e-Card: The Lost Age of the Pokémon TCG

Table of Contents

• Introduction
• e-Card in Neo-on (2002–2003)
• Expedition-On (Pokémon USA, 2003–2004)
• The e-Card Format
  • Legal Sets
  • Playing the e-Card Format
  • Key Cards
• e-Card Decks
  • Alakazam
  • Beedrill
  • Charizard/Venusaur
  • Exeggutor/Bellossom
  • Gengar/Dragonite
  • Kingdra/Espeon
  • Machamp
  • Scizor/Furret
  • Typhlosion/Ninetales
  • Umbreon
• Fun Match-Ups
• e-Card Rules
• Acquiring Cards from the e-Card Sets
• End of the Wizards Era

Introduction

In September 2002, the Expedition set made its US debut, followed in 2003 by Aquapolis and Skyridge. Originally released as five separate sets in Japan, Wizards of the Coast condensed them into three sets internationally, giving the rest of the world an opportunity to catch up and close the five to six set gap that had long existed between Japan and the rest of the world. These three massive sets totaled over 500 cards and would come to be known as the e-Card sets, marking the beginning of a new age in the Pokémon TCG.

The term e-Card comes from the capability of the sets’ cards to be swiped through an e-Reader, a card-reading device that connected to the Game Boy Advance. By swiping the bar code on the side or bottom of an e-Card Pokémon card through the e-Reader, you could display strategies and Pokédex info on your game screen, or activate mini games. Though e-Reader compatibility continued on English cards briefly into EX Ruby & Sapphire and the sets that would follow, Japan ended their e-Card capability at the Skyridge set. For this reason, the term e-Card sets generally refers to the trio of Expedition, Aquapolis and Skyridge. Whenever I refer to the e-Card sets in this article, I am referring to these three sets.

The Introduction of Supporters

The e-Card sets’ most noteworthy and lasting contribution to the game was the introduction of Supporters, the human-starring Trainer cards that decks continue to rely on today. Limited to one per turn, most Supporters offered a way to search or draw cards, forming the “engine” that allowed decks to set up and evolve Pokémon. Others extended different benefits such as healing Pokémon or recovering cards from the discard pile. Serving as a suitable replacement for Cleffa’s Eeeeeeek following the 2003 rotation of the Neo sets, Supporters ensured the Pokémon TCG would retain its key characteristic of permitting players access to most of the cards in their deck over the course of a game. Functioning similarly to Base Set’s Professor Oak, Computer Search and Bill, Supporters provided players access to the cards they needed. However, with their one-per-turn limit, Supporters also prevented players from spending several minutes drawing through their decks in a single turn—an unpopular aspect of the game that had previously existed in 1999 and 2000.

Poké-Powers & Poké-Bodies

A more minor change brought to the game by the e-Card sets was that Pokémon Powers were divided into Poké-Powers and Poké-Bodies. Poké-Powers were abilities players could activate during their turn, while Poké-Bodies were permanent effects on a Pokémon that continued working even when the host Pokémon was affected by a Special Condition. Poké-Powers & Poké-Bodies would remain part of the game until the Black & White expansion in 2011, when Abilities became a universal replacement for both.

Energy Removal & Gust of Wind: Back as Coin Flips

The recurring theme of the e-Card sets seemed to be correcting the “mistakes” of previous sets. In addition to implementing a one per turn limit on the new Supporter cards, other Trainers that had previously dictated the flow of games were reprinted requiring a coin flip to be successful.

Left (Pre–e-Card)        |         Right (e-Card)

Non-evolving Basic Pokémon and especially Baby Pokémon, both of which had dominated the early years of the game, were also noticeably weakened. Compare five Gym & Neo Basic & Baby Pokémon to their e-Card counterparts.

