20 Most Powerful Pokémon Cards Of All Time

Oct. 18, 2023, 1 p.m.

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20 Most Powerful Pokémon Cards Of All Time

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Summary Several overpowered cards have been released throughout the game's history that offer powerful abilities and strategic advantages.

Overpowered banned cards like Lysandre's Trump Card and Shaymin EX significantly impacted the game upon their release.

Many of the most powerful cards create the option to draw more cards into a player's hand.

The Pokémon Trading Card Game has been around since 1996, and during those decades, there have been some incredibly powerful cards released for the TCG, including many that ended up so overpowered that they have since been banned from tournament play. Pokémon regularly debuts new styles of cards with featured abilities to make sets stand out from each other, and sometimes, this leads to certain cards packing a real Pika Punch over the rest.

As new expansions to the game are added regularly, it is always exciting to see what new abilities are added. In the case of ACE SPEC cards, which recently made their return to the game after a decade's hiatus, sometimes powerful old card mechanics can be brought back to life. Cards allowed in tournaments are reevaluated yearly and adjusted as needed, but casual games can always use some overpowered cards as long as everyone agrees to it. Here are some of the most powerful cards that have ever been made available for the Pokémon Trading Card Game.

Related The 12 Most Expensive Pokémon Cards Of All-Time, Ranked 2021 saw a renewed surge of interest in the game and its cards, which resulted in the cards' value skyrocketing to well above thousands of dollars.

20 Seismitoad EX (2014)

Card 20/111 From XY: Furious Fists

At first glance, Seismitoad EX doesn't look very powerful. Its Quaking Punch attack only does 30 damage, after all. Reading a bit more on the card reveals its true power, though, in that when Quaking Punch is used, the opponent cannot play any Item cards during their next turn. Item cards can be a major part of most players' strategies, and the Pokémon TCG has an incredible array of useful Items.

Unless a player has another way to jump in and provide some powerful attacks, this ability from Seismitoad EX could create a problem of having very long games, doing only 30 damage each turn, even with its benefit. Whether it's slow or not, it is still a powerful strategy to use when needed.

19 M Charizard EX (Y) (2014)

Card 13/106 From XY: Flashfire

The various iterations of Charizard are among the most powerful cards in the game, and for good reason. There are very few situations where a Charizard card is not going to be useful in some way in the Pokémon TCG, and the Mega Charizard EX cards are both perfect examples of this. While the X version is a bit more impressive and is a bit more powerful, the Y card is also a worthy contender.

This card features the attack Crimson Dive, which does a massive 300 damage to the opponent, generally providing a one-shot kill. Unfortunately, in doing so, Charizard will also cause 50 damage to itself.

18 Radiant Greninja (2022)

Card 046/189 From Sword & Shield: Astral Radiance

This card doesn't just look cool with the featured Shiny variant of Greninja, but is also a strong card with powerful abilities connected to it. In particular, its Concealed Cards ability allows the player to discard one Energy to draw two new cards. In a game where cards are key, being able to quickly and easily gain two additional cards can be incredibly beneficial.

Though less impressive, the Moonlight Shuriken attack, which Radiant Greninja holds, is also powerful, dealing 90 damage to any two Pokémon. Radiant Greninja was part of the Astral Radiance set, which included many Radiant versions, but only one Radiant Pokemon can be in a deck at once.

17 M Ampharos EX (2015)

Card 28/98 From XY: Ancient Origins

Mega Ampharos EX is another of the Mega evolution cards which has very powerful abilities to change the course of a game. This Electric Pokémon has an attack called Exavolt, which will do a base attack of 120 but then adds 50 more damage and leaves the opponent's Active Pokémon Paralyzed. Doing this extra 50 damage will deal 30 damage to Mega Ampharos EX as well, however. Luckily, this powerhouse has 220 HP, so it can survive quite a few attacks.

16 Professor Oak And Other Professors Ever Since The Original Set (1996)

Several Cards Over The Years Have Had This Ability

In the very first base set for the Pokémon Trading Card Game, there was a Trainer card for Professor Oak that has had a bit of an ongoing legacy throughout the history of the TCG. This powerful card allows the player to discard their hand and draw seven cards, which can be a game-changing move in many situations.

Over the years, there have been other Professor cards that have served the same effect, including Professor Juniper and Professor Sycamore and the more recent Professor's Research Support card.

15 Tapu Lele GX (2017)

Card 60/145 From Sun & Moon: Guardians Rising

Tapu Lele GX is from the Sun & Moon: Guardians Rising set for the Pokémon TCG. This card is very powerful in games due to its ability to let players search their deck and draw a Supporter card when Tapu Lele is played onto a player's bench. Its special GX power also allows for healing all damage from 2 Benched Pokémon.

