Generation 1 – Original Series

Back in the original series, we had basic types like thunder, water, fire, grass, psychic, fighting, and colorless Pokémon and energy. Later, Team Rocket introduced rainbow energy. Trainer cards were simpler then, with no categories like supporter or item cards. Towards the end of the series however, stadium cards were introduced. You could play as many trainer cards as you wanted in one turn, which was pretty powerful!

Best Original Series Pokemon Cards

Here are some of the best original series pokemon cards from the Pokémon TCG, along with quick explanations of why they were important:

Best Base Set Pokemon

• Charizard (Base Set): High HP and powerful, with its “Fire Spin” attack dealing massive damage, requires lots of energy.
• Blastoise (Base Set): Enabled quick powering up of Water-type Pokémon with its “Rain Dance” ability.
• Hitmonchan (Base Set): Efficient attacker with decent HP and resistance, a staple in Haymaker decks.
• Electabuzz (Base Set): Efficient attacker with its “Thunderpunch” attack, another staple in Haymaker decks.
• Chansey (Base Set): High HP and useful “Scrunch” ability made Chansey a valuable defensive option in many decks.
• Super Energy Removal (Base Set): A more powerful version of Energy Removal, Super Energy Removal allowed players to discard one Energy card from their own Pokémon to discard two Energy cards attached to one of their opponent’s Pokémon, providing potent disruption.
• Professor Oak (Base Set): Perhaps the most iconic Trainer card, Professor Oak allowed players to discard their hand and draw 7 new cards, providing essential card advantage and deck cycling.
• Computer Search (Base Set): This Trainer card allowed players to discard 2 cards from their hand to search their deck for any card. It provided unparalleled deck thinning and access to key cards, making it a staple in many decks.
• Item Finder (Base Set): Item Finder allowed players to retrieve a Trainer card from their discard pile, providing valuable recovery and ensuring access to important cards throughout the game.
• Bill (Base Set): Bill allowed players to draw 2 cards, providing simple and efficient card draw that helped maintain hand size and consistency.

Best Jungle Expansion Pokemon

• Mr. Mime (Jungle): Known for its “Invisible Wall” ability, providing protection against damage above 20 points and often included in stall and control decks like the Damage swap decks.
• Scyther (Jungle): Fast and versatile attacker, often included in Haymaker decks for its efficiency. Good to counter Hitmonchan in other Haymaker decks as it was resistant to fighting.
• Lickitung (Jungle): Known for its high HP, ability to confuse and paralyse disrupting the opponent, it served as a stall tactic in various decks. It also resisted Mewtwo which was a popular powerful attacker.
• Clefable (Jungle): Known for its “Metronome” attack, which could potentially mimic any other attack in the game for one colourless energy. It could also use the ability “Minimise” to reduce damage by 20 points next turn to stall games.
• Kangaskhan (Jungle): Known for its “Fetch” ability, allowing players to draw a card from the deck, providing consistency in strategies.
• Dodrio (Jungle): Valued primarily for its “Retreat Aid” ability, allowing for one less energy cost to retreat, Dodrio was a crucial support card in many decks, facilitating strategic mobility and maintaining momentum.

Best Fossil Expansion Pokemon

• Muk (Fossil): Known for its “Toxic Gas” Ability, which disabled other Pokémon’s Abilities. It was the original ability lock!
• Psyduck (Fossil): With its “Headache” attack, which prevented the opponent from playing Trainer cards during their next turn. In a meta where trainer cards were super important to deck strategies. It didn’t do much damage but bought you time.
• Articuno (Fossil): Utilised in Rain Dance decks for its “Blizzard” attack and resistance to Fighting-type Pokémon like Hitmonchan. The perfect partner for Blastoise!
• Magmar (Fossil): Known for its “Smokescreen” attack which made opponents on their next turn flip a coin to see if their attack hits.
• Mr. Fuji (Fossil): A staple in control and stall decks, Mr. Fuji allowed players to shuffle a Pokémon and all cards attached to it into their deck, providing valuable recovery for key Pokémon and resources, contributing to deck longevity and resilience. It worked well with Damage swap decks to heal the Pokemon that damage was being added to.

Best Team Rocket Expansion Pokemon

• Dark Vileplume (Team Rocket): With its “Hay Fever” Ability, which prevented both players from playing Trainer cards as long as Dark Vileplume was in play, it exerted significant control over the game, stifling opponents’ strategies and limiting their options while providing a strong defensive presence in disruption decks. Muk from the fossil expansion described above was a great counter to this.
• Rocket’s Sneak Attack (Team rocket): This Trainer card allowed players to look at their opponent’s hand and choose to reshuffle 1 Trainer card back into their deck, providing disruption and hindering opponents’ strategies by removing key Trainer cards from their hand. Great when going first to completely disrupt the opponents setup.
• Nightly Garbage Run (Team Rocket): This Trainer card allowed players to shuffle up to 3 Pokémon or basic Energy cards from their discard pile into their deck, providing valuable resource recovery.

