You Won’t Believe How Powerful These 35 Pokémon Cards Are—#12 Is Legendary!

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The fame of this franchise is almost unmatched across its anime shows, video games, and Trading Card Game (TCG), largely due to its impressive collection of notable cards. Originating in 1998, it mirrored the experience of capturing and fighting Pokémon on a tabletop setting. Over time, enthusiasts have invested massive sums of money amassing these trading cards.

The Pokémon Trading Card Game ranks as one of the best trading card games ever created. Players participate in both regional and international tournaments, and throughout its history, some exceptionally powerful cards have been produced. As is common with any trading card game, these potent cards are highly desired by both casual enthusiasts and serious competitors, ranging from different versions of Mewtwo to Mega Charizard X.

Pokémon TCG Expansion Set: Cosmic Eclipse

The mascots, specifically, hold an intriguing role within the series and are the supreme rulers of Time and Space for their creator, Arceus. This power is evident in the impressive Arceus & Dialga & Palkia GX card from the ‘Cosmic Eclipse’ expansion of the ‘Sun & Moon’ series. This Dragon-type Pokémon card can deal a substantial 150 damage with its Ultimate Ray attack.

This action requires spending one Metal, Water, and Basic energy, and following an attack, you can search your deck for up to three Basic energy cards to place as desired. The standout feature of Arceus & Dialga & Palkia GX is the Altered Creation-GX attack, which increases damage by 30 for the rest of the game. If it uses a Water energy in excess and defeats the opponent’s Active Pokemon, an additional Prize Card is taken. Executing this strategy fully undoubtedly (and appropriately) incurs a high Energy expense. However, with strategic planning, the user can bring matches to a swift and formidable conclusion.

Pokémon TCG Expansion Set: Paldea Evolved

The Squawkabilly card, a fresh and potent element in the world of the Pokémon Trading Card Game (TCG), has made a significant impact on its gameplay dynamics. Introduced in the Paldea Evolved expansion within the Scarlet & Violet series, this is the second primary set in the current ninth generation of the franchise. This specific Pokémon’s unique Ability grants players an opportunity to draw a stronger starting hand of cards.

On their initial turn, players can use Squawkabilly’s Squawk and Seize ability to discard their current cards and draw six new ones. This is a valuable tool for securing a strong starting hand configuration, and it’s especially beneficial because Squawkabilly is a Basic card that can be played immediately. Although its damage capability is limited, the Motivate attack provides an excellent means of positioning the next Pokémon on the bench. Moreover, with 160 HP, Squawkabilly demonstrates resilience in battle, offering numerous opportunities for setup.

Pokémon TCG Expansion Set: Neo Genesis

In the Pokémon TCG’s XY expansion, Ancient Origins, the Vileplume card was decent on its own. However, it became a real menace when partnered with a Trainer card from the same set, particularly Forest of Giant Plants. This pairing amplified the effectiveness of Vileplume’s ability to a surprising degree.

Vileplume’s Irritating Pollen Ability restricts both players from using additional Item cards, creating a challenging situation known as a card lock. Strategically, players can quickly evolve their Oddish into Gloom and then into Vileplume in a single turn, using Forest of Giant Plants for instant evolution. This tactic significantly benefited Grass energy decks, leading to the ultimate ban of the Forest of Giant Plants.

Pokémon TCG Expansion Set: Neo Genesis

Returning to the old-school era of the Pokémon Trading Card Game (TCG), the Gen II expansion set, Neo Genesis, introduced a card that proved too powerful for the game’s balance. This Sneasel card was prohibited from tournaments during the Wizards of the Coast period due to its extraordinary damage potential, which could be achieved early in the game. The Fury Swipes move required just one Basic energy to deal 10 times the damage of three coin flips, but Beat Up outdid it.

This action uses two Darkness energy cards and deals an incredible 20 times the number of Pokémon currently in play as damage, including Sneasel itself. With moves like this, Sneasel can quickly overpower opponents as early as two turns into a game, provided players have enough cards to set up the sequence. To add to its strengths, it has no minimum cost for retreating and no Type weakness.

Pokémon TCG Expansion Set: Neo Genesis

Not just Sneasel, the Neo Genesis expansion saw another Pokémon card, Slowking, getting banned later as well. This was due to certain potent strategies it offered. It’s interesting to note that this card’s extraordinary power source traced back to a misprint in its ability, Mind Games. This Pokemon Power allowed Slowking to prevent opponents from using a Trainer card they played and put it back on top of their deck when the flip of a coin was successful.

