There are already some ´favourite set´ topics, but this is more about what set within WotC you like best, and what makes it special to you.
For me it´s a toss-up between Neo Revelation and Destiny, but I like the former better because of a few cards that stand out to me and the holo is more prevalent, especially with the Double Holo errors.
To me it feels like WotC got some freedom at this point, and was getting quite good at doing Pokémon, while the original, nostalgic template still remained (unlike in the E-series). The theme, featuring the three legendary beasts and Ho-oh also feels very nostalgic, despite the fact that Pokémon was going towards a low at this point. On the upside, this makes the cards more rare which also adds something.
My favourite is Team Rocket. The theme was so cool and the artwork was amazing. The introduction of dark Pokemon blew our minds and it even had a secret card, Dark Raichu.
Theming is what made certain sets great and I think Team Rocket nailed it.
Has to be Team Rocket for me, the secret card/ first holo trainer etc was (and is) way cool. Jessie, James and Meowth became nickname’s we called each other when we did something dumb (the kids and I) ; so it all added to fond memories.
Mine is a three way tie between Neo Destiny, Aquapolis, and Skyridge.
Neo Destiny is the first, and I believe only, time that we get Light Pokemon as a counterpart to the Dark Pokemon in the set as well as from Team Rocket. I think it’s such a cool storytelling element as well as it giving the artists freedom to add more character to the Pokemon art for the cards.
Aquapolis & Skyridge each do something that I feel is a lost art from most modern sets: cohesive world building using the art across multiple cards. I’ll give an example from each set.
With Aquapolis, you have a variety of cards that visit a deep sea ruin. Various Pokemon can be seen in different areas of that ruin. When you view them across the set it really is clear that there is a vision for the set. Another one of my favorite locations is the town with lots of water pathways.
With Skyridge, you have the mysterious Ho-oh Nazca lines visible in multiple desert scenes across the set. It’s easy to imagine a world where an ancient people saw Ho-oh and created those images which also pay homage to their real world counterparts. One day I would love to own the Crystal Ho-oh from the set
I used to always tell people it was Gym Challenge because I had so much nostalgia for the trainers’ Pokemon, but I really think it is Neo Rev or Destiny
+1 to Rocket, dark pokemon were so cool when they hit the playground back then, and still are today. The art is great, set theme is sick, and it all holds up well 26 years later.
Well, there’s only one set that has all 5 of my favorite Pokémon: the 3 Johto Starters, Dragonite, AND TTar, and that’s Expedition. My fav has to be between either that or Neo Destiny. Neo Destiny lacks Meganium, but it has the Shinings and doesn’t have the ugly e-Reader lines. It’s really a toss-up between those 2 sets for me.
It changed more than once over time tbh. I love multiple individual cards from every WotC sets, but a favorite set as a whole from this era is a tough choice.
Right now however, I’d say my top 3 would be: Skyridge; Aquapolis; Jungle.
Mine is Team Rocket, it was the only WOTC set I got to open when I was a kid. My older brother would sometimes give me a pack to open during some of his openings, first pack i got a non holo Dark Blastoise and my second pack i pulled the secret rare Dark Raichu. That was and still is my favourite pokemon memory.
