Pokemon TCG: Legendary Collection Set

Legendary Collection Trading Card Game Set E12
General information
Cards	English: 110 Japan: N/A
Series	Original Series Re-Print
Previous Expansion	Neo Destiny
Following Expansion	Expedition Base Set
Associated Decks	Turmoil Lava
Released	May 24th, 2002 (English)

Quick menu: Overview / Print Versions / Set List / For Collectors / Most Powerful / Trivia / Images & Videos

Legendary Collection arrived in 2002 and did something no Pokémon set had done before: it made a reprint set genuinely desirable. Its 110 cards are drawn entirely from Base Set, Jungle, Fossil and Team Rocket — not one card in it is new.

Wizards of the Coast had tried this once already and it had not gone well. Base Set 2 in 2000 was a straight repackaging that collectors read as filler, and its reputation was poor enough that when this set arrived two years later it was pointedly not called Base Set 3. What changed was not the contents but the format — and one idea in particular.

Legendary Collection introduced the Reverse Holofoil: a card printed with holographic foil across its entire face except the artwork window, the exact inverse of a traditional holo. The foil here carries a distinctive fireworks pattern that has never been reused in any other Pokémon set, which is a large part of why these cards remain so recognisable. Every card in the set exists in both a normal and a reverse-holo version, which meant that for the first time a common could be a chase card. It is difficult to overstate how completely this caught on — reverse holos have appeared in essentially every Pokémon set released since, and the idea has been borrowed across the trading card industry.

The irony is neat. Base Set 2 failed because a reprint set offered collectors nothing to chase. Legendary Collection reprinted much the same cards and solved that problem with a printing technique — and in doing so became one of the most sought-after sets of the entire Wizards era.

Print Versions & Collectors Info

Legendary Collection was never printed in 1st Edition. Like Base Set 2 before it, it exists in a single Unlimited print run — so unlike the earlier expansions, edition is not a variable here at all.

What matters instead is finish. Every card in the set comes in two versions: a standard print, and a Reverse Holofoil print with foil across the whole card face apart from the artwork window. Each 11-card pack contained one reverse holo, one rare, three uncommons and six commons, with a standard holo appearing roughly once every three packs. A guaranteed reverse holo in every pack sounds generous until you consider that the set runs to 110 cards — and that a reverse holo of any given card is far scarcer than its ordinary version.

There is a practical warning here. Because reverse holos have foil across the card body, they show wear far more readily than standard prints — surface scratching, print lines and edge whitening are all more visible. High-grade reverse holos from this set are correspondingly hard to find, which is a large part of why they command what they do.

The four pack wrappers

Legendary Collection shipped in four booster wrappers, and unlike the Gym sets — where each wrapper belonged to a single Gym Leader — these are grouped by theme: Mewtwo alone, the three Kanto starters together, the Eeveelutions, and the legendary birds. It is a neat reflection of what the set actually is. There were no new cards to advertise, so the packaging sold the roster instead — these are the Pokémon people already loved, gathered in one place.

The wrapper had no bearing on the contents. Every pack contained a guaranteed Reverse Holofoil, and each sealed box also carried an oversized Box Topper card.

