Pokémon Sets: All Sets In Order

Pokémon is a worldwide phenomenon and has been since its inception in Japan in 1996. Sadly for us, it took another 3 years before it was translated into English and landed on our shores. Since 1999, the Pokémon Trading Card Game has gone from strength to strength and expanded beyond belief into one of the most popular card games in the world. The fact that they have sold around 53 BILLION cards since they started is pretty mind blowing! The PokeDex has expanded to feature over 1000 different Pokemon and we have been introduced to countless different trainers and characters.

The Evolution of Pokemon Card Design

Pokemon cards have changed a lot over the course of their history, from humble beginnings in the Base Set to huge, recent sets like Scarlet and Violet’s Obsidian Flames. In the early sets, the big hits in a pack were rare holo cards and these were roughly found once in every 3 packs, now we are given one in every single pack! There were no ex cards, or GX cards, or VMAX cards, just simple, ‘single prize Pokemon’ as they are known today. The rules of the game were also a lot different back then, but we won’t go into that today!

We have seen different card rarity types and game mechanics come and go but the fantastic artwork and love for the characters has remained constant throughout the years. As we go through the sets, we will look at some of these standout changes to cards and mechanics and highlight some of our favourites.

All Of The Pokemon Sets

Today, we are going to take a journey through time and space and have a look at as many of those Pokemon as we can, as we explore all of the sets that have been released for the Pokemon TCG. You will find a full list of all the main sets and special expansions released in order at the end of the article. Let’s start at the beginning, seen by many collectors as the finest era of Pokemon cards, the Wizard’s of the Coast era.

Base Set - Gym Challenge

The early Pokemon sets were a huge hit and the reason that Pokemon has grown into the juggernaut that it is today. I’m sure many people have fond memories of opening packs from the Base Set, Jungle and Fossil. You could often find them near the tills at your local Tesco! These sets probably kindle a lot of nostalgia for people nowadays, but at the time they were amazing. Back then, a rare holo card was the rarest chase in the pack and that wasn’t guaranteed. Some of the most iconic and valuable cards of today were featured in these early sets. Take the Base Set Charizard for example, it has been reprinted many times and is always a popular card. That card has grown to be one of the most valuable cards ever, variations of it often selling for several thousand pounds. At the time, it was not one of the most playable cards, it was purely because it featured many people’s favourite Pokemon. Jungle and Fossil introduced us to many fan favourites, including Snorlax and Ditto and continued the same format as before. Base Set 2 and Team Rocket were also similar, although Team Rocket brought with it Dark Pokemon. We were then introduced to our favourite gym leaders in Gym Heroes and Gym Challenge.

So many of these cards are very rare and very valuable nowadays and finding them in good condition is difficult. There are still some sealed collections out there that will feature booster boxes and packs of all these original sets. If you are lucky enough to own some then treasure them and look after them as it is a real piece of gaming history.

This rounded out the first block of sets before we headed into the Neo series, which brought us our first look at Generation 2 Pokemon.

Neo Genesis - Neo Destiny

The Neo sets were fantastic, if a little short lived. There were only 4 sets in the series and they brought us the Generation 2 Pokemon that we had been eagerly looking forward to. We met Lugia and Ho-Oh, Raikou, Entei and Suicune. Our first major introduction was that of Shining Pokemon in Neo Revelation. These were super rare versions of a Pokemon that had a different colouring to what is normal for its type. The first ones introduced were Shining Magikarp and Shining Gyarados, both of which are really iconic cards for collectors. There were not too many more changes here until Neo Destiny, when we were treated to our first ‘light’ cards, which had slightly different card designs. There were 8 Shining Cards in this set and many of our favourite Pokemon got Shining Versions, including Mewtwo, Charizard and Tyranitar. Neo Destiny was also the final English set to feature the 1st Edition symbol.  

