolution card from your hand back into the
deck anyway?
A. Sorry, but no. If you can't resolve the first part, you
don't get to do the second part. (Jul 22, 2004 PUI Rules
Team)
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 FAQ; Feb 1, 2007
PUI Rules Team)
Q. Would it be possible to use Pokémon Breeder Fields
and flip for a Pichu (Sandstorm) or any of the other new
baby Pokémon (Nintendo sets) and get a Pokémon
that evolve from them?
A. Pokémon Breeder Fields looks for non-Baby
Pokémon that can evolve. Sandstorm Pichu is definitely
a "non-baby Pokémon" by the fact that it is
technically considered a "Basic Pokémon", not a "Baby
Pokémon". However, these newer "non-babies" don't
evolve normally, thus do not work with Pokémon Breeder
Fields. (Jan 8, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Can you use trainers like "Pokémon Fan Club" to
search for a Fossil trainer?
A. No. Fossil Trainer cards are only considered Basic
Pokémon while in play, or in the special situation of
starting the game. You cannot search your deck for them as
if they were Pokémon (Oct 16, 2003 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Can a player use Pokémon Nurse on a Pokémon
with no damage on it, but still discard the energy from it?
Is removing Damage a condition of being able to play
Pokémon Nurse?
A. Yes, you can play Pokémon Nurse even if there are
no damage counters on that Pokémon, but you would
still have to discard the energy if there were any
attached. (Jan 22, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Do you have to use Pokémon Park on your first
energy attachment for the turn, or can you choose to wait
until the second or third attachment (i.e. with
Blastoise-EX)?
A. It's not optional - there isn't a "may" clause. That
player *must* remove 1 damage counter from that
Pokémon, provided it is the first time that turn that
he or she is attaching an Energy card from the hand to one
of his or her BENCHED Pokémon. (Sep 29, 2005 PUI Rules
Team)
Q. If I try to use Pokémon Retriever but have less
than 3 Pokémon in my discard pile, am I allowed to
shuffle the 2 Pokémon or the 1 Pokémon (whichever
the case may be) into my deck? Or am I forced to choose 1
of those Pokémon and put it into my hand?
A. If there are less than 3 Pokémon cards in the
discard pile, you would return all of them to your deck if
you chose that option. (Dec 15, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
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, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
Q. When you play PokéNav if all three cards are
trainers, how do you resolve it?
A. If all three are trainers, then you would show all
three to your opponent (to prove there are no Pokémon)
and then place all three back on top of the deck in any
order. (Sep 18, 2003 PUI Rules Team)
Q. The Expedition and Ruby/Sapphire versions of Potion says
"remove 2 damage counters", but the original version said
"remove *UP TO* 2 damage counters". Which way should we
play the card?
A. You can only play Potion if you have 1 or more damage
counters on that Pokémon Zero counters will not allow
you to use Potion. (Jan 15, 2004 PUI Rules Team; Jan 22,
2004 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Can you use "Pow! Hand Extension" to move a DRE to one
of your opponent's Basic Pokémon, causing it to be
discarded?
A. Yes, if you move an energy card which can't be attached
to that Pokémon, the
energy will get discarded. (Nov 17, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Is the effect of the Power Tree stadium optional, or do
I *have to* search my discard pile?
A. The wording of Power Tree is supposed to make it an
optional condition, like "that player MAY search his or her
discard pile..." (Apr 13, 2006 PUI Rules Team)
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, 2007 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Can I have 4 "Professor Oak's Research" (Expedition)
plus 4 more "Prof. Oak's Research" (FR/LG) in a deck? Their
titles are not exactly the same!
A. Sorry, but "Prof." is merely an abbreviation for the
word "Professor". They are to be treated as the same card,
so you can only have a total of four (not eight) in your
deck. (Sep 9, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
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)<
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 the first turn of a game (when
Pokémon are not normally allowed to evolve)?
A. Yes, this is now permissible. (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, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
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. (Jun 3, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
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 in conjunction with Buried Fossil
to evolve into an Omastar, Kabutops, or Aerodactyl? And how
about Aerodactyl-EX and Kabutops-EX too?
