Pokémon TCG · 2003 Set Guide
Sandstorm Set Guide
The second EX set: seven Pokémon-ex, the fossils of Hoenn and Kanto, and the first printing of Rare Candy.
Overview
Sandstorm came out on September 18, 2003, with 100 cards: 92 Pokémon, 7 Trainers and Multi Energy. Its seven Pokémon-ex include Raichu ex, Gardevoir ex and Typhlosion ex, and its Trainers include Claw Fossil, Root Fossil and Mysterious Fossil for the fossil Pokémon of both regions.
It printed Rare Candy for the first time, the Item that evolves a Basic Pokémon straight to Stage 1 or Stage 2.
Cards and rarities
Sandstorm has 100 cards. Every card shows its number over the printed total along the bottom, as in "4/100". 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 100 and nothing is numbered above it. The seven Pokémon-ex are the Rare Holo EX cards. 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 a holo:
Raichu ex
Sandstorm #98
Mega Thunderbolt does 120 and discards all its Energy.
Gardevoir ex
Sandstorm #96
Feedback puts a damage counter on the Defending Pokémon for each card in your opponent's hand.
Sableye
Sandstorm #10
Supernatural uses the effect of a Supporter in your opponent's hand as its attack.
Trainers worth knowing
Two Trainers that stayed in print:
The chase card: Raichu ex
Sandstorm's chase card is Raichu ex, 98/100, illustrated by Ryo Ueda, at $356.99 on October 22, 2026.
Gardevoir ex ($285.55) and Typhlosion ex ($259.63) follow. Sableye, at $159.00, is the most valuable holo that isn't a Pokémon-ex.
Raichu 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
Five Pokémon-ex and the Sableye holo, priced as holofoil copies.
| Card | Rarity | Market price, October 22, 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Raichu ex | Rare Holo EX | $356.99 |
| Gardevoir ex | Rare Holo EX | $285.55 |
| Typhlosion ex | Rare Holo EX | $259.63 |
| Aerodactyl ex | Rare Holo EX | $182.50 |
| Kabutops ex | Rare Holo EX | $160.30 |
| Sableye | Rare Holo | $159.00 |
These are each card's headline TCGplayer market price on October 22, 2026. 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 Sandstorm, bought as singles, cost $2,369.60 on October 22, 2026. That is the least expensive of the sixteen sets in the EX series.
The three most valuable cards, Raichu ex, Gardevoir ex and Typhlosion ex, come to $902.17, or 38% of the total. Without them the set costs $1,467.43. Of the 100 cards, 35 were under $2.00, together $40.55; the other 65 add up to $2,329.05.
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
Sandstorm is not legal in Standard or Expanded as a set: Expanded starts with the Black & White series in 2011. The catalog marks one of its 100 cards as legal anyway: Rare Candy, in both formats.
That card 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 Sandstorm release?
September 18, 2003. It was the second set of the EX series.
How many cards are in Sandstorm?
100, numbered 1 to 100: 92 Pokémon, 7 Trainers and Multi Energy.
What is the most valuable Sandstorm card?
Raichu ex (98/100), at $356.99 on October 22, 2026, ahead of Gardevoir ex at $285.55. Prices move daily, so check each card's page.
Is Sandstorm's Rare Candy legal today?
The catalog marks it legal in Standard and Expanded, because Rare Candy has been reprinted with the same name and text in later legal sets.
Track your Sandstorm 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.