Rocket–Legendary Collection: Decks

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Fun Match-Ups

Acquiring Team Rocket–Legendary Collection Cards

The 2002 World Championships & The End of Rocket-On

Call Back

🏆 Top Deck

Pokémon (24)	Trainers (24)	Energy (12)
4x Zubat 4x Dark Golbat 4x Dark Crobat 4x Gastly 4x Dark Haunter 1x Dark Gengar 3x Cleffa	1x Rocket’s Minefield Gym (Errata) ERRATA Rocket’s Minefield Gym should place 2 damage counters on the Pokémon. Click to view Errata Page 4x Focus Band 4x Professor Elm 4x Good Manners 4x The Boss’s Way 4x Hyper Devolution Spray 2x Super Scoop Up 1x Erika’s Perfume	11x Psychic Energy 1x Darkness Energy

Using Dark Haunter’s Call Back, you’re able to restore a weakened Baby Pokémon from your opponent’s discard pile to their Bench, setting up an easy Surprise Bite KO on the following turn. Opponents have few ways to disrupt this vicious cycle, which allows you to win games while completely disregarding their strongest Pokémon. When played correctly, you’ll often win the game by knocking out the same Baby Pokémon six times!

Tip: Rely on your single Dark Gengar to knock out a benched Muk.

Crobat

🌠 Iconic Deck

Pokémon (18)	Trainers (25)	Energy (17)
4x Zubat 4x Golbat 3x Crobat 3x Cleffa 3x Pichu 1x Magby	3x Chaos Gym 4x Focus Band 4x Professor Elm 4x Double Gust 4x Rocket’s Sneak Attack 3x Pokémon Trader 2x Imposter Oak’s Revenge 1x Nightly Garbage Run	14x Grass Energy 2x Full Heal Energy 1x Recycle Energy

One of the first decks that was a respectable attempt at countering Feraligatr, Crobat’s Cross Attack not only hits Feraligatr for Weakness (sometimes scoring a one-hit KO), but also confuses the many high-retreat-cost Evolved Pokémon that make up the format. Composed entirely of free retreaters, Crobat decks easily disrupt the opponent with Double Gust, and with no Pokémon Powers, Pichu is a perfect fit to punish opponents that rely on them.

Tip: Use Zubat’s Poison Spray against Steelix to help overcome its high HP and Grass Resistance.

Dark Feraligatr/Noctowl

🏆 Top Deck

Pokémon (19)	Trainers (26)	Energy (15)
4x Cleffa 4x Hoothoot 4x Noctowl 3x Totodile 1x Dark Croconaw 3x Dark Feraligatr	1x Rocket’s Hideout 3x Gold Berry 4x Professor Elm 3x Misty’s Wrath 3x Pokémon Trader 3x Pokémon Breeder 3x Rocket’s Sneak Attack 2x Good Manners 2x Double Gust 1x The Boss’s Way 1x Nightly Garbage Run	13x Water Energy 2x Darkness Energy

With decks relying heavily on Cleffa’s Eeeeeeek to set up, Dark Feraligatr’s Scare can stop them in their tracks. Strengthening Dark Feraligatr is Noctowl’s Glaring Glaze, which will leave your opponent desperate, but unable, to Eeeeeeek.

Tip: Save your Rocket’s Sneak Attacks for the turns following your opponent playing Professor Elm, when Glaring Gaze alone may not be enough to strip away all the useful Trainer cards your opponent may have drawn.

Dark Gengar/Noctowl

🏆 Top Deck

Pokémon (22)	Trainers (23)	Energy (15)
4x Cleffa 3x Gastly 3x Dark Haunter 3x Dark Gengar 4x Hoothoot 4x Noctowl 1x Misdreavus	1x Resistance Gym 1x Rocket’s Hideout 3x Gold Berry 1x Focus Band 4x Professor Elm 3x Pokémon Trader 3x Good Manners 3x Rocket’s Sneak Attack 2x Double Gust 1x Imposter Oak’s Revenge 1x Nightly Garbage Run	13x Psychic Energy 2x Darkness Energy

Using Noctowl’s Glaring Gaze to strip the opponent of cards like Double Gust and Warp Point, Dark Gengar’s Pull in, combined with its Deep Sleep Pokémon Power, allows you to keep your opponent’s Pokémon Asleep, turn after turn. If you encounter a pesky Baby Pokémon, like Pichu, you can use Pull In to KO it, right off the bench—without even needing to flip a coin! (If a Baby Pokémon is Active, you’ll still need to flip.)

