Gym Heroes (TCG)

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Gym Heroes (Japanese: Gym 1) is the name given to the sixth expansion of the Pokémon Trading Card Game. It was based on the first four Gym Leaders of Pokémon Red and Blue.

Set size:

  • 132 cards in America
  • 126 in Japan (96 available in booster packs and 30 fixed cards available in theme decks).
File:Gymheroessymbol.gif
The symbol for Gym Heroes is a white stadium.
File:Gym1symbol.gif
The symbol for Gym 1 is a Pokéball with the word "Gym" to the right of it.

Sequence

  • 6th set in America
  • 5th set in Japan

Release date

  • Fall 1998 - Japanese Expansion
  • 14th August 2000 - American Expansion

Miscellaneous

  • This set is known as Gym 1 in Japan. There is a significant difference between Gym Heroes in North America and Gym 1 in Japan, namely what cards were available in those sets. Gym 1 focused solely on the first four "Kanto" Gym leaders (Brock, Misty, Lt. Surge, and Erika). Because of this, there was a lack of Psychic Pokémon. Wizards of the Coast, when releasing the set in America, decided to mix in a few cards from Gym 2, just to mix some Psychic Pokémon into the set.
  • As the set symbol for Gym 1 and 2 in Japan was the same, the symbols were changed for the release of Gym Heroes and for the next set Gym Challenge, allowing players and collectors to distinguish between the two.
  • Another unpopular decision made by Wizards was the way the rarity was accounted for. Since there were a number of "fixed" cards in Gym 1 (cards only available in special preonstructed theme decks), Wizards decided to give a number of them a rare rarity. While most of the new rarities were appropriate, other cards (such as Misty's Tentacool, Misty's Goldeen and Brock's Zubat) were incredibly weak play-wise and weren't worthy of rare rarity. These "common rares" created quite a stir in the Pokémon TCG community. Although the logic behind it made sense (fixed cards are inherently rare), many fans disapproved of the action. By Gym Challenge, however, Wizards decided to base the rarity of fixed cards on their game play abilities over their "fixed rarity" properties.

Theme Decks

Card List

North America

Japan