{"id":461231,"date":"2025-05-26T15:05:24","date_gmt":"2025-05-26T07:05:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/snkrdunk.com\/en\/magazine\/?p=461231"},"modified":"2025-05-26T17:57:32","modified_gmt":"2025-05-26T09:57:32","slug":"rocket-gang-vs-rocket-gang-strikes-back-vs-the-glory-of-team-rocket-sv10-classic-vs-modern-team-rocket-sets","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/snkrdunk.com\/en\/magazine\/2025\/05\/26\/rocket-gang-vs-rocket-gang-strikes-back-vs-the-glory-of-team-rocket-sv10-classic-vs-modern-team-rocket-sets\/","title":{"rendered":"Rocket Gang vs. Rocket Gang Strikes Back vs. The Glory of Team Rocket [SV10]: Classic vs. Modern Team Rocket Sets"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In the history of the Pok\u00e9mon TCG, there have been a total of three expansion sets centered around Team Rocket and their Pok\u00e9mon: Rocket Gang (1997) in Gen 1, Rocket Gang Strikes Back (2004) in Gen 3, and The Glory of Team Rocket [SV10] (2025) in Gen 9. These sets added their own contributions to the rich and storied legacy of Team Rocket cards in the Pok\u00e9mon TCG.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Following the recent release of The Glory of Team Rocket [SV10], there\u2019s no better time than now to take a look back at these earlier sets and find out how they stack up against their modern-day counterpart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Rocket Gang vs Rocket Gang Strikes Back vs The Glory of Team Rocket [SV10]: Card Comparison<\/strong>

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Pok\u00e9mon Card Game Expansion Pack Vol.4 Team Rocket Box<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Pok\u00e9mon Card Game Expansion Pack Team Rocket’s Counterattack 1ED Box<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Pokemon Card Game Scarlet & Violet Expansion Pack “Glory of Team Rocket” Box<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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In terms of quantity of cards, The Glory of Team Rocket [SV10] is far and away the largest of the three sets with 132 cards in total. This is a figure which is almost as large as that of Rocket Gang and Rocket Gang Strikes Back combined; Rocket Gang has 65 total cards while Rocket Gang Strikes Back contains 85.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Rocket Gang vs Rocket Gang Strikes Back vs The Glory of Team Rocket [SV10]: Pull Rates<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s not really possible to compare secret rares between the three sets like-for-like because the two earlier sets were released well before secret rares became a staple element of the Pok\u00e9mon TCG. That being said, when comparing each set\u2019s percentage of cards with rarities beyond the basic three rarities of Common (C), Uncommon (U), or Rare (R), the following statistics are revealed:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rocket Gang: 17\/65 – 26.2%
Rocket Gang Strikes Back: 31\/85 – 36.5%
The Glory of Team Rocket [SV10]: 42\/132 – 31.8%<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Looking at these figures, it thus becomes clear that when buying booster packs of any of the three Team Rocket sets, the buyer has the best chance of pulling rare cards from Rocket Gang Strikes Back, followed by The Glory of Team Rocket [SV10] and Rocket Gang in that order.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With regard to the number of cards in the set that are directly related to Team Rocket, The Glory of Team Rocket [SV10] has the highest number of such cards with 84, almost two-thirds of the entire set. Rocket Gang has 36 Team Rocket-related cards, or slightly over half the set, while Rocket Gang Strikes Back contains 40 Team Rocket-related cards\u2014slightly less than half the set.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Rocket Gang vs Rocket Gang Strikes Back vs The Glory of Team Rocket [SV10]: Standout Cards<\/strong>
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As one might expect, many of the standout cards of all three Team Rocket-related sets are the cards depicting Pok\u00e9mon owned by Team Rocket. It\u2019s worth noting that all three sets differentiate these Pok\u00e9mon in different ways. In Rocket Gang, all Pok\u00e9mon owned by Team Rocket have the prefix \u201cDark\u201d affixed to their names. Rocket Gang Strikes Back brought back the \u201cDark\u201d prefix and also added several other Pok\u00e9mon with \u201cRocket\u2019s\u201d before their names. The Glory of Team Rocket [SV10] did away with the \u201cDark\u201d prefix; in addition, the set saw the change of the \u201cRocket\u2019s\u201d prefix to \u201cTeam Rocket\u2019s\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Pok\u00e9mon<\/figure>