Set List with Pictures

Card Image	No.	Card name	Rarity	Card type
	1/110	Alakazam
	Card text As often as you like during your turn (before your attack), you may move 1 damage counter from 1 of your Pokémon to another as long as you don’t Knock Out that Pokémon. This power can’t be used if Alakazam is Asleep, Confused, or Paralyzed.
	2/110	Articuno
	Card text Flip a coin. If heads, the Defending Pokémon is now Paralyzed.
	3/110	Charizard
	Card text As often as you like during your turn (before your attack), you may turn all Energy attached to Charizard into Fire Energy for the rest of the turn. This power can’t be used if Charizard is Asleep, Confused, or Paralyzed.
	4/110	Dark Blastoise
	Card text Does 30 damage plus 20 more damage for each Water Energy attached to Dark Blastoise but not used to pay for this attack. You can’t add more than 40 damage in this way.
	5/110	Dark Dragonite
	Card text When you play Dark Dragonite from your hand, search your deck for up to 2 Basic Pokémon and put them onto your Bench. Shuffle your deck afterward.
	6/110	Dark Persian
	Card text Flip a coin. If heads, choose 1 of your opponent’s Benched Pokémon and switch it with the Defending Pokémon. This attack can’t be used if your opponent has no Benched Pokémon.
	7/110	Dark Raichu
	Card text Flip a coin. If heads, flip another coin. If the second coin is heads, this attack does 20 damage to each of your opponent’s Benched Pokémon. If the second coin is tails, this attack does 10 damage to each of your opponent’s Benched Pokémon. (Don’t apply Weakness and Resistance for Benched Pokémon.)
	8/110	Dark Slowbro
	Card text When you play Dark Slowbro from your hand, choose up to 3 Basic Pokémon and/or Evolution cards from your discard pile and put them into your hand.
	9/110	Dark Vaporeon
	Card text If the Defending Pokémon has any Energy cards attached to it, choose 1 of them and discard it.
	10/110	Flareon
	Card text Flip a coin. If heads, this attack does 10 damage plus 20 more damage; if tails, this attack does 10 damage.
	11/110	Gengar
	Card text Once during your turn (before your attack), you may move 1 damage counter from 1 of your opponent’s Pokémon to another (even if it would Knock Out the other Pokémon). This power can’t be used if Gengar is Asleep, Confused, or Paralyzed.
	12/110	Gyarados
	Card text If your opponent has any Benched Pokémon, choose 1 of them and this attack does 20 damage to it. (Don’t apply Weakness and Resistance for Benched Pokémon.)
	13/110	Hitmonlee
	Card text If your opponent has any Benched Pokémon, choose 1 of them and this attack does 20 damage to it. (Don’t apply Weakness and Resistance for Benched Pokémon.)
	14/110	Jolteon
	Card text Flip a coin. If heads, this attack does 10 damage plus 20 more damage; if tails, this attack does 10 damage.
	15/110	Machamp
	Card text Whenever your opponent’s attack damages Machamp (even if Machamp is Knocked Out), this power does 10 damage to the attacking Pokémon. (Don’t apply Weakness and Resistance.) This power can’t be used if Machamp is already Asleep, Confused, or Paralyzed when your opponent attacks.
	16/110	Muk
	Card text Ignore all Pokémon Powers other than Toxic Gases. This power stops working while Muk is Asleep, Confused, or Paralyzed.
	17/110	Ninetales
	Card text If your opponent has any Benched Pokémon, choose 1 of them and switch it with the Defending Pokémon.
	18/110	Venusaur
	Card text As often as you like during your turn (before your attack), you may take 1 Grass Energy card attached to 1 of your Pokémon and attach it to a different one. This power can’t be used if Venusaur is Asleep, Confused, or Paralyzed.
	19/110	Zapdos
	Card text Flip a coin. If tails, Zapdos does 30 damage to itself.
	20/110	Beedrill
	Card text Flip 2 coins. This attack does 30 damage times the number of heads.
	21/110	Butterfree
	Card text If your opponent has any Benched Pokémon, he or she chooses 1 of them and switches it with the Defending Pokémon. (Do the damage before switching the Pokémon.)
	22/110	Electrode
	Card text If the Defending Pokémon isn’t Colorless, this attack does 10 damage to each Benched Pokémon of the same type as the Defending Pokémon (including your own).
