Summary
All across the globe, thePokemon Trading Card Gamehas countless events and tournaments for fans to have a blast with the game, including plenty of rewards and bonuses for all. The ones who help keep each event running are The Pokemon Company’s very own professors.
The Professor Program is a special role for the most die-hard fans of the TCG to commit themselves to helping the event scene stay strong and ensure fair play across any matches as a teacher and officiator. This role requires alot, but you do get exclusive promos out of it and, considering how hard it is to become a professor, these cards are some of the TCG’s rarest.
10Professor’s Research - Professor Turo: Scarlet & Violet (2023 Professor Program Promo, 190) – $20.01
Information From The Future
We are sure that the professors who are part of the Professor Program don’t need to do their own research on this highly playable card. One of themost common Supportersto encounter in modern play is the wonderful Professor’s Research, which has the ability to discard your hand and draw you seven new cards, and this promo features the future-loving Professor Turo with a reverse holo pattern and a rare stamp.
While we did get many reprints of other recognizable professors from previous games, there’s no denying that Turo, as well as Sada, were the two most iconic professors who appeared on the card in the Scarlet & Violet era. It’s great to have this illusive promo be exclusive to the influential professors of this era as they deserve it.
9Roxanne: Astral Radiance (2022 Professor Program Promo, 150) – $23.25
The First Obstacle In Learning
The Rock-type specialist Roxanne from Generation 3 had a surprise appearance on a Supporter card inAstral Radiance,and this card became a solid late game option which disrupts your opponent’s hand. Many players ran Roxanne in their deck thanks to her strong ability to shuffle both players' hands back into their decks, making your opponent draw two, while you get to draw six as long as they have three or fewer Prize Cards remaining.
While Roxanne isn’t a professor in the games, she is the first Gym Leader in Hoenn, which is actually such a subtle yet incredibly fitting promo for a professor of a beloved card. One of the things professors do is teach players how to play the game and coach them, eventually leading to the newcomer testing their skills against the professor in their first proper challenge, just like a Gym in the video games.
8Professor’s Research - Professor Sada: Scarlet & Violet (2023 Professor Program Promo, 189) – $24.20
Knowledge From The Past
Scarlet & Violet introduced Paradox Pokemon, which come either from the distant future or the ancient past, as well as two professors who were each obsessed with their respective time periods. Professor Sada stars in Pokemon Scarlet and in the TCG she has been unearthing some legendary cards featuring herself and this Professor’s Research reprint is no exception.
Giving professors a card featuring the various Pokemon games' professors has been a trend in the Professor Program, and it’s the perfect way to do a promo card for them. Professor’s Research has been a deck staple since its introduction in the Sword & Shield base set and professors have probably seen this card be played thousands of times, meaning it’s more than iconic to them and players alike.
7Professor Elm’s Training Method: Expedition (2006-2007 Professor Program Promo, 167) – $25.50
Vintage In All The Good Ways
This wonderful Supporter deserves nothing more than this exclusive promo to cement its legacy in the TCG’s history. Professor Elm’s Training Method is a card that made evolution decks ten times more playable in the eras it was legal by having the simple yet useful effect of allowing you to search your deck for an evolution Pokemon.
The best part of this card is that it’s from the Wizards of the Coast era set Expedition and was one of the last Professor Program promos to be released by WoTC. The more anime-like style and humor on the card just screams that WotC style we can’t get enough of. Even though this card was printed in a few expansions, this promo is still valuable because of how few are known to be out there.
6Professor’s Research - Professor Rowan: Brilliant Stars (2021 Professor Program Promo, 79) – $27.93
Sinnoh Representation
When the Generation 4 remakes, Pokemon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl, launched, the TCG brought over plenty of love for Sinnoh as well, to celebrate the return to some fans' favorite region. One highlight was this Professor’s Research reprint that features the Generation Four researcher himself, Professor Rowan.