A. Rare Candy states if you have a card that "Evolves
From" your Pokémon Buried Fossil has special text on
it that says, "You may play a Pokémon card that
evolves from Mysterious Fossil on top of Buried Fossil". So
Rare Candy will work in all these cases. (Jan 29, 2004 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
12, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
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)
Q. Resistance Gym says, "each Pokémon's Resistance is
reduced by 20 (if a Pokémon's Resistance is -30, it
becomes -10)." So what happens in the case where a
Pokémon has more than one Resistance (i.e. Salamence
is resistant to both Fire & Fighting) and the attacking
Pokémon is of both types (i.e. Kecleon with both Fire
& Fighting energy attached)? If we apply it to each one
separately then the final Resistance will be 20 (30-20
times two); but if we apply it to both of them combined the
final Resistance will be 40 (30+30 minus 20). So which is
it?
A. In the case of dual-resistance, each one would be
evaluated separately. So the Resistance Gym would reduce
the final Resistance to 20 (30-20 times two), if both
resistances are to be applied. (Feb 12, 2004 PUI Rules
Team)
Q. Since "Rocket's Hideout" stadium has been re-released in
EX:TRR, can I use the old Neo:Revelation card under the
reprint rule?
A. Yes you may, but you must follow the wording on the
more recent version that also allows Pokémon with
"Rocket's" in its name. (Nov 4, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Can you play Rocket's Mission if playing it leaves you
with a zero card hand?
A. The first step with Rocket's Mission is to discard a
card; if you can't, then you can't play it. (Jul 7, 2005
PUI Rules Team)
* 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)
Q. Can you use trainers like "Pokémon Fan Club" or
attacks like Dunsparce's "Strike and Run" to search for a
Fossil trainer?
A. No. Fossil Trainer cards are only considered Basic
Pokémon while in play, or in the special situation of
starting the game. You cannot search your deck for them as
if they were Pokémon (Oct 16, 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)
Q. If I play Scoop Up on a Wobbuffet that has evolved from
a Wynaut, which card I return to my hand? Wynaut or
Wobbuffet? Or can I choose one of these?
A. The intent of Scoop Up is to return the lowest level
back into your hand and discard the rest. So in this case
you would return the Wynaut; no choice. (Nov 13, 2003 PUI
Rules Team)
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)
Q. Solid Rage says it "does 20 more damage to the Active
Pokémon". Would it also increase self-damage done to
the Attacker?
A. Yes, if the Attacking Pokémon damages itself, that
is increased as well. (Oct 6, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If Space Center stadium is in play, can Minun use its
"Negative Spark" attack or not (since Space Center says to
"ignore all Poké-Bodies")?
A. Just because a Poké-BODY is ignored doesn't mean
it is no longer present on the card. Minun's Negative Spark
would work. (Feb 17, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If there are 2 damage counters and Star Piece on a baby
Pokémon, can you use it to search for its evolution?
A. No, you cannot. Star Piece looks for an Evolution card,
where Babies evolve into Basic Pokémon (and only
treated as an Evolved Pokémon, when it is actually in
play). (Nov 6, 2003 PUI Rules Team)
Q. What happens if Star Piece is used to search your deck
for an evolution Pokémon, but there aren't any left in
there? Does Star Piece remain attached or does it get
discarded?
A. It gets discarded because you used it to perform a
search; it doesn't matter whether you found the card or
not. (Jul 15, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
* 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, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If I use the Strange Cave stadium or an Omanyte uses
"Team Assembly" to put other Omanytes on the bench, they
are to be "treated as a Basic Pokémon" per the text on
the card. Now, after evolving that benched Omanyte (that
has no fossil under it) into Omastar, do you treat Omastar
as a Stage 1 or as a Stage 2 Pokémon for the purposes
of Wailord's "Rely on Friends" attack ("...does plus 10
more damage for each of your Benched Stage 1 Evolved
Pokémon")?
A. The Omastar would still be considered a "Stage 2"
Pokémon, even if there is no Fossil underneath it. The
Omanyte would be a non-evolved (Basic) Pokémon that is
"Stage 1". (Feb 16, 2006 PUI Rules Team)
* 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 one-hit-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 25, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
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, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
Q. When you use "Surprise! Time Machine" on one of your
evolved Pokémon, does all of effects of attacks from
attacking Pokémon and Special Conditions go away?
A. Yep, it counts as evolving your Pokémon so the
Special Conditions and such go away. (Nov 4, 2004 PUI Rules
Team)
Q. If I use "Surprise Time Machine", can I search for the
same Evolution card that I shuffled into my deck?
A. Yes, that is permitted. (Nov 18, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If I use "Surprise Time Machine" and choose the same
Evolution card that I shuffled into my deck, can I use that
card's Pokémon powers even if I've already used it up
for the turn (i.e. Blaziken's "Firestarter")?