Legendary Collection - Skyridge

I know that Legendary Collection doesn’t belong alongside any other sets but it couldn’t have its own chapter, so I’ve bundled it in with the first e-series sets. Legendary Collection was an incredible reprint of the Base Set, Jungle, Fossil and Team Rocket sets and featured the firework pattern reverse holo cards, which I’m sure many of you will recognise. They are some of the most sought after cards and even the most basic cards, in this rare reverse holo pattern, can be worth significant amounts of money. It was the only set to ever feature this reverse holo pattern and the first set overall to feature any kind of reverse holo. Legendary Collection was also the first set to introduce ‘Box Toppers’. These were jumbo versions of some of the cards in the set and were found inside the booster box as an added extra.

There were lots of changes brought in with the release of Expedition Base Set, including lots of changes to the card design and styling and changes to Pokemon Powers, which were now split into Poke-Body and Poke-Power. These are similar to abilities that cards have today. We were also introduced to TM cards, which could be attached to your Pokemon like an item and unlock an extra attack for that Pokemon.

The change that most people will recognise though is probably the incorporation of the Nintendo e-reader capability onto the side of the cards. You could swipe your cards through the e-reader to unlock all sorts of special features. The number of cards in each pack was reduced from 11 down to 9 and the reverse holo pattern was changed to be a flat mirror like finish.

Aquapolis then brought us Crystal Type Pokemon, which changed their typing depending on what type of energy was attached to them. Skyridge was the final e-series set to be released and the last set ever released by Wizards Of The Coast. It was also the last set to feature Kadabra, until the recent release of Pokemon 151. Skyridge is an extremely rare set and was one of the shortest printed sets of all time, meaning that it is in high demand with collectors.

EX Ruby & Sapphire - EX Power Keepers

As we know, Pokemon moved away from Wizards of The Coast and the EX series was created by Nintendo. The EX series of cards was a series full of firsts and lasts as new ideas were introduced and others phased out. The new series brought with it the next generation of Pokemon and we were brought Generation 3. This included the 3 new starter Pokemon and a whole host of other legendaries. It was also the first set to include multiple prize Pokemon, thanks to its powerful EX mechanic. There were plenty of changes to the design of the cards and the borders returned, mostly, to how they were before the e-reader cards.

The EX series is named for their powerful Pokemon contained in the sets, something which you may recognise if you currently play the game or collect the cards. That’s right, the ex mechanic began in this era and has come full circle to be the main driving force of the game in Scarlet and Violet.

There were some incredible cards released throughout the EX era, including the secret rare Charmander, Charmeleon and Charizard from EX Dragon. We even got our first look at dual type Pokemon in EX Team Magma vs Team Aqua. This is something that has appeared periodically throughout the history of Pokemon but has never really been particularly popular. Once again, the card design changed to enhance the looks of the respective Team Magma or Team Aqua cards and these are easily recognisable.

EX Hidden Legends brought even more changes to card design as the e-reader strip was removed completely and a new holofoil pattern was released for the reverse holo cards. The next big changes came with 2004’s EX Team Rocket Returns when we were treated to the incredible Gold Star cards. These extremely rare and hugely valuable cards are some of the most collectable cards around nowadays but they are super hard to find, particularly in good condition. The first Pokemon to get Gold Star cards were Treecko, Torchic and Mudkip, the Generation 3 starter Pokemon. There were also ‘Rocket’s Pokemon’ in the set, which featured different card art styles and the Team Rocket logo. Team Rocket Returns is often seen as one of the best collector sets out there and it’s really not hard to see why!

Moving along the timeline to EX Emerald which was the first set to feature holofoil versions of basic energy cards. The pattern on the reverse holo cards continually changed throughout the EX era and didn’t stay the same for long.

Big changes came with the release of EX Delta Species and featured, you guessed it, Delta Species Pokemon. These Pokemon were a different type to their usual type. You could get a lightning type Metang or a fire type Pupitar. EX Holon Phantoms was another special set for the reason that it was the last set to feature box toppers. The set was released in 2006, so we are nearly 20 years removed from having box toppers in our booster boxes, hence their rarity and value.

