How to Mulligan in Pokémon TCG — Rules Explained
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How to Mulligan in Pokémon TCG
Mulligan TipsThe mulligan rule is one of Pokémon TCG’s most elegant design decisions — it ensures games can always start (you can never be stuck with an unplayable hand indefinitely) while creating a meaningful deck-building constraint around Basic Pokémon counts. The extra card draw for the opponent introduces a genuine risk-reward element: decks with very few Basics are faster and more consistent when they work, but the mulligan penalty for drawing no Basics can hand the opponent a decisive advantage before the game has even started. At the competitive level, mulligan rates are tracked and optimised — top players know exactly how many Basics their deck needs to keep mulligan probability below 3–5%. If you’re learning to read Pokémon cards and understand game mechanics for the first time, the mulligan is one of the first rules worth memorising — it comes up in almost every game you play.FAQ
⚡ Quick Answer
How the Mulligan Works — Step by StepA mulligan in Pokémon TCG happens when you draw your opening 7 cards and have no Basic Pokémon in hand. You must show your hand to your opponent, shuffle it back into your deck, and draw 7 new cards. Your opponent may then draw an extra card for each mulligan you take. There is no limit to how many times you can mulligan — you keep redrawing until you have at least one Basic Pokémon to place as your Active.
1
Draw your opening 7 cards. At the start of every Pokémon TCG game, both players shuffle their decks and draw 7 cards as their opening hand. This happens before either player places their Active Pokémon or sets aside Prize cards. Do not look at your hand until both players have drawn — in official tournament play, hands are drawn simultaneously.
2
Check for at least one Basic Pokémon. Look through your 7-card hand. You need at least one Basic Pokémon to start the game — it will become your Active Pokémon. Basic Pokémon are the lowest-evolution stage: cards that say «Basic» in the top-left corner. Stage 1 and Stage 2 Pokémon, Trainer cards, and Energy cards do not count. If you have one or more Basic Pokémon in your opening hand, you do not mulligan — proceed to place your Active.
3
If no Basic Pokémon: reveal your hand and declare a mulligan. If your 7-card hand contains zero Basic Pokémon, show all 7 cards face-up to your opponent, then announce the mulligan. This is mandatory — you cannot keep a hand with no Basic Pokémon. In casual play this is self-declared; in tournament play a judge may be present. Your opponent now has the option to draw an extra card from their own deck as a reward for your mulligan.
4
Your opponent draws an extra card (their choice). For each mulligan you take, your opponent may draw 1 additional card from the top of their deck. This is optional — your opponent chooses whether to take the extra card or not. Most experienced players always take extra cards since a larger opening hand is almost always advantageous. If you mulligan twice, your opponent may draw up to 2 extra cards total. Three mulligans means up to 3 extra cards, and so on — there is no cap.
5
Shuffle and redraw 7 cards. After showing your mulligan hand, shuffle all 7 cards back into your deck thoroughly, then draw a fresh 7-card hand. Check again for a Basic Pokémon. If you still have no Basic Pokémon, repeat the process — reveal the hand, opponent draws another card, shuffle, redraw. This cycle continues until you draw a hand with at least one Basic Pokémon. There is no limit to the number of mulligans in a single game, though multiple mulligans are statistically rare in well-built decks.
6
Once you have a Basic Pokémon, set up normally. Place your chosen Basic Pokémon face-down as your Active Pokémon, then optionally place up to 5 more Basic Pokémon face-down on your Bench. Both players do this simultaneously before flipping Pokémon face-up. After revealing, each player sets aside 6 Prize cards face-down from the top of their deck — the first player to take all 6 of their Prize cards wins. Then the first player draws a card and the game begins. If you want a broader overview of how the game starts, the beginner deck building guide covers the full setup sequence.
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Run enough Basic Pokémon to minimise mulligans: a well-built competitive deck runs 12–18 Basic Pokémon to ensure the opening hand almost always contains at least one. With 12 Basics in a 60-card deck, the probability of mulliganing is under 5%. With only 6 Basics, that probability rises to over 30% — unacceptable at any level of play. If you’re mulligan-ing frequently, the fix is almost always adding more Basic Pokémon. The competitive deck building guide covers the right ratios.
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Your opponent’s mulligan is a gift — always take the extra card: when your opponent mulligans, always draw the extra card. A larger opening hand in Pokémon TCG is almost universally advantageous — it gives you more options for turn 1 setup, more chances to find your key Pokémon, and more flexibility in responding to the opponent’s board state. There is virtually no situation where declining the extra mulligan draw is correct.
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Squawkabilly ex turns your opponent’s extra mulligan cards against them: Squawkabilly ex’s Squawk and Illuminate Ability discards your entire hand to draw 6 new cards — but only on the first turn of the game. If your opponent mulliganed and drew extras, their hand is already larger than 7 cards before the game starts. Your Squawkabilly ex draw of 6 may actually be smaller than their opening hand — a rare case where multiple opponent mulligans benefit the Squawkabilly ex user less than expected.
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In Pokémon TCG Live and PTCGO, mulligans are handled automatically: the digital client detects a no-Basic opening hand and prompts the mulligan sequence without you needing to manually reveal or shuffle. The opponent’s draw prompt appears automatically. Understanding the rule still matters for in-person play at local tournaments, where mulligan procedure must be followed correctly or a judge may be called.
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A mulligan does not reset your opponent’s hand: only your hand is shuffled and redrawn. Your opponent keeps their original 7-card hand and optionally draws additional cards on top of it. This is a common misunderstanding for new players — the mulligan penalty falls entirely on the player who had no Basic Pokémon, not both players simultaneously as in some other card games.
What is a mulligan in Pokémon TCG?
A mulligan in Pokémon TCG occurs when a player draws their opening 7 cards and has no Basic Pokémon in hand. The player must show their hand to the opponent, shuffle it back into the deck, and draw 7 new cards. The opponent may draw 1 extra card for each mulligan taken. The process repeats until the player draws a hand with at least one Basic Pokémon.
Does the opponent have to draw extra cards when you mulligan?
No — drawing extra cards after an opponent’s mulligan is optional. The opponent chooses whether to take the extra card or not. In practice, experienced players almost always take the extra card since a larger opening hand is nearly always advantageous. There is no strategic reason to decline extra cards in the vast majority of game situations.
How many times can you mulligan in Pokémon TCG?
There is no limit to how many times you can mulligan in Pokémon TCG. You keep revealing your hand, shuffling, and redrawing until you have at least one Basic Pokémon. Each mulligan gives your opponent the option to draw one more card. Multiple mulligans are rare in well-built decks but theoretically unlimited under the official rules.
Can you mulligan in Pokémon TCG Live?
Yes — the mulligan rule applies in Pokémon TCG Live exactly as in the physical card game. The digital client handles it automatically: if your opening hand has no Basic Pokémon, the game detects it and prompts the redraw without you needing to manually reveal or shuffle. The opponent’s extra draw prompt also appears automatically.