The Best Pokemon TCG Expansions

Summary

• Pokemon TCG thrives online, accessible to all.
• Expansions introduce new cards, moves, regions.
• Best sets: Sword & Shield, Brilliant Stars, Dragon Vault.

With the increasing popularity of the online Pokemon TCG

, the Pokemon brand continues to surge forward in all media and make competitive play more accessible to anyone who’s ever wanted to try it out. Overall, it’s a great card game. Each trainer has one active Pokemon at a time to battle with and a maximum of five Pokemon ready to go on the bench.

Expansions introduce new cards, moves, and regions into the TCG scene. Some of the biggest game-changers were EX, GX, and V cards, including others such as BREAK and Tag Team variants. Taking rare chase cards, total card pool, bulk pricing, and significance into account, here are the best Pokemon TCG expansions.

Updated March 20, 2025, by Ryan Hay: There are plenty of sets to collect in the Pokemon Trading Card game, and as more and more are introduced every year, the list of best sets continuously grows. While not every set can be the best, two amazing sets have been released since the last time we revisited this list. Prismatic Evolutions and Stellar Crown join the list, with some of the coolest and most beautiful cards around releasing in these sets. If you’re on the hunt for something new to track down, you can always take a peek into these exceptional sets.

27

Sword & Shield Base Set

Release Date: February 7, 2020

With the Scarlet & Violet base set in the rear-view mirror, it’s a great time to look back and appreciate the set that kicked off the previous generation.

The Sword and Shield era included the first V cards and had some of the strongest ones ever released.

While the set isn’t packed with pure power like others, such as Darkness Ablaze, the high end is sky-high. Zacian V, released in this set, is one of the best cards ever printed for the Pokemon TCG. With an incredible ability and a great attack, Zacian dominated the game. The coincidental Steel-type synergy also boosted its usability.

26

Darkness Ablaze

Release Date: August 14, 2020

Darkness Ablaze from the Sword & Shield era will likely go down as one of the better sets of the game. Not only are its rare and legendary cards like Eternatus interesting examples of powerful competitive staples, but it features an exceptionally strong number of non-legendary cards that pack huge power to make it all-around powerful.

A great example is the Mad Party group of Pokemon, which were mostly commons and uncommon with an attack that could combo with other Pokemon with the Mad Party attack. Another incredible example is the staple Charizard VMAX, one of the best VMAX cards.

25

Shining Fates

Release Date: February 19, 2021

A set like Shining Fates that includes shiny forms of beloved Pokemon will always have value as it offers something unique. Since this Pokemon TCG expansion set didn’t have booster boxes like normal sets, the scarcity and built-in collector value were there from the start.

While this may seem like a flaw, it also happened to be one of the biggest sets during the Pokemon Sword & Shield era, with over 100 shiny Pokemon cards and 30 others that were either V or VMAX, which are chase cards in their own right.

24

Champion’s Path

Release Date: September 25, 2020

Leaning much more on the collector’s end of the spectrum of Pokemon TCG sets is Champion’s Path, a recent set that was especially expensive out of the gate. This is because packs of this set weren’t available as standalone products, instead being offered as additional content in packs like the Elite Trainer Box and Pin Collection Sets.

This set has tons of gorgeous V and V-Max cards but also a large number of rainbow foil and shiny cards, such as the elusive Shiny Charizard V card. Many are extremely high-value, while others are just quite powerful, and getting a few of them can be a great addition to any serious Pokemon collector’s binder.

23

Prismatic Evolutions

Release date: January 17, 2025

The fourth special expansion from the Scarlet & Violet Series, this set focused heavily on Eevee and its Eevelutions, with tons of Tera Pokemon to collect. All the Eevelutions show up as Ex cards in this set, and since they double as Tera Pokemon, they have some unique Energy costs for their attacks, making them stand out among the long history of this special evolutionary line.

Perhaps the coolest feature of the set is the addition of special new foil types of cards featuring Poke Ball or Master Ball imprints etched into the foiling of special cards.

