Pokémon TCG · 2024 Set Guide
Surging Sparks Set Guide
The biggest set of 2024 at 252 cards. Pikachu ex leads it at the table and in the price list, and its Special Illustration Rare is the set's chase card.
Overview
Surging Sparks is the eighth main expansion of Scarlet & Violet and the largest set of 2024. It has 18 Pokémon ex at Double Rare, the most of any 2024 set, and 21 Tera Pokémon.
It also printed eight ACE SPEC cards, more than any other 2024 set, from Brilliant Blender to Megaton Blower.
Cards and rarities
Surging Sparks has 252 cards. Every card shows its number over the printed total along the bottom, as in "001/191", next to the set code SSP.
The printed total is 191, so the 61 cards from 192 to 252 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
The Pokémon ex to know first, each giving up two Prize cards when Knocked Out:
Pikachu ex
Surging Sparks #57
Resolute Heart: at full HP it survives any attack with 10 HP left. Topaz Bolt does 300, discarding 3 Energy.
Latias ex
Surging Sparks #76
Skyliner gives your Basic Pokémon in play no Retreat Cost; Eon Blade does 200.
Archaludon ex
Surging Sparks #130
Assemble Alloy attaches up to 2 Basic Metal Energy from your discard pile when it evolves; Metal Defender does 220.
Milotic ex
Surging Sparks #42
Sparkling Scales blocks all damage and effects from your opponent's Tera Pokémon; Hypno Splash does 160 and puts the Defending Pokémon to sleep.
Trainers worth knowing
An ACE SPEC and two Supporters:
Brilliant Blender
Surging Sparks #164
ACE SPEC. Searches your deck for up to 5 cards and discards them.
Drayton
Surging Sparks #174
Look at the top 7 cards of your deck and take a Pokémon and a Trainer.
Lisia's Appeal
Surging Sparks #179
Brings one of your opponent's Benched Basic Pokémon into the Active Spot and Confuses it.
The chase card: Pikachu ex
The Pikachu ex Special Illustration Rare is Surging Sparks' chase card, at $285.31 on October 1, 2026.
The Latias ex Special Illustration Rare was second at $185.89 and Milotic ex third at $118.46. Pikachu ex's gold Hyper Rare was fourth at $79.96.
Pikachu ex is printed four times in the set. The Double Rare was $5.11. The same Pikachu ex, with the same attacks, was reprinted in Ascended Heroes in 2026.
Every Pikachu ex in Surging Sparks
| Version | Number | Market price, October 1, 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Double Rare | 057/191 | $5.11 |
| Ultra Rare | 219/191 | $28.16 |
| Hyper Rare | 247/191 | $79.96 |
| Special Illustration Rare | 238/191 | $285.31 |
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
Three Special Illustration Rares well clear of the rest, then Pikachu ex again in gold.
| Card | Rarity | Market price, October 1, 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Pikachu ex | Special Illustration Rare | $285.31 |
| Latias ex | Special Illustration Rare | $185.89 |
| Milotic ex | Special Illustration Rare | $118.46 |
| Pikachu ex | Hyper Rare | $79.96 |
| Durant ex | Special Illustration Rare | $39.78 |
| Hydreigon ex | Special Illustration Rare | $36.80 |
These are each card's headline TCGplayer market price on October 1, 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 Surging Sparks, bought as singles, cost $1,205.62 on October 1, 2026. That is the fourth most expensive of the six sets released in 2024.
The three most valuable cards, Pikachu ex, Latias ex and Milotic ex, come to $589.66, or 49% of the total. Without them the set costs $615.96. Of the 252 cards, 199 were under $2.00, together $50.93; the other 53 add up to $1,154.69.
Each card is counted at its cheapest priced variant, a Normal copy rather than a Reverse Holofoil where both exist, 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
Every Surging Sparks card carries the H regulation mark, legal in Standard under the April 10, 2026 rotation.
Milotic ex's Sparkling Scales is a direct answer to Tera Pokémon, of which this set alone has 21: an attack from one does nothing to it at all.
Frequently Asked Questions
When did Surging Sparks release?
November 8, 2024. Its set code is SSP.
How many cards are in Surging Sparks?
252. The printed total is 191, and the 61 cards numbered above it are secret rares.
What is the most valuable Surging Sparks card?
The Pikachu ex Special Illustration Rare (238/191), at $285.31 on October 1, 2026, ahead of the Latias ex Special Illustration Rare at $185.89. Prices move daily, so check each card's page for the current figure.
Is the Surging Sparks Pikachu ex the same as the Ascended Heroes one?
Same card text, Resolute Heart and Topaz Bolt, but a different printing with its own number and price. Each set's Special Illustration Rare is a separate card.
Track your Surging Sparks cards.
Scan cards in by the set code and number at the bottom, 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.