{"id":486878,"date":"2025-07-16T16:57:21","date_gmt":"2025-07-16T08:57:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/snkrdunk.com\/en\/magazine\/?p=486878"},"modified":"2025-07-16T18:03:00","modified_gmt":"2025-07-16T10:03:00","slug":"pokemon-tcg-glossary-all-the-terms-to-know","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/snkrdunk.com\/en\/magazine\/2025\/07\/16\/pokemon-tcg-glossary-all-the-terms-to-know\/","title":{"rendered":"Pok\u00e9mon TCG Glossary: All the Terms to Know"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Pok\u00e9mon TCG is full of terms with which many who are relatively new to it might not be familiar. As such, it’s often the case that many find themselves uncertain with all the lingo related to the world’s most popular TCG franchise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With this in mind, we’ve compiled a glossary of terms that are frequently used within the TCG community. We’ve divided the glossary into three portions: collection-related terms, gameplay-related terms, and colloquial names for certain cards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pok\u00e9mon TCG Collection-Related Terms<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Pok\u00e9mon<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Chase card (noun) \u2014 <\/strong>the most expensive card of a particular set
\u2022 Degenerate\/degen (noun) \u2014 <\/strong>a person who purchases and opens an excessive number of booster packs for the specific intent of landing one or more high-value cards
\u2022 ETB (noun) \u2014 <\/strong>Elite Trainer Box
\u2022 Genwunner (noun) \u2014 <\/strong>a Pok\u00e9mon fan who only likes or overwhelmingly prefers Gen 1; often used derisively by younger fans
\u2022 God Box (noun) \u2014 <\/strong>a booster box with an unusually large number of rare and expensive cards
\u2022 God Pack (noun) \u2014 <\/strong>a booster pack specifically designed to include many rare and expensive cards; only present in specific sets
\u2022 Hat (noun) \u2014 <\/strong>colloquial term for Tera Jewels on a Terastallized Pok\u00e9mon
\u2022 KTCG (noun) \u2014 <\/strong>Korean Pok\u00e9mon TCG products
\u2022 LCS (noun) \u2014 <\/strong>local card store
\u2022 Raw (adjective) \u2014 <\/strong>ungraded
\u2022 Rip (verb) \u2014 <\/strong>the act of opening a booster pack
\u2022 Scalp (verb) \u2014 <\/strong>selling Pok\u00e9mon TCG products at an excessive price, usually after having obtained those products in bulk
\u2022 Waifu (noun) \u2014 <\/strong>a fan-favorite female character
\u2022 Waifu tax (noun) \u2014 <\/strong>the price increase that a card experiences when it depicts a waifu
\u2022 Wizards of the Coast (WotC) era (noun) \u2014<\/strong> the first two generations of the English Pok\u00e9mon TCG<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pok\u00e9mon TCG Gameplay-Related Terms<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Pok\u00e9mon<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 BDIF (noun) \u2014 <\/strong>Best Deck in Format
\u2022 Beatstick (noun) \u2014 <\/strong>a Pok\u00e9mon primarily used to deal large amounts of damage
\u2022 Broken (adjective) \u2014 <\/strong>a card deemed to be excessively powerful to the extent that it harms the metagame
\u2022 Deckout (verb) \u2014 <\/strong>losing a game by running out of cards in the deck
\u2022 Donk (verb) \u2014 <\/strong>defeating the opponent on the first turn of the game before the opponent has had a chance to make a move
\u2022 Gust (verb) \u2014 <\/strong>forcing the opponent to switch out the opposing Active Pok\u00e9mon by way of a specific card or attack effect
\u2022 Map (verb) \u2014 <\/strong>planning the order in which the opponent’s Pok\u00e9mon are to be KO’d and thus the sequence of Prize cards to be taken