A. Unless it's a power that specifically says you may only
use one of that power (overall) per turn, then yes that is
permissible. (Nov 18, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If you play Surprise! Time Machine on a Wobbuffet that
was evovled from a Wynaut via "Baby Evolution", what
happens after you shuffle the Wobbuffet back into your
deck?
A. Since there is not a normal evolution path from Wynaut
to Wobbuffet (without using "Baby Evolution"), you cannot
take a Wobbuffet from your deck to evolve it again.
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. If I use "Surprise! Time Machine" and remove a Stage 2
Pokémon that was evolved from a Basic using Rare
Candy, do I search for a Stage 2 Pokémon card or a
Stage 1 card?
A. You can only search for a Stage 1 card, because when
you remove the Stage 2 what you have in play is Basic
Pokémon. (Feb 10, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If I use "Surprise! Time Machine" and remove a Stage 2
Pokémon that was evolved from a Basic using Rare
Candy, can I search for a Stage 1 Pokémon card and
then evolve it using Wally's Training or Rare Candy?
A. You could use the Wally's Training afterwards, but you
cannot use Rare Candy on a Stage 1 Pokémon. (Feb 17,
2005 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Say I use "Surprise! Time Machine" and remove a Stage 2
Pokémon that was evolved from a Basic using Rare
Candy. What happens if I do not have a corresponding Stage
1 card in my deck for the Pokémon that devolved?
A. Sorry, but the Pokémon would have to remain a
Basic at that point. (Apr 14, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
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)
Q. If I use Swoop Teleporter on a basic Pokémon that
does not evolve (say Lugia) and has been in play for more
than one turn, can I evolve the new Pokémon I switched
in on that same turn?
A. Yes, as long as the Basic Pokémon you switched out
was in play at the start of your turn and would be allowed
to evolve under normal conditions. (Nov 18, 2004 PUI Rules
Team)
Q. What happens if I use Swoop!Teleporter to switch a
poisoned Dunsparce for a Roselia with "Thick Skin" (can't
be affected by Special Conditions)? Does the status effect
go away or does it stay on because it was already on?
A. Well, since Thick Skin says it "can't be affected by
Special Conditions", the status effect would be removed
automatically when Swoop'ing for Roselia. (Dec 2, 2004 PUI
Rules Team)
Q. Can you play Swoop Teleporter with only 1 Pokémon
in play?
A. The change of Pokémon is considered to be
happening instantaneously, just like when you
Retreat/Switch. In practice, since you have to manipulate
cards in real time, there are moments when you have no
Pokémon Active (or in Play), but in Game terms, that
time does not exist. (Jan 27, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
Q. What happens if you play Swoop Teleporter and there are
no Basic Pokémon or only Pokémon-EX left in my
deck? Do I still have to put my first Basic into the
discard pile?
A. No, you only put the Basic into the discard pile after
finding a Basic in your search results. (Jan 27, 2005 PUI
Rules Team)
Q. Can I use "Swoop! Teleporter" with a Fossil card that is
in play?
A. Yes you can, but you wouldn't be able to switch for
another fossil, because in your deck they are not counted
as Pokémon. (Mar 10, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Suppose I have the Beldum in play and use its "Magnetic
Call. Then I play Swoop! Teleporter on my Beldum to replace
Beldum with another of the same Beldum from the deck. Can I
use the new Beldum's Magnetic Call?
A. Yes, you can. It is technically not the same
Pokémon, so you can be able to use the new
Pokémon's power unless it says something like "you may
only use one of this power per turn" (like the wording on
"Quick Search"). (Apr 28, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Say I have a Lunatone and Solrock in play. I use
Lunatone's "Lunar Eclipse" Poké-Power to make it a
Darkness Pokémon until the end of the turn. Then I
play Swoop! Teleporter on Lunatone to replace it with a
different Pokémon. Would that Pokémon be treated
as a Darkness Pokémon until the end of the turn? If
so, then if that Pokémon were to evolve would it still
remain a Darkness Pokémon until the end of the turn?
A. Well, the Lunar Eclipse would carry over to the new
Basic Pokémon, because it's an effect on the original
Pokémon and all effects carry over when you play Swoop
Teleporter. However, once you evolve that Pokémon it
would no longer be a Darkness type; just like when you
evolve a Water-type Poliwhirl into a Fighting-type
Poliwrath. (Apr 28, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Can I really double-evolve a Team Aqua Pokémon with
two Team Aqua Belts on the same turn?
