Each one is an example of a specific moment in Pokemon history.
Pokemon cards have been around ever since the franchise became an international hit. Their popularity has changed over the years but remains trendy enough to be seen in many stores. During the height of what many called "Pokemania" and even a few years after, some cards were only obtainable by buying a ticket to a Pokemon movie or buying a VHS or DVD copy of said movie.
Although some of these cards have been reprinted in the past, they've never been updated to fit modern standards. They're still sought out by collectors who want to experience some nostalgia.
Ancient Mew is one of the most unique cards in the entire Pokemon TCG, and that title likely won't be challenged any time soon. Given during the theatrical release of Pokemon 2000: The Power of One, Ancient Mew's text is written in Futhark Runic and Gothenburg Runic and came with an insert to write down the translated text when attending a Wizards of the Coast Pokemon event.
After translating, it turns out Ancient Mew is not very strong, with only 30 HP and a Psychic attack that deals 40 damage. Ancient Mew was also reprinted for the theatrical release of Mewtwo Strikes Back Evolution.
Articuno, the Freeze Pokemon, is an Ice-type Legendary Pokemon and a member of the Legendary Bird Trio, as they're referred to in the English dub of Pokemon 2000. Unfortunately, the English versions of all three cards initially had a misprint crediting the wrong artist due to the Japanese versions' different artwork, but this was corrected in a reprint.
Articuno is the weakest of the Pokemon 2000 promo cards in terms of damage output since its Diamond Dust attack only deals 20 damage. Still, it can cause paralysis to the defending Pokemon and ten damage to each of the opponent's benched Pokemon if the required coin flip results in heads.
Zapdos, the Electric Pokemon, is an Electric-type Pokemon and another member of the Legendary Bird Trio given to those who purchased tickets to see Pokemon 2000 but missed the chance to get Ancient Mew. Zapdos' Lightning Burn attack deals either 30 damage to one of the opponent's benched Pokemon or 30 damage to itself, depending on the result of the required coin flip.
Lightning Burn may be slightly stronger than Articuno's Diamond Dust in terms of power, but it's a riskier move considering there's a chance it will damage Zapdos itself. Like some other movie promos, Zapdos was rereleased in the Japan-exclusive Pokemon Web set.
Moltres, the Flame Pokemon, is a Fire-type Pokemon and another member of the Legendary Bird Trio that had a promo card released in conjunction with Pokemon 2000. Moltres' Hyper Flame attack deals the most damage compared to the other Legendary Bird Trio promo cards but still requires a coin flip.
If heads, one Fire energy card attached to Moltres must be discarded; if tails, all energy cards attached to Moltres must be discarded. On the bright side, Hyper Flame only does nothing if the player has no energy to discard, so it can still deal damage if they're adequately prepared.
The central antagonist of Pokemon 3 The Movie: Spell of the Unown, this Entei card was given out when purchasing a ticket to see said movie. It also happens to be the first reverse holofoil card to appear outside of Japan.
Entei has a special Poke-Body ability called Bolt, where Entei and all attached cards can be shuffled back into the player's deck as long as Entei isn't Asleep, Confused, Paralyzed, or faints from the attack. Entei also has a Protective Flame attack, which deals 50 damage and negates all damage and effects targeting the player's benched Pokemon the following turn.
A supporting character in Pokemon 4Ever – Celebi The Voice Of The Forest, this Suicune card was available by purchasing a home video copy of the film. Meanwhile, a much weaker Celebi card was available during the film's theatrical run. Suicune has the special Poke-Body ability Pure Body, which has the player discard a Water energy card attached to Suicune to attach another Water energy from their hand.
Suicune also has a Hypno Wave attack that causes 30+ damage depending on the coin flip result. If the result is heads, Hypno Wave causes 20 additional damage, while if tails, it sends to defending Pokemon to sleep.
A minor character in Pokemon The First Movie: Mewtwo Strikes Back, Dragonite delivers invitations to trainers who have been selected to battle against Mewtwo. Dragonite doesn't do much in the film, but in terms of HP and attack damage, it is the strongest of the four promotional cards released for the film's theatrical release, including Mewtwo itself, despite its strength shown in the film.
Dragonite's Supersonic Flight attack can deal 60 damage but relies on a coin flip landing on heads. If the coin flip results in tails, nothing happens, and three colorless energy cards are wasted.
Pikachu previously received movie promo cards before, but none of those were explicitly Ash's Pikachu. Obtained when buying a ticket to see Pokemon I Choose You!, there are six other versions of Ash's Pikachu with different hats and attacks that were obtained when customers bought $25 worth of Pokemon TCG products at select retailers.
While all versions of Ash's Pikachu have 70 HP, the I Choose You version has the strongest attack since its Thunderbolt deals 100 damage. It can also let the player search their deck for a Pokemon and add it to their hand with its I Choose You! ability.
Mewtwo Strikes Back Evolution, a 2019 remake of the first Pokemon movie, was released exclusively on Netflix for many territories but had a theatrical release in Japan. Hence, tickets came with an Armored Mewtwo card, obtainable in other regions through the Fall 2019 Collector Chest.
Much stronger than the first Mewtwo movie promo card from two decades earlier, Armored Mewtwo has 120 HP and a Psychic Raid attack that causes 130 damage at the cost of Mewtwo being unable to attack the next turn in addition to its three Psychic energy cost. It's also probably the strongest tournament-legal movie promo card.
Articuno, Moltres, & Zapdos is a jumbo card given out at various Warner Bros. stores to promote Pokemon 2000. The card isn't tournament legal and even has the words "not for play use" on the back, but it could still be used for fun.
Despite its illegality, Articuno, Moltres, and Zapdos is also notable for being released nearly two decades before tag team cards debuted in the TCG. It similarly uses multiple types of energy cards for its attack. However, it uses three different energy cards rather than a colorless energy and an energy card corresponding to the Tag Team's type.
Erroll is a list article writer for The Gamer with a love of all things related to Japanese monsters, from Yokai to Kaiju to Pokemon to Digimon and everything in between. He has written about these topics for his own blog as well as for sites like GameSkinny and Parallax Media. When not writing or playing games, Erroll usually spends his time watching anime, tokusatsu, and a bunch of various movies and TV shows.
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