Legendary Collection
Set Details
The best of the pack are back!
(In foils, too!)
They’re big. They’re bad. They’re your all-time favorite Pokémon from the Pokémon® Blue and Pokémon Red Game Boy® games, back in action in the all-new Pokémon: Legendary Collection™ card set. Charizard, Blastoise, Venusaur, and many more of the most powerful Pokémon ever are on the prowl again.
And if that isn’t exciting enough, special foil versions of each Pokémon in the Pokémon: Legendary Collection expansion can be found in random boosters.
The Legendary Collection Pokémon Set exploded onto the scene on May 24, 2002, as the twelfth English expansion and the sole release in the aptly named Legendary Collection Series. Unlike previous reprint sets, this 110-card lineup cherry-picked fan-favorite artwork from Base Set, Jungle, Fossil, and Team Rocket, then updated each card with the sleeker Neo-era frame—instantly giving nostalgic art a modern sheen. Because there was no Japanese counterpart, Legendary Collection became a true Western exclusive and quickly earned the informal nickname “Base Set 3” among collectors.
What truly catapulted the Legendary Collection Pokémon Set into hobby folklore was its debut of Reverse Holofoil cards. Instead of limiting holo-sparkle to the illustration window, Wizards of the Coast flooded the entire card surface with a dazzling “fireworks” pattern while leaving the artwork matte—a visual first for the Pokémon TCG that still turns heads when a Charizard or Dark Blastoise catches the light. In effect, every card in the set exists in two forms: the standard reprint and a Reverse Holo, doubling the chase to 220 collectibles and ensuring packs felt rewarding even without a traditional holo hit.
Collectors also remember the set for its oversized Box Topper program: each factory-sealed booster box included one jumbo card—most famously a holographic Charizard—that today commands impressive premiums on the secondary market. Beyond Charizard, the fireworks Reverse Holos introduced unique swirl patterns and print lines, spawning an entire sub-culture of “swirl hunters.” Early print runs featured slightly thicker silver borders on some Reverse Holos, a subtle variant that grading aficionados now track. Finally, Legendary Collection marked the last Wizards-era release packaged with classic 11-card boosters before the company pivoted toward the e-Reader sets, cementing its status as both a nostalgic end-cap to the vintage era and a crown jewel of early Pokémon TCG history.
Legendary Collection Set Cards