Best Gym heroes Expansion Pokemon

• Erika’s Dratini (Gym Heroes): Known for its “Strange Barrier” Ability, which reduced basic Pokemons attack damage to 10, helping to stall games. No weakness and resistance to psychic is a bonus.
• The Rocket’s Trap (Gym Heroes): This Trainer card forces the opponent to shuffle 3 cards from their hand back into their deck. Combine this with Rockets sneak attack from the team rocket expansion and it broke the meta.
• No Removal Gym (Gym Heroes): In a game where Energy Removal and Super Energy Removal are common, this card makes players using those cards discard two of their own cards from their hand if they use either of those cards.
• Tickling Machine (Gym Heroes): This Trainer card allowed players to flip a coin, and if heads, it forced the opponent to put the cards in their hand face down unable to be used on their next turn, providing disruption. If tails you’d have to end your turn immediately.

Best Gym Challenge Expansion Pokemon

• Brocks Ninetails (Gym Challenge): Had the ability “Shapeshift” which allowed it to turn into any of your evolution Pokemon in your hand and attack with it. Abilities did not carry over.
• Chaos Gym (Gym Challenge): A stadium card that forced players to flip a coin when playing a trainer card. If heads it allowed use as normal, if tails the opponent can use the card if fulfilling the requirements like discarding a card. This was a powerful disruption card.
• Warp point (Gym Challenge): This is the original escape rope that we have today. A great card still, it forces both players to switch their active Pokemon with another Pokemon on their bench.

Best Original Series Pokemon Decks

In terms of popular decks in the meta during the original series, a few standouts included:

Haymaker Deck

This deck focused on fast, efficient Pokémon like Hitmonchan, Electabuzz, and Scyther, supported by Trainer cards like PlusPower and Energy Removal to quickly overwhelm opponents. The deck worked well because the meta was full of energy removal, these Pokemon had lower energy cost, respectable HP and damage.

Rain Dance Deck

Centered around Blastoise’s “Rain Dance” ability, this deck aimed to power up Water-type Pokémon like Lapras and Articuno quickly, often supplemented by cards like Professor Oak for hand replenishment.

Damage Swap Deck

Built around Alakazam’s “Damage Swap” ability, this deck aimed to stall and control the game while steadily wearing down opponents’ Pokémon, often using cards like Chansey and Mr. Mime for additional defense. The tactic was use Mr. Mime to limit damage to 20 or less, move the damage to bulky Chansey. Then use the Pokemon Center trainer card to remove all damage counters from your Pokemon.

Energy acceleration deck

Consisted of Arcanine or Zapdos who had great HP and powerful attacks. These attacks did cost a lot of energy and would be easily countered by energy removal. This is where Psyduck came in and would prevent the opponent from using any trainer cards. Buying Arcanine and Zapdos time to be setup to hit with those powerful attacks. Electrode had an ability called “Buzzap” which would allow you to attach it to a Pokemon as any type of energy, accelerating energy onto the attacking Pokemon.

Shapeshifter Deck

Made up of Brocks Ninetales and Brocks protection. This strategy was to use Brocks Ninetales ability “Shapeshift” to transform into an evolution Pokemon in your hand, like Dark Blastoise with its powerful hydrocannon attack. Now Hydrocannon needs a lot of energy to be powerful enough to one hit KO higher HP Pokemon. As we know with energy removal that is not possible, however, using “Brocks Protection” energy removal can no longer work. You can also use Misty’s Gyarados who has a negative ability but is negated by Brocks protection, making it a powerful viable option.

Other standout decks

Trainer disruption: A combination of Dark Vileplume, Snorlax and Double colourless energy. Attach two double colourless energy to Snorlax to body slam which provides a 50/50 chance of paralysing the opponent. Dark Vileplume prevents the use of trainer cards meaning no energy removal. Psyduck is also another useful addition here to prevent trainer cards as well.

Ability disruption: Using Muk to prevent Pokemon abilities and Mewtwo to outpace energy removal cards with it’s energy absorption attack. This deck would counter the Dark Vileplume deck above.

Strategy disruption: This strategy was frustrating for the meta, it revolved around three trainer cards. The rockets trap, Rockets sneak attack, and Chaos gym. All described above but in essence you could disrupt the opponents hand by discarding cards and forcing them to flip a coin when using trainer cards.

Energy recycle: Using both Mewtwo and Venusaur players could take energy back out of the discard pile and move them around their Pokemon freely.

Key Takeaways to Improve Deck Building

Here are the key takeaways to improve your own strategy and deck-building ability:

1. Identify core cards crucial for successful decks.
2. Choose a deck archetype matching your play style, speed (haymaker) vs strategy (raindance).
3. Pair Pokémon and Trainers for maximum effectiveness (synergy).
4. Integrate cards to address weaknesses or counter strategies.
5. Utilise Trainer cards for support and disruption.
6. Employ disruptive strategies to thwart opponents.
7. Master resource handling for an advantage.
8. Include defensive Pokémon for damage mitigation and stall tactics.
9. Utilize healing effects and damage redistribution for sustainability.

Learn more strategies, decks, and the best Pokemon cards the TCG history has here.

Are there any cards or decks we missed from Generation 1? Let us know in the comments!

Team Maniax, shuffling out – see you next time!