Lost Zone
The Lost Zone (Japanese: ロストゾーン) is a zone in the Pokémon Trading Card Game, first introduced in the Platinum expansion. It is strongly associated with Giratina. Unlike other game zones, there is only a single Lost Zone, shared by both players. No game rule causes a card to be moved to it; instead, some card effects cause cards to be placed into the Lost Zone.
Much like the discard pile, cards in the Lost Zone are considered public knowledge. The number of cards in the Lost Zone, as well as the properties of specific cards in the zone, can be referenced by other cards. However, there are no effects to retrieve cards from the Lost Zone or effects that trigger when a card is placed there, which renders cards in the Lost Zone unplayable for the rest of the match.
Prism Star cards, as per the Prism Star rule, are moved to the Lost Zone if they would be moved to the discard pile.
Location
, and Enamorus
all within the Lost Zone, or at least within the gas that is tied to the dimension.The place on the playfield where the Lost Zone is placed is often disputed. Rulebooks advise that cards in the Lost Zone should be placed face up outside of the play area. Meanwhile, players in tournaments often tuck cards in the Lost Zone underneath their GX or VSTAR markers. The Play! Pokémon Tournament Rules Handbook enforces players keep their Lost Zone above their Prize cards in a neat stack.[1] While the Lost Zone is a single zone that both players use, players usually keep the cards that they own separate from the opponent's cards while in the Lost Zone. The Tournament Rules Handbook supports this interpretation, notably using the phrase "A player's Lost Zone...".
Digital implementations of the Trading Card Game present the Lost Zone in different ways. Pokémon Trading Card Game Online represented the Lost Zone as a single stack next to the Active Spot, with a line separating either player's cards in the Lost Zone while inspecting this stack. Pokémon Trading Card Game Live represents the Lost Zone as a purple void that cards are sucked into, located to the left of the Active Spots. This void only appears after the first time a card enters the Lost Zone. There is one void for both players, but the contents of the Lost Zone can be sorted by each player.
Backstory
The Japanese Lost Link subset revolves around a floating island rising up from the sea to a vortex seemingly close enough to engulf it, as seen in the Lost World artwork. Some of its Pokémon are able to manipulate energy fields similar to the vortex's appearance and, along with the Lost Remover, have effects related to the Lost Zone and indicate a link of the vortex with the setting.
In Lost Origin, Giratina tore a hole in the fabric of space that leads to the Lost Zone.[2] Giratina VSTAR is described to have plunged "the world into the abyssal shadow of the Lost Zone!"[3] The Lost Zone is described as having "powerful shadows".[4]
The Lost City also shows a location with prominent connection or depiction of the Lost Zone.
Sets
Cards with text referring to the Lost Zone are in the following sets:
- Platinum
- Supreme Victors
- Arceus
- Triumphant
- Call of Legends
- Forbidden Light
- Lost Thunder
- Team Up
- Cosmic Eclipse
- Lost Origin
- Crown Zenith
(This list excludes the Prism Star rule. For those cards, see the Prism Star page.)
Artwork
Different sets use different motifs in the art to indicate that the card cares about the Lost Zone.
- HeartGold & SoulSilver Series: Cards have spheres of purple, crackling energy in the artwork.
- Sun & Moon Series: Some cards continue to use energy spheres, but the color range is extended to include blues and blacks. Other cards instead use any kind of purple or blue energy. Full Art cards do not follow this motif.
- Sword & Shield Series: Cards have wisps of purple, pink, and blue gas emanate from the frame of the art. Pokémon V and Pokémon VSTAR do not have frames, but incorporate the gas into the art. Full Art cards do not follow this motif.
Some Item cards use Lost Zone colors in their design, like Lost Remover, Mirage Gate, Lost Vacuum and Lost Blender.
Cards
The following is a list of all cards which have an effect referring to the Lost Zone.
(This list excludes the Prism Star rule. For those cards, see the Prism Star page.)
Trivia
- In Creating a Strong Stage 2 Pokémon Deck, an episode of Top Deck Academy, an incorrect answer to a trivia question involved sending a player "to the Lost Zone, ending the game".[5]
In other languages
| Language | Title | |
|---|---|---|
| Japanese | ロストゾーン Lost Zone | |
| Chinese | Cantonese | 放逐區 Fongjuhk Kēui |
| Mandarin | 放逐區 / 放逐区 Fàngzhú Qū | |
| French | Zone Perdue | |
| German | Nirgendwo | |
| Indonesian | Lost Zone | |
| Italian | Zona Perduta Area perduta (Ultra Prism onward) | |
| Korean | 로스트존 Lost Zone | |
| Brazilian Portuguese | Zona Perdida | |
| Spanish | Zona Perdida | |
| Thai | ลอสต์โซน Lost Zone | |
See also
References
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This article is part of Project TCG, a Bulbapedia project that aims to report on every aspect of the Pokémon Trading Card Game. |