A. No, for a couple of reasons. First, Team Aqua Belt is a
Pokémon Tool, and you couldn't attach a second
Pokémon Tool. Next, the evolution happens between
turns - you wouldn't have time to attach a second
Pokémon Tool after the first one resolved. (Team Magma
vs Team Aqua Prerelease FAQ, Q5)
Q. Does "Team Aqua Belt" work if attached on the first turn
of the game, before the second player's first turn?
A. Yes, that will work. (Mar 4, 2004 PUI Rules Team; Jul
22, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If I attach a Team Aqua Belt or Team Magma Belt to one
of my benched Pokémon and then it is somehow gusted up
into the active slot during my opponent's turn, I would get
to evolve my Pokémon after my opponent's turn is
finished, right? And if so, would I then be able to evolve
it again during MY OWN turn?
A. Yes, that scenario is correct. (Apr 8, 2004 PUI Rules
Team)
Q. If my active Pokémon gets poisoned by an attack,
can I use Team Aqua Belt or Team Magma Belt to evolve and
remove the poison condition before it kicks in?
A. Yes, this similar to the behavior of Miracle Berry and
Poison. You can choose to activate the trainer "at any time
between turns", before or after the Poison damage is
applied. (May 6, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Say I attach a Team Magma Belt to a benched TM's Aron.
During my next turn I evolve it naturally into TM's Lairon,
and then the following turn into TM's Aggron - all while on
the bench. When I eventually move TM's Aggron into the
active slot, what happens with the Team Magma Belt?
A. Unfortunately, since you cannot evolve any higher than
Aggron, the Team Magma Belt would remain attached until the
Pokémon leaves play or otherwise devolves to the point
that it could evolve again (i.e. Devolution Spray,
Omastar's "Pull Down" attack, etc.). You would not be able
to search, therefore you would not discard the Team Magma
Belt. (Apr 22, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
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 a Pokémon starts out with one retreat, reduces
it by one for some other effect to zero, would "Team Aqua
Hideout" bring it back to one, or would it stay zero?
A. If something says "reduces the cost to X", that's where
it stays. But if it says "reduce the cost *by* X", it's
just math. For example, +1, -1, +1 = +1. If the final
result is a negative number, then the final retreat cost is
zero. (Mar 4, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Team Aqua Hideout reads, "Each Pokémon that does
not have Team Aqua in its name pays (*) more to retreat."
So does Muk-EX's "Slimy Water" attack add +10 damage
because of this stadium?
A. Yes, that is correct. (Sep 9, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
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.
(PUI Rules Team, Sep 18th, 2007)
Q. For "Team Galactic's Wager", if both players agree can
we roll dice with "Rock", "Paper", and "Scissors" printed
on them? Or use a six-sided dice with 1/2 being "Rock", 3/4
being "Paper", and 5/6 being "Scissors"?
A. No, you may not randomly determine the outcome of
Rock/Paper/Scissors. (Jan 24, 2008 PUI Rules Team)
Q. How does Team Magma Ball work?
A. Regardless of how the coin flip works out, you can
always get a Basic Pokémon with Team Magma in its
name. If you get heads, you can fetch an Evolution card
with Team Magma in its name, instead. (Team Magma vs Team
Aqua Prerelease FAQ, Q6)
Q. If you play a Mysterious Fossil from your hand with a
Team Magma Hideout would the Fossil be knocked out due to
the effect of Team Magma Hideout?
A. Yes. Mysterious Fossil is put into play as a Basic
Pokémon and therefore would receive a damage counter,
which in turn would KO the Mysterious Fossil right away.
(May 13, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Suppose I have an Elekid from Sandstorm in play, and my
opponent has a Team Magma Hideout in play. If I evolve
Elekid using its "Baby Evolution" power to Electabuzz, does
that trigger Team Magma Hideout's effect?
A. No, it does not. In this situation Electabuzz is
considered an evolved Pokémon, so Team Magma's Hideout
does not apply. (Jun 3, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Can the card Tickling Machine (Gym Heroes) be involved
where effects make use of Rocket's Secret Machine cards
(such as Rocket's Meowth's first attack), even though
Tickling Machine is labeled as a "Rocket's Secret Robot"?
A. Tickling Machine is considered a "Rocket's Secret
Machine" for the purposes of Rocket's Meowth and Rocket's
Wobbuffet. (Feb 24, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If I have fewer than 5 total Pokémon and basic
energy cards in my discard pile, can I use Town Volunteers
to shuffle them all into my deck, or must I shuffle in
exactly 5?
