Highlights
- Pokemon TCG sets like Generations and Evolutions offer a mix of legacy options and reprints, making them worth picking up for strong cards and beautiful art.
- The Break mechanic introduced in Breakthrough allows for fine-tuning strategies by adding evolution qualities to existing cards, while standard cards like Remoraid and Octillery also have a place in competitive play.
- Steam Siege and Roaring Skies are standout sets in the XY era, with powerful Break cards, EX cards, and standard cards that keep opponents on their toes, such as Yveltal and Shaymin EX.
For each and every mainline Pokemon game that sees the light, a corresponding era is formed in the Pokemon TCG – this isn't just a way to capitalize on the inherent popularity of each game, but a solid method of structuring competitive seasons without making arbitrary cutoffs.
The era of Pokemon XY introduced many new card concepts, with Mega EX and Break cards becoming highly sought after by both collectors and competitors. The latter half of the era also saw the TCG's 20th anniversary, so quite a few great reprints were able to return to the Expanded arena with new life– the very best sets of the XY collection are worth picking up if you're looking for strong cards and beautiful art.
9 Generations
Generations was created to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Pokemon TCG, containing a myriad of Pokemon from the very first era. Though it isn't really that rare to see older Pokemon in modern sets, Generations manages to offer a ton of legacy options that hold their own in Expanded and Unlimited.
Jolteon is a particular standout that is actually used in top non-standard decks, able to completely negate damage from basic Pokemon for a turn. Additionally, any set containing a Charizard chase is going to be a collector's dream.
8 Breakthrough
Breakthrough's big addition to the XY era is the Break mechanic, a new evolution type that can be used from any previous stage. This evolution's qualities don't supersede the attacks and abilities of the card that it covers, instead adding top of them to create an even more powerful card. When used correctly, the Break mechanic can be applied to fine-tune a particular strategy.
Though the Break cards are quite powerful, the modern Expanded and Unlimited metas are far more interested in the standard cards that come with this set; Remoraid and Octillery, for example, have a place in the high-ranking Vespiquen decktype.
7 Phantom Forces
Phantom Forces is the obligatory Psychic type set of the XY era, harboring a plethora of supernatural Pokemon such as the ever-popular Gengar. This set may take its name from its Psychic Pokemon, but don't let that stop you from taking advantage of all the other types that take up residence within.
One great group of cards that has an application in top-level play is the team of Joltik, Pumpkaboo, and Lampent, which takes advantage of the Night March attack shared between them to do a huge amount of damage and discourage wanton attacks. The Aegislash EX found in this set is also useful in the popular Wailord Stall, possessing a defense ability that straight-up ignores damage from Pokemon with special energy.
6 Evolutions
Aren't "Evolutions" present in every Pokemon set? Regardless, Evolutions is another nice blast to the past that features reprints from the very first set of the Pokemon TCG. SImilar to Generations, this set was released as a way of celebrating the card game's 20th anniversary.
Evolutions does a wonderful job of honoring cards of the past, as its lineup occupies space in a number of prominent strategies like Greninja, Vespiquen, and Mega Rayquaza. Even if you aren't interested in the strategic benefits of this set, the reprint art is just too cool to pass up.
5 Steam Siege
Steam Siege is another member of the Break series of sets, and like its siblings, it contains an incredibly well-balanced group of standard, EX, and Break cards that thrive in Expanded and Unlimited. The Break cards are pretty fantastic as expected, but the available EX and standard cards manage to be just as good at keeping an opponent on their toes.
Yveltal in particular is a card of great value, as it plays a role in two of the XY league's top strategies. More impressively, Volcanion is the center of its own decktype, being one of the most powerful Pokemon of the entire XY era.
4 Fates Collide
Though Fates Collide is technically part of the Break series of sets, its offerings for the mechanic are merely passable in comparison to others in the line. Where Fates Collide really shines is in its standard supportive Pokemon, which have their presence felt across the board in the competitive scene.
Mew is a natural key player, able to take the moves of any Pokemon on the field for itself while also allowing you to search for any Pokemon that you need. The Mega Audino decktype also sprouts from this set, taking advantage of Audino's ability to damage benched Pokemon in full force.
3 Ancient Origins
Ancient Origins is an XY set that focuses on Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire's Primal Kyogre and Groudon. Though these two Pokemon are certainly the most famous ones to get cards in this expansion, the real MVP of Ancient Origins is the mythical Hoopa EX; the card has a heavy presence across the competitive scene thanks to its ability to search for three Pokemon in a single turn.
Other stand-outs include Giratina EX and Vespiquen, which both have a place as the core cards in their respective decktypes. Even Unown has its use cases in Expanded, serving as a pretty simple draw card.
2 Roaring Skies
In the same way Phantom Forces fills the role of XY's token Psychic set, Roaring Skies puts its eggs in securely the Dragon and Colorless type baskets. This set manages to amaze in the competitive arena with its solid cast of returning Pokemon, namely Mega Rayquaza and Hydreigon EX.
But the crown jewel of Roaring Skies isn't Dragon type, but colorless: Shaymin EX is easily the most used card to come out of the XY era, likely due to its ability to keep your hand full just by coming out onto the field. This set would get top billing just for Shaymin, but all the other fantastic cards in its lineup take it to another level.
1 Breakpoint
Among all the sets in the XY era, Breakpoint proves itself to be the most consistently used across the original meta– its Break cards are the mere icing on the cake, as it offers a slew battle-defining Pokemon like Greninja, Darkrai, and Phantump.
Greninja is the real star of Breakpoint, being the centerpiece of the most common decktype in XY's competitive scene– this is thanks to Greninja Break, which can put damage counters onto any of your opponent's Pokemon for the cost of just one energy. Breakpoint is simply the very best XY has to offer, and is the best place to start collecting if trying to "break" into the era.