22

Hidden Fates

Release Date: August 23, 2019

Hidden Fates is a special set that garnered a lot of attention in recent years as collectors focused on landing many of the various full-art shiny Pokemon cards featured in the set.

Hidden Fates is more of a hobby/collector-focused release that doesn’t commit to individual booster pack sales but instead shoots for other types of products for consumers to get their hands on.

21

Dragon Vault

Release Date: October 5, 2012

Dragon Vault is a set that will most likely be valuable to collectors more than anyone else, as it’s an extremely small set with only one type of Pokemon. As the title suggests, that would be the Dragon-type, but the main purpose of this set was to introduce the new Dragon Energy symbol that’s still used in the game today.

This was an especially controversial set, as it brought a huge new element to the game that wasn’t available in most standard packs. It’s an odd piece of history that’ll likely go up in value as time goes on and is even more novel for players who adore the iconic Dragon-type Pokemon it featured from the first few generations of the franchise.

20

BREAKthrough

Release Date: November 4, 2015

As the first XY Break expansion, XY Breakthrough introduced the BREAK cards. Unlike other upgraded Pokemon card types, BREAK cards require the evolution mechanic to work. Still, by not sacrificing your turn, they provided a much better alternative to Mega Evolution for those wanting to upgrade their base Pokemon.

Understandably, there are only 35 BREAK cards, 6 of which were introduced with Breakthrough. Despite this small pool, the booster packs don’t have a fantastic pull rate compared to some of the others on the list, meaning this set isn’t as recommended for collectors as it is for players.

19

Forbidden Light

Release Date: May 4, 2018

Forbidden Light is the sixth expansion released for the Sun & Moon era, but it focuses on the Kalos region Pokemon rather than Alola. However, it does emphasize the Ultra Beasts, something we have seen very little of throughout the entire TCG.

Forbidden Light holds a whopping 26 Pokemon-GX cards out of the total 146 in the set, making it a huge benefit for anyone wanting to get into competitive play. On top of that, it introduces five new Prism Star cards and has some entertaining theme decks for beginners, making this set great for all players.

18

Brilliant Stars

Release Date: February 25, 2022

Brilliant Stars is a recent set, but it does have a solid case to belong on this list. In addition to a new mechanic and Pokemon card type in VSTAR, the set also includes incredible full-art trainer cards displaying some of the series’ most iconic trainers alongside their most notable Pokemon companions.

When a set can be valuable and interesting to both those who play the card game competitively and those who simply collect rare cards, you have a rather special expansion set on your hands.

17

Stellar Crown

Release Date: September 13, 2024

The seventh main expansion from the Scarlet & Violet series, Stellar Crown takes ex Pokemon to new heights with Stellar Tera Pokemon and some neat ACE SPEC cards to power up your decks with.

Terapagos is the featured Pokemon of this set, with a bunch of cards inspired by The Indigo Disk DLC from the main Pokemon Scarlet and Violet game. Stellar type is shown off for the first time in this set, and all have a three Energy special attack that typically has an exceptionally powerful ability with it.

16

Black & White Plasma Freeze

Release Date: May 8, 2013

The Black & White Plasma Freeze set essentially takes after a similar style to classic sets like Gym Heroes, with the main twist being that many Pokemon introduced are owned by villainous members of Team Plasma.

This came with all sorts of unique passive abilities, and nearly any set in the Plasma series ended up being extremely fun and innovative because of it. It’s distant enough to be quite different from modern cards but is definitely more powerful and usable than the classic original sets of the game.

15

Fusion Strike

Release Date: November 12, 2021

This expansion started with a decent reception, but much like many of the other top sets from Sword & Shield, time has been exceedingly kind to Fusion Strike and its valuable collection of cards. Gengar and Espeon VMAX once were about $100 each, but with their prices roughly tripled, Fusion Strike continues to make waves.