A. Yup, it works like Time Capsule did. If you have 5 you
MUST choose 5, if you have less than 5 you can still play
it and choose all of what you do have. You can't CHOOSE to
pull less than 5 if you have that many. (Jan 30, 2003 WotC
Chat, Q743 & Q774; Jun 10, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Tropical Wind says "If heads, remove 2 damage counters
from each Active Pokémon..." Is that mine and my
opponent's, or does it only apply to 2-on-2 battles?
A. It refers to both you and your opponent. In the case of
2-on-2 battles, all four Actives would benefit. (Sep 16,
2004 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Say I play a supporter and then play "VS Seeker". Can I
grab the supporter I just played or since its not
officially in my discard?
A. It is not in the discard pile until the end of your
turn, according to how Supporter cards are written. So VS
Seeker could not fetch it. (Sep 2, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Can I use Wally's Training on the first turn of a game
(when Pokémon are not normally allowed to evolve)?
A. Yes, this is now permissible. (Jul 22, 2004 PUI Rules
Team)
Q. Can I use Wally's Training on a Pokémon's first
turn in play? For example, can I place down a Wurmple, make
it active, and then use Wally's Training on the same turn
to evolve it into Silcoon or Cascoon?
Yes, you may use Wally's Training 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 Wally's Training on a Pokémon that has
already evolved normally that turn?
A. Yes. Wally's Training can break the rules for normal
evolution in that case. It also can allow a player to
evolve a Pokémon the first turn it is in play, except
for the very first turn of the game (for each player). In
order for Wally's Training to break the "first turn of the
game" evolution, the card would have to specifically say
so. (Sep 26, 2003 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Can I use Wally's Training on a Pokémon I just
evolved that turn with Rare Candy?
A. Yes. Trainer cards that allow an evolution to take
place, breaks the standard evolution rule that states you
can only evolve once in a turn. (Sep 26, 2003 PUI Rules
Team)
Q. Can I use Wally's Training to place a Stage 2 onto a
Basic Pokémon?
A. No. Wally's Training does not work on making your Basic
Pokémon into a Stage 2. It just pulls the next stage
from the deck and you evolve to that. (Sep 11, 2003 PUI
Rules Team)
Q. Does Wally's Training override evolution-preventing
effects such as Fossil Aerodactyl's "Prehistoric Power"?
A. You can use Wally's Training when Aerodactyl's
Prehistoric Power is in play (except for the first turn of
the game). (Sep 18, 2003 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If you use Wally's Training 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. No, because those powers only work "when you play it
from your hand". Wally's Training has you search your deck
for the card. (Oct 23, 2003 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Can I use Wally's Training 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. Wally's Training 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
Wally's Training will not work on any form of baby
Pokémon (Oct 23, 2003 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Can I use Wally's Training search for Pikachu when you
have a Pichu active?
A. No, Wally's Training states to search for a card that
"Evolves From" your active Pokémon Pikachu does not
say that it "Evolves From" Pichu, so Wally's Training will
not work in this situation. (Sep 11, 2003 PUI Rules Team)
Q. I evolved Torchic into Combusken using Wally's Training.
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 25,
2003 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Can I use Wally's Training on a Machoke to search
through my deck, even if there are no Machamps in my deck?
A. Yes you can. Machamp is a valid evolution of Machoke,
even if you don't have one in your deck. (Jan 22, 2004 PUI
Rules Team)
Q. Can I use Wally's Training on a Mewtwo to search my
deck, even though there is no evolution of Mewtwo?
A. No, there has to at least be the possibility of a valid
evolution in order to use this card. Sorry. (Jan 22, 2004
PUI Rules Team)
Q. Can I use Wally's Training in conjunction with Buried
Fossil to search for an Omanyte, Kabuto, or Aerodactyl? And
how about Aerodactyl-EX too?
A. Wally's Training states to search for a card that
"Evolves From" your active Pokémon Buried Fossil has
special text on it that says, "You may play a Pokémon
card that evolves from Mysterious Fossil on top of Buried
Fossil". So Wally's Training will work in both of these
situations. (Jan 29, 2004 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 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)
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)
[ Top | Errata | Pokémon Powers | Pokémon Attacks | Pokémon Items | Trainer Cards | Energy Cards | General Gameplay | Two on Two Gameplay | Team Gameplay]
* The 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)
Q. The Poké-Bodies "Anti-Fire", "Anti-Lightning", and
"Water Immunity" (found on the E-card versions of Moltres,
Zapdos, and Articuno, respectively) each prohibit a certain
type of Energy card (Fire, Lightning, and Water,
respectively) from being attached to that Pokémon The
question is, does this prevent attaching Multi Energy,
Rainbow Energy, and Crystal Energy (in the case of the
latter, there already being one of that Energy to copy)
too?
