Pokémon Set Symbols: Every English Expansion, 1999-2026

A Pokémon set symbol is the small mark that tells you which expansion a card comes from. On English cards it sits under the artwork, at the right, from 1999 to 2002; at the bottom right, by the card number, from 2002 to 2016; and at the bottom left, by the number, from Sun & Moon (February 2017). Since Scarlet & Violet (March 31, 2023), cards print a three-character set code in its place, such as SVI or PAL. Base Set (January 1999) has no symbol at all.

Every English expansion is below, era by era, with its symbol, release month, code and card count, and a link to its card list with prices. The circle, diamond or star beside the number is another mark, the rarity, explained in our guide to rarity symbols; the 1st Edition stamp of 1999 to 2002 is covered in our guide to 1st Edition and Shadowless cards.

Download the printable checklist (PDF): all 118 symbols with a tick box, the set codes since 2023 and the Black Star promos, on six pages.

Find your set in 30 seconds, step by step

Look at the bottom of the card. Where the mark sits already dates the card to an era:

Years	Sets	Where to look
1999 to 2002	Jungle to Legendary Collection	Under the artwork, at its right edge; on Trainer cards, at the bottom right of the text box
2002 to 2003	Expedition Base Set to EX Dragon	Bottom right, just above the card number
2004 to 2016	EX Team Magma vs Team Aqua to Evolutions	Bottom right, after the card number and the rarity mark; along the right edge on the sideways BREAK cards of 2015 and 2016
2017 to 2023	Sun & Moon to Crown Zenith	Bottom left, just before the card number; from Sword & Shield (2020) the regulation mark sits between them
Since 2023	Scarlet & Violet onward	Bottom left: a three-character code in a black box, such as SVI, between the regulation mark and the number

Bottom of the artwork of a 1999 Jungle card: the flower set symbol at the right end of the bar that gives the Pokémon's length and weight — Where the mark sits, on six cards from our catalog. Scans: folio.fyi card database.

Bottom right of a 2003 Aquapolis card: the water drop set symbol above the number 10/147 — Where the mark sits, on six cards from our catalog. Scans: folio.fyi card database.

Read the symbol or the code. A picture symbol means a set from before 2023: match it in the galleries below. Three characters in a box (SVI, PAL, 30C) mean a set from 2023 on: find them in the code table. The two small letters after the code, in the same box, give the language (EN, FR, DE, IT, ES, PT); the single letter in a white box before it is the regulation mark, which governs tournament play, not the set.

Check the number. The figure after the slash is the set's printed total, which narrows the search, but it is not unique: Gym Heroes and Gym Challenge are both numbered out of 132, Jungle and Neo Revelation both out of 64. A number above the total, like 83/82, is a secret rare of that set; letters before the number (H, RC, SV, TG, GG) mark one of its subsets; a promo has no total at all, as in SWSH001. The copyright year along the bottom edge, such as ©2017 Pokémon, narrows the era too, but it can predate the release, and the Classic Collection reprints keep their original card's year.

Open the card list. The sets below link to their pages on folio.fyi, with their cards and prices from real completed sales.

The symbols, era by era

Card counts are the cards our catalog lists for each set, secret rares included, and "numbered /108" gives the total printed on the cards. Before 2023 the codes are not printed on the cards: they are the abbreviations used in deck lists and sale listings.

Wizards of the Coast, 1999 to 2003

Base Set has no symbol; every expansion after it has one (from 2023, a code), and the 1st Edition prints carry the same symbol as the later ones, plus the stamp. Base Set 2 (2000) and Legendary Collection (2002) reprinted earlier cards under their own symbols.

Jungle set symbol — The Wizards of the Coast sets, Jungle to Skyridge. Symbols: folio.fyi catalog.

Fossil set symbol — The Wizards of the Coast sets, Jungle to Skyridge. Symbols: folio.fyi catalog.

