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Pokémon TCG Deck Checker & Opening Hand Simulator

Paste your deck list to check that it is legal, see how often you open with each card, and draw test hands with 6 Prize cards. Tick your Basic Pokémon to see your exact mulligan rate.

Copy your list from Pokémon TCG Live (Export) or type one card per line, like "4 Nest Ball".

Free Pokémon TCG damage counter for your phone. Track damage, Special Conditions, Prize cards, coin flips and the match timer. Works offline, no sign-up.

Open the match counter

What the checker looks for

A Standard or Expanded deck has exactly 60 cards, and no more than 4 cards with the same name, except Basic Energy. The checker counts your Pokémon, Trainer and Energy cards, adds up copies of the same card from different sets, and flags anything over 4.

Some rules depend on the card itself: a deck can have only one ACE SPEC card and one Radiant Pokémon, and only cards legal in the format you play. The checker cannot see card text, so check these yourself.

How to paste a list from Pokémon TCG Live

  1. Open the deck in Pokémon TCG Live and choose Export to copy the list.
  2. Paste it into the box on this page.
  3. Tick each Basic Pokémon in the card odds table.
  4. Press "Draw a hand" to test opening hands.

You can also type a list by hand with one card per line, starting with the number of copies, for example "4 Nest Ball". Set codes and collector numbers at the end of a line are ignored when the checker counts copies.

Why goldfish opening hands?

Drawing test hands without an opponent, called goldfishing, is the fastest way to feel how consistent a deck is. Draw 10 or 20 hands and ask: can I set up a Basic and a draw Supporter on my first turn? If most hands cannot, you may need more search cards or more Basic Pokémon.

The Prize cards matter too. Turn them over to see how often a key card is stuck in your Prizes, and whether your deck has a way to play around it.

Reading the card odds

Each row shows the exact chance of having at least one copy in your opening 7 cards, by your first turn (8 cards seen), and in your 6 Prize cards. These use the same hypergeometric maths as our probability calculator, so they are exact for a fairly shuffled deck.

Frequently asked questions

Why do I have to tick Basic Pokémon myself?

A deck list only has card names, not whether a Pokémon is a Basic or an Evolution. Tick each Basic once and the tool remembers it with your saved deck.

Does it check whether cards are legal in Standard?

No. It checks the deck size and the 4-copy rule. Check the current Standard rotation and ban list before an event.

Is the shuffle fair?

Yes. The simulator shuffles with your browser's cryptographic random number generator, so every order of the deck is equally likely.

Where are saved decks stored?

In your browser only. Saved deck names also appear as suggestions in the match tracker.

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