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Riftbound tokens: playing and representing them
Learn to play and represent Riftbound tokens, including Recruit, Mech, Sprite and Sand Soldier, their initial state, Temporary and leaving the board.
Riftbound: Recycle, Trash and Banish explained
Distinguish Recycle, Trash and Banish in Riftbound, send cards to the correct destination and handle ordering, costs, effects and linked abilities correctly.
Silica gel for TCG cards: when and how to use it
Assess silica gel for TCG card storage: measure humidity, inspect the enclosure and maintain the desiccant without treating it as a repair for damaged cards.
Twin Suns: 80 cards and two Star Wars Unlimited leaders
Build for Star Wars Unlimited Twin Suns with 80 cards, two leaders and a base. Check singleton rules, aspects and decisions for the multiplayer format.
Yu-Gi-Oh! Equip Spells and equipped monsters
Learn how Yu-Gi-Oh! Equip Spells work, from targets and zones to what happens when the equipped monster leaves the field, changes control or turns facedown.
Yu-Gi-Oh!: Collector’s, Ultimate and Quarter Century
Distinguish Yu-Gi-Oh! Collector’s, Ultimate and Quarter Century finishes, including prismatic variants, using texture, set codes and product information.
Are Pokémon World Championships cards legal?
Pokémon World Championships replicas are official but not tournament legal. Check the back, printed signature and product identity before buying cards.
BANDAI TCG+: event registration and waiting lists
Apply for BANDAI TCG+ events and check Selected, Waiting List or lottery results. Distinguish application, selection and attendance before planning travel.
BGS subgrades, gold labels and Black Label
Read BGS centering, corners, edges and surface subgrades. Distinguish an overall 10, gold labels and Black Label without treating an average as the grade.
Cancelling a Cardmarket order before shipment
Cancel a Cardmarket order before shipment: requests, the seven-day response and unpaid or unshipped cases. Check approval and account balance separately.
Capture and rescue in Star Wars: Unlimited
Resolve capture and rescue in Star Wars: Unlimited: lost upgrades, a guarding unit leaving play and the exhausted return to its owner, without When Played.
Cardmarket pre-orders: when should they ship?
Check when Cardmarket pre-orders should ship, who can offer them and the specific Magic rules. Release day and arrival day do not have to coincide.
CGC Pristine 10, Gem Mint 10 and legacy 9.5
Distinguish CGC Pristine 10 and Gem Mint 10, the legacy Gem Mint 9.5 transition and current Mint+ 9.5. Check label and certificate before comparing copies.
Deathtouch vs indestructible in Magic
Resolve deathtouch against indestructible in Magic. Compare damage, destruction, zero toughness, exile and sacrifice with clear interaction examples.
Digimon inherited effects: which text is active?
Read inherited effects in a Digimon stack: top-card text, lower sources, conditions and once-per-turn states that do not automatically reset on evolution.
Dominate vs Overpower in Flesh and Blood
Compare Dominate and Overpower in Flesh and Blood. Check hand origin, Action type, defense reactions and abilities gained after defenders are declared.
Empty deck in Digimon: when do you lose?
In Digimon, an empty deck and failing the Draw Phase draw are different. Check evolution draws, your last turn and the separate Digi-Egg deck rules.
Empty deck in Lorcana: when do you lose in 2026?
Lorcana's 2026 empty-deck rule checks at the end of your turn. Distinguish drawing the last card, returning cards to the deck and winning beforehand.
Flesh and Blood fatigue: playing with an empty deck
An empty deck does not automatically lose in Flesh and Blood. Evaluate fatigue, pitch recycling and the resources needed to keep applying pressure.
Gundam Card Game: Pilots and Link Units
Pairing a Pilot does not always create a Link Unit in Gundam Card Game. Check Link conditions, AP and HP bonuses, deployment-turn attacks and separate traits.
How many ACE SPEC cards can a Pokémon deck contain?
Learn the Pokémon ACE SPEC deck limit, how Items, Tools and Energy share it, and when a legally recovered card can be used again during the game.
Lorcana multiplayer: rules for three or more players
Set up Lorcana for three or more players: turn order, individual lore, challenges and opponent effects, with clear rules for a free-for-all game.
Lorcana Sealed: packs, ink colours and 40-card decks
Build a Lorcana Sealed deck under the 2026 rules: at least 40 cards, event packs, unrestricted ink colours and pool copies, with Draft kept distinct.
Magic Draft vs Sealed: which should you try first?
Choose Magic Draft or Sealed for your first event. Compare card selection, packs, deck building, time pressure and what to confirm with the store.
Magic trample: how much damage reaches the player?
Calculate Magic trample damage with multiple blockers, marked damage and deathtouch. Check lethal assignment, prevention and separate combat damage steps.
One Piece 2026: block numbers, Standard and Extra
Check One Piece block numbers for Standard and Extra in 2026, card-number updates and the Super Parallel Rare exception before registering a deck.
