Harry Potter Trading Card Game
Harry Potter Trading Card Game Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Adventure Cards
Adventure cards are a new kind of card you can play to give your opponent a challenge to overcome. You don't need any Lessons on the table to play Adventure cards, but you do have to use 2 Actions to play them instead of 1. Each player can have only one Adventure on the table ('in play') at a time, so if you already have an Adventure in play, you can't play another one. An Adventure card has three parts:
Effect: This is what the Adventure does as long as it's in play.
To Solve: This is what your opponent needs to do to solve the Adventure. He can do this any time during his turn after he's drawn his first card, but he has to solve the Adventure all at once — not one piece at a time (unless the card specifically says otherwise).
Opponent's Reward: If your opponent solves the Adventure, he's the school hero! The Adventure card will say what his reward is. Then you put the Adventure card in your discard pile.
Example card — 4 Privet Drive (Adventure, illus. Michael Koelsch, 39/116):
- Effect: Your opponent can't play Spell cards.
- To Solve: Your opponent chooses 6 cards in his or her hand and discards them.
- Opponent's Reward: Your opponent may draw a card.
Item Cards
Item cards are a new kind of card that are a lot like Creatures: you need to have a certain amount of Power to play them, and then once you play them they stay on the table (unless some card tells you to discard them). Some Items (Wands and Cauldrons) give you extra Power — just like Lessons, but even better. Other Items have all sorts of different effects.
Example card — Borrowed Wand (Item · Wand, illus. Keith Garletts, 78/116, Power Needed 3): If you play this card, and you already have a Wand in play, discard the old one. Provides: two Power (hearts).
More About Character Cards
When you play the Harry Potter trading card game, you always start with a Character in play that represents you. In the advanced game, you can also have other Character cards in your deck! Just like Adventure cards, you play a Character card by using up 2 Actions, and it doesn't matter if you have any Lessons in play or not.
Once you've played a Character card, you can use its special ability. Whether it's the Character you started with or one you played during the game, you can use the ability any time during your turn after you've drawn your first card.
Your starting Character is special in another important way: it can never be discarded from play for any reason. For example, if a card tells you to discard three of your cards from play, you can't pick your starting Character as one of those three. As long as the game is still going, your starting Character is there — because it's you!
Uniqueness
All Character cards, and a few other special cards, say 'Unique' on them. This means there can be only one of them in play at a time. There's one exception — if you and your opponent both have the same starting Character, that's fine. Otherwise, once a Unique card is in play, nobody else can play another copy of that same card.
Damage
If you do less damage to a Creature than its Health, you'll need to mark the damage somehow. You can use counters or markers of any kind (some counters are provided in the Starter Set). For example, if you have a Creature on the table with 6 Health and it takes 2 damage, put 2 counters on it. If later on it takes 4 or more damage, discard it.
'In Play'
Cards are described as 'in play' when they're on the table. The cards in your hand, your deck and your discard pile are not in play. Cards that can be in play are printed sideways (Lessons, Creatures, Characters, Items and Adventures); cards that can't be put in play are printed vertically (Spells). Unless the card says otherwise, whatever is written on the 'sideways' cards happens only while that card is in play.
In general, there's no limit to how many cards you can have in play. The only exceptions are Adventures (only one Adventure can be in play on each side at a time) and cards that are Unique (see 'Uniqueness').
Keywords
Some cards have special words on them that other cards, or the rules, refer to (see p. 4 for an example). These keywords come right after the type of card. For example, the card Boil Cure has the keyword 'Healing' after 'Spell.' If some other card makes you discard all your Healing cards from your hand, and you have Boil Cure in your hand, you'd have to discard it.
For most keywords, everything you need to know is on the cards, but there are special rules for the Unique, Wizard, Witch and House keywords (Gryffindor, Slytherin, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff). (See 'Building Your Own Deck' for more about the Wizard, Witch and House keywords.) Other keywords are there for fun or for other cards to refer to.
Power Needed
Spell, Item and Creature cards have a 'Power needed' number that tells you how much Power you need in play if you want to play the card. Each Lesson gives you 1 Power. So in the basic game, you can just count the number of Lessons you have in play to see if you have enough Power to play a card.
| Power Symbol | Lesson Type |
|---|---|
| paw print | Care of Magical Creatures |
| heart | Charms |
| circle | Potions |
| butterfly | Transfiguration |
In the advanced game, there are cards that give you more than 1 Power each. So if a card needs 8 Power to play it, and you have in play a Wand that provides 3 Power, a Cauldron that provides 2 Power, and 3 (or more) Lessons, you would be able to play the card. Just like in the basic game, only one Power has to match the symbol underneath the Power needed number on the card you wish to play.