Left (Pre–e-Card)        |         Right (e-Card)

e-Card in Neo-On (2002–2003)

Given how weak these new Basic & Baby Pokémon were, it was evident the e-Card sets were designed to produce a format based heavily around Evolved Pokémon, a major shift from the Haymaker days of 1999–2000. Though by 2001 Baby Pokémon were in every successful deck, the weakening of Baby Pokémon in the e-Card sets made it clear the card designers were aiming to reduce the role these too played in the game. But when the e-Card sets debuted, Wizards of the Coast, instead of starting over with an entirely new format, decided to simply add the sets into the existing Neo-On format. This ensured that Cleffa and other Neo Baby Pokémon would remain a powerful and prevalent force and also limited the amount of new cards that would see play. (Why add Supporter cards like Professor Oak’s Research to your deck when you can just use Cleffa’s Eeeeeeek each turn?)

Further restricting creativity and deck diversity in the Neo-On format was its inclusion of the Legendary Collection set and its reprint of Fossil Muk. Since Muk’s Toxic Gas shut off not just Pokémon Powers, but was also ruled to shut off the new Poké-Powers & Poké-Bodies, many Poké-Power & Poké-Body-bearing Pokémon that would have otherwise seen play (and success) were kept out of decks.

Though it seemed like Wizards would rotate to an e-Card Only format of Expedition-On the following year, it would never happen. In March 2003, Wizards stunned the entire Pokémon TCG community by abruptly announcing that they were unable to re-new their license to produce Pokémon cards, leaving the game to be taken over by The Pokémon Company later that year.

In a public message addressed to Loyal Pokémon Fans, then Wizards of the Coast CEO & President Chuck Huebner explained the company’s inability to renew their license.

I want to let you know that Wizards of the Coast® has learned that our proposal to the Pokémon Company to manufacture and distribute the Ruby & Sapphire releases was not accepted. We felt our proposal was fair and appropriate based on what we knew the property to be worth through our first hand experiences.

Apparently Wizards did not believe the Pokémon brand was worth as much as The Pokémon Company did and they relinquished their right to produce cards. The Pokémon Company then created their own subsidiary company, Pokémon USA, Inc. (now The Pokémon Company International) to handle the production and distribution of cards outside of Japan. Only three months later in June 2003, Pokémon USA had already released EX Ruby & Sapphire, unveiling the third generation of Pokémon in card form (as well as some minor rule changes). Their first major events began that Summer, merging the e-Card sets with EX Ruby & Sapphire to create their first competitive format.

An e-Card Only format had missed its chance and would never exist.

Expedition-On (Pokémon USA, 2003–2004)

Pokémon USA’s Expedition-On format finally rotated out Neo Genesis Cleffa, forcing players to now depend on Supporters to set up. While many of these Supporters that players used were from the e-Card sets, very few Pokémon from the e-Card sets were being used. That’s because the new Pokémon from EX Ruby & Sapphire and its subsequent sets were noticeably stronger than their e-Card predecessors, denying many e-Card Pokémon a chance to shine. Compare three obvious examples below.

Left (e-Card)        |         Right (EX)

The e-Card Format

Convinced the e-Card sets were meant to be played with each other and not merged with previous or subsequent expansions, I set out to discover what I and so many others missed out on due to the unfortunate timing of Wizards’ lost license. After constructing decks and playing my first games of what I call the e-Card format, I discovered a fun format that is like no other in the game’s history.

The e-Card Format: Legal Sets

The idea of the e-Card format is to pair the sets that were designed to be played with each other—no more and no less:

•  Expedition (2002)
•  Aquapolis (2003)
•  Skyridge (2003)
•  Wizards Black Star Promos #50–53

You’ll notice there weren’t a lot of promotional cards released during the e-Card era. That’s because Wizards of the Coast chose to distribute most of Japan’s e-Card promos throughout the three e-Card sets as regular cards.

Playing the e-Card Format

The e-Card format is unique in that nearly all decks rely on multiple Evolution lines. While dedicating 25 cards in a deck to Pokémon rarely worked in past formats—or future, for that matter—such strategies excel in the e-Card format. E-Card games start slowly, building over several turns towards an epic showdown of massive Evolved Pokémon. These drawn-out games not only give both players a fair opportunity to play, but also to make mistakes, producing a format that is skillful despite a lack of intricate cards. This is in sharp contrast to more recent Standard or Expanded formats, where players have come to expect knockouts on the first or second turns of the game, often from powerful Basic Pokémon.

