What's the Most Powerful Pokémon Card?

While not legal in competitive play, Shadow Lugia boasts an outrageous attack: 1,000 damage for four psychic energy.

It’s a collector's dream and an example of power without limits. It's arguably the most powerful Pokémon card in sheer numbers.

Mewtwo EX is a psychic type Pokémon that changed competitive play. Its X Ball attack does 20 damage for each energy attached to both active Pokémon, which scales quickly.

This card is efficient, adaptable, and a nightmare for decks relying on basic energy.

Charizard EX brings raw firepower. With powerful attacks like Combustion Blast, it can knock out the opponent’s active Pokémon in one attack. It's one of the most iconic and powerful Pokémon cards, and it pairs well with fire-based energy cards.

This colorless card can do up to 150 damage with its Emerald Break attack if your bench is full. It’s built for aggressive play and is devastating when set up correctly. Mega evolution also boosts its durability.

Shaymin EX became a staple in many decks due to its Ability "Set Up," which lets you draw cards until you have six in hand when it enters the bench. That alone made it a support engine, even if it wasn’t the attacker.

A dual-type Pokémon with the Despair Ray attack, Mega Gardevoir EX can do massive damage while discarding Benched Pokémon to deny your opponent easy Prize cards.

It’s a smart play card that rewards control and resource management.

Black Kyurem EX features Freeze Shock, an attack that deals 150 damage and paralyzes the opponent’s active Pokémon. It also features the Dragon Fang attack, which deals 60 damage and can paralyze the Defending Pokémon on a coin flip.

A newer psychic type Pokémon, Dragapult EX is often paired with Psychic Embrace-based Energy acceleration to move Psychic Energy from the discard pile to your Pokémon.

Combined with its powerful attacks and synergy with other cards, it has become a rising star.

Zoroark GX’s "Trade" Ability lets you discard a card to draw two. Combined with its Riotous Beating attack, which does more damage for each benched Pokémon, it’s a deadly combination of consistency and offense.

Lugia VSTAR’s VSTAR Power (Summoning Star) lets you put up to two Colorless Pokémon from your discard pile onto your Bench, so long as those Pokémon don’t have a Rule Box.

With powerful attacks and combo potential, it plays a major role in Scarlet & Violet-era decks.

We created this article in conjunction with AI technology, then made sure it was fact-checked and edited by a HowStuffWorks editor.