Japanese ADV Pokémon TCG Sets

All sets

About the ADV era

The ADV era, named for Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire's Advanced Generation, is the Japanese first half of the English EX Series. It opened with the Expansion Pack on January 31, 2003, a 55 card set that introduced Generation III Pokémon and Pokémon-ex, significantly stronger Pokémon with holofoil borders that give up two Prize cards when Knocked Out. English players met it as EX Ruby & Sapphire on June 18, 2003.

The main expansions followed quickly. Miracle of the Desert on April 18, 2003, with 53 cards, became EX Sandstorm, and Rulers of the Heavens on June 25, 2003, with 54 cards, became EX Dragon. Undone Seal closed the era on January 16, 2004 with 83 cards built around the legendary giants Regirock, Regice and Registeel, reaching English as EX Hidden Legends on June 14, 2004. Between them came the era's only subset, Enhanced Expansion Pack ex1 Magma VS Aqua: Two Ambitions, on October 24, 2003, with 80 cards. It introduced dual type Pokémon with a secondary type, brought back Owner's Pokémon for the Hoenn villains, and gave Team Magma's Pokémon curvy lines on the artwork window and Team Aqua's Pokémon bubbles. It became EX Team Magma vs Team Aqua on March 15, 2004.

The cards changed shape during the era. The Expansion Pack returned the left border to normal but kept a thicker bottom border for the Dot-Code strip, which by then displayed only the Pokédex entry when scanned. Undone Seal removed the Dot-Code strip, returned the bottom border to normal and introduced a new Reverse Holofoil design with holofoil Energy symbols across the artwork and a faint foil type symbol in the attack box.

The ADV-P Promotional cards ran alongside the expansions from 2003, replacing the earlier T and P suffixes with ADV-P. The set hubs below carry every card list, the live chase prices ranked by PSA 10 value and the editorial history of each release.

• Pokémon-ex arrive The Expansion Pack of January 31, 2003 introduced Generation III Pokémon and Pokémon-ex, stronger Pokémon with holofoil borders that give up two Prize cards when Knocked Out.
• Half of the English EX Series The four main expansions and one subset became EX Ruby & Sapphire, EX Sandstorm, EX Dragon, EX Team Magma vs Team Aqua and EX Hidden Legends, each released in English four to six months after Japan.
• Magma VS Aqua The era's only subset introduced dual type Pokémon, brought back Owner's Pokémon and dressed the two teams' cards differently, curvy lines for Team Magma and bubbles for Team Aqua.
• The end of the Dot-Code Undone Seal removed the e-Reader Dot-Code strip, returned the bottom border to normal and introduced a new Reverse Holofoil design.
• ADV-P promos The ADV-P Promotional cards replaced the T and P suffixes of earlier Japanese promos and ran through the era alongside the expansions.

Release timeline

1. ADV-P Promotional cards January 1, 2003 · 63 cards · ADV-P
2. ADV Expansion Pack January 31, 2003 · 55 cards · ADV1
3. Miracle of the Desert April 18, 2003 · 53 cards · ADV2
4. Rulers of the Heavens June 25, 2003 · 54 cards · ADV3
5. Magma VS Aqua: Two Ambitions October 24, 2003 · 80 cards · ADV4
6. Undone Seal January 16, 2004 · 83 cards · ADV5

Top 10 cards

No card pricing is published yet.

Japanese ADV Pokémon TCG Sets FAQ

How many sets are in the ADV era?

There are 6 published ADV era sets in this hub.

When were the ADV era sets released?

The published ADV era sets were released from January 1, 2003 to January 16, 2004.

What are the top chase cards in the ADV era?

Tracked chase cards are not currently available for the ADV era.

How many sets are in the Japanese ADV era?

Six: the four main expansions Expansion Pack, Miracle of the Desert, Rulers of the Heavens and Undone Seal, the subset Magma VS Aqua: Two Ambitions and the ADV-P Promotional cards.

When did the Japanese ADV era start and end?

It opened with the Expansion Pack on January 31, 2003 and closed with Undone Seal on January 16, 2004, after which the PCG era began.

Which English sets came from the ADV era?

EX Ruby & Sapphire, EX Sandstorm, EX Dragon, EX Team Magma vs Team Aqua and EX Hidden Legends, the first five sets of the English EX Series.

What did the ADV era introduce?

Generation III Pokémon and Pokémon-ex in the Expansion Pack, dual type Pokémon and the return of Owner's Pokémon in Magma VS Aqua: Two Ambitions, and the removal of the Dot-Code strip in Undone Seal.

Sources

• Bulbapedia: List of Japanese Pokémon Trading Card Game expansions, ADV Era
• Bulbapedia: EX Ruby & Sapphire (TCG)
• Bulbapedia: EX Team Magma vs Team Aqua (TCG)
• Slabfolio set hubs for the Japanese ADV era