Building Your Own Deck
One of the most exciting parts of the Harry Potter trading card game is building your own personal deck! You can build your deck however you like, as long as you follow these simple rules:
- Your deck must have exactly 60 cards. You must also have 1 card that's your starting Character (which has to be a Wizard or a Witch).
- Your deck can have, at most, 4 copies of any card, except for Lesson cards (you can have any number of those).
It's tricky to build a good deck, but a good way to start is by picking two or three Lesson types. Put in some Spell and Creature cards that use those Lesson types, but be sure to put in plenty of Lessons — about half is a good starting point. Then play your deck a lot, and replace cards that don't help you or that you can rarely play. Keep playing and refining your deck, and soon you'll be able to out-duel your opponents!
Optional deckbuilding rule: If you want, you can build a 'House deck.' This means that all the cards you choose are from a single House (Gryffindor, Slytherin, Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff). Pick a House, and use cards that have keywords from that House or cards that have no House keywords at all. But don't use any cards from any of the other Houses.
Steps of Your Turn (Advanced Game)
You'll probably find the steps on the playmat are all you need, but a few more things can happen in the advanced game. Here are all the steps, just in case:
- Before your turn If a card tells you to do something before your turn begins, do it now.
- You draw a card
- Your Creatures damage your opponent
- You use 2 Actions
- End of your turn If a card tells you to do something at the end of your turn, do it now.
You can solve Adventures and use your Characters' special abilities any time during your turn, after you draw your first card (step 2).
Usually it doesn't matter in what order things happen within a step, but if for some reason it does, the player whose turn it is decides the order.
Basic Rules From the Playmat
For reference, here are the rules that appear on the Harry Potter TCG Starter Set playmat. If you want to play without using the playmat, you can just refer to this section if you forget anything!
Start Here!
You and your opponent are wizards duelling at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Many spells and magical creatures you play will 'damage' your opponent, which means your opponent has to discard cards from his or her deck.
You win the game when your opponent's deck runs out of cards.
Before You Play
- Pick which deck you want.
- Put your Wizard or Witch card in the 'Wizard/Witch' spot.
- Shuffle your deck and put it in the 'Deck' spot.
- Draw 7 cards for your starting hand.
- Decide who goes first.
Steps of Your Turn
Step 1. Draw a card from your deck and put it into your hand. Do this first every turn!
Step 2. Damage your opponent with your Creatures that are already on the table. (Don't worry about this on your first turn — you won't have any Creatures on the table yet.)
Step 3. You have 2 Actions. You can use an Action to:
- Play a Lesson card; or
- Play a Creature card (you'll need enough Lesson cards on the table — see 'Types of Cards' on p. 12); or
- Play a Spell card (you'll need enough Lesson cards on the table — see 'Types of Cards' on p. 12); or
- Draw an extra card.
You can do the same Action twice instead of doing two different Actions.
Types of Cards
Lesson Cards
Lessons give you the power you need to play other cards. When you play a Lesson card, all you need to do is take it from your hand and put it on the table. Lessons stay on the table ('in play') after you play them.
Example card — Care of Magical Creatures (Lesson, illus. Shanna Espen, Melissa Ferreira, 113/116).
Creature Cards
Creatures damage your opponent's deck — not other Creatures. They stay on the table ('in play') after you play them.
Power needed: You must have this many Lessons already on the table to play this card. Only one of your Lessons has to match the paw-print symbol.
For example, Surly Hound has a cost of 3. To play it, you'd need 3 Lessons on the table, and only 1 of them would have to be a Care of Magical Creatures Lesson.
Example card — Surly Hound (Creature · Dog, illus. Scott Lewis, 107/116, Power needed 3):
- Damage each turn: 1
- Health: 3
- Flavor text: 'When Harry knocked they heard a frantic scrabbling from inside and several booming barks.'
Health: If your opponent's Spell card does this much damage or more to your Creature, discard it.
Damage each turn: Your opponent discards this many cards from his or her deck every turn. The damage happens on step 2 of your turn (so your Creature doesn't do damage on the turn that you play it).
Spell Cards
To play a Spell card, show it to your opponent, do what it says and put it in your discard pile. Spell cards don't stay on the table like the other cards do.
Power needed: You must have this many Lessons already on the table to use this card. Only one of your Lessons has to match the heart symbol.
What the card does: This is what happens when you play the card. Some cards do damage to your opponent (which makes your opponent discard that many cards from his or her deck) or to one Creature that's on the table.
