What are Light Pokemon cards? Pokemon TCG explained

Keeping up with every Pokemon card type in the Pokemon TCG can feel like a mammoth task. From Double Rares to Special Illustration Rares, there are a lot of cards for collectors to get to grips with.

Dark Pokemon cards are popular among lore-driven collectors, thanks to their ties to the ever-popular Team Rocket, but their Light counterparts don’t get as much attention. These heavenly cards are worth keeping an eye out for if you value beautiful Pokemon artwork, though.

Originating in the Neo Destiny expansion set in the early 2000s, this card type popped up once as a singular promo card in the Sword & Shield era of the game (Light Toxitricity SWSH137) and hasn’t been seen in Scarlet & Violet expansion sets since.

Light Lanturn (23/105) and Light Azumarill (13/105) Pokemon cards.

Light Pokemon cards are the opposite of Dark Pokemon cards, considered in the lore to be ‘good’ Pokemon that have been raised well by their Trainers. They often have higher HP pools than their standard counterparts and a more support-oriented move set.

Interestingly, Stage 1 and Stage 2 Light Pokemon do not need to evolve from Light Pokemon. As shown in the images above, Light Lanturn can evolve from a regular Chinchou. They’re still excluded from the rule of 4, meaning that you could theoretically have 4 Azumarill cards and 4 Light Azumarill.

How to tell if you have a Light Pokemon card

Identifying niche Pokemon card types can take a little time and practice, but there are a few key ways to spot Light Pokemon cards out in the wild.

Follow these steps to identify your card:

1. Does your Pokemon have “Light” in the name? Firstly, all Light Pokemon cards will have their subcategory in the Pokemon name. If it doesn’t say “Light,” you’re dealing with something else – possibly a Radiant Pokemon instead.
2. Is the artwork ethereal and sparkly? This point is somewhat subjective, but Light Pokemon have heavenly, almost angelic artwork for the most part. The color schemes are lighter and the Pokemon in question tend to look happy or peaceful.
3. Is the art border white and gold? Following that, the art border on Light Pokemon cards is marginally different to standard borders. They’re light gold and white, adding to the overall divine aesthetic of the card.
4. Does your Pokemon have support moves? Pay attention to the Attacks and Abilities on your card. Light Pokemon usually have Bench support moves, healing Abilities, or Attacks that offer utility to both players in a match.

If you’re still unsure exactly what you’re dealing with, type the card information into the official Pokemon TCG database. It’s a great way to verify your cards and find out more about them, especially if you’re new to the hobby.

If you do end up with a Light Pokemon card, make sure to sleeve it. These cards can be valuable and it’s possible that with recent hype around a potential Team Rocket expansion set, we could see Dark and Light Pokemon making a return. This is speculation on our part, but it would be an exciting move from The Pokemon Company.

For more Pokemon card explainers, check out our Hyper Rare and Illustration Rare guides, and keep up to date with the Pokemon TCG release schedule here.