EX Team Rocket Returns (TCG)

EX Team Rocket Returns ロケット団の逆襲

Cards in set English: 111 Japanese: 85 Set number English: 22 Japanese: 25 Release date English: November 8, 2004 Japanese: October 15, 2004 Theme Decks Jessie () James () Previous Deoxys of the Torn Sky Japanese: Team Rocket Strikes Back Next Golden Sky, Silvery Ocean

EX Team Rocket Returns (Japanese: ロケット団の逆襲 Team Rocket Strikes Back) is the name given to an Expansion of cards and Theme Decks for the Pokémon Trading Card Game. As with the prior set, EX FireRed & LeafGreen, the TCG took a step back to the first generation and focused on the villainous Team Rocket and Pokémon they had corrupted, much like had been done several years before.

Information

• The English set was released before Breaking Blue Sky (Breaking Blue Sky was before Team Rocket Strikes Back in Japan), as Nintendo wanted EX Deoxys's release to coincide with the release of the movie Destiny Deoxys. This threw the English sets out of sequence with the Japanese sets and caused a difference in the set number gap between the two languages. Because of this, the English set was less than a month behind the release of the Japanese set, which was (at the time) a record release.
• Similar to cards belonging to Team Magma and Team Aqua in EX Team Magma vs Team Aqua, the card layout was visually enhanced for Pokémon belonging to Team Rocket: -
  • Team Rocket Pokémon have a character window with an "explosion" effect.
  • The Pokémon type symbol in the top right corner of the card includes a similar graphic addition.
  • Team Rocket Pokémon display the Team Rocket "R" insignia at the bottom right of the attack box.
• This was the first set to feature "owners'" Pokémon-ex. All of them belonged to Team Rocket, and they were all Darkness-types.
• In Japan, Deck Kits once again accompanied this set. They contained a lot of cards that were missing from the main set, and were added when the English version was produced.
• It was originally thought Team Rocket Strikes back would be given the prefix "ADV EX 2" in Japan, but the ADV prefix was rejected in the previous set.
• Rocket's Raikou ex was not included in the main set. It appeared in Japan first as a Battle Road Promotional card and later as an insert with a Team Rocket Strikes Back Special Edition set (which included one Deck Kit and two Booster Packs). The English version featured as the secret box-topper for EX Deoxys.
• This was the first set to feature Pokémon . Similar in most respects to Shining Pokémon of the previous generation of cards, these cards feature the alternate color version of the Pokémon they portray. The symbol is used to represent the star flash that appears when a shining Pokémon is encountered in the games; the rarity of the cards also reflect the rarity of these Pokémon. Card graphic differences include: -
  • Sections of the Pokémon artwork are outside of the character window, with the head or limbs overlapping the window border.
  • The card type color and character window have a slight yellow tinge.
  • The rarity symbol is gold foil.
• The reverse-holographic design uses the same energy symbol foil pattern as in EX FireRed & LeafGreen.
• For the first time, the reverse-holographics feature the set logo in the bottom right corner of the character window. Also, the reverse-holographic versions of the holographic rares have gold foil name text, as well as the foil rarity symbol. These features were added to avoid confusion with the holographic rares. Every set since has followed this tradition.
• The secret box topper for this set is Charmeleon. A secret Trainer card, Team Rocket Strikes Back, appeared randomly in booster packs.
• The Prerelease card for this set is Dark Houndoom. Prereleases were held on the weekends of 30th/31st October and 6th/7th November 2004.
• All Dark Pokémon released in this set were previously released as Dark Pokémon in Team Rocket and Neo Destiny with the exception of Marowak, Steelix, and Sandslash.
• This expansion features cards for both Dark Arbok and Dark Weezing, which were also featured in the original Team Rocket expansion. These cards are also used in the Jessie and James theme decks, respectively, though by the time this set was released, the duo had already released their signature Pokémon in the anime.

