Pokémon TCG mulligan: no Basic in your opening hand
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If you draw seven cards to start a Pokémon TCG game and there is no Basic Pokémon in your hand, you must perform a mulligan: reveal that you have no Basic Pokémon, reshuffle the cards back into your deck, and draw a new hand of seven. Repeat until you can place a Pokémon in the Active Spot. Your opponent may draw additional cards for each mulligan you've made, but it's not always a strict "one card per failed hand"—there are nuances: when both players repeat hands, only the difference in mulligans counts. The official rules specify the order of preparation to prevent revealing cards or drawing extra cards prematurely.
Why is it mandatory to repeat the hand?
A normal game requires you to place a Basic Pokémon in the Active Spot during setup. If your initial seven cards consist only of Energy cards, Trainers, or Evolution cards, you cannot choose any of those as Active. Having a Phase 1 card that indicates which Pokémon it evolves from is not sufficient—you still lack the required Basic Pokémon to begin. A mulligan is not a strategic choice to discard a hand you simply don’t like. If you have at least one Basic Pokémon, you proceed with that hand, unless a rule or card specifically states otherwise.
This distinction matters in tournaments and casual play. A player cannot look at a hand with a weak Basic Pokémon, declare "I have no options," and reshuffle to find something better. They may decide which Basic Pokémon to place in the Active Spot and which to place in the Bench, within the rules of setup, but the presence of a Basic Pokémon makes the hand valid. If a card has a special design that raises questions about whether it counts as a Basic Pokémon, check its printed category and the current rulebook before starting—don’t rely solely on the illustration or the character’s name.
Sequence for a single player without a Basic Pokémon
When you have no Basic Pokémon and your opponent does, you announce a mulligan. The detailed sequence in the rules states that you wait for the other player to complete their corresponding setup before revealing your hand without a Basic Pokémon and reshuffling it. Then, you draw seven new cards. If no Basic Pokémon appears, repeat the process. Keep track of how many times you’ve had to repeat the hand and keep the opponent’s Prize cards separate: you must not accidentally include cards from another zone during the shuffle.
When you finally draw a hand with a Basic Pokémon, place the Active Pokémon face down and set up the Bench if desired. Before revealing the Pokémon, your opponent receives the opportunity to draw extra cards for your additional mulligans, according to the rules. These cards may include Basic Pokémon that can be placed in the Bench during setup. The draw is optional within the allowed limit; it does not force a change in the Active Pokémon or allow the opponent to re-draw their initial hand. If you're playing for the first time, pausing for a few seconds and counting the mulligans aloud helps avoid a complicated adjustment later.
During each repetition, reveal the full hand to demonstrate the absence of a Basic Pokémon and reshuffle it back into the deck before drawing seven new cards. Do not selectively remove good cards for the next hand or pick a new card from the deck—the procedure ensures a random new hand. If using sleeves, verify that no cards are stuck to each other and that the deck is properly shuffled. Your opponent must be able to confirm the absence of a Basic Pokémon, but they do not need to memorize your cards. Once confirmed, the hand returns to the deck. Clearly defining the sequence avoids unnecessary suspicions at the start of a competitive game.
What happens when both players repeat hands?
If neither player has a Basic Pokémon in their first hand, both reveal their hands and start over. If both still lack a Basic Pokémon in the next hand, they repeat again. These shared repetitions do not automatically grant extra cards to either player, since both are in the same situation. The rules provide an example: if both players made two mulligans and then Player A needed three additional mulligans while Player B already had a valid hand, Player B may draw up to three extra cards. What matters is the difference after shared repetitions, not adding up all of Player A’s failed hands and ignoring Player B’s.
A practical way to avoid errors is to note two numbers: Player A’s mulligans and Player B’s mulligans. When both finally have a hand with a Basic Pokémon, calculate how many mulligans each player made beyond the other. If Player A made four and Player B made two, Player B may draw up to two extra cards. If both made two, neither receives extra cards. The number is not a moral penalty nor an informal advantage—it is part of the rules to compensate for unequal hand repetitions during the start of the game.