In the Japanese version of the card, Neo Genesis Slowking is clearly potent but not overpoweringly so, as it’s designed to be effective only during battle. However, an error in translation led to a misunderstanding in the English version. This mistranslation omitted the requirement for “Active,” enabling players to accumulate multiple Slowkings on their benches and eventually force their opponents into concession by stalling while protecting the Pokémon from harm.

Pokémon TCG Expansion Set: Vivid Voltage

The key point to remember when using the Coalossal VMAX card is its impressive starting HP of 330, which it brings into battle as a Fighting-type Pokemon. This card was introduced in the 2020 expansion set, Vivid Voltage, within the Sword & Shield series. The card features a basic attack called Eruption Shot, dealing 40 damage initially and an additional 90 if the player successfully draws an energy card from their deck’s top.

The energy card gets linked with the Pokémon for boosting its charge towards the staggering G-Max Rockstorm attack. Delivering an astounding 240 points of damage, this card necessitates three Energy cards of Fighting type and one additional Energy card to activate. This card is widely recognized as one of the top introductions during that period.

Pokémon TCG Expansion Set: Legendary Treasures

At first glance, considering the Black Kyurem EX as a powerful card might appear unusual due to its moderate 180 HP and attack list that is strong but not exceptional. However, this Pokémon stands out because it belongs to the “basic” category in the Black & White series’ Legendary Treasures deck. This allows players to use it immediately without needing to evolve it first.

Black Kyurem EX boasts two attacks: Dragon Fang, dealing 60 damage and potentially causing paralysis like the flip of a coin; and the powerful Freeze Shock, which may stun alongside its 150 damage output. This card offers quite an impressive arsenal for players to harness in their games.

Pokémon TCG Expansion Set: Roaring Skies

The Roaring Skies expansion for the Pokémon Trading Card Game X&Y series was released not long after the Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire video games, taking advantage of some fresh Mega Evolutions. Mega Rayquaza EX is a versatile card that provides both attacking and defensive prowess in relatively balanced amounts. It has 230 HP and boasts resistance to Water, Fire, Grass, and Electric attacks, reducing any damage received from those elements by 20 points.

The Mega Rayquaza EX Dragon energy attack can feel a bit clumsy during gameplay, yet it inflicts massive destruction. The attack, named Dragon Ascent, requires a combined total of five energy (three fire, one electric, and one colorless). Upon impact, it deals an astonishing 300 damage. Despite requiring two energy cards to be discarded following use, its power is sufficient to overwhelm opponents.

Pokémon TCG Expansion Set: Evolving Skies

For the Gyarados V card, its VMAX variant offers a sturdy choice with 330 HP. Moreover, its attacks are robust and lack any major disadvantages that could diminish its usefulness in combat. This Water energy Pokemon solidifies its position as one of the strongest cards in the Evolving Skies expansion during the Sword & Shield era, quickly establishing itself as a formidable force.

Here’s the first move: Hyper Beam, which needs two water and one colorless energy, inflicts 120 damage on the opponent and discards an energy card from their active Pokemon. The main attack of this Pokemon is Max Tyrant, dishing out a whopping 240 damage to its foe.

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1. The first move is Hyper Beam, requiring two water and one colorless energy. It deals 120 damage to the opponent’s active Pokemon and takes away an energy card from it. Max Tyrant is the primary attack of this Pokemon, causing 240 damage to its adversary.

Pokémon TCG Expansion Set: Call of Legends

As a gamer, I can tell you that Cleffa might seem adorable, but in some Pokémon TCG scenarios, its charm hides a real annoyance. The version from the Call of Legends set back in the early 2010s is a sneaky nuisance indeed. What makes Cleffa particularly troublesome is its typing – being a colorless card. This means it can easily slot into almost any deck without much compromise, making it a formidable adversary on the battlefield.

Despite appearing delicate due to its meager thirty HP, Cleffa’s moves are crucial to its resilience. Its cry, “Eeeeeeek,” enables players to rearrange their hand into their deck prior to drawing six cards, with Cleffa dozing off afterward. The Poké-Body ability ensures that Cleffa won’t sustain damage while asleep.

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2025-05-01 01:45