	23/110	Exeggutor
	Card text Switch Exeggutor with 1 of your Benched Pokémon.
	24/110	Golem
	Card text Does 20 damage to each Pokémon on each player’s Bench. (Don’t apply Weakness and Resistance for Benched Pokémon.) Golem does 100 damage to itself.
	25/110	Hypno
	Card text Look at up to 3 cards from the top of either player’s deck and rearrange them as you like.
	26/110	Jynx
	Card text Flip 2 coins. This attack does 10 damage times the number of heads.
	27/110	Kabutops
	Card text Remove a number of damage counters from Kabutops equal to half the damage done to the Defending Pokémon (after applying Weakness and Resistance) (rounded up to the nearest 10). If Kabutops has fewer damage counters than that, remove all of them.
	28/110	Magneton
	Card text Don’t apply Weakness and Resistance for this attack. (Any other effects that would happen after applying Weakness and Resistance still happen.)
	29/110	Mewtwo
	Card text Flip a coin. If heads, choose a basic Energy card attached to 1 of your opponent’s Pokémon and attach it to another of your opponent’s Pokémon of your choice.
	30/110	Moltres
	Card text You may discard any number of Fire Energy cards attached to Moltres when you use this attack. If you do, discard that many cards from the top of your opponent’s deck.
	31/110	Nidoking
	Card text Flip a coin. If heads, this attack does 30 damage plus 10 more damage; if tails, this attack does 30 damage and Nidoking does 10 damage to itself.
	32/110	Nidoqueen
	Card text Does 20 damage plus 20 more damage for each Nidoking you have in play.
	33/110	Pidgeot
	Card text Unless this attack Knocks Out the Defending Pokémon, return the Defending Pokémon and all cards attached to it to your opponent’s hand.
	34/110	Pidgeotto
	Card text If your opponent has any Benched Pokémon, he or she chooses 1 of them and switches it with the Defending Pokémon. (Do the damage before switching the Pokémon.)
	35/110	Rhydon
	Card text Rhydon does 20 damage to itself. If your opponent has any Benched Pokémon, he or she chooses 1 of them and switches it with the Defending Pokémon. (Do the damage before switching the Pokémon. Switch the Pokémon even if Rhydon is knocked out.)
	36/110	Arcanine
	Card text Discard 1 Fire Energy card attached to Arcanine in order to use this attack.
	37/110	Charmeleon
	Card text Discard 1 Fire Energy card attached to Charmeleon in order to use this attack.
	38/110	Dark Dragonair
	Card text Once during your turn (before your attack), you may search your deck for an Evolution card. Show it to your opponent and put it into your hand. Shuffle your deck afterward. This power can’t be used if Dark Dragonair is Asleep, Confused, or Paralyzed.
	39/110	Dark Wartortle
	Card text Flip 2 coins. This attack does 10 damage times the number of heads.
	40/110	Dewgong
	Card text Flip a coin. If heads, the Defending Pokémon is now Paralyzed.
	41/110	Dodrio
	Card text As long as Dodrio is Benched, pay less to retreat your Active Pokémon.
	42/110	Fearow
	Card text Flip a coin. If heads, during your opponent’s next turn, prevent all effects of attacks, including damage, done to Fearow.
	43/110	Golduck
	Card text Flip a coin. If heads, the Defending Pokémon is now Paralyzed.
	44/110	Graveler
	Card text During your opponent’s next turn, whenever 30 or less damage is done to Graveler (after applying Weakness and Resistance), prevent that damage. (Any other effects of attacks still happen.)
	45/110	Growlithe
	Card text Flare
	46/110	Haunter
	Card text Whenever an attack does anything to Haunter, flip a coin. If heads, prevent all effects of that attack, including damage, done to Haunter. This power stops working while Haunter is Asleep, Confused, or Paralyzed.
	47/110	Ivysaur
	Card text The Defending Pokémon is now Poisoned.
	48/110	Kabuto
	Card text Whenever an attack (even your own) does damage to Kabuto (after applying Weakness and Resistance), that attack only does half the damage to Kabuto (rounded down to the nearest 10). (Any other effects of attacks still happen.) This power stops working while Kabuto is Asleep, Confused, or Paralyzed.
	49/110	Kadabra
