Table of Contents
- Introduction
- Impactful Cards
- The Decks
- Fun Match-Ups
- Tips for Playing Against Mewtwo
- Tips for Playing Against Ditto
- Heading into 2000
Introduction
Pokémon’s second expansion set, Fossil, marked a historic moment for the game as it completed all 150 of the original Pokémon existing in card form, with #151 Mew following shortly after as a promotional card. While it plays very similarly to the Base & Jungle format, Fossil brought a few unique cards that required players to make some adjustments to their strategies and deck lists. Let’s have a look at Fossil‘s most impactful cards.
Mewtwo (Promo)
Although not technically part of the Fossil set, this Mewtwo was one of four promotional cards handed out to attendees of Pokémon: The First Movie in November 1999, one month after Fossil‘s US debut. (In Japan, it was out even before Fossil, so it’s definitely fair to consider it part of the Base–Fossil format.) Just as Energy Removal & Super Energy Removal define the Base & Jungle format, Mewtwo defines the Base–Fossil format, with all decks needing some kind of answer to it. Mewtwo’s strength stems from its Energy Absorption attack, which is strong for several reasons:
- It permits players to play more aggressively, drawing through their decks with
Professor Oak andBill , since discarded Energy cards can easily be recovered. - It combos great with
Computer Search , allowing players to easily threaten a Turn 2 Psyburn. - It provides excess Energy cards to allow easy use of
Super Energy Removal (and alsoSuper Potion ). - It sets up easy Psyburn KOs on
Hitmonchan , making the previously dominant Haymaker a now mediocre deck.
Ditto
Ditto was a rulings nightmare, but also just a very good card. With its unique ability to use Double Colorless Energy as two of any Energy, Ditto could easily use your best attacks against you. Because Transform also gave Ditto the same type as the Defending Pokémon, it could take advantage of Mewtwo’s Weakness to its own type, Psyburning it for a one-hit KO. While Ditto remained a great card for years, there were some clever ways to counter it, which I’ll discuss further down.
Muk
Muk was the first card in the Pokémon TCG that offered a way to permanently disable Pokémon Powers. It paired well with Mewtwo, deactivating Mr. Mime’s Invisible Wall and also protecting it from Ditto. It came with noticeable drawbacks, like a two retreat cost and a weak attack, but some decks, like Rain Dance, are so helpless without their Pokémon Powers that none of these drawbacks even mattered.
Mew (Promo)
Originally released in the Fossil expansion in Japan, Wizards thought it would be more exciting to unveil the 151st Pokémon as a promotional card immediately following Fossil‘s debut. Serving as the most effective counter to the almighty Mewtwo, Mew’s Psywave offers a great response to Mewtwo’s Energy Absorption—all you’ll need for a knockout is a Psychic Energy and a PlusPower! If your opponent ever attaches more than three Energy cards, you don’t even need the PlusPower!
Psyduck
It may do no damage, but given that most Base–Fossil decks run upwards of 30 Trainer cards, Headache easily shuts opponents down—as early as the first turn of the game!—often forcing them to end their turn without attacking.
The Decks
Below are 13 of my favorite Base–Fossil decks. You’ll notice some are built similarly to those of the Base & Jungle format, but with Mewtwo added. In addition to these 13 decks, you can also play with the Venusaur and Clefable/Hitmonchan/Dodrio decks from the Base & Jungle format. Both of these decks need no cards from the Fossil expansion to remain competitive in the Base–Fossil format.
Arcanine/Electrode 
🏆 Top Deck 😃 Fun to Play
| Pokémon (19) | Trainers (31) | Energy (10) |
| 4x 4x 4x 3x 3x 1x | 4x 4x 4x 4x 3x 2x 2x 2x 2x 2x 1x 1x | 6x 4x |
You’ll rummage through your deck on the first turn, trying to get both a Voltorb and Growlithe benched before hopefully ending your turn with Psyduck’s Headache. Headache will prevent your opponent from being able to draw for more Pokémon needed to survive your upcoming Buzzap+Lass turn that leaves them facing a fully-powered Arcanine. Maintenance and Pokémon Trader help you preserve the cards needed to pull off this epic turn while you’re using Professor Oak.
