The Pokémon TCG is celebrating its 30th birthday this year, and while it seems like TPC has the party already well in hand with the upcoming Celebrations set, now seems like a fitting moment to look back on three decades of regular releases, and see which have stood the test of time.
If you want to learn about every single Pokémon TCG set ever released, we have the list organized ready for you. But below, you’ll just find out more about the very cream of the crop, the best Pokémon releases across its long 30 year history. Get ready for either a nostalgia trip or a history lesson, depending on your age.
Base set (1999)
The place where it all began. Base set has to be an automatic inclusion on any list of this kind, since of course it kicked off the whole damn game. If it hadn’t been good, perhaps I wouldn’t be here writing this article.
From 1st edition Charizard to Metwo, many of the rarest and most expensive Pokémon cards outside of old promos and specific curiosities hail from this set, since the vast majority of packs were ripped by sticky-fingered children, whose only concept of a sleeve was something to wipe their noses on, and who weren’t thinking about the long-term value of these cardboard rectangles (honestly, good for them). No one knew, back in 1999, how big collecting Pokémon cards would one day become.
Evolving Skies (2021)
Who could have guessed that a set focused on Eeveelutions and Rayquaza would be a smash-hit success? This set was jam-packed with goodness. While Moonbreon has somewhat eclipsed the rest of the release as it’s the most desirable Pokémon card released in the last five years, there were many great chases here. The Eevee evolutions all have great art, there are multiple great full art Rayquazas, and one of the best Dragonite cards of all time as well.
This set quickly became hard to get hold of at anything less than an exorbitant markup, investors love it because it has multiple great chase cards, while the pull rates are considered quite stingy.
Team Rocket (2000)
This third expansion set focused on ‘Dark’ Pokémon owned by the Team Rocket gang. The concept of ‘evil Pokémon’ captured the imagination when Team Rocket came out, and the edgy, broody versions of popular monsters have remained popular over the years – inspiring later sets like Destined Rivals and EX Team Rocket Returns.
While Dark Charizard must be crowned king of this set, Team Rocket is also notable for an important innovation. It introduced secret rares, the first overnumbered Pokémon card being Dark Raichu. This card was released internationally before it came out in Japan, and its development significantly delayed the entire release.
Skyridge (2003)
As the last Pokémon release made by Wizards of the Coast, Skyridge marked the end of an era and – love it or hate it – that e-reader look sure is distinctive. Skyridge didn’t get a reprint as a result of the transition, making it ridiculously rare. Also, fun trivia tidbit: This was the last set to contain a Kadabra until mentalist Uri Geller backed down from claims of appropriation 17 years later.
The big hitters in this set are the Skyridge Crystal cards, shiny holo rare colorless versions of regular Pokémon featuring great artwork. These are all wonderful chases, and it doesn’t hurt that there’s a Charizard among them.
Ascended Heroes (2026)
Is it too early to call Ascended Heroes an all-time-great? With 295 cards, 78 of them being secret rares, this Mega-era release is officially the largest Pokémon set of all time, making it a ton of fun to open as there is literally unparalleled variety.
That’s before we even consider the many, many amazing pulls up for grabs in this set. There are full arts galore, and loads of very valuable Ascended Heroes cards, like Mega Gengar and Charizard Y, as well as Team Rocket’s Mewtwo and Lily’s Clefairy.
Notably these are often reprints of the best cards from other sets, usually with artwork that is widely considered an improvement over the original. All-in-all, while it only came out recently, Ascended Heroes has instantly gone down in history as a modern classic.
Neo Destiny (2002)
Another early set, and one that’s nowadays seen as something of a ‘holy grail’, Neo Destiny turned Pokémon into a battle between good and evil with both ‘Light’ and ‘Dark’ variants, showing sinful and saintly versions of classic Kanto and Johto Pokémon.
This wonderful concept produced some pretty collectible cards, but it’s all but overshadowed by Neo Destiny’s unique approach to Shining Pokémon. Whereas other sets would show these rare shinies with the alternate color patterns you might expect, Neo Destiny gave each one a holographic treatment to make them literally shine.
Crown Zenith (2023)
Bringing the Sword and Shield era to a triumphant close, Crown Zenith is loved for its varied roster of chase cards, reportedly good pull rates, and absolutely absurdly good Akira Egawa art for Arceus and the creation trio.
Its ‘Galarian Gallery’ was truly revolutionary in terms of the number and approach to full art Pokémon, laying the foundations for the new approach to Illustration and Special Illustration Rares which the TCG has used ever since.
Team Up (2019)
Q: What’s better than a really cool Pokémon card? A: A really cool card that crams in two Pokémon. The Tag Team cards of Team Up remain eye-catching and original to this day. This set was an opportunity for the TCG and its illustrators to stretch their imagination with fun pairings like Eevee and Snorlax, Wailord and Magikarp, and Pikachu and Zekrom. There’s also the adorable Latios/as, and their lovely heart card.
Source: Wargamer
