What is the name of the first main English Pokémon TCG set?

The first main English Pokémon Trading Card Game set is called Base Set. It introduced the English-language card game’s original collection of Pokémon, Trainer, and Energy cards to a broad international audience.

Base Set was released in the United States on January 9, 1999, after the Pokémon TCG had already debuted in Japan in 1996. The English set contains 102 cards and is associated with the first generation of Pokémon.

The Japanese release is known as the 1st Starter & Expansion Pack, which can cause confusion when comparing set lists across regions. The English Base Set was produced by Wizards of the Coast, while Creatures developed the trading-card game with other Pokémon partners.

The set is especially famous for its holographic Charizard, Blastoise, and Venusaur cards. Later products such as Jungle, Fossil, and Base Set 2 are separate releases rather than alternate names for the first English set. Reprints and special commemorative sets have also reused artwork or themes from the original.