Example card — Illegibilus (Spell, illus. James Bernardin, 92/116, Power needed 5): Look at your opponent's hand. Choose 1 of those cards and discard it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: If my opponent makes me discard a card, which discard pile does it go into? A: Whenever one of your cards gets discarded, it goes to your discard pile, even if your opponent's card made you discard it.
Q: I have 2 Actions every turn. Do I have to use both of them? A: No. You can use both, or just one, or none at all if you want. It's usually smart to use all your Actions, though. You can't save Actions for a later turn.
Q: Do I 'use up' my Lessons when I play cards? A: No, they stay on the table and can be used again, even that same turn (unless some card specifically tells you to discard them). For example, if you have four Lessons on the table, and two cards in your hand that each need 4 Power to play them, you can use your 2 Actions to play them both.
Q: I have a card that needs 6 Power to play it. It says 'To play this card, discard 1 of your Lessons from play.' Do I need a total of seven Lessons to play the card? A: No, you only need six. (First you check to make sure you have the Power needed, and then you do whatever the card says on it.)
Q: What happens if I run out of cards in my hand? A: Nothing special. You just keep playing. You may want to use some of your Actions to draw more cards, though!
Q: For my 2 Actions, I want to play a Creature card and draw an extra card. Can I do those two things in either order? A: Yes. You can use your Actions in any order you like.
Q: I didn't get any Lessons in my opening hand. What do I do? Can I draw a new hand? A: No, you just keep playing with the hand you have. Remember, if you use both of your Actions to draw cards, you'll be drawing three cards every turn, so you should be able to find your Lessons quickly!
Q: My opponent wants to know if a certain card is in my discard pile. Do I have to let her look? A: Yes. What's in your discard pile is no secret — either you or your opponent can look at it at any time. Your opponent can also know the number of cards left in your deck or in your hand, although what those cards are is secret!
Q: If I played a card that said 'Draw 2 cards,' would I have to use up Actions to do that? A: No. On your turn, you can use an Action to draw a card if you want. But if some other card tells you to draw cards (or tells you to do anything else), you wouldn't have to use any Actions — you'd just do whatever the card said. (Of course, if the card said to use Actions, then you'd do that!)
Q: Some cards say I can do something 'up to 5' times. Can I do it zero times, or do I have to do it at least once? A: You'll probably never want to do something zero times, but if you really want to, you can do that.
Q: I have a card in play with an ability that can only be used once per game (like Dean Thomas). It gets returned to my hand, and then I play it again. Can I use the ability again? A: Yes. When a card leaves play, it doesn't remember that it was ever in play before. So it's just like you're playing Dean Thomas for the first time. In the same way, if a Creature with damage counters gets returned to your hand, and you play it again, it's a new Creature with no damage counters on it.
Glossary
Action You have 2 Actions on each of your turns. You can use an Action to draw a card or to play a card. You don't have to use all your Actions.
Adventure card A card you can play to present a challenging situation for your opponent. It takes 2 Actions to play an Adventure card, but it doesn't need any Power. The card tells you what effect it has on your opponent, what he or she needs to do to solve it, and the reward your opponent gets if he or she does. Each player can have only one Adventure in play at a time.
card type There are currently six different card types in the game: Adventure, Character, Creature, Item, Lesson and Spell.
Character card A card that represents a specific Harry Potter character. You play Character cards from your hand (they take 2 Actions to play but don't need any Power). You'll also have one as your starting Character, which needs to be a Wizard or a Witch.
Creature card A card that, when in play, damages your opponent's deck turn after turn.
damage You can do damage to your opponent, which forces him or her to discard cards from the top of his or her deck. You can also damage a Creature in play. If the total damage a Creature takes during the game is greater than or equal to its Health, it's discarded. (Use counters to keep track of damage that's less than the Creature's Health.)
discard To remove a card from play, from someone's deck, or from someone's hand. No matter where the cards came from, they go to the discard pile of the person they belong to.
discard pile This is where all discarded cards go. Your discard pile is always face up, and either player can look at it whenever he or she likes.
draw To take the top card of your deck and put it into your hand.
flavour text This text appears in italics on the bottom of some cards. It's usually a quote from Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. Flavour text has no effect on the play of the game — it's just there for fun.
hand The cards you are holding but haven't played yet. You are still considered to have a hand even if there are no cards in it.
Health The amount of damage a Creature can take before it gets discarded.
House deck A deck made with cards all having the same House keyword. It can include cards with no House keyword at all.
in play Cards that have been played and are still on the table. Your deck and your discard pile are not in play.
Item card A card that, when in play, may give you extra Power or have some other ongoing effect.
keyword These words are found on some cards after the card type. Keywords are sometimes referred to by other cards or by the rules. Some keywords have special rules — like the Unique, Wizard, Witch and House keywords (Gryffindor, Slytherin, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff).