A. When the Special Energy card is being attached, it is
*not* in play. If it is not "in play" yet, it is still
considered in your hand. So, yes, you can attach Rainbow
Energy to Moltres, Zapdos, etc. (Oct 30, 2003 PUI Rules
Team)
*Magma Energy and Aqua Energy do not provide Fighting or Water (or even Darkness) Energy while in a player's hand. This is a clarification of "Doesn't count as a basic Energy card while not in play..." Thus cards such as Swampert's Water Call will have no effect on Aqua Energy. (Jul 30, 2004 PUI Rules Update)
Q. Aqua Energy and Magma Energy have slightly different
wordings. How do they work?
A. Aqua Energy can provide either 2 Water Energy, 2
Darkness Energy, or one of both Water and Darkness. Magma
Energy can provide either 2 Fighting Energy, 2 Darkness
Energy, or one of both Fighting and Darkness. (Team Magma
vs Team Aqua Prerelease FAQ, Q4)
Q. Does Magma Energy or Aqua Energy give the +10 (or +20?)
bonus damage that normal Darkness Energy provides?
A. No, only the Darkness Energy special energy card
provides the +10 bonus. Magma Energy & Aqua Energy just
provide the Darkness energy type, nothing extra. (Mar 11,
2004 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Aqua Energy & Magma Energy state that they can only
be attached to a Pokémon of the corresponding team
name. What happens if I play a card, or attack, or
Pokémon Power, etc. that lets me move it to a
Pokémon that is on the opposite team, or to no team at
all?
A. Aqua Energy & Magma Energy can only be moved onto
another Pokémon of the same team name. You cannot move
an Aqua Energy onto a Team Magma Pokémon or one
without "Team Aqua" in its name (and vice versa). (Apr 15,
2004 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If Ecogym was in play and you used Aqua Energy that
would be discarded when your turn ends, would it go back to
your hand because it's an effect of an energy?
A. No. Ecogym says "attack, Pokémon Power, or Trainer
card discards another player's..." It's a result of your
own card, so Ecogym would not trigger. (May 20, 2004 PUI
Rules Team)
Q. Can I use Blastoise's "Rain Dance", Swampert's "Water
Call", etc. to attach an Aqua Energy from my hand?
A. Magma Energy and Aqua Energy do not provide Fighting or
Water (or even Darkness) Energy while in a player's hand.
Thus cards such as Swampert's Water Call will have no
effect on Aqua Energy. (Jul 22, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
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)
Q. If I were to pull a Boost Energy onto my opponent's
active using Tentacruel's Poké-POWER, would the Boost
be discarded at the end of the turn? Or would it stay on
the Pokémon?
A. It would get discarded. And remember, you can only use
Strange Tentacles to attach it to an evolved Pokémon
(Jan 15, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
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 non-Dark 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)
Q. If I have a Darkness Energy attached to a Darkness-type
Pokémon (or one with "Dark" in its name), 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. However, if the Pokémon has "Dark" in its
name, that particular attribute is NOT affected by the
Crystal Shard and you would get the +10 bonus in that
situation. (Apr 15, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
Q. If Rocket's Meowth's "Miraculous Comeback" attack
damages itself, do I add +10 damage for each Darkness
Energy Card attached to it?
A. Any active Pokémon that takes damage takes 10 more
for each Darkness Energy Card attached to the attacking
Pokémon. Of course, this only applies for the actual
Darkness Energy card [and R-Energy too]; other cards that
provide Dark energy don't have the same effect [i.e.
Rainbow, Dark Metal, etc.] (Jun 16, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
Q. When building a deck, are Delta Rainbow Energy and
Rainbow Energy considered to be the same card, or 2
different cards? Can I put 4 Rainbow Energies AND 4 Delta
Rainbow Energies in the same deck?
A. They are considered to be different cards; you may have
up to 4 of each of them in your deck. (May 25, 2006 PUI
Rules Team)
* 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)
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". (Mar 4, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
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 (Mar 4, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
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-EX-Pokémon, 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. Can you use "Pow! Hand Extension" to move a DRE to one
of your opponent's Basic Pokémon, causing it to be
discarded?
