Δ Delta Species (TCG): Difference between revisions

The title of this article is incorrect due to technical limitations. The correct title is δ Delta Species.

δ Delta Species (Japanese: δ-デルタ種 δ-Delta Species) are a special kind of Pokémon found in the TCG. The term is often shortened to δ, DS, or Delta. Their first appearance was in the EX Delta Species Expansion, and their last was in EX Dragon Frontiers.

According to the Expansion backstory, Pokémon become δ Delta Species upon exposure to electromagnetic waves, which were produced by scientists in Holon attempting to locate Mew. Why the scientists chose to use Greek letter δ is debated. While it appears to come from the scientific use to denote a change, the uppercase Δ would have been more appropriate, as it determines a major change. Another common theory is that Delta is the fourth letter of the Greek alphabet, and δ Delta Species are the fourth sort of Pokémon after normal Pokémon, Pokémon ex, Pokémon Star, and Dark Pokémon in the EX series. Another possibility is that Delta Species has the same initials as the, then new, Nintendo DS.

δ Delta Species are different than normal Pokémon, as their type is not what they would be expected to be. For example, Rayquaza δ becomes a Lightning/Metal type, as opposed to a Colorless type. Dual type Pokémon δ always have Metal as their secondary type, and it is nearly always fully evolved Pokémon or Legendary Pokémon that display this. However, with the release of EX Dragon Frontiers, no Pokémon δ displayed this Metal dual type, leading some to believe that these Pokémon became δ Delta Species naturally or the trait was outbred on the island habitats in which they live.

In EX Delta Species, if a δ Delta Species had one of its types changed to something other than Metal, it was always either to Fire or Lightning. This is most likely because in the TCG, Fire and Lightning Pokémon always have the same Weakness, to Water and Fighting Pokémon respectively, so by using δ Delta Species, a player could attack with Fire and Lighting type cards without having to worry about that Weakness. However, this does not hold true for δ Delta Species cards released in subsequent Expansions.

In terms of card design, δ Delta Species have a coil design going around their image border, and the evobox circle becomes a large letter δ; Basic Pokémon have an empty letter δ.

The designation of δ Delta Species does not affect the name of a Pokémon, e.g. a normal Dragonite can evolve from a Dragonair δ and visa versa. If a card wishes to reference δ Delta Species, it uses the text "Pokémon that has δ on its card."

List of Sets that contain δ Delta Species

• EX Delta Species
• EX Legend Maker
• EX Holon Phantoms
• EX Crystal Guardians
• EX Dragon Frontiers
• POP Series 4
• POP Series 5
• "PCG-P" Promotional Cards

Regular δ Delta Species

Grass	Fire	Water	Lightning	Psychic	Fighting	Darkness	Metal	Colorless
Snorlax	Mankey	Oddish	Charmander	Gloom	Shellder	Charizard	Pichu	Seel
Dratini	Primeape	Bellosom	Charmeleon	Vulpix	Cloyster	Nidoran ♂	Pikachu	Dewgong
Dragonair	Horsea	Mew	Pidgey	Ninetales	Exeggcute	Nidorino	Raichu	Mareep
Dragonite ex	Seadra	Togepi	Pidgeoto	Omanyte	Exeggutor	Nidoking	Nidoran ♀	Flaffy
Wooper	Smoochum	Togetic	Fearow	Omastar	Horsea	Meowth	Nidorina	Amaphros
Quagsire	Jynx	Swablu	Psyduck	Cyndaquil	Seadra	Natu	Nidoqueen	Deoxys [Normal]
Trapinch	Gyarados	Altaria ex	Golduck	Quilava	Kingdra ex	Xatu	Magikarp
Vibrava	Aerodactyl	Bagon	Kabuto	Typhlosion	Elekid	Lileep	Eevee
	Mew	Shelgon	Kabutops	Smeargle	Electabuzz	Deoxys [Attack]	Lediba
	Heracross	Salamence ex	Dratini	Treeko	Pinsir		Ledian
	Larvitar	Latios	Dragonair	Grovyle	Chikorita		Zangoose
	Pupitar	Latios ex	Mewtwo	Sceptile ex	Bayleef		Aniorth
	Ludicolo		Totodile	Trapinch	Maganium		Chimecho
	Tailow		Croconaw	Vibrava	Caravana		Deoxys [Defence]
	Swellow		Feraligatr	Flygon ex	Sharpedo
	Ralts		Gligar		Cacturne
	Kirlia		Mantine
	Gardevoir ex		Larvitar
	Feebas		Pupitar
	Milotic		Tyranitar ex
	Bagon		Pelipper
	Shelgon		Beldum
	Latias		Metang
	Latias ex		Rayquaza ex
	Rayquaza		Deoxys [Speed]

Dual δ Delta Species

Grass & Metal	Fire & Metal	Water & Metal	Metal & Lightning	Metal & Psychic	Metal & Fighting	Metal & Darkness
Beedrill	Kingler	Starmie	Charizard	Vielplume	Blastoise	Meowth
Crobat	Flareon	Vaporeon	Pidgeot	Espeon	Sandslash	Persian
Flygon	Mewtwo	Azumarill	Gyarados	Gardevoir	Marowak	Umbreon
	Salamence	Rayquaza	Jolteon		Armaldo	Mightyena
			Dragonite			Cradily
			Metagross
			Latias
			Latios
			Rayquaza