	Card text Discard 1 Psychic Energy card attached to Kadabra in order to use this attack. Remove all damage counters from Kadabra.
	50/110	Kakuna
	Card text Flip a coin. If heads, prevent all damage done to Kakuna during your opponent’s next turn. (Any other effects of attacks still happen.)
	51/110	Machoke
	Card text Does 50 damage minus 10 damage for each damage counter on Machoke.
	52/110	Magikarp
	Card text Does 10 damage times the number of damage counters on Magikarp.
	53/110	Meowth
	Card text Flip a coin. If heads, draw a card.
	54/110	Metapod
	Card text Flip a coin. If heads, prevent all damage done to Metapod during your opponent’s next turn. (Any other effects of attacks still happen.)
	55/110	Nidorina
	Card text Flip a coin. If heads, the Defending Pokémon is now Confused.
	56/110	Nidorino
	Card text Flip 2 coins. This attack does 30 damage times the number of heads.
	57/110	Omanyte
	Card text Your opponent plays with his or her hand face up. This power stops working while Omanyte is Asleep, Confused, or Paralyzed.
	58/110	Omastar
	Card text Does 20 damage plus 10 more damage for each Water Energy attached to Omastar but not used to pay for this attack’s Energy cost. You can’t add more than 20 damage in this way.
	59/110	Primeape
	Card text Flip 3 coins. This attack does 20 damage times the number of heads.
	60/110	Rapidash
	Card text Flip a coin. If heads, this attack does 20 damage plus 10 more damage; if tails, this attack does 20 damage.
	61/110	Raticate
	Card text Does damage to the Defending Pokémon equal to half the Defending Pokémon’s remaining HP (rounded up to the nearest 10).
	62/110	Sandslash
	Card text Flip 3 coins. This attack does 20 damage times the number of heads.
	63/110	Seadra
	Card text Does 20 damage plus 10 more damage for each Water Energy attached to Seadra but not used to pay for this attack’s Energy cost. You can’t add more than 20 damage in this way.
	64/110	Snorlax
	Card text Snorlax can’t become Asleep, Confused, Paralyzed, or Poisoned. This power can’t be used if Snorlax is already Asleep, Confused, or Paralyzed.
	65/110	Tauros
	Card text Flip a coin. If heads, this attack does 20 damage plus 10 more damage; if tails, this attack does 20 damage.
	66/110	Tentacruel
	Card text Flip a coin. If heads, the Defending Pokémon is now Confused.
	67/110	Abra
	Card text Flip a coin. If heads, the Defending Pokémon is now Paralyzed.
	68/110	Bulbasaur
	Card text Unless all damage from this attack is prevented, you may remove 1 damage counter from Bulbasaur.
	69/110	Caterpie
	Card text Flip a coin. If heads, the Defending Pokémon is now Paralyzed
	70/110	Charmander
	Card text Discard 1 Fire Energy card attached to Charmander in order to use this attack.
	71/110	Doduo
	Card text Flip 2 coins. This attack does 10 damage times the number of heads.
	72/110	Dratini
	Card text Pound
	73/110	Drowzee
	Card text Once during your turn (before your attack), you may flip a coin. If heads, the Defending Pokémon is now Asleep; if tails, your Active Pokémon is now Asleep. The power can’t be used if Drowzee is Asleep, Confused, or Paralyzed.
	74/110	Eevee
	Card text Flip a coin. If heads, the Defending Pokémon can’t attack Eevee during your opponent’s next turn. (Benching either Pokémon ends this effect.)
	75/110	Exeggcute
	Card text The Defending Pokémon is now Asleep.
	76/110	Gastly
	Card text Flip a coin. If heads, the Defending Pokémon is now Paralyzed.
	77/110	Geodude
	Card text Flip a coin until you get tails. This attack does 10 damage times the number of heads.
	78/110	Grimer
	Card text Flip a coin. If heads, the Defending Pokémon is now Paralyzed.
	79/110	Machop
	Card text Punch
	80/110	Magnemite
	Card text Flip a coin. If heads, the Defending Pokémon is now Paralyzed.
	81/110	Mankey
	Card text Shuffle your opponent’s deck.
	82/110	Nidoran♀
	Card text Flip 3 coins. This attack does 10 damage times the number of heads.
	83/110	Nidoran♂
	Card text Flip a coin. If tails, this attack does nothing.
	84/110	Onix
	Card text During your opponent’s next turn, whenever 30 or less damage is done to Onix (after applying Weakness and Resistance), prevent that damage. (Any other effects of attacks still happen.)
