Every Pokémon Card Back (And Where It Came From)
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By: Oliver Copeland
- Published:
- Last Updated: November 1, 2024
Virtually all trading card games have rules stating that the back of each card must be identical. This is so the player cannot distinguish a unique card before drawing it from their deck. But there are actually over 20 different Pokémon card backs! Some are not legal for tournament play, and others are highly collectible.
Every official Pokémon TCG Card Back
1995
Prototype backs
Above is an image of a “prototype” Pokémon card back, graded in a CGC slab.
Many have been introduced into the market and are now in circulation, as 2024 was a big year for them, and we’ve seen multiple iterations. Most are blank, but this one represents the design that would of on to become the official Pokémon card back.
The card in the image above is a mint 9.5 Alpha Playtest Alakazam. The variant is “Mounted on Card” as these are handmade and the faces have been glued onto card stock.
1996
Japanese old-backs
The very first Pokémon TCG cards to ever be released were in Japan on October 1996, after the success of the video games in February of the same year. The design of the back of the cards features a Pokéball opening with the words ‘Pocket Monsters Card Game’ and a 1996 copyright at the bottom.
1998
Japanese old-back holofoil
In 1998, the manufacturer of Pokémon cards known as Media Factory ran a promotional campaign where collectors could send a piece of mail with two Pokémon cards included, and would receive two promotional cards in return, to simulate a trade.
These are known as the ‘Trade Please!’ promotional cards. One of the promo cards had a unique characteristic to it- a holofoil back. This was the card known as Imakuni Trade Please!.
This is one of two Pokémon cards ever made with a holofoil back.
Japanese Vending Series
A promotional set of Pokémon cards was actually available through vending machines exclusively, in Japan in 1998. These are referred to as the vending series promos, and all 7 cards feature a unique back to them.
1999
International Back
Perhaps the most recognizable trading card back in the world is the English version of the Pokémon TCG. This design was likely created by Wizards of the Coast, who had a partnership with Nintendo to distribute the cards to North America.
This new card back featured a more dynamic design and also used the abbreviation ‘Pokémon’ instead of Pocket Monsters. This design is the same that is used today.
Trainer Deck A & Trainer Deck B
In 1999 it was important to teach kids how to play the Pokémon TCG before actually selling the booster packs. The trainer decks were designed to do just that. The decks vary slightly, as one is meant to be used by each player, so they can battle.
Ancient Mew
The Ancient Mew cards were given out as part of a promotional campaign with the release of Pokémon 2000 The Movie: The Power of One. This is the second and final card to ever be printed with a holofoil back, and the only one to ever be printed with both sides holofoil.
2002
Japanese new-back
In December 2001, the Base Expansion Pack was released in Japan. In North America, this set was renamed Expedition Base Set or just ‘Expedition’ for short.
This is when the back of the card was also redesigned for the Japanese version.
The new back design now read “Pokémon” just like its North American counterpart, and no longer had copyright info along the bottom of the card. The new design was also reworked to be much more colorful and eye-catching, not unlike its English cousin. This is the card design that we still see today.
They also changed the way the Pokéball opened. The button was now attached to the top part of the Pokéball. Curiously, they chose to illustrate the Pokéball opening differently than the English version and the previous Japanese version.
2004
2004 World Championship
The first-ever World Championship to have its own card back took place from August 20-22, 2004 in Orlando, Florida.
The four preconstructed decks with this unique back are:
- Magma Spirit
- Rocky Beach
- Team Rushdown
- Blaziken Tech
2005
2005 World Championship
The 2nd World Championship took place August 19-21, 2005 in San Diego, California.
The four preconstructed decks with this unique back are:
- Queendom
- Dark Tyranitar Deck
- Bright Aura
- King of the West
2006
2006 World Championship
The 3rd World Championship took place August 18-20, 2006 in San Anaheim, California.
The four preconstructed decks with this unique back are:
- Mewtrick
- Suns & Moons
- B-L-S
- Eeveelutions
2007
2007 World Championship
The 4th World Championship took place August 10-12, 2007 in Waikoloa Village, Hawaii.
The four preconstructed decks with this unique back are:
- Flyvees
- Legendary Ascent
- Rambolt
- Swift Empoleon
2008
2008 World Championship
The 5th World Championship took place August 15-17, 2008 in Orlando, Florida.
