All Pokémon Energy Cards in 2024

Pokémon Energy cards have been a staple in the Pokémon Trading Card Game since its initial release in the United States in 1999. Given that it is now 2024, you may be curious about the current types of energy cards in the trading card game, especially considering Pokémon celebrated its 25th anniversary last year. The list has expanded significantly over the years, with some Energy cards even leaving the game. In this article, we will explore the function of Energy cards, discuss the nine Basic Energy cards, and take an in-depth look at all the Special Energy cards (trust me, there is a bunch). So look no further – all your Pokémon Energy card questions are about to be answered!

Table of Contents

• What are Pokémon Energy cards?
• Energy Symbols
• Basic Energy Cards
• Grass Energy
• Fire Energy
• Water Energy
• Lightning Energy
• Psychic Energy
• Fighting Energy
• Darkness Energy
• Metal Energy
• Fairy Energy
• Special Energy Cards
• Wizards of the Coast: Special Energy Cards
• The Pokémon Company: Special Energy Cards
  

All Pokémon Energy cards have symbols to indicate the type of energy they provide. Pokémon cards, however, display symbols representing the required energy types for their attacks. Players must match these symbols with the appropriate Energy cards to use those attacks. Pokémon Energy symbols can be found in five places: attack cost, Weakness, Resistance, Retreat Cost, and Pokémon type. I have provided a list below that will show you what each Pokémon Energy symbol looks like.

Now that you know what each Pokémon symbol looks like, it's time to explore the ten different types of Basic Energy cards.

There are currently nine basic types of Energy cards corresponding to the Pokémon types: Grass, Fire, Water, Lightning, Psychic, Fighting, Dark, Metal, and Fairy. Now, if you want to be more critical, there is technically a tenth Energy card, which would be a Normal Energy card. However, because all Basic Energy cards can produce Normal Energy, Normal Energy cards now usually fall under the category of Special Energy cards. Nonetheless, we will still cover it.

A few points that are useful when it comes to Basic Energy cards before we dive into each of them:

• Each Basic Energy card provides one unit of its associated energy type.
• Players can include any combination of Basic Energy cards in their decks to meet the energy requirements of their Pokémon.
• There is no strict limit on the number of Basic Energy cards you can include in your deck.

That being said, having a good balance of Basic Energy cards to Pokémon is extremely important when you are learning how to build a Pokémon deck. So, make sure you don't go overboard with your Basic Energy cards because, as important as they are, balance is essential for quality deck building.

The first Basic Energy card we are going to cover is Grass Energy. I chose to start with Grass Energy because it is one of the three basic elemental types, along with Fire and Water, making it a great starting point. I mean, who doesn't like Bulbasaur? He is a little mean green fighting machine!

Grass Energy Breakdown:

• Each Grass Energy card produces either one single unit of Grass Energy or one Colorless Energy.

• You can identify a Grass Energy card by the green leaf symbol.

• Grass Energy cards enable Grass-type Pokémon to use their attacks. Many Grass-type Pokémon have powerful and strategic moves that require Grass energy, making these cards essential if you are considering using Grass-type Pokémon in your decks.

Continuing with the starter types, you already know we gotta bring the heat and start talking about Fire Energy. Now, the Fire Energy card is one of my favorite Energy cards and my favorite Pokémon types because, you guessed it, Charizard. Stack some Fire Energy cards with some hard-hitting moves, and it really is a blast.

Fire Energy Breakdown:

• Each Fire Energy card produces either one single unit of Fire Energy or one Colorless Energy.

• You can identify a Fire Energy card by the red fire symbol.

• Fire Energy cards enable Fire-type Pokémon to use their attacks. Most Fire-type Pokémon have very strong abilities requiring multiple Fire Energy cards to be equipped, making it very important if you are set on creating a Fire-type Pokémon deck.
  

In order and exactly where we need to be, I'm talking about our third Basic Energy card: Water Energy. Now, Water Energy is always an awesome type and is home to some of the coolest Pokémon, including our final starter, Squirtle, or even that awesome Palkia you see above. Water Energy cards are essential in all Water-type Pokémon decks, so let's get into our breakdown.

Water Energy Breakdown:

• Each Water Energy card produces either one single unit of Water Energy or one Colorless Energy.

• You can identify a Water Energy card by the teardrop or water droplet symbol.

• Water Energy cards enable Water-type Pokémon to use their attacks. Just like Fire and Grass, Water-type Pokémon revolve around Water Energy cards. If you are going to make a Water-type deck, make sure your deck is well-equipped with Water Energy, or you might run into a waterfall of problems.

Now that we are out of starter territory, let's continue with our fourth Basic Energy card: Lightning Energy. Lightning Energy has some real potential when it comes to battling it out with your friends or even in competitive play.

Lightning Energy Breakdown:

• Each Lightning Energy card produces either one single unit of Lightning Energy or one Colorless Energy.

• You can identify a Lightning Energy card by the lightning bolt symbol.

• Lightning Energy cards enable Lightning-type Pokémon to use their attacks. Lightning Pokémon are also very strong, so when building your deck around the Lightning Energy card, make sure you are well-equipped because when you are attacking, trust me, sparks are going to be flying.

