Harry Potter Trading Card Game
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Created by Wizards of the Coast in August of 2001, the Harry Potter Trading Card Game is a strategy game and collectible card game based in the magical world created by JK Rowling. Similar to the popular , the Harry Potter Trading Card Game invites players to customize their own 60 card decks in an attempt to become a master dueler. While the cards have since gone out of print, they remain a fun and easy way for fans to immerse themselves in the Harry Potter world.
Brief history
On August 7, 2001 the first set of 116 cards (now called the base set) was introduced. Around November of 2001 the Quidditch Cup expansion of 80 cards, which introduces the quidditch types to the game, was released. This was followed by Diagon Alley in March 2002, then Adventure at Hogwarts on June 14, 2002, at 80 cards each. The last expansion, Chamber of Secrets, at 140 cards, came out on October 7, 2002. From its conception in 2001, through 2003, the Harry Potter Trading Card Game (HPTCG) was popular among many people and age ranges and several gaming leagues were formed. Wizards of the Coast has announced they will no longer make HPTCG cards, but many fans remain hopeful that there will be more expansions in the future.
How to play
The Play Mat: For anyone who has purchased the Harry Potter Trading Card Game Starter Set, they will find a handy "play mat," which is literally a map that players can use to guide them through a match. While it is suggested to anyone learning the HPTCG to use it, the rules from the "play mat" are transcribed here:
"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."
Your goal is to damage your opponent's deck to reduce it to zero cards before they can reduce your deck to zero cards. The "play mat" goes over the steps of your turn and what you do. Just a note on the aforementioned steps, when it says, "pick which deck you want," this refers to one of two decks that come in the starter pack (A charms/creature and a transfiguration/creature). However, once you make your own decks, you can pick whatever deck you want.
"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 may do the same Action twice instead of doing two different Actions."
You can use two Actions to:
- Play a Character card; or
- Play an Adventure card.
The page numbers refer to pages in the Harry Potter Trading Card Game Rule Book. However, the playmat is quite adequate in getting you started.
Types of cards
There are seven types of cards in the Harry Potter Trading Card Game. Some information is directly from the "play mat."
1. Character Cards
2. Lesson Cards
3. Creature Cards
4. Spell Cards
5. Adventure Cards
6. Item Cards
7. Location Cards
1. Character Cards
Your starting Wizard/Witch card is your Hogwarts personality. It does not count towards the 60 card limit in your deck, and remains in play throughout the entire game. Many character cards have special abilities that can be used in the place of actions. For example, one character card may say, "During your turn, you may use this card to draw two lessons every action." Other Character cards have abilities that may only be used once, so you must use it wisely! Character cards may also be placed in your deck. You do not need any lesson cards in play to play character cards, but it requires 2 actions to play a card of this type.
2. Lesson Cards
Lessons give you the power you need to play other cards. When you play a Lesson card you use one action and 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.
Unlike other strategic card games, you can use the same lesson twice for playing your actions. For example, if you have one lesson card in play, and two cards in your hand that both take one lesson card to play, you may use your single lesson card for both actions.
There are five lesson varieties: Care of Magical Creatures, Charms, Potions, Transfiguration and Quidditch. Each card variety has special abilities that are innate to its type. For example, potions cards will invlove healing and poisoning spells, while charms cards will utilize spell cards that do direct damage.
It's important as a HPTCG player to find what works best for you. While there is not any particular variety which works exceedingly well against any other, part of the strategy of this game is the meticulous calcution of what card combinations will do the most damage to your opponent, while keeping you alive. Transfiguration, for example, has a number of cards that can remove creatures from the game, but playing just transfigurations alone against say, a Potions, Charms and Creatures deck may not work well. Find what works best for you, and don't be afraid to experiment a few times! The best deck you'll ever make will look nothing like your first deck!
3. 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. At least one of your Lessons in play must match the Lesson symbol.
For example, Surly Hound has a cost of 3 Lesson cards. To play it, you'd need 3 Lessons on the table, and at least 1 of them would have to be a Care of Magical Creatures Lesson card.
''Health: If your opponent's spell card does this much damage or more to your Creature, discard it." Note that the damage done to your creatures does not 'heal' at the end of the turn.''
"Damage each turn: Your opponent discards this many cards from his or her deck on step 2 of your turn (so your Creature doesn't do damage on the turn that you play it)."
Creature cards can be a powerful resource in this game. It is especially recommended to new players to include creatures in their decks until they learn to play other cards effectively. Since there is no limit to the number of creatures you can have in play, even 10 "one damage each turn" creatures can be quite damaging.
