Pokémon TCG · 2003 Set Guide
EX Dragon Set Guide
The dragon set of the EX series: nine Pokémon-ex including Rayquaza ex and Dragonite ex, and a secret Charmander, Charmeleon and Charizard above the printed total.
Overview
EX Dragon came out on November 24, 2003. Its 100 cards are 93 Pokémon and 7 Trainers, with no Energy. The catalog names it Dragon; it is listed here as EX Dragon to tell it from the Pokémon type.
Its printed total is 97, and the three cards above it are a full evolution line: Charmander, Charmeleon and Charizard, illustrated by Mitsuhiro Arita. Its nine Pokémon-ex include Rayquaza ex, Dragonite ex, Latios ex and Latias ex.
Cards and rarities
EX Dragon has 100 cards. Every card shows its number over the printed total along the bottom, as in "4/97". The cards print a set symbol, not a set code; the code here is the short one the catalog and TurnZero HQ file the set under.
The printed total is 97, so Charmander, Charmeleon and Charizard, 98 to 100, are secret rares. Set completion in TurnZero HQ counts a set against its printed total and keeps the secret rares apart, so finishing the main set and chasing the cards above it read as two separate goals. How set completion works →
Headline Pokémon
Two Pokémon-ex and the secret Charizard:
Rayquaza ex
Dragon #97
Spiral Growth attaches a basic Energy from your discard pile for each heads; Dragon Burst does 40 for each Fire or Lightning Energy it discards.
Dragonite ex
Dragon #90
Call for Power moves Energy from your other Pokémon to it as often as you like.
Charizard
Dragon #100
Collect Fire attaches up to 2 Fire Energy from your discard pile on heads; Flame Pillar does 60 and can hit a Benched Pokémon for 30.
Trainers worth knowing
Two of its seven Trainers:
The chase card: Rayquaza ex
EX Dragon's chase card is Rayquaza ex, 97/97, illustrated by Hikaru Koike, at $595.55. That is the last price the catalog read for it, on October 19, 2026.
The secret Charizard, 100/97, was $550.00 on October 22, 2026, and Dragonite ex $524.89.
Rayquaza ex is printed once in the set.
Only the exact version is worth its price. The number at the bottom of the card and the rarity symbol beside it tell you which one you pulled. Reading the number and rarity symbol →
Chase cards and prices
Pokémon-ex, the secret Charizard line and the Salamence holo, priced as holofoil copies. The price for Rayquaza ex (October 19) is the last the catalog read before October 22, 2026.
| Card | Rarity | Market price, October 22, 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Rayquaza ex | Rare Holo EX | $595.55 on Oct 19 |
| Charizard | Rare Secret | $550.00 |
| Dragonite ex | Rare Holo EX | $524.89 |
| Charmander | Rare Secret | $327.19 |
| Salamence | Rare Holo | $326.99 |
| Latios ex | Rare Holo EX | $273.06 |
These are each card's headline TCGplayer market price on October 22, 2026, except where a row gives an earlier day because the catalog had no newer price. Prices can move a long way, most of all in a set's first months, so treat them as a snapshot. Each card's page shows today's price for every variant and its 90-day chart. How Pokémon card prices work →
What a complete set costs
One copy of every card in EX Dragon, bought as singles, cost $3,945.36 on October 22, 2026. That is the 10th most expensive of the sixteen sets in the EX series.
The three most valuable cards, Rayquaza ex, Charizard and Dragonite ex, come to $1,670.44, or 42% of the total. Without them the set costs $2,274.92. Of the 100 cards, 49 were under $2.00, together $51.50; the other 51 add up to $3,893.86.
One card's price is older than October 22, 2026, because the catalog had no newer one: Rayquaza ex (97), $595.55 on October 19. It is counted at that price.
Each card is counted at its cheapest priced variant, usually a Normal copy rather than a Reverse Holofoil, or a stamped promo copy where the catalog prices one lower, at its TCGplayer market price. This is what it costs to buy the set as singles. It is not what opening packs returns, and not what a complete set would sell for, which after fees and the many cards worth cents would be noticeably less.
Playing it
EX Dragon is not legal in Standard or Expanded as a set: Expanded starts with the Black & White series in 2011. The catalog marks two of its 100 cards as legal anyway, in Expanded only.
They are Energy Recycle System and TV Reporter.
Each shares its name and text with a later, legal printing, which is what makes an older copy playable. Every other card in the set is legal in neither format.
Frequently Asked Questions
When did EX Dragon release?
November 24, 2003. It was the third set of the EX series.
How many cards are in EX Dragon?
100. The printed total is 97, and Charmander, Charmeleon and Charizard are numbered 98 to 100.
What is the most valuable EX Dragon card?
Rayquaza ex (97/97), at $595.55 as last read on October 19, 2026, ahead of the secret Charizard at $550.00. Prices move daily, so check each card's page.
Why is it called EX Dragon here?
The catalog names the set Dragon. This guide adds the series name so the set isn't confused with the Dragon type of Pokémon.
Track your EX Dragon cards.
Add your cards to your collection, see how much of the set you own, and value every copy 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.