Error cards

Error cards are cards in the TCG that have certain elements on the card that are incorrect. The errors on these cards vary from minor to major errors. Often there are only a very small amount of these cards available which make these cards sought after by collectors.

Original Series

Base Set

File:BS68Vulpix-HP50.png

Vulpix listed "HP ##" instead of "## HP".

• Blastoise: A few Base Set Blastoise were printed without the word "stage" in the "put Blastoise on the stage 1 Pokémon" text.
• Blastoise: A few Base Set Blastoise were printed with a red ink dot above Hydro Pump's Energy Cost.
• Gyarados: All Base Set Gyarados were printed with the "6/102" too far to the left.
• Imposter Professor Oak: A number of these cards read "Impostor" instead of "Imposter".
• Machamp: Some cards were printed with the Holofoil background in the Japanese Galaxy style (i.e. round stars instead of pointed.)
• Ninetales: A few Shadowless Ninetales lack the damage done for their attacks.
• Kakuna: This card has the word "length" repeated twice.
• Wartortle: A number of Wartortle have pictures of Wartortle in its evolution box or have a small type symbol next to the HP.
• Bulbasaur: This card has the word "length" repeated twice.
• Caterpie: A number of these cards have their HP listed as "HP ##" instead of "## HP".
• Diglett: A number of Diglett have their attack energy cost symbols rotated 90 degrees.
• Metapod: A number of Metapod cards have their HP listed as "HP ##" instead of "## HP".
• Pikachu: A number of Pikachu cards had a number of minor errors in their flavor text and image, such as the Pikachu having red cheeks. This Pikachu is the most commonly known misprint.
• Pikachu: A few copies of 1st edition Pikachu have a misprinted 1st Edition logo which is only partially printed with the "1st“ and the letter "d“ in "edition" missing.
• Sandshrew: A number of these cards have Sandshrew's attack say "this attack does nothing" while it's supposed to say "that attack does nothing".
• Switch: Some cards read "Switch 1 of your own Benched Pokemon" where the word 'own' is unnecessary.
• Voltorb: This card refers to Poké Balls as their Japanese counterparts the Monster Balls.
• Vulpix: A number of these cards have their HP listed as "HP 50" instead of "50 HP".
• Water Energy: A number of these cards have no space between the margin and the water symbol, along with "ENERGY".
• Select Base Set cards: Some Base Set cards had their Energy symbols not centered.

Jungle

• 1st Edition Electrode: Every 1st edition Jungle Electrode has the image of Base Set Electrode.
• 1st Edition Butterfree: Due to a bubble in the printing ink, a number of Butterfree Cards were written as "Edition d" instead of "Edition 1".
• Rapidash and Seaking: Seaking and Rapidash are Stage 1 Pokémon but the text tells the person playing the cards to "put XXX on the Stage 1 card". This error applies to both 1st and Normal Edition sets.
• Jolteon: Some Japanese Holofoil Jolteon cards do not have the hole punched out on the foil for the previous evolution art window.
• Select Jungle cards: In an early print run of the Jungle set, all 16 holofoil cards were printed without the Jungle Symbol.

Fossil

• 1st Edition and Unlimited Holofoil Zapdos : A number of Fossil Holofoil Zapdos cards have a space for the evolution box punched out of the Holofoil, even though Zapdos is a Basic Pokémon.
• Slowpoke: The card erroneously reads Miki Tanaka's name as "Miki Takana", even though the rest of the cards that she has illustrated credits her as "Miki Tanaka."
• Krabby: Some Krabby cards from the Fossil set have an incomplete Fossil set symbol, where the palm of the bony hand is missing a part.

Base Set 2

• Seaking: Card reads "Put Seaking on the Stage 1 card" when it should say "Put Seaking on the Basic Pokémon"

Team Rocket

Dark Golbat reads as "Pokémon.Apply"

