What are damage counters in Pokemon

Aakrit Sharma
Damage counters in Pokemon

To win a Pokemon Trading Card Game, you must master several tactics and learn about all the mechanics such as damage counters. This guide will cover everything to know about damage counters in Pokemon TCG.

Be it Pokemon Go or Pokemon Legends: Arceus, combat in the Pokemon franchise has always been simple yet quite fascinating. The damage dealt by Pokemon largely depends on their type and choosing the right type is the key to winning.

This also applies to the Pokemon Trading Card Game which is one of the most competitive formats out there. There is a wide range of cards such as Pokemon cards, trainer cards, Energy cards, and damage counters.

Here’s the significance of damage counters in the Pokemon Trading Card game.

Pokemon Trading Card game showcase with Meowth

What do damage counters do in the Pokemon Trading Card Game

As the name suggests, damage counters in the Pokemon Trading Card Game keep a track of damage dealt to the Pokemon. To understand this, it is important to be aware of two more concepts called HP and attacks.

What is HP and attack in the Pokemon Trading Card Game?

Pokemon deal damage to each other through attacks. Each attack has its own energy cost and damage output which can be seen on the card itself. You need to place Energy cards beside the Pokemon in order for them to use the desired attack.

Another important concept is HP. Every Pokemon has a fixed number of HP (Health Points) showcased on the card. The Health Points is basically how much damage a Pokemon can take before getting knocked out.

Whenever a Pokemon attacks another Pokemon, players can place damage counters on the latter to evaluate the amount of damage it took. This helps in identifying if a Pokemon is knocked out or determining its remaining HP.

HP, Attack, and Energy shown on a Pokemon Trading Card Game

Types of damage counters in the Pokemon Trading Card Game

There are three types of damage counter cards in the Pokemon Trading Card Game:

  • 10-damage
  • 50-damage
  • 100-damage

A damage counter on your Pokemon card indicates that it has received 10 damage. It is worth noting that damage counters stay over your benched and evolved Pokemon as well. While 50 and 100-damage counters exist, the term damage counter is largely used for 10-damage.

For instance, if Pikachu has 40 HP (Health Points), an attack with 20 damage should leave it with 20 HP. To showcase this, the players can put a damage counter on Pikachu.


This was everything you need to know about damage counters in Pokemon Go. For similar content, check out how to beat Arlo in Pokemon Go, how to beat Giovanni in Pokemon Go, and how to get Stardust in Pokemon Go.

Image Credits: Nintendo