The first major Pokémon Trading Card Game set was called Base Set.
In Japan, the set was released on October 20, 1996, as the First Starter & Expansion Pack. The English edition, known as Base Set, was released in the United States on January 9, 1999, with Wizards of the Coast handling production.
Base Set contains 102 cards based on Pokémon from the first generation. Its cards include iconic characters such as Charizard, Blastoise, Venusaur, Pikachu, and Mewtwo. The set established the visual style and collecting culture that made Pokémon cards a major part of the wider franchise.
Jungle and Fossil are often mistaken for the first set because they were early English expansions. Jungle was the second English expansion, while Fossil was the third. Base Set is also distinct from Base Set 2, a later compilation that reprinted selected cards from earlier releases.