• Holofoil Dark Arbok and Rare Dark Arbok (1st & Normal Edition): Dark Arbok was printed with the number three accidentally inserted into 2000, so it was written as "©1999-23000 Wizards".
• Holofoil Dark Dragonite (1st & Normal Edition): The attack cost symbols for Holofoil Dark Dragonite are not centered. Also, a number (around 5000 cards) of this card were accidentally printed as non-holofoil.
• Dark Golbat (holo and non-holo): The English Pokémon Power mentions "Apply Weakness and Resistance", while in the Master Rules Document, the Japanese Dark Golbat's Pokémon Power says "Don't apply Weakness and Resistance." There is also a lack of space between the words "Pokémon" and "Apply". (Reads "Pokémon.Apply")
• Non-Holofoil Dark Vileplume (1st & Normal Edition): Non-holofoil Dark Vileplume have a weakness to Fighting instead of Fire.
• Dark Rapidash: Dark Rapidash's stats lack the word "Length".
• Grimer: English Team Rocket's Grimer's Poison Gas attack puts Pokémon to sleep, although the Japanese version Poisons them.
• Dark Raichu (1st and Normal Edition): Dark Raichu's Evolution Box is colored light gray instead of dark gray. Additionally, the card reads "Put Raichu on the Basic Pokémon" instead of "Put Dark Raichu on the Basic Pokémon". This wording error was fixed for the Legendary Collection reprint.

Gym Heroes

• Rocket's Scyther: In the first attack there is incorrect extra text of "or is evolved)."

Gym Challenge

• Misty's Seel (1st and Normal Edition): All prints of this card have a transparency error; there should not be a white space around Seel's tail.
• Blaine's Charizard (1st and Normal Edition): Early prints of these cards have a Fighting-type symbol instead of the Fire-type symbol. Also, "energy" is misspelt with a small "e" instead of a capital "E".
• Blaine's Charizard : In late print runs of the Normal Edition the Fire-type symbol was corrected but the small "e" in energy remained.
• Giovanni's Pinsir (1st and Normal Edition): Pinsir's "Snapping Pincers" attack is supposed to do 20+ damage and not 10+ damage.
• Giovanni's Nidoran♀ : Nidoran♀ was misspelled as "Nidoran ♀".
• Giovanni's Nidoran♂ : Nidoran♂ was misspelled as "Nidoran ♂".
• Rocket's Minefield Gym (1st and Normal Edition): Early prints of this card do not mention how many damage counters are needed to put on a Pokémon.

Neo Series

Neo Genesis

Focus Band has a white bar below its picture, due to a presumed misalignment.

• Meganium (1st and Normal Edition): The Pokémon Power title text is black instead of red.
• Slowking and Typhlosion (1st and Normal Edition): These cards' damages are off the center.
• Horsea (1st and Normal Edition): One of the attack cost energy symbols for its attack is oddly off.
• Natu: Energy symbols for attack are moved to left margin
• Focus Band (1st and Normal Edition): The picture on the Focus Band has a white bar beneath it, apparently due to being improperly positioned during the card's design process.

Neo Discovery

• Holofoil Scizor and Rare Scizor (1st and Normal Edition): The attack's damage done is "20+" while it's supposed to be "20×".
• Umbreon (1st and Normal Edition): The Psychic symbol in Umbreon's resistance is bigger than normal.
• Kakuna (1st and Normal Edition): The copyright text of all other Neo Discovery cards is "©1995-2001", but for an unknown reason, this card's copyright is "©1995-2000".
• Unown O (1st and Normal Edition): The first sentence of its Pokémon Power reads "Once during you turn" instead of "Once during your turn".

Neo Revelation

• Delibird (1st and Normal Edition): The energy cost for Delibird's attack is off the center.
• Raichu (1st and Normal Edition): For an unexplained reason the "Put Raichu on the Basic Pokémon" text on the card is unnecessarily bold and italic.
• Zubat (1st and Normal Edition): Zubat's resistance lacks the "-30".

Neo Destiny

• Dark Croconaw: The card's Pokédex entry states that Croconaw has 49 teeth, but it only has 48.
• Dark Exeggutor: There is an unnecessary letter C in Exeggutor's name.
• Dark Haunter: Dark Haunter's "Call Back" attack's clause leaves out the word "opponent's".
• Light Flareon: The "b" in "benched" is not capitalized.
• Togepi: The "before applying Weakness and Resistance" text should be in italics.
• Unown C: Unown C's "Chase" Pokémon Power adds an unnecessary "Apply Weakness and Resistance" even though the attack does not inflict damage.
• Unown P: There is an extra space in the Basic Pokémon title on Unown P.
• Gligar: The energy symbols on Gligar are not in the correct position. Also, in the description beneath the picture the Pokemon Type is missing the "n" from Flyscorpion. This applies to both 1st and Normal Editions.
• Shining Tyranitar: The word "just" is spelled wrong. It is written as "hust".