Card lists and prices: Base Set (1st Edition, Shadowless), Trainer Deck A, Trainer Deck B, Jungle (1st Edition), Fossil (1st Edition), Base Set 2, Team Rocket (1st Edition), Gym Heroes (1st Edition), Gym Challenge (1st Edition), Neo Genesis (1st Edition), Neo Discovery (1st Edition), Southern Islands, Neo Revelation (1st Edition), Neo Destiny (1st Edition), Legendary Collection, Expedition Base Set, Aquapolis, Skyridge.

EX series, 2003 to 2007

The nine POP Series, released through organized play events from 2004 to 2009, share one design: a Poké Ball followed by the series number.

EX Ruby & Sapphire set symbol — The EX sets and POP Series 1 to 5. Symbols: folio.fyi catalog.

EX Sandstorm set symbol — The EX sets and POP Series 1 to 5. Symbols: folio.fyi catalog.

Card lists and prices: EX Ruby & Sapphire, EX Sandstorm, EX Dragon, EX Team Magma vs Team Aqua, EX Hidden Legends, Poké Card Creator Pack, EX FireRed & LeafGreen, POP Series 1, EX Team Rocket Returns, EX Deoxys, EX Emerald, POP Series 2, EX Unseen Forces (Unown Collection), EX Delta Species, EX Legend Maker, POP Series 3, EX Holon Phantoms, POP Series 4, EX Crystal Guardians, EX Dragon Frontiers, EX Power Keepers, POP Series 5.

Sun & Moon, 2017 to 2019

From Sun & Moon the symbol moves to the bottom left, in front of the number.

Sun & Moon set symbol — The Sun & Moon sets. Symbols: folio.fyi catalog and The Pokémon Company International, official card database.

Guardians Rising set symbol — The Sun & Moon sets. Symbols: folio.fyi catalog and The Pokémon Company International, official card database.

Card lists and prices: Sun & Moon, Guardians Rising, Yellow A Alternate, Burning Shadows, Shining Legends, Crimson Invasion, Ultra Prism, Forbidden Light, Celestial Storm, Dragon Majesty, Lost Thunder, Team Up, Detective Pikachu, Unbroken Bonds, Unified Minds, Hidden Fates, Cosmic Eclipse.

Sword & Shield, 2020 to 2023

The regulation mark, D, E or F in a small box, sits between the symbol and the number.

Sword & Shield set symbol — The Sword & Shield sets and Pokémon Futsal. Symbols: folio.fyi catalog and The Pokémon Company International, official card database.

Rebel Clash set symbol — The Sword & Shield sets and Pokémon Futsal. Symbols: folio.fyi catalog and The Pokémon Company International, official card database.

Card lists and prices: Sword & Shield, Rebel Clash, Darkness Ablaze, Pokémon Futsal, Champion's Path, Vivid Voltage, Shining Fates, Battle Styles, Chilling Reign, Evolving Skies, Celebrations, Fusion Strike, Brilliant Stars, Astral Radiance, Pokémon GO, Lost Origin, Silver Tempest, Crown Zenith.

Set codes since 2023: Scarlet & Violet and Mega Evolution

With Scarlet & Violet, the publisher replaced expansion symbols with expansion codes at the bottom left of the card: white letters on a black box, and on Scarlet & Violet reverse holos a white box with black letters. The code is the same in English, French, German, Italian, Spanish and Portuguese; only the language code after it changes (SVI EN, SVI FR, SVI DE, SVI IT, SVI ES, SVI PT). In the publisher's own card database, the code box serves as the set's symbol. Catalogs also number these sets in series order (Paldea Evolved is SV2, often written SV02), but that number is not printed on English cards.

Codes in alphabetical order. "Printed total" is the number after the slash; card counts are from our catalog, as of October 5, 2026.

