Hi there. This Pokemon TCG post covers the latest and biggest reveal that involves Team Rocket. Team Rocket from the anime (Ash Ketchum era) is a major criminal organization that steals Pokemon for their own gain. Notable members from Team Rocket are the clumsy Trio of Jessie, James and Meowth and its boss Giovanni.
In this post I cover the trading card game accessories and a first look of Japan's The Glory of Team Rocket set.
These Team Rocket cards will be combined with Hot Wind Area (Cynthia's Garchomp, Ethan's Ho-Oh, etc) for the Destined Rivals international release in May 2025. This Destined Rivals release will be mega in my opinion. Scalpers and fighting for cards is on my fake bingo card.
Team Rocket Pokemon TCG Accessories
A Team Rocket suitcase is also revealed. You can look like a boss and hold your Pokemon TCG cards and items in the suitcase. I also get the feeling that non-players will try to buy this for cosplay reasons.
The Glory Of Team Rocket Cards From Japan, First Look
There has been a first reveal of the Team Rocket cards from Japan. From June 2024 there was a teaser of an upcoming Team Rocket set. Here it is. We take a look at the cards.
Team Rocket's Tarountula
Team Rocket's Tarontula is a 50 HP Basic Grass Pokemon with one retreat cost and Fire weakness. Its only attack requires one Grass energy to deal 30 damage plus 10 damage to itself. It is a good starting Basic Pokemon.
Team Rocket's Spidops
Team Rocket's Spidops is the evolved form of Team Rocket's Tarontula. It has 130 HP, two retreat cost, one attack and an ability.
The Charge Up ability allows you to attach a Basic Energy card from the discard pile to this Pokemon. This is good energy acceleration to itself.
Rocket Rush requires one Grass Energy and one Colourless Energy for its attack. It does 30 damage for each Team Rocket Pokemon in play on your side. The maximum theoretical damage you can do is 180 damage.
Team Rocket's Spidops seems like an okay single prize attacker that can exploit Grass weakness against N's Zoroark ex, Charizard ex and Roaring Moon ex.
Team Rocket's Meowth
Team Rocket's Meowth is a Basic Colorless 70 HP Pokemon with one retreat cost and two attacks. The first attack is a put 1 card back to the deck type of attack. It can be good if you trap a non attacking Pokemon.
The second attack from Meowth is Wild Scratch. Flip three coins and deal 20 damage for each Heads.
This Meowth has an illustration rare version.
Team Rocket's Persian ex
Here is Team Rocket's Persian ex. This is a Stage 1 Colourless Pokemon with 260 HP, two retreat cost and Fighting weakness. The first attack of Haughty Orders is a copycat style attack. Reveal the top 10 cards of your opponent's deck and choose 1 attack from a Pokemon you find there and use it as Team Rocket's Persian ex attack. The revealed cards shuffles back into opponent's deck. This random copycat attack can be useful if you have a suspicion that an opponent has a Pokemon attack worth copying.
The second attack deals 140 damage for 3 Colourless Energy plus it deals confusion. Confusion is pretty annoying.
This Persian ex can be used outside of the Team Rocket deck as it has Colourless Energy typing for its attacks.
Team Rocket's Porygon
Team's Rocket Porygon is a 60 HP Basic Pokemon with a discard hand attack. You discard 1 card and your opponent does as well for 1 colourless Energy.
Team Rocket's Porygon 2
The Porygon 2 from Team Rocket is kinda bad. Its the attack cost of 3 which makes it expensive. The damage does 20 for each Supporter in your discard pile with Team Rocket in its name.
Team Rocket's Porygon-Z
Team Rocket's Porygon Z is the final Stage 2 evolution of Team Rocket's Porygon. This has 140 HP, one retreat cost, an ability plus a cheaper attack compared to Porygon 2.
The Reconstitute ability is not the best draw engine. You may discard 2 cards from your hand to draw 1 card once during your turn. This is a minus 1 card disadvantage.
The Control R attack is like Porygon 2's attack. It costs two Colourless Energy to deal 20 damage for each Team Rocket Supporter card in your discard pile.
Team Rocket's Receiver
Team Rocket's Receiver is a powerful Item search card dedicated to finding any Supporter card with Rocket in its name. There are not many Item cards that search for Supporter cards. Only Pokegear comes to mind but it is a gamble where you search for a Supporter card from the top 7 cards of your deck.
