Since the base set first released in Japan back in 1996, the Pokemon TCG has put out multiple expansions each year. Naturally, that means that many Pokemon have several different designs out there. In fact, some fans like to collect every card featuring their favorite Pokemon from Psyduck to Umbreon and beyond. But not every Pokemon can fill a binder with its various Pokemon card designs. With over 1,000 Pokemon and counting, every Pokemon might be someone’s favorite, but that doesn’t make them popular in the TCG.
Some Pokemon, including brand mascot Pikachu and fan favorites like Eevee, have had literally hundreds of unique designs since the Pokemon TCG began. But, believe it or not, there are a handful of Pokemon that have only had 1 or 2 unique card designs in Pokemon TCG history. And surprisingly enough, that’s not limited to just recent additions like Gen 9 designs. These 5 neglected Pokemon have the fewest card designs in the TCG as of 2026.
Total Unique Designs: 3
This Gen 9 Pokemon, surprisingly, already has more unique designs than some of its older counterparts on this list. Nevertheless, dual-type Ghost/Grass Pokemon Brambleghast does rank among the Pokemon with the fewest unique designs in the Pokemon TCG. It is tied with regional Galarian forms like Galarian Ponyta, Galarian Slowpoke, and Galarian Farfetch’d, which also have just 3 unique designs as of 2026. But given that this is not a regional variant or middle evolution, it’s particularly unusual that it has as few cards as it does.
Brambleghast got its first card design with the 2023 release of Pokemon TCG: Scarlet & Violet – Paldea Evolved. It has since appeared in Temporal Forces and Phantasmal Flames, for a total of 3 unique designs. These cards spanned the Scarlet & Violet era, and we have yet to see the Pokemon return since we made the transition to Mega Evolution.
Total Unique Designs: 2
Glastrier is a legendary Pokemon that made its debut in Gen 8’s Pokemon Sword & Shield. However, it wasn’t available in the base game, but rather arrived later with the Crown Tundra DLC. This unique status could be part of why this legendary horse, along with its counterpart Spectrier, is among the Pokemon with the fewest unique Pokemon card designs.
Glastrier made its first Pokemon TCG appearance in 2022’s Pokemon TCG: Sword & Shield – Lost Origin expansion. It only recently made its second appearance with the 2026 release of Mega Evolution – Ascended Heroes. Before that, it was one of a handful of Pokemon with just one design on record. Now, however, it has moved up in the world with a grand total of 2 cards for fans to collect.
Total Unique Designs: 2
Ghost-type Spectrier debuted alongside Glacier in Pokemon Sword & Shield’s Crown Tundra DLC. And like its fellow DLC Legendary, it has not made many appearances in the Pokemon TCG since it first arrived. The two tend to appear together since the legendary Galarian steeds are typically treated as a pair for their shared ability to fuse with Calyrex.
Like Glastrier, Spectrier first appeared in the Lost Origin expansion in 2022. Until recently, that was its only design in the TCG. However, it reappeared alongside its fellow legendary steed in the 2026 Mega Evolution – Ascended Heroes set. That means that Spectrier has 2 unique card designs in the Pokemon TCG as of 2026.
Total Unique Designs: 1
The list of Pokemon with just a single design in the Pokemon TCG is a short one. But Fossil Pokemon Arctozolt, which first appeared in Pokemon Sword and Shield, is a vetted member of the club. Fossil Pokemon do tend to be less popular in the TCG overall, so it’s not surprising that a newer addition like Arctozolt doesn’t have many cards. Even Gen 1 Kabuto still has just 13 designs, despite being a part of Pokemon history from the beginning.
To date, Arctozolt has just a single card design in the Pokemon TCG. It first appeared in the 2020 set Pokemon TCG: Sword and Shield – Darkness Ablaze. Since then, that same design has been reprinted as a Black Star Promo and for the Shining Fates expansion. But as these reused the same art, there’s still just one unique design for Arctozolt in the TCG as of 2026.
Total Unique Designs: 1
Tied for the fewest cards ever released in the Pokemon TCG is the Legendary Pokemon Kubfu. It first appeared in the Pokemon Sword & Shield DLC, The Isle of Armor. It is a bit unusual in that its evolved form, Urshifu, has appeared on a total of 8 different cards. But as for Kubfu, just one design has ever been created. And unlike Arctozolt, it hasn’t even seen reprints for promos or subsequent sets.
Kubfu’s one and only design debuted in the 2021 release of Pokemon TCG: Sword and Shield – Chilling Reign. Since then, Kubfu has not gotten another card design or even a reprint, despite Urshifu appearing in subsequent sets up through Brilliant Stars.
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