Tip: Rely on Gastly’s Lick as a way to damage Mr. Mime.
Dodrio/Fighting/Mewtwo 
| Pokémon (16) | Trainers (28) | Energy (16) |
| 3x 3x 3x 2x 2x 2x 1x | 4x 3x 3x 3x 3x 3x 2x 2x 1x 1x 1x 1x 1x | 8x 7x 1x |
Machop & Hitmonchan hit Lickitung and Electabuzz for Weakness, while Dodrio allows you to easily retreat to your Psychic-type Pokémon to deal with Mewtwo.
Tip: Opt to open with Machop over Hitmonchan, as its lower retreat cost will allow you to quickly retreat if you encounter Scyther or Mewtwo. Preserve Hitmonchan for later in the game, once you are able to evolve one or two Doduo.
Dragonair Drought 
| Pokémon (20) | Trainers (24) | Energy (16) |
| 3x 3x 2x 2x 1x 2x 2x 2x 1x 1x 1x | 4x 4x 4x 3x 3x 2x 1x 1x 1x 1x | 10x 2x 4x |
A variant of the Lickitung Stall deck, this version has one additional way to remove Energy from your opponent’s board: Dragonair’s Hyper Beam. Though this attack has a steep cost of four Colorless Energy, launching it in combination with Energy Removal & Super Energy Removal, as well as Energy-clearing knockouts, will deplete your opponent’s Energy, leading them to eventually lose by deckout.
Dragonite/Dodrio/Hitmonchan 
🤡 Fun to Play
| Pokémon (23) | Trainers (20) | Energy (17) |
| 4x 3x 3x 4x 3x 2x 2x 2x | 4x 4x 2x 2x 2x 2x 1x 1x 1x 1x | 13x 4x |
This multi-Evolution deck functions best when it can begin with several Fetch attacks from Kangaskhan. Fetch, along with some Tongue Wraps from Lickitung, enable the deck to set up a Dragonite & Dodrio on your Bench. From there, you can use Dragonite’s Step In to escape whatever status effects your opponent places on your Active Pokémon, then use Dodrio’s Retreat Aid to free retreat into whichever attacker suits the situation best. This duo is particularly effective against Lickitung stall decks, which rely on repeatedly inflicting Paralysis to eventually deck you out.
Lickitung Stall 
🏆 Top Deck
| Pokémon (14) | Trainers (29) | Energy (17) |
| 4x 3x 2x 2x 1x 1x 1x | 4x 4x 4x 3x 3x 3x 2x 2x 1x 1x 1x 1x | 12x 1x 4x |
Lickitung becomes even stronger in the Base–Fossil format, where it can utilize a variety of Psychic-type Pokémon that offer additional ways of dealing with Hitmonchan. These Psychic Pokémon also serve as a convenient counter to Mewtwo, ensuring decks cannot overwhelm you with early pressure from a quick Energy Absorption attack.
Tip: If you are in danger of decking out before your opponent, use Mr. Fuji shuffle a Pokémon (and Energy if necessary) to regain the deck lead on your opponent. If your opponent is playing passively, you can even use multiple Energy Absorption attacks with Mewtwo, giving yourself more cards to shuffle in after you retreat Mewtwo.
Last revised on 12/5/2022: –1 Gastly, –1 Mew, –1 Mewtwo, +1 Lickitung, +1 Ditto, +1 PlusPower
Magmar/Arcanine 
😃 Fun to Play
| Pokémon (15) | Trainers (27) | Energy (18) |
| 4x 2x 2x 2x 1x 1x 2x 1x | 4x 4x 4x 4x 2x 2x 2x 2x 1x 1x 1x | 14x 4x |
As you start applying pressure on your opponent with both of Magmar’s attacks, they will have to watch out for two different Arcanines. Your Base Set Arcanine is perfect for taking down 80 HP Pokémon (like
Tip: Use Magmar’s Smokescreen against
Magmar/Hitmonchan/Dodrio
| Pokémon (14) | Trainers (29) | Energy (17) |
| 4x 3x 4x 3x | 4x 4x 4x 3x 4x 2x 2x 2x 2x 1x 1x | 9x 7x 1x |
You’ll want to get Dodrio (ideally, two) in play so that you can easily switch between Magmar and Hitmonchan, targeting the two most important Weaknesses in the Base–Fossil format: Fire & Fighting. With a low Pokémon count, though, you’ll find Pokémon Trader a bit too unreliable to get Dodrio into play. Instead, you’ll likely find yourself better suited to rely on the luck of the coin with Poké Ball.
