List of Pokémon Trading Card Game sets

Released in Japan on October 20, 1996, one month after Bandai Pokémon Carddass 100 Pocket Monster Part 1 and in the United States on January 9, 1999.

Merchandising also included four theme decks, based on different strategies (offensive, defensive, tactical and speed).

These early prints are generally brighter in color, use a thinner font, have the year 1999 included in the copyright notice, and lack the shadow around the pictures.

As part of a promotional campaign, the set included an exclusive English only Dark Raichu, although it was eventually released in Japanese, it was the first "secret" rare card, numbered "83/82".

This set also introduced a card layout change, eliminating the flavor text and stacking the weakness/resistance/level to fit the Gym Leader's headshot/badge.

While Sabrina and Blaine are also represented in this set, the most attention is paid to the first four met in the video games: Brock, Misty, Lt. Surge, and Erika.

Additionally, some of the "Rare" cards had little or no value in play, such as Misty's Tentacool, which is incapable of doing damage and is overshadowed by a better version of the "Uncommon" rarity.

Skyridge continues Aquapolis' tradition of minigames playable by scanning in dot codes from multiple cards.

Unlike the cards in Expedition, Aquapolis, and Skyridge, however, this dot code produces only where to find the Pokémon in the video games instead of completely original Pokédex information.

The secret rare cards are Base Set tributes of Charmander, Charmeleon, and Charizard redrawn by Mitsuhiro Arita.

Team Rocket as a criminal organization – its members, the Pokémon they control, and the techniques they use for world domination are all part of the set's overall theme.

EX Unseen Forces is known for having more Pokémon-ex than any other set to date, with a total of fourteen (including one box topper and one secret rare card).

Due to a mix-up with translations, this was supposed to be released before EX Delta Species, but was delayed until February 2006 in English-language territories.

This set included cards such as Sharpedo, Nosepass, Torchic, and others that are selectively stamped with the EX Holon Phantoms logo.

There are even "Delta Star" Pokémon, Mew, and Charizard, whose type depends on their alternate color (Shiny form), which is, in this case, Water and Dark, respectively.

This is also the first set in which Pokémon classified as Poison type in the video game series would be identified as Psychic rather than Grass type, and the first set to include Pokémon cards with attacks with no Energy costs, denoted by a transparent effect where Energy requirements would normally be.

The set introduces the Sinnoh Legendary trio, Uxie, Mesprit, and Azelf, as well as the fourth-generation Fossil Pokémon Rampardos and Bastiodon, both featured in their respective theme decks.

The set also includes a new mechanic called the Lost Zone, which acts as a second discard pile but one which players cannot retrieve cards from.

HeartGold and SoulSilver – Unleashed is the first set to feature dual-Legend cards, which consist of two Pokémon on the same two-card LEGEND.

One card missing from the set is the Stadium "Lost World" which introduced a new win condition to the game in Japan.

When the Heartgold and Soulsilver Pokémon trading card lineup was released in Japan, it was done differently from in the United States.

The first set was released on April 6, 2011, and included codes that allowed purchasers to play online with an identical deck.

For the first time, a Tag Team Pokémon GX trio card was released featuring the legendary birds of Articuno, Moltres, and Zapdos.

Shrouded Fable released on August 2nd, 2024, is the third extra set in the Scarlet & Violet series of Pokémon cards.

This set focuses on the Kitakami region, most notably featuring the Loyal Three, a trio of legendary Pokémon from the Scarlet & Violet DLC: The Teal Mask.

[65] Prismatic Evolutions released on January 17th, 2025, is a recent set with cards that many collectors deem extremely valuable, resulting in scalping and numerous stock-outs.

Prerelease cards were only awarded through select sites of the Pokémon League for the next three expansions before Wizards ended their production.

After Pokémon USA acquired the rights to license and produce the Trading Card Game, Prerelease events were set up to coincide with the release of the upcoming expansions.

Wizards of the Coast had denied existence of the Prerelease Raichu for years until an employee released an image of the card in 2006.

Promotional cards have a five-pointed black star with the word "PROMO" written across it in place of an "expansion" symbol.