Owner’s Pokémon made their debut to the Pokémon Trading Card Game (TCG) in 2000 with the release of the Gym Heroes set. News of their imminent return in 2025, renamed Trainer’s Pokémon, has been warmly welcomed. This article seeks to offer an insight into these unique cards.
Contents
What are Owner’s Pokémon?
How to Spot Owner’s Pokémon Cards
Can Owner’s Pokémon Evolve?
Which Sets include Owner’s Pokémon?
The Most Popular Owner’s Pokémon
See Also: Complete List of Owner’s Pokémon Cards with Gallery
What are Owner’s Pokémon?
Owner’s Pokémon are a unique subcategory of trading cards within the Pokémon Trading Card Game (TCG). These cards feature specific Pokémon owned by well-known trainers from the Pokémon series, usually denoted with the trainer’s name in the card’s title. These cards reflect the bond between a trainer and their Pokémon, providing a personalised slant on traditional Pokémon cards.
Owner’s Pokémon made their debut in 2000 with the release of the Gym Heroes and Gym Challenge sets. These sets focused on the gym leaders from the first-generation games, Pokémon Red, Blue, and Yellow. Gym Heroes featured prominent gym leaders such as Brock, Misty, and Lt. Surge, while Gym Challenge introduced characters like Koga, Sabrina, and Blaine.
The closing ceremony of the 2024 Pokémon World Championship announced the return of these Pokémon in 2025, under the new name – Trainer’s Pokémon. The official announcement indicated 2025 releases of Lillie’s Clefairy ex, Marnie’s Grimsnarl ex, N’s Reshiram and N’s Zoroark ex.
News of the return of this fan-favourite mechanic has been popularly received by both players and collectors of the TCG.
How to Spot Owner’s Pokémon Cards
Owner’s Pokémon cards feature the name of the trainer in the card’s title, usually with the format “[Trainer’s Name]’s [Pokémon’s Name].” These cards are easily distinguishable from standard cards due to their design and unique abilities. Not only do they display the Pokémon’s artwork, but they also include an icon of their Trainer. The Blaine’s Charizard card (below) from the Gym Challenge set of 2000, includes an icon of Blaine in the bottom right corner of the card.
These special Pokémon often have special moves and abilities that reflect the characteristics of their respective trainers. For instance, gym leaders and other iconic trainers from the anime or game series often have a signature Pokémon with unique attributes, which makes these cards exciting for both collectors and competitive players.
Can Owner’s Pokémon Evolve?
Owner’s Pokémon can evolve, but only from Pokémon that are owned by the same Trainer. For example, the evolution line for Erika’s Venusaur would be: Erika’s Bulbasaur -> Erika’s Ivysaur -> Erika’s Venusaur.
Which Expansion Sets Include Owner’s Pokémon?
Gym Heroes 2000 – included Pokémon owned by Brock, Misty, Lt Surge, Erika, Sabrina, Blaine and Team Rocket
Gym Challenge 2000 – included Pokémon owned by Brock, Misty, Lt Surge, Erika, Koga, Sabrina, Blaine, Giovanni and Team Rocket
Team Magma vs Team Aqua 2004 – included Pokémon owned by Team Magma or Team Aqua
EX Team Rocket Returns 2004 – included Pokémon owned by Team Rocket
EX Deoxys 2005 – included a Rocket’s Raikou ex card
EX Unseen Forces 2005 – included a Rocket’s Persian ex card
EX Delta Species 2005 – included Pokémon owned by the Holon region
EX Holon Phantoms 2006 – included a Holon’s Castform card
XY Evolutions 2016 – included an Imakun?i’s Doduo card
Sun & Moon Promo Cards 2017 – included a series of Ash’s Pikachu
Sword & Shield Promo Cards 2020 – included a Lance’s Charizard V card
The Most Popular Owner’s Pokémon?
Among the Trainers and their Pokémon featured as Owner’s Pokémon cards, some have risen to iconic status due to their popularity, gameplay impact, or collectible value. Here are some of the most notable:
Blaine’s Charizard:
Blaine’s Charizard is one of the most well-known and beloved cards in the TCG, famous for its high-damage attacks and fiery design. Its popularity is due to Charizard’s fame in general, combined with the unique fire-themed abilities Blaine’s version brings. It is also one of the most valuable Owner’s Pokémon cards with a first edition Blaine’s Charizard 2/132 from Gym Challenge being worth around £1,000 / $1,000.
Sabrina’s Alakazam:
Known for its psychic-type prowess, Sabrina’s Alakazam has always been a favourite due to its powerful psychic attacks and sleek design. Its ability to manipulate damage counters in battle made it a staple in competitive play during its time.
Lt. Surge’s Raichu:
As a lightning-fast electric-type Pokémon, Raichu is a popular fan-faourite Pokémon. Lt Surge’s Pokémon card features a strong attack range and often featured in electric-themed decks.
Team Magma’s Groudon:
This legendary Pokémon from Team Magma has powerful stats and a unique place in the Team Aqua vs. Team Magma set. It’s a favourite for fans who enjoy playing with legendary Pokémon tied to specific trainers.
When introduced in 2000, Owner’s Pokémon brought a fresh and immersive dynamic to the Pokémon TCG by connecting beloved trainers with their signature Pokémon. This was further evolved when Teams began to own Pokémon from Team Aqua vs Team Magma onwards.
It is expected that the reintroduction of these Pokémon cards in 2025 will offer a new dimension to the modern game. It is also likely that some new Trainer’s Pokémon cards will become as sought after as Blaine’s Charizard and Sabrina’s Alakazam.