Key Cards

Let’s have a look at some of the most common cards you’ll encounter playing the e-Card format.

Supporters: The Defining Aspect of e-Card

Supporters are the key to achieving the powerful setups of multiple Evolved Pokémon needed to win in the e-Card format. Between Expedition, Aquapolis and Skyridge there are a total of 18 Supporter cards. Below are the 12 you’ll most commonly use.

Expect to run Pokémon Fan Club and especially Professor Oak’s Research & Professor Elm’s Training Method in any deck you play. Your other Supporters will vary depending on the Pokémon in your deck.

Clefable & Furret: Your Energy Searchers

Clefable and Furret are invaluable in the e-Card format. Assuming you choose to add one into your deck, your choice will depend on whether your deck relies on Basic Energy cards or Special Energy cards. Furret is able to search out situationally useful Energy cards, like Warp Energy and Cyclone Energy, but it comes at the cost of requiring you to shuffle an additional card from your hand back into your deck. Both Clefable and Furret work great in combination with Porygon2, explained below.

Porygon2: Extra Draw

It doesn’t look like much, but given how many Pokémon you’re trying to evolve in the e-Card format, any type of card-drawing to supplement your Supporters can be very helpful. You’ll only want to include Porygon2 in decks that run either Clefable or Furret, as their Poké-Powers reduce your hand to a size small enough to use Porygon2’s Backup. While Backup will help decks function midgame, it is not a replacement for Lapras, which you’ll still want in most decks.

Lapras: Saving you from Bad Hands

Given the importance of Supporter cards in the e-Card format, it’s helpful to have a Pokémon in your deck that can find one in a pinch. Lapras can do this for two Colorless Energy, offering you a way out of those tough spots where you find yourself Supporter-less and unable to build your Pokémon. Consider grabbing Lapras with an early Pokémon Fan Club (or Dual Ball) when the rest of your hand doesn’t look like it’s going to get the job done. Alternatively, if you prefer an extra 10 HP, consider Kangaskhan over Lapras.

e-Card Decks

Below are 10 of my favorite e-Card decks. You’ll notice all of these decks rely on Evolved Pokémon. Some of them play as many as five different Evolution lines!

Alakazam

🤹‍♂️ Difficult to Play

Pokémon (16)	Trainers (26)	Energy (18)
4x Abra 4x Kadabra 2x Alakazam 2x Alakazam 1x Moltres 1x Articuno 1x Zapdos 1x Lapras	1x Power Plant 4x Pokémon Fan Club 4x Professor Elm’s Training Method 4x Juggler 3x Underground Expedition 2x Fisherman 1x Town Volunteers 4x Energy Removal 2 2x Energy Search 1x Hyper Potion	5x Psychic Energy 2x Fire Energy 2x Water Energy 2x Lightning Energy 4x Rainbow Energy 2x Bounce Energy 1x Warp Energy

Relying on Juggler to pitch Energy cards into the discard pile, Kadabra’s Energy Recall allows you to quickly prepare an attacking Alakazam. Alakazam’s Energy Jump not only helps its partner Alakazam use Syncroblast for 80 damage, but also allows you to more easily power up any of the three Legendary Bird Pokémon, allowing the deck to target a total of four different Weaknesses.

Tip: Use Bounce Energy to match two Energy cards attached to the Defending Pokémon and Syncroblast for 80 damage.