The opponent may choose how many cards to take
The phrase "up to one card per additional mulligan" means that the player entitled to the draw may choose not to take any. If the limit is three, they may take zero, one, two, or three cards, depending on current rules. Drawing more does not always improve a hand—some strategies prefer controlling hand size or reserving space for other effects. What matters for the mechanics is that the limit is correctly calculated and that the decision is made by the player who benefits, not the one who repeated the hand.
If one of the additional cards is a Basic Pokémon, the player may place it in the Bench at that moment during setup, according to the official sequence. Do not place it directly in the Active Spot if you already chose a valid Active Pokémon to begin with. Also, do not use the extra cards before the start of the game to play Trainers or link Energies—they remain part of your hand during setup. Once this step is complete, reveal the Active and Bench Pokémon as specified in the rules and begin the first turn.
Three examples of counting
First example: You draw a hand without a Basic Pokémon, and your opponent successfully gets a valid hand on their first try. You repeat once and end up with a Basic Pokémon. Your opponent may draw up to one additional card. Second example: Both of you fail on the first hand; your opponent’s second hand is valid, but you fail on your second and third attempts. When your fourth hand becomes valid, you have made three mulligans and your opponent one—the difference is two, so your opponent may draw up to two cards. Third example: Both of you fail twice and both end up with a Basic Pokémon on your third hand—there is no difference, so no one draws extra cards due to mulligans.
These examples help distinguish "fourth hand" from "four mulligans." A mulligan is each repetition of a hand without a Basic Pokémon, not the final valid hand. They also show why it's unwise to immediately distribute extra cards as soon as one player announces their first failure—because you don’t yet know whether the other player will also have to repeat or how many times. In an event, if the sequence has been mixed up or someone has already seen cards they shouldn’t have, call the judge before improvising a correction that could worsen the issue.
How deck construction influences the process
If a deck contains very few Basic Pokémon, it may start with more hands without a valid option. There is no universal number of Basic Pokémon that works for all strategies—some decks rely heavily on Basic Pokémon, while others depend on specific pieces. However, the mulligan is a signal worth observing during testing. Record how many games started without a Basic Pokémon, how many times you repeated, and whether your opponent took extra cards. This information provides a concrete reason to review your deck list, better than simply swapping cards for a single unlucky hand.
The solution isn’t always to add any Basic Pokémon. Consider whether the new cards support your strategy, whether you can play them effectively when they appear as Active Pokémon, and what piece you must sacrifice to make room. A card only reduces mulligans if it is actually a Basic Pokémon that can appear in the initial hand. An additional Phase 1 card, a searcher, or more Energy cards do not fulfill that initial function on their own, even if they help after the game starts. Test several hands of seven with your revised list and keep the results; don’t invent a success probability based on just a few games.
Common mistakes during setup
A common error is revealing the entire hand too early when only you are required to repeat. Another is forgetting that an Evolved Pokémon does not replace a Basic Pokémon. It's also common to grant one card per mulligan total without subtracting the shared ones, or to force the opponent to take all allowed cards. Sometimes, Prize cards that were already placed are accidentally mixed in, or Pokémon are revealed before the additional draws are complete. The remedy is to follow the rule sequence, count repetitions aloud, and keep each zone of the table clearly separated.
If you notice a playing partner making a mistake, explain the rule before continuing. The mulligan occurs at the start, when it's still simple to restart an informal setup. In tournaments, a wrong decision can affect hidden information or card advantages, so seek help from a judge. Do not attempt to compensate for an excessive draw by returning a randomly selected card without authorization. The official procedure exists precisely so both players begin with correct information and resources.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I mulligan if I have a Basic Pokémon I don’t want to play?
No—for that reason. If your hand contains a Basic Pokémon, it meets the standard setup condition; the mandatory mulligan applies only to hands without a Basic Pokémon.
If both of us make the same number of mulligans, who draws extra cards?
No one draws extra cards due to mulligans when there is no difference in the number of repetitions between both players.
Does the opponent have to take all the extra cards?
No. The rules allow taking up to the number corresponding to your extra mulligans; the player entitled to the draw decides how many to take within that limit.