ThePokemonseries is home to over a thousand creatures of a variety of cool, cute and strong forms. With so many creatures, not all of them are beloved and while nearly every Pokemon is someone’s favorite, they don’t all get the same treatment when it comes to merchandise and appearances.
TheTrading Card Gamehas given every Pokemon at least a single card and with many sets released every year, many fan favorites get multiple cards. However, some Pokemon are swiftly forgotten about after their release and to this day some Pokemon still only have one or two cards, despite the hundreds that favorites like Pikachu and Charizard get.
For this list we are counting any reprints to be the same card. If a card has the same text as another, it is going to be considered the same card. Regional forms also count towards the same Pokemon.
Number Of Cards For The Forgotten Galarian Pokemon
Two Cards - Runerigus
Three Cards - Sirfetch’d, Rolycoly, Carkol, Sinistea, Hatenna, Hattrem, Cursola, Frostmoth, Dreepy
Four Cards - Yamper, Arrokuda, Barraskewda, Polteageist, Obstagoon, Mr. Rime, Snom, Drakloak, Eternatus
Pokemon Sword & Shieldwas a mixed game that, while bringing alot to the table, also stayed very rooted in the series staples right when it really needed to take new steps. One thing that Galar did excellently, however, was give us great Pokemon that are rooted in British culture. However not all of them were universally loved and the TCG is especially picky towards this generation.
The TCG picked its favorites from Galar and, unfortunately, many have been left in the past. Even very popular Pokemon, such as Snom and Polteageist, have received very few cards since their debut. It feels like an injustice to see Pokemon such as Toxtricity appear time and time again, while other great ones from the same region, such as the Legendary Eternatus, get left in the archives.
Two Cards - Amaura, Tyrunt
Three Cards - Aurorus, Tyrantrum
Despite having such wonderful designs, Kalos' Fossil Pokemon are some of the most disliked in the series. Tyrunt is a tiny big-headed T-Rex that evolves into a rock-hard terror in Tyrantrum and Amaura is an adorable ice-cold aurora that evolves into the majestic Aurorus. Just like the games, the TCG has left these Pokemon buried in the ground with little love.
In the entire XY era, Tyrunt and Amaura both only got a single card and only in the Sun & Moon era did they receive a second where they were overshadowed by being old news. Perhaps Tyrantrum and Aurorus getting aMega Evolutioncould help these Pokemon gain new-found fans in the TCG in future sets, but even if they don’t, they deserve more attention and especially illustration rares.
Three Cards - Budew, Happiny
Four Cards - Bonsly, Mantyke, Chingling
These little Pokemon are cutie pies and in the games they are some of the weakest Pokemon around, being baby forms of some of the most iconic. The TCG is the Pokemon Company’s chance to give us the most adorable art of Baby Pokemon. However, when it comes to implementing them, there has been a slight problem that has been around since their debut.
The issue with Baby Pokemon in the TCG is the fact that they often cannot evolve and, instead, must stay as Basics. This leaves them in a strange place as they have to be weak, but since they have nothing to evolve into, they stay weak, unlike other Basics. For a long time, Baby Pokemon rarely got cards because of this, but in the modern era, this problem has been solved by making Baby Pokemon support Pokemon that often have little HP but useful attacks that cost no Energy.
Three Cards - Quilladin, Quaxwell, Floragato
Four Cards - Crocalor, Raboot, Drizzile
Some of the most loved Pokemon are always the trio of Starter Pokemon you get to choose from at the start of every game, and while we all love the first and final forms of our adorable partners, their second evolutions are always mixed. The middle stage evolutions tend to be the awkward teenage phase of your Starter, and this can result in them being super unpopular.
In particular, both Qualladin from Kalos and Brionne from Alola are two that show their unpopularity through the TCG, only having a couple of cards to their name and last getting a card in the Sun & Moon era. Over in Paldea, surprisingly, Floragato and Quaxwell both only have three cards to Crocalor’s four. As time goes on, this will likely change to see Floragato take the lead, as it is one of the most popular Starter lines.
Number Of Cards For The Kitakami And Blueberry Academy Pokemon
Three Cards - Terapagos
Four Cards - Diplin
One of the best parts of a Pokemon title getting DLC is the addition of even more Pokemon being added for us to catch and collect. The TCG makes sure all DLC additions get a card while they are still new, but these Pokemon tend to be more forgotten. With Kitakami and Blueberry Academy, we got some great new evolutions in Archaludon and Hydrapple as well as a Convergent species in the form of Sinstcha and all three received EX cards.
