posted October 17, 2002 08:08 PM            

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213. Who Plays First
The winner of a coin toss (or other random method) chooses who plays first.

For tournaments that include more than one game per match, after each game in a match, the loser of that game (even if the game loss was due to a penalty) decides whether to play first in the next game. If the game was a draw (so that there was no winner or loser), the player who decided who played first for that game chooses for the next game.
214. Pregame Procedures
Before play begins, players determine who plays first (see section 213).

The steps listed below are similar to what appears in the Pokémon rulebook.

1. Both players draw their hands of seven cards.

2. The active player (the one who is going first) checks to see if his or her hand contains a Basic or Baby Pokémon card. If the active player has no Basic or Baby Pokémon card in his or her hand, he or she reveals his or her hand and shuffles the hand back into his or her deck. The active player then redraws his or her hand to its initial size. (Remember, the active player’s initial hand size is seven cards.) The nonactive player may then draw up to two additional cards. The active player repeats this process until he or she has a Basic or Baby Pokémon card in his or her starting hand. This procedure is called a mulligan.

3. The active player then places a Basic or Baby Pokémon card face down in front of himself or herself. He or she does not have to choose this Pokémon to be the active Pokémon.

4. The nonactive player (the player who is going second) checks to see if his or her hand contains a Basic or Baby Pokémon card. If the nonactive player has no Basic or Baby Pokémon card in his or her hand, he or she reveals his or her hand and shuffles the hand back into his or her deck, then draws a new hand equal to the number of cards that they had prior. The active player may then draw up to two additional cards. The nonactive player repeats this process until he or she has a Basic or Baby Pokémon card in his or her starting hand.

5. The nonactive player will then choose a Basic or Baby Pokémon card and put that into play as his or her active Pokémon. He or she will then choose to place any other Basic or Baby Pokémon on his or her Bench.

6. The active player will then choose a Basic or Baby Pokémon card and make that Pokémon active; he or she will then choose to place Pokémon on his or her Bench until he or she is ready to begin play.

7. Both players will now set aside six prize cards and place them, face down, in front of them. In Booster Draft tournaments, players set aside only four Prize cards instead of the usual six.

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posted October 18, 2002 04:01 AM            

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Originally posted by MasterMazakala:
this may sound complicated, but i think this was done because of decks with mulligan zapdos. this consisted of only one pokemon, zapdos. Instead of playing prizes then your hand, which could have meant your only pokemon in your prizes, and therefore losing anyway, you keep drawing a new hand untill you get your pokemon and then you play your prizes.

this is the only reason i can think of for this rule coming into place, though it is also benificial to all players.

I like to use it this way, although most players know not of this rule, and deal their prizes and hand simaltaniously.

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