	85/110	Pidgey
	Card text If your opponent has any Benched Pokémon, he or she chooses 1 of them and switches it with the Defending Pokémon. (Do the damage before switching the Pokémon.)
	86/110	Pikachu
	Card text If your opponent has any Benched Pokémon, choose 1 of them and this attack does 10 damage to it. (Don’t apply Weakness and Resistance for Benched Pokémon.)
	87/110	Ponyta
	Card text Smash Kick
	88/110	Psyduck
	Card text Draw a card.
	89/110	Rattata
	Card text Bite
	90/110	Rhyhorn
	Card text Flip a coin. If heads, the Defending Pokémon can’t attack Rhyhorn during your opponent’s next turn. (Benching either Pokémon ends this effect.)
	91/110	Sandshrew
	Card text If the Defending Pokémon tries to attack during your opponent’s next turn, your opponent flips a coin. If tails, that attack does nothing.
	92/110	Seel
	Card text Headbutt
	93/110	Slowpoke
	Card text Flip a coin. If heads, remove a damage counter from Slowpoke. This attack can’t be used if Slowpoke has no damage counters on it.
	94/110	Spearow
	Card text If Spearow was attacked last turn, do the final result of that attack on Spearow to the Defending Pokémon.
	95/110	Squirtle
	Card text Flip a coin. If heads, the Defending Pokémon is now Paralyzed.
	96/110	Tentacool
	Card text At any time during your turn (before your attack), you may return Tentacool to your hand. (Discard all cards attached to Tentacool.) This power can’t be used the turn you put Tentacool into play or if Tentacool is Asleep, Confused, or Paralyzed.
	97/110	Voltorb
	Card text Tackle
	98/110	Vulpix
	Card text Flip a coin. If heads, the Defending Pokémon is now Confused.
	99/110	Weedle
	Card text Flip a coin. If heads, the Defending Pokémon is now Poisoned.
	100/110	Full Heal Energy		E
	Card text If you play this card from your hand, the Pokémon you attach it to is no longer Asleep, Confused, Paralyzed or Poisoned. Full Heal Energy provides Colorless Energy. (Doesn’t count as a basic Energy card.)
	101/110	Potion Energy		E
	Card text If you play this card from your hand, remove 1 damage counter from the Pokémon you attached it to, if it has any. Potion Energy provides Colorless Energy. (Doesn’t count as a basic Energy card.)
	102/110	Pokémon Breeder		T
	Card text Put a Stage 2 Evolution card from your hand on the matching Basic Pokémon. You can only play this card when you would be allowed to evolve that Pokémon anyway.
	103/110	Pokémon Trader		T
	Card text Trade 1 of the Basic Pokémon or Evolution cards in your hand for 1 of the Basic Pokémon or Evolution cards from your deck. Show both cards to your opponent. Shuffle your deck afterward.
	104/110	Scoop Up		T
	Card text Choose 1 of your Pokémon in play and return its Basic Pokémon card to your hand. (Discard all cards attached to that card.)
	105/110	The Boss’s Way		T
	Card text Search your deck for an Evolution card with Dark in its name. Show it to your opponent and put it into your hand. Shuffle your deck afterward.
	106/110	Challenge!		T
	Card text Ask your opponent if he or she accepts your challenge. If your opponent declines (or if both Benches are full), draw 2 cards. If your opponent accepts, each of you searches your decks for any number of Basic Pokémon cards and puts them face down onto your Benches. (A player can’t do this if his or her Bench is full.) When you both have finished, shuffle your decks and turn those cards face up.
	107/110	Energy Retrieval		T
	Card text Trade 1 of the other cards in your hand for up to 2 basic Energy cards from your discard pile.
	108/110	Bill		T
	Card text Draw 2 cards.
	109/110	Mysterious Fossil		T
	Card text Play Mysterious Fossil as if it were a Basic Pokémon. While in play, Mysterious Fossil counts as a Pokémon (instead of a Trainer card). Mysterious Fossil has no attacks, can’t retreat, and can’t be Asleep, Confused, Paralyzed, or Poisoned. If Mysterious Fossil is Knocked Out, it doesn’t count as a Knocked Out Pokémon. (Discard it anyway.) At any time during your turn before your attack, you may discard Mysterious Fossil from play.
	110/110	Potion		T
	Card text Remove up to 2 damage counters from 1 of your Pokémon.

