Build & Battle is coming to Pokémon TCG Live
Experience the Thrill of 40-Card Decks in Build & Battle!
Players looking for new and exciting ways to play the Pokémon TCG should get ready, as Build & Battle makes its digital debut in Pokémon TCG Live next week alongside the release of Mega Evolution—Chaos Rising!
Launching on May 21, 2026, Build & Battle mode offers a fun alternative to the existing Ranked and Casual offerings. These battles are shorter, and the playing field is leveled in a way that allows players of all skill levels to participate and see success. This game mode is inspired by the Prerelease events that occur at local game stores all over the world, and now you can experience the familiar excitement and camaraderie in Pokémon TCG Live as well!
In Build & Battle, instead of bringing your own deck, you’ll start each attempt with a randomized Build & Battle Box containing a premade 40-card seed deck and four booster packs. After adjusting your deck as desired with the cards you receive, you’ll then play through a “run” consisting of five battles, each with four Prize cards, to earn rewards. Once a run has been completed, you’ll be able to collect a Reward Pool containing all your rewards!
Unfamiliar with the Build & Battle format or curious about the differences between the physical format and Pokémon TCG Live’s digital game mode? Learn more about Deck Building, Event Tokens, and matchmaking below!
Event Tokens and Free Plays
Event Tokens are a new in-game currency that can be exchanged for entry to Build & Battle events. These can be earned in many places, both inside and outside of Pokémon TCG Live, including through gift or passcode distributions, the in-game Shop, by redeeming codes for physical Build & Battle Box products, or within the Build & Battle game mode itself.
For most events, a run requires one Event Token, but there are also opportunities to earn automatic free plays. Each time a new event begins, you’ll earn a free play, and during longer events, you’ll typically receive another free play each week—as long as you've used your previous free play. Free plays do not stack, so be sure to use them!
Deck Building
Your Build & Battle Box comes with a ready-to-play 40-card deck, allowing you to jump right into battling if you choose! However, you also get to open four booster packs that can be used to augment your deck. Additionally, you can edit your deck between battles as much as you want.
Just like at physical Prerelease events, you are allowed to add more than four copies of a card if you happen to get extras from your Build & Battle Box. The exception is that you still cannot add more than one copy of certain cards with restrictions in their Rule Boxes—like ACE SPEC cards or Radiant Pokémon.
Because of this, if you get more than four of a card in your Build & Battle Box, these extras will not immediately be exchanged for Trade Credits. You also cannot exchange your existing Trade Credits for more cards. Once you collect all your rewards at the end of a run, any cards over the maximum card limit will be exchanged for Trade Credits as normal.
At launch, you will not be able to customize the deck accessories used within Build & Battle, but this functionality may be added as part of a future update.
Events and Runs
Build & Battle will have frequent events that allow players to try out different Build & Battle Boxes from both recent and past expansions. When a Build & Battle Event is live, you can enter and complete as many runs as you wish, provided you have the Event Tokens to do so. Each time, you’ll start over with a random new Build & Battle Box and deck, giving you an opportunity to try out a variety of options featuring different cards as you work to earn even more rewards.
Your progress is saved as you play, so you can always leave after playing a couple of battles and then return later to finish and claim your Reward Pool!
When there is less than an hour remaining in any given Build & Battle event, players will no longer be able to start a new run. Players who already have a run in progress will still be able to use this remaining time to finish their current battles. All players will be able to enter a run again once the next event begins.
Rewards
As you compete in Build & Battle, rewards earned will contribute to your overall Reward Pool. At the end of each individual battle, you’ll earn the next Win or Loss Reward depending on the result. For example, if you win your first battle, you’ll earn the first “Win” Reward. If you then also win your second battle, you’ll earn the second reward in the Win column. If you were to lose that second battle, you would earn the first reward from the “Loss” column instead. These rewards won’t be redeemable until the end of your run, but once you do, they will be permanently available for use outside of Build & Battle. Additionally, you get to keep the cards from your Build & Battle Box!
Both experience and progress toward the completion of Battle Pass quests can still be earned in Build & Battle mode. Unlike your Reward Pool, experience and quest progress will be applied right away.
| Win | Loss |
|---|---|---|
First | 1 Booster Pack 50 Trainer Points | 50 Trainer Points |
Second | 1 Booster Pack 50 Trainer Points | 50 Trainer Points |
Third | 1 Booster Pack 75 Trainer Points 1 Event Token | 75 Trainer Points |
Fourth | 2 Booster Packs 75 Trainer Points | 75 Trainer Points |
Fifth | 3 Booster Packs 150 Trainer Points | 150 Trainer Points |
While these are the standard rewards you can expect to earn from events at launch, they are subject to change in future updates and events.
Forfeiting
Sometimes, the cards just aren’t in your favor. If you’d rather have a clean start than continue with your current run, players are allowed to forfeit a run at any time. When doing so, you’ll earn any rewards accumulated up to that point; however, the Event Token or free play used for entry will not be returned.
Matchmaking Ranking
The Build & Battle game mode uses a different Elo rating system than Ranked and Casual modes, so you will not lose rank points or your rating by playing Build & Battle.
Release Event Schedule
As the release of Build & Battle coincides with that of Mega Evolution—Chaos Rising, our inaugural event from May 21 to June 4, 2026, will feature Build & Battle decks from this brand-new expansion! Following the conclusion of this first event, players can look forward to being thrown back into a fun variety of older expansions!
You can check out the 2026 Build & Battle Event Schedule for the full list of announced Build & Battle events.
The team has been working hard on the development of Build & Battle, and we hope players will enjoy both the new game mode and selection of events featuring a fun variety of different cards!
As we continue to improve the game mode and try out new ideas in future Build & Battle events, we’re excited to hear your feedback here on the official Pokémon Community Forums once the new game mode becomes available on May 21, 2026!