So you’ve taken an interest in the pokemon TCG! You’re wondering what you should buy first and what exactly each card does. This article will take you step-by-step through the beginner basics of the Pokemon TCG, including each type of card that exists in the game and what they do within battle. If you have any questions about this or any other aspect of the Pokemon TCG, feel free to ask one of our friendly staff members or another player at your local store! We’re always happy to help!

Base Set


Released in 1999, Base Set is a compilation of 180 different cards. There were two versions of Base Set—one made for sale in North America and one made for sale in Japan. If you want to collect all 180 Base Set cards, you’ll need to know what each version looks like! The North American edition has distinctively blue borders, while its Japanese counterpart has much thinner borders with a purple color scheme.

Jungle


Back when I was a child, my mum would take me and my little brother down to our local shop to buy packs of pokemon cards. We’d spend all afternoon trying to collect shiny pokemon cards, using them to trade with friends at school in order to complete our pokedexes. Nowadays there are some very rare pokemon cards worth over $10,000 but we used to just try and get shinies.

Fossil


Also known as fossil cards, these are some of the earliest Pokemon cards. They were first introduced in 1999, when Pokemon was still relatively new. Due to their age, most fossil cards have been discontinued from production. These cards feature a more primitive artwork style with images taken directly from Pocket Monsters video games. Today, fossil cards are considered collectible for historical purposes and due to their rarity. In fact, many collectors refuse to trade fossils at all due to their value as collector’s items.

Team Rocket


The villainous Team Rocket are a group of criminals who have been capturing and selling Pokemon for profit. Their head office is located in Kanto on top of a large, spiky tower that has two separate elevators at opposing ends. The elevator car moves by way of a pendulum (the only elevator in any game to be able to do so). In Red/Blue they sell an infinite amount of Slowpoke Tails (and will pay 20 times more if you return it after beating Lt.

Gym Challenge


One of our favorite ways to get a good workout and relieve stress is by hitting up our local gym. But if you’re new to working out, knowing where to begin can be intimidating. We’ve got some tips for you on how to conquer those fitness fears and put your best foot forward—no matter what kind of program or routine you choose.

Rocket Gang


The Rocket Gang are a group of criminals that use rocket-powered roller skates in order to quickly escape from pursuers and reach their hideouts. They appear in Pokémon Red & Blue (in Japan), Pokémon Yellow and Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! & Let’s Go, Eevee!. A few members also make appearances in other games outside of Japan. The leader is a member known as Team Rocket’s leader Giovanni.

Gym Heroes


These are Pokemon cards that came out between 2000 and 2003. Most of them feature monsters from Johto (the second region), as well as miscellaneous collectible items. They’re also considered to be part of Series 2, which is why they have an extra D/P in their set number. Many consider Gym Heroes to be one of the hardest sets to find, though a few common cards still float around in booster packs.

Neo Genesis

A card game based on Pokémon, Neo Genesis started off as a set of three pre-constructed starter decks, each named after a legendary Pokémon (Raichu, Zapdos, and Articuno). There are over 50 cards in each deck. Most were reprints from previous expansions with only one new card per deck.

Neo Discovery


This set introduced two main features. The first was Ancient Traits, which are Poke-Powers that can be played onto any Pokemon, regardless of whether it has a matching Poke-Body. The other new feature was Neo Discovery’s e-Reader enhancement, five holographic cards that could only be used with an e-Reader or a similar device and allow players to use various effects in conjunction with Trainer cards or as one-time use attacks.

Neo Revelation


In contrast to other popular TCGs, such as Yu-Gi-Oh, there are very few rules in Pokémon. If you choose to play Pokémon as a traditional TCG, with heavy emphasis on strategy and playing cards strategically in relation to your opponent’s deck, then you should play a game format called Modified. In Modified Pokémon, you have four Prize cards that you have to try to knock out of your opponent’s hand before they do the same to you!

Neo Destiny


Like many new releases, Neo Destiny included several promo cards. They’re hard to find, but they’re also some of the best Pokemon cards ever printed. Here are a few to look for if you have Neo Destiny: Blastoise, Lugia ex and Hologram rare Gengar. As usual there are a few non-evolved cards that were released in booster packs: Sandshrew ex, Tyrogue ex and Raichu ex. Read More about boosterpack