The Gold Star cards and awesome artwork continued throughout the remainder of the EX series and it is still an era where you will find some of the most collectible and most valuable cards around. These sets were released at a time when the popularity of the card game was at its lowest and demand was just not there, resulting in shorter print runs and nowhere near the volume of cards that we are used to today.

Diamond and Pearl - Stormfront

Diamond and Pearl Base set ushered in the next generation of Pokemon and the Sinnoh region. We were given exciting new mechanics from LV.X Pokemon as well as changes to Trainer cards and the card design overall.

LV.X Pokemon were powerful versions of their previous cards and could use the attacks and Poke-Body or Poke-Power of its previous level. These cards were powerful and brought a whole new tactical element to the game. As ex cards were removed from these sets, LV.X replaced them.

Supporter and Stadium cards were separated out into their own distinctions as opposed to just being called Trainer Cards. This was a big step for the playability of the game and the way cards interacted with each other. This part of the game has continued to evolve even further and there are more changes that we will get to in the future.

There were some other small changes, including Poison type Pokemon being changed from Grass to Psychic type on the cards and the introduction of attacks that cost no energy. We also saw an increase in the number of cards per booster pack, as it went from 9 to 10.

The new Pokemon introduced through the Diamond and Pearl series have become some of the most popular of all time, including the legendary Pokemon Palkia and Dialga. They even received their own LV.X cards in Great Encounters. There were very few changes during the actual series, until we reached Stormfront.

Stormfront brought us some incredible ‘retro’ cards, reprint versions with slightly updated artwork of certain cards from the Base Set and Jungle set. These updated cards were featured as secret rare cards, including the iconic Base Set Charizard reprint. There were further secret rare cards in the set and these were Shiny versions of popular Pokemon and were denoted by the set number SH. Stormfront is one of the best sets out there in my opinion and the entire Diamond and Pearl era is often wrongly overlooked. If you have chance to pick up any of these cards then do as the artwork alone is some of the best from the last 25 years.

Platinum - Arceus

While the Platinum series continued with generation 4 Pokemon, it was aside from the Diamond and Pearl series. It introduced us to Team Galactic and gave us our first look at Pokemon SP. All Pokemon SP were Basic Pokemon and featured a different card art style.

Possibly the most important introduction during the Platinum era was the Lost Zone, a game mechanic that has drifted in and out of the game but has been a really prominent part of the last few years. The Lost Zone is an area where cards are discarded to and then cannot be brought back into play. Sort of like your discard pile, but permanent.

Secret rares continued to be present throughout the series and are often forgotten about to collectors. More Pokemon SP were released throughout the series and were the main Pokemon used by the Gym Leaders of Sinnoh and the Elite Four.

Platinum Arceus contains a mini subset of AR cards, all different versions of Arceus as a different energy type.

The Platinum series was a short series and is often forgotten about, but it does contain some real gems, particularly the Arceus subset.

HeartGold & SoulSilver - Call Of Legends

The release of HeartGold & SoulSilver transported us back to the Johto region and generation 2 Pokemon. This series brought with it the introduction of Pokemon Prime and LEGEND cards, which were made up of 2 parts, a first for the Pokemon TCG. Pokemon Prime were easy to recognise and had some really distinctive artwork. They were also extremely powerful cards and could really change the tide of battle.

LEGEND cards were made up of 2 individual cards, a top half and a bottom half. You had to play both cards onto your bench at the same time and there were some restrictions around the number of cards you could include of the same name. They also (usually) gave up 2 prizes, but they had higher than normal HP and some very powerful attacks!

Again, as with most new series, the card design was updated and this time featured washed out gold borders which make these cards easily recognisable. Perhaps the most recognisable thing from the HeartGold & SoulSilver era is the energy cards, which feature the outline of a specific Pokemon. They are absolutely stunning and have become very expensive, considering they are just basic energy cards.