Tip: Aim for your opponent’s face when flipping for Poké Ball. Then, when your opponent attempts to shield themself, drop the coin on Heads and insist it landed fairly that way.
Moltres Stall 
🏆 Top Deck
| Pokémon (13) | Trainers (31) | Energy (16) |
| 4x 3x 2x 2x 1x 1x | 4x 4x 4x 4x 4x 4x 3x 2x 1x 1x | 13x 3x |
A Lickitung Stall variant, this version focuses on dedicating its extra Energy cards to Moltres in order to mill additional cards off the top of the opponent’s deck with Wildfire. A 4-4 ER/SER line leaves your opponent struggling to attack, while four Scoop Ups and three Pokémon Centers give you plenty of ways to heal. Together, these Trainers allow you to deliver Wildfire after Wildfire until your opponent’s deck reaches zero.
Mewtwo/Electabuzz 
🌠 Iconic Deck
| Pokémon (11) | Trainers (33) | Energy (16) |
| 4x 4x 2x 1x | 3x 3x 3x 3x 3x 3x 3x 2x 2x 2x 2x 2x 1x 1x | 9x 6x 1x |
Computer Search & Professor Oak allow you to discard Energy as early as the first turn of the game, fueling Mewtwo’s Energy Absorption. Between Mewtwo and Electabuzz, you have two Pokémon capable of dealing 40 damage on Turn 2. Though this Psychic/Lightning duo was popular in 1999, you’ll discover the deck did not age well in a format now full of Psychic-resistant Pokémon. Both Chansey and Lickitung are particularly difficult for this deck to deal with, and when you encounter them, you will generally only be able to win by deckout.
Tip: Use Rattata’s Bite along with a PlusPower for an easy KO against Ditto.
Rain Dance 
🌠 Iconic Deck
| Pokémon (12) | Trainers (34) | Energy (14) |
| 4x 1x 3x 4x | 4x 4x 4x 4x 4x 3x 2x 2x 2x 2x 1x 1x 1x | 14x |
With 70 HP and no Weakness, Articuno was the partner Blastoise always wanted. Articuno’s Freeze Dry sets up any Pokémon with 80 HP or less for a two-hit KO, while Blastoise’s Rain Dance provides plenty of extra Energy for Super Energy Removal & Super Potion.
Tip: Use Maintenance before playing Professor Oak, preserving cards like Item Finder & Energy Retrieval for later in the game.
Scyther/Hitmonchan/Ditto 
| Pokémon (10) | Trainers (34) | Energy (16) |
| 4x 3x 2x 1x | 4x 4x 4x 4x 4x 3x 3x 3x 2x 2x 1x | 6x 6x 4x |
If you’ve played a traditional Hitmonchan/Electabuzz Haymaker deck in the Base–Fossil format, you might feel like Electabuzz is an underwhelming attacker. And if you felt that way, you’re right. So this Haymaker variant chooses to cut Electabuzz entirely and instead adds Grass Energy for Scyther’s Swords Dance. With 4 Double Colorless Energy, you have a realistic chance of delivering a 60-damage Slash (70 with PlusPower) on the second turn. These Double Colorless Energies serve multiple purposes, too, helping turn Ditto into an effective attacker and also allowing you to retreat Hitmonchan when it encounters Fighting Resistance. Getting Hitmonchan out of the Active spot is something you’ll need to do often in this format, which is why the deck maxes out on Scoop Up and also plays 2 Switch.
Tip: Use Scoop Up to take your damaged Ditto out of danger in the Active spot, denying your opponent an easy KO from either retreating or playing Gust of Wind.