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Charizard : Old Back [PMCG4 No.006](Expansion Pack “Team Rocket”)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"Pok\u00e9mon<\/figure>
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Blastoise : Old Back [PMCG4 No.009](Expansion Pack “Team Rocket”)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"Pok\u00e9mon<\/figure>
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Dragonite : Old Back [PMCG4 No.149](Expansion Pack “Team Rocket”)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The unquestioned star of Rocket Gang is Dark Charizard\u2014one of the most iconic cards in Pok\u00e9mon TCG history. The idea of an evil Charizard\u2014a perennial fan-favorite right from the start of the Pok\u00e9mon franchise\u2014in the hands of Team Rocket represents a concept which has been irresistible to so many over the years and has made the card one of the era\u2019s most memorable. Among the other standouts of Rocket Gang are Dark Blastoise, Dark Dragonite, Dark Gyarados, and the Here Comes Team Rocket! card depicting Jessie and James, the Team Rocket operatives from the Pok\u00e9mon anime. All cards mentioned are Rare Holos except Here Comes Team Rocket!, which is a Super Rare Holo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Pok\u00e9mon<\/figure>
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Treecko: Resale[PCG3 011\/084](Expansion Pack “Rocket Gang Strikes Back”)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Mudkip: 1ED[PCG3 033\/084](Expansion Pack “Rocket Gang Strikes Back”)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"Pok\u00e9mon<\/figure>
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Torchic: 1ED[PCG3 020\/084](Expansion Pack “Rocket Gang Strikes Back”)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Interestingly, the most coveted and expensive cards of Rocket Gang Strikes Back aren\u2019t those of Pok\u00e9mon owned by Team Rocket. Instead, the three cards, which are far and away the top pick,s are those of Shiny versions of the three Gen 3 starters: Treecko \u2606, Torchic \u2606, and Mudkip \u2606; Torchic \u2606 is the top pick of this trio of the Shiny Rare Holo rarity. As for the set\u2019s Team Rocket-related cards, Rocket\u2019s Snorlax ex and Rocket\u2019s Suicune ex, both Rare Holo ex cards, are the leading pickups. Finally, the Here Comes Team Rocket! The card mentioned in the previous paragraph was reprinted in Rocket Gang Strikes Back as a Rare Holo and is one of the set\u2019s leading pickups.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Pok\u00e9mon<\/figure>
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Team Rocket’s Mewtwo ex SAR [SV10 125\/098](Expansion Pack “Glory of Team Rocket”)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Team Rocket’s Moltres ex SAR [SV10 124\/098](Expansion Pack “Glory of Team Rocket”)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Team Rocket’s Nidoking ex SAR [SV10 126\/098](Expansion Pack “Glory of Team Rocket”)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The headliner of The Glory of Team Rocket [SV10] is a Special Art Rare (SAR) Team Rocket\u2019s Mewtwo ex; although this Legendary Pok\u00e9mon with a lore so closely tied to Team Rocket had previously made appearances as a Pok\u00e9mon owned by them in Rocket Gang Strikes Back as well as on two other cards, it wasn\u2019t until this most recent set that Mewtwo took top billing in a Team Rocket-related set. The other five SAR cards in The Glory of Team Rocket [SV10]\u2014Team Rocket\u2019s Moltres ex, Team Rocket\u2019s Nidoking ex, Team Rocket\u2019s Crobat ex, Team Rocket\u2019s Giovanni, and Team Rocket\u2019s Ariana\u2014are all impressive pulls in their own right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Rocket Gang vs Rocket Gang Strikes Back vs The Glory of Team Rocket [SV10]: Legacy<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Rocket Gang has left an immense legacy behind in the almost three decades since its release. Before its launch, many players were clamoring for the opportunity to play the villain\u2019s role for a change; this desire was further strengthened by a scene in the Pok\u00e9mon Red and Blue video games when the player character is forced to reject a Team Rocket operative\u2019s recruitment overture. That scene made many Pok\u00e9mon fans curious: \u201cWhat if we COULD have accepted his offer?\u201d

