PokeMon Trading Card Game 2 (en)

Introduction: This is an official Nintendo and Hudson Soft game for the Game Boy Color, released only in Japan in 2001. It is the direct sequel to the original Pokémon Trading Card Game. The story is set in the GR Island region, where you aim to defeat the four Grand Masters and obtain the eight GR Medals. The visual style is similar to its predecessor, using detailed sprite art for the cards and a top-down perspective for world navigation.

Gameplay & Mechanics: The core gameplay revolves around building a 60-card deck and battling opponents using the official Pokémon TCG rules of the era. You do not choose a starter Pokémon in the traditional sense; instead, you begin with a basic Grass, Fire, or Water themed deck and acquire new cards through booster packs and winning duels. The game is not designed as a Nuzlocke-friendly RPG, as its challenge is strategic deck-building and mastery of card mechanics. Key mechanical changes from the first game include the introduction of the Dark and Metal Pokémon card types, which were new to the TCG at the time, and a more complex overworld with multiple areas to explore on GR Island.

Key Features:

• Two distinct story campaigns, first as a male protagonist and later as a female protagonist, with their own rivals and slightly different card pools.
• Introduction of powerful Legendary Pokémon cards like Lugia and Ho-Oh as major objectives, alongside the new Dark and Metal types.
• A robust card-lab system for creating specific booster packs and a final, challenging post-game tournament against all previous club masters.

The game is considered a significant improvement over its predecessor, offering a much larger card library and a more involved single-player campaign, though its Japan-exclusive release has made it a cult classic among international fans.