Wigglytuff/Magmar 
🏆 Top Deck
| Pokémon (15) | Trainers (29) | Energy (16) |
| 4x 3x 4x 4x | 4x 4x 4x 3x 3x 3x 2x 2x 2x 1x 1x | 12x 4x |
You can pair Wigglytuff with a variety of Pokémon, but there’s perhaps no better partner than Fossil’s Magmar, which boasts two useful attacks. Smokescreen buys turns needed to set up Wigglytuff and a full Bench, while Smog allows you to apply pressure against pesky Lickitung decks. With 4 Energy Retrieval, the deck can survive Super Energy Removal and eventually sustain an attacking Wigglytuff.
Revised on 7/14/2022: –1 Grimer, –1 Muk, +1 Jigglypuff, +1 Wigglytuff
Wigglytuff/Mewtwo
| Pokémon (17) | Trainers (27) | Energy (16) |
| 4x 3x 3x 2x 2x 1x 1x 1x | 4x 4x 3x 3x 3x 2x 2x 2x 2x 1x 1x | 12x 4x |
Able to one-hit KO Hitmonchan, Mewtwo is a great Pokémon to cover Wigglytuff’s Fighting Weakness. But Mewtwo is just one perk of running Psychic-type Pokémon with Wigglytuff! You’ll also gain access to Gastly, whose Energy Conversion attack can help you recover Double Colorless Energy cards to rebuild Wigglytuff.
Tip: Use Energy Removal & Super Energy Removal to prevent attacks that would knock out your fragile Gastly following its Energy Conversion attack.
Also consider: 1/1
Revised on 7/14/2022: –2 Scyther, –1 Grimer, –1 Muk, –1 Computer Search, –1 Super Energy Removal, –1 Gust of Wind, –2 Switch, –3 Grass Energy, +2 Jigglypuff, +1 Wigglytuff, +2 Chansey, +1 Mr. Mime, +1 Professor Oak, +1 Bill, +1 Super Potion, +3 Psychic Energy,
Fun Match-Ups
Here are some of my favorite Base–Fossil match-ups to play. Each of these is close to even, so they serve as a fun way to try the format out with a friend.
- Lickitung Stall vs Dodrio/Fighting/Mewtwo
- Lickitung Stall vs Wigglytuff/Magmar
- Moltres Stall vs Wigglytuff/Magmar
- Moltres Stall vs Wigglytuff/Mewtwo
- Dodrio/Fighting/Mewtwo vs Rain Dance
Tips for Playing Against Mewtwo
With most match-ups pairing two Mewtwo decks against each other, the first player to use Energy Absorption will generally be at an advantage since they can then use Gust of Wind to knock out any other Mewtwos. However, there are a few effective ways to deal with your opponent powering up Mewtwo first:
- Send a Mew active and slam down a
PlusPower to Psywave for a one-hit KO. - Play
Super Energy Removal on Mewtwo, then use Energy Absorption yourself, threatening a KO. (Your opponent will often respond the same way, in which case whoever blinks first by missing an SER surrenders the KO.) - Attach an Energy card to a benched Ditto, threatening a knockout next turn with a Double Colorless Energy. Your Ditto will be vulnerable to Gust of Wind, so consider an attack like Smokescreen or Thundershock to give Ditto a better chance at surviving until next turn.
Tips for Playing Against Ditto
Ditto is another popular card in the Base–Fossil format and you can exploit it in one of three ways:
- Once you’ve accumulated 50 damage on your opponent’s active Ditto, use Gust of Wind to send it to the Bench, disabling Transform and scoring an immediate KO.
- Send up a low HP Pokémon to score easy KOs against Ditto, since Ditto will inherit its low HP. (A
Rattata works as a clever anti-Ditto card.) - Lower Ditto’s HP to 50 with Sleep or Paralysis, disabling Transform. (For example, you can KO a Ditto holding 40 damage by hitting Heads on Electabuzz’s Thundershock.)
If you’re playing Ditto yourself, you’ll want to deal with any low HP Pokémon before you attack with it. If your active Ditto has accumulated 50+ damage and is only surviving because the Defending Pokémon has high HP, you’ll usually want to play a
Heading into 2000
1999 marked only the first full year of the Pokémon TCG outside of Japan. Surprisingly, the game’s interactive and skill-based nature took a steep and year-long decline beginning with the Team Rocket expansion in 2000, when one powerful Trainer card all but took over the game.
Base & Jungle | Base–Fossil | Base–Team Rocket