Hobby Education: The Definitive Pokémon Cards of the 2010s

The final era before Pokémon cards went from niche hobby to global phenomenon, here are the cards that defined a glorious decade.

Hammergirl Anime, located in the Goodwill Jefferson Plaza on Jefferson Road in Henrietta also carries model kits for building Pokémon characters. | Tina MacIntyre-Yee/Democrat and Chronicle / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The state of the Pokémon TCG in the 2010s cannot even be compared to what the Hobby looks like today. It was a time when video games were the coolest thing you could play, but the card game might get you a few laughs if you brought it up.

Still, if you're among the group of people that followed the number one rule of the Hobby, which is to collect what you love, a lot of your cards from the last decade might be worth significantly more than their combined weight in gold.

Generations

2016 POKEMON XY GENERATIONS RADIANT COLLECTION #RC29 FULL ART/PIKACHU PSA 10 | CardLadder

Generations is a set that should be considered among the greatest of all time. It was widely available back in the day and such a fun rip that almost every pack felt rewarding. The card designs were superior to most at the time, and being a 20th Anniversary release, it definitely did the franchise justice.

Cards from both the Generations main set and Radiant Collection subset don't stand out in terms of monetary value compared to a lot of other releases, though they're definitely not cheap either. The appeal comes from the eye candy each card gives and the time period the set represents.

The most valuable cards from the Generations: Radiant Collection subset include the Flareon EX Full Art, Sylveon EX Full Art, and Pikachu Full Art as shown above.

Poncho

Poncho Pikachu cards are some of the highest-performing collectibles in Pokémon | Dicebreaker

Some love them, some hate them, but all of that just further boosts how big the Poncho cards are in the Pokémon TCG world. These limited-time releases, widely available across Japan, are now among the most valuable collectibles in the Hobby and instant centerpieces of any collection.

Sealed boxes that contain the Poncho Pikachu cards sell for upwards of $20,000 these days, while PSA 10s of the most desired variants easily break past that threshold as well. The Mario Pikachu
Pokémon Center Promo is still at the top of the list, with a current market value of just under $30,000.

Seismitoad EX

Seismitoad EX PSA 10 | CardLadder

There is no way a list about the definitive cards of the 2010s can be complete without THE card. Seismitoad EX will forever be remembered by players active in the mid-2010s as the single greatest obstacle in any tournament.

A deck revolving around Seismitoad EX was essentially a sure lock (no pun intended) for a deep run. The item lock from its first attack, Quaking Punch, shut down opponents before anything could even happen.

It didn't take long for Seismitoad to claim the biggest prize in the game as Patrick Martinez won the Seniors Division in the 2015 World Championships with this very card, while Seismitoad EX reached the Masters Division podium in successive years as well.

Forest of Giant Plants

Forest of Giant Plants Reverse Holo PSA 9 | CardLadder

The Stadium card that got banned for being too good, Forest of Giant Plants, is a legendary piece of tech in pretty much every meta Grass-type deck during the time, and was a key player in allowing the player who goes first to put their opponent in an item lock before they even get the chance to play.

Forest of Giant Plants did so much damage as a stadium card, and due to said item lock, it couldn't even be removed from the playing field once it was placed. Combined with Vileplume from Ancient Origins, Decidueye GX from Sun & Moon, and Lurantis GX also from Sun & Moon, Forest of Giant Plants determined entire matches from the very first turn.