Pokémon TCG · 2020 Set Guide
Sword & Shield Set Guide
The