This Tapu Lele GX card, number 60/145, was also available as an alternate art card 137/145, and the Secret Rare card 155/145 in the same set. While the three have different art, they all include the same abilities and text.

14 Cleffa (2011)

Card 24/95 From Pokémon TCG: Call Of Legends

Cleffa is an adorable little Pokémon with powerful ability. It is very accessible for most decks because it is a colorless card. Cleffa is from the Pokémon TCG: Call of Legends set and allows its player to shuffle their hand into their deck and draw six new cards, which will then put Cleffa to sleep. As long as Cleffa is Asleep, opponents can do no damage to this cute little Pokémon.

Other, similar versions of Cleffa in the Pokémon TCG have had similar abilities to either shuffle the hand into the deck and draw new cards or simply draw more cards, but without the added benefit of opponents being unable to damage Cleffa. In some instances, they may be required to flip a coin to see if the attack lands, however.

Related Pokémon TCG Reveals A Powerful New ACE SPEC Card In Upcoming Mask Of Change Set A powerful new ACE SPEC card for Pokémon TCG is arriving with the upcoming Mask of Change expansion, which will become the Twilight Masquerade set.

13 Claydol (2008)

Card 15/106 From Diamond & Pearl: Great Encounters

Part of the Diamond & Pearl: Great Encounters set, Claydol is an unassuming card that is surprisingly effective in battle. Its Poké-Power lets players tweak their deck to have their supports focus on things other than draw power, as Claydol will let players discard up to two cards from their hand and then draw six new cards every turn.

Being able to manipulate a deck in this manner can be a significant boost in the game. This Claydol card was re-printed as part of the Pokémon TCG Celebrations: Classic Collection in 2021 and remains just as powerful as it had over a decade earlier.

12 Arceus VSTAR (2022)

Card 123/172 From Sword & Shield: Brilliant Stars

Arceus VSTAR is from the Pokémon TCG: Sword & Shield - Brilliant Stars and is set as a colorless card. Like the above entry for Claydol, Arceus VSTAR lets players search their deck for cards once per game or to get three basic Energy cards. In addition to its strong attack power, this ability to get the cards a player needs can shift the balance of power in a game.

This card for Arceus VSTAR was released for the set in a variety of forms, including a special Promo card and two Secret Rare varieties, including the golden card 184/172 and the more colorful 176/172.

Related Pokémon: Possible Meanings Behind Arceus' Name The true name of Arceus is hidden behind in-game details and dialogue, as well as the numerous real-life gods and myths incorporated into its design.

11 M Aggron EX (2015)

Card 94/160 From XY: Primal Clash

For those with luck on their side, Mega Aggron EX, from the Pokémon TCG: XY Primal Clash set, can do some powerful attack damage. Mega Aggron EX's attack Megaton Slam allows for double the damage to be dealt to its victims if a player's coin flip lands on heads. Alternatively, if it lands on tails, 20 damage will be caused to each of the player's Benched Pokémon.

If lucky enough to get heads, this will mean Mega Aggron EX will do 240 damage, effectively being able to one-shot most cards in the game. However, even landing on tails would still suffice as a decent consolation prize. M Aggron EX card 94/160 also has a Full Art variant in the same set as card 154/160.

10 Zoroark GX (2017)

Card 53/73 From Sun & Moon: Shining Legends

Zoroark GX is one of the powerful cards of the Pokémon TCG: Shining Legends set that lets players discard a card to draw two, letting them easily swap things out to be their ideal hand. Additionally, its Riotous Beating attack provides a strong hit as it can deal 20 damage per Pokémon the player has in play in addition to Zoroark GX. Once per game, the Trickster GX ability can also come in handy by allowing Zoroark GX to use any attack ability of an opponent's Pokémon.

Several Promo cards for Zoroark GX were released with the set, as well as a Secret Rare version of the card at number 77/73.

9 M Charizard EX (X) (2014)

Card 69/106 From XY: Flashfire

Both the X and Y evolutions for Mega Charizard EX are powerful, but X is slightly more so, with a Wild Blaze attack that can do 300 damage in one hit. While the Y form of this Mega Charizard EX would then also do 50 damage to itself, X will instead cause the player to discard the top 5 cards from their deck. Although losing cards is not fun, it allows for this one-hit powerhouse to take out opposing Pokémon effortlessly without hurting itself.

Related Pokémon Doesn't Need To Put Charizard In Everything Charizard has been making plenty of appearances in recent Pokémon games, but this has done little aside from taking attention from other Pokémon.

8 Lysandre's Trump Card (2014)

Card 99/119 From XY: Phantom Forces

Lysandre's Trump Card was part of the Pokémon TCG: XY Phantom Forces set and was quickly banned from competitive matches. This simple support card can essentially reset the entire match by making both players shuffle all of their cards from the discard pile back into their decks.

