15.8. Foreign Cards
The use of foreign‐language cards have been known to create time delays and confusion at highlevel
Premier Events, where significant prizes are on the line. However, as the Pokémon TCG is
an international game, concessions must be made to help accommodate markets where
multiple languages are more common. Players are restricted on which language cards they can
use, based on the country where they are playing. The list of countries and regions below
defines which languages are considered local and which are considered foreign in that country
or region.
Canada
Local—English and French
Foreign— German, Italian, Japanese, and Spanish
Europe
Local—English, French, German, Italian, and Spanish
Foreign – Japanese
Mexico and South America
Local—English and Spanish
Foreign—French, German, Italian, and Japanese
United States and Asia Pacific
Local—English
Foreign—French, German, Italian, Japanese, and Spanish
Players are permitted to use a limited amount of foreign cards at Premier Events. At a Premier
Event, a player’s deck cannot contain more than 10% foreign cards (i.e., 6 foreign cards for a 60‐
card Constructed event). All of the cards in the player’s deck must have been released, in
English, in the United States and must be legal for use according to the tournament’s format
restrictions. If a player is using a foreign‐language card at an event, the player must have an
English or local‐language version of the card, outside of his or her deck, for reference.
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Players may use a copy of the official Pokémon TCG Card‐Dex containing the card’s text, which
can be downloaded from the Tournament Rules and Resources page, in lieu of a reference card.
Card scans are not an acceptable replacement for a reference card.
If a judge determines that a player is using non‐local language cards and/or misprinted cards to
gain an advantage, that player will be subject to the Cheating section of the POP Penalty
Guidelines.
For the Pokémon TCG World Championships and the Last Chance Qualifier, players are
permitted to use cards that are legal in their home markets. Reference cards are not required
for the Pokémon TCG World Championships or the Last Chance Qualifier.
15.8.1. Reference Cards
Players are required to keep reference cards, or Card‐Dex entries, for every foreign card
in their deck accessible at all times during deck checks and game play. The tournament
staff is under no obligation to provide reference materials to players. Players who fail to
provide suitable reference materials at the beginning of a tournament should be denied
entry to the tournament until they can produce those materials. Players who fail to
provide suitable reference materials in a timely manner during a match should receive
an appropriate penalty, as outlined in the Penalty Guidelines.
[...]
15.9. Japanese Cards
Players are permitted to use Japanese cards at Premier Events for the 2009–2010 tournament
season. All rules regarding the use of foreign‐language cards, as outlined in Section 15.8., must
be adhered to. Players will not be permitted to use Japanese cards for Premier Events starting
with the 2010–2011 tournament season.
If a player has a single copy of a Japanese card in his or her deck and a local‐language reference
card, that player should be encouraged, but not required, to replace the Japanese card with the
local‐language reference card.
Players from Japan are exempt from these restrictions for the Pokémon TCG World
Championships and the Last Chance Qualifier.