Tip: Use Misdreavus to handle high HP Pokémon (like Steelix) that Pull In would take too many turns to KO.

Dark Muk

🌠 Iconic Deck 🤑 Cheap to Build

Pokémon (12)	Trainers (33)	Energy (15)
4x Grimer 4x Dark Muk 1x Muk 2x Cleffa 1x Murkrow	2x Rocket’s Hideout 4x EXP.ALL 4x Professor Elm 4x Erika 4x Double Gust 4x Rocket’s Sneak Attack 4x Good Manners 3x The Boss’s Way 3x Imposter Oak’s Revenge 1x Nightly Garbage Run	11x Grass Energy 4x Darkness Energy

Designed to be a fast and consistent counter to Feraligatr, Dark Muk’s Sludge Punch uses poison to KO Baby Pokémon (even those equipped with Focus Band), while Imposter Oak’s Revenge & Rocket’s Sneak Attack aim to cripple the opponent’s hand. EXP.ALL ensures you can keep building new Dark Muks, while a single Murkrow gives you a shot against Psychic-type decks.

Dark Weezing

😃 Fun to Play

Pokémon (15)	Trainers (30)	Energy (15)
4x Koffing 4x Dark Weezing 3x Cleffa 2x Brock’s Vulpix 2x Brock’s Ninetales	2x Rocket’s Hideout 2x EXP.ALL 1x Gold Berry 4x Professor Elm 4x Good Manners 4x Erika’s Kindness 3x The Boss’s Way 3x Nightly Garbage Run 2x Transparent Walls 2x Double Gust 2x Brock’s Training Method 1x Here Comes Team Rocket!	9x Grass Energy 4x Metal Energy 2x Darkness Energy

With Brock’s Ninetales’s Shapeshift, you can bring your total of Koffings & Weezings in play to as many as six, allowing Dark Weezing’s Mass Explosion to land one-hit KOs for only two Energy. With a variety of tricks to negate the damage Dark Weezing deals to your own Pokémon, you’re able to keep these attacks coming until you’ve drawn all six of your prize cards.

Tip: A Metal Energy attached to a Dark Weezing will reduce the damage its Mass Explosion deals to your own benched Koffings and Dark Weezings from 20 to 10, while also reducing damage the it deals to itself to 0!

Donphan/Dark Dugtrio

😃 Fun to Play

Pokémon (25)	Trainers (19)	Energy (16)
4x Cleffa 3x Phanpy 3x Donphan 3x Oddish 3x Dark Gloom 2x Dark Vileplume 2x Diglett 2x Dark Dugtrio 2x Elekid 1x Mew (Errata) ERRATA Psyshock should leave the Defending Pokémon Paralyzed, not Confused. Click to view Errata Page	2x Resistance Gym 3x Focus Band 1x Balloon Berry 4x Professor Elm 4x Pokémon Trader 3x Warp Point 2x The Boss’s Way	11x Fighting Energy 2x Rainbow Energy 2x Recycle Energy 1x Metal Energy

After using Donphan’s Rapid Spin, you’ll promote Pokémon that are difficult to attack, like a Focus Band-equipped Cleffa or Mew. Your opponent will also be forced to switch their Pokémon, allowing Dark Dugtrio’s Sinkhole to deal damage if they try to retreat back to their attacker. After escaping to the Bench, Donphan is kept safe from Double Gust by Dark Vileplume’s Hay Fever, ensuring you can keep the Rapid Spin attacks coming.

Tip: Don’t risk exposing your Donphan to attack by taking a risky attack flip against a Baby Pokémon. When your opponent leaves a Baby Pokémon active, go for Elekid’s Playful Punch instead.