Legendary Collection Series

Legendary Collection

• Reverse Holofoil Exeggcute: Normally on Reverse Holofoils, the Energy costs for attacks aren't reflective. On Exeggcute, they are.
• Holofoil Dark Raichu: Electricity on the tail is holofoil, which is inconsistent with the original Team Rocket illustration. This misprint causes the tail of Dark Raichu to look disembodied.

e-Card series

Expedition Base Set

• Alakazam: The "This power can't be used if..." text is italicized while it is not supposed to be.
• Dugtrio: Its Attack Energy Costs Symbols are larger than the standard size.
• Gengar: Gengar's Chaos Move Pokémon Power game text has a few spots where the text could go up a line.
• Charizard: This card tells the player to "Put Charizard on the Basic Pokémon".
• Totodile: When Cyndaquil's card is scanned with the e-Reader a "Cynda!" sound is added to the Melody Box. Totodile being scanned, however, adds "Wani!" rather than "Toto!". As Chikorita and Pikachu (two other cards which received this effect) have the same English and Japanese names, it is unknown if Totodile's was the error, or if Cyndaquil's is.
• Energy Removal 2 and Multi Technical Machine 01: When these cards are scanned with the e-Reader, the TM01 card names the card's move as "Paralyzing Stare" (on the card, it is "Paralyzing Gaze"), and the reader refers to "Energy Removal 2" as the ordinary "Energy Removal".
• Darkness Energy: The card text implies that it can add to damage done to benched Pokémon, which normally cannot be increased.

Aquapolis

• Crystal Nidoking: The Crystal Type Pokémon mentions Grass/Lightning/Fire energy, but the Crystal Nidoking's attacks only use Grass/Lightning/Fighting energy.
• Reverse Holofoil Lanturn: There's a Poké-Body icon on it for no specific reason at all.
• Magnemite: The text on this card is quite faded as opposed to other Metal Pokémon in the set.

• Ariados: In its Spider Force attack, it should say "Defending Pokémon", not "defending Pokémon". This error is not present in the non-holofoil version.
• Rare Holofoil Cards: For some reason, the bottommost cut out on the left side of the card is not holofoil.

Skyridge

• Nidoqueen: The period is misplaced at the left of the end of Nidoqueen's last attack. This applies to the Holofoil, Rare and Reverse Holofoil versions of the card.
• Persian: Under the "Surprise Slash" attack, it reads "You opponent". It should read "Your opponent".
• Nidoran♀: Nidoran♂ and Nidoran♀ were misspelled as "Nidoran ♂" and "Nidoran ♀", respectively.

EX Series

EX Ruby & Sapphire

• Slakoth: For some reason, the last "f" in the attack "Slack Off" isn't bolded.
• Lum Berry: EX Ruby & Sapphire prints of this card are missing the space between the comma and the word "if" in the first line of the description. This was corrected for the EX Emerald print.

EX Sandstorm

• Vigoroth: there is a grammatical error under its "Focus Energy" attack where it says "Vigoroth's Slash is attack".
• Marill: This card is supposed to have a Retreat Cost of 1 but a third to a half of these cards were printed with a Retreat Cost of 0. Alternate Holofoil versions of this card don't have this error.

EX Dragon

• Combusken: The card was printed as Stage 2 while it is supposed to be Stage 1. Only cards that were printed from EX Battle Stadium set have this error.
• Latias ex: In its holofoil, there's a circular space as if the evolution box was used to cover it up.
• Latios ex: In its holofoil, there's a circular space as if the evolution box was used to cover it up.
• Magnemite: The reverse holofoil version of this card has a white circle where the Resistance would be.

EX Team Magma vs Team Aqua

Some EX Team Magma vs Team Aqua cards have the Retreat Cost energy misaligned to the right.

• Team Aqua's Crawdaunt: The Retreat Cost energy is supposed to be centered under "Retreat Cost". It is misaligned to the right.
• Team Magma's Claydol: The Retreat Cost energy is supposed to be centered under "Retreat Cost". It is misaligned to the right.
• Team Magma's Torkoal: The Retreat Cost energy is supposed to be centered under "Retreat Cost". It is misaligned to the right.
• Team Aqua's Sharpedo: A few of these cards say "Evolves from Team Aqua's Spheal" instead of Carvanha.
• Team Magma's Camerupt: In the Poké-Power explanation the second Magma's was misspelled as "Mamga's".
• Team Magma's Baltoy: Under the "Psymist" attack, it reads "choose 1 of you opponent's". It should read "choose 1 of your opponent's".
• Team Magma Belt: The "T" in Pokémon Tool isn't capitalized.
• Absol: The end of the first sentence of Feint Attack, Pokémon is missing the accent over the “e“.

