Even if all of the cards from the original Pokémon base set were legalized for use in the current format, very few of them would see play. However, Professor Oak is not the norm. Drawing seven cards is such a powerful advantage that it dictates the rest of the game.

While not strictly a reprint, similar supporter cards have been reprinted in every set afterwards. Featuring a wide variety of Pokemon teachers, from the original Professor Oak to the newest set's Professor Sada and Professor Turo, while maintaining the same timeless quality.

It should come as no surprise that Mewtwo, one of the most powerful Pokémon, also has one of the most powerful cards in the TCG. This move causes 30 extra damage times the total amount of energy tied to both active Pokémon thanks to the Mega Mewtwo EX card's 10+ Physic Infinity.

This attack's damage is unaffected by the target's defense. If a player has enough energy cards, Mega Mewtwo EX can win games on its own. It is extremely resistant to harm, making it a challenge even for powerful foes to defeat.

In addition to Mega Ampharos EX's base attack of 120 damage, its Extravolt attack deals an additional 50 damage and paralyzes the opponent's active Pokémon. Mega Ampharos EX takes 30 damage, but its 220 HP make it very durable. When used in its EX form, Mega Ampharos deals devastating damage and paralyzes the opposing attacker, making it impossible for it to perform any damage. Mega Ampharos EX changes the tide of battle for players who have healers in their decks.

Despite being a staple of the Pokémon series for years, shiny Pokémon are rarely featured in the card game. The Astral Radiance expansion set introduced Shiny Pokémon to address this issue. There can only be one Radiant Pokémon in a deck, but its abilities are unlike any other.

Because of its Concealed Cards ability, which allows its user to discard an Energy in exchange for two card draws, Radiant Greninja has found a home in many different formats. Moonlight Shuriken, an attack learned by Greninja, deals 90 damage to any two Pokémon if the player equips it with adequate Energy but sees slightly less use due to this.

Originally released in the X&Y Roaring Skies expansion, Shaymin-EX remained legal for several years of competitive play before being phased out. This ban was delayed until almost the end of 2020, largely as a result of its power and strategy.

When Shaymin-EX is moved from the player's hand to the bench, the user can draw cards until they have six cards in their hand thanks to its ability, Set Up. It's easy to see why this person is so confident in their abilities; after all, they're only using their brains.

Players will always be free to utilize Lysandre's Trump Card in friendly competition, but it has been banned from official matches due to the havoc it caused. The effect is so potent that it blows the rest of the market out of the water. When played, Lysandre's Trump Card reshuffles all cards from both players' discard piles back into their respective decks, thus wiping the slate clean and starting again. It didn't take long for this card to gain notoriety and then be outright banned from play.

Since its release, Seismitoad EX has divided the player community. It was rather durable for the time period, but its infamous "Quaking Punch" attack made it famous. Although this attack did only 30 damage, it prevented the use of item cards, an essential component of any deck at the time and now.

This resulted in games where the Seismitoad player would wear their opponent down slowly until their opponent was effectively locked out of the game. Seismitoad's ability to pay for its attacks with a single Double Colorless Energy and Lysandre's Trump Card's ability to recycle resources over and over again made the deck incredibly potent.

The Mega Charizard X EX is an extremely potent version of the Charizard card. This card's Wild Blaze attack deals an incredible 300 damage. This card doesn't deal damage to itself, but instead causes the player to discard five of their own cards. Even though it's not ideal, dealing five cards' worth of damage to the opponent is worth it if played correctly. Mega Charizard X has greater health and fewer weaknesses than Mega Charizard Y EX.

There has never been a time in the Pokémon Trading Card Game where Charizard wasn't one of the most sought-after cards. The introduction of Mega Charizard Y EX changed the dynamic of the Pokémon trading card game. Crimson Dive, one of this card's attacks, produces 300 damage but also causes 50 damage to the card itself. Mega Charizard Y EX has 220 HP, allowing it to take five hits from its own attack before dying. Inflict enough damage over five turns to destroy the opponent's entire deck with this card.

Anyone who is familiar with cards like Professor's Research will get a glimpse of what made Tropical Beach so powerful, but in order to properly comprehend why it had such an influence, further investigation is required. The ability to draw seven cards per turn was extremely powerful, and it was difficult to obtain a duplicate of the deck itself.

As soon as it was made available to the public as a promotional incentive at Worlds 2011, it saw heavy use. As a result of the high demand and limited supply, many players were forced to settle for less than a full playset, and the card was eventually banned in Japan in 2013.