Beedrill

Pokémon (14)	Trainers (31)	Energy (15)
2x Weedle 2x Weedle 4x Kakuna 4x Beedrill 2x Lapras	2x Undersea Ruins 4x Professor Oak’s Research 3x Professor Elm’s Training Method 3x Apricorn Maker 3x Underground Expedition 2x Copycat 1x Desert Shaman 1x Relic Hunter 1x Town Volunteers 4x Dual Ball 4x Fast Ball 3x Lure Ball	11x Grass Energy 4x Retro Energy

Retro Energy and Undersea Ruins allow you to devolve Beedrill so that it can be re-evolved on the following turn, locking your opponent in a chain of Venom Spray. Lure Ball allows you to easily recover the discarded Beedrill.

Tip: Save your Lure Ball until there are multiple Beedrill in your discard pile, giving yourself a chance at recovering more than one.

Charizard/Venusaur

🏆 Top Deck  😃 Fun to Play

Pokémon (26)	Trainers (19)	Energy (15)
3x Charmander 3x Charmeleon 3x Charizard 3x Bulbasaur 3x Ivysaur 2x Venusaur 2x Clefairy 2x Clefable 2x Porygon 2x Porygon2 1x Lapras	4x Pokémon Fan Club 4x Professor Elm’s Training Method 3x Professor Oak’s Research 3x Underground Expedition 2x Town Volunteers 1x Copycat 1x Desert Shaman 1x Switch	10x Fire Energy 5x Grass Energy

If you’re looking for a deck that encapsulates the uniqueness of the e-Card format, look no further. Combining two of the game’s most iconic Evolved Pokémon, this deck relies on Venusaur’s Harvest Bounty to deliver consecutive Scorching Whirlwhind attacks from Charizard. Clefable helps find the extra Energy your Charizard will need, while Lapras and Porygon2 ensure this lethal setup is achieved.

Tip: Use Bulbasaur’s Sleep Seed early in the game to buy turns to set up the multiple Evolved Pokémon this deck needs to function.

Exeggutor/Bellossom

Pokémon (24)	Trainers (20)	Energy (16)
3x Oddish 2x Gloom 1x Gloom 2x Bellossom 1x Vileplume 3x Exeggcute 3x Exeggutor 2x Sentret 2x Furret 2x Porygon 2x Porygon2 1x Lapras	4x Pokémon Fan Club 4x Professor Elm’s Training Method 4x Professor Oak’s Research 3x Underground Expedition 2x Copycat 1x Desert Shaman 1x Town Volunteers 1x Friend Ball	6x Psychic Energy 3x Grass Energy 3x Boost Energy 3x Bounce Energy 1x Warp Energy

Relying on Bellossom’s Flower Supplement to power up Exeggutor, this deck uses Furret’s Scavenger Hunt to retrieve the Special Energy cards you need. Bounce Energy ensures Bellossom has a second Energy to attach with Flower Supplement, and Boost Energy provides an extra 3 flips for Exeggutor on turns when more damage is needed.

Gengar/Dragonite

Pokémon (22)	Trainers (22)	Energy (16)
4x Chansey 1x Blissey 3x Gastly 3x Haunter 3x Gengar 2x Dratini 2x Dragonair 2x Dragonite 1x Moltres 1x Lapras	4x Pokémon Fan Club 4x Professor Elm’s Training Method 4x Professor Oak’s Research 3x Underground Expedition 2x Copycat 2x Pokémon Nurse 1x Desert Shaman 2x Friend Ball	6x Psychic Energy 4x Rainbow Energy 4x Metal Energy 2x Warp Energy

After using Gengar’s Hide in Shadows attack to move Gengar to the bench, four Chansey and a Blissey sub in, ensuring Gengar remains safe. Metal Energy allows your 120-HP Blissey to become a damage-absorbing wall, with each attachment boosting its Happy Healing Poké-Power. Dragonite’s Miracle Wind allows you to freely retreat these Pokémon, ensuring Gengar can attack turn after turn.

Tip: Keep your most heavily-defended Pokémon (like Blissey) on the Bench until the end of the game. Aim to sacrifice your lower-HP Pokémon early, allowing you to more quickly activate Gengar’s Chaos Move.

