Mon, Nov 9, 2026
Korea's trading card game newspaperSearch

Introduction to Pokémon TCG Energy: 1 Card per Turn, Unlimited Basic Energy

From the difference between Basic and Special Energy to reading attack and retreat costs with Colorless symbols

김태희 기자 · Published Nov 5, 2026, 10:24 KST · 3 min read
Photo: 株式会社ポケモン(The Pokémon Company)

In the Pokémon Trading Card Game, a Pokémon needs Energy cards to use attacks. Pokémon Korea (포켓몬코리아)'s official "How to Play" page describes Energy as "cards required for a Pokémon to use an attack or retreat to the Bench." Here is a breakdown of the Energy rules that confuse beginners the most, compiled based on official guides from Pokémon Korea and the official Japanese website.

Basic Energy and Special Energy

According to the "Advanced Rule Guide" distributed by Pokémon Korea, Energy is divided into two types: Basic Energy and Special Energy.

| Category | Basic Energy | Special Energy | |---|---|---| | Types | 9 types: Grass, Fire, Water, Lightning, Psychic, Fighting, Darkness, Metal, Fairy | Has "Special Energy" written on the card | | Function | Provides 1 Energy of the type drawn in the symbol to the attached Pokémon | In addition to functioning as Energy, has special effects that vary by card | | Deck limit | No limit | Up to 4 cards with the same name |

There is no Colorless-type Basic Energy. Because Special Energy effects and usage methods vary by card, players follow the text printed on the card.

The deck construction rules also differ between the two. A Pokémon Trading Card Game deck consists of 60 cards, and up to 4 cards with the same name can be included. However, the rule guide notes that Basic Energy is exempt from this "up to 4 cards with the same name" rule, allowing any number of Basic Energy cards in a deck. The 4-card limit applies to Special Energy as usual. The official "How to Play" page gives an example composition for building a first deck: 15 Pokémon, 30 Trainer cards, and 15 Energy cards.

Attaching Only 1 Card per Turn

The rules for attaching Energy are simple. Pokémon Korea's "How to Play" page states, "If you have an Energy card in your hand, you can attach only 1 Energy card to a Pokémon per turn." The player chooses whether to attach it to the Active Pokémon or a Benched Pokémon, and Energy of a different type from the Pokémon may be attached. There is no limit to the number of Energy cards that can be attached to a single Pokémon.

The Q&A section on the official Japanese website (pokemon-card.com) points out two additional details. First, a player cannot attach 1 Basic Energy and 1 Special Energy during the same turn; regardless of the type, only 1 Energy card total can be attached from the hand per turn. Second, Energy attached by the effect of a Trainer card does not count toward this 1-card limit. If a card effect says to "attach," it means it can be attached separately from the 1 card attached from the hand.

Attached Energy remains attached after using an attack and even after a Pokémon evolves. If a Pokémon is Knocked Out, the attached Energy is discarded along with it.

How to Read Attack Costs and Retreat Costs

The Energy symbols printed next to an attack name represent the Energy required to use that attack. In the example on the official "How to Play" page, "Power Gem" requires 1 Fighting Energy, while "Mountain Drop" requires 3 Energy regardless of type. The Colorless symbol indicates that "any Energy type can be used." A Fighting symbol requirement can only be filled with Fighting Energy, but a Colorless symbol requirement can be filled with Energy of any type. An attack with no required Energy indicated can be used without Energy. Only the Active Pokémon can use attacks, and an attack cannot be used if the required Energy is insufficient.

The Retreat Cost is also indicated using the same Colorless symbol. A player discards as many Energy attached to the Active Pokémon as the number of Colorless symbols shown in the "Retreat" box at the bottom right of the card. The discarded Energy can be of any type, and a Pokémon with no symbols can retreat without discarding Energy.

The rules in this article follow the official Korean terminology published on Pokémon Korea's official website "How to Play" page and Advanced Rule Guide. According to the same page, cards with regulation marks H, I, and J can currently be used in official tournaments in Korea. Detailed rulings can be checked in the Advanced Rule Guide and Battle Rules.

Sources

This article was written with the help of AI based on public sources. Responsible: 김태희 기자 AI principles →

This article was machine-translated from Korean with AI. Original →

More →