Energy Types Guide
Energy cards are the fuel that powers your Pokemon's attacks. Understanding energy types is essential for building effective decks.
How Energy Works
Every Pokemon attack has an energy cost shown as colored circles. You must have that many energy cards of the matching types attached to your Pokemon to use the attack.
Key Rules:
- You may attach 1 energy card per turn from your hand to any of your Pokemon
- Energy stays attached until the Pokemon is knocked out or an effect removes it
- A Colorless (⚪) requirement can be paid with any energy type
- You can have unlimited Basic Energy cards in your deck (no 4-copy limit)
- Special Energy cards follow the normal 4-copy limit
All Energy Types
Grass
Powers Grass, Bug, and some Poison type Pokemon. Associated with healing, status conditions, and energy acceleration.
Fire
Powers Fire type Pokemon. Known for high damage but often requires discarding energy as a cost.
Water
Powers Water and Ice type Pokemon. Often associated with bench sniping and energy manipulation.
Lightning
Powers Electric type Pokemon. Fast attackers that frequently self-damage or discard energy for big hits.
Psychic
Powers Psychic, Ghost, Poison, and Fairy type Pokemon (in recent sets). Known for ability-based strategies and disruption.
Fighting
Powers Fighting, Rock, and Ground type Pokemon. High damage, often with recoil or bench damage effects.
Darkness
Powers Dark type Pokemon. Associated with disruption, hand control, and aggressive strategies.
Metal
Powers Steel type Pokemon. Known for tankiness, damage reduction, and defensive strategies.
Dragon (No Basic Energy)
Dragon type Pokemon don't have their own basic energy. They use combinations of other energy types in their attack costs (often Fire + Water or Lightning + Fighting).
Fairy (Retired)
Powered Fairy type Pokemon from XY through Sun & Moon. Retired in Sword & Shield era — Fairy Pokemon now use Psychic energy.
Colorless (Not a Basic Energy)
Not a basic energy type — it's a symbol in attack costs meaning "any energy works here." Normal and Flying type Pokemon are Colorless type.
Basic Energy vs Special Energy
Basic Energy
- Provides 1 energy of its type
- No deck limit — run as many as you want
- 9 types: Grass, Fire, Water, Lightning, Psychic, Fighting, Darkness, Metal, Fairy
- Can be retrieved from discard with many Trainer cards
- Not affected by cards that remove "Special Energy"
Special Energy
- Often provides 2+ energy or bonus effects
- 4-copy limit per deck (standard rule)
- Can be removed by cards that specifically target Special Energy
- Harder to recover from the discard pile
- More vulnerable to disruption but more powerful when used correctly
Notable Special Energy Cards
| Card | Era | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Double Colorless Energy | Base Set – Sun & Moon | Provides 2 Colorless energy. The most iconic Special Energy ever printed. |
| Twin Energy | Sword & Shield | Provides 2 Colorless energy, but only for non-V/GX/EX Pokemon. |
| Double Turbo Energy | Sword & Shield | Provides 2 Colorless energy, but attacks do 20 less damage. |
| Jet Energy | Scarlet & Violet | Provides 1 Colorless energy. When attached from hand, switch the attached Pokemon to Active. |
| Reversal Energy | Scarlet & Violet | Provides 1 Colorless, or 3 energy of any type if you have more Prize cards remaining than your opponent. |
| Rainbow Energy | Multiple eras | Provides 1 energy of every type, but deals 10 damage to the attached Pokemon when played. |
| Counter Energy | Sun & Moon | Provides 2 energy of every type if you have more Prize cards remaining. Otherwise, 1 Colorless. |
| Boost Energy | EX era | Provides 3 Colorless energy, but only for Evolution Pokemon. Discarded at end of turn. |
Energy in Deck Building
How many Energy cards should you run? Most competitive decks use 10-14 energy cards out of 60. Here's a rough guide:
Tip: Running too many types weakens consistency. Most competitive decks stick to 1-2 energy types maximum and rely on Colorless requirements for flexibility.