
Pokémon sets are collections of cards launched as part of a larger series. There are 133 sets in total going all the way back to the original Base Set. The largest series is Sword & Shield which features 28 sets including Brilliant Stars, Evolving Skies, and Crown Zenith. If you’re thinking about the best Pokemon sets to buy, we can help you out.
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Pokémon trading cards have been around since 1996 and since then have launched roughly 18,000 unique cards. The launch began with the Base Set which contained 102 different cards. These featured an iconic generation of Pokémon characters including Pikachu, Charizard, and Venusaur. They came a few years before Yu Gi Oh! sets, and definitely kick started the popularity of trading cards.
A Pokémon set is basically a collection of cards that are all released at the same time with a common theme. Each Pokémon set is also released as part of a larger series. There are currently 19 different Pokémon series, which all contain 1-28 sets.
To understand which Pokémon sets are the most popular, we’ve first got to look at the most popular series. As with baseball card sets, there’s some debate around which series are the most popular. But generally, the Sword & Shield Series is one of the most sought after modern collections and it also happens to be the biggest too.
The Brilliant Stars set contains 172 cards and 15 secret cards. This set marked the introduction of the Trainer Gallery, which gave you a chance to get a Hit with every pack. It was also the first to introduce the VSTAR Mechanic which then reproduced for future cards. There are Alternate Arts in this set, including a Charizard and an Arceus. Top cards from this set are:
Evolving Skies features 203 cards and 34 secret cards focusing heavily on Eevee and its evolutions. This set boasts 17 Alternate Arts which have all become fan favorites, including the Umbreon VMAX Secret Rare #215 Alternate Art - the most sought after card. Top cards include:
Astral Radiance was the second set to introduce the VSTAR Mechanic after Brilliant Stars, and include the Trainer Gallery too. Overall it's a solid set with 189 cards total (27 secret) and some strong Alternate Arts. This of course includes the undisputed #1 chase card of the set: Machamp V (Alternate Art #172). Other popular cards include:
This set strikes a good balance between Alternate Arts worth chasing and popular Pokémon like the legendary birds. It includes 198 cards and 35 secret cards. There are some pretty popular cards in this set including:
It’s no secret that some Pokémon sets contain more high value cards than others. There are a few key reasons that a set would be high value such as the release date (e.g., vintage), short print runs or just having iconic chase cards.
| High value sets | Released | No. of cards | Top cards | Reason for high value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Base set | 1999 | 102 |
| 1st edition Base Set |
| Skyridge | 2003 | 144 |
| Very short print run, Crystal cards |
| Ancient Origins | 2015 | 98 |
| Secret Rare Shiny legendary cards |
| EX Holon Phantoms | 2006 | 110 |
| Gold Star cards are extremely rare |
Some Pokémon sets are collected for their high value cards, others are collected for nostalgia, but what about the sets that are just iconic? There are two main sets we’d like to discuss here: Hidden Fates and Crown Zenith.
Hidden Fates is part of the Sun & Moon series, featuring 68 cards and one secret card. So what makes this set so iconic? Well, it’s all about the Shiny cards. The Hidden Fates set contains a Shiny Vault subset which includes 94 Shiny cards, in addition to the original 68. Hidden Fates is considered to be the set that kick started the Shiny-hunting craze. The most popular Shiny cards are:
Crown Zenith was the grand finale to the Sword & Shield series which we’ve already discussed as being the largest. But again with Crown Zenith, it’s not the original 159 cards that make it iconic, it’s the subset. The Galarian Gallery is packed with stunning gold and Alternate Art cards. There are 70 in total and we want them all. But if we had to choose, here are our favorites:
At mystery box platforms you can rip Pokémon card packs to find hundreds of cards inside. This is a great way to build up your Pokémon sets, as there are a range of packs to choose from. Basic packs tend to be around $15 containing mostly commonly found cards. Although it is possible to pull cards that are worth more than this, just like when hunting for Magic The Gathering sets.
Each site tends to have similar levels of card packs, with higher priced packs offering higher potential value cards. Below we’ll explore what Pokémon cards you could pick up with different mystery packs, keeping in mind that each platform will be slightly different.
These are great packs for beginners, with a reasonable starting price of $15-25. When we took a look at some recent pulls, we found quite a few that had a higher value than the pack price. This included a Blastoise #4 Holo Rare card from the Expedition Base Set, released in 2002. We also noticed a Charizard #4 Holo card from the Base Set had just been pulled too.
There’s some brilliant potential cards to be pulled in these packs, similar to the packs of this level for One Piece sets. This includes cards from the popular Sun & Moon set like Latias & Latios GX #170, Tag Team GX All Stars #222 and Lugia GX #159.
Collecting the Skyridge set? This could be the pack to do it with. We found multiple cards from this set that had recently been pulled such as Poliwrath - Holo #H24 and Umbreon - Reverse #32.
There are some unbelievable pulls from the Base Set with this pack such as the iconic Charizard 1st Edition Holo #4. Collecting cards from the Base Set is incredibly popular due to the nostalgia and value of these cards.
With these mystery packs you could also have the chance to pull promotional sets like the Japanese XY & XY Break series. Pikachu wearing a Charizard poncho anyone? This exclusive card was never printed in English, and it carries a market value of over $24k.
There are loads of Pokémon sets to collect and no time like the present to get started. The most popular sets are probably the Base Set and the sets within the Sword & Shield series. Special mention also goes to Hidden Fates for its Shiny Vault subset. Mystery box sites are full of Pokémon card packs from $15 all the way up to $10,000. You won’t know which Pokémon set you’ll be adding to until you rip it open, but that’s all part of the fun.
Find recommended sites in the page banners, and start exploring the Pokémon mystery packs.
There are 133 Pokémon sets within 19 different series. Each set focuses on a specific theme or niche, but usually contains different versions of the Pokémon you know and love.
Well isn’t that the million dollar question! The Base Set is forever a fan favorite because it was the one that started them all. The Brilliant Stars, Evolving Skies and Astral Radiance sets are all super popular.
Cards from the Base Set will typically hold their value because they’re vintage. The Skyridge, Ancient Origins and EX Holon Phantoms sets all contain high value cards so it’s a good idea to keep an eye out for them.