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Pokemon TCG: 10 Strongest Cards From Base Set

The Pokemon TCG has changed considerably over the years, but these 10 Base Set cards dominated in its early days and set the stage for the game’s future.

By Chris Guest

Pokemon TCG artwork
Pokemon TCG artwork /
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2. Bill

Screenshot of Base Set Bill from Pokemon TCG
Screenshot of Base Set Bill from Pokemon TCG. Courtesy of The Pokemon Company /

A Free Draw-Two

Speaking of busted cards, almost every competitive TCG deck in the Base Set era wanted four of these cards – no questions asked. The ability to draw two cards for free was nothing but exceptionally powerful – and still would be today if cards such as this weren’t limited to Supporter status, such as the “Friends in” series from recent sets.

Remember, if you played this and drew another Bill, you could immediately play it to draw two more cards. There was no limit to the number of Trainers you could play in a turn, so you can see how games could snowball into seeing which player draws the necessary cards quicker, especially when combined with the number-one card on this list…

1. Professor Oak

Screenshot of Base Set Professor Oak from Pokemon TCG
Screenshot of Base Set Professor Oak from Pokemon TCG. Courtesy of The Pokemon Company /

Draw 7 Cards... Multiple Times Per Turn!

One of the strongest Pokemon TCG cards ever printed, the first-ever Pokemon professor Trainer card was utterly dominant and, again, four copies of this card were a prerequisite for tournament-winning decks of the era.

Just like Gust of Wind and Bill before it, this card has now been reprinted (and nerfed) as Professor’s Research, which is a Supporter card with the same ability. In the TCG’s early days, turns in which multiple Bills and one or two Professor Oaks were played were the norm as players rifled through their decks rapidly in order to find the cards they needed to win the game with expediency.

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