Base Set
BS · Base · Released January 9, 1999 · 102 official cards · 102 total
Base Set is a Pokémon TCG set in the Base series, released January 9, 1999. The checklist runs 102 numbered cards. A complete set is 102 cards. Counting every booster-pack printing — including reverse holos and pack foil patterns — a master set is 102 variants. Adding every non-pack printing makes a grand master set of 415.
This is where every checklist begins: the 102 cards of the 1999 Base Set, sixteen of them holos, headed by Mitsuhiro Arita’s Charizard 4/102 — the most famous trading card of the modern era — alongside Ken Sugimori’s Blastoise and the rest of the original lineup.
Base Set is also the purest test of what “master set” means, because the checklist barely changes while the printings multiply: 1st Edition, Shadowless, Unlimited, and the late 1999–2000 copyright run all count. The same Charizard exists across each of them, which is why a grand master chase here is measured in printings, not new artwork.
See also: Base Set 2 · Mitsuhiro Arita cards · Ken Sugimori cards
Complete set
102cards
Master set
102variants
Grand master set
415variants
Printed in both 1st Edition and Unlimited. Complete and master counts are per edition — the printings mirror each other. A grand master set spans both editions.
Binder visualizer
See the set, pocket by pocket.
Pick a finish line and binder format. Each printing gets its own pocket in master and grand master sets.
102 pockets · 12 pages
1 · 1
Holo Unlimited
2 · 2
Holo Unlimited
3 · 3
Holo Unlimited
4 · 4
Holo Unlimited
5 · 5
Holo Unlimited
6 · 6
Holo Unlimited
7 · 7
Holo Unlimited
8 · 8
Holo Unlimited
9 · 9
Holo Unlimited
1 · 1
Holo Unlimited
2 · 2
Holo Unlimited
3 · 3
Holo Unlimited
4 · 4
Holo Unlimited
5 · 5
Holo Unlimited
6 · 6
Holo Unlimited
7 · 7
Holo Unlimited
8 · 8
Holo Unlimited
9 · 9
Holo Unlimited
Ninth Pocket for iOS
Building Base Set?
Track every card and printing, and see exactly what is still missing with Ninth Pocket.
Card checklist
102 cardseach card lists its printings · + marks grand-master-only versions
58/102
Pikachu
Common
Unlimited · +Shadowless · +1999–2000 Copyright · +Jumbo · +Poketour 99 Unlimited · +Shadowless Red Cheek
70/102
Clefairy Doll
Rare
Shadowless · Unlimited · +1999–2000 Copyright
71/102
Computer Search
Rare
Shadowless · Unlimited · +1999–2000 Copyright
72/102
Devolution Spray
Rare
Shadowless · Unlimited · +1999–2000 Copyright
73/102
Impostor Professor Oak
Rare
Unlimited · +Shadowless · +1999–2000 Copyright
74/102
Item Finder
Rare
Shadowless · Unlimited · +1999–2000 Copyright
75/102
Lass
Rare
Unlimited · +Shadowless · +1999–2000 Copyright
76/102
Pokémon Breeder
Rare
Shadowless · Unlimited · +1999–2000 Copyright
77/102
Pokémon Trader
Rare
Shadowless · Unlimited · +1999–2000 Copyright
78/102
Scoop Up
Rare
Shadowless · Unlimited · +1999–2000 Copyright
79/102
Super Energy Removal
Rare
Unlimited · +Shadowless · +1999–2000 Copyright
80/102
Defender
Uncommon
Shadowless · Unlimited · +1999–2000 Copyright
81/102
Energy Retrieval
Uncommon
Unlimited · +Shadowless · +1999–2000 Copyright
82/102
Full Heal
Uncommon
Shadowless · Unlimited · +1999–2000 Copyright
83/102
Maintenance
Uncommon
Shadowless · Unlimited · +1999–2000 Copyright
84/102
PlusPower
Uncommon
Shadowless · Unlimited · +1999–2000 Copyright
85/102
Pokémon Center
Uncommon
Shadowless · Unlimited · +1999–2000 Copyright
86/102
Pokémon Flute
Uncommon
Unlimited · +Shadowless · +1999–2000 Copyright
87/102
Pokédex
Uncommon
Shadowless · Unlimited · +1999–2000 Copyright
88/102
Professor Oak
Uncommon
Unlimited · +Shadowless · +1999–2000 Copyright
89/102
Revive
Uncommon
Shadowless · Unlimited · +1999–2000 Copyright
90/102
Super Potion
Uncommon
Shadowless · Unlimited · +1999–2000 Copyright
91/102
Bill
Common
Unlimited · +Shadowless · +1999–2000 Copyright
92/102
Energy Removal
Common
Unlimited · +Shadowless · +1999–2000 Copyright
93/102
Gust of Wind
Common
Unlimited · +Shadowless · +1999–2000 Copyright
94/102
Potion
Common
Unlimited · +Shadowless · +1999–2000 Copyright
95/102
Switch
Common
Unlimited · +Shadowless · +1999–2000 Copyright
96/102
Double Colorless Energy
Uncommon
Unlimited · +Shadowless · +1999–2000 Copyright
97/102
Fighting Energy
Common
Unlimited · +Shadowless · +1999–2000 Copyright
98/102
Fire Energy
Common
Shadowless · Unlimited · +1999–2000 Copyright
99/102
Grass Energy
Common
Unlimited · +Shadowless · +1999–2000 Copyright
100/102
Lightning Energy
Common
Shadowless · Unlimited · +1999–2000 Copyright
101/102
Psychic Energy
Common
Unlimited · +Shadowless · +1999–2000 Copyright
102/102
Water Energy
Common
Shadowless · Unlimited · +1999–2000 Copyright
Frequently asked questions
How many cards are in Base Set?
Base Set has 102 cards in its numbered checklist.
How many cards are in a Base Set master set?
A Base Set master set is 102 variants — every printing pullable from the set's booster packs, including reverse holos and alternate pack foils. A complete set (one of each card) is 102 cards, and a grand master set — every pack and non-pack printing across all editions, plus attached promos — is 415 variants.
Does Base Set have 1st Edition cards?
Yes. Base Set was printed in both 1st Edition and Unlimited, and the printings mirror each other card for card. Complete and master counts here are per edition; a grand master set spans both.
What are Shadowless Base Set cards?
Shadowless cards come from an early 1999 print run that lacks the drop shadow to the right of the art frame. They were printed after 1st Edition and before the corrected Unlimited run. Our checklist counts Shadowless, Unlimited, and 1999–2000 copyright printings toward the grand master set.
Who illustrated the Base Set Charizard?
Mitsuhiro Arita illustrated Charizard 4/102, along with Base Set Pikachu, Venusaur, and Gyarados. Ken Sugimori illustrated Blastoise, Mewtwo, Alakazam, and the classic trainer cards like Professor Oak.