\u2022 Metagame\/meta (noun) \u2014 <\/strong>the current overall state of Pok\u00e9mon TCG gameplay in general, including deck choices, strategies, and matchup advantages and disadvantages
\u2022 Mill (verb) \u2014 <\/strong>forcing the opponent to discard cards from the deck in order to induce a deckout
\u2022 Multi-Prizer (noun) \u2014 <\/strong>a Pok\u00e9mon yielding more than one Prize card upon being KO’d
\u2022 Prized (adjective) \u2014 <\/strong>a card left in the player’s Prize cards, unable to be retrieved until the player draws it by picking up a KO
\u2022 Ramp (verb) \u2014 <\/strong>the act of attaching additional Energy cards to the player’s Pok\u00e9mon
\u2022 Rotation (noun) \u2014 <\/strong>the rules determining which cards are legal for tournament use at a given point in time
\u2022 Single Prizer (noun) \u2014 <\/strong>a Pok\u00e9mon yielding one Prize card upon being KO’d
\u2022 Snipe (verb) \u2014 <\/strong>attacking an opposing Benched Pok\u00e9mon
\u2022 Splash damage (noun) \u2014 <\/strong>damage inflicted by an attack that targets more than one opposing Pok\u00e9mon
\u2022 Tech (noun) \u2014<\/strong> a card specifically selected to address a matchup difficulty<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Colloquial Card Names<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Pok\u00e9mon<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 ADP \u2014 <\/strong>Arceus & Dialga & Palkia GX (Alter Genesis [SM12] 100\/095<\/a> \/ Cosmic Eclipse 221\/236<\/a>)
\u2022 Beauty Looking Back \u2014 <\/strong>Pikachu (S-P Promotional Cards 227\/S-P<\/a>)
\u2022 Birthday Pikachu \u2014 <\/strong>_____’s Pikachu (Unnumbered Promotional Cards \/ Wizards Black Star Promos \/ Promo Card Pack 25th Anniversary Edition [S8a-P] 007\/025<\/a> \/ Celebrations 24<\/a>)
\u2022 Bubble Mew \u2014 <\/strong>Mew ex (Shiny Treasure ex [SV4a] 347\/190<\/a> \/ Paldean Fates [PAF] 232\/091<\/a>)
\u2022 Extra Battle Day Acerola \u2014 <\/strong>Acerola (SM-P Promotional Cards 395\/SM-P<\/a>)
\u2022 Extra Battle Day Lillie \u2014 <\/strong>Lillie (SM-P Promotional Cards 397\/SM-P<\/a>)
\u2022 Hat Lillie \u2014 <\/strong>Lillie (Collection Moon [SM1M] 066\/060 <\/a>\/ Sun & Moon 147\/149<\/a>)
\u2022 Illustrator \u2014 <\/strong>Pok\u00e9mon Illustrator (Unnumbered Promotional Cards)
\u2022 Logan Paul Charizard \u2014 <\/strong>Charizard (Base Set 4\/102)
\u2022 Mewtube \u2014 <\/strong>Mewtwo GX \u2606 (Shining Legends [SM3+] 082\/072<\/a> \/ Shining Legends 078\/073<\/a>)
\u2022 Moonbreon \u2014<\/strong> Umbreon VMAX (Eevee Heroes [S6a] 095\/069<\/a> \/ Evolving Skies 215\/203<\/a>)
\u2022 Munch (Pok\u00e9mon name) \u2014 <\/strong>Psyduck (SM-P Promotional Cards 286\/SM-P<\/a>) \/ Eevee (SM-P Promotional Cards 287\/SM-P<\/a>) \/ Pikachu (SM-P Promotional Cards 288\/SM-P<\/a>) \/ Mimikyu (SM-P Promotional Cards 289\/SM-P<\/a>) \/ Rowlet (SM-P Promotional Cards 290\/SM-P<\/a>)
\u2022 Sunbreon \u2014 <\/strong>Umbreon ex (Terastal Festival ex [SV8a] 217\/187<\/a> \/ Terastal Festival ex [SV8aF] 217\/187<\/a> \/ Prismatic Evolutions [PRE] 161\/131)<\/a>
\u2022 Van Gogh Pikachu \u2014 <\/strong>Pikachu with Grey Felt Hat (SVP Black Star Promos 085<\/a>)
\u2022 Yu Nagaba (Pok\u00e9mon name) \u2014<\/strong> Pikachu (S-P Promotional Cards 208\/S-P<\/a>) \/ Eevee (SV-P Promotional Cards 062\/SV-P<\/a>) \/ Vaporeon (SV-P Promotional Cards 063\/SV-P<\/a>) \/ Jolteon (SV-P Promotional Cards 064\/SV-P<\/a>) \/ Flareon (SV-P Promotional Cards 065\/SV-P<\/a>) \/ Espeon (SV-P Promotional Cards 066\/SV-P<\/a>) \/ Umbreon (SV-P Promotional Cards 067\/SV-P<\/a>) \/ Leafeon (SV-P Promotional Cards 068\/SV-P<\/a>) \/ Glaceon (SV-P Promotional Cards 069\/SV-P<\/a>) \/ Sylveon (SV-P Promotional Cards 070\/SV-P<\/a>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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