Eeveelutions

😃 Fun to Play  💰 Expensive to Build

Pokémon (21)	Trainers (23)	Energy (16)
4x Cleffa 4x Eevee (Errata) ERRATA Eevee’s Chain Reaction may only be used on your turn. Click to view Errata Page 2x Espeon 2x Umbreon 1x Flareon 3x Porygon 2x Porygon2 2x Dark Porygon2 1x Mew (Errata) ERRATA Psyshock should leave the Defending Pokémon Paralyzed, not Confused. Click to view Errata Page	2x Chaos Gym 2x Energy Stadium 3x EXP.ALL 1x Gold Berry 1x Focus Band 4x Professor Elm 3x Rocket’s Sneak Attack 2x Pokémon Trader 2x Good Manners 2x Double Gust 1x Nightly Garbage Run	5x Psychic Energy 3x Fire Energy 4x Darkness Energy 4x Rainbow Energy

Able to hit several Weaknesses, though not Grass (there was no Leafeon yet), Chaos Gym gives the deck a chance at beating Feraligatr, while Porygon2 ensures each Eeveelution has the right Energy to attack.

Tip: Use Dark Porygon2’s Spatial Distortion to switch from Chaos Gym to Energy Stadium, allowing yourself to freely play Trainers. Then, end your turn after restoring Chaos Gym to play, never giving your opponent the same opportunity.

Feraligatr

🌠 Iconic Deck 🏆 Top Deck 🤑 Cheap to Build

Pokémon (15)	Trainers (27)	Energy (18)
4x Totodile 4x Croconaw 3x Feraligatr (Errata) ERRATA Riptide should deal 10 more damage for each Water Energy card shuffled into the deck. Click to view Errata Page 3x Cleffa 1x Magby	3x The Rocket’s Training Gym 4x Focus Band 4x Misty’s Wrath 4x Professor Elm 4x Double Gust 4x Trash Exchange 3x Secret Mission 1x Nightly Garbage Run	18x Water Energy

The most iconic and successful deck of the Rocket-On format, Feraligatr uses Misty’s Wrath to ensure both speed and consistency, fueling Feraligatr’s Riptide attack in the process. After shuffling in your Water Energy cards with Riptide, Trash Exchange allows you to replenish the discard pile with Water Energy (while also potentially recovering useful cards), permitting a repetition of high-damage attacks.

Tip: Use Rocket’s Training Gym to discard a Water Energy when retreating a Baby Pokémon in order to boost Riptide’s damage by 10.

Forretress

Pokémon (19)	Trainers (25)	Energy (16)
4x Cleffa 4x Pineco 4x Forretress 2x Psyduck 2x Light Golduck 2x Mew (Errata) ERRATA Psyshock should leave the Defending Pokémon Paralyzed, not Confused. Click to view Errata Page 1x Elekid	3x Chaos Gym 3x Focus Band 3x Gold Berry 2x Balloon Berry 4x Professor Elm 3x Pokémon Trader 3x Good Manners 2x Warp Point 1x Double Gust 1x Imposter Oak’s Revenge	5x Psychic Energy 4x Metal Energy 4x Recycle Energy 2x Full Heal Energy 1x Potion Energy

The great thing about Forretress’s Spikes Pokémon Power is that it stacks, meaning if you’re lucky enough to get three in play, your opponent can’t even promote a Baby Pokémon during their turn without it being immediately knocked out. (Even playing Double Gust would allow you to deal Spikes damage!) Playing around Spikes can be particularly difficult considering that Forretress’s Rapid Spin forces both players to switch their Active Pokémon. This means Forretress can hide on the Bench, with Chaos Gym helping protect it from Double Gust, while your opponent has to deal with trying to knock out Mew or a Focus Band-equipped Baby Pokémon.

Tip: Rely on Light Golduck’s Core Blast to KO otherwise difficult Pokémon, like Steelix.

