Measure your Pokémon deck’s mulligan risk
Enter how many Basic Pokémon your 60-card deck runs and see how often an opening hand has none: 25.9% with 10 Basics. Free, no account.
How often will this deck have to mulligan?
Example: with 10 Basic Pokémon, see how likely you are to shuffle back and redraw before the game starts.
Rule: a 7-card hand, redrawn when it has no Basic Pokémon, as set out in the official Pokémon TCG rulebook, checked on 13 October 2026. Calculated in your browser.
A mulligan gives information away before turn one
A hand with no Basic Pokémon cannot start the game. You have to reveal it, shuffle it back and draw 7 new cards until you get a valid hand.
The result turns your real Basic Pokémon count into a frequency you can read at a glance. It helps you compare two lists, without deciding which one is better.
What the result includes
- the chance an opening hand has to be redrawn;
- the chance of starting on the first draw;
- the chance of at least one mulligan across the games you plan;
- the average number of redraws and the first five cases;
- a link that shares exactly the same inputs.
Method, source and limits
= C(60 − Basic Pokémon, 7) ÷ C(60, 7)
Each new hand is modelled after a full reshuffle. The average number of redraws before a valid hand follows from repeating that draw.
For several games, the tool assumes independent shuffles and the same deck. It calculates the chance of at least one mulligan and the average total of redraws.
The calculation does not judge the quality of your Basic Pokémon, your strategy or the rules of an alternative format. It does not model the opposing deck, the extra cards they may draw, a wrong deck list or an imperfect shuffle.
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Frequently asked questions
When do you have to mulligan in the Pokémon TCG?
When your opening hand of 7 cards contains no Basic Pokémon. You reveal it, shuffle it back into your deck and draw a new hand of 7, repeating until you have at least one Basic Pokémon.
Do Stage 1 and Stage 2 Pokémon count?
No. Only Basic Pokémon make an opening hand valid. Count the cards whose printed stage is Basic, including Basic Pokémon ex and V.
How many Basic Pokémon should a 60-card deck run?
There is no single right number, but each extra Basic lowers the risk quickly: about 25.9% of hands miss with 10 Basics, and about 19.1% miss with 12. Enter your own count to compare lists.
Why can the average be more than one redraw?
A new hand can still contain no Basic Pokémon. The calculator repeats the same draw until the first valid hand, so a deck with few Basics can average more than one redraw.
Does my opponent always draw an extra card?
The official rulebook explains when one player or both players redraw and what the opponent may draw. This calculator only measures your own hands and knows nothing about the opposing deck.