Pokémon TCG · 2000 Set Guide
Gym Challenge Set Guide
The second Gym set: Blaine's Charizard, Giovanni and Koga join the Gym Leaders, and every one of its 95 Pokémon belongs to an owner.
Overview
Gym Challenge came out on October 16, 2000, two months after Gym Heroes, with 132 cards: 95 Pokémon, 31 Trainers and 6 basic Energy. It adds the last two Kanto Gym Leaders, Koga and Giovanni, and gives each of the eight a Trainer card of their own.
As in Gym Heroes, every Pokémon is an owner's Pokémon. Koga has the most, 17, then Giovanni and Sabrina with 15 each and Blaine with 13.
Cards and rarities
Gym Challenge has 132 cards. Every card shows its number over the printed total along the bottom, as in "4/132". The cards print a set symbol, not a set code; the code here is the short one the catalog and TurnZero HQ file the set under.
The printed total is 132 and nothing is numbered above it. The 20 Rare Holos include four Trainers: Blaine, Giovanni, Koga and Sabrina. The six cards without a rarity are basic Energy. Set completion in TurnZero HQ counts a set against its printed total and keeps the secret rares apart, so finishing the main set and chasing the cards above it read as two separate goals. How set completion works →
Headline Pokémon
Four of the owners' holos:
Blaine's Charizard
Gym Challenge #2
Roaring Flames discards its Fire Energy for 20 plus 20 each; Flame Jet does 40 to any one of your opponent's Pokémon on heads.
Erika's Venusaur
Gym Challenge #4
Growth attaches up to 2 Grass Energy from your hand on heads; Wide Solarbeam does 20 to two Benched Pokémon.
Rocket's Mewtwo
Gym Challenge #14
Juxtapose swaps damage counters with the Defending Pokémon on heads; Psyburn does 60.
Misty's Gyarados
Gym Challenge #13
Tidal Wave does 70, but Rebellion flips two coins each attack and shuffles it away on two tails.
Trainers worth knowing
Three of the Gym Leaders' Trainers:
Giovanni
Gym Challenge #18
Lets a Pokémon with Giovanni in its name evolve the turn it is played, even on your first turn.
Sabrina
Gym Challenge #20
Move all Energy from one of your Sabrina's Pokémon to another.
Koga
Gym Challenge #19
A Pokémon with Koga in its name Poisons the Defending Pokémon when its attack does damage this turn.
The chase card: Blaine's Charizard
Gym Challenge's chase card is Blaine's Charizard, 2/132, illustrated by Ken Sugimori: $586.76 Unlimited on October 22, 2026 and $699.99 in 1st Edition.
In 1st Edition, Erika's Venusaur is the most valuable card in the set at $779.45, against $184.98 for an Unlimited copy. Rocket's Mewtwo ($276.06) is second in Unlimited.
The non-holo Sabrina's Gengar, 29/132, is third at $219.11, the most valuable non-holo card in either Gym set.
Every Blaine's Charizard in Gym Challenge
| Version | Number | Market price, October 22, 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Rare Holo, Unlimited | 2/132 | $586.76 |
| Rare Holo, 1st Edition | 2/132 | $699.99 |
Only the exact version is worth its price. The number at the bottom of the card and the rarity symbol beside it tell you which one you pulled. Reading the number and rarity symbol →
Chase cards and prices
Five holos and one non-holo Rare, priced as Unlimited copies.
| Card | Rarity | Market price, October 22, 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Blaine's Charizard | Rare Holo, Unlimited | $586.76 |
| Rocket's Mewtwo | Rare Holo, Unlimited | $276.06 |
| Sabrina's Gengar | Rare, Unlimited | $219.11 |
| Erika's Venusaur | Rare Holo, Unlimited | $184.98 |
| Misty's Gyarados | Rare Holo, Unlimited | $160.57 |
| Giovanni's Gyarados | Rare Holo, Unlimited | $139.86 |
These are each card's headline TCGplayer market price on October 22, 2026. Prices can move a long way, most of all in a set's first months, so treat them as a snapshot. Each card's page shows today's price for every variant and its 90-day chart. How Pokémon card prices work →
What a complete set costs
One copy of every card in Gym Challenge, bought as singles, cost $3,183.57 on October 22, 2026. That is the most expensive of the two sets in the Gym series.
The three most valuable cards, Blaine's Charizard, Rocket's Mewtwo and Sabrina's Gengar, come to $1,081.93, or 34% of the total. Without them the set costs $2,101.64. Of the 132 cards, 34 were under $2.00, together $38.75; the other 98 add up to $3,144.82.
Each card is counted at its cheapest priced variant, usually an Unlimited copy rather than a 1st Edition one, or a stamped or error copy where the catalog prices one lower, at its TCGplayer market price. This is what it costs to buy the set as singles. It is not what opening packs returns, and not what a complete set would sell for, which after fees and the many cards worth cents would be noticeably less.
Playing it
Gym Challenge is not legal in Standard or Expanded as a set: Expanded starts with the Black & White series in 2011. The catalog marks six of its 132 cards as legal anyway, six of them in Standard too.
They are the six basic Energy, which are always legal.
Frequently Asked Questions
When did Gym Challenge release?
October 16, 2000. It was the second and last set of the Gym series.
How many cards are in Gym Challenge?
132, numbered 1 to 132: 95 Pokémon, 31 Trainers and 6 basic Energy.
What is the most valuable Gym Challenge card?
In Unlimited, Blaine's Charizard (2/132), at $586.76 on October 22, 2026. In 1st Edition, Erika's Venusaur at $779.45. Prices move daily, so check each card's page.
What did Gym Challenge add to Gym Heroes?
Koga and Giovanni, the last two Kanto Gym Leaders, with their own Pokémon and Trainer cards, and more Pokémon for Sabrina and Blaine, including Blaine's Charizard.
Track your Gym Challenge cards.
Add your cards to your collection, see how much of the set you own, and value every copy from daily TCGplayer prices. Free to start.
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