Code	Set	Released	Printed total	Cards
30C	30th Celebration	September 16, 2026	128	161, plus 30 Classic Collection
ASC	Ascended Heroes	January 30, 2026	217	295
BLK	Black Bolt	July 18, 2025	086	172
CRI	Chaos Rising	May 22, 2026	086	122
DRI	Destined Rivals	May 30, 2025	182	244
JTG	Journey Together	March 28, 2025	159	190
MEE	Mega Evolution basic Energy	From September 26, 2025	None	Basic Energy cards 001 to 016
MEG	Mega Evolution	September 26, 2025	132	188
MEP	Mega Evolution Black Star Promos	From September 26, 2025	None	Ongoing series
MEW	151	September 22, 2023	165	207
OBF	Obsidian Flames	August 11, 2023	197	230
PAF	Paldean Fates	January 26, 2024	091	245
PAL	Paldea Evolved	June 9, 2023	193	279
PAR	Paradox Rift	November 3, 2023	182	266
PBL	Pitch Black	July 17, 2026	084	120
PFL	Phantasmal Flames	November 14, 2025	094	130
POR	Perfect Order	March 27, 2026	088	124
PRE	Prismatic Evolutions	January 17, 2025	131	180
SCR	Stellar Crown	September 13, 2024	142	175
SFA	Shrouded Fable	August 2, 2024	064	99
SSP	Surging Sparks	November 8, 2024	191	252
SVE	Scarlet & Violet basic Energy	From March 31, 2023	None	Basic Energy cards 001 to 024
SVI	Scarlet & Violet	March 31, 2023	198	258
SVP	Scarlet & Violet Black Star Promos	From 2023	None	Ongoing series
TEF	Temporal Forces	March 22, 2024	162	218
TWM	Twilight Masquerade	May 24, 2024	167	226
WHT	White Flare	July 18, 2025	086	173

Basic Energy cards have codes of their own since 2023, with a number and no total: SVE, then MEE from September 26, 2025. As of October 5, 2026, Delta Reign, due November 6, 2026, has been assigned the code DLR; upcoming dates are in our 2026 release dates guide and on the release calendar. The McDonald's sets print codes too: M23 and M24 on the 2023 and 2024 sets.

Scarlet & Violet card lists and prices: Scarlet & Violet, Paldea Evolved, Obsidian Flames, 151, Paradox Rift, Paldean Fates, Temporal Forces, Twilight Masquerade, Shrouded Fable, Stellar Crown, Surging Sparks, Prismatic Evolutions, Journey Together, Destined Rivals, Black Bolt, White Flare.

Mega Evolution card lists and prices: Mega Evolution, Phantasmal Flames, Ascended Heroes, Perfect Order, Chaos Rising, Pitch Black, 30th Celebration.

Special cases

Base Set and its reprints

Base Set is the only English expansion printed with no mark of its set at all, in all its prints: 1st Edition, Shadowless, Unlimited and the later Unlimited print dated ©1999-2000. The Trainer Deck A and B cards (1999), numbered like Base Set, have none either. So a card numbered out of 102 with no symbol is Base Set, unless a 25 or 30 Pikachu logo sits on its artwork: the Classic Collections of 2021 and 2026 reprinted Base Set cards such as Charizard 4/102 without a set symbol. Base Set 2 (February 2000) reprinted Base Set and Jungle cards under its own symbol, a Poké Ball and a 2, numbered out of 130; Legendary Collection (May 2002) did the same with Base Set, Jungle, Fossil and Team Rocket cards, numbered out of 110.

Jungle holos without the flower

One print run of Unlimited Jungle left the flower symbol off all 16 holo cards. These No Symbol holos are a genuine error that PSA recognizes, not fakes, and they keep their numbers out of 64.

Black Star Promos

A promo has no set symbol and no set total: a black star with the word PROMO stands where the symbol would be, and from 2007 a prefix in the number names the series (DP01, SM01, SWSH001). Since 2023 the code box reads SVP or MEP and the star sits after the number, where the rarity mark goes.