For Collectors: Most Valuable Cards

Legendary Collection breaks the usual pattern. On most vintage sets the value sits in the holo rares. Here, some of the most expensive cards are reverse-holo commons — cards that were worthless in 2002 and are worth hundreds today.

Venusaur (18/110) and Dark Blastoise (4/110)

Charizard’s big holo companions in the set. Legendary Collection carries a standard Venusaur (18/110), but there’s no plain Blastoise in it at all — its slot is taken by Dark Blastoise (4/110), the Team Rocket version. Both come in standard and reverse-holo finishes, and assembling the set’s Kanto heavyweights in holo is a genuinely difficult build.

Vintage prices move constantly. Treat any quoted figure as directional and check live sold comps before buying or selling.

Box Toppers — another first

Legendary Collection also introduced the Box Topper: a single oversized card packed inside each sealed booster box as an incentive to buy a whole box rather than loose packs. These first Box Toppers were oversized reverse-holographic versions of a card from the set, measuring 126.5 × 90.0 mm against a regular card’s 87.0 × 63.0 mm. Exactly four were produced — Charizard (S1), Dark Blastoise (S2), Dark Raichu (S3) and Mewtwo (S4) — one per sealed box. The idea ran through the EX era, stopped after EX Holon Phantoms, and returned nearly twenty years later in specially marked boxes for Journey Together.

Most Powerful Cards (Competitive Play)

Legendary Collection contains no new cards, so like Base Set 2 it introduced no new strategies. Its competitive relevance is entirely about legality and supply — but unlike Base Set 2, that mattered a great deal.

The Trainer engine, again

Professor Oak, Bill, Energy Removal, Gust of Wind and the rest of the consistency package returned in print. As in 2000, this sustained the format’s existing power level rather than changing it — but it made the format playable for a new intake of players.

Trivia & Pop Culture

• Released on 24 May 2002, near the end of the Wizards of the Coast era. Its 110 cards are drawn from Base Set, Jungle, Fossil and Team Rocket, with nothing original in the set.
• It introduced the Reverse Holofoil — foil across the whole card except the artwork window. The idea has featured in essentially every Pokémon expansion since.
• It is widely understood to have been named Legendary Collection rather than Base Set 3 specifically to avoid association with Base Set 2, whose reputation as filler had damaged the idea of a reprint set.
• The gambit worked. Base Set 2 is remembered as the unloved reprint; Legendary Collection is one of the most collected sets of the era — the same idea, executed differently.
• There was no 1st Edition print run, so every copy in existence is Unlimited.
• Like Base Set 2 before it, Legendary Collection was a Western exclusive and was never released in Japan — unusual for a game where every set normally originates there.
• It also introduced the Box Topper — an oversized reverse-holo card packed in every sealed booster box, a practice that carried on through the EX era.
• Because nobody protected commons in 2002, reverse-holo commons from this set are now scarcer in high grade than many holo rares — an inversion of the usual vintage hierarchy.

Images & Videos

All 110 cards from Legendary Collection in official set order. Click any card to open it full size. Remember that every card here also exists in a Reverse Holofoil finish — the images below show the standard prints.