Gengar PSA 9 $18,697Gengar-Holo PSA 9 $17,630Reshiram ex PSA 10 $9,224Gengar & Mimikyu GX PSA 10 $7,906Gengar PSA 10 $7,500UMBREON & DARKRAI GX PSA 10 $7,334Special Delivery Pikachu PSA 10 $5,531onix PSA 10 $5,520Dragonite PSA 8 $4,508Umbreon VMAX PSA 10 $4,424Dark Vileplume PSA 10 $4,000Pikachu ex PSA 10 $3,906Pikachu V #SWSH145 BGS 10 $3,906Special Delivery Pikachu #SWSH074 PSA 10 $3,826Giratina PSA 10 $3,380Mega Charizard X ex PSA 10 $2,949Dark Charizard PSA 9 $2,701Lugia-Holo PSA 6 $2,500Mega Dragonite ex PSA 10 $2,473Gengar VMAX PSA 10 $2,320

Japanese VS Pokémon TCG Sets

The Japanese VS era (2001): Pokémon Card VS, the one expansion of Gym Leader and Elite Four Owner's Pokémon with no English equivalent. Card list and prices.

Prices as of: October 20, 2026

Updated

All sets

About the VS era

The VS era is the shortest in the Japanese game: one expansion, Pokémon Card★VS, released on July 19, 2001, with no English equivalent. Every Pokémon in it is an Owner's Pokémon belonging to a Johto Gym Leader, a member of the Johto Elite Four, Team Rocket or the Champion, and the set was the first Japanese expansion to use a numbering system, ordering the Pokémon by the sequence in which players meet the Gym Leaders, then the Elite Four, Team Rocket and the Champion.

The set rewrote a good deal of the game. It introduced the classification of Special Conditions, adding Burned to the list, so cards no longer had to spell out each condition in their text. It introduced Technical Machine cards, which let the Pokémon they are attached to use the attack printed on the card, and a new card design with a rounded artwork window, the Pokémon's species, height and weight beside its Trainer's headshot, the illustrator centered at the bottom and the set symbol at bottom left. It was also the first Japanese expansion to switch the card back from the Pocket Monsters Card Game design to the Pokémon design used on international prints, the first to include Secret cards and the first to release 1st Edition prints.

The product was unusual too. Each booster pack held 30 cards instead of the usual 10 and cost ¥690 instead of ¥300: 12 Pokémon, 4 Trainer cards, 2 Technical Machines, 11 Basic Energy and a holofoil Special Energy, sold in three type pairings, Fighting and Psychic, Water and Fire, and Grass and Lightning, alongside three random Half Decks in the same pairings. The Pokémon Company described it to Wizards of the Coast as a separate and simpler game, which is why nothing like it reached English players.

With one artist illustrating each Trainer's cards, the set has a distinctive look, and collectors chase Karen's Umbreon above everything, then Morty's Gengar, Bugsy's Scizor, Lance's Charizard, Rocket's Tyranitar, Karen's Tyranitar, Rocket's Entei and Jasmine's Steelix. The set hub below carries the full card list, the live chase prices and the editorial history of the release.

  • One expansion, no English version Pokémon Card★VS released on July 19, 2001 as the only expansion of its era, and The Pokémon Company treated it as a separate and simpler game, so it never received an English release.
  • Every card an Owner's Pokémon The Pokémon belong to the Johto Gym Leaders, the Elite Four, Team Rocket and the Champion, and the set numbering follows the order in which players meet them in the games.
  • Special Conditions and Technical Machines The set introduced the Special Conditions classification, adding Burned, and Technical Machine cards that give the attached Pokémon a printed attack.
  • Firsts for the Japanese game The first Japanese expansion with set numbering, Secret cards, 1st Edition prints and the international Pokémon card back.
  • 30 card packs Each booster held 30 cards for ¥690 rather than the usual 10 for ¥300, sold in three type pairings with three matching random Half Decks.

Release timeline

  1. Pokémon VS Series · 142 cards · VS1

Top 10 cards

  1. Bugsy's Scizor from Pokémon VS Series at PSA 10 $4,699.00
  2. Rocket's Suicune from Pokémon VS Series at PSA 10 $1,587.50

Japanese VS Pokémon TCG Sets FAQ

How many sets are in the VS era?

There are 1 published VS era sets in this hub.

When were the VS era sets released?

The published VS era sets were released from July 19, 2001.

What are the top chase cards in the VS era?

The leading tracked chase cards in the VS era are Bugsy's Scizor from Pokémon VS Series, Rocket's Suicune from Pokémon VS Series.

How many sets are in the Japanese VS era?

One. Pokémon Card★VS, released on July 19, 2001 with 141 cards and one secret card, is the only expansion of the era.

Is there an English version of Pokémon VS?

No. The Pokémon Company described the set to Wizards of the Coast as a separate and simpler game, and no English equivalent was released.

What did Pokémon VS introduce?

The Special Conditions classification including Burned, Technical Machine cards, a new card design, set numbering, Secret cards, 1st Edition prints and the international Pokémon card back, all firsts for the Japanese game.

Which Pokémon VS cards do collectors chase most?

Karen's Umbreon leads by a wide margin, followed by Morty's Gengar, Bugsy's Scizor, Lance's Charizard, Rocket's Tyranitar and Karen's Tyranitar. The set hub ranks the chase cards by live PSA 10 value.

Sources