4. 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 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."
Spell cards come in a wide variety. Everything from rendering your opponent obsolete their next turn, dealing heavy damage, or healing yourself, they are certainly the most versatile cards in the game. But remember you can only have up to four of any non-lesson card in your deck!
5. 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. She can do this any time during her turn after she's drawn her first card, but she 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, she's the school hero! The Adventure card will say what her reward is. Then you put the Adventure card in your discard pile."
6. 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."
The explanation for the Adventure and Item card types were taken from the "Advanced Rules" Booklet, and are not included amongst the card types in the Basic Starter Set.
7. Location Cards
Location Cards may be played by either player if they have the appropriate amount and type of lesson power to play them. A player uses one action to play this card type. When any Location card is played, all other location cards in play are discarded. Location cards were not included in the base set, so they are not mentioned in the original "Advanced Rules" Booklet.
Card lists
Here is a partial card list of the various cards available through the HPTCG Starter Decks and Booster Packs. Most of these are now only available through such retailers as e-bay or online card shops.
From the original HPTCG
1 Dean Thomas: Holo-portrait premium
2 Draco Malfoy: Holo-portrait premium
3 Draco Malfoy: Foil premium
4 Dragon's Escape: Foil premium
5 Elixir of Life: Foil premium
6 Gringotts Cart Ride: Foil premium
7 Hannah Abbott: Holo-portrait premium
8 Harry Potter: Holo-portrait premium
9 Hermione Granger: Holo-portrait premium
10 Hermione Granger: Foil premium
11 Human Chess Game: Foil premium
12 Invisibility Cloak : Foil premium
13 Nearly Headless Nick: Holo-portrait premium
14 Obliviate: Foil premium
15 Professor Filius Flitwick: Holo-portrait premium
16 Professor Severus Snape: Holo-portrait premium
17 Ron Weasley: Holo-portrait premium
18 Rubeus Hagrid: Holo-portrait premium
19 Troll in the Bathroom: Foil premium
20 Unicorn: Foil premium
21 Delivery Owl: Rare
22 Draught of Living Death: Rare
23 Harry Hunting: Rare
24 History of Magic: Rare
25 Incendio: Rare
26 Malevolent Mixture: Rare
27 Meet the Centaurs: Rare
28 Mountain Troll: Rare
29 Mrs Norris: Rare
30 Norbert: Rare
31 Phoenix Feather Wand: Rare
32 Platform 9 3/4: Rare
33 Potion Ingredients: Rare
34 Raven to Writing Desk: Rare
35 Shrinking Potion: Rare
36 Titillando: Rare
37 Transfiguration Exam: Rare
38 Transfiguration Test: Rare
39 Privet Drive: Uncommon
40 Alchemy: Uncommon
41 Apothecary: Uncommon
42 Apparate: Uncommon
43 Baby Dragon: Uncommon
44 Bluebell: Flames: Uncommon
45 Burning Bitterroot Balm: Uncommon
46 Cage: Uncommon
47 Confundus: Uncommon
48 Diagon Alley: Uncommon
49 Dogbreath Potion: Uncommon
50 Draco's Trick: Uncommon
51 Dragon Heart Wand: Uncommon
52 Fumos: Uncommon
53 Guard Dog: Uncommon
54 Hiding From Snape: Uncommon
55 Kelpie: Uncommon
56 Logic Puzzle: Uncommon
57 Mysterious Egg: Uncommon
58 Nurture: Uncommon
59 Ollivanders: Uncommon
60 Peeves Causes Trouble: Uncommon
61 Pet Toad: Uncommon
62 Pomfrey's Pick-Me-Up: Uncommon
63 Potions Exam: Uncommon
64 Reptile House: Uncommon
65 Silver Cauldron: Uncommon
66 Snuffling Potion: Uncommon
67 Stupefy: Uncommon
68 Take Root: Uncommon
69 Transmogrify: Uncommon
70 Unusual Pets: Uncommon
71 Vanishing Glass: Uncommon