Tapu Lele-GX was released in the Sun & Moon Guardians Rising set and has been a staple Pokémon in many decks since, thanks to its Wonder Tag ability. Whenever Tapu Lele-GX is played onto a player's bench from their hand, they're able to search for and draw a supporter card.

The ability to access a chosen supporter on demand is too good to pass up in many cases. Tapu Cure-GX can also be used in a pinch to fully heal two other Pokémon, though something like Mewtwo-and-Mew would fulfill this role better.

Mega Gardevoir EX has an attack called the Brilliant Arrow that does 30 damage times the amount of energy attached to all the players' Pokémon. This attack has no damage cap, meaning it can potentially deal 400 damage and one-shot any of the opponent's Pokémon if set up correctly. One downside to Mega Gardevoir EX is the amount of energy needed and the difficulty in building it up. But the possible damage output makes this card worth it despite the time and risks involved.

It's impossible to dislike a card that has Mew and Mewtwo working together, even if Mewtwo doesn't seem very delighted by the prospect. The Mewtwo and Mew GX Tag Team, included in the appropriately named Unified Minds package, has approximately 300 HP and a robust range of moves.

Perfection is an ability that allows the duo to use the attacks of any GX or EX Pokémon on the player's bench or in their discard pile. Not only does Miraculous Duo GX cure any damage done to the player's Pokémon, it also deals two hundred points of harm.

Despite Malamar's low profile, TCG players shouldn't overlook his EX card. Maxmar is this card's main attack; for each associated energy card, the player flips a coin, and for each heads, this Pokémom takes 60 damage. The second strike from Malamar EX is more reliable, but this one could still fail. When your opponent adds an energy card, it puts their active Pokémon to sleep. Malamar EX is a formidable opponent in Pokémon TCG due to its two unique abilities.

It's no secret that the most popular Pokémon is the one that's been coupled up with the least popular. The Lucario and Melmetal GX from the Unbroken Bonds set is a very sturdy tank with a whopping 260 HP. Lucario and Melmetal GX are a formidable defensive force with to their Full Metal Wall-GX ability. Using Steel Fist, it can quickly replenish its health for the finishing blow. Heavy Impact can instantly kill any creature with 150 health or less.

Any player facing off against Mega Venusaur EX should be wary. With its Crisis Vine special move, it can immobilize and poison the opposing Pokémon, dealing twice as much damage. Though it only deals 120 damage, Mega Venusaur EX shines when used to immobilize the opposing team's strongest Pokémon so that the rest of the team may finish it off with ease. Mega Venusaur EX demonstrates that a card's damage output is not necessarily indicative of its lethality.

The Shining Legends set includes Zoroark-GX, which has found its way into practically every deck without any difficulty (unless its opponent is using a deck specifically built to oppose it). The combination of Zoroark's trade ability and Riotous Beating move guarantees that it will always have the upper hand.

With Trade, players can get rid of a card they don't need in exchange for drawing two more, while Riotous Beating does twenty damage times the number of Pokémon they control. When combined, they make sure Zoroark always deals a lot of damage. With over 200 health points, it is not an easy target.

The Megaton Slam attack of Mega Aggron EX allows the user to toss a coin. If the coin comes up heads, the already lethal strike will deal an additional 120 damage. If the coin is headed, the cardholder's benched Pokémon takes 20 damage. Mega Aggron EX may one-shot any of the opponent's Pokémon if the cardholder is lucky. It's OK to risk harming the player's own benched cards if the damage output is high enough.

Even though not every Pokémon card can maintain its meta dominance indefinitely, those who were playing during their heyday will never forget them. Cards from the Black and White Legendary Treasures set, like the once-unstoppable bully Mewtwo-EX, fall into this category.

Mewtwo-EX is a formidable opponent because it is a tank with nearly 200 HP and devastating moves. X Ball inflicts twenty times the number of energy cards Mewtwo is holding in addition to the damage it does to the opposing Pokémon. Psydrive, meanwhile, deals an incredible 120 points of damage. The only drawback is energy waste.

The Phantom Gate attack of Mega Gengar EX can be used to steal and use one of the opponent's Pokémon attacks. For the cost of just one Psychic energy card, the player can use this attack to negate one of their opponent's attacks. If your opponent is using a powerful card like Mega Mewtwo X or Shadow Lugia, Mega Gengar EX can be a death sentence. The ability to strike an opponent with either of these cards is formidable due to their great damage potential.