Kingdra/Espeon

🏆 Top Deck  🤹‍♂️ Difficult to Play

Pokémon (22)	Trainers (21)	Energy (17)
4x Horsea 4x Seadra 4x Kingdra 3x Eevee 2x Espeon 1x Flareon 2x Lapras 1x Moltres 1x Zapdos	4x Pokémon Fan Club 4x Professor Elm’s Training Method 4x Professor Oak’s Research 3x Pokémon Nurse 3x Underground Expedition 2x Copycat 1x Super Energy Removal 2	8x Water Energy 4x Rainbow Energy 4x Warp Energy 1x Metal Energy

Using Kingdra’s Water Cyclone to shift its Water Energy to a Benched Pokémon creates perfect opportunities to heal the 120 HP Pokémon with Pokémon Nurse. Afterwards, Warp Energy allows you to play around Kingdra’s high retreat cost, sending it to the Bench, where it can re-claim its Energy cards. Espeon allows you to re-use Warp Energy, while Moltres & Zapdos give you options to deal with Scizor and other Kingdra, respectively.

Machamp

  Inexpensive to Build

Pokémon (18)	Trainers (25)	Energy (17)
4x Machop 4x Machoke 3x Machamp 1x Machamp 3x Phanpy 2x Donphan 1x Lapras	4x Pokémon Fan Club 4x Professor Elm’s Training Method 4x Professor Oak’s Research 3x Underground Expedition 2x Copycat 2x Desert Shaman 2x Potion 2x Full Heal 1x Switch 1x Dual Ball	13x Fighting Energy 3x Rainbow Energy 1x Bounce Energy

Using Donphan’s Earthquake (as well as Rainbow Energy) to intentionally damage our own Pokémon, Machamp’s Iron Fist has the potential to hit for as much as 110. Machamp’s Terraforming ensures you can find the cards to build multiple Machamp, while Potion provides healing for its 120 HP.

Tip: If you’re unsatisfied with the four cards revealed by Machamp’s Terraforming, use a Trainer, like Dual Ball, to shuffle the deck.

Scizor/Furret

🏆 Top Deck 💰 Expensive to Build

Pokémon (20)	Trainers (27)	Energy (13)
4x Scyther 3x Scizor 2x Eevee 2x Vaporeon 1x Flareon 2x Sentret 2x Furret 2x Porygon 2x Porygon2	4x Pokémon Fan Club 4x Professor Elm’s Training Method 4x Professor Oak’s Research 3x Underground Expedition 2x Oracle 1x Desert Shaman 3x Power Charge 2x Pokémon Reversal 2x Friend Ball 1x Potion 1x Strength Charm	4x Metal Energy 4x Rainbow Energy 2x Cyclone Energy 2x Warp Energy 1x Water Energy

A popular deck during the Neo-On format of 2003, Furret’s Scavenger Hunt helps you find the Metal Energy needed to boost Scizor’s defense and damage capability. 4 Potion make Scizor a tough KO for your opponent, while Vaporeon offers a way to deal with the Fire-type Pokémon that can one-hit KO Scizor.

Tip: Don’t always commit all of your Metal Energy cards to one Scizor. Most times, you are better off trying to build multiple.

Typhlosion/Ninetales

🏆 Top Deck  😃 Fun to Play  🤑 Inexpensive to Build

Pokémon (23)	Trainers (21)	Energy (16)
2x Cyndaquil 2x Cyndaquil 4x Quilava 3x Typhlosion 4x Vulpix 3x Ninetales 2x Ponyta 2x Rapidash 1x Lapras	4x Pokémon Fan Club 4x Professor Elm’s Training Method 4x Professor Oak’s Research 4x Town Volunteers 2x Underground Expedition 2x Copycat 1x Pokémon Nurse	12x Fire Energy 4x Warp Energy

Using Typhlosion’s Heat Up to power massive Ethereal Flame attacks from Ninetales, this deck can score one-hit KOs on any Pokémon it encounters. Warp Energy allows you to send Ninetales to the bench, where it can be recharged after attacking, while Rapidash provides a free retreater that allows you to send Ninetales back Active the same turn it is recharged.