A. Yes, if you move an energy card which can't be attached
to that Pokémon, the energy will get discarded. (Nov
17, 2005 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, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
* 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)
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, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
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 Poké-Bodies 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, 2006 PUI Rules Team)
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)
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. Is a "Pokémon *" (like "Torchic *") and such
considered a shining Pokémon for cards such as Miracle
Energy?? Does the "*" symbol mean "Shining" or what?
A. No, "Torchic [star]" does not have the word "Shining"
as part of its name. Therefore, you cannot attach Miracle
Energy onto it. (Aug 25, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
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 Charizard-EX'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. Can someone play a Retro Energy on an Espeon, discard
the Espeon card, 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. May I use "Dark Trance" to move around Rainbow Energy?
Or R-Energy? Or Magma/Aqua Energy???
A. Yes, all of the above provide Dark energy, so they can
be moved around by Dark Trance. (Nov 4, 2004 PUI Rules
Team)
Q. Once I attach R-Energy to a Dark/Rocket's Pokémon,
can I then use "Dark Trance" to move it to a non-Dark or
non-Rocket's Pokémon?
A. Yes, but if you do so the R-Energy would have to be
discarded since it cannot be attached to a non-Dark or
non-Rocket's Pokémon. (Dec 1, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
Q. With Dark Houndoom, can you discard an "R-Energy" to pay
for the "Dark Fire" attack and do the extra +20 damage? And
if so, will it also add the normal +10 more damage for
"R-Energy" just like regular "Darkness Energy" does?
A. Yes on all counts. The intent of the card is that
Darkness Energy and R-Energy would still get to do its
extra +10 damage even though it is in fact being discarded
BEFORE damage is actually done. (Apr 21, 2005 PUI Rules
Team)
Q. What happens to R-Energy if the Pokémon it is
attached to somehow devolves into a non-Dark Pokémon
(i.e. Dark Dragonair becoming regular Dratini)?
A. The R-Energy would be discarded similar to the behavior
of Double Rainbow Energy. (Nov 17, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
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)
[ Top | Errata | Pokémon Powers | Pokémon Attacks | Pokémon Items | Trainer Cards | Energy Cards | General Gameplay | Two on Two Gameplay | Team Gameplay]
* 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, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
* 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, 2007 PUI Rules Team)
* 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. 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 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. (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. Say I'm playing an Italian Rainbow Energy and outside my
deck I have the English Rainbow Energy from the old Team
Rocket set. Can I still use an old card that got reprinted
in a new English set, as long as it's in English itself, as
the translation?
A. If you're playing with a non-local language card, it
would be best if you can use a current card with the
correct text on it. The older cards will work, but if you
misrepresent what the card actually does the judge will be
more inclined to think it was done on purpose. (Apr 21,
2005 PUI Rules Team)
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)
* 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. 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. (Jan 22, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
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. (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)
* 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)
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. (Jan 10, 2008 PUI Rules Team)
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)
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)
* 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)
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 10, 2007 PUI Rules Team)
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)
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)
* 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. (May 3, 2007 PUI Rules Team)
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 EX-rulebook 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 pre-game 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 like you did in
EX:Sandstorm. (Dec 4, 2003 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Before starting the game, Player-A has a Basic
Pokémon but Player-B 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. 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, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
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, double-Resistance would result in -60 damage (-30
times two). (May 13, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
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)
[ Top | Errata | Pokémon Powers | Pokémon Attacks | Pokémon Items | Trainer Cards | Energy Cards | General Gameplay | Two on Two Gameplay | Team Gameplay]
Q. In 2-on-2 Play, if Victreebel is your only Active
Pokémon (i.e. no bench either), can you use its "Acid
Sampler" Poké-BODY?
A. Well, since you don't have an "other Active
Pokémon" in this scenario, it's Poké-BODY works
normally and places one damage counter between turns. It
only stops working if you have an "other Active
Pokémon" and that other Active is not named
"Victreebel". (Sep 16, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
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. (Oct 16, 2003 PUI Rules
Team)
Q. In a 2-on-2 battle, if I have either Plusle or Minun as
one of my Actives and it is Asleep, if the other active
attacks does "Chain of Events" allow my asleep one to use
"Cheer On"? In other words, when "Chain of Events" is
triggered, is Plusle/Minun actually using the attack? If
so, does this mean that if it's Asleep or Paralyzed, it can
still 'attack'?