Giovanni’s Machamp

😃 Fun to Play 🌠 Iconic Deck

Pokémon (16)	Trainers (26)	Energy (18)
4x Cleffa 4x Giovanni’s Machop 4x Giovanni’s Machoke 3x Giovanni’s Machamp 1x Igglybuff	3x Resistance Gym 4x Focus Band 4x Professor Elm 3x Pokémon Trader 3x Rocket’s Sneak Attack 2x Good Manners 2x Warp Point 2x Potion 1x Giovanni’s Last Resort 1x Double Gust 1x Nightly Garbage Run	15x Fighting Energy 3x Full Heal Energy

With Fortitude & Focus Band, your opponent will need two favorable flips to knock out your powerful Machamp. (Always flip for Fortitude first!) Meanwhile, healing cards like Potion & Giovanni’s Last Resort prevent your opponent from using crafty attacks or Pokémon Powers (like Elekid’s Playful Punch) to play around Fortitude and Focus Band.

Tip: Use Rocket’s Sneak Attack early to protect your Giovanni’s Machoke from Double Gust while you set up. If you can’t avoid Double Gust, wait until you have sufficient Energy attached before evolving into Machoke or Machamp.

Also consider: +1 Recall to use Fury Punch with Machamp

Kabutops/Steelix

Pokémon (15)	Trainers (30)	Energy (15)
4x Cleffa 3x Kabuto 3x Kabutops 2x Onix 2x Steelix 1x Aerodactyl	1x Ecogym 4x Gold Berry 2x Focus Band 4x Professor Elm 4x Pokémon Trader 4x Rocket’s Sneak Attack 3x Fossil Egg 2x Mysterious Fossil 2x Warp Point 2x Energy Charge 1x Imposter Oak’s Revenge 1x Double Gust	5x Fighting Energy 4x Metal Energy 3x Full Heal Energy 3x Recycle Energy

One of the few ways Steelix can run into trouble is against Fire Pokémon, making Kabutops a great partner to guard its Weakness. A neat bonus we got from the Fossil-evolving Kabutops is the aiblity to easily fit one Neo Revelation Aerodactyl, which allows your Steelix to unleash a massive Rage attack.

Kingdra

Pokémon (19)	Trainers (28)	Energy (13)
4x Horsea 4x Seadra 4x Kingdra 3x Cleffa 3x Pichu 1x Magby	2x Narrow Gym 4x Focus Band 4x Professor Elm 4x Pokémon Trader 4x Rocket’s Sneak Attack 3x Pokémon Center 3x Double Gust 2x Imposter Oak’s Revenge 2x Nightly Garbage Run	7x Water Energy 4x Recycle Energy 2x Full Heal Energy

Needing only a single Colorless Energy to attack, Kingdra forms a great pair with both Pokémon Center & Focus Band, while Pichu & Magby offer a way to deal with Pokémon Powers.

Tip: Use Twister to strip Metal Energy off of your opponent’s Pokémon, allowing the low damage of Mud Splash to overwhelm your opponent.

Also consider: Muk to replace Pichu & Magby

Paint Lock

🏆 Top Deck

Pokémon (26)	Trainers (18)	Energy (16)
4x Cleffa 4x Murkrow 3x Oddish 2x Dark Gloom 3x Dark Vileplume 3x Erika’s Bellsprout 2x Erika’s Weepinbell 2x Erika’s Victreebel 3x Smeargle	2x Healing Field 1x Balloon Berry 4x Professor Elm 4x Pokémon Trader 3x Pokémon Breeder 2x Good Manners 2x Misty’s Wrath	4x Darkness Energy 4x Rainbow Energy 3x Recycle Energy 3x Potion Energy 2x Full Heal Energy

Smeargle’s Paint can turn low-damage attackers into Psychic-type Pokémon, leaving them susceptible to Murkrow’s Mean Look. Meanwhile, Erika’s Victreebel’s Fragrance Trap ensures the best Mean Look targets can’t hide safely on the Bench.

Tip: Use Dark Gloom’s Pollen Stench to confuse Feraligatr, disabling Downpour. Without Trainers or Downpour, Feraligatr becomes a great Mean Look target.