In the years following the debut of Rocket Gang in 1997, selected sets and their cards have indeed featured villainous teams and the Pok\u00e9mon belonging to them. These cards not only spotlighted Team Rocket, but in future sets, Team Magma, Team Aqua, Team Galactic, and Team Plasma would be spotlighted. However, these cards came to an end after the Team Plasma cards of Gen 5.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Many cards from Rocket Gang today fetch serious money on the open market\u2014in particular, several of the Rare Holo Dark Pok\u00e9mon cards mentioned earlier. Dark Pok\u00e9mon from the Rocket Gang were also the first cards featuring villainous Pok\u00e9mon in Pok\u00e9mon TCG history; even though they have since been retired from the TCG, many long-time fans still hold them in high regard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rocket Gang Strikes Back took things to another level entirely: to this day, many of the most valuable Gen 3 cards come from that set. This was understandable given the hype behind a new Team Rocket set as well as the fact that with the releases of the Pok\u00e9mon FireRed and LeafGreen video games, even more in-universe lore about Team Rocket had been revealed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rocket Gang Strikes Back was also the first and thus far only set to divide cards featuring Pok\u00e9mon owned by Team Rocket into two categories: Dark Pok\u00e9mon and Rocket\u2019s Pok\u00e9mon. This added an additional narrative layer to the Pok\u00e9mon depicted because Rocket\u2019s Pok\u00e9mon were all Basic Pok\u00e9mon owned by Team Rocket right from the jump, while Dark Pok\u00e9mon were ordinary Pok\u00e9mon that were corrupted by Team Rocket as they evolved; this also ended up being the reason why Dark Pok\u00e9mon were all evolved Pok\u00e9mon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To this day, Rocket Gang Strikes Back is often cited as one of the standouts of all third-generation sets. Adding to its appeal is the fact that it came towards the end of the Pok\u00e9mon TCG\u2019s \u201cfirst golden age\u201d as due to various factors, the popularity of the TCG fell off a cliff at the end of the Gen 3 era before bouncing back late in Gen 6\u2014and this status as the last truly iconic set of the era has elevated its legacy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Pokemon Card Game Scarlet & Violet Glory of Team Rocket Attache Case Set<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Although it\u2019s too early to determine what the legacy of The Glory of Team Rocket [SV10] will be, there\u2019s already a very memorable item associated with the set. For the first time ever, a special attach\u00e9 case containing 30 booster packs as well as other accessories was released in conjunction with the set. Demand for the case was at such a level that despite not even being the actual booster box, all pre-orders were completely filled within a matter of hours right after they were opened.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another notable point about The Glory of Team Rocket [SV10] concerns the fact that it features Team Rocket executives Ariana, Archer, Proton, and Petrel. The quartet, the highest-ranking members of Team Rocket other than organization head Giovanni, had never before appeared on any Pok\u00e9mon TCG cards despite the fact that they had been part of the Pok\u00e9mon canon since the second generation. There\u2019s a real possibility that years from now, this might be one of the main points about this set which many people most clearly remember.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In any case, why not consider purchasing some of the cards from any of the three<\/a> Team Rocket<\/a> sets<\/a> on the SNKRDUNK app? Though these may be cards depicting the franchise’s most iconic villains and their Pok\u00e9mon, you can be certain that there’s nothing shady about our cards\u2014they’ve been verified by all our experts and provide excellent value for money.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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