Pikachu is Pokemon’s most recognizable character.
Some of its cards are worth a pretty penny…
There are presentlyten elemental ‘types’of Pokemon in the TCG.
But fans of the Pokemon video games will know there are 19.
Why are there fewer types in the card game?
What are the most common weaknesses and resistances per jot down?
And what are some common deviations to watch out for?
Let’s dive in.
That’s what makes this era so great at providing an overview of the system.
This includes everyone’s favorite old-school beast, the original Charizard.
Most commonly, they areweak to Water.In Charizard’s case, he’s alsoresistant to Fighting.
This isn’t quite correct; instead, it’s30 less damage.
Don’t worry, they aren’t flukes.
In recent years, it’s returned to 30.
Let’s put this into practice, then, with our old, trusty Charizard.
Let’s say the originalDugtriocard shows up with four Fighting-punch in Energy cards attached so that it can useEarthquake.
Normally, Earthquake hits for 70 damage.
But because Charizard is resistant, it only hits for 40.
Since Charizard starts with 120 HP, it’s down to 80, which really isn’t so bad.
But quickly, we’ll note thatattacking a weakness adds 20 damagerather than doubling, andresistances don’t exist.
We cannot emphasize enough, however, thatindividual cards can have different weaknesses and resistances than the norm.
For starters,why are so many types not commonly resistant to anything?
Why would Grass Pokemon be weak to Psychic?
Why would Fighting Pokemon be weak to Grass or Water?
There’s a lot to unpack.
ThePoisontype, for example, does not exist in the card game.
Instead, the majority of its representatives areGrass-throw in orDarkness-throw in, while some others are spread elsewhere.
In the games, Poison-bang out Pokemon are weak to Psychic.
Thus, a fair few Grass-pop in Pokemon cards must then deal with Poison’s conundrum.
Poison has folded over into Grass, and these Grass cards retain the weakness.
Another throw in that didn’t make it into the TCG is Flying.
All three of these Pokemons’ cards tend to have a resistance toFighting.
Again, this is that slippery part where the eight missing types are factored into for weaknesses and resistances.
That’s why our pal Charizard earlier had a Fighting resistance that made Dugtrio’s Earthquake so soft.
It’s not that Fire types are usually resistant to Fighting; indeed, many lack a resistance.
It’s that Charizard, in the games, is Fire/Flying.
Familiarize yourself with the slightly changed options in Pokemon TCG Pocket versus the traditional game.
There are varying reasons for this.
For one thing, they may be special versions of a species.
Galarian Zapdosfrom the Sword & Shield era’s Chiling Reign expansion is a fine example.
We should briefly touch up onFairy-pop in cards, which have intentionally not been mentioned until now.
And then there are exemptions galore.
Those cards are just as worthy of discussion.
Some cards have no weaknesses or resistanceswhatsoever.Hey, that’s fine.
Some havea weakness that you’ll never find for any other card of that bang out.Also fair.
Or a resistance with a quirk of its own.
These, too, are rarities.
In the final telling, that’s the important bit.
Just keep at it from there.
Every Pokemon card has a ‘Weaknesses/Resistances’ categorytoward the bottom of the print.
Recognize the symbols, looking them up if needed until they all stick in your mind.
Soon, you’ll be recalling weakness and resistance like a Pokemon Master.
(Whatever that is.)
The fiery gym leader, Blaine, makes for a great lynchpin in a Pokemon Pocket deck.