A. Chain of Events only makes the extra attack possible;
Minun or Plusle still needs to be able to attack in order
to take advantage of it. (Mar 18, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Altaria's Dragon Dance says: "During your next turn, if
any of your current Active Pokémon does damage to any
Defending Pokémon, that attack does 40 more damage." I
thought that this meant that if Altaria retreated, then the
effect is off (in single play). However, a judge at a
recent tourney ruled that the effect stayed if Altaria was
benched. Could you please clarify the ruling for me?
A. The reason it is worded this way is for the purposes of
2-on-2 Play; with 2-on-2, if Altaria is benched the second
active still retains the Dragon Dance effect. Likewise, if
the second active is benched, it would lose the Dragon
Dance effect but Altaria would still retain it. However, in
normal 1-on-1 play, Altaria is the only Active
Pokémon, so the effect would go away when Altaria is
benched. (Nov 20, 2003 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Altaria's Dragon Song says: "Each Defending Pokémon
is now Asleep." Does this mean that both my opponent and
Altaria go to sleep? Or is the phrase "each defending"
referring to 2-on-2 battle?
A. It is referring to 2-on-2 battle. Normally in 2-on-2
the attack only affects one of the opponent's Defending
Pokémon, but with Dragon Song both of the opponent's
Defending Pokémon are asleep (the damage part is only
done to one of them though). In normal 1-on-1 play, only
the opponent's Defending Pokémon is put to sleep. (Feb
20, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
Q. In a Two-on-Two battle, if I have two Hypnos active is
the "Eerie Aura" power cumulative (i.e. place four damage
counters on all sleeping Pokémon)?
A. Yes, that is correct. (Sep 2, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
Q. In 2 on 2 play, if I only have one Active Pokémon
and then play Zapdos-EX from my hand, does its "Legendary
Ascent" activate?
A. Yes. Basic Pokémon are placed on your Bench before
being moved up to the Active spot. Any abilities would
still trigger. (Jul 6, 2006 PUI Rules Team)
Q. In 2-on-2 Play, if you have 2 Dark Weezings active is
the "Methane Leak" Poké-BODY cumulative so that both
of them each add a damage counter between turns?
A. Yes, in the case of 2-on-2 Play "Methane Leak" is
cumulative. Two active Dark Weezings would result in two
additional counters per turn if the opponent is poisoned.
(Jan 27, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Suppose I'm in a 2-on-2 match and Mirage Stadium is in
play. I attempt to retreat one of my Active Pokémon,
but get tails on the Mirage Stadium flip. Can I then
attempt to retreat my other Active Pokémon on the same
turn, since my other Active didn't retreat?
A. If you attempt to retreat a Pokémon and the
attempt fails for whatever reason, you do not get an
opportunity to retreat your other Active Pokémon In
2-on-2 Battle, you still just get one retreat action per
turn. (Feb 20, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
Q. Is Crawdaunt's Power Pinchers cumulative?
A. Yes, but Crawdaunt must be Active in order for his
power to work, so the only way it can be cumulative would
be in 2-on-2 play. (Nov 20, 2003 PUI Rules Team)
Q. In 2-on-2 Play, if you have 2 Butterfrees active does
the "Sooth Dust" healing stack? ie take off two damage
counters between turns?
A. Yes, in the case of 2-on-2 Play "Sooth Dust" is
cumulative. (Jan 27, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
Q. In 2-on-2 Play, does Strength Charm do +10 to both of
the opponent's Active Pokémon if the attack damages
both of them (i.e. Typhlosion-EX's "Split Blast" attack)?
A. Yes, since the Pokémon which Strength Charm is
attached to is damaging two "Active Pokémon", it would
indeed add +10 damage to each of them. Just remember,
Strength Charm does not +10 to any bench damage. (Sep 16,
2004 PUI Rules Team)
Q. In 2-on-2 Play, if you have 2 Dark Muks active is the
"Sticky Goo" Poké-BODY cumulative so that your
opponent would have to pay FOUR additional energies to
retreat?
A. Yes, in the case of 2-on-2 Play "Sticky Goo" is
cumulative like that. (Jan 27, 2005 PUI Rules Team)
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, 2004 PUI Rules Team)
[ Top | Errata | Pokémon Powers | Pokémon Attacks | Pokémon Items | Trainer Cards | Energy Cards | General Gameplay | Two on Two Gameplay | Team Gameplay]
[Team Gameplay, as an official format, was discontinued in August 2003 and reinstated in September 2007. There are currently no rulings for this format.]
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(Last Updated: February 1st, 2008) |
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