Lesson card A card that gives you the Power you need to play other types of cards. Each Lesson provides 1 Power. The current kinds of Lessons are Care of Magical Creatures (paw print), Charms (heart), Potions (circle) and Transfiguration (butterfly).
Power needed The number found on the upper-left corner of Creature, Spell and Item cards that tells you how much Power you need to play them. That Power comes from the cards you already have in play — usually Lessons, but sometimes Items or other cards.
special ability The text on a Character card that says what the card can do if it's in play.
Spell card A card that you play from your hand, do what it says, and then put in your discard pile. Spell cards don't stay in play.
starting Character The Character you have in play at the start of the game. It can never be discarded from play. Your starting Character must be a Wizard or a Witch.
Unique A keyword found on some cards, usually Character cards. You can't play a Unique card if there's already a copy of that card in play. It's fine if both players have the same starting Character, though.
Witch A keyword found on some Character cards. Only a Wizard or a Witch can be a starting Character.
Wizard A keyword found on some Character cards. Only a Wizard or a Witch can be a starting Character.
Card Lists
Complete Harry Potter TCG Base Set Card List
Rarity key: holo-portrait premium, foil premium, rare, uncommon, common.
- Dean Thomas — holo-portrait premium
- Draco Malfoy — holo-portrait premium
- Draco Malfoy — foil premium
- Dragon's Escape — foil premium
- Elixir of Life — foil premium
- Gringotts' Cart Ride — foil premium
- Hannah Abbott — holo-portrait premium
- Harry Potter — holo-portrait premium
- Hermione Granger — holo-portrait premium
- Hermione Granger — foil premium
- Human Chess Game — foil premium
- Invisibility Cloak — foil premium
- Nearly Headless Nick — holo-portrait premium
- Obliviate — foil premium
- Professor Filius Flitwick — holo-portrait premium
- Professor Severus Snape — holo-portrait premium
- Ron Weasley — holo-portrait premium
- Rubeus Hagrid — holo-portrait premium
- Troll in the Bathroom — foil premium
- Unicorn — foil premium
- Delivery Owl — rare
- Draught of Living Death — rare
- Harry Hunting — rare
- History of Magic — rare
- Incendio — rare
- Malevolent Mixture — rare
- Meet the Centaurs — rare
- Mountain Troll — foil premium
- Mrs Norris — foil premium
- Norbert — rare
- Phoenix Feather Wand — rare
- Platform 9 3/4 — rare
- Potion Ingredients — rare
- Raven to Writing Desk — rare
- Shrinking Potion — rare
- Titillando — rare
- Transfiguration Exam — rare
- Transfiguration Test — rare
- Privet Drive — uncommon
- Alchemy — uncommon
- Apothecary — uncommon
- Apparate — uncommon
- Baby Dragon — uncommon
- Bluebell Flames — uncommon
- Burning Bitterroot Balm — uncommon
- Cage — uncommon
- Confundus — uncommon
- Diagon Alley — uncommon
- Dogbreath Potion — uncommon
- Draco's Trick — uncommon
- Dragon Heart Wand — uncommon
- Fumos — uncommon
- Guard Dog — uncommon
- Hiding From Snape — uncommon
- Kelpie — uncommon
- Logic Puzzle — uncommon
- Mysterious Egg — uncommon
- Nurture — uncommon
- Ollivanders — uncommon
- Peeves Causes Trouble — uncommon
- Pet Toad — uncommon
- Pomfrey's Pick-Me-Up — uncommon
- Potions Exam — uncommon
Harry Potter TCG Starter Set Card Lists
Draco's Deck
- 1 Draco Malfoy
- 10 Care of Magical Creatures Lesson
- 9 Charms Lesson
- 2 Accio
- 2 Boa Constrictor
- 3 Curious Raven
- 2 Hagrid and the Stranger
- 4 Magical Mishap
- 2 Stupefy
- 2 Surly Hound
- 4 Vermillious
Hermione's Deck
- 1 Hermione Granger
- 12 Care of Magical Creatures Lesson
- 7 Transfiguration Lesson
- 2 Avifors
- 4 Curious Raven
- 2 Epoximise
- 3 Forest Troll
- 2 Hagrid and the Stranger
- 3 Incarcifors
- 2 Take Root
- 3 Vicious Wolf
Note: Players of the Harry Potter trading card game living in the United States may notice that spellings of some words differ from their typical spellings. We have chosen to use the British spellings of words in order to retain the flavour of the original novel: Harry Potter and The Philosopher's Stone (in the United States, the book is called Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone). We hope you enjoy and appreciate our efforts to remain true to the novel.