Team Galactic

Team Galactic in the games: Cyrus and the Spear Pillar

Team Galactic is the villainous team of Pokémon Diamond and Pearl, their remakes Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, and Platinum. Its boss, Cyrus, wants to summon Dialga or Palkia and use its power to end the universe and build a new one for himself, a world without spirit. The player first runs into Team Galactic grunts in Jubilife City, then fights Mars at the Valley Windworks, Jupiter at the Eterna City building and the whole operation at its headquarters in Veilstone City.

The commanders split up to go after the lake guardians: after the player beats Saturn at Lake Valor and Mars at Lake Verity, Jupiter beats the player's rival at Lake Acuity before the player can get there. The story climaxes at the Spear Pillar on Mt. Coronet. Platinum adds a fourth commander, Charon, and changes the ending: Cyrus uses a duplicate Red Chain to control both Dialga and Palkia, and Giratina drags him into the Distortion World.

Every senior member is named after an object in the Solar System. Mars, Jupiter and Saturn are planets, Charon is the largest moon of Pluto, and Cyrus comes from an ancient Persian word for the Sun.

Team Galactic on cards: Supporters and Inventions

The team's name first reached cards on two Ken Sugimori Supporters. Team Galactic's Wager (Mysterious Treasures, 2007) makes both players shuffle their hands into their decks and play rock-paper-scissors: the winner draws up to six cards and the loser up to three. Team Galactic's Mars (Secret Wonders, 2007) draws two cards and sends a random card from the opponent's hand to the bottom of their deck.

Platinum and Rising Rivals (both 2009) added the numbered Team Galactic's Invention cards, all built around Pokémon SP, the era's line of Pokémon belonging to special Trainers. G-101 Energy Gain is a Pokémon Tool that cuts an attack cost; G-103 Power Spray, G-105 Poké Turn and G-109 SP Radar are Items; and G-107 Technical Machine G is a Technical Machine that lends an attack to a Pokémon SP.

How collectors approach Team Galactic's cards

Every card with Team Galactic in its name is an Uncommon Trainer from 2007 to 2009, so the appeal is thematic rather than rarity driven. The Invention cards read as a numbered series (G-101 through G-109) and are usually collected together, often beside the Pokémon SP cards they were made to support.

Cards to know

• Team Galactic's Wager (Mysterious Treasures #115)

  Team Galactic's first card, a Ken Sugimori Supporter that settles a hand refresh with rock-paper-scissors.

• Team Galactic's Mars (Secret Wonders #126)

  A Supporter for commander Mars that draws two cards and tucks one of the opponent's cards away.

• Team Galactic's Invention G-101 Energy Gain (Platinum #116)

  The lowest number in the Invention series, a Pokémon Tool that makes a Pokémon SP's attacks cheaper.

• Team Galactic's Invention G-107 Technical Machine G (Rising Rivals #95)

  The Invention card that works as a Technical Machine, giving a Pokémon SP an extra attack.

• Team Galactic's Invention G-109 SP Radar (Rising Rivals #96)

  The highest number in the Invention series, an Item that searches the deck for a Pokémon SP.