The Lost Zone continued to play a big part of the game throughout this era and many defining cards played heavily into it, including Gengar Prime and Lost World Stadium.

Although Call of Legends was its own series, it felt right to include it alongside the HeartGold & SoulSilver sets. It featured many of the same Pokemon and included a Shiny subset as secret rares. It is one of the best sets ever released from a collectors perspective and contains some fantastic cards.

Black & White - Legendary Treasures

Black & White was the first set to feature generation 5 Pokemon and the region of Unova. Black & White Base Set features only generation 5 Pokemon and centres around new beginnings. As I’m sure you’ve noticed the ongoing theme, the Black & White series brought many changes to the card design, including being the first set to feature Full Art cards. It was also the series which introduced us to Abilities, which replaced the previous PokeBody and PokePower abilities. There were further changes to gameplay and Item, Supporter and Stadium cards were separated out into their own subcategories, with certain rules and restrictions applying to each type of card.

The biggest change to the card aesthetic was the introduction of the striped holofoil pattern on holo cards, known as the Tinsel Holofoil. This makes cards from the Black & White era instantly recognisable, although it was not particularly popular.  

Black & White also saw the release of The Pokemon Trading Card Game Online, which has recently left us to be replaced by The Pokemon Trading Card Game Live. This meant that QR code cards were added into booster packs for you to use with the online version of the game.

During the Emerging Powers release, a new style of reverse holo pattern was revealed. It featured the card's energy symbols for Pokemon and Poke Balls for Trainers. These looked superb and it’s a shame they aren’t still around now.

Noble Victories saw the introduction of Fossil Pokemon, where you had to play down a Fossil card and evolve the Pokemon from that. This is still in the game now, although is not seen too often.

Next Destinies saw the biggest changes of the series, as EX Pokemon made their way into the game. These were powerful Basic Pokemon and gave up 2 prizes when they were knocked out. This also brought with it the introduction of Full Art cards that we mentioned earlier. Next Destinies also featured Pokemon from outside of the Unova region.

Dark Explorers was the first set to include secret rare item cards and the first one was Pokemon Catcher (that’s a pub quiz question for you there!). Following this, Dragons Exalted was the first set to feature Dragon type Pokemon and these have now become a staple of the game ever since.

More new mechanics were introduced during Boundaries Crossed as we received ACE-SPEC cards. There were extremely powerful Trainer cards, so powerful in fact that you were restricted to only playing a single ACE-SPEC card in your deck. Boundaries crossed was also the first set to feature secret rares with a gold border and texturing similar to that found on Full Art cards.

The card's designs continued to change throughout the remainder of the series and featured heavily the Team Plasma Pokemon. These continued until we reached Legendary Treasures, which featured many reprints of the best cards in the series as well as having a Radiant Collection subset, consisting of 25 cards with superb artwork and a special holofoil pattern. The first ever Full Art gold cards were found in Legendary Treasures.

XY Kalos Starter Set - XY Evolutions

The Kalos starter set from the XY era was a collection of premade decks which were not hugely popular. But it was still released as a set so we’ve included it here, although many people will class the release of XY Base Set as the first in the XY era.

Pokemon XY revolves around generation 6 of Pokemon and the legendary Pokemon Xerneas (X) and Yveltal (Y). EX Pokemon continued to be a staple of the game and now we got the ultra powerful Mega EX Pokemon. XY also introduced us to Fairy type Pokemon.

The second main set in the series, Flashfire, brought us secret rare versions of the Mega Evolution cards, featuring some very unique artwork. As the sets continued, they eventually brought out Spirit Link cards, which allowed a Pokemon to Mega Evolve without it ending that player's turn. This was a big change for the game and made many Mega Evolution decks into extremely viable powerhouses.

With the release of Primal Clash came Ancient Trait cards, which worked in a similar way to abilities and gave Pokemon certain advantages. These cards also had a much different art style, with around ¾ of the card’s surface being taken up by the artwork.