We have reached number five on the list, which can arguably be considered one of the best Basic Energy cards: Psychic Energy. If you are a competitive player or consider yourself someone who enjoys crazy combos, Psychic Energy is probably for you. Psychic Energy cards are extremely powerful, and there is always at least usually one Psychic-type Pokémon deck at the very top of Pokémon tournaments.

Psychic Energy Breakdown:

• Each Psychic Energy card produces either one single unit of Psychic Energy or one Colorless Energy.

• You can identify a Psychic Energy card by the purple eye symbol.

• Psychic Energy cards enable Psychic-type Pokémon to use their attacks. Psychic-type Pokémon are unbelievably strong and pack a huge punch in battle. If you are considering making a Psychic-type Pokémon deck, make sure you have the perfect amount of Psychic Energy cards, and you can create one of the strongest decks in the game!

Coming in at number seven is my personal favorite: Darkness Energy. If you like super combos and really strong Pokémon, then building a deck around Dark-type Pokémon and Darkness Energy cards is a must! I have had so much fun over the years messing around with the Dark archetype, and I must say it's definitely one I recommend trying out.

Darkness Energy Breakdown:

• Each Darkness Energy card produces either one single unit of Darkness Energy or one Colorless Energy.

• You can identify a Darkness Energy card by the upside-down crescent moon.

• Darkness Energy cards enable Dark-type Pokémon to use their attacks. Darkness Energy cards really put your mind to the test; they are usually found in combo decks and revolve around Dark-type Pokémon. Shoutout to my favorite legendary, Darkrai. When I used to play competitively, I only used Dark-type Pokémon and Energy cards.

The number eight spot for Basic Energy cards is Metal Energy. Metal Energy is an interesting one; I personally don't see many people run Metal-type Pokémon, but nonetheless, it's still a basic energy and has its place in the Pokémon meta, so of course, we will cover it!

Metal Energy Breakdown:

• Each Metal Energy card produces either one single unit of Metal Energy or one Colorless Energy.

• You can identify a Metal Energy Card by its gray and metallic color; it's also the only Basic Energy card with a triangle in the middle of it.

• Metal Energy cards enable Metal-type Pokémon to use their attacks. Metal Energy cards are, I would say, for a defensive playstyle, seeing how they are weak against Fire Energy. It makes for a harder deck in the current climate, but for casual play and creating awesome theme decks, Metal has some truly awesome cards. Make sure to include plenty of Metal Energy cards.

Finally, last but not least, we have Fairy Energy. Fairy Energy has actually rotated out in the Sword & Shield Series, so it technically no longer exists. For casual play, however, Fairy Energy is still considered one of the Basic Energy cards, so I went ahead and covered it for anyone who likes staying charmed in the past.

Fairy Energy Breakdown:

• Each Fairy Energy card produces either one single unit of Grass Fairy or one Colorless Energy.

• You can identify a Fairy Energy card by looking for the pink, angel-like wing symbol.

• Fairy Energy cards enable Fairy-type Pokémon to use their attacks. Now, because Fairy Energy cards have rotated out along with Fairy-type Pokémon, it might be hard to obtain some of these cards. Over time, Fairy Pokémon cards could become collectible. If you do plan on playing a Fairy-type Pokémon deck, make sure you have the correct amount of Fairy Energy cards, as they can tend to be resource-heavy.

Special Energy Cards: Consistency and Competitive

Special Energy cards introduce an extra layer of strategy to the Pokémon TCG. These cards often bring additional effects or conditions into play, allowing trainers to tailor their decks to specific tactics.

Remember when I said there were ten Basic Energy card types? That is only true to a certain extent. While there are Normal-type Pokémon, Normal Energy cards have never really been considered "Basic Energy" and would technically be considered the first Special Energy.

In the current year, there are almost over 90 Special Energy cards in the Pokémon Trading Card Game, with usually one to four Special Energy cards being released with each new set. Thankfully, as big as that number is, the Pokémon Company has a Standard Format Rotation they do, which rotates out cards every year. This means most of these Special Energy cards you will never see.

The variety of Special Energy cards is obviously massive, especially if you are playing casually or in a format where all cards are playable. Still, I do want to go over a couple of examples so you have an idea of what a Special Energy card can do.

Special Energy Example #1: Warp Energy

In our first example, we are going to use the Special Energy card Warp Energy. I thought this would be a great example to showcase what Special Energy cards typically do, as you can see, not only does it provide Basic Normal Energy, but it also has an additional effect, which is essentially what Special Energy cards give you.

• Provides: This card provides One Colorless Energy.

• Description: When you attach this card from your hand to your Active Pokémon, switch that Pokémon with one of your Benched Pokémon.

Special Energy Example #2: Cyclone Energy

Below is a table of all the Special Energy cards that Wizards of the Coast made before the Pokémon Company took control in 2003.

After 2003 is when The Pokémon Company started creating there own pokemon cards and along with those an ever expanding list of Special Energy cards because of the sheer length of the list I am going to break it up into multiple tables, but the tables will stay in chronological order from when each set was released.

Frequently Asked Questions