Pokémon TCG
Pokémon Card Packs
An English Pokémon booster pack holds 10 cards, and every sealed product from a single pack to a 36-pack box is some number of those packs with extras around them. Here is what is inside each one, what you can pull, and how to choose between them.
What's in a booster pack
Each English booster pack has 10 cards, 1 basic Energy card and 1 code card for Pokémon TCG Live, the digital game. In July 2025 some product fine print suggested packs would carry the Energy or the code card but not both, and The Pokémon Company confirmed that August that every pack keeps both.
The Pokémon Company does not publish which slot holds what. The layout collectors commonly report for Scarlet & Violet and Mega Evolution packs is this:
So every pack has at least one holofoil Rare, and the cards that decide whether a pack was a good one land in the reverse holo and Rare slots.
What you can pull
Above the Rare slot is a ladder of rarities, each scarcer than the one before. Phantasmal Flames, from November 2025, shows one Pokémon at each step. Prices on October 2, 2026:
Charmander
Phantasmal Flames #11
Common. $0.21.
Mega Charizard X ex
Phantasmal Flames #13
Double Rare. $4.67.
Mega Charizard X ex
Phantasmal Flames #109
Ultra Rare. $19.30.
Mega Charizard X ex
Phantasmal Flames #125
Special Illustration Rare. $659.68.
Mega Charizard X ex
Phantasmal Flames #130
Mega Hyper Rare. $233.78.
The Pokémon Company does not publish pull rates either. The figures you see online come from people counting what they opened, which is useful for a rough sense of scarcity and not exact. TCGplayer counted more than 5,000 Mega Evolution packs, for example, and found a Mega Hyper Rare about once in every 1,260. The practical point is the same at any rate: a box gives you a real chance at the set's top cards and no promise of any one of them. Every rarity symbol explained →
Boxes and bundles
Every sealed product is packs plus extras. These are the standard ones for an English main set:
Blisters, tins and collections add a few packs to a promo card or an accessory, and their contents vary by product, so check the box. The Elite Trainer Box is the usual gift: the packs are the fun part, and the sleeves, Energy and dice are what a new player needs to start building a deck.
Special sets
A few sets each year are special sets, such as 151, Prismatic Evolutions and Ascended Heroes. They are usually not sold in 36-pack booster displays. Their packs come in Elite Trainer Boxes, Booster Bundles, tins and collections instead, which is part of why they are harder to find at retail and why a sealed special set product often sells above its retail price soon after release. Every Pokémon set of 2026 →
Japanese packs are different again: a Japanese main set booster pack has 5 cards, and its booster box has 30 packs. How Japanese cards differ →
Choosing a product
Decide what the packs are for. If you want to open packs, a Booster Bundle is the cheapest way to open six. If you are new and want to play, an Elite Trainer Box or a Build & Battle Box gets you the pieces to start. If you want a sealed box to keep, buy one you would be happy to own even if it never goes up in value, since some do and some don't.
If you want a particular card, skip the packs. Every TurnZero HQ set guide lists what one of every card in the set costs as singles, and buying the few cards you want is almost always cheaper than opening packs to find them. Where to buy singles and sealed →
After opening
Scan or add what you opened and TurnZero HQ values each card from daily TCGplayer prices, by variant, so a reverse holo is priced as a reverse holo. Set completion shows how much of the set you have and lists the cards you still need. It does not track sealed product, so unopened packs and boxes aren't part of your collection's value. Scan your pulls →
Frequently Asked Questions
How many cards are in a Pokémon booster pack?
An English booster pack has 10 cards, plus 1 basic Energy card and 1 code card for Pokémon TCG Live. A Japanese booster pack from a main set has 5 cards.
How many packs are in a Pokémon booster box?
36. The Pokémon Company calls it a Booster Display. Some special sets are not sold in booster displays at all, and their packs come in Elite Trainer Boxes, bundles and collections instead.
What is in a Pokémon Elite Trainer Box?
9 booster packs, a full-art foil promo card, 65 card sleeves, 40 Energy cards, a player's guide, 6 damage-counter dice, a coin-flip die, a storage box with dividers, and a code card for Pokémon TCG Live. The Pokémon Center version has 11 packs and 2 promos.
Which Pokémon product is the best value?
It depends on what you want from it. A Booster Bundle is the cheapest way to get six packs with no extras. An Elite Trainer Box costs more per pack but includes sleeves, Energy and dice a new player will use. A Build & Battle Box gives you a playable 40-card deck for prerelease play. If you want one particular card, buying it as a single beats all of them.
Does TurnZero HQ track sealed packs and boxes?
No. TurnZero HQ tracks the cards in your Pokémon collection, priced daily from TCGplayer, but it does not track sealed product. Once you open a pack, add the cards and they are valued in your collection.
Open the pack, then scan what you pulled.
TurnZero HQ adds each Pokémon card to your collection and values it from daily TCGplayer prices. Free to start.
Create Free AccountPokémon and Pokémon character names are trademarks of Nintendo. ©Pokémon. ©Nintendo/Creatures Inc./GAME FREAK inc. TurnZero HQ is not affiliated with, sponsored, or endorsed by Nintendo, The Pokémon Company, Creatures Inc., or GAME FREAK inc. Card data comes from the open PokemonTCG dataset, and prices from TCGplayer.