72 Winged Keys: Uncommon
73 Accio: Common
74 Avifors: Common
75 Baubillious: Common
76 Boa Constrictor: Common
77 Boil Cure: Common
78 Borrowed Wand: Common
79 Cauldron to Sieve: Common
80 Curious Raven: Common
81 Dungbomb: Common
82 Epoximise: Common
83 Erumpent Potion: Common
84 Fluffy Falls Asleep: Common
85 Forest Troll: Common
86 Forgetfulness Potion: Common
87 Foul Brew: Common
88 Giant Tarantula: Common
89 Hagrid and the Stranger: Common
90 Homework: Common
91 Hospital Wing: Common
92 Illegibilus: Common
93 Incarcifors: Common
94 Lost Notes: Common
95 Magical Mishap: Common
96 Noxious Poison: Common
97 Out of the Woods: Common
98 Pet Rat: Common
99 Pewter Cauldron: Common
100 Potions Mistake: Common
101 Remembrall: Common
102 Restricted Section: Common
103 Scottish Stag: Common
104 Snape's Question: Common
105 Squiggle Quill: Common
106 Steelclaw: Common
107 Surly Hound: Common
108 Toe Biter: Common
109 Vermillious: Common
110 Vicious Wolf: Common
111 Wingardium Leviosa!: Common
112 Wizard Crackers: Common
113 Care of Magical Creatures
114 Charms
115 Potions
116 Transfiguration
From the "Adventures at Hogwarts" Expansion
1 Albus Dumbledore: Rare
2 Argus Filch: Rare
3 Crabbe and Goyle: Rare
4 Detention!: Rare
5 Dragon’s Blood: Rare
6 Dumbledore’s Watch: Rare
7 End-of-Year Feast: Rare
8 Fang: Rare
9 Finding the Platform: Rare
10 Galleon: Rare
11 Great Hall: Rare
12 Hagrid’s House: Rare
13 Harry Triumphant: Rare
14 Hospital Dormitory: Rare
15 Hut on the Rock: Rare
16 Madam Pomfrey: Rare
17 Meeting Fluffy: Rare
18 Midnight Duel: Rare
19 Mirror of Erised: Rare
20 Peeves: Rare
21 Philosopher’s Stone: Rare
22 Potions Dungeon: Rare
23 Quidditch Cup: Rare
24 Quidditch Pitch: Rare
25 Riding the Centaur: Rare
26 Ron the Brave: Rare
27 Stoat Sandwiches: Rare
28 The Fat Lady: Rare
29 Voldemort Revealed: Rare
30 Welsh Green Dragon: Rare
31 5 Points From Gryffindor: Uncommon
32 Alohomora: Uncommon
33 Baneberry Potion: Uncommon
34 Bludger Bop: Uncommon
35 Candy Cart: Uncommon
36 Collapsible Cauldron: Uncommon
37 Flying Motorbike: Uncommon
38 Flying Practice: Uncommon
39 Forbidden Corridor: Uncommon
40 Giant Squid: Uncommon
41 Looking for Trevor: Uncommon
42 Marble Gargoyle: Uncommon
43 Muddy Practice: Uncommon
44 Purple Firecrackers: Uncommon
45 Running From Filch: Uncommon
46 Sickle: Uncommon
47 Star Grass Salve: Uncommon
48 Through the Trapdoor: Uncommon
49 Winter Holiday: Uncommon
50 Wooden Flute: Uncommon
51 Anti-Cheating Spell: Common
52 Bewitched Snowballs: Common
53 Black Bat: Common
54 Bucking Broomstick: Common
55 Cauldron Cakes: Common
56 Charms Accident: Common
57 Chimaera: Common
58 Dog Bite: Common
59 Every-Flavour Beans: Common
60 Fire Protection Potion: Common
61 Fungiface Potion: Common
62 Knut: Common
63 Liquorice Wand: Common
64 Loop-the-Loops: Common
65 Manegro Potion: Common
66 Muffling Draught: Common
67 Owl Post: Common
68 Photo Album: Common
69 Sandstone Gargoyle: Common
70 School Broom: Common
71 Scribblifors: Common
72 Sleeping Potion: Common
73 Switching Spell: Common
74 Troll Bogies: Common
75 Vanishing Step: Common
76 Care of Magical Creatures
77 Charms
78 Potions
79 Quidditch
80 Transfiguration
From the Chamber of Secrets Expansion
1 Angelina Johnson: Rare
2 Arthur Weasley: Rare
3 Blagging: Rare
4 Body Blow: Rare
5 Broken Wand: Rare
6 The Burrow: Rare
7 Colin Creevey: Rare
8 Crazed Capybara: Rare
9 De-Gnoming the Garden: Rare
10 Dobby's Disappearance: Rare
11 Dobby's Help: Rare
12 Double-Beater Defence: Rare
13 Draco the Seeker: Rare
14 Dragon Poison: Rare
15 Dumbledore's Office: Rare
16 Entrancing Enchantments: Rare
17 Errol: Rare
