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Introduction to Pokémon TCG Special Conditions... Poisoned and Burned Can Overlap, While Asleep, Paralyzed, and Confused Are Overwritten

Pokémon Checkup follows Poisoned → Burned → Asleep → Paralyzed order; returning to the Bench or evolving cures all conditions

김태희 기자 · Published Nov 15, 2026, 11:04 KST · 3 min read
Photo: 株式会社ポケモン(포켓몬 카드 게임 공식 홈페이지)

There are 5 Special Conditions in the Pokémon Trading Card Game: "Poisoned," "Burned," "Asleep," "Paralyzed," and "Confused." The "How to Play" page on the official Korean website defines Special Conditions as an Active Pokémon entering one of these five states due to effects such as attacks. Only Active Pokémon can be affected by Special Conditions.

Effects and Indicators of the 5 Conditions

| Condition | Effect | Removal Condition | Indicator (Official Korean) | Relationship with Other Conditions | |---|---|---|---|---| | Poisoned | Put 10 damage worth of damage counters during each Pokémon Checkup | Persists unless cured | Poison marker | Overlaps with all conditions | | Burned | Put 20 damage worth of damage counters during each Pokémon Checkup | Cured afterwards if coin flip is heads | Burn marker | Overlaps with all conditions | | Asleep | Cannot attack or retreat during your turn | Flip a coin during each Pokémon Checkup, cured if heads | Card turned sideways | Replaced by new state with Paralyzed/Confused | | Paralyzed | Cannot attack or retreat on your next turn | Cured during Pokémon Checkup after passing 1 of your turns | Card turned sideways | Replaced by new state with Asleep/Confused | | Confused | Flip a coin when choosing an attack; if tails, attack fails and deal 30 damage to itself | Not subject to Pokémon Checkup check | Card turned upside down | Replaced by new state with Asleep/Paralyzed |

Even if Poisoned or Burned, a Pokémon can still use attacks and retreat. A Confused Pokémon can also retreat. The English rulebook similarly states that the only Special Conditions that prevent retreating are Asleep and Paralyzed.

Card orientation indicators differ between Korean and English documents. The Korean page simply states that both Asleep and Paralyzed are placed "sideways." The English rulebook differentiates them, stating that Asleep turns the card counterclockwise, Paralyzed turns it clockwise, and Confused turns the card so its top faces yourself. The English rulebook explains that because Asleep, Confused, and Paralyzed are all indicated by turning the card, only the last one inflicted remains, whereas Poisoned and Burned, which use markers, are maintained separately, allowing Burned, Paralyzed, and Poisoned to be inflicted all at once. Since there cannot be two of the same marker, if Poisoned or Burned is inflicted again, the new condition replaces the previous condition.

Pokémon Checkup Order

Pokémon Checkup is the step where players check the status of each other's Pokémon at the end of every turn. The Korean Advanced Player's Rule Guide (ver1.0) and the Japanese Advanced Player's Rule Guide (Ver.3.4) present the same 3 steps:

  1. Check Special Conditions: Process in the order of Poisoned → Burned → Asleep → Paralyzed, simultaneously for both players' Pokémon.
  2. Check Ability and Trainer effects that trigger during Pokémon Checkup: Players can choose whether to apply each effect before or after Step 1.
  3. Check Knock Outs: A Pokémon with no HP remaining is Knocked Out.

Who decides the order of Step 2 effects varies by document. The Korean guide ver1.0 states that the player owning the Pokémon receiving the effect decides. The Japanese guide Ver.3.4 and the English rulebook state that the player who will take the next turn decides. The English rulebook also provides an example stating that because Special Conditions must be processed all at once, an Ability cannot be inserted between Poison damage and the Sleep coin flip.

Ways to Cure

The official Korean page lists three ways to cure Special Conditions: returning to the Bench via retreat or other means, evolving, and using attacks, Abilities, or Trainers that cure Special Conditions. The Advanced Player's Rule Guide states that moving to the Bench through switching effects like "Switch" (포켓몬 교체) or devolving also clears all Special Conditions.

There are exceptions. Switching cards that specify "retains all Special Conditions, effects, etc.," such as Sucheol (수철) (S11) or Aegislash's (킬가르도) (S5I) "Stance Change" (배틀스위치), leave Special Conditions intact. Also, even if a Pokémon that is already in a Special Condition later becomes unaffected by the effects of attacks, that Special Condition does not disappear (Korean guide FAQ).

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 →

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