Dark Pokémon (TCG)

Dark Pokémon (card text: Pokémon with "Dark" in their names) (Japanese: わるいポケモン Bad Pokémon) are a type of Pokémon found in the Pokémon Trading Card Game, and often considered a corrupted version of their normal species. Their counterparts are TCG Light Pokémon.

The first appearance of Dark Pokémon was in the TCG Team Rocket Expansion, in which all evolved Pokémon are Dark Pokémon. This is because Team Rocket itself is a corrupt organization, and therefore the Pokémon they train become corrupt also.

TCG Gym Heroes and TCG Gym Challenge touched on the theme with the appearance of Rocket's Pokémon, similar in many respects to Dark Pokémon from the previous Expansion.

Dark Pokémon made another appearance in TCG Neo Destiny, which as the title suggests, revolves around the potential path or "destiny" a Pokémon can follow depending on how it is brought up by its. The set also illustrated that Pokémon with Dark in their names and TCG Darkness-type Pokémon differed, with Dark Houndoom released as a TCG Fire Pokémon.

In terms of card design, Dark Pokémon have a brown/black character window, evolution box and Pokédex box, as opposed to the regular gold. In terms of gameplay, Dark Pokémon tend to have higher attack damage and lower HPs compared to those of normal Pokémon, likely due to the highly offensive nature of the Trainer. Also, most evolved Generation I Pokémon feature alternate pictures of their previous stage in their evolution box.

Though Dark Pokémon did not appear in the TCG EX Team Magma vs Team Aqua expansion, Pokémon belonging to Team Aqua or Team Magma utilized the new game mechanic of dual-types, in which many evolved and legendary Pokémon displayed a Darkness dual type to further emphasise their allegiance with a villainous team. This also essentially rejected the difference between Dark Pokémon and Darkness-type Pokémon as displayed in Neo Destiny. This would remain for subsequent releases.

Dark Celebi, featured in TCG EX Hidden Legends was the first card in the EX Series to include "Dark" in its name, and was included in the set likely due to its close ties with Celebi: The Voice of the Forest, in which Team Rocket member Iron-Masked Marauder captures a using a Dark Ball and uses it to create chaos.

The latest appearance of Dark Pokémon was in the TCG EX Team Rocket Returns expansion, in which all Dark Pokémon are dual Darkness types (with the exception of those that are normally Colorless) and all Pokémon belonging to Team Rocket are purely Darkness types. 