This guide is for tournaments where each match is best of three. In a casual game, ignore it and play every game out.
Scooping means giving up a game: you pick up your cards and say “I scoop”, and your opponent wins that game.
It sounds like the worst thing you could do. But in a best-of-three match, knowing when to scoop can actually help you win the match.
Casual games: play to your outs
In a casual game, never scoop. Keep playing and look for your outs, the cards that could still turn it around. Even if you lose, you learn how your deck works when things go wrong, and sometimes you pull off a comeback you didn’t think was possible.
Best of three: you are playing against the clock
At a tournament, a best-of-three match is 3 games in 50 minutes. You need to win 2 of them, and time goes fast.
If you spend 25 minutes losing game one slowly, there might not be enough time left to finish games two and three. If time runs out, you could end up with a tie or a loss, even if your deck was winning game two.
So, as weird as it sounds, if you’re so far behind that you can’t win game one, scooping and going straight to game two gives you a better chance of winning the match.
Don't scoop too early
This is the important bit. Scooping is not giving up because you’re a bit behind. Lots of games swing back, and your opponent can miss cards too. Only scoop when you’re sure you can’t come back. If you’re not sure, keep playing.
When scooping makes sense
Two examples
- They only need one card, and they just got it
Say your opponent only needs Boss’s Orders to pull up your Benched Pokémon and take their last Prizes. They play Pokégear 3.0 and find a Boss. You know what happens next, and you can’t stop it. Scooping now saves precious time for game two.
- You will never get set up
Some decks can spawn camp you: Knock Out your Pokémon as soon as you put them on the Bench. For example, Arboliva ex’s Oil Salvo does 20 damage six times, spread however they like, so 120 damage in total. If all your Basics have 120 HP or less and you’re way behind on setup, everything you Bench gets Knocked Out before it can evolve. If the way your deck works means you’ll never get established, it’s time to scoop and try again in game two.
[Placeholder: a game where scooping helped you win the match, or a game where you almost scooped and came back.]
Scoop nicely
Scooping isn’t rude, it’s part of the game. Just say “I scoop”, shake hands or say good game, and get shuffled up for game two straight away. Every minute counts.
Casual game: play it out and learn. Best of three: if you’re sure you can’t win, scoop and save the time.