18 Escaping the Dursleys: Rare
19 Fat Friar: Rare
20 Fawkes: Rare
21 Fighting the Basilisk: Rare
22 Flying Car: Rare
23 Flying Laps: Rare
24 Flying to Hogwarts: Rare
25 Ginny Weasley: Rare
26 Greenhouse Three: Rare
27 Gryffindor Common Room: Rare
28 Harry, Second Year: Rare
29 Hermione, Potion Maker: Rare
30 Impersonating Goyle: Rare
31 In the Spider's Lair: Rare
32 Justin Finch-Fletchley: Rare
33 Lockhart's Lecture: Rare
34 Mandrake: Rare
35 Memory Charm: Rare
36 Moaning Myrtle's Bathroom: Rare
37 Molly Weasley: Rare
38 Nimbus Two Thousand and One: Rare
39 No Hands: Rare
40 Norwegian Ridgeback: Rare
41 Percy Weasley: Rare
42 Petrified: Rare
43 Phoenix Tears: Rare
44 Potions Test: Rare
45 Professor Pomona Sprout: Rare
46 Reparo: Rare
47 Rogue Bludger: Rare
48 Ron, Youngest Brother: Rare
49 Serpensortia: Rare
50 Slytherin Common Room: Rare
51 Spiders' Exodus: Rare
52 Venomous Tentacular Juice: Rare
53 The Weasley Twins: Rare
54 Whomping Willow: Rare
55 Wizard Chess: Rare
56 Angel's Trumpet Draught: Uncommon
57 Blocked!: Uncommon
58 Blocked Barrier: Uncommon
59 Bundimun Ooze: Uncommon
60 Caught!: Uncommon
61 Caught by Snape: Uncommon
62 Checked!: Uncommon
63 Cleansweep Five: Uncommon
64 Counter Curse: Uncommon
65 Dragon-Dung Compost: Uncommon
66 Earmuffs: Uncommon
67 Endless Sandwiches: Uncommon
68 Floo Powder: Uncommon
69 Forgotten Password: Uncommon
70 Invisibility Section: Uncommon
71 Keeping Dobby Quiet: Uncommon
72 Locked In: Uncommon
73 Lockhart's Hair-Care Potions: Uncommon
74 Magical Mess Remover: Uncommon
75 Manticore: Uncommon
76 Potions Project: Uncommon
77 Prickly Porcupine: Uncommon
78 Pure-Blood: Uncommon
79 Rabbit Slippers: Uncommon
80 Rainy-Day Match: Uncommon
81 Second-Hand Robe Shop: Uncommon
82 Self-Shuffling Cards: Uncommon
83 Sherbet Lemon: Uncommon
84 Swelling Solution: Uncommon
85 Through the Floo: Uncommon
86 Twirl: Uncommon
87 Umbrella Flowers: Uncommon
88 Venomous Tentacula: Uncommon
89 Wattlebird: Uncommon
90 Windy-Day Match: Uncommon
91 Aparecium: Common
92 Backfire!: Common
93 Badgered Boy: Common
94 Beater's Bat: Common
95 Beetle Buttons: Common
96 Catching Apples: Common
97 Chudley Cannons Robes: Common
98 Copper Cauldron: Common
99 Death-Cap Draught: Common
100 Deboning: Common
101 Dizziness Draught: Common
102 Engorgement Charm: Common
103 Evanesce: Common
104 Family Ghoul: Common
105 Fatiguing Fusion: Common
106 Flacking: Common
107 Freezing Charm: Common
108 Garden Gnome: Common
109 Gryffindor Lion: Common
110 Guide to Household Pests: Common
111 Hair-Raising Potion: Common
112 Hawkshead Formation: Common
113 Hermione's Note: Common
114 History of Magic Homework: Common
115 Hover Charm: Common
116 Howler: Common
117 Hufflepuff Badger: Common
118 Invisible Ink: Common
119 Leaping Toadstools: Common
120 Overdue Homework: Common
121 Pepperup Potion: Common
122 Potions Homework: Common
123 Ransacked!: Common
124 Ravenclaw Eagle: Common
125 Restoration Potion: Common
126 Revealer: Common
127 Rose Growth: Common
128 Shooting Star: Common
129 Slinking Ferret: Common
130 Slow-Acting Venom: Common
131 Slytherin Serpent: Common
132 Slytherin Steals: Common
133 Training Programme: Common
134 Vanishing Cabinet: Common
135 Zig-Zag: Common
136 Care of Magical Creatures
137 Charms
138 Potions
139 Quidditch
External links
Many links have become expired since the game is no longer in production, but the following links are still current. http://harrypotter.warnerbros.com/wotc/products_main.html
This link has an abundance of information about the game including a complete card list: http://pojo.com/harrypotter
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