The nineties and early 2000s were a good time for trading card game companies. You had the three basic games (Magic: The Gathering, Pokémon, and Yu-Gi-Oh!) that all ran on the same idea. Have a certain amount of points that you need to guard, monsters to summon for battle, ways to defend yourself and places to battle in. Similar to the other two, Pokémon is still going strong, in both anime and game thanks to nostalgia and a company that keeps putting out the same stuff it’s been doing for years. There at least is some great artwork and attention given on the cards, so that does make up for it well enough.
The Pokémon Trading Card game has not only had a lot of different decks available, but is also continually putting out new cards as the roster of Pokémon grows. Whereas you only originally only had a mere 150 to choose from, now you have over 700 Pokémon plus their mega evolutions and new areas. But one thing that will never change is the fact that there will always be some cards that go the extra mile. Most of these cards aren’t banned from tournament play, but they are incredibly strong and useful. If you have them paired with the right cards and have a certain measure of luck, you are bound to win, despite what your opponent might throw at you. If you’re looking to build a strong deck, you’re welcome. You’ll find a similar article here.
25 Let Me Google That
Supporting the idea that Pokémon are a little more digital than they are natural, the Computer Search card allows you to discard two cards from your hand and grab two more from the deck. By drawing more cards, you have a good chance to get the card you need to win the game. You can also discard two that are holding you down and start from scratch. It’s a good way to get a new strategy going, at least for a little bit.
24 Shield Shell
Squirtle was my favorite starter Pokémon out of the original three. It was effective in both offense and defense, and it was adorable. The card in the original trading card deck is the same way. It has a moderately good attack, but what makes it broken is the fact that if you flip a coin and get heads, you can prevent all damage dealt to you on your turn. Talk about a solid line of defense. Squirtle will always be a good choice.
23 Playing Catch
Similar to another entry on our list later, Pokémon Catcher is a great way to throw your opponent off balance and force them to change their strategy. This card will allow you to switch one active and one benched Pokémon.
By switching Pokémon, you change your strategy and the game.
You can find it in the Emerging Powers deck, and if you play your cards right, it can be a complete game changer. Just make sure the Pokémon that are going to be switched are worth it though. It’s something to think about.
22 Not So Useless After All
Remember how when Magikarp was a useful character all on its own? No? Well, that’s probably because you haven’t seen the Magikarp in the Dragons Exalted deck. If you have the right luck, you can do ultra damage. You see, you flip a coin until you get a tails. Count how many times you get heads, because you’ll multiply that by 10 to decide how much damage is dealt. Given the right amount of flips, you may even be able to defeat one of your opponent’s Pokémon in one go.
21 An Electric Personality
Magnezone is an electric type Pokémon. While it may not possess too much trouble for our protagonists in the show, you’re in for trouble should your opponent pull out this card. With it, they can paralyze one of your Pokémon just for discarding one of two types of energy. It’s a nice chance that the person has two types of energy to pick from when they’re hindering you from playing your Pokémon’s best move. Better have some good items in your bag.
20 One Tough Bug
While Pokémon doesn’t have a hand restriction like some other card games, in order to get the full effect of Yanmega from the XY deck, you need to have four cards in your hand. But should you be able to complete this rule, your Yanmega can attack with no energy costs.
Yanmega gives you extra energy by cutting costs.
You can utilize your other cards, as the energy you would have spent on your Pokémon can go elsewhere. Part of strategy is keeping unimportant things out of the picture.
19 Head Start
Latios EX in the Roaring Skies deck is a great card to use when you just can’t wait to put your highly effective strategies to good use. Much like another entry later on in our list, Latios allows you to utilize your first turn to its fullest. The rule is that if you go first, you can attack with Latios. Given that your opponent will not have had time to set up a defense, it’s a nice way to get a head start.
18 Deafening Wind
Gust of Wind was one of the first cards available to players and it has since been remade in newer versions of the game. When you use the card, it allows you to switch out a benched Pokémon and an active Pokémon on your opponent’s end. Maybe they’ve got a super beefed up card and a starter available to use? Go ahead and give yourself an opening. After all, all’s fair in love and war. Tournaments are as close as you’re going to get to war in Pokémon.
17 Down In The Muk
Muk was one of those Pokémon that we’re glad doesn’t exist in real life. You should also be glad if your opponent doesn’t have a Muk fossil in their deck. This card allows the user to ignore all Poké powers except toxic ones. So if you don’t have a toxic deck, you’re out of luck.
Muk can help you render your opponent inffective.
You can also flip a coin to poison one of your opponent’s Pokémon. Muk makes for a good offense and defense card. Keep that in mind when building a toxic deck.
