Summary
- Jungle Theme Deck 'Water Blast' is a nostalgic classic built around Gen 1 Water and Fighting types, featuring Vaporeon.
- Team Rocket Theme Deck 'Trouble' is centered on Psychic and Grass types with a rare holo Dark Arbok card.
- Fossil Theme Deck 'LockDown' contains no Fossil Pokémon but focuses on Fire and Water types, featuring Lapras as the Rare Holo.
Since the launch of Pokemon TCG in 1999, a ton of expansion sets have been released, each building up to today. In every expansion, there have been theme decks, which are essentially pre-built starter decks so you don't have to bother with the hassle of deck construction. Of course, these decks aren’t as impressive as the ones you build yourself.
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Posts 2But have you ever wondered which theme decks are the most expensive and valuable among the countless ones out there? If the answer is yes, you're in the right place! Get ready to dive into the most sought-after decks in Pokemon history!
Decks are ordered according to their Market Prices on TCGplayer. Any decks without a Market Price are not included. These prices are subject to change at any time.
10 LockDown - $146.25
Fossil Theme Deck
Fossil is one of the oldest Pokemon TCG expansions and the third main set. As the name suggests, it introduced Fossil Pokemon like Aerodactyl, which—unlike regular Basic Pokémon—requires you to play a Mysterious Fossil Trainer card first.
Strangely enough, despite being part of this set (and even featuring Aerodactyl on the custom coin), the Lockdown deck doesn’t include any Fossil Pokemon at all. Instead, it’s built around Fire and Water types, with Lapras as its Rare Holo. Other heavy hitters include Magmar, Kingler, and Seadra. So, while fossils may be extinct in this deck, its strategy is very much alive!
9 Water Blast - $168.78
Jungle Theme Deck
Time for some nostalgia! Jungle theme decks are old-school classics and were actually part of the second main expansion after the Base Set. Water Blast is one of the decks from this set, built around Water and Fighting types. Its rare holo card? None other than Vaporeon!
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PostsAlong with that, you get damage counters and a custom green coin featuring Jungle's mascot, Vileplume—because why not? Some of the strongest Pokemon in this deck include Rhydon, Poliwhirl, and Persian, bringing that sweet Gen 1 power. If you're looking for a blast from the past, this deck has you covered!
8 Trouble - $178.76
Team Rocket Theme Deck
Prepare for trouble—make it double! Team Rocket wasn’t just a group of villains in the Pokemon anime; they practically became part of the family. When the show ended, some fans were heartbroken knowing they wouldn’t see Jessie, James, and Meowth again. This deck is a true throwback, released in 2000 and built around Psychic and Grass types.
Its rare holo? Dark Arbok. Plus, it includes two Dark Kadabra and a Trainer card, The Boss’s Way, featuring Giovanni himself. The Dark Pokémon in the Team Rocket set are known for high attack power but low HP—perfectly mirroring their trainers' reckless, all-or-nothing battle style!
7 Two-Player Starter Deck - $199.99
It may not have “Theme Deck” in its name, but the Two-Player Starter Deck still falls into that category. A relic from the Base Set era, this nostalgic deck is both old and expensive. As the name suggests, it was designed to teach two players the game—but if you’re expecting 120 cards, think again! This deck contains only 61 cards.
One player gets a Fighting-type deck, while the other uses a Fire-type deck, each with 30 cards. A Rare Holo Machamp is included, but technically, neither player is supposed to use it. However, if you don’t want to split the deck, you can swap out a card to make room for Machamp. Unlike most theme decks, this one doesn’t come with a custom coin—because who needs luck when you have nostalgia?
6 Hotfoot - $275.00
Neo Genesis Theme Deck
With the Neo Genesis set, second-generation Pokémon finally took the stage, and HotFoot was one of the two theme decks introduced. Built around Fire and Grass types, this deck features Jumpluff as its Rare Holo, alongside Ariados, Magmar, and Quilava. It also includes a metal Lugia coin, which instantly makes it cooler.
Speaking of cool, this deck’s Quilava has an attack called Char, which mentions the Char counter—a mechanic that later evolved into the Burned Condition. However, unlike Burn, Char counter wasn’t a Special Condition, meaning Pokemon kept taking damage on the Bench! That’s pretty wild by today’s standards.
5 Devastation - $277.19
Team Rocket Theme Deck
A Team Rocket-themed deck? Now we’re talking! This one is among the most valuable, packed with Gen One Pokemon and focused on Grass and Water types. The Rare Holo here is Dark Weezing, but that’s just the start—this deck is loaded with Dark Pokemon, including Dark Wartortle, Dark Vaporeon, and Dark Gloom.
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PostsIt also features Imposter Oak’s Revenge, a Trainer card starring a horrifying doppelganger of Professor Oak. And in true Team Rocket fashion, the deck’s name comes from Jessie and James’ infamous catchphrase: “To protect the world from devastation!” Now, if only it included a talking Meowth…
4 Blackout - $299.95
Base Theme Deck
How about a little time travel? If we go all the way back, we land on the Base Set—the bedrock of Pokemon TCG. Without it, none of the other expansions or sets would exist! One of the four theme decks in the Base Set, Blackout, revolves around Water and Fighting types. Its Rare Holo card is Hitmonchan, and it also features Farfetch’d, Wartortle, Onix, and Machoke.
The custom coin? A Chansey! Interestingly, some prints of this Hitmonchan mistakenly had 60 HP instead of 70 HP—rumored to be a side effect of the ongoing feud between Wizards of the Coast and Nintendo. Who knew a little HP error could hold so much drama?
3 Overgrown - $350.00
Base Theme Deck
Another Base Set theme deck? Say hello to Overgrowth! This one focuses on Water and Grass types and features the powerful Rare Holo Gyarados, which was quite the powerhouse for its time. It also includes Beedrill, Ivysaur, and Starmie. Like the Blackout deck, its custom coin features Chansey.
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PostsFun fact: The Gyarados card in this deck has an extremely rare Japanese version with an unknown print run. That version features an image of Gyarados from Pokemon Snap and is tied to the 1999 Pokemon Snap Best Photo Contest. While Overgrowth may not include the actual Snap Gyarados, it’s still a vintage and pricey deck!
2 Light - $406.00
Neo Destiny Theme Deck
The last piece of the Neo series from the second generation, Neo Destiny, has two theme decks: Dark and Light. The Light deck focuses on Water and Fighting types, with some Pokemon called Light Pokemon—Light Azumarill being the rare holo. It also includes Light Machoke, Light Dewgong, and Light Machamp.
These Pokemon are the polar opposite of the Dark ones, raised with care and love by their trainers. Because of this, Light Pokemon have higher HP and some even have supportive attacks. Especially the illustrations of Light Machoke and Light Machamp are super polite and cheerful, making them look like the good boys of the deck.
1 Dark - $474.99
Neo Destiny Theme Deck
One of the theme decks from the Neo Destiny expansion is Dark, and it's the most expensive item on this list. Unlike the Light deck from the same expansion, this one continues the Dark Pokemon theme introduced in the Team Rocket expansion. This deck revolves around Fire and Psychic types.
The rare holo card in this deck is Dark Typhlosion, with other Pokemon like Dark Magcargo, Dark Haunter, and Girafarig also making an appearance. It even includes some Unown cards, allowing you to use their abilities to gain intel on prize cards and your opponent's hand. It's like Pokemon espionage, but with more fire and psychic vibes!
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9.0/10 Franchise Pokemon Original Release Date October 20, 1996 Player Count 2 Age Recommendation 6+ Length per Game Variable Franchise Name Pokemon Publishing Co The Pokemon Company Expand Collapse
