TAG TEAM (TCG)
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TAG TEAM is an attribute of cards in the Pokémon Trading Card Game introduced in the Team Up expansion. TAG TEAM cards that are Pokémon are TAG TEAM Pokémon-GX, but are sometimes just called TAG TEAM Pokémon[1] or just TAG TEAM.[2] TAG TEAM cards that are Supporter cards are TAG TEAM Supporter cards.[3] Either way, these cards show two or more characters working together. TAG TEAM cards have a team bonus as part of their effects, which is an optional effect added to an effect of the card under certain circumstances. Attacks, Abilities and Trainer cards are able to reference TAG TEAM cards.
All TAG TEAM cards have a TAG TEAM label below the card's name and the top-left and bottom-right corners covered by matching outlined polygons. Both of these elements are colored yellow.
TAG TEAM Pokémon-GX
, an example of a TAG TEAM Trio. Notice that Sky Legends-GX requires an additional 
, 
, and 
Energy to cause the team bonus to occur, even though the card is Colorless.All TAG TEAM Pokémon are Basic Pokémon-GX. These cards combine two Pokémon that have the same type to form a team[4], which is reflected in the card's artwork focusing equally on each Pokémon. A TAG TEAM card's name also includes both Pokémon, separated by an ampersand, then concluding with the GX suffix. For example, a TAG TEAM Pokémon with both Lucario and Melmetal is called Lucario & Melmetal. Sometimes, this involves printing the Pokémon's names in smaller font and using a line break in order to have both names fit in the name field.
TAG TEAMS have more HP than regular Pokémon-GX. When a TAG TEAM Pokémon-GX is Knocked Out, the TAG TEAM rule, printed in a Rule Box, causes the opponent to take three Prize cards instead of one. The Rule Box is colored silver, with a yellow border and name tag. This supersedes the normal Pokémon-GX rule, which is not printed on these cards.
The GX attack of a TAG TEAM card is called a TAG TEAM GX attack.[5][4][6] These attacks have a team bonus, an additional effect that only applies if a condition specific to the card is met.[7][8][9] In most cases the requirement is the Pokémon having some number of Energy attached to it in addition to the Energy required to perform that attack. For example, Charizard & Braixen's Crimson Flame Pillar-GX attack has a cost of one Energy, and the team bonus occurs if the Pokémon has one Energy of any type attached to it in addition to the Energy. A TAG TEAM GX attack has a '+' sign next to the attack's cost.
Some cards have further variations on what causes the team bonus to happen:
- Some cards specify that the additional Energy has to be of a specific Energy type, usually but not always being the same Energy type as the Pokémon. One instance is Gardevoir & Sylveon's Magical Miracle-GX, which requires that the three additional Energy are
Energy. Certain cards have a variation where each additional Energy needs to be of a specified type. For example, Naganadel & Guzzlord
's Chaotic Order-GX attack requires that the Pokémon have an additional 
Energy and an additional 
Energy attached to it. Special Energy cards that provide every type of Energy can only fill one of these requirements because they can only provide one type of Energy at any given time.[10] - Reshiram & Zekrom and Solgaleo & Lunala instead have the requirement being to have played a specific Supporter card during that turn. Reshiram & Zekrom require that N's Resolve was played, and Solgaleo & Lunala, require that Lillie's Full Force was played.
Hidden Fates introduces TAG TEAM trios[11][12][13] namely a TAG TEAM Pokémon GX with three Pokémon working together. There are no rules distinctions for these cards. However, their names separate all of the Pokémon's names with commas and only use an ampersand for the conjection between the second and the last Pokémon. For example, a TAG TEAM Trio with the Pokémon Togepi, Cleffa, and Igglybuff is called Togepi & Cleffa & Igglybuff. Only three TAG TEAM trio cards exist, with the other two being Moltres & Zapdos & Articuno and Arceus & Dialga & Palkia.