16 Forgot To Pay The Bill
The basis for the Pokémon trading card game (and every other strategy game, really) is having enough energy, mana, spell cards, etc in your deck. If your strategy is dependent on energy, this card might give you a bad time. Energy removal is one of the cards available, and with it you can remove one of your opponent’s energy cards. By doing this, you’re halting them in their tracks. Not a bad way to end your turn, especially if you pair it up with the next entry on our list.
15 Stop In The Name Of Love
From the Noble Victories deck comes Cobalion, which can stop your opponents from attacking on the next turn. Given that just one turn can turn the tables, it’s important to take any advantage you can get. If you have it set up right, you can deal massive damage in just that one turn where play is suspended, so knowing your cards is incredibly important in a strategy game. If you can pair up Cobalion with almost literally any other card on this list, you’ll make a good lead for yourself.
14 Don't You Quit
This card is going to be on a lot of lists. Why? Because it allows you a fresh start with a clean slate. Lysandre’s Card from the Phantom Forces deck gives you the opportunity to take all of the cards in your discard pile and put them in your deck to be reused. If that’s not an advantage, I’m not sure that you’re going to find one. This is especially good if you’ve run out of energy and need some fast.
13 Fierce And Blue
This is a card you play after you have done some set up. Feraligatr, the water Pokémon, has an ability that allows you to increase damage paid out based on how much energy is in the discard deck. Work discreetly enough, and your opponent will never see it coming. Of course, it also has quite a bit of health and raw power on its own given its size and type advantages, but for those players who just want to attack with a lot of muscle, this may be a good card.
12 A Crown Jewel
Was it any wonder that Mewtwo would be showing up on this list? Looking particularly at the EX form, it’s honestly got some pretty powerful attacks. One of which gets more powerful as the amount of energy on each Pokémon grows. The other allows you to play Mewtwo for a smaller amount of energy, giving you an extra to use elsewhere. With how intimidating and powerful this card is, one of the best defenses would be to attack with your own Mewtwo EX.
11 It's A Bird, It's A Plane....
Granted that Pikachu is one of the most well-known Pokémon, if not THE most well-known Pokémon, you’re going to see quite a few different versions of the little guy. One of those is Flying Pikachu from the XY Evolutions decks.
When you flip a coin, you can paralyze an enemy.
This card works on luck. You flip a coin, and if it lands on heads, your opponent’s active Pokémon becomes paralyzed. You would have quite the advantage with a paralyzed opponent. In a game of strategy, you need all the help you can get.
10 A Smart Pick
Given how popular the Charizard cards have always been, it’s no surprise that one of the broken cards is a Charizard. We’re looking at the one in the XY Evolutions pack. Not only does this Charizard do 200 points of damage with one of its attacks, it also has the ability to turn all energy types to fire. This can render your opponent nearly helpless, especially if their deck is made with only one type in mind. Knowing your opponent is just as important as knowing your cards.
9 Dragon's Squad
Remember the battle in the game with that one fisherman who had all of those Magikarp and one Gyarados? He’d be doing pretty well for himself in the trading card game should his Gyarados be from the Ancient Origins pack.
Building your deck based on one card can give major power-ups.
This Gyarados does some heavy hitting on its own. On top of that, if you have more than one Magikarp, your damage is increased. Sometimes your deck is built on one or two cards. This would be a prime example.
8 A Specific Target
If you are battling against an opponent that favors one or two types, let me show you a card that will help you out. It’s the Mew Star, which can inflict 20 damage points on each type of Pokémon of your choosing. If your opponent has a water deck, for example, you’d choose water and all of the Pokémon would be affected. Not a bad way to spend one turn. Even though it’s not a huge amount of damage, it’s still better than nothing.
7 Something In The Air
If you want to be a heavy hitter, look no further than Toxapex in the GX deck. For the cost of three psychic energies, you can immediately poison an enemy and add 10 damage counters between turns. Talk about quick and blinding!
You can poison your opponent in the blink of an eye.
Toxapex also has a couple of other attacks that stop ill effects (which can only be used once per battle) and one that does damage based on coin flips. This is one Pokémon you don’t want to mess with.
6 What Were You Expecting
Rayquaza is already a pretty powerful Pokémon. Then give him an attack that will do 200 points of damage? That’s what you get with Rayquaza C Lv. X’s final attack. It does take some time to get the energy necessary for it, but a couple of rounds is worth the wait when considering the payout. One of the most satisfying parts of playing a game is finding a strategy that works for you. For players who liked to rely on luck, this was a great way to win until they changed the rule.