Basic Energy Cards Explained
Pokémon Basic Energy cards are the nine different Energy Cards that correspond to one or more of the 18 different Pokémon types. Each Basic Energy Card is classed as one of that type of energy.
Pokémon Energy Cards are a vital component of the Pokémon Trading Card Game (TCG). In order to use their attacks, Pokémon must have a specified number and type(s) of Energy Card attached to it. For example: if four Water Energy are required for an attack, a player must have four blue Water Energy Cards attached to that Pokémon. Players can attach one Energy Card per turn, so where an attack requires multiple Energy Cards this must be done over a number of turns.
The required number of Energy Cards for each attack is indicated by the Energy type symbols to the left of the Attack name. Generally, an Attack will require at least one Energy type that corresponds to the Pokémon type plus a number of Colorless Energy. As there are no Colorless Energy Cards, any type of Energy Card can be used.
The Regieleki V 057/195, depicted above has two different Attacks that require different Energy Cards. Switching Bolt requires one Lightning Energy, while Lightning Wall requires one Lightning Energy plus 2 Colorless Energy Cards. The Attack that requires three Energy Cards does significantly more damage than the move with one Energy Card.
What are the Different Types of Basic Energy Cards
When the TCG first launched in 1996, there were 6 different Energy Cards – Grass, Fire, Water, Lightning, Psychic and Fighting. In 2006, Darkness and Metal Energy, were moved from Special Energy to Basic Energy cards. In 2014, Fairy Energy cards were introduced to coincide with the launch of Fairy Type Pokémon, but were not included in the main Sword and Shield sets since there are no Generation VIII Fairy type Pokémon.
In total 9 different Basic Energy types have been released, each with a different colour. The images above are for the cards released in 2020. The design of Energy Cards has changed over the years. Follow the links for each type below to learn more about the different designs for each.
As there are only 9 different Energy types but 18 different Pokémon types, some Basic Energy cards correspond to more than one Pokémon Type.
Grass Energy Cards are green in colour and indicated by the symbol 
a black leaf in a green circle. Grass Energy corresponds to Grass and Bug type Pokémon.
Fire Energy Cards are red and indicated by the symbol 
which depicts a black flame on a red background. Fire Energy corresponds to Fire type Pokémon.
Water Energy Cards are coloured blue and indicated by the symbol 
, a black water droplet in a blue circle. Water Energy corresponds to Water and Ice type Pokémon.
Lightning Energy Cards are yellow in colour and indicated by the symbol 
which shows a black lightning bolt against a yellow background. This Energy only relates to Electric type Pokémon.
Psychic Energy Cards are purple in colour. They are indicated by the symbol 
, an eye in a purple circle, and correspond to Psychic, Ghost and Poison type Pokémon
Fighting Energy Cards are Orange and are indicated by the symbol 
which depicts a black fist against an orange background. Fighting Energy corresponds to Fighting, Ground and Rock type Pokémon.
Darkness Energy Cards are coloured dark Blue. They are indicated by the symbol 
of a black crescent in a dark blue circle. They correspond to Dark type Pokémon.
Metal Energy Cards are silver-grey and are indicated by the symbol 
which shows an inverted black triangle with black brackets at each corner, set against a silver-grey background. Metal Energy corresponds to Steel type Pokémon
Fairy Energy Cards are pink and indicated by the symbol 
which shows a black four-pointed star above two symmetrical shapes. Fairy Energy correspond to Fairy type Pokémon
Normal, Flying and Dragon type Pokémon do not have a corresponding Energy Card type. They correspond to Colorless Energy which is indicated by the symbol 
which can be any Energy type card.