TAG TEAM Pokémon cards featured in expansions are accompanied by the usual Full Art and Rainbow Rare variants as well as a second, alternate artwork variant. With the exception of the TAG TEAM cards originating from the Japanese Dream League subset, those being Reshiram & Zekrom and Solgaleo & Lunala, all Regular Pokémon card prints feature artwork by Mitsuhiro Arita.
When TAG TEAM Pokémon-GX were released, products started to include TAG TEAM GX markers in place of other GX markers. The colors of a TAG TEAM GX marker match those of the TAG TEAM gameplay mechanic.
According to the game's director, Atsushi Nagashima, work on the TAG TEAM mechanic began during the Black & White Series.[14] During development, other proposed drawbacks to TAG TEAM Pokémon-GX included granting the opponent four Prize cards upon Knocking one Out, allowing the opponent to use two GX attacks during the match instead of one, or giving the cards multiple weaknesses.[15] Mitsuhiro Arita has stated that more than 100 different combinations of Pokémon were considered for TAG TEAM Pokémon-GX cards.[16]
TAG TEAM Supporter cards
TAG TEAM Supporter cards were later featured in the Cosmic Eclipse expansion, combining two characters in the same manner as TAG TEAM Pokémon cards. These cards also have a team bonus, which is a second effect that can only be applied by discarding some number of cards from the player's hand as an additional cost.[17][7] This cost cannot be paid if the team bonus would have no effect, but can be paid in order to play the card should the card's other effect have no affect on the game state.[18]
List of TAG TEAM cards
References
- ↑ Pokémon TCG: TAG TEAM Generations Premium Collection, Product Gallery, Pokémon.com
- ↑ Pokémon Trading Card Game Rules, Paradox Rift, "A TAG TEAM is a special kind of Basic Pokémon-GX with even more power and an even bigger drawback: when your TAG TEAM is Knocked Out, your opponent takes three Prize cards."
- ↑ Pokémon Trading Card Game Rules, Paradox Rift, "TAG TEAM Supporter card: A special kind of Supporter card that pairs up two Trainers on one card."
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 MEDIA ALERT: TAG TEAM Pokémon-GX for the Pokémon TCG Announced at the 2018 Pokémon World Championships, Press release, Pokémon.com
- ↑ An Interview with Atsushi Nagashima about New TAG TEAM Pokémon-GX, Pokémon.com
- ↑ MEDIA ALERT: Pokémon Battle Teams Await in Sun & Moon—Team Up, the Latest Pokémon Trading Card Game Expansion Releasing February 1, Press release, Pokémon.com
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 TAG TEAM Pokémon-GX and more in the Pokémon TCG: Sun & Moon—Cosmic Eclipse Expansion, Pokémon.com
- ↑ New Pokémon-GX from the Pokémon TCG: Sun & Moon—Unified Minds Expansion, Pokémon.com
- ↑ Bond over New Pokémon TCG Cards, Pokémon.com
- ↑ Sky Legends GX, TPCi Rules Team, November 14th, 2017, Compendium VMAX, Team Compendium
- ↑ MEDIA ALERT: First TAG TEAM Trio Debuts in New Pokémon Trading Card Game: Hidden Fates Expansion, Available Starting Today, Press release, Pokémon.com, 8/23/2019
- ↑ Hidden Fates overview page, Pokémon.com
- ↑ TAG TEAM Pokémon-GX and more in the Pokémon TCG: Sun & Moon—Cosmic Eclipse Expansion, Pokémon.com, October 17, 2019
- ↑ Pokémon World Championships 2023 Interview: "I Know Where The Meta Is Going To Go", Screen Rant
- ↑ Pokémon Trading Card Game Director Talks Balancing The Powerful New Tag Team Pokémon-GX Mechanic, Game Informer
- ↑ Exclusive: Pokemon TCG Explains Pokemon Tag Team Pairings in Unified Minds Expansion, ComicBook.com
- ↑ Pokémon Trading Card Game Rules, Paradox Rift, "every TAG TEAM Supporter card offers a special team bonus: if you discard extra cards when you play it, you get an additional effect."
- ↑ Everything You Need to Know About Tag Team Supporters, Pokégym, POKEPOP
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