(Created page with "[[File:StarterDeck.jpg|thumb|250px|The original starter set that so many young players began with. Though it claims to be a two-player set, it only contains two "half decks"....")
[[File:StarterDeck.jpg|thumb|250px|The original starter set that so many young players began with. Though it claims to be a two-player set, it only contains two "half decks".]]
[[File:StarterDeck.jpg|thumb|250px|The original starter set that so many young players began with. Though it claims to be a two-player set, it only contains two "half decks".]]
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The Pokémon Retro TCG Tournament at BelleCON 2013 is designed to level the playing field for old players who haven't kept up with the newest releases over the years. In order to make everything fair, only First Generation sets are allowed (see below), and most Promo cards from the same era.
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The Pokémon Retro TCG Tournament at BelleCON 2013 is designed to level the playing field for old players who haven't kept up with the newest releases over the years. In order to make everything fair, only First Generation sets are allowed (see below), and most Promo cards from the same era. The general rule of thumb is that cards released ''in English'' prior to December of 2000 (predating the release of Neo Genesis) are legal.
Over the years, alterations have been made to the rules of the Pokémon TCG, and certain cards have been altered or even banned from tournament play. Many of these decisions were made because, with the addition of newer sets, combinations with older cards opened up exploits or 'cheap' moves. By limiting the tournament to First Generation sets only, these cards are all brought back into legal play, and the tournament is run under era-appropriate rules.
Over the years, alterations have been made to the rules of the Pokémon TCG, and certain cards have been altered or even banned from tournament play. Many of these decisions were made because, with the addition of newer sets, combinations with older cards opened up exploits or 'cheap' moves. By limiting the tournament to First Generation sets only, these cards are all brought back into legal play, and the tournament is run under era-appropriate rules.
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==Identifying Legal Cards==
==Identifying Legal Cards==
===Base Set===
===Base Set===
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The original Pokémon card set did not have any unique identifying symbols. Today, its lack of a Set Symbol below the lower right corner of the artwork is what makes it identifyable as a Base card. It was released on January 9, 1999, and consists of a total of 102 cards. This set builds an important foundation by including Basic Energy cards, which were not released again until Base Set 2, Gym Heroes, and Gym Challenge.
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The original Pokémon card set did not have any unique identifying symbols. Today, its lack of a Set Symbol below the lower right corner of the artwork is what makes it identifyable as a Base card. It was released on January 9, 1999, and consists of a total of 102 cards. This set builds an important foundation by including Basic Energy cards, which were not released again until Base Set 2, Gym Heroes, and Gym Challenge.
===[[File:TCG-Jungle.gif|thumb|left]]Jungle===
===[[File:TCG-Jungle.gif|thumb|left]]Jungle===
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The first expansion set. The Japanese version of Jungle contains only 48 cards, while the English version contains 64, because Wizards of the Coast chose to make holographic versions of previously non-holographic cards and included them in the set along side their non-sparkly forms.
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The first expansion set, identified by a flower resembling a Vileplume's blossom under the right corner of the artwork. The Japanese version of Jungle contains only 48 cards, while the English version contains 64, because Wizards of the Coast chose to make holographic versions of previously non-holographic cards and included them in the set along side their non-sparkly forms. This set contains only one Trainer card, one Psychic pokemon, and no energy.
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===[[File:TCG-Fossil.gif|thumb|left]]Fossil===
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The second expansion set, identified by a generic fossilized claw symbol under the right corner of the artwork. Titled "Mystery of the Fossils" in Japan, this deck contained 48 cards, which was expanded to 62 for the English release, using the same method of adding holographic cards that WotC practiced in their release of Jungle. WotC removed a Mew card from the deck and made it a Black Star Promo (see below), but because the promo was released in January of 2000, it is considered legal by Retro Tournament rules.
Revision as of 01:40, 16 August 2012
The original starter set that so many young players began with. Though it claims to be a two-player set, it only contains two "half decks".
The Pokémon Retro TCG Tournament at BelleCON 2013 is designed to level the playing field for old players who haven't kept up with the newest releases over the years. In order to make everything fair, only First Generation sets are allowed (see below), and most Promo cards from the same era. The general rule of thumb is that cards released in English prior to December of 2000 (predating the release of Neo Genesis) are legal.
Over the years, alterations have been made to the rules of the Pokémon TCG, and certain cards have been altered or even banned from tournament play. Many of these decisions were made because, with the addition of newer sets, combinations with older cards opened up exploits or 'cheap' moves. By limiting the tournament to First Generation sets only, these cards are all brought back into legal play, and the tournament is run under era-appropriate rules.
This page will help you identify what cards are legal in the Retro Tournament, and how to build your deck for classic rules.
The original Pokémon card set did not have any unique identifying symbols. Today, its lack of a Set Symbol below the lower right corner of the artwork is what makes it identifyable as a Base card. It was released on January 9, 1999, and consists of a total of 102 cards. This set builds an important foundation by including Basic Energy cards, which were not released again until Base Set 2, Gym Heroes, and Gym Challenge.
Jungle
The first expansion set, identified by a flower resembling a Vileplume's blossom under the right corner of the artwork. The Japanese version of Jungle contains only 48 cards, while the English version contains 64, because Wizards of the Coast chose to make holographic versions of previously non-holographic cards and included them in the set along side their non-sparkly forms. This set contains only one Trainer card, one Psychic pokemon, and no energy.
Fossil
The second expansion set, identified by a generic fossilized claw symbol under the right corner of the artwork. Titled "Mystery of the Fossils" in Japan, this deck contained 48 cards, which was expanded to 62 for the English release, using the same method of adding holographic cards that WotC practiced in their release of Jungle. WotC removed a Mew card from the deck and made it a Black Star Promo (see below), but because the promo was released in January of 2000, it is considered legal by Retro Tournament rules.