Pokemon BREAKthrough introduced BREAK cards, which in hindsight were viewed by many as being a somewhat failed venture for the game. BREAK cards were upgraded versions of certain Pokemon which could be played onto a card to give it extra HP or access to a more powerful attack. They were completely different in design to anything before them and were even printed horizontally.

The 20th anniversary of the Pokemon Trading Card Game fell during the XY era and was commemorated by the Generations set which featured many generation 1 Pokemon and also featured the second Radiant Collection subset. XY Evolutions was also released as part of the 20th anniversary celebrations and was a reprint of the Base Set, featuring updated card design and some new, powerful EX Pokemon. Evolutions was one of the most sought after sets and was probably most affected by the ‘Covid boom’ as many people came back to collecting following the nostalgia of a Base Set reprint.

Sun & Moon Base Set - Cosmic Eclipse

As with most main series of sets, Sun & Moon brought us the new generation of Pokemon and moved us into generation 7. Pokemon EX were gone and were replaced by the more powerful Pokemon GX. GX cards featured a GX attack, an attack so powerful that you can only use 1 throughout the course of a battle. Much like their predecessors, GX Pokemon gave up 2 prize cards but were tough to take down.

Sun & Moon was the first time we had seen rainbow rare cards, which have now been phased out, but were really rare versions of some of the best and most popular cards. There have been many fantastic rainbow rare cards over the years, and some of these have gone on to become very collectable. Booster packs were also increased to 12 cards and included a basic energy card in every pack.

There were also many subtle changes to the card design and a new reverse holofoil pattern was introduced.

We can’t go through a run down of the Sun & Moon series without mentioning Burning Shadows and its iconic rainbow rare Charizard GX. This card was one of the most chased cards from the entire Sun & Moon series and remains at the top of many peoples list of cards to acquire. It was always the most expensive rainbow rare card and is easily and instantly recognisable.

Crimson Invasion was the first set to bring us Ultra Beast Pokemon and these had their own entire gameplay mechanic and support cards. The Ultra Beasts were heavily pushed and were formed into some of the most powerful decks around. Buzzwole GX and Blacephalon might ring some bells for those that played during that era. Following Crimson Invasion was Ultra Prism which gave us Prism Star cards. These were similar to previous mechanics in that you were only allowed one copy of a Prism Star card in your deck. They could be in the form of Trainers, Special Energy or Pokemon and were extremely versatile pieces of any deck.

We saw the next major changes in the Team Up expansion as Tag-Team Pokemon were revealed. These incredible cards featured 2 Pokemon working together as a team and being granted extra HP and some truly scary attacks! Although if one of these Pokemon was knocked out, it meant giving up 3 prizes, so the pay had to be worth the reward. And it was for many Tag-Team cards, with Mewtwo & Mew GX going on to dominate the format and even winning the World Championships in 2019.

I’m sure many people will remember the Hidden Fates Special Expansion set and the Shiny Vault subset contained within it. This set is a collectors dream as it features shiny versions of the most popular cards from the Sun & Moon era, including that beautiful Charizard GX Full Art that we mentioned earlier. While the set didn’t really change the game too much, it will always be remembered for the collecting possibilities it offered. Pokemon saw the popularity of the set and have tried to recreate it again since, with great success each time.

Cosmic Eclipse was the last set from generation 7 and brought out some brand new cards before Tag-Teams were waved off into the sunset. This included the first Tag-Team Supporter cards and I can never understand why they didn’t bring them out sooner. Still, the set will mostly be remembered for the dominance of Arceus & Dialga & Palkia GX, affectionately known as ADP. The less said about that one the better!

Sword & Shield Base Set - Crown Zenith

Sword & Shield Base Set brought us into the Galar region and generation 8 and saw the introduction of Pokemon V and VMAX cards, as Pokemon GX and Tag-Teams were phased out. We also saw the demise of Fairy types and there were more changes to Poison type Pokemon, as they were changed to being Dark type in the TCG.