Whether you love the bold and hectic Gengar artwork or prefer a calm, relaxing nap with Espeon, Fusion Strikes combines styles to offer something for everyone.

14

Primal Clash

Release Date: February 4, 2015

Primal Clash brought Kyogre and Groudon to the forefront for the release of Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire. The artwork features both Legendary Pokemon’s Primal Reversion forms, featured in the video game as their new Mega Evolutions. The TCG’s Primal cards are classified as Pokemon-EX, like Mega Evolutions.

This one also comes with a large variety of Trainer cards, great for anyone trying to change their play style or create a custom deck. It ended up being a great companion to Pokemon Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire and an enjoyable set to play overall.

13

Black & White Legendary Treasures

Release Date: November 6, 2013

The final wave for the Black & White line came out with a bang. Though the cards predate Mega Evolutions, it still boasts 16 possible Pokemon-EX pulls, including those from the Radiant Collection. Comparatively, this set has many holographic cards, making it great for those who like collecting the cards rather than battling.

But for those who enjoy battling, the hilarious Trainer Card “Cedric Juniper” is sure to spice up your battles on and offline.

However, this expansion never had any Theme Decks attached to it, making it the second expansion in the Pokemon Trading Card Game’s history. This has made it extremely elusive and one of the more expensive sets to purchase, even though the cards aren’t the rarest in the game.

12

X&Y Evolutions

Release Date: November 2, 2016

The Pokemon TCG did something very unique and risky with X&Y Evolutions. They completely forewent the newer cards and made a set of complete reprints and retrains of the original era cards. The looks, styling, and art on these cards are very nostalgic, and as discussed, nostalgia sells.

The set did have some new additions with Mega Evolution cards. The original cards were also power crept to death and thus were retrained and brought up to speed. Electrode from this set saw some competitive play, but this is mostly a collector’s set.

11

X&Y Roaring Skies

Release Date:

Roaring Skies is one of those sets that makes you question if any set will live up to it. It packed so much power, and due to its age and high-rarity cards, it’s also quite valuable nowadays. The crown jewel of this set is, without a doubt, Shaymin-EX.

Shaymin-EX was an incredible power card with high splashability on any deck. So much so that almost any deck played it at the time. Other amazing cards in this set include Mega Rayquaza, Wally, VS Seeker, Trainer’s Mail, and Ultra Ball. A set with incredible cards both in terms of strength and in terms of numbers.

10

Dragon Frontiers

Release Date: November 8, 2006

Dragon Frontiers is one of the best sets from the Ex era and boasts an unparalleled roster of valuable cards to collect. From the premier shiny Pokemon like Mew and Charizard to some other popular inclusions like Rayquaza and Salamence, there are plenty of cards you’ll want from Dragon Frontiers.

While there’s no doubt that this set has some awesome ex Pokemon to look for, it’s impossible to ignore the Charizard and Mew Gold Star cards that sit on the throne, as they eclipse the value of other cards in the set by hundreds of dollars.

9

Generations

Release Date: February 22, 2016

Nostalgia sells. Released during the XY Break series, the expansion was released to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Pokemon franchise and had a hugely refreshing amount of original Pokemon compared to newer sets loving to focus on new species from recent games.

The collector’s box and exclusivity of the booster packs generate appeal for this expansion. However, many of the First Generation cards were taken from the XY series, so for players, the price tag may not have been worth figuring out what to do with that one oversized card from the Generations collections.

8

Gym Heroes

Release Date: August 14, 2000

As one of the more valuable vintage sets, not all Pokemon fans may know the unique way Gym Heroes made classic Pokemon more interesting. The set featured several Pokemon with an owner’s name relating to the Kanto Gym Leaders, making for more flavorful renditions of many favorites to fit certain personalities.

This makes it a spectacular set to open and go through, as each card is exceptionally flavorful, thanks to this added human element. Many cards go for high prices due to their age, but playing with and opening these cards is an absolute joy, even to this day.