Alakazam's Archives: The Trainer Deck Files — The Pre-Base Set Decks With Red Backs

Before Base Set ever hit store shelves, Wizards of the Coast printed a secret batch of cards with red backs, non-holo holos, and a mission to teach America how to play. A nerdy-collector investigation into the Trainer Decks.

Welcome back to Alakazam's Archives, fellow print-run detectives. Every case file we've opened so far began after the Pokémon TCG went public. Tonight we crack one that started before anyone could buy a single pack — the two decks that taught the hobby's very first players how to battle.

The Mystery: Base Set Cards With Red Backs

Flip over an ordinary Base Set card and you see the familiar deep-blue back with the golden Pokéball. But somewhere out there circulates a shadow family of Base Set cards wearing a different uniform: red borders on the back, with bold text identifying them as Trainer Deck A or Trainer Deck B.

According to Bulbapedia's documentation of Original Series merchandise, these decks were released to early Pokémon Leagues to help promote the TCG — and they were never sold publicly. Trainer Deck A was Brock's Deck and Trainer Deck B was Misty's Deck, each themed around the Gym Leader's type specialty.

What's Inside the Red-Backed Decks

Per decklist records preserved by the PokéGym community, the cards themselves mirror Base Set exactly — same numbering (XX/102), same attacks, same HP. Only the backs tell them apart. But two famous cards hold a twist:

• The Machamp and Blastoise are NON-holo. In Base Set these are flagship holos; in the Trainer Decks they arrive in humble non-holo form.
• Deck B's lineup is pure Misty — Squirtle, Wartortle, Seel, Staryu, Starmie, and the non-holo Blastoise, backed by 27 Water Energy and a trainer suite of Computer Search, Trader, Switch, and Energy Removal.
• Switch is the only card shared by both decks — the rest of the two lists are entirely distinct.

Rarer Than 1st Edition? The Pop Report Says Yes

Because these decks were never retailed, production numbers were tiny — and the grading population reports make it vivid. Community-cited figures on Elite Fourum once showed the Trainer Deck B Blastoise at roughly a dozen-and-change graded copies against well over a thousand for the 1st Edition Base Blastoise. PSA even maintains a dedicated 1999 Pokémon Game Trainer Deck B set in its registry (just 13 required items — a completist's dream or nightmare).

As collectors on the boards note: they are significantly rarer than any commercially released set — which is why serious vintage hunters treat a red-backed card like a small miracle.

Spotting the Real Deal

• Check the back first. Red borders and bold "Trainer Deck A/B" text are the primary tells — no ordinary Base Set card has them.
• Mind the holo that isn't. A non-holo Base Set Machamp or Blastoise is instantly suspicious unless the back proves it's a Trainer Deck card.
• Don't confuse them with the Demo Game pack. Bulbapedia notes a separate pre-Base Set Demo Game booster (distributed to retailers, 24 Shadowless cards) — a different artifact from a different mission.

Archives rule of thumb: every Trainer Deck card in existence was somebody's first Pokémon lesson. They were printed to teach, not to collect — which is exactly why collectors now covet them. Check your vintage binders twice, and teleport out with treasure. ✨

Sources: Bulbapedia — Original TCG Series merchandise · Elite Fourum — Trainer Deck rarity discussion · PokéGym — Trainer Deck A & B contents

Disclaimer: All content provided is for informational and educational purposes only.