One Piece cost vs power: what do effects reduce?
Cost and power are separate values in One Piece. Check reduction effects, removal thresholds and duration with practical examples for reading cards.
Pauper legality: rare printings and downshifts
Check whether a rare printing is legal in Pauper through common printing history, paper or Magic Online and bans, including the 2026 Zeta clarification.
Pokémon Build & Battle: your first prerelease
Prepare for a Pokémon Build & Battle prerelease: your permitted card pool, 40-card deck, four Prize cards and what to confirm with the store beforehand.
Pokémon jumbo cards: sizes, buying and storage
Identify and measure Pokémon jumbo cards, choose compatible sleeves and storage, and check condition before buying, displaying or shipping a copy.
Pokémon Lost Zone: can you recover cards?
Understand the Pokémon Lost Zone, why discard recovery cannot retrieve its cards, and how to choose which resources to keep during a game of Pokémon.
Riftbound bans: September 2026 deck checks
Review Riftbound's September 2026 bans across cards, battlefields and the 2v2 Legend restriction. Check your event format before registering a deck.
Riftbound Equip: attaching and keeping Equipment
Distinguish playing Equipment from activating Equip in Riftbound. Check costs, active text, Quick Draw and what happens when the attached unit leaves.
Riftbound Hidden: hiding and playing a card
Understand Riftbound Hidden: hiding cost, available battlefield, next-turn permission, targets and loss of control. Hiding and playing are separate actions.
Star Wars: Unlimited Exploit: reducing the cost
Calculate Exploit in Star Wars: Unlimited: your own units, a reduction of two per unit, aspect penalties and the strategic cost of giving up board presence.
Yu-Gi-Oh! Damage Step: what can you activate?
Check what you can activate in Yu-Gi-Oh! Damage Step: timing windows, ATK and DEF changes, activation negation and exceptions on the specific cards.
Yu-Gi-Oh! owner vs controller: where does a card go?
Distinguish owner and controller in Yu-Gi-Oh! when cards move to the Graveyard, hand or Deck, or become materials after changing control during a Duel.
Yu-Gi-Oh! Ritual Summoning: steps and materials
Learn Yu-Gi-Oh! Ritual Summoning: cards in hand, materials, Level totals and resolution. Check each effect's exceptions before following a generic recipe.
Activate: Main in One Piece: timing and costs
[Activate: Main] identifies an effect you can declare during your own Main Phase in One Piece Card Game, as long as you are not in the middle of a battle…
Attack vs Defense Reactions in Flesh and Blood
In Flesh and Blood, Attack Reactions and Defense Reactions are played during the Reaction Step of a combat chain. The attacker's controller may use Attack…
Basic vs Special Energy in Pokémon TCG
Basic Energy and Special Energy are used to pay for attacks in Pokémon TCG, but they are not interchangeable under all rules. Basic Energies represent a…
Bodyguard in Lorcana: protecting characters
Bodyguard in Disney Lorcana combines two abilities. When you play the character, you can choose for it to go into exhausted instead of ready. Additionally…
Commander damage in Magic: tracking 21
In Commander, a player loses if the same commander has dealt 21 or more combat damage to them during the game. The total is tracked per pair "specific…
Commander mulligan: opening hand rules
In a multiplayer Commander game, the London mulligan has a specific rule: the first mulligan of each player does not count when determining how many cards…
Damage, healing and banishing in Lorcana
In Disney Lorcana, damage to a character is represented with counters that remain until an effect removes them or the character is removed from the game…
Defending with Equipment in Flesh and Blood
In Flesh and Blood, you can defend your hero with public equipment that you control if it has defense value and no rule prevents declaring it. It is…
DigiXros in Digimon: materials and cost
DigiXros in Digimon Card Game allows you to play a Digimon by placing cards beneath it that meet the requirements stated in its DigiXros line. Each valid…
DNA Digivolution in Digimon: costs and stacks
The DNA Digivolution in Digimon Card Game combines multiple of your cards that meet a printed requirement on a Digimon card to form a new Digimon. It is…
A good collection starts with clear answers.
Answers to help you find your way through the guides.
Where should I start if I’m new to collecting?
Choose your game, then define your goal: playing, completing a set or trading duplicates. Each category brings related guides together.
How do I identify the card I want to trade?
Record its set, number, language, finish and condition. Confirm those details with the other collector and use photos of the actual copy.
How do I prepare a trade?
List what you can offer and what you want. Agree on the exact copies, their condition and the delivery method before confirming.
Can I search all the articles?
Yes. The explorer searches the complete catalogue, including articles on other pages. Combine a keyword with a game or topic to narrow the results.
Do all games in the blog appear in the app?
The blog covers more games than the app. TradeMatches supports Pokémon, Magic, Yu-Gi-Oh!, One Piece, Lorcana and Riftbound.
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