My first ever Pokemon cards were from the 1999’s Fossil set. My brother and I got a theme deck each. I opted for Bodyguard, featuring Koffing and Muk, while he chose Lockdown, starring Magmar (to this day his favourite Pokemon) and Lapras.
We had hours of fun with these two decks alone, but it wasn’t until the Gen 3 sets arrived on the scene that we really started buying individual blister packs.
These decks will now set you back £670 for the pair.
ex cards were magical, and we chased them before we knew that chase cards were even a thing. We didn’t have much access to the internet, so we had no idea what could potentially be in each shiny, new pack. There were no pack tricks, just fingers tightly crossed.
For a while, Dustox was one of my favourite Pokemon purely because I pulled its ex card from a pack. This was an era when we picked a pack based on how cool the monster on the front was. Four pounds handed to the bloke at the corner shop. One pack shared between brothers. Nine pieces of card with all our hopes and dreams printed on them.
We bought packs, we bought decks, we bought tins – so many tins – we bought the lot. We never came close to completing a collection, but we had plenty of cards to play our approximation of the game with. The one thing we didn’t have, however, was a Team Rocket card.
The Dark Side
Like many Pokemon players, I always wanted a game where you played as a Team Rocket grunt. Now I’m a grown up, I still think that’s a boss idea, but I can’t see Game Freak ever okaying it.
The closest I came to cosplaying Team Rocket Grunt #437 was using a Rockety deck in the TCG. This started with that first Bodyguard theme deck but practically became an obsession with Dark Pokemon, which often featured in Team Rocket themed booster packs.
Dark Jolteon was a particular highlight, despite it being released before I was interested in collecting cards. However, my favourite Team Rocket card ever released was Dark Celebi from Hidden Legends. Any card you pull yourself holds a special place in your heart, and Dark Celebi was that for me.
Unfortunately, I sold that card on the playground for a fiver. The only silver lining is that it’s not worth much today, so it’s not like I’ve not lost out on a small fortune or anything. I also put the proceeds towards Mario Kart DS, which was a shrewd investment that I played for more hours than I’d care to admit. However, I still think of it fondly. And that might be a problem.
Glory of Team Rocket
Glory of Team Rocket, which will be called Destined Rivals in English, is the first Team Rocket-themed TCG set since 2006’s EX Team Rocket Returns. And while it doesn’t feature any Dark Pokemon, the edgy artwork and evil trainer cards call to me.
This is the first Team Rocket TCG set that has released while I’ve had disposable income. And that’s a serious problem. I know full well from my forays into Magic: the Gathering’s The Lord of the Rings crossover that I have the capacity to spend more money on trading cards than I should. A set as close to my childhood dreams as this one could prove devastating for my mortgage application. Reckon I can pass it off as a work expense?
I was sensible with Magic; only buying singles of cards I particularly liked. I’m sensible with digital card games, too, dropping a couple of quid when payday rolls around. I’ve been sensible with the Pokemon TCG for the past decade, again focusing on singles. I have a beautiful Raikou V from Crown Zenith, and I love it nearly as much as I would if I’d have packed it myself.
But I’ve got the urge now. Something about the nostalgia of Team Rocket has instilled an insatiable hunger in the pit of my stomach. I want to rip packs, not for any particular chase card, but for the sheer love of ripping packs. I want to feel that childlike glee again. I want to see what each and every mysterious foil satchel has in store for me. Now that I have a daughter, I want her to understand what I felt when I was a kid. Any hobby is better when shared. And Pokemon is a hobby better with the bad guys front and centre.
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Pokemon TCG Pocket Players Think They’ve Already Cracked The Shining Revelry Meta
I’m here for the era of Wugtrio.