Sabrina’s Haunter

😃 Fun to Play 🤑 Cheap to Build

Pokémon (16)	Trainers (30)	Energy (14)
4x Sabrina’s Gastly 4x Sabrina’s Haunter 1x Sabrina’s Gengar 3x Cleffa 2x Brock’s Vulpix 2x Brock’s Ninetales	1x Resistance Gym 4x Focus Band 4x Professor Elm 4x Good Manners 4x Master Ball 4x Double Gust 3x Sabrina’s ESP 3x Nightly Garbage Run 2x Brock’s Training Method 1x Here Comes Team Rocket!	14x Psychic Energy

Using Shapeshift to turn Brock’s Ninetales into a Sabrina’s Haunter (or Gengar), you can give yourself as many as six flips on Haunter’s Night Spirits attack. Factor in Sabrina’s ESP allowing you to re-flip some unlucky coin flips and you’re all but guaranteed to deliver some huge damage.

Tip: Sabrina’s ESP is not considered a Pokémon Tool and can be attached alongside a Focus Band.

Shapeshift

😃 Fun to Play

Pokémon (23)	Trainers (21)	Energy (16)
4x Cleffa 4x Brock’s Vulpix 4x Brock’s Ninetales 3x Porygon 2x Porygon2 1x Dark Porygon2 2x Crobat 1x Vileplume 1x Dark Gengar 1x Arcanine	1x Energy Stadium 1x Chaos Gym 3x EXP.ALL 1x Gold Berry 4x Professor Elm 4x Pokémon Trader 3x Rocket’s Sneak Attack 3x Nightly Garbage Run 1x Double Gust	5x Psychic Energy 4x Grass Energy 3x Fire Energy 4x Rainbow Energy

With its unique ability to Shapeshift into any Evolution, Brock’s Ninetales can attack the Defending Pokémon’s Weakness, while Porygon2’s Energy Converter ensures you have the right type of Energy to attack.

Tip: Use Dark Gengar’s Pull In to knock out Magby any chance you get or its Sputter will eventually deplete your deck of the Evolved Pokémon you need to attack.

Also consider: +1 Light Golduck

Steelix/Alakazam

💰 Expensive to Build

Pokémon (20)	Trainers (27)	Energy (13)
4x Cleffa 3x Onix 3x Steelix 3x Abra 3x Kadabra 3x Alakazam 1x Tentacool	2x Ecogym 3x Balloon Berry 2x Focus Band 1x Gold Berry 4x Professor Elm 4x Pokémon Trader 3x Energy Charge 2x Pokémon Center 2x Warp Point 2x Recall 2x Good Manners	4x Rainbow Energy 4x Metal Energy 3x Recycle Energy 2x Full Heal Energy

Using Alakazam’s Damage Swap to heal Steelix of damage, you can keep using Tail Crush, turn after turn. If your opponent does manage to find a way to one-hit KO Steelix, Focus Band can save the day. Meanwhile, Recall permits Steelix to catch your opponent off-guard with Onix’s Rage attack, hitting for as much as 110 damage.

Tip: Attach a Gold Berry to Steelix the same turn you play Recall to use Onix’s Rage, healing enough damage from Steelix to prevent your opponent from scoring a KO with an attack like Magby’s Sputter.

Steelix/Muk

🏆 Top Deck

Pokémon (14)	Trainers (31)	Energy (15)
4x Cleffa 3x Onix 3x Steelix 2x Grimer 2x Muk	1x Ecogym 4x Gold Berry 1x Balloon Berry 4x Professor Elm 4x Rocket’s Sneak Attack 3x Warp Point 3x Pokémon Trader 3x Good Manners 3x Energy Charge 2x Double Gust 2x Imposter Oak’s Revenge 1x Nightly Garbage Run	4x Metal Energy 4x Full Heal Energy 4x Recycle Energy 3x Potion Energy

Simple and straight-forward, this deck aims to protect and heal an attacking Steelix, with Muk sitting safely on the bench to disable the many Pokémon Powers in the format.