Series	Years	Numbers
Wizards of the Coast	1999 to 2003	1 to 53
Nintendo	2003 to 2006	001 to 040
Diamond & Pearl	2007 to 2009	DP01 to DP56
HeartGold SoulSilver	2010 to 2011	HGSS01 to HGSS25
Black & White	2011 to 2013	BW01 to BW101
XY	2013 to 2017	XY01 to XY211
Sun & Moon	2016 to 2021	SM01 to SM248
Sword & Shield	2019 to 2023	SWSH001 to SWSH307
Scarlet & Violet	From 2023	SVP 001 onward
Mega Evolution	From 2025	MEP 001 onward

The Best of Game cards of 2002 carry the word BEST on a star instead. Promo card lists and prices: Wizards, Nintendo, Diamond & Pearl, HeartGold SoulSilver, Black & White, XY, Sun & Moon, Sword & Shield, Scarlet & Violet, Mega Evolution; also W-stamped promos, unnumbered promos, Best of Game, Best of Game, winner's version.

Some sets hold a subset with lettered numbers. Its cards keep the set's symbol, and the prefix tells you the subset:

Prefix	Subset	Set	Numbering
H	Holo cards	Aquapolis and Skyridge, 2003	H1/H32 to H32/H32
A to Z, ! and ?	Unown	EX Unseen Forces, 2005	A/28 and so on
RC	Radiant Collection	Legendary Treasures, 2013	RC1/RC25 to RC25/RC25
RC	Radiant Collection	Generations, 2016	RC1/RC32 to RC32/RC32
SV	Shiny Vault	Shining Fates, 2021	SV001/SV122 to SV122/SV122
TG	Trainer Gallery	Brilliant Stars, Astral Radiance, Lost Origin, Silver Tempest, 2022	TG01/TG30 to TG30/TG30 in each
GG	Galarian Gallery	Crown Zenith, 2023	GG01/GG70 to GG70/GG70

Hidden Fates (2019) is the exception. Its 94 Shiny Vault cards, SV1/SV94 to SV94/SV94, are reprints of earlier cards in shiny colors, and each carries the symbol of the set it first came from beside a yellow A, not the Hidden Fates stars: Scyther SV1 shows the Celestial Storm symbol. The Classic Collections also keep the original card's symbol or code and number, adding a 25 (Celebrations, 2021) or 30 (30th Celebration, 2026) Pikachu logo on the artwork: the 2021 Umbreon ★ 17/17, a reprint of a Gold Star card, still shows the POP Series 5 symbol, the 2026 Magikarp 203/193 still reads G PAL EN.

Decks, kits and seasonal products

Several products reprint cards without a symbol of their own. World Championships decks (2004 to 2025) add the player's signature and a different back, and are not legal in tournaments. Through the 2023 decks, each card keeps the symbol or code and number of one of its regular prints; the 2024 and 2025 decks replace the code and rarity mark with a line saying the card cannot be used in official tournaments. Trick or Trade cards keep theirs and add a Pikachu jack-o'-lantern stamp, the foil cards of the Holiday Calendars keep theirs with a festive stamp, and Play! Pokémon Prize Pack cards (from November 2022) keep theirs with a Play! Pokémon stamp.

Others carry a mark of their own. Each Trainer Kit (2004 to 2017) shows a small colored silhouette of its Pokémon, such as a red Latias or a blue Latios, and numbers its cards out of 10, 11, 12 or 30. The McDonald's sets of 2011 to 2022 have a small symbol that changes every year and short numbers such as 1/12. My First Battle cards (2023) print no code and no number, only a small Bulbasaur, Charmander, Squirtle or Pikachu icon for the deck they belong to.

Trainer Kit card lists: EX Latias, EX Latios, EX 2 Plusle, EX 2 Minun, DP Lucario, DP Manaphy, HS Gyarados, HS Raichu, BW Excadrill, BW Zoroark, XY Noivern, XY Sylveon, XY Bisharp, XY Wigglytuff, XY Latias, XY Latios, XY Pikachu Libre, XY Suicune, SM Lycanroc, SM Alolan Raichu. McDonald's Collections: 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024. World Championships decks: 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025. Seasonal and starter products: Trick or Trade 2022, 2023, 2024, Pokéween 2025, Holiday Calendar 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, My First Battle.