EX FireRed & LeafGreen

• Ditto: Under the "Energy Ball" attack, it reads "You can't add more then 20 damage in this way." It should read "more than".
• Nidoking: Nidoran♀ and Nidoran♂ were misspelled as "Nidoran ♀" and "Nidoran ♂", respectively.
• Nidoqueen: Nidoran♀ and Nidoran♂ were misspelled as "Nidoran ♀" and "Nidoran ♂", respectively.
• Hypno: The word Drowzee under the evolution box was written as "Drowsee".
• Drowzee: Drowzee was misspelled as "Drowsee".
• Nidoran♂: Nidoran♀ and Nidoran♂ were misspelled as "Nidoran ♀" and "Nidoran ♂", respectively.
• Gastly: The card is a common card, but it says it's an uncommon card.
• Magikarp: The card is a common card, but it says it's an uncommon card.

EX Deoxys

• Starmie: In the evolution box, the picture of Staryu is Ken Sugimori's stock art from Pokémon Red and Blue, used in earlier TCG cards, rather than the stock art from Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen, which had been used since the release of EX FireRed & LeafGreen for Generation I Pokémon like Staryu.

EX Legend Maker

• Lanturn: Under the "Water Gun" attack, it reads "You can't add more then 40 damage in this way." It should read "more than".

EX Crystal Guardians

• Select Crystal Guardians cards: Some of these cards have some of their attacks' descriptions spelled wrong.

Diamond & Pearl Series

Diamond & Pearl

Empoleon LV.X's icon is misprinted as Poké-Body instead of Poké-Power.

• Empoleon LV.X: In early print runs the Poké-Power was incorrectly stated as a Poké-Body. This was fixed for Tin Promos.

Mysterious Treasures

• Select Mysterious Treasures cards: A number of cards from this set have their yellow border off-balance.

Diamond & Pearl Trainer Kit

• Riolu (Trainer Kit 6): The total number of cards in the Trainer Kit set is misprinted as 61. The correct number of cards in the set is 11.

Secret Wonders

• Mew: Mew's stats lacks the second "s" in the word species.

Great Encounters

• Dialga: The illustrator is erroneously credited as Daisuke Ito, instead of Nakaoka.

Majestic Dawn

• Old Amber: The font of the "50" in the cards HP is incorrect. It is actually the font used for Trainer cards' titles, as well as other titles such as Pokémon and attack names, even though HP and attack costs use a different font.

Stormfront

• Mamoswine: The Pokédex number listed on the card is 474; however, Mamoswine's Pokédex number is 473.
• Gastly: The effect of the first attack was printed "you opponent" instead of "your opponent".

Platinum Series

Platinum

• Dialga #23: All Reverse Holofoil prints of the card are printed as Pokémon instead of the correct .
• Dialga G LV.X: Some prints of this card that were included in the Clash of Legends promotional box have misprinted Energy symbols for weakness and resistance; the background of Dialga's weakness was yellow, and the background of Dialga's resistance was light blue.

Rising Rivals

• Luxray GL LV.X: On some copies of this card, the copyright date is both 2008 and 2009, with the eight and nine overlapping.
• Nidoran♀: In extremely rare cases, the card's name was stated as "Espeon" Only 9 or 8 of these have been said to have released.

Supreme Victors

• Pachirisu #118: On this card, "EleSquirrel" is misformatted as "Elesquirrel".

HeartGold & SoulSilver Series

HeartGold & SoulSilver

• Ninetales: A promotional version of this card included in the Stage 1 Blisters was incorrectly printed with the Undaunted Set Symbol instead of the HeartGold & SoulSilver Symbol.
• Vulpix: A promotional version of this card included in the Stage 1 Blisters was incorrectly printed with the Undaunted Set Symbol instead of the HeartGold & SoulSilver Symbol.
• Lugia LEGEND: The word "It" is misspelled as "IIt" in the Pokédex entry.

Undaunted

• Some card backings on Undaunted cards are unusually lighter than others.

Triumphant

• Psyduck: The word "Flip" is misspelled as "Filp" in Tripping Headbutt.
• Weepinbell: The word "Flip" is misspelled as "Filp" in Corrode Target.

Call of Legends

• Phanpy: In some early prints, the name "Phanpy" was misspelled as "Phanphy" twice in the Ultra-Thick Skin Poké-Body.

Black & White Series

Black & White

• Zekrom: Some copies of this card were printed with a grey background instead of the usual black one.

