Team Rocket
Set Details
Team Rocket’s on the Loose!
The number of criminal incidents involving Pokémon has been on the rise. Some suggest it may have something to do with the rash of Pokémon kidnappings that have been occurring recently.
Pokémon breeders believe that to properly raise and evolve a Pokémon, you have to treat it with love and attention. But what happens if a Pokémon isn’t treated properly? Will it evolve differently? What’s the secret behind this new threat to Pokémon and their trainers?
The Team Rocket Pokémon Set burst onto the scene as the fifth main expansion of the original Pokémon Trading Card Game in English—and the fourth in Japan—bringing the infamous villainous trio front and center. Released on April 24, 2000, in English (and November 21, 1997, in Japan as Rocket Gang), the set stayed true to Pokémon Red, Blue, and Green by spotlighting classic Generation I Pokémon while weaving in the shady allure of Team Rocket. Collectors still prize its 82‑card lineup (plus one notorious Secret Rare) for the bold black-border design, mischievous flavor text, and darker-toned artwork that instantly set the expansion apart from its predecessors.
What catapulted the Team Rocket Pokémon Set into hobby legend was its debut of Dark Pokémon—cards framed with a brown-black Evolution box and Pokédex bar. These “corrupted” evolutions boast higher damage outputs at the cost of reduced HP, perfectly mirroring Team Rocket’s reckless, power-first philosophy. The expansion also ushered in several first-ever milestones for the TCG:
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Secret cards—starting with Dark Raichu #83/82, famously illustrated by Ken Sugimori and printed in limited numbers.
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The first Holofoil Trainer and Energy cards, adding extra shimmer to battle-ready staples like “Here Comes Team Rocket!”
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Subtle art tweaks, where some Stage 1 Pokémon feature Sugimori’s Red/Blue artwork of their Basic form instead of the usual Red/Green art.
A few lesser-known tidbits make the Team Rocket Pokémon Set irresistible to trivia buffs. It was the first English set not sold in cardboard-backed blister packs, though Italy held onto blisters a bit longer. Early print runs displayed slightly deeper reds in the card backs—an accidental variant now coveted by condition purists. In Europe, booster packs occasionally surfaced with a trilingual rule card, a quirk born from Wizards of the Coast logistics and now a fun collector talking point. And of course, no discussion is complete without Holo Dark Charizard, the chase card whose fiery pose and Cosmos holo pattern still ignite bidding wars a quarter-century later. Whether you’re cataloging rarities or reminiscing about that first sinister booster rip, the Team Rocket Pokémon Set remains a cornerstone of TCG history.
Team Rocket Set Cards
