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The highest HP Pokémon cards

The highest HP Pokémon cards have an astonishingly lofty 340 HP - here are the Pokémon cards with the most outrageously hit point totals.

Highest HP Pokemon cards - Gigantamax Snorlax artwork

The highest HP Pokémon cards are absolute tanks that are difficult for opponents to get rid of. If you want to play with Pokémon cards that can suffer a beating without getting knocked out, we’ll show you the best ones to choose. Once upon a time, the highest HP a Pokémon card could have was 120, but now there are multiple Pokémon with an astounding 340 HP!

Even if you are just starting to learn how to play Pokémon cards it doesn’t take long to realize HP is a pretty important stat. It determines how much damage your pocket monsters can soak up – in other words, what attacks they can survive. Not all the best Pokémon cards have monstrous HP stats, but having lots of hit points definitely makes a card better.

Eternatus VMAX

Eternatus VMAX

The Legendary Pokémon card with the highest HP.

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Eternatus VMAX specifications:
Type Darkness
Set Sword and Shield: Darkness Ablaze
Price estimate $4.50
Release date August 14, 2020
Reasons to buy
  • Four variants with different art to collect
  • Powerful Darkness synergies
  • Manipulates the bench
Reasons to avoid
  • Signature ability is shut down by meta cards
  • Imposes harsh deckbuilding restrictions

Surprisingly the only legendary Pokémon on this list, Eternatus VMAX is a destructive card that can one shot loads of Pokémon, while being almost guaranteed to tank the first hit.

Its attack may seem puny at first, but if you build your deck correctly, using just the Pokémon type Darkness, then it can dish out up to 240 damage, easily handling less HP-blessed Pokémon. This requires quite a bit of set-up, and creates a restriction for your deck-building , but it’s a fun strategy, and getting a wider bench is cool.

Eternatus VMAX never topped the competitive meta, as there were always more consistent, powerful decks around to squeeze it out. This deck was also indirectly hurt by one of the most powerful Pokémon cards, Arceus VSTAR. Because Arceus was so dominant, many players were running Fighting types just to handle it, which hurt poor Eternatus too!

Path to the Peaks is also a really common Stadium Trainer card right now. This shuts down the Eternal Zone, and reduces Eternatus’ attack to just 150.

Garganacl ex

Garganacl ex

Garganacl ex is the tankiest ex card ever printed.

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Garganacl ex specifications:
Type Fighting
Set Stellar Crown
Price estimate $1.75
Release date September 13, 2024
Reasons to buy
  • Basically has 400 HP
  • Synergy with regular Garganacl
Reasons to avoid
  • A bit one note
  • Grass weakness

Garganacl ex is bonkers beefy, perhaps the hardest Pokémon to take out yet. First off, it’s immune to special conditions, which shuts off one avenue an opponent might use to counter it. Second-off, it has the cherished 340 HP, the highest count on a legal Pokémon card.

But our eyes really light up when we take a look at its attack. Block Hammer makes the next attack Garganacl takes deal 60 less damage. At a minimum that effectively gives you 400 HP. You can keep using that move though and getting the damage reduction, making this Pokémon a next-level tank.

We’d be tempted to pair the card with regular Garganacl, which can heal your tank back up!

Copperajah VMAX

Copperajah VMAX

Copperajah VMAX is a high HP Pokémon designed for tanking hits

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Copperajah VMAX specifications:
Type Metal
Set Rebel Clash
Price estimate $2
Release date May 1, 2020
Reasons to buy
  • Deadly attacks
  • Solid Grass resistance
Reasons to avoid
  • No ability
  • Expensive attacks

Copperajah VMAX is a classic tanky Pokémon card, without any bells or whistles. It’s designed to roll with the punches, dealing out damage while surviving attacks, and benefitting from support like healing cards. Really, aside from a decent Grass type resistance, there’s not much more too it that that.

Well, maybe that’s not quite fair. Copperajah VMAX isn’t just a high HP Pokémon card. It also boasts a pretty spectacular damage output. It’s attacks are a bit costly on the energy front, but at least you can use Dangerous Nose to one-shot most Basic Pokémon, if you haven’t reached four energy yet.

Skeledirge ex

Skeledirge ex

Skeledirge ex has masses of HP, and can sing your party back to life.

