Prize Cards and How to Win a Pokémon TCG Game
How Prize cards work, which Pokémon give up two or three Prize cards, the three ways to win, and how to plan your Prize trade.
Last updated · 2 min read
The three ways to win
You win a game of the Pokémon TCG when any one of these happens:
- You take your last Prize card.
- Your opponent has no Pokémon in play. This happens when you Knock Out their Active Pokémon and they have nothing on their Bench to replace it.
- Your opponent cannot draw a card at the start of their turn because their deck is empty.
If both players meet a win condition at the same moment, official rules use a Sudden Death game. At a casual table, agree on how you want to handle it before you start.
How Prize cards work
At setup each player puts the top 6 cards of their deck aside, face down, as Prize cards. Whenever you Knock Out one of your opponent’s Pokémon, you take Prize cards and put them into your hand. How many depends on the Pokémon:
| Pokémon | Prize cards taken |
|---|---|
| Regular Pokémon | 1 |
| Pokémon ex, Pokémon V, Pokémon VSTAR, Pokémon GX | 2 |
| Pokémon VMAX, TAG TEAM Pokémon, Mega Evolution Pokémon ex | 3 |
The card itself always says if it gives up more than one Prize card. If a card says otherwise, follow the card.
Planning the Prize trade
Because powerful Pokémon give up more Prize cards, games are often a race of “Prize trades”. A few habits help:
- Count Knock Outs, not Prize cards. If your opponent needs 6 Prize cards and your deck is built around 2-Prize attackers, you can only afford to lose three of them.
- Use single-Prize attackers early when your opponent’s damage output is high, then finish with a big multi-Prize attacker.
- Watch the board state. A Bench with only one Pokémon is a risk: if your Active and that one Pokémon are Knocked Out, you lose immediately, no matter how many Prize cards are left.
Tracking Prize cards with PTCG Companion
Each player has six numbered Prize tiles. Tap one each time you take a Prize card; for a 2-Prize Knock Out, tap two. Tiles can be tapped again to undo. When all six tiles on one side are taken, the app shows who won and offers to start a new match.
