Help please

[JayRock42]

I'm not sure if this is the proper place for this question but I am getting into the pokemon card game and I have alot of old cards from when I was younger and played but I know that cards in pokemon are only legal by set so I was wondering how to tell which set a pokemon card is from i know that the legal sets are

HeartGold SoulSilver
HGSS Unleashed
HGSS Undaunted
HGSS Triumphant
Call of Legends
Black & White
Black Star Promos numbered HGSS01 and higher
Black Star Promos numbered BW001 and higher

but how do you tell if a card is from one of these sets or not?

 

[donavannj]

Look at the bottom corner for a set symbol. If you don't know the set symbol for those sets, look up the sets on Bulbapedia and the set symbol will be in the infobox about the set, which is on the right at the top of the article. The HGSS Trainer Kit and the Black and White Trainer Kits are also play legal. I do not remember what their symbols are, though. I cannot seem to find an official decklist sheet for the 2011-2012 format, which will have the set symbols on it.

 

[Tanaki]

How I always remember them:

HG/SS: Golden 'G' over a Silver 'S'
H/S Unleashed: Diamond over ribbon; shaped like a star
H/S Undaunted: Rounded backwards 'N'-shape
H/S Triumphant: 4-pronged crown over an upside-down 3-pronged crown
Call of Legends: White, slanted oval with with a swirl inside.
Black/White: 2x2 Checker Pattern
H/S Promo: Promo star, HSxxx
B/W Promo: Promo Star, BWxxx
H/S Starter Kit: Gyarados or Pikachu

They really should have a better indicator somewhere than a symbol. Symbols are cool and all, but I feel you. When I was getting back into the game not too long ago it was really hard to tell what sets were which and what was legal.

 

[donavannj]

When you think about it, it's harder to imitate a set symbol than it is to imitate the little letter and number codes used on Yu-Gi-Oh! cards, so it's more of a countermeasure against those who make counterfeit cards. The symbols are also easier for kids to understand, and kids happen to be one of their main target audiences.