Lt. Surge runs the Vermilion Gym in Pokémon Red, Blue, Yellow, FireRed, LeafGreen and the Let's Go games, and is still there in Gold, Silver, Crystal, HeartGold and SoulSilver. He specializes in Electric types and awards the Thunder Badge, plus TM24 (Thunderbolt) in the Generation I games. His Red and Blue team is Voltorb, Pikachu and Raichu; in Yellow he fights with a lone Raichu.
The Trainers in his Gym fill in his past: electric Pokémon saved him during a war, he was a strict and cautious commanding officer in the Army, and he is rumored to have flown a plane powered by Pokémon electricity. His Gym hides its leader behind a trash-can switch puzzle, a trap that fits his slightly paranoid streak.
In Electric Shock Showdown, Surge mocks Ash's Pikachu for staying unevolved, and his Raichu flattens it in their first battle. In the rematch Pikachu uses Agility to stay out of reach, grounds itself with its tail when Raichu's Thunderbolt wrecks the Gym, and wins once Raichu has burned through its power, earning Ash the Thunder Badge.
Lt. Surge's English cards open with Gym Heroes (August 14, 2000): his own holo Trainer card, holo Owner's Pokémon Lt. Surge's Electabuzz, Fearow and Magneton, a Rare Lt. Surge's Raichu, and commons and uncommons such as his Pikachu, Voltorb, Magnemite, Rattata and Spearow. Gym Challenge (October 16, 2000) added a holo Lt. Surge's Raichu, Lt. Surge's Eevee and Jolteon, Electrode and more, plus the Trainer card Lt. Surge's Secret Plan.
His later cards are Supporters. Lt. Surge's Strategy arrived in Unbroken Bonds (2019) and was reprinted in Hidden Fates, and Lt. Surge's Bargain came in Mega Evolution (September 2025), with a full-art Ultra Rare by Hideki Ishikawa and a Special Illustration Rare by osare.
His own holo Trainer card from Gym Heroes.
The holo version of his signature Pokémon.
His first Raichu card, a Rare in Gym Heroes.
One of his three holo Owner's Pokémon in Gym Heroes.
The Special Illustration Rare of his 2025 Supporter, illustrated by osare.
He is the Electric-type Gym Leader of Vermilion City in Kanto and awards the Thunder Badge.
Raichu. In Red and Blue his team is Voltorb, Pikachu and Raichu; in Yellow and in his anime battles with Ash he relies on Raichu alone.
Lt. Surge's Strategy (Unbroken Bonds, 2019, reprinted in Hidden Fates) and Lt. Surge's Bargain (Mega Evolution, 2025). His Gym-era Trainer cards predate the Supporter category.
| # | Card | Set | Year | Rarity | Price | 30D | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lt. Surge's Raichu | Gym Challenge | 2000 | Holo Rare | Holo Unlimited | $84.41guide | +3.0% |
| 2 | Lt. Surge's Electabuzz | Gym Heroes | 2000 | Holo Rare | Holo Unlimited | $54.12guide | +0.0% |
| 3 | Lt. Surge | Gym Heroes | 2000 | Holo Rare | Holo Unlimited | $43.62guide | +7.2% |
| 4 | Lt. Surge's Fearow | Gym Heroes | 2000 | Holo Rare | Holo Unlimited | $42.11guide | +4.0% |
| 5 | Lt. Surge's Magneton | Gym Heroes | 2000 | Holo Rare | Holo Unlimited | $26.60guide | -0.4% |
| 6 | Lt. Surge's Jolteon | Gym Challenge | 2000 | Rare | Unlimited | $24.41guide | +1.5% |
| 7 | Lt. Surge's Raichu | Gym Heroes | 2000 | Rare | Unlimited | $23.69guide | -5.0% |
| 8 | Lt. Surge's Bargain | Mega Evolution | 2025 | Special illustration rare | Holo | $12.25guide | -10.9% |
| 9 | Lt. Surge's Eevee | Gym Challenge | 2000 | Uncommon | Unlimited | $11.59guide | +0.5% |
| 10 | Lt. Surge's Pikachu | Gym Challenge | 2000 | Common | Unlimited | $10.71guide | -12.1% |
Ranked by each card’s main print in near-mint raw condition. 1st Edition, Shadowless and other versions are priced on each card’s page. The table updates live.
Lt. Surge's card value is concentrated at the top: the ten leading cards hold 92 percent of the total, so a small group of prints sets the market. The most valuable Lt. Surge card is Lt. Surge's Fearow, a Holo Rare from Gym Heroes in 2000. All 30 Lt. Surge cards carry a market value, and they span the years 2000 to 2025. Of those, 21 are Pokémon cards and 9 are Trainer cards.
Lt. Surge's Fearow from Gym Heroes (2000) leads the most valuable Lt. Surge cards by 2.2 times over the next card, the Gym Heroes Lt. Surge Trainer, also a 2000 Holo Rare. Third is Lt. Surge's Raichu from Gym Challenge (2000), another Holo Rare, and fourth is Lt. Surge's Electabuzz from Gym Heroes, again a Holo Rare. A holo is a card with a foil-treated illustration box, so the top four Lt. Surge cards are all holos from the two Gym sets.