McDonald's Collection

• Maractus: The Height is misprinted as 3'07" instead of the correct 3'03".

Next Destinies

• Zoroark: The graphic border near the HP is the graphic used for Stage 2 Pokémon, though Zoroark is a Stage 1. The error was eventually corrected in later print runs.

Dark Explorers

• Many cards in this set are miscut, as miscuts in this set exceed averages of other sets.

Dragons Exalted

• Hoppip: The Pokédex entry on this card is Skiploom's Pokémon Black and White Pokédex entry instead of Hoppip's. The error was eventually corrected in later print runs.

Dragon Vault

• Exp. Share: The card was printed without the Pokémon Tool rule.

Plasma Storm

• Charizard: Charizard's Scorching Fire attack displays the Energy cost as instead of the correct .

Plasma Blast

• Blastoise: A promotional print of this card included in the XY Two Pack Blisters erroneously lists the copyright as ©2012 even though the Plasma Blast expansion was released in 2013 and the XY Blisters in 2014.

BW Black Star Promos

• Altaria: The card erroneously credits HiRON as the illustrator instead of 5ban Graphics.

XY Series

XY Black Star Promos

• Krookodile-EX: The 1 of Megaton Fang's 130 damage is printed in the incorrect font.
• Xerneas: The illustrator is erroneously credited as Masakazu Fukuda instead of the correct Kouki Saitou.
• Kyogre-EX and Groudon-EX: The illustrator for both cards is erroneously credited as 5ban Graphics instead of Eske Yoshinob.

BREAKthrough

• M Mewtwo-EX: The Japanese Full Art print misspells Vanishing as Vanising in the card's artwork.
• Florges BREAK: Numerous cards were printed with the back printed upside down.

Kalos Starter Set

• Potion: The Spanish version lacks of both the set number and the rarity symbol.

Evolutions

• Devolution Spray: Numerous cards were erroneously printed with a heavy green ink on the yellow bottle.

POP Series

POP Series 5

• Mew δ: Numerous cards were printed with the back printed upside down.
• Pikachu: Numerous cards were printed with the back printed upside down.
• Zangoose δ: Kouki Saitou's name is misspelled as "Kouki Saito".

Other/Promotional cards

Wizards

Prerelease Raichu

• Prerelease Raichu: Arguably the rarest card printed by Wizards. Rumored to have been about 6 to 50 made, some of which were retrieved by Wizards themselves. These cards came about during the printing of prerelease Clefable from Jungle, when some Base Set Raichu cards were attached to the side of sheets of Clefable cards. Wizards staff denied their existence for years, but have since confessed to the card's existence.
• Pikachu: Due to a mistake by Wizards, a few Ivy Pikachu promo cards were printed with a 1st edition stamp. This is the rarest unique card in the 1st edition series; it is said to be found in only 1 of 10 Jungle booster boxes.
• Mewtwo: Promotional Mewtwo #3 was accidentally printed with the Pokémon the First Movie logo upside down in the lower left corner. So far only three have been found in this condition.
• Meowth: The HP is nudged too far over to the left, and the attack cost symbols are much smaller than the normal cost.
• Eevee: Promotional Eevee's Pokémon Power text lacks the accent mark (it's e instead of é).
• Dark Persian: A number of Dark Persian were printed without any HP.
• Team Rocket's Meowth: Team Rocket's Meowth category is listed as "Scratchcat" instead of "Scratch Cat".
• Marill: Its "Length" stat is listed as "Height" instead of "Length", its Water Gun attack is missing a Water energy symbol and its 20+ damage done is off the center.
• Scyther: Scyther's game text in the parentheses isn't in italics.
• Mew: Mew's attack: "Psyshock" inflicts confusion instead of paralysis.
• Celebi: The art is credited to "Hajime Kusajim," a misspelling of Hajime Kusajima.
• Slowking: Slowking's length is listed as 6' 8" instead of 6' 7".
• Promotional Hitmonchan: Hitmonchan's HP is written as 60 instead of 70.

Nintendo

• Ancient Mew: When it was first being printed in Japan, the copyright text was misspelled "Nintedo" instead of Nintendo.

DP Promos

• Carnivine G: Copies of this card read 80HP instead of HP80.
• Probopass G: Copies of this card read 90HP instead of HP90.
• 2008 and 2009 Burger King promotional cards: A fair amount of the cards, if not all, were printed with the content closer to the left. This is more easily seen in the 2009 promotion.