The four preconstructed decks with this unique back are:
- Intimidation
- Empotech
- Psychic Lock
- Bliss Control
2009
2009 World Championship
The 4th World Championship took place August 10-12, 2007 in Waikoloa Village, Hawaii.
The four preconstructed decks with this unique back are:
The 6th World Championship took place August 14-15, 2009 in San Diego, California.
The four preconstructed decks with this unique back are:
- Stallgon
- Crowned Tiger
- Queengar
- Luxdrill
2010
2010 World Championship
The 7th World Championship took place August 14-15, 2010 in Waikoloa Village, Hawaii.
The four preconstructed decks with this unique back are:
- LuxChomp of the Spirit
- Happy Luck
- Power Cottonweed
- Boltevoir
2011
2011 World Championship
The 8th World Championship took place August 13-14, 2011 in San Diego, California.
The four preconstructed decks with this unique back are:
- Megazone
- Reshiplosion
- The Truth
- Twinboar
2012
2012 World Championship
The 9th World Championship took place August 14-15, 2012 in Waikoloa Village, Hawaii.
The four preconstructed decks with this unique back are:
- Pesadelo Prism
- Terraki-Mewtwo
- Eeltwo
- CMT Deck
2013
2013 World Championship
The 10th World Championship took place August 14-15, 2010 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
The four preconstructed decks with this unique back are:
- American Gothic
- Darkrai Deck
- Anguille Sous Roche
- Ultimate Team Plasma
2014
2014 World Championship
The 11th World Championship took place August 13-15, 2014 in Washington, D.C.
The four preconstructed decks with this unique back are:
- Plasma Power
- Trevgor
- Emerald King
- Crazy Punch
2015
2015 World Championship
The 12th World Championship took place August 21-23, 2015 in Boston, Massachusetts.
The four preconstructed decks with this unique back are:
- Primal Groudon
- The Flying Hammer
- Punches ‘N’ Bites
- Honortoise
2016
2016 World Championship
The 13th World Championship took place August 19-21, 2016 in San Fransisco, California.
The four preconstructed decks with this unique back are:
- Bebe Deck
- Magical Symphony
- Black Dragon
- Ninja Blitz
2017
2017 World Championship
The 14th World Championship took place August 18-20, 2017 in Anaheim, California.
The four preconstructed decks with this unique back are:
- Ice Path FTW
- Infinite Force
- Golisodor
- Samurai Sniper
2018
2018 World Championship
The 15th World Championship took place August 24-26, 2018 in Nashville, Tennasse.
The four preconstructed decks with this unique back are:
- Victory Map
- Dragones y Sombras
- Garbanette
- Buzzroc
2019
2019 World Championship
The 16th World Championship took place August 16-18, 2019 in Washington, D.C.
The four preconstructed decks with this unique back are:
- Mind Blown
- Pikarom Judge
- Perfection
- Fire Box
2021
English back (Metal)
In 2021 the Celebrations Ultimate Premium Collection was released. This product came with two metal Pokémon cards, a Charizard and Pikachu. The back of these metal cards resemble the English back but have much more vivid coloring and reflective gold letters for the word ‘POKEMON’.
2022
2022 World Championship
The 17th World Championship took place at ExCeL London, United Kingdom.
(Due to the COVID19 pandemic, no World Championship 2020 or 2021 was held).
This time, the reconstructed decks came in four different colors. So there are four new card backs for this year.
- Ice Rider Palkia (Blue)
- Cheryl Again (Black)
- The Shape of Mew (Purple)
- ADP (Green)
2023
2023 World Championship
The 18th World Championship took place at ExCeL London, United Kingdom.
This time, the reconstructed decks came in four different colors. So there are four new card backs for this year.
- Psychic Elegance (Yellow)
- Mew’s Revenge (Blue)
- Colorless Lugia (Green)
- Lost Box Kyogre (Red)
Pokémon My First Battle
The Pokémon My First Battle products were released in September 2023 and were specifically designed to teach young kids how to play the TCG.
The cards have their own back design because the cards themselves aren’t quite the same as a TCG card. They’ve been simplified so streamline the gameplay.
Hi, I'm Oliver. I've been collecting Pokémon cards for 25+ years. I hope you enjoyed your read and learned something. Learn more about me on the About page.
