A Tour of Pokémon TCG Eras

The Pokémon TCG has run for more than two decades. Its history is divided into eras. Each era matches a generation of the video games and has its own design style and mechanics. This guide lists them in order.

The Base era

The game launched in Japan in 1996 and in English in 1998 and 1999, published by Wizards of the Coast. This era includes the original Base Set, Jungle, Fossil, and the first Team Rocket cards. The designs are simple. Early holographic cards from this period are among the most valuable in the hobby.

Neo

The Neo era was released around 2000 and 2001 with the second generation of Pokémon. It introduced the Pokémon of the Johto region and added the Darkness and Metal types.

The e-Card era

From 2002 to 2003, cards were printed with a data strip along the edge that could be read by a separate accessory. The sets Expedition, Aquapolis, and Skyridge belong to this era. This was the last period of Wizards of the Coast releases before Nintendo took over the license.

The EX era

From 2003 to about 2007, this era introduced ex cards. These cards had high stats but gave the opponent an extra prize card when knocked out. The era also introduced full artwork cards and the first gold star cards.

Diamond and Pearl, and Platinum

These eras ran from about 2007 to 2009 and covered the fourth generation of Pokémon. The Level X mechanic allowed a Pokémon to power up during a game.

HeartGold and SoulSilver

This short era was released around 2010 and returned to the Johto region. It included Prime cards and LEGEND cards, which spread one design across two cards.

Black and White

This era ran from 2011 to 2013 with the fifth generation. It introduced the full art card, where the artwork fills the whole card. This became the standard style for premium cards.

XY

From 2013 to 2016, the XY era returned the ex mechanic in a modern form, introduced Mega Evolution cards, and later added BREAK cards. This era also included the popular set based on the original one hundred and fifty one Pokémon.

Sun and Moon

From 2017 to 2019, this era used GX cards, which had one powerful attack that could be used once per game. It later added Tag Team cards, which paired two Pokémon on one card.

Sword and Shield

From 2020 to 2022, this era used V, VMAX, and VSTAR cards. It also introduced alternate art cards, some of which became very valuable.

Scarlet and Violet

This era began in 2023. It returned the ex card in an updated form and introduced Terastal cards. Its special sets continued to include detailed secret rares and cards focused on illustration.

Mega Evolution

The newest era brings Mega Evolution back as a main mechanic. It is one of the most recent additions to the catalogue.

Browsing the timeline

Every era above is shown on the set pages, grouped and ordered by time. Start with the English sets or the Japanese sets. To understand what is printed on a card, read how to read a card.