Scarlet & Violet

What Scarlet & Violet is

Scarlet & Violet is the first main expansion of the Scarlet & Violet Series, released in English on March 31, 2023. It has 198 cards in the numbered set plus 60 secret rares, 258 in total, and it combines the Japanese Scarlet ex and Violet ex expansions of January 20, 2023, 108 cards each, with the three ex Starter Sets released the same day. It is the first set to feature Generation IX Pokémon, the Paldea region and the Scarlet and Violet games, with Koraidon ex 125 and Miraidon ex 81 as its focal Pokémon.

The set introduced Pokémon ex, the mechanic that replaced Pokémon V, and the Tera Pokémon ex whose Terastal treatment works in the manner of Ancient Traits, with Arcanine ex and Gyarados ex among the first. Twelve Pokémon ex sit in the numbered set, from Spidops ex 19 to Oinkologne ex 158, and the secret rares from 199 to 258 hold 24 illustration rares, 20 full art ultra rares, 10 special illustration rares and 6 hyper rares, closing with gold Miraidon ex 253, Koraidon ex 254, Nest Ball 255, Rare Candy 256 and two Basic Energy cards.

Scarlet & Violet also changed how English cards look. Yellow borders became gray to match Japan, expansion symbols gave way to expansion and language codes, every Rare became holofoil, packs carried three guaranteed holofoils instead of two, Trainer subcategories moved to the top left corner, Energy cards gained a second symbol in the bottom right and Pokémon Tools became their own Trainer category.

What makes Scarlet & Violet different

• Illustration rares on top The 24 illustration rares at 199 to 222 dominate the set's market, and Drowzee 210, Ralts 211, Slowpoke 204, Riolu 215, Kirlia 212, Greavard 214 and Wiglett 206 hold the top seven places in PSA 10, ahead of every special illustration rare and hyper rare.
• The first Pokémon ex Scarlet & Violet debuted the Pokémon ex mechanic and the Tera Pokémon ex, with Koraidon ex and Miraidon ex as the Legendary faces of the set and Gardevoir ex 86 among its twelve Pokémon ex.
• Gray borders This was the first English set printed with gray borders instead of yellow, bringing international cards in line with Japan and letting the artwork run closer to the edge of the card.
• Three holofoils a pack Every Rare in the set is holofoil and every pack carries three guaranteed holofoils, so the Rare slot no longer distinguishes a holofoil pull from a plain one.
• The Lucario rare Lucario 114, a holofoil rare, ranks in the set's top fifteen in PSA 10 despite costing very little raw, and its Prize Pack print trades separately at a similar level.

How Scarlet & Violet arrived

Scarlet ex and Violet ex released in Japan on January 20, 2023, the same day as the English Crown Zenith, with localized editions on February 3, 2023, February 24, 2023, March 3, 2023 and March 15, 2023. The English Scarlet & Violet followed on March 31, 2023, ten weeks before Paldea Evolved on June 9, 2023, with Prerelease tournaments on the weekends of March 18 to 19 and 25 to 26, 2023 built around Build & Battle Boxes carrying Quaquaval, Pawmot, Hawlucha or Revavroom SVP promos.

The launch came with Koraidon and Miraidon Elite Trainer Boxes, 36 pack Booster Display Boxes with an 18 pack option for Europe, a six pack Booster Bundle, a Collector's Kit and blisters carrying Spidops, Espathra, Arcanine and Dondozo SVP promos. The Build & Battle Stadium and Mini Portfolio followed on April 14, 2023.

The set stayed in print through Knock Out Collections in January 2024 and January 2025, and its rules and design changes carried through every set that followed.

Scarlet & Violet products

Scarlet & Violet was sold in booster packs, Booster Display Boxes, Booster Bundles, two Elite Trainer Boxes, Build & Battle Boxes and blisters. The sealed table above tracks boxes, packs, bundles, Elite Trainer Boxes, Build & Battle products and blisters.

Collecting and grading Scarlet & Violet

The Drowzee 210 illustration rare leads the set in PSA 10, with Ralts 211, Slowpoke 204, Riolu 215, Kirlia 212, Greavard 214 and Wiglett 206 behind it, then Tarountula 199, Armarouge 203 and Pachirisu 208. Dondozo 207, Lucario 114, Fidough 213 and Starly 221 complete the top fifteen. The live chase list above ranks every tracked card by PSA 10 value.

The illustration rares are the whole story of this set's graded market: they cost a few dollars raw and grade many times higher, while the special illustration rares and hyper rares sit below them in PSA 10. The Prize Pack print of Lucario 114 is graded and priced separately from the set print.

Sealed Scarlet & Violet remains widely available, and the sealed table above tracks what boxes, packs, bundles and Elite Trainer Boxes trade for today.