4 Players

[ambiorix290369]

Hi,

 

we started a few weeks ago playing 4 players. We have some rules. Are there, in your opinion, official or +/- unofficial rules for playing 2x2? Thank you

 

regards

[SuperStone]

I think the rulebook does provide some guidelines for teams.  However, the game is very much not designed for it, and there will likely be a lot of discretion calls, like how you handle Colress, or copycat attacks.

 

I hope you have fun with it. It's not my favorite style, but to each their own, ay?

[ambiorix290369]

Thanx. It's quite fun playing 2x2. We needed some adjustements at the begining but now it's well playable.
 

[Otakutron]

Until 2018, you could find official rules for a four-player version of the game in the Play! Pokémon Rules and Formats .pdf on the official Pokemon.com site.  The development of such rules actually goes back to about 2001 or 2002, when WotC had licensed the TCG.  Unfortunately, more recent versions of the document no longer include those rules... but I saved the old rules so I'll copy/paste them below.

 

14.3. Team Battle

 

The Team Battle format allows two players to participate on a team, each player having one Active Pokémon. This game is played exactly like a regular game of Pokémon except for a few rule changes.

 

Setup:

 

• Players sit on opposite sides of the table with the teams positioned diagonally to each other, so each player is facing a member of the opposing team.
• One member of each team participates in a coin flip to determine which team goes first. The winning team then chooses which of its players will go first. The turn sequence starts with the chosen player and then proceeds clockwise around the table, the turn order alternating between teams.
• Each player draws seven cards. Each player places one Active Pokémon and up to four Benched Pokémon. Players then place half as many Prize cards as they would for a single-player game, based on the format styles outlined in Section 11.
• Any player who cannot place an Active Pokémon reveals their hand to all players and declares a mulligan. The opponent across the table from the player may draw one card for the mulligan after both players have placed their Prize cards. If both the player declaring the mulligan and the opponent across the table from that player declare a mulligan, both players shuffle and set up again without their teammates drawing any extra cards.
• The player going first for each team may not attack on their first turn.

 

Game Play
• Players may not reveal their hands to their teammates or to the opposing team unless a game rule requires them to do so.
• Only the player whose turn it is may initiate conversation with his or her teammate. Conversation should be limited to short “yes” or “no” questions. General strategy or moves should not be discussed.
• If an attack or action on a player’s card Knocks Out the opposing player’s Pokémon, the acting player takes the appropriate number of Prize cards. If the player does not have enough Prize cards remaining, the player’s teammate takes the remainder from their Prize cards.
• If a player’s last Pokémon is Knocked Out but the player’s teammate still has at least one Pokémon in play, the player is not eliminated from the game and may play Trainer, Supporter, and Stadium cards on their turn. If that player draws a Basic Pokémon, they must play it in the Active position on the first available opportunity. If neither player on a team has any Pokémon in play, the opposing team wins the game.
• If a player cannot draw a card at the beginning of their turn, that player is removed from the game. That player’s teammate places Prize cards from the bottom of their deck equal to the eliminated player’s remaining Prize cards.

 

Card References

• Cards that state “you” or “your” refer to the active player or their teammate, as designated by the player.
• Cards that state “your opponent’s Pokémon” refer to the opponent that is being attacked, if the player is attacking, or the player’s choice of opponent, if the player is not attacking.
• Cards worded for 2-on-2 Battle are applied to both players on a team. For example, cards that refer to “each Defending Pokémon” will affect both teammates’ Defending Pokémon.
• Effects and attacks that refer to “all Pokémon in play” affect all Pokémon in play for both teams.

 

Between Turns

• Between-turns actions are taken before and after the turn of the player that owns the affected card.
• The effects of Special Conditions are checked for before and after the affected player’s turn.

 

14.3.1. Constructed
 

Team Battle—Constructed events use the standard Constructed rules, as listed in Section 11.1, with the addition of the Team Battle format rules including the number of Prize cards used, as described in Section 14.3.
 

14.3.2. Limited
Team Battle—Limited events use the standard Limited rules, as listed in Section 11.2, with the exception of the number of Prize cards used, in addition to the Team Battle format rules, listed in Section 14.3. Sealed Deck, detailed in Section 11.2.1, is an appropriate format for Team Battle—Limited events, though teammates are permitted to trade cards during the deck-construction process.

 

I realize these aren't as clear as they could be, since they reference other sections of the document. For example, the rules about Prize counts references the section that explains how many Prizes cards you normally set aside at the beginning of the game.  So... just do half of what is typical: a normal Standard or Expanded Format game has one player set aside six Prize cards, so a Team Battle game using the Standard or Expanded Format has each team member set aside three Prize cards.  If you used the Team Battle rules for a Limited Format tournament (like a Pre-Release), each player would only set aside two Prize cards during setup because in a normal one versus one Limited Format game a player lays down four Prize cards at the beginning.