Tip: Retreat (multiple times per turn, if necessary) to remove any useless Energy cards that are preventing you from using Heat Up.

Umbreon

Pokémon (13)	Trainers (31)	Energy (16)
4x Eevee 3x Umbreon 1x Umbreon 1x Espeon 1x Flareon 3x Stantler	4x Professor Elm’s Training Method 4x Professor Oak’s Research 3x Underground Expedition 3x Desert Shaman 2x Apricorn Maker 4x Energy Removal 2 3x Pokémon Reversal 3x Master Ball 3x Dual Ball 1x Friend Ball 1x Full Heal	4x Darkness Energy 4x Rainbow Energy 3x Cyclone Energy 3x Fire Energy 2x Psychic Energy

If you’re lucky enough to flip Heads on your first turn with Eevee’s Charge Up, your opponent might be facing a Turn 2 attacking Umbreon, a difficult start to overcome. Desert Shaman forms a powerful combination with Umbreon’s Dark Moon Poké-Power, adding strength to disruptive Trainers like Energy Removal 2 & Pokémon Reversal.

Tip: Avoid using Umbreon’s Dark Moon following turns where your opponent doesn’t seem to have any strong cards in hand. Otherwise, you will be forced to replace at least 1 of his or her cards, offering a chance to draw something more useful.

Fun Match-Ups

Here are some fun match-ups to play for the e-Card format that tend to produce close and interactive games.

• Kingdra vs Scizor
• Kingdra vs Alakazam
• Typhlosion/Ninetales vs Scizor
• Typhlosion/Ninetales vs Charizard/Venusaur

e-Card Rules

Don’t confuse e-Card with the EX sets that followed, when new rules for confusion, retreating, mulligans and playing first were added to the game. All Wizards of the Coast formats used the same rules, including rewarding two cards per mulligan and no restrictions on the player going first. For a refresher of all rules related to the Wizards era, click here: Pokémon TCG Rules Guide for 1999-2002

One tricky interaction specific to e-Card relates to the interaction of Rainbow Energy with the Poké-Bodies of the Legendary Birds (Articuno, Moltres & Zapdos) and Legendary Dogs (Entei, Raikou & Suicune). In e-Card, Rainbow Energy is considered all types of Energy when it’s played from the hand, so it is affected by all of these Poké-Bodies. This means that Rainbow Energy cannot be attached from hand to the Legendary Birds and also that it will trigger the Poké-Bodies of the Legendary Dogs. This confusing ruling is the result of an unclear translation from Japanese.

Acquiring Cards from the e-Card Sets

The years 2002 & 2003 marked a low point for the Pokémon TCG. Wizards had spent their final years alienating the 15+ age division by limiting major events to those 14 and under, sending many players in search of new hobbies. When it was announced Wizards would no longer produce Pokémon cards, many players and collectors wondered if the Pokémon TCG was coming to an end entirely. That said, it shouldn’t surprise you to learn that during this time period Wizards did not produce or sell nearly as many booster packs as they did during the Pokémon-crazed years of 1999 & 2000. Because of this, cards from the e-Card sets, particularly Aquapolis and Skyridge, can be hard to come by. About the only thing working to the advantage of anyone trying to reclaim cards from the e-Card sets is that all holographic cards (except for the Crystal Pokémon in Skyridge) are available as less rare non-holo versions. Even so, these non-holographic rares (and even many uncommons) can be very tough to find. If you’re setting out to build e-Card decks, don’t expect it to be an easy (or cheap) task.

End of the Wizards Era

The e-Card sets were the final sets Wizards of the Coast would produce. With The Pokémon Company International’s takeover in 2003 came the EX Ruby & Sapphire expansion, moving Pokémon into a new age. The EX sets would continue into 2007, totaling 16 expansions, and span over four competitive seasons and four World Championships. Those that have played them regard them as some of the game’s greatest formats.

---

Neo-On | e-Card | EX