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Skeledirge ex specifications:
Type Fire
Set Paldea Evolved
Price estimate $0.70
Release date June 9, 2023
Reasons to buy
  • Can heal your Benched Pokémon, and itself
  • Lots of cool art variants
Reasons to avoid
  • Stage 2, so slow to set up
  • Attack gets weaker as it takes damage

If you just look at sheer numbers, you’d think Skeledirge ex was one of the greatest Pokémon cards ever released. It not only has the coveted 340 HP like the other cards on this list, it also has an attack that deals 270 damage, and you only need two energy to pull it off!

Combine that with the utility of its healing power, and you’d think we had the next meta buster on our hands.

But sheer numbers can be deceptive. Despite the enormous HP and attack power, Skeledirge looks much stronger than it is in practice. There are two main reasons for this. Firstly, it’s a Stage 2 Pokémon, which can sadly be too clunky and slow in a world of strong basics and V/VSTAR Pokémon.

Secondly, Skeledirge’s attack gets weaker the more damage it takes. This throttles its damage output as soon as it takes a hit, leaving you in a nasty spot if you can’t immediately heal. At the end of the day, surviving an attack is only useful if you can then hit back.

Palafin ex

Palafin ex

A powerhouse Pokémon with a strange twist

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Palafin ex specifications:
Type Water
Set Twilight Masquerade
Price estimate $3.00
Release date May 24, 2024
Reasons to buy
  • Powerful Pokemon
  • Super flavorful ability
Reasons to avoid
  • Clunky set up

Twilight Masquerade gave Water types their first 340 HP-er, in the form of Palafin ex. At first glance, this Pokemon card looks absurd. It’s only a Stage 1, and it has a high damage 250 HP attack, which it can pull off for a super low energy cost. As you might expect, there is a downside, your Palafin can’t attack the turn after. You’ll have to retreat out, or make use of that high HP total.

Palafin ex’s ability is also a strange one. You can’t put the card into play normally; instead you must have a regular Palafin in the active spot and retreat it from battle. At that point you can search your deck for Palafin ex and swap them – placing the same damage counters and status effects on your new ex Pokemon.

It’s a bit clunky, but a very flavorful reference to Palafin’s Zero to Hero ability in the video game. The tricky part, though, is getting Palafin ex back into play afterwards. You need to set your deck up to make retreating easier.

Palafin is easy to get hold of, as a Palafin ex box was released shortly after it came out, featuring the ex, regular Palafin, and its preevolution Finizen.

Snorlax VMAX

Snorlax VMAX

Genwunners will be happy to see Snorlax get the high HP card it deserves

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Snorlax VMAX specifications:
Type Normal
Set Sword and Shield
Price estimate $6.50
Release date February 7, 2020
Reasons to buy
  • Can benefit from special energy cards
  • Strong in Expanded
Reasons to avoid
  • Can’t hit for weakness

Snorlax VMAX is yet another 340 HP Pokémon – an even bigger version of the Generation 1 roadblock that is Snorlax. Snorlax VMAX is an interesting card because while it never found a spot in Standard, it has had a very successful run in the more powerful Expanded format.

There are a few reasons for this. Firstly, Snorlax VMAX works wonderfully with normal energy cards. Triple Acceleration Energy can power up its attack instantaneously.

That attack gets stronger for every Pokémon you have on the bench, up to a max 210, so you also get to play around with some of the much stronger Abilities available in the Expanded format. The standout here is Zoroak GX, whose Trade effect gives you a constant stream of card advantage.

Certainly, this high HP Pokémon card has a lot more going for it than meets the eye.

Tyranitar ex

Tyranitar ex

Tyranitar ex is a Tera Pokémon that can withstand and deal a heavy hit

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Tyranitar ex specifications:
Type Lightning
Set Obsidian Flames
Price estimate $2
Release Date August 11, 2023
Reasons to buy
  • Unusual synergies
  • Efficient attacks
  • Strong in standard
Reasons to avoid
  • 250 damage still can’t KO most VSTAR/VMAX
  • Strengths may not outweigh Stage 2 status

An old favorite reimagined with a new typing, Tyranitar ex is a monster. It comes with 340 HP again (by now you might be thinking this is the norm, but remember, that much health, by itself, is exceptional) and has two very efficient attacks that can deal a lot of damage.

Lightning Rampage is, of course, the main draw of the card. For the bargain price of just two fighting energy, you can deal 250 damage, provided you have a damaged Pokémon on your bench.

While it requires some set up, this allows for combos with cards that don’t see play in any other deck. For instance, you can get a lot of mileage out of 151’s Dodrio, drawing cards and powering up Tyranitar in one fell swoop.

For more teaching about everyone’s favorite colorful cartoon battle pets, check out the best Charizard Pokémon cards. Or find out how many Pokémon there are right now.