Team Rocket's Ariana
This Team Rocket's Ariana Supporter card is a very powerful draw Supporter card. Normally you draw cards until 5 cards in your hand. If all of your Pokemon in play are Team Rocket's Pokemon then you can draw cards until 8 cards in hand.
In the early game this supporter card is good as you are likely to have all Team Rocket's Pokemon. For the later game (in theory) you may have non Team Rocket Pokemon as Support Pokemon or alternate attackers which makes Team Rocket's Ariana not so useful. The user has to be careful in keeping track of your own Pokemon in play.
Team Rocket's Archer
Archer is one of the Team Rocket Executives in the video game. He gets a powerful card.
This card can be only be played when one of your Team Rocket's Pokemon is Knocked Out during the opponent's previous turn. Once played each player shuffles their hand to their deck. Then you draw 5 cards and the opponent draws 3 cards.
This supporter is similar to Unfair Stamp the ACE SPEC and Marnie from a couple of years ago.
The hand disruption effect on Team Rocket's Archer is powerful but it is conditional on a knockout on 1 of your Team Rocket's Pokemon. Maybe 2 copies at most in a Team Rocket deck.
Team Rocket's Giovanni
Team Rocket's Giovanni is a very powerful Supporter card. It is very similar to Boss's Order but more similar to Prime Catcher. You switch your Active Rocket's Pokemon with 1 of your Benched Rocket's Pokemon. Once this is done then you can target and switch out 1 of your opponent's Benched Pokemon with their Active Pokemon. It is a Switch for Rocket Pokemon and a Boss's Orders in one card. This card is very powerful for targeting weak or at risk Pokemon.
 |  |  |
Team Rocket's Energy
Team Rocket's Energy is a very powerful Special Energy card. You can only attach this Special Energy card to a Team Rocket's Pokemon. Otherwise this card is discarded.
When attached to a Rocket's Pokemon it provides 2 of any combination of Psychic Energy and Dark Energy. It can be 2 Psychic Energy, 2 Dark Energy or 1 Dark Energy and 1 Psychic Energy.
Special Energy cards that provide 2 Energy is very powerful in the game as you are allowed 1 manual Energy attachment per turn.
Rocket's Mewtwo ex
Here is Rocket's Mewtwo ex. This is a big Basic Pokemon ex attacker with a whopping 280 HP, 3 retreat cost, Fighting resistance and Dark weakness. This 280 HP amount is massive for a Basic Pokemon. 280 HP is usually for evolved Pokemon ex but this is Rocket's Mewtwo. It has to be overpowered in some way.
The ability on it is a restrictive ability. Rocket's Mewtwo ex cannot attack unless you have 4 or more Rocket's Pokemon in play.
Its attack of Deletion Sphere requires 2 Psychic Energy and one Dark Energy to deal 160 base damage. You have the additional option of discarding 2 Energy from your Benched Pokemon to deal 60 more damage for each card discarded this way. The maximum damage you can do here is 280 damage (160 plus 60 x 2 = 160 + 120).
Rocket's Mewtwo ex with Teal Mask Ogerpon ex Combo??
I was thinking one possible combo with Rocket's Mewtwo ex is with Teal Mask Ogerpon ex. The Ogerpon can accelerate Grass Energy to itself and draw a card and provides Energy from the Bench for Team Rocket's Mewtwo ex's attack. In theory you have Rocket's Mewtwo ex in the Active Spot, 3 other Team Rocket Pokemon and 2 Teal Mask Ogerpon ex.
Xatu Engine
This Xatu from Paradox Rift provides Psychic energy acceleration plus draws 2 cards. Xatu is not too popular as it takes to setup for its setup.
Combo With Team Rocket's Spidops
The Team Rocket's Mewtwo ex with multiple Spidops on the Bench seems too good. The Spidops accelerates Basic Energy from the discard pile to itself which provides fuel for the Rocket Mewtwo ex.
Lillie's Clefairy ex Combo For Anti Dragon
As Rocket's Mewtwo ex is a Psychic Pokemon, Lillie's Clefairy ex allows Psychic Pokemon to hit Dragon Pokemon for weakness. Hit Dragapult ex and Raging Bolt ex for weakness.
For now the Team Rocket deck archetype looks to be pretty strong. In Japan the Team Rocket set releases in mid-April 2025. In North America and outside of Japan we will get to see how the new decks will fare. The non-Japan release is in Destined Rivals in late May 2025.