Skyridge

What Skyridge is

Skyridge is the third and final expansion of the e-Card Series, released in English on May 12, 2003 under the set code SK. Its numbered set runs to 144 cards, with the six Crystal Pokémon at 145 to 150 as secret rares and 32 holofoil rares numbered separately from H1 to H32, 182 cards in all. Every card carries an e-Reader Dot-Code strip, and the set combines two Japanese expansions, Split Earth and Mysterious Mountains.

It was the last expansion Wizards of the Coast produced before losing the license, and because of that it received only one print run, which is why Skyridge prices climbed so far above its neighbors. The set introduced the Mystery Plate mechanic and evolved Pokémon with healing effects that trigger when Energy is attached, alongside the Crystal Type Poké-Body carried over from Aquapolis. Grass is the most represented type at 29 cards, and Mitsuhiro Arita and Atsuko Nishida drew 12 cards each.

Skyridge was also the last set to include a Kadabra card until 151 in 2023.

What makes Skyridge different

• One print run Wizards of the Coast lost the license after Skyridge, so the set was printed once and never reprinted. Its booster boxes and holofoils are the scarcest of the Wizards era.
• Six Crystal Pokémon Celebi 145, Charizard 146, Crobat 147, Golem 148, Ho-Oh 149 and Kabutops 150 carry the Crystal Type Poké-Body, which changes their type to match the Energy attached, and Crystal Charizard is the most valuable card in the set.
• H numbered holofoils Like Aquapolis, Skyridge numbers its 32 holofoil rares separately with an H prefix, and the H set has its own stars: Gengar H9, Umbreon H30, Vaporeon H31, Gyarados H10, Flareon H7, Articuno H3 and Arcanine H2.
• Reverse holofoils that trade like holos The Mirror Reverse Holofoil prints of Charizard 146, Gengar 10, Umbreon 32 and Ditto 51 sit high on the graded list in their own right, a rarity for reverse holofoils of any era.
• The first three type Theme Deck The Eeveelution Theme Deck was the first to use three types, Fire, Water and Lightning for Flareon, Vaporeon and Jolteon, while Mind Machine used Technical Machines to cover all six basic Energy types.

How Skyridge arrived

Japan released Split Earth on August 23, 2002 and Mysterious Mountains on October 4, 2002 as the fourth and fifth expansions of the e-Card era. The English Skyridge combined them on May 12, 2003, four months after Aquapolis, and a German edition followed on August 15, 2003. Two months after Skyridge, on July 18, 2003, EX Ruby & Sapphire opened the Nintendo era of the English game.

The Eeveelution and Mind Machine Theme Decks released with the set, each with a metal coin, rulebook, damage counters, card list and one random Mirror Reverse Holofoil card from the expansion. With Wizards of the Coast's tenure ending, there was no second wave of product and no reprint, and the set's scarcity became the defining fact of its market.

Skyridge products and what came in them

Skyridge sold in booster packs, 36 pack booster boxes, blister packs and the two Theme Decks, all from a single print run. The sealed table above tracks the box, pack, blister and the Mind Machine deck.

Collecting and grading Skyridge

Kouki Saitou's Crystal Charizard 146 leads the live prices above, followed by Gengar H9, Umbreon H30, Crystal Ho-Oh 149, Crystal Celebi 145, Vaporeon H31 and Gyarados H10, then the reverse holofoil Charizard, Crystal Crobat 147, Flareon H7, the reverse holofoil Gengar and Umbreon, Articuno H3, the reverse holofoil Ditto 51 and Arcanine H2. Almost every holofoil and Crystal card in the set carries a meaningful raw price, which is rare for a set of this size.

Grading is punishing. e-Card holofoils show scratches and print lines, the Dot-Code border chips, and PSA 10 populations on the top cards are small, so the gap between PSA 9 and PSA 10 is enormous and a PSA 9 is a realistic result for most raw copies. Check the holofoil surface, the borders and the reverse for the print defects common to the era before submitting.

Sealed Skyridge is among the most expensive product in the hobby because there was only one run. The sealed table above tracks what boxes, packs, blisters and the Mind Machine deck trade for today.