Lt. Surge card value comes overwhelmingly from the WOTC era, which supplies 23 of the twenty-five leading cards and 9 of the top ten, while the Mega Evolution era supplies the other 2 of the twenty-five. Vintage here means the WOTC era, and modern is every later era, so the split is 9 vintage to 1 modern in the top ten and 23 vintage to 2 modern in the top twenty-five. The newest leader is Lt. Surge's Bargain from Mega Evolution (2025), 9th overall.
Among the ten leading Lt. Surge cards, 5 are Holo Rare, 2 are Rare, and there is 1 each of Common, Uncommon and Special illustration rare. Widening to the twenty-five leaders, the Lt. Surge cards break down as 7 Uncommon, 6 Common, 5 Holo Rare, 5 Rare, 1 Special illustration rare and 1 Ultra Rare. Lt. Surge's Pikachu from Gym Challenge, a Common, ranks 5th, and Lt. Surge's Eevee, an Uncommon from the same set, ranks 10th.
Among 110 characters with priced cards, Lt. Surge ranks 18th by the value of the single leading card. By the combined value of the ten leaders, Lt. Surge ranks 12th of 24 characters with priced cards. The ten leaders hold 92 percent of the total, so the Lt. Surge card market rests on a narrow set of prints, mostly the Gym Heroes and Gym Challenge sets from 2000.
Written from market data as of October 29, 2026; the table updates live.

GYM LEADER
9 Trainer cards · 21 partner Pokémon
Lt. Surge is the Electric-type Gym Leader of Vermilion City in Kanto, a soldier and pilot whose signature Pokémon is Raichu. His cards run from Gym Heroes and Gym Challenge in 2000 through the Supporters Lt. Surge's Strategy (2019) and Lt. Surge's Bargain (2025).
Lt. Surge's BargainMega Evolution · 185$12.25—50Quant score50 / 100
Lt. Surge's PikachuGym Challenge · 84 · Normal · Unlimited$10.71-9.1%30Quant score30 / 100
Lt. Surge's PikachuGym Heroes · 81 · Normal · Unlimited$7.73+0.8%36Quant score36 / 100
Lt. Surge's RaichuGym Heroes · 28 · Normal · Unlimited$23.690.0%29Quant score29 / 100
Lt. Surge's BargainMega Evolution · 170$0.85-4.5%48Quant score48 / 100
Lt. Surge's JolteonGym Challenge · 28 · Normal · Unlimited$24.41-0.3%57Quant score57 / 100
Lt. Surge's EeveeGym Challenge · 51 · Normal · Unlimited$11.59-1.4%38Quant score38 / 100
Lt. Surge's ElectabuzzGym Heroes · 27 · Normal · Unlimited$9.49-1.1%39Quant score39 / 100
Lt. Surge's Secret PlanGym Challenge · 107 · Normal · Unlimited$6.220.0%37Quant score37 / 100
Lt. Surge's RattataGym Challenge · 85 · Normal · Unlimited$1.320.0%75Quant score75 / 100
Lt. SurgeGym Heroes · 101 · Normal · Unlimited$4.89+0.4%44Quant score44 / 100
Lt. Surge's ElectrodeGym Challenge · 52 · Normal · Unlimited$2.900.0%36Quant score36 / 100
Lt. Surge's MagnemiteGym Heroes · 50 · Normal · Unlimited$2.240.0%76Quant score76 / 100
Lt. Surge's TreatyGym Heroes · 112 · Normal · Unlimited$2.070.0%78Quant score78 / 100
Lt. Surge's MagnemiteGym Heroes · 80 · Normal · Unlimited$0.730.0%35Quant score35 / 100
Lt. Surge's VoltorbGym Heroes · 84 · Normal · Unlimited$0.780.0%67Quant score67 / 100
Lt. Surge's RattataGym Heroes · 82 · Normal · Unlimited$0.69-1.4%25Quant score25 / 100
Lt. Surge's RaticateGym Challenge · 53 · Normal · Unlimited$2.270.0%54Quant score54 / 100
Lt. Surge's SpearowGym Heroes · 83 · Normal · Unlimited$0.740.0%27Quant score27 / 100
Lt. Surge's RaticateGym Heroes · 51 · Normal · Unlimited$1.42+1.4%25Quant score25 / 100
Lt. Surge's VoltorbGym Challenge · 86 · Normal · Unlimited$0.90-2.2%43Quant score43 / 100
Lt. Surge's SpearowGym Heroes · 52 · Normal · Unlimited$1.030.0%73Quant score73 / 100
Lt. Surge’s StrategyHidden Fates · 60$0.180.0%45Quant score45 / 100
Lt. Surge's BargainMega Evolution · 120 · Normal$0.150.0%47Quant score47 / 100
Lt. Surge’s StrategyUnbroken Bonds · 178$0.27+3.8%60Quant score60 / 100