Welcome to The Pokémon 1999 Discord League!
This is a place for fans of the Wizards of the Coast Pokémon TCG era. Many of us played the game during this time period, and we want to continue experiencing these great old formats. Others played these formats here for the first time! In this server, we discuss formats such as Base-Fossil, Base-Rocket, Prop 15/3, Base-Gym, Base-Neo, Rocket-On, and even eCard format, share our decks, and analyze strategies.
We play casual matches regularly and hold Monthly Leagues.
Most of us use physical cards and play matches via webcams. Occasionally, some players use TCGOne, a free-to-use, fan-made, automated simulator similar to PTCGO or PTCGL, but featuring cards and formats from Base Set itself through Chilling Reign. Even though we are using physical cards, we believe inclusivity is important, and huge paywalls are gatekeepers of fun. So we allow the usage of proxies. Feel comfortable printing cards, even whole decks! The point is to have fun with any card you want, even if it’s a Base Set Charizard or a Shining Raichu!
Each month, we organize leagues for a variety of other retro formats. Any Wizards format that four or more players register to play in will be registered as a league, with players being able to register for up to four leagues per month. The Base-Fossil league has the most players every month, but Base-Fossil Point Buy, Base-Neo Point Buy, Prop 15/3 and others are also played frequently. Depending on the number of participants, we play 3-4 rounds. Each week, pairings are posted, and the participants have 1 week to organize and play their matches via webcam on the server’s voice channels.
Participation is free, and the winner gets bragging rights (and soon they will get prizes too)!
Here are some of the various formats we play:
Base-Fossil
The Pokémon TCG Base-Fossil format includes only the first three sets—Base Set, Jungle, and Fossil—and showcases some of the game’s most powerful Trainers, including Gust of Wind, Energy Removal, Computer Search, Item Finder, and Professor Oak. The format is super skillful, since the disruptive Trainers make every move count. Games feel almost like games of chess as you manage the resources in your hand and strive to take all six prizes while planning to avoid decking out. Popular decks include Lickitung Stall, Wigglytuff Dodrio variants, and Haymaker successors like Dodrio/Hitmonchan/Mewtwo, but icons like Rain Dance and Damage Swap still survive in the periphery. Rumor has it that one player even found a way to make Charizard work! Not only is Base-Fossil popular on the ’99 Discord, but it’s even a popular candidate for retro tournaments out in the wider world!
Base-Fossil Point-Buy
Players build 60-card decks using cards from Base Set, Jungle, and Fossil, ensuring that the total points of selected cards do not exceed a set limit (commonly 8 points). This system encourages diverse deck-building strategies by limiting the inclusion of dominant cards, fostering a more varied and competitive environment. The points list used by the 1999 Discord server is updated quarterly by community poll in an attempt to perfect the format, and the most up-to-date points list will be pinned on the Discord.
Prop 15/3
The Prop 15/3 format is a historic one-day Pokémon TCG tournament format that features cards from Base Set through Gym Challenge and limits decks to a maximum of 15 Trainer cards and no more than 3 copies of any card (excluding Basic Energy). This restriction was designed to slow down overly powerful Trainer-heavy decks, encouraging more balanced gameplay. While not popular in the early days of competitive Pokémon, it’s gained in popularity on TCGOne and our Discord in recent years. The format maintains many skillful aspects of Base-Fossil while placing a unique emphasis on your Pokémon as you fill your decks with synergistic Pokémon instead of relying primarily on Trainers like in other formats. Popular Pokémon to build decks around include Jungle Wigglytuff, Jungle Clefable, and Base Set Alakazam, all of which have multiple variants, but other evolution lines like Base Set Venusaur, Gym Challenge Koga’s Beedrill, and even Base Set Charizard have shared the spotlight. Bear in mind that many of these decks have multiple variants and that the casts of these decks are rounded out with a variety of basic and stage 1 Pokémon. Both Base-Fossil icons and newcomers like Rocket’s Zapdos, Blaine’s Rapidash, Brock’s Mankey 68 and Sabrina’s Abra 91 find homes here!
Base-Neo Point-Buy (Hall of Fame)
While Base-Fossil Point Buy is a purely fan-made creation, Base-Neo Point Buy actually existed as an official format in Japan, under the name of Hall of Fame. In fact, Base-Neo Point Buy is one of the most popular retro formats in Japan, played at a wide assortment of card shops, some of whom have modified the original points list. Our Discord’s points list is based on a popular fan version of the format and is pinned in our Discord. Games are faster and more intense than in formats like Base-Fossil and Prop 15/3, with heavy restrictions on disruptive Trainers, more interesting attacks and Powers, and a wealth of consistency Trainers, but feature fewer coin flips than in Base-Neo or Rocket-On due to the restrictions on Focus Band and popular baby Pokémon.
Base-Neo
The Base-Neo format includes the first ten Pokémon TCG expansions, from Base Set through Neo Destiny. It commemorates the first time Pokémon introduced a new region, new Pokémon, and even new types! Coin flips abound in this format, which can be frustrating for high-stakes events, but since these leagues are casual, it’s all in good fun, and the presence of powerful Base Set Trainers means this format still maintains a portion of Base-Fossil’s skill! Historically, this format is infamous for a mistranslated Slowking that made Trainers almost impossible to play. Still, since we errata mistranslated cards to be played as intended (read more about that here), you don’t need to worry about the Mind Games Pokémon Power ruining your day! Popular decks include Neo Genesis Sneasel with Dark Crobat, Neo Revelation Kingdra with Neo Genesis Pichu, Neo Genesis Steelix with Neo Genesis Noctowl, and a promo Mewtwo deck that turns the iconic promo into a tank with the new Metal Energy!
Rocket-On
The Rocket-On format allows cards from Team Rocket and all later sets through Neo Destiny, making it the first official format to not feature Base Set, Jungle, or Fossil. Baby Pokémon and Choice Band flips remain, but the disruptive Base Set Trainers and all-powerful Sneasel are peeled away, allowing stage 1 and stage 2 decks to flourish. Official bans include Neo Genesis Sneasel, Birthday Pikachu, and Ancient Mew. Some notable decks are Neo Genesis Feraligatr, Dark Gengar with Neo Genesis Noctowl, Dark Haunter with Dark Crobat, and Neo Genesis Steelix with the Base Set Alakazam reprint from the Legendary Collection.
e-Card
The e-Card format includes sets from Expedition Base Set through Skyridge, known for introducing e-Reader-compatible cards and unique mechanics like Crystal Pokémon. E-card format is slower than both previous and more recent formats, with carefully balanced Pokémon Powers, low-power consistency trainers, and an emphasis on stage 1 and stage 2 Pokémon, resulting in long, relaxing games. Decks often feature three or four evolution lines, and baby Pokémon are virtually non-existent, so even if you don’t like the Neo formats, you might still enjoy this format.
Pokémon 1999 Prize Pool Donation Fund
We are accepting donations to support the Pokémon 1999 league play with prize support. Your donation will help support the league, and as a thank you for your donation, we will send you
Pokémon 1999 merch based on the level of your donation:
Level 1: $5: Lickitung Patch
Level 2: $15: Level 1 + P99 stickers
Level 3: $30+: Level 2 + Chansey Supporter Patch + Stamped Oak
Thank you for supporting this fantastic community!
Click the image below to donate.