Tip: Attach your extra Energy cards (like Recycle Energy) to Muk so that you can be prepared to easily retreat it if it gets brought Active by Double Gust.

Typhlosion/Blaine’s Arcanine

🌠 Iconic Deck 😃 Fun to Play 💰 Expensive to Build

Pokémon (23)	Trainers (20)	Energy (17)
4x Cleffa 4x Cyndaquil 4x Quilava 4x Typhlosion 4x Blaine’s Growlithe 3x Blaine’s Arcanine	3x Chaos Gym 2x Gold Berry 1x Focus Band 4x Professor Elm 4x Pokémon Trader 3x Misty’s Wrath 2x Nightly Garbage Run 1x Double Gust	15x Fire Energy 2x Metal Energy

Seeing more play in the earliest phase of the Rocket–On format, this deck relies on Typhlosion’s Firestarter to fuel Arcanine’s massive Firestorm attack, which can one-hit KO virtually anything in the format. Metal Energy can protect Typhlosion & Arcanine from their self-damaging attacks, while Chaos Gym gives you a chance against the Trainer-heavy Feraligatr deck.

Tip: If you plan to attach Focus Band to Blaine’s Arcanine, also aim to attach a Metal Energy. Without one, your Arcanine may end up knocking itself out with Heat Tackle.

Also consider: +1 Blaine

Venusaur

😃 Fun to Play

Pokémon (20)	Trainers (23)	Energy (17)
4x Cleffa 4x Bulbasaur 4x Ivysaur 3x Venusaur 1x Venusaur 1x Scyther 1x Mewtwo 1x Growlithe 1x Arcanine	3x Energy Stadium 4x Focus Band 4x Professor Elm 4x Pokémon Trader 3x Pokémon Center 3x Double Gust 1x Warp Point 1x Nightly Garbage Run	13x Grass Energy 4x Rainbow Energy

Benefitting from being able to one-hit KO Feraligatr, Venusaur and its Energy Trans Pokémon Power allow you to use Pokémon Center to heal without losing any Energy Cards, while Arcanine offers the deck a chance against the Grass-Resistant Steelix.

Tip: Keep your promo Venusaur in hand to save your Pokémon from Dark Gengar’s Deep Sleep.

Fun Match-Ups

Here are some of my favorite match-ups to play for the Rocket–LC format. Each of these has a tendency to create close and fun games.

• Feraligatr vs Venusaur
• Feraligatr vs Crobat
• Giovanni’s Machamp vs Kabutops/Steelix
• Shapeshift vs Dark Weezing
• Shapeshift vs Forretress
• Steelix/Alakazam vs Sabrina’s Haunter

Acquiring Team Rocket–Legendary Collection cards

If you’re looking to build decks for the Rocket–LC format, here are two useful tips for acquiring cards:

1. All cards printed in Legendary Collection are reprints of cards from either Base Set, Jungle, Fossil or Team Rocket. Since Legendary Collection was not printed nearly as heavily as these earlier sets, it’s easier (and less costly) to obtain the original versions of these cards. Additionally, remember that some of the Base Set & Jungle cards reprinted in Legendary Collection (such as Pokémon Trader & Pokémon Breeder) were first reprinted in Base Set 2. Base Set 2 versions of cards are usually the easiest to obtain.
2. All holographic cards in the Team Rocket expansion exist as both holographic and non-holographic versions. The same is true for the Neo Discovery set, though, oddly, none of the other Neo sets. These non-holographic versions are easier and less costly to obtain than their holographic counterparts.

The 2002 World Championships & The End of Rocket-On

Though in 2002 the Modified format was finally becoming a more fun and diverse format, this was short-lived, as Wizards of the Coast chose to rotate the Team Rocket and Gym sets for the 2002 World Championships, creating a Neo-On format. Neo-On would become the second and final Modified format of the Wizards era, which ended in 2003, when The Pokémon Company International (then Pokémon USA, Inc.) acquired the licensing rights to produce the game, taking over from where Wizards left off.

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Base–Neo | Rocket-On | Neo-On