Japanese PCG Pokémon TCG Sets

All sets

About the PCG era

The PCG era picks up where the ADV era left off and runs to the end of the Pokémon-ex years. Flight of Legends opened it on April 9, 2004 with 82 cards of Generation I Pokémon and the Kanto region, reaching English as EX FireRed & LeafGreen on August 30, 2004. Clash of the Blue Sky followed on July 1, 2004 with Rayquaza and Deoxys, and Rocket Gang Strikes Back on October 15, 2004 with 84 cards and a secret card, the two sets that became EX Deoxys and EX Team Rocket Returns, released in the opposite order in English.

Rocket Gang Strikes Back introduced Pokémon ☆, the Gold Star cards, Pokémon with unusual coloring whose artwork breaks out of the window border and whose rarity symbol is gold foil. It also dressed Rocket's Pokémon-ex with spikes on the artwork window and the Team Rocket logo in the attack box. Golden Sky, Silvery Ocean, on April 8, 2005 with 106 cards, returned to the Johto Pokémon of Pokémon Gold and Silver, and Mirage Forest, on June 30, 2005, centered on Mew.

Holon Research Tower, on October 28, 2005, introduced δ Delta Species, Pokémon altered by a wave of electromagnetic radiation from a Holon experiment so that they carry types other than their usual ones, along with Holon's Pokémon, which can double as Special Energy cards. Holon Phantom on January 27, 2006, Miracle Crystal on March 10, 2006 and Offense and Defense of the Furthest Ends on June 29, 2006 carried the Delta Species story through Holon and its islands, with Miracle Crystal the last set to feature dual type Delta Species.

The World Champions Pack closed the era in an unusual way. It released on July 5, 2007, after two DP era expansions were already out, and after its English version EX Power Keepers of February 14, 2007. It was first available in first edition through the Pokémon Card Game website and at Summer Battle Road 2007 so that Japanese players would not be at a disadvantage at the 2007 World Championships.

Collectors chase the Gold Star cards: Torchic ☆ and Mudkip ☆ from Rocket Gang Strikes Back, Rayquaza ☆ from Clash of the Blue Sky and Charizard ☆ from Offense and Defense of the Furthest Ends lead the era's graded market. The set hubs below carry every card list, the live chase prices and the editorial history of each release.

• Pokémon Gold Star Rocket Gang Strikes Back introduced Pokémon ☆, unusually colored Pokémon whose artwork breaks out of the window with a gold foil rarity symbol, and the Torchic, Mudkip, Rayquaza and Charizard Gold Stars lead the era's market.
• Delta Species and Holon Holon Research Tower introduced δ Delta Species, Pokémon with types other than their usual ones, and Holon's Pokémon that double as Special Energy, a storyline that ran through Holon Phantom, Miracle Crystal and Offense and Defense of the Furthest Ends.
• Second half of the EX Series The ten expansions became EX FireRed & LeafGreen through EX Power Keepers in English, with EX Team Rocket Returns and EX Deoxys released in the reverse of their Japanese order.
• The World Champions Pack The final expansion released on July 5, 2007, during the DP era and after its English version, first in first edition through the Pokémon Card Game website and Summer Battle Road 2007 ahead of the 2007 World Championships.
• Reverse holofoil patterns Each expansion carried its own reverse holofoil pattern, a wheel in Clash of the Blue Sky, a 3D Poké Ball in Golden Sky, Silvery Ocean, a cosmic pattern in Mirage Forest and a plain refractor from Holon Phantom onward.

Release timeline

1. PCG-P Promotional cards February 1, 2004 · 154 cards · PCG-P
2. Flight of Legends April 9, 2004 · 82 cards · PCG1
3. Clash of the Blue Sky July 1, 2004 · 82 cards · PCG2
4. Rocket Gang Strikes Back October 15, 2004 · 85 cards · PCG3
5. Golden Sky, Silvery Ocean April 8, 2005 · 106 cards · PCG4
6. Mirage Forest June 30, 2005 · 86 cards · PCG5
7. Holon Research Tower October 28, 2005 · 86 cards · PCG6
8. Holon Phantom January 27, 2006 · 52 cards · PCG7
9. Miracle Crystal March 10, 2006 · 75 cards · PCG8
10. Offense and Defense of the Furthest Ends June 29, 2006 · 68 cards · PCG9
11. World Champions Pack July 5, 2007 · 108 cards · PCG10

Top 10 cards

1. Lugia ex from Golden Sky, Silvery Ocean at PSA 10 $15,021.25
2. Gengar ex from Flight of Legends at PSA 10 $11,750.50
3. Umbreon ex from Golden Sky, Silvery Ocean at PSA 10 $11,100.00
4. Espeon ex from Golden Sky, Silvery Ocean at PSA 10 $9,426.39
5. Mew ex from Mirage Forest at PSA 10 $7,499.99
6. Rocket's Snorlax ex from Rocket Gang Strikes Back at PSA 10 $7,489.00
7. Rocket's Suicune ex from Rocket Gang Strikes Back at PSA 10 $4,500.00
8. Rocket's Zapdos Ex from Rocket Gang Strikes Back at PSA 10 $4,400.00
9. Zapdos ex from Flight of Legends at PSA 10 $3,000.00
10. Gyarados ex from Flight of Legends at PSA 10 $2,924.15

Japanese PCG Pokémon TCG Sets FAQ

How many sets are in the PCG era?

There are 11 published PCG era sets in this hub.

When were the PCG era sets released?

The published PCG era sets were released from February 1, 2004 to July 5, 2007.

What are the top chase cards in the PCG era?

The leading tracked chase cards in the PCG era are Lugia ex from Golden Sky, Silvery Ocean, Gengar ex from Flight of Legends, Umbreon ex from Golden Sky, Silvery Ocean.

How many sets are in the Japanese PCG era?

Eleven: ten main expansions from Flight of Legends to the World Champions Pack and the PCG-P Promotional cards.

When did the Japanese PCG era start and end?

It opened with Flight of Legends on April 9, 2004 and closed with the World Champions Pack on July 5, 2007, which released after the DP era had already begun with Space-Time Creation.

What did the PCG era introduce?

Pokémon ☆ in Rocket Gang Strikes Back, δ Delta Species and Holon's Pokémon in Holon Research Tower, and a different reverse holofoil pattern with most expansions.

Which Japanese PCG era cards do collectors chase most?

The Gold Star cards: Torchic ☆ and Mudkip ☆ from Rocket Gang Strikes Back, Rayquaza ☆ from Clash of the Blue Sky and Charizard ☆ from Offense and Defense of the Furthest Ends. Each set hub ranks its own chase cards by live PSA 10 value.

Why did the World Champions Pack release after EX Power Keepers?

It was intended for Japanese players so they would not be at a disadvantage at the 2007 World Championships, so it came out on July 5, 2007, after two DP expansions and five months after the English EX Power Keepers of February 14, 2007.

Sources

• Bulbapedia: List of Japanese Pokémon Trading Card Game expansions, PCG Era
• Bulbapedia: EX Team Rocket Returns (TCG)
• Bulbapedia: EX Delta Species (TCG)
• Slabfolio set hubs for the Japanese PCG era