Double Battle Format Rules

Look at these nerds play

Playing the Double Battle Format of the Pokémon TCG is easy, and familiar!

Below you'll find a list of rules that are different than the regular rules for the Pokémon TCG. If you know how to play the Pokémon Trading Card Game, you basically already know how to play DBF — there are very few differences. That said, we'll go over a quick rundown of things below for quick reference.

You can download the full handbook at the below link. It includes specific examples, and helpful clarity if needed!

Double Battle Format Handbook

General Gameplay

Board setup diagram showing two Active Pokémon, up to four Bench slots, six Prize cards, deck, and discard pile
  • All Standard-legal cards are legal for play except for Rule Box Pokémon.
  • Your deck may have up to 2 copies of a card of the same name in the deck, rather than the normal 4.
  • You have two active Pokémon instead of 1.
  • Each of your Active Pokémon may attack once per turn, unless otherwise specified.
  • When attacking, you choose which of your opponent's Active Pokémon to target.

All other normal Pokémon Trading Card Game rules still apply to all other aspects of regular gameplay.

For specific card interactions and format-specific rulings, please check the Compendium page. For format updates, deck discussions, and other content, check the Blog page for more.