Symbols that look alike

Gym Heroes set symbol: a white arena outlined in black with a black block of seats — Four pairs that look alike. Symbols: folio.fyi catalog.

Gym Challenge set symbol: a solid black arena with a white stage — Four pairs that look alike. Symbols: folio.fyi catalog.

Symbols	How to tell them apart	Printed total
Gym Heroes and Gym Challenge (2000)	Gym Heroes: a white arena outlined in black, with a black block of seats. Gym Challenge: a solid black arena with a white stage	Both /132
Team Rocket (2000) and EX Team Rocket Returns (2004)	A slanted R on its own; an upright R inside a shield	/82 and /109
EX Ruby & Sapphire (2003) and EX Emerald (2005)	A round cut gem; a rectangular cut gem	/109 and /106
XY (2014) and Roaring Skies (2015)	One heavy, filled V; two thin chevrons	/146 and /108
Base Set 2 (2000) and POP Series 2 (2005)	A 2 drawn around a Poké Ball, under the artwork; a small Poké Ball with a 2 beside it, after the card number	/130 and /17
POP Series 1 to 9 (2004 to 2009)	The same Poké Ball; only the digit after it changes	All /17

Japanese cards

Japanese cards follow their own system. Japan's first expansion (October 20, 1996) has no symbol either; the expansions after it carry symbols, the Japanese Jungle the same flower as the English one. From the Diamond & Pearl era (2006), Japanese cards print a short set code as their mark, such as DP1, BW1 or XY1 at the bottom right, and since Sun & Moon (December 9, 2016) the code sits at the bottom left beside the regulation mark: SM1M, sv9a, M2a. These codes name Japanese sets, which do not always match English sets card for card; how the two line up is in our guide to Japanese Pokémon cards.

FAQ

What is the symbol on the bottom of a Pokémon card?

Next to the card number you will find the rarity symbol, a circle, diamond or star, and on cards from 2002 to early 2023 the set symbol, which names the expansion. Since Scarlet & Violet, a three-character set code such as SVI takes the symbol's place.

Which Pokémon set has no symbol?

Base Set (January 1999), the first English set, in all its prints. Classic Collection reprints of Base Set cards (2021 and 2026), such as Charizard 4/102, have none either but carry a 25 or 30 Pikachu logo on the artwork. Basic Energy cards of the Sun & Moon and Sword & Shield years (2017 to early 2023) print no symbol and no number.

Why don't new Pokémon cards have a set symbol?

Since Scarlet & Violet (March 31, 2023), the publisher prints a three-character expansion code at the bottom left instead, followed by a language code: SVI EN, PAL EN, MEG EN. In the publisher's own card database, the code box serves as the set's symbol.

What do the letters at the bottom of a Pokémon card mean?

On a card from 2023 or later, the single letter in a white box is the regulation mark (usually G, H, I or J), the three characters in a black box (white on Scarlet & Violet reverse holos) are the set code, and the two small letters after them, in the same box, are the language. Cards from 2020 to early 2023 have a regulation mark (D, E or F) but a picture symbol instead of a code.

What does SV mean on a Pokémon card?

SV before a number, as in SV49/SV94, marks a Shiny Vault card from Hidden Fates (2019) or Shining Fates (2021). In a code box, SVI is the Scarlet & Violet set, SVP its promos and SVE its basic Energy cards, while Japanese codes such as sv9a name Japanese sets of the Scarlet & Violet era. In deck lists, SV alone is the abbreviation of Supreme Victors (2009).

What set is MEW on a Pokémon card?

MEW is the code of 151, the Scarlet & Violet set released September 22, 2023, built around the original 151 Pokémon and numbered out of 165.

What does the black star on a Pokémon card mean?

A black star with the word PROMO marks a Black Star Promo, a card that came with a product, an event or a giveaway rather than from an expansion's booster packs. Its number has no set total; from 2007 a prefix such as DP, SM or SWSH names the series, and since 2023 the code box reads SVP or MEP.

Pokémon Set Symbols: Every English Expansion, 1999 to 2026

Find your set in 30 seconds, step by step