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Harry Potter Trading Card Game

The Harry Potter Trading Card Game is a strategy and collectible card game based in the magical world of the Harry Potter novels by J. K. Rowling. It was produced by Wizards of the Coast. At one point the game was the second best selling toy in the United States; however, the game is now out of print.

 Game Play
The game is for two players, each with 60-card decks (plus the addition of a starting Character (a Witch or Wizard). The aim is to force the opposite player to run out of cards from their deck first. When cards do "damage" to a player, cards from the deck are placed into the discard pile. Each player begins with a hand of seven cards, and draws a card before each of their turns.

Types of cards
There are eight different types of cards in the Harry Potter Trading Card Game.

* Lessons are the basic units of the game. Each provides 1 "Power", which is needed to play other cards. The number of Lessons in play determines the player's capabilities to play cards with different costs. There are five different Lesson cards, each of which has a different symbol and colour that is used to identify it on other cards.
* Spells are cards that are played directly into the discard pile and have a given effect. They have a printed Power cost; there are Spells for each Lesson type.
* Creatures stay on the table when played. All Creatures have a printed Power cost, and require Care of Magical Creatures Lessons to play. They have a Health number that determines how much damage they can take, and a "Damage each turn" number that dictates the amount of damage done to the opposing player each turn. Not all Creatures do damage; some have special abilities.
* Characters do not have a printed Power cost or Lesson type and thus do not require Lessons to play, although they do take two Actions. Characters stay on the table and have special abilities that can be used by the player; some also provide Power. Each player must have a starting Character to represent them: the starting Character begins the game on the table and can not be discarded from play. Only Characters with the "Witch" or "Wizard" keyword designation can be used as starting Characters.
* Adventures, like Characters, do not require Lessons to play, and take two Actions. They have an Effect on the opposing player; a "To Solve" condition that must be accomplished for the opposing player to remove the Adventure; and a Reward, which the opposing player receives when they have solved the Adventure. Each player can have only one Adventure in play at a time.
* Items stay on the table when played. They have a printed Power cost and can be of any Lesson type. Some have effects that can be used, while others provide extra Power.
* Matches were introduced in the Quidditch Cup expansion. They all have a printed Power cost of one, requiring Quidditch Power. They have a condition "To Win", and a "Prize" for the first player to fulfil that condition. Only one Match is allowed in play at one time.
* Locations were introduced in the Diagon Alley expansion. They have a printed Power cost and can be of any Lesson type. Locations have the same effect on both players. There can be only one Location in play at any one time; playing a Location removes any previous Locations from play. 

Lesson types
There are five Lesson types in the game, each applying to different cards. There is no limit on the Lesson cards in a player's deck: a player may have as many different types as they prefer.
* Care of Magical Creatures (brown) is mostly used for Creature cards, although there are also a small number of Spells, Items and Locations requiring this Lesson.
* Charms (blue) can be used for Spells, Items and Locations. Charms specialises in low but versatile damage and some other effects, such as locating cards from a player's deck.
* Potions (green) can be used for Spells, Items and Locations. Potions cards are often very powerful and require comparatively low Power costs, although they usually require a sacrifice of a certain number of Lessons.
* Quidditch (yellow) can be used for Spells, Items, Locations and Matches. This Lesson type was introduced in the Quidditch Cup expansion, and specialises in cards that have two effects at once.
* Transfiguration (red) can be used for Spells, Items and Locations. These cards specialise in the removal of Creatures, Lessons and other cards from play.

Keywords
Some cards have keywords in addition to their card type. These keywords allow other cards to refer to a specific type of card. The "Wizard" or "Witch" designation on Character cards is an example of a keyword, as is the "Healing" designation on some other cards. Other common keywords include designations representing each of the four Hogwarts houses: Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin. Some cards (including all Characters) have the keyword "Unique", which indicates that only one of them can be in play at a time (for either player). The only exception is if both players have the same starting Character.

Card Sets

The first set of cards, now commonly called the Base Set, was introduced in August 2001. Four expansion sets have been introduced to vary play and expand card availability. The first three expansions include Quidditch Cup, Diagon Alley, and Adventures at Hogwarts. The fourth and final expansion released was Chamber of Secrets.

Card Value/Rarity
The rarity of a card is shown by a symbol at the bottom right of the card, followed by the expansion set symbol and set number. A circle means that the card is common, and therefore not very valuable; a diamond means the card is uncommon, so the card has a bit of value; and a star means the card is rare, and is more valuable. There are also cards of more value (and more rare) than 'rare' cards: foils and holofoils. 'Foil Rare' cards are those which are partially 'shiny', having thunderbolts and stars as theme for the 'additional covering'. These are normally rare cards, but common and uncommon foils do exist. 'Holo-portraits premium', (aka "HOLOFOIL") are the most rare and the most valuable of all types of cards.

The foil versions of rare cards are not "better" for game play, but are rarer and have that "cool" factor so are generally more expensive than the non-foil versions.

What Do I Need In Order To Play?

Each player needs a deck of exactly 60 cards PLUS one wizard/witch card.  A maximum of four copies of a card are allowed in a deck.  A copy of of the rules (see below).  A good attitude and a desire to play a fun, fairly easy, and engaging game.

BESIDES AND BEYOND THIS GUIDE, A GREAT RESOURCE FOR CARD LISTS AND RULES OF PLAY (AND MORE) CAN BE FOUND AT W W W dot P O J O dot C O M / H A R R Y P O T T E R (just remove the spaces)...I AM NOT AFFILIATED WITH POJO OTHER THAN FINDING IT A GREAT RESOURCE FOR TRADING CARD GAMES (NOT JUST HARRY POTTER).

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TO SEE MY CURRENT LISTINGS FOR THE HARRY POTTER TCG, PLEASE CLICK HERE: http://stores.shop.ebay.com/BROCKOZ-COMICS-AND-COLLECTIBLES_HARRY-POTTER-TCG-CCG_W0QQ_fsubZ19082863QQ_sidZ176610273QQ_trksidZp4634Q2ec0Q2em322

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