All of these Pokemon are all related to Galarian Pokemon, which makes them even less popular as they are all still fresh to the series. Compare Poltchageist to Wiglett for example. Both are Convergent Pokemon from the same Generation, but since Wiglett is convergent with Diglett, it already has six cards. Comparing this to Poltchageist’s two shows a clear bias towards Pokemon that are related to nostalgia, which is unfortunately true across the TCG.
5The Loyal Three And Pecharunt
A Chance For Greatness Poisoned
The mochi mayhem caused inScarlet & Violet’sepilogue is all thanks to the mythical Pokemon Pecharunt and its goons, Okidogi, Munkidori and Fezandipiti. This group of mischievous Pokemon are the main antagonists in the Teal Mask DLC and in the TCG they were given a chance to shine with a special set themed all around them in Shrouded Fable.
Despite this, all four of these Pokemon have only ever received an EX card and one holo rare, which is pretty decent for their first appearances. Even though they are Legendary and Mythical Pokemon this quartet is quite forgettable, and they are heavily overshadowed by their enemy Ogrepon, with it getting over nine cards to itself in the same timeframe.
Three Cards - Sneasler, Enamorus
Four Cards - Kleavor, Ursaluna
The past land of Sinnoh, referred to as Hisui as seen inPokemon Legends: Arceus,brought us many Pokemon that only existed in this feudal era where Pokemon and humans had yet to coexist. Since these Pokemon can only exist in the past or very rarely in other locations, such as Kitakami with its Bloodmoon Ursaluna, the TCG and the games are both limited regarding how or if they can bring them back.
It would be quite jarring to have a Hisuian Pokemon, such as Overqwill or Wydeer, randomly appear in an expansion. Hisuian Pokemon have supposedly evolved into their modern-day counterparts and so many of them no longer exist. While the TCG doesn’t have a set time period, it would still feel strange to have Pokemon that are associated with the past get new cards. Since Legends: Arceus is no longer the most recent title, these Pokemon will likely not appear again in the TCG.
Someone Get The Time Machine Running Again
Number Of Cards For Each Paradox Pokemon
Two Cards - Brute Bonnet, Flutter Mane, Slither Wing, Sandy Shock, Iron Hands, Iron Jugulis, Iron Moth, Iron Thorns, Roaring Moon, Walking Wake, Gouging Fire, Raging Bolt, Iron Leaves, Iron Crown, Iron Boulder
Three Cards - Scream Tail, Iron Treads, Iron Bundle, Iron Valiant
Four Cards - Great Tusk
Paradox Pokemon are a unique kind of Pokemon that come from the paradoxical past or far-flung future and were first introduced in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet. These were brought over to the TCG as Ancient and Future cards and gave us some fantastic abstract artwork but were relatively short-lived as a mechanic. The expansionSurging Sparkssaw the last trickle of cards with these mechanics before they were swiftly pushed aside for Trainer’s Pokemon.
Despite having two entire English sets themed around them in the Scarlet & Violet era, the Paradox Pokemon only got four cards maximum to their names. It’s likely many of these Pokemon will not get any cards for a long time, as it seems that Paradox Pokemon are a Scarlet & Violet-only category of Pokemon. Unless they are given a reason to return, Paradox Pokemon will quickly fade out of the series' relevancy.
Two Cards - Dracovish, Arctovish
Three Cards - Dracozolt
While the Fossil Pokemon are slowly falling out of trend as a category of Pokemon, Galar randomly brought them back with a new twist that has great inspiration behind it. The Fossils in this region are made up of a group of four that come from four individual fossils which you must combine two of to create one of the four Pokemon.
This is referencing old British archeologists who notoriously put the wrong fossil parts together to make dinosaur skeletons. In turn, the four Fossil Pokemon are some of the strangest and most wacky Pokemon we have ever gotten. While some love these goofballs, it’s completely understandable why they still have yet to make many appearances in card form.
1Kubfu, Spectrier And Glastrier
Only A Singular Card For Legendary Names
Galar was the first mainline Pokemon region to get paid DLC and with it came a couple of new Pokemon, including some powerful Legendaries. Some of the Pokemon introduced, however, were left behind very quickly and the TCG also gave them little to no love and that is no more clear than with Kubfu and the two Legendary steeds, Spectrier and Glastrier.
All of these Pokemon have, unfortunately, never received more than a single card. Kubfu gets treated as a Baby Pokemon as Urshifu has never needed it to be played, despite evolving from it in the games. Meanwhile, Spectrier and Glastrier do appear on more cards than one, but Calyrex takes the reins with its fusion, leaving these noble horses to freeze and fade away without their own spotlight.