Since this card was only obtainable as a holo rare, this reverse holo version is exclusive to the stamped Professor Program promo, making it more valuable. Professor’s Research is one of those cards that is always handy to get more of and many players of the TCG always appreciate the card. It can become quite the collector’s item when combined with a hard-to-obtain distribution such as this one.
5Sonia: Rebel Clash (2022 Professor Program Promo, 167) – $29.49
Sword & Shield’s Best
One of Sword & Shield’s strong suits is its great cast of characters who all have iconic designs and stories unlike any other region. Outside of rivals, Sonia is one of the characters that appears the most throughout the story, and she has made plenty of appearances in the TCG as well.
While this Sonia card wasn’t the best Supporter at the time of this promo card’s release, being a bit outclassed, she was one of Sword & Shield’s most popular trainers. Sonia’s whole story is about her becoming Galar’s next Professor and this is just like the professors in the Professors Program going from players or staff to professors, making this card the perfect collection piece for professors who are Generation 8 fans.
4Basic Energy: Scarlet & Violet (2023 Professor Program Promo, 1-8) – $37.74 - $45.93
Sprucing Up Your Deck With Professor Exclusives
We have combined all the Scarlet & Violet 2023 Professor Program Basic Energy promo cards into one entry here as they are all roughly the same price since they are all given out in the same way.
Most Professor Program cards are usually some sort of Trainer card and especially so Supporters, but one other card type is Basic Energy cards. A deck is nothing without its Energy cards, and they are some of the easiest ways to make your deck even more fancy to show off against the competition.
These unique Energy card promos were given out to professors who helped out at events in 2023 and feature a beautiful special foil pattern. This foil is unlike any other version printed with this design, and it makes them super-striking in your deck while also showing off appreciation for the professors and everything they do.
3Professor Birch: EX Ruby & Sapphire (2006 Professor Program Promo, 82) – $48.99
Underrated Generation, Wonderful Promo
Generation 3 is always in need of more love for being one of the best generations in the series in both the games and the TCG but unfortunately, many fans overlook both. This card featuring the clumsy Professor Birch was released long before the first print of the notoriously popular Professor’s Research Supporter, but does have a similar effect, allowing you to draw until you have six cards in hand.
In the EX era, the TCG had hit one of its low points with players and this also heavily affected the Professors Program and many events. Promos from this era are some of the most illusive as well, because fewer people obtained them in general. Now many collectors are looking back and seeing how many amazing cards theEX era hadand want a piece of it for themselves driving prices to be much higher.
2League Staff: Vivid Voltage (2020 Professor Program Promo, 153) – $89.99
A Fitting Promo
League Staff is an underwhelming Supporter, but it’s fulfilling its purpose with this promo version that was given out to professors only in 2020. As the name says, this card features two League Staff members from Galar’s Gym Challenge ready to help any Gym Challengers. This was originally printed in Vivid Voltage but was given this beautiful holo treatment and given out to professors at events in 2020.
This card is honestly the most fitting promo a professor could ever receive, as they are pretty much the real-life equivalent of the League Staff, being responsible for making sure events run smoothly and everyone is playing by the rules. If you have ever worked in a staffing role for the TCG, this card is a must-have to represent your history in your collection.
1Voltorb: 151 (2022 Professor Program Promo, 100) – $2,000.00
Prove Your Professor Prowess
This Voltorb card is an extra-special Professor Program promo that has gone on to become one of the most limited English cards around. In 2022, The Pokemon Company introduced a way to make sure their professors are doing well by testing them live at events in Voltorb Drills. These drills involve the professor being tested by a TCG mentor on various elements of their role, and if they manage to pass it, they could be rewarded with a Voltorb promo.
There are two versions of this151 printof the card, a reverse holo one and a special cosmos holo one. The cosmos holo version has very few copies out in the wild, and it is one of the fewest printed cards ever in English. Unfortunately, for all those who want to complete their 151 master set, either card may be near impossible to obtain for a reasonable price.