The early expansions of Sword & Shield saw very little changes, with new sets released periodically and very little in the way of new mechanics, much to the disappointment of some fans. It wasn’t until Vivid Voltage was released that we got some new card types, in the Amazing Rare Pokemon. There were not many of them released and they only lasted for 2 sets before being retired. They saw very little play, outside of a couple, and were not overly popular with collectors either.

The first major changes we got were from Battle Styles. This gave us Rapid Strike Pokemon and Single Strike Pokemon and, much like the Ultra Beasts of before, you could build a deck around these particular archetypes with strong synergy between the cards and various winning combos.

Evolving Skies was the standout set from Sword & Shield from a collectors view and contained the Eeveelutions, as well as many sublime alternate art cards. This set remains the most popular, most collectable and most expensive set from the Sword & Shield block.

Pokemon’s 25th anniversary was celebrated by the release of Celebrations (I see what you did there Pokemon!) and featured reprinted versions of the best cards from the last 25 years of Pokemon, known as the Classic Collection subset. Each Celebrations booster pack only contained 4 cards and they were only found in special collection boxes and tins, no booster boxes for these. The Base Set Charizard, Venusaur and Blastoise were featured as textured reprints and were chase cards for most collectors.

The Sword & Shield era also gave us the largest set ever printed and the title goes to Fusion Strike. That set also brought us Mew VMAX, which has dominated the meta ever since its release. Fusion Strike was also the first set to include a code card for the Pokemon Trading Card Game Live, as PTCGO was being phased out. It also gave us the Fusion Strike style, which was a combination of Rapid and Single Strike styles. Despite its narrow focus, Fusion Strike was one of the most impactful sets of recent times.

Following this, we had the release of Brilliant Stars which brought with it the VSTAR mechanic. Pokemon VSTAR have either an ability or an attack which can only be used once per game, similar to the GX attacks of old. VSTAR Pokemon have remained strong since their release and continue to be around the top tables at most events today.

Astral Radiance brought even more new mechanics with Radiant Pokemon. These are basic Pokemon and you are only allowed to play one copy in your deck. They are a mixed bag and some have been absolute stalwarts of the format while others faded into obscurity pretty quickly.

Lost Origin returned the Lost Zone mechanic in a big way and brought out many cards that interact with it to form powerful combos and unlock devastating attacks. One thing that has remained constant throughout the Sword & Shield Series is the stunning array of alternate art cards on offer. These cards feature fantastic artwork of certain V cards in the series and are always highly collectable and usually rather expensive.

Scarlet & Violet Base Set - Pokemon 151

We’ve arrived at the present day, almost, and have recently welcomed generation 9 of the Pokemon series through Scarlet & Violet. There were many changes to the design of the cards, the layout of booster packs and the rules of the game.

You are now guaranteed 2 reverse holos and 1 holo or better in every single pack. No more hoping for a holo card at odds of about 1 in 3 packs. This means that all rare cards are now rare holos, there are no regular rares anymore. The cards look an awful lot different nowadays compared to how they used to. You won’t find yellow borders anymore, instead they have changed to silver in line with their Japanese counterparts.

The biggest rules changes have been to Tool cards, which are no longer classed as items. They are now their own category of Trainer card and many cards have been errata’d in line with this change.

Set symbols have been replaced with set codes now, again more in line with Japanese sets.

We have also lost V, VMAX and VSTAR cards and instead have ex cards. These are powerful Pokemon that have higher than normal HP and powerful attacks and abilities and give up 2 prizes when one is taken down.

We have had a great mix of collectors sets and players sets, with the recent release of Pokemon 151 being a prime example of an excellent collectors set, featuring all of the original 151 Pokemon.

So there it is, a brief history of all the Pokemon sets and their impact on the game. The Pokemon Trading Card Game never stops evolving and goes from strength to strength with every new set. You can pick up all of your favourite cards from our webstore at MagicMadhouse and hopefully you are as excited for the future of Pokemon as we are!