What is a Prerelease?
A Prerelease is a special Premier Event that is held about two weeks prior to the release date of a new Pokémon TCG set. These events are beginner friendly, and are the only official way to get your hands on cards from the new set ahead of time! Entry is $30 and only people who are participating in the event will be permitted to purchase kits.
What do I need to bring?
Officially, nothing at all. But here’s a checklist of recommended items to bring so you are prepared for the event:
- A coin-toss die (translucent D6) or other approved randomizer
- Damage counters and Special Condition markers (Poison and Burn)
- Playmat and sleeves (about 50)
- Optional: Ability markers
- Optional: Trade binder
What are the special rules?
If you know how to play Pokémon TCG, there are very few rule changes from Standard, but it is important to know the differences!
- 40-card decks (instead of 60)
- 4-prize matches (instead of 6)
- No 4-card limit (you can run 5 or more Pikachu, for instance)
- Ditto Markers grant the Evolutionary Advantage Ability*
Each player will receive Ditto Markers that can be placed on a Basic Pokémon without a Rule Box once per turn (before your Attack). Pokémon with Ditto Markers gain the Ability Evolutionary Advantage, which reads:
“Once during your turn, you may put any Stage 1 or Stage 2 card from your hand onto this Pokémon to evolve it. You can’t use this Ability during your first turn or the turn this Pokémon was put into play. If you put a Stage 2 card onto this Pokémon, your turn ends. Each Pokémon can use only 1 Evolutionary Advantage Ability per game.”
This Ability allows players to use Evolution cards they draft even if they do not get the corresponding Basic Pokémon. Please note that while it is not possible to remove Ditto Markers from Pokémon, if a Pokémon has its Abilities turned off, that includes Evolutionary Advantage!
* Please note that other stores may not use Ditto Markers in Sealed Prereleases; we do to encourage players to use more of their kits.
What happens during Sealed Prerelease?
Your entry fare pays for:
- Your Build & Battle kit, containing a 40-card deck and 4 booster packs.
- Additional prizing at the end of the event.
At the start of the event, everyone will receive a Build & Battle kit and Ditto Markers. When the Professor signals, you will open your Build & Battle kit, examine the contents of your 40-card preconstructed deck, and then open the four booster packs that come in your kit. These booster packs contain cards that you may use to modify your 40-card preconstructed deck, but you are not obligated to make any changes. After a 20-minute construction period, a three round Swiss tournament will begin and you will compete with other players present. You may not trade with other players during the tournament.
At the end of the event, you will receive an additional booster pack of the new set for each round you play in, regardless of whether you win or lose. This means all players who stay for all three rounds will receive the same prizing, win or lose. You must play at least one round.
What happens during Draft Prerelease?
Your entry fare pays for:
- Your Build & Battle kit, containing a 40-card deck and 4 booster packs.
- Additional prizing at the end of the event.
At the start of the event, everyone will receive a Build & Battle kit and Ditto Markers. Players will be seated in small groups of up to 4 players: these will be your draft pods. You will be given time to review the 40-card preconstructed deck in your Build & Battle kit–this is the time you will use to think about what sort of cards you might like to prioritize in your draft selection.
When the Professor gives the signal, you will open the first booster pack in your Build & Battle kit, remove the Basic Energy and LIVE code card, and select one card from the pack to keep. Once every player has chosen their card to keep, the Professor or assigned Draft Leader will signal to pass the remaining cards to the next player. This process repeats until all cards from a pack have been selected. Once all players in a pod are ready, the second pack in your kit is drafted in the same manner, except players will pass remaining cards in the opposite direction. With four packs in a Build & Battle kit, passing to the left and to the right should happen twice. For example:
- Pack 1: Pass right.
- Pack 2: Pass left.
- Pack 3: Pass right.
- Pack 4: Pass left.
Once all four packs have been drafted from your Build & Battle kits, you will have 20 minutes to make modifications to your decks. After the construction phase, a three round Swiss tournament will begin and you will compete with other players present. You may not trade with other players during the tournament.
At the end of the event, you will receive an additional booster pack of the new set for each round you play in, regardless of whether you win or lose. This means all players who stay for all three rounds will receive the same prizing, win or lose.