It also takes away the possibility for any player to run out of cards as long as it is able to be used, as discard piles can just be shuffled back into decks, thereby removing one of the possible win conditions.

An Ultra Rare Full Art variant of the card was also included in the set as card number 118/119.

7 Shaymin EX (2015)

Card 77/108 From XY: Roaring Skies

The Pokémon TCG: XY Roaring Skies set also introduced the Shaymin EX card, showcasing Shaymin in its Sky Forme, which was banned from competitive play after a few years. This overpowered card not only lets a player draw until they have six cards in their hand whenever Shaymin EX is placed on the bench, but also has a Sky Return ability that lets players then return Shaymin and all cards connected to it back to their hand. This cycle can keep allowing a player to fill their hand repetitively when the ability and move are used strategically.

6 M Gengar EX (2014)

Card 35/119 From XY: Phantom Forces

Mega Gengar EX is from the Pokémon TCG: XY Phantom Forces and is more than just a beautiful and colorful card. This powerhouse card lets players use any attack from an opponent's Pokémon card to use as their attack at a very low energy cost of only one Psychic energy. Depending on what cards the opposing player has out, this card could potentially be a powerful card for little cost.

Although it looks remarkably similar in card design, one would think it was merely a shiny variant of M Gengar EX. However, there is a Promo card for XY that actually has entirely different stats and abilities.

Related Pokémon TCG: All Scarlet & Violet Ex Cards Revealed (So Far) The Scarlet and Violet set will bring the ex mechanic back to the Pokémon Trading Card Game. These are the few ex forms that have been revealed.

5 Copperajah VMAX (2020)

Card 137/192 From Sword & Shield: Rebel Clash

Likely one of the lesser known Pokémon, Copperajah has a VMAX form in this card from Pokémon TCG: Sword & Shield - Rebel Clash. First to note is the impressive 340 HP that this card holds, making it strong enough to withstand any high-damage hits.

Its Dangerous Nose attack does 100 damage, with an additional 100 damage if the opponent's Active Pokémon is a Basic. Rebel Clash included both the Ultra Rare Copperajah VMAX card 137/192 and a colorful Secret Rare variant as card 199/192 in the set.

4 Charizard GX (2017)

Card 20/147 From Sun & Moon: Burning Shadows

Charizard GX from the Pokémon TCG: Sun & Moon - Burning Shadows set is one of many powerful Charizard cards, but this one features a GX move that will make opponents cringe. The Raging Out GX attack causes an opponent to discard the top 10 cards from their deck.

It can only be used once per game, but losing ten cards is a massive blow to any player. Additionally, the Crimson Storm can do 300 damage in one attack, and Charizard GX has a high HP of 250 to make it pretty resilient to attacks as well.

3 M Mewtwo EX (2015)

Card 64/162 From XY: BREAKthrough

Mewtwo is already known to be one of the strongest Pokémon, canonically, so making one a Mega Mewtwo EX can make it nearly unbeatable. This Pokémon TCG card is from the XY: BREAKthrough set and can cause incredible damage in its attacks.

Related Pokémon TCG: Which Mewtwo Cards Are Worth The Most Money Mewtwo is a staple mascot for the Pokémon series, with his edgy design and powerful appearance commanding a high price for some Pokémon cards.

With its Psychic Infinity power, Mega Mewtwo EX will do 30 extra damage multiplied by the total amount of Energy that is on both Active Pokémon combined, and is not affected by any Weakness.

2 Mewtwo & Mew GX Tag Team (2019)

Card 71/236 From Sun & Moon: Unified Minds

Part of Pokémon TCG: Sun & Moon - Unified Minds set, which introduced Tag Teams, the Mewtwo & Mew GX Tag Team is perfect for versatility and power. This card has the ability Perfection, which allows it to use any attack from any Pokémon GX or EX card in the player's Bench or discard pile.

Also, the Miraculous Duo GX power, which can only be used once per game, can not only do 200 damage to its victim, but if there is an extra Energy attached to the card, it will heal all damage from all the player's Pokémon.

1 Charizard VSTAR (2022)

Card 018/172 From Sword & Shield: Brilliant Stars

Between having a healthy 280 HP and two of the strongest attacks in the game, this card from Pokémon TCG: Sword & Shield - Brilliant Stars is a dangerous one to face off against. The one-time use Star Blaze VSTAR power will do a whopping 320 damage.

Even the more basic Explosive Fire attack can do 230 damage if there are any damage counters on Charizard VSTAR. These abilities that Charizard VSTAR has can easily make it the most powerful card seen in the decades that the Pokémon Trading Card Game has been around.