Machamp Japanese Pokemon Cards Guide: Base Set History to Tag Team GX

The 1996 Original and the 1st Edition Myth

Machamp’s reputation as a card worth chasing goes back to the very first Pokemon Trading Card Game release in 1996 — the set English-speaking collectors call Base Set, corresponding to the set that launched the game in Japan under the name Expansion Pack (拡張パック). In that original line-up, Machamp was one of the Rare Holo cards: a Fighting-type, 100 HP, illustrated by Ken Sugimori, the artist behind the franchise’s core visual identity.

There’s a story about this exact card that gets repeated constantly, and it’s usually told slightly wrong. In the English-language Base Set specifically, collectors often say a “1st Edition Machamp” was included in every booster pack. According to the documented print history, that isn’t what happened. The 1st Edition Machamp — first appearing unstamped in the initial shadowless print run, then carrying the actual “1st Edition” stamp in a second print run — was packaged into the English Base Set’s 2-Player Starter Set, a two-deck box built for head-to-head play. Every deck in that starter box got a copy. The card wasn’t something you pulled at random from booster packs; it was guaranteed by opening the right product.

There’s a second layer to the story too, also specific to the English-language release. Base Set’s Unlimited Edition, as a standalone officially branded product, was never released the way people generally assume. A non-holo Machamp without any 1st Edition stamp appeared instead in Trainer Deck A, a separate preconstructed deck entirely.

Machamp’s design also explains a lot about why it kept getting reprinted across every era that followed. A four-armed Fighting-type built to hit hard is an easy concept for a card designer to keep returning to, whether the mechanic of the moment is a Poke-Body, an EX, an LV.X, or a TAG TEAM GX. The sections below trace that thread from the original Rare Holo through the card’s most recent Japanese printings.

Machamp-EX in Bandit Ring (XY7)

Machamp’s EX era printing comes from Bandit Ring, the Japanese release corresponding to the English Ancient Origins set (Limitless set code XY7). It’s a 180 HP Fighting-type EX, with two versions in circulation from the same set: a standard Rare Holo ex print at 037/081, illustrated by Eske Yoshinob, and a Rare Ultra full art version at 088/081, illustrated by Ryo Ueda.

Machamp EX [XY7 037/081] (Bandit Ring)

Machamp EX [XY7 088/081] UR (Bandit Ring)

Both prints carry the same two attacks. “Steaming Mad” (スチーミングマッド) deals more damage the more damage counters are already sitting on the opponent’s Pokemon, and “Crazy Hammer” (クレイジーハンマー) hits harder if the defending Pokemon is affected by a Special Condition. Mechanically it’s a card built to punish a board that’s already taken a beating — fitting, for a Pokemon whose whole design is built around brute force.

The 037/081 print uses the standard EX card frame; the 088/081 full art carries the same stats and attacks in an alternate frame, illustrated by a different artist than the base print.

Bandit Ring sits in the middle of Machamp’s Japanese print timeline — released years after the original 1996 Expansion Pack, and years before the 151 reprint above. The EX-era design language is a useful reference point if you’re trying to date a Machamp card by sight: the “-EX” suffix, the 180 HP stat line, and the two-attack layout described above are all consistent markers of this specific generation of the mechanic, distinct from both the older Rare Holo era and the GX cards covered further down.

Marshadow & Machamp-GX and Our PSA 10

Machamp’s TAG TEAM appearance pairs it with Marshadow on a single 270 HP Fighting-type card, illustrated by Mitsuhiro Arita. The card first appeared in Japan in the set Double Blaze (SM10, 042/095 RR), then was reprinted with the same effect and artwork in Tag All Stars (SM12a), where it’s numbered 067/173 at RR rarity. Tag All Stars released in Japan on October 4, 2019, as part of the Sun & Moon-era’s run of recap and reprint sets.

The card has three attacks to work with. “Revenge” (リベンジ) deals 90 more damage if one of your own Pokemon was knocked out by an attack during the opponent’s previous turn. “Hundred-strike Impact” (ひゃくれつインパクト) hits for a flat 160 damage. And the GX move, “Heroic Pinnacle GX” (ごうけつのきわみGX), deals 200 damage plus an additional effect, usable once per game like any GX attack.

This is the exact print we currently hold in graded condition. Our copy is a PSA 10 Marshadow & Machamp-GX, SM12a 067/173, currently listed at ¥11,329. It’s one-of-one stock — we hold a single graded copy, not a running allocation, so when it sells, it’s gone.

A PSA 10 grade means the card has been reviewed and certified by Professional Sports Authenticator against their gem mint standard, covering centering, corners, edges, and surface. Reprint sets like Tag All Stars exist to bring earlier cards such as this Marshadow & Machamp-GX back into circulation, which is part of why a Double Blaze-era design can still show up as a fresh graded pull years after its original release.

Frequently Asked Questions