Theme decks

English Theme Decks

• Jessie
• James

Japanese Half Decks

• Black
• Silver

Card lists

English expansion No. Card Name Type Rarity 1 Azumarill 2 Dark Ampharos 3 Dark Crobat 4 Dark Electrode 5 Dark Houndoom 6 Dark Hypno 7 Dark Marowak 8 Dark Octillery 9 Dark Slowking 10 Dark Steelix 11 Jumpluff 12 Kingdra 13 Piloswine 14 Togetic 15 Dark Dragonite 16 Dark Muk 17 Dark Raticate 18 Dark Sandslash 19 Dark Tyranitar 20 Dark Tyranitar 21 Delibird 22 Furret 23 Ledian 24 Magby 25 Misdreavus 26 Quagsire 27 Qwilfish 28 Yanma 29 Dark Arbok 30 Dark Ariados 31 Dark Dragonair 32 Dark Dragonair 33 Dark Flaaffy 34 Dark Golbat 35 Dark Golduck 36 Dark Gyarados 37 Dark Houndoom 38 Dark Magcargo 39 Dark Magneton 40 Dark Pupitar 41 Dark Pupitar 42 Dark Weezing 43 Heracross 44 Magmar 45 Mantine 46 Rocket's Meowth 47 Rocket's Wobbuffet 48 Seadra 49 Skiploom 50 Togepi 51 Cubone 52 Dratini 53 Dratini 54 Drowzee 55 Ekans 56 Grimer 57 Hoppip 58 Horsea 59 Houndour 60 Houndour 61 Koffing 62 Larvitar 63 Larvitar 64 Ledyba 65 Magikarp 66 Magnemite 67 Mareep 68 Marill 69 Onix 70 Psyduck 71 Rattata 72 Rattata 73 Remoraid 74 Sandshrew 75 Sentret 76 Slowpoke 77 Slugma 78 Spinarak 79 Swinub 80 Voltorb 81 Wooper 82 Zubat 83 Copycat T 84 Pokémon Retriever T 85 Pow! Hand Extension T 86 Rocket's Admin. T 87 Rocket's Hideout T 88 Rocket's Mission T 89 Rocket's Poké Ball T 90 Rocket's Tricky Gym T 91 Surprise! Time Machine T 92 Swoop! Teleporter T 93 Venture Bomb T 94 Dark Metal Energy E 95 R Energy E 96 Rocket's Articuno ex 97 Rocket's Entei ex 98 Rocket's Hitmonchan ex 99 Rocket's Mewtwo ex 100 Rocket's Moltres ex 101 Rocket's Scizor ex 102 Rocket's Scyther ex 103 Rocket's Sneasel ex 104 Rocket's Snorlax ex 105 Rocket's Suicune ex 106 Rocket's Zapdos ex 107 Mudkip 108 Torchic 109 Treecko 110 Charmeleon 111 Here Comes Team Rocket! T

Japanese expansion No. Card Name Type Rarity 1 Ekans 2 Zubat 3 Grimer 4 Koffing 5 Ledyba 6 Ledian 7 Hoppip 8 Skiploom 9 Jumpluff 10 Yanma 11 Treecko 12 Dark Arbok 13 Dark Golbat 14 Dark Muk 15 Dark Weezing 16 Dark Crobat 17 Magmar 18 Houndour 19 Magby 20 Torchic 21 Dark Houndoom 22 Horsea 23 Seadra 24 Marill 25 Azumarill 26 Wooper 27 Quagsire 28 Qwilfish 29 Remoraid 30 Delibird 31 Mantine 32 Kingdra 33 Mudkip 34 Dark Octillery 35 Voltorb 36 Mareep 37 Dark Electrode 38 Dark Flaaffy 39 Dark Ampharos 40 Slowpoke 41 Drowzee 42 Misdreavus 43 Dark Hypno 44 Dark Slowking 45 Sandshrew 46 Onix 47 Cubone 48 Heracross 49 Swinub 50 Piloswine 51 Dark Sandslash 52 Dark Marowak 53 Rattata 54 Sentret 55 Furret 56 Togepi 57 Togetic 58 Dark Raticate 59 Rocket's Meowth 60 Rocket's Hitmonchan ex 61 Rocket's Scyther ex 62 Rocket's Snorlax ex 63 Rocket's Zapdos ex 64 Rocket's Mewtwo ex 65 Rocket's Wobbuffet 66 Rocket's Scizor ex 67 Rocket's Sneasel ex 68 Rocket's Entei ex 69 Rocket's Suicune ex 70 Dark Tyranitar 71 Rocket's Celebi 72 Dark Steelix 73 Pow! Hand Extension T 74 Swoop! Teleporter T 75 Surprise! Time Machine T 76 Venture Bomb T 77 Pokémon Retriever T 78 Copycat T 79 Rocket's Admin. T 80 Rocket's Mission T 81 Rocket's Hideout T 82 Rocket's Tricky Gym T 83 R Energy E 84 Dark Metal Energy E 85 Here Comes Team Rocket! T