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If you’ve ever tried to teach a young child to play thePokemon TCG, you’ve probably run into some roadblocks: maybe they’ve got too high energy to sit still, struggle to read, or do basic addition and subtraction. It doesn’t help that the Pokemon TCG is surprisingly complex, with retreat costs, weaknesses and resistances, and all those attack effects.
Fortunately, the My First Battle game packs are here to help. My First Battle is a set of products designed to teach younger players the fundamentals of the Pokemon Trading Card Game using a simplified set of rules. It’s a great way to learn the very basics, and to figure out if you or your kids are interested before buying more expensive products.
What Is My First Battle?
My First Battle is a simplified version of the Pokemon Trading Card Game with modified rules for younger players. Two My First Battle Deck Kits are available, each withtwo seventeen-card mini decks: Pikachu & Bulbasaur, and Charmander & Squirtle. Each kit also containstwo playmats, a rulebook, a coin, damage counters, and six prize tokens.
Each deck comes with a designated “First Pokemon” and “Starting Energy” card, marked witha blue border and a Poke Ball stamp, which shouldn’t be shuffled into the deck between play sessions.
My First Battle kits have a different card back than standard Pokemon TCG cards, so you may’t use them in a normal deck, even with sleeves.
What Does Each Deck Include?
Each 17-card deck includes seven basic Pokemon, four evolution Pokemon, four basic Energy cards, and two Trainer cards, along with the aforementioned playmats, rulebook, coin, damage counters, and prize tokens. While the cards arenot legal for tournament play due to the unique backs, they do feature original art that may interest collectors.
Electric Energy (3)
How To Play My First Battle
To start the game, each player chooses a deck. Each kit comes with two decks, but you aren’t limited to the ones that come with your kit: if you buy both kits, you may choose from any of the four decks. Once you’ve picked your deck,set up the playmat included with the setas a guide for what each zone is in the play area.
Before shuffling your deck, pull out your blue-bordered First Pokemon and Starting Energy. Place the starting Pokemon in the Active Spot, and the Energy in the Energy Spot. This way,both players have a guaranteed basic Pokemon. Now you can shuffle your deck and place it in the Deck position on the playmat.
Instead of setting Prize cards,place three Prize tokensin the Prize position on the left of the playmat. Flip a coin to determine who goes first, anddraw three cards for your starting hand.
Turns progress the same as the normal Pokemon TCG, with the following changes:
During your turn, you can playa Basic Pokemon onto your Bench, play a single Energy card onto the Energy spot, evolve a Pokemon, and play Trainer cards. These can be done in any order, and you can doas many or as few as you wantin a turn.
To end your turn, attack your opponent’s Active Pokemon and add damage counters equal to the amount of damage done by your attack. If the total damage counters exceed the Pokemon’s HP, it’s Knocked Out. Your opponent should place it in the Discard pile and choose a Benched Pokemon to make their new Active Pokemon, and you take a Prize token.
Once you’re comfortable with the My First Battle game, think about picking up a Pokemon Battle Academy kit, which contains three decks of legal Pokemon TCG cards, and instructions for two of them. This next step adds the additional rules of the full trading card game, in a format that’s accessible for new and returning players alike.
