Set Overview
Team Rocket’s Strikes Back, released October 15, 2004, was the third PCG set. Its 85 cards are drawn on by the English EX Team Rocket Returns.
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Japanese Name | ロケット団の逆襲 (Roketto-dan no Gyakushū) |
| Release Date | October 15, 2004 |
| Total Cards | 85 cards |
| Publisher | The Pokémon Company |
| Card Types | 72 Pokémon · 13 Trainer |
| Holo Rares | 28 |
| Theme | Team Rocket |
About the Set
Team Rocket runs through the whole set: 16 cards are Rocket’s Pokémon and 18 more are Dark Pokémon, together well over a third of the set. Nine of the Rocket’s cards are Pokémon-ex, and three Gold Star cards — Treecko ★, Torchic ★ and Mudkip ★ — sit above them.
The English counterpart is EX Team Rocket Returns, released November 8, 2004 with 111 cards.
How These Cards Are Numbered
Cards in this set print a collector number at the bottom right in the form 001/085 — the card’s position followed by the set total. This is the same scheme English sets use, and it is what separates these sets from the pre-2001 Japanese sets, whose bottom-right number is the Pokédex number of the Pokémon rather than a collector number.
What the gallery shows: each tile is numbered by its collector number, exactly as the card prints it. Open a card and the lightbox gives the full No. 001/085 form.
Rarity is a small symbol printed next to the number: a circle for common, a diamond for uncommon and a star for rare. Cards numbered above 085 are secret rares, printed past the set total.
Complete Card Gallery
All 85 cards from Team Rocket’s Strikes Back, in set order. Click any card to view it full size — use the arrow keys (or swipe) to move through the set.
Other Japanese Sets
English readers may also want the EX Team Rocket Returns set guide, and the Japanese to English set map for how the two release schedules line up.
| Set | Japanese Name | Released | Cards |
|---|---|---|---|
| Expansion Pack | 拡張パック | October 20, 1996 | 102 cards |
| Pokémon Jungle | ポケモンジャングル | March 5, 1997 | 48 cards |
| Mystery of the Fossils | 化石の秘密 | June 21, 1997 | 48 cards |
| Rocket Gang | ロケット団 | November 21, 1997 | 65 cards |
| Leaders’ Stadium | リーダーズスタジアム | October 24, 1998 | 96 cards |
| Challenge from the Darkness | 闇からの挑戦 | June 25, 1999 | 98 cards |
| Gold, Silver, to a New World... | 金、銀、新世界へ... | February 4, 2000 | 96 cards |
| Crossing the Ruins... | 遺跡をこえて... | July 7, 2000 | 56 cards |
| Awakening Legends | めざめる伝説 | November 23, 2000 | 57 cards |
| Darkness, and to Light... | 闇、そして光へ... | April 20, 2001 | 113 cards |
| Base Expansion Pack | 基本拡張パック | December 1, 2001 | 128 cards |
| The Town on No Map | 地図にない町 | March 8, 2002 | 92 cards |
| Wind from the Sea | 海からの風 | May 24, 2002 | 90 cards |
| Split Earth | 裂けた大地 | August 23, 2002 | 91 cards |
| Mysterious Mountains | 神秘なる山 | October 4, 2002 | 91 cards |
| Flight of Legends | 伝説の飛翔 | April 8, 2004 | 82 cards |
| Clash of the Blue Sky | 蒼空の激突 | July 1, 2004 | 82 cards |
| Golden Sky, Silvery Ocean | 金の空、銀の海 | April 8, 2005 | 106 cards |
Collecting & Where to Buy
The three Hoenn starter Gold Stars lead the set. Rocket’s Mewtwo ex is the strongest of the Pokémon-ex, followed by Rocket’s Entei ex and Rocket’s Suicune ex.
Collector tip: Dark Pokémon and Rocket’s Pokémon are two different card lines in this set, not one. A Dark card carries no owner in its name; a Rocket’s card does.
Note: external links are provided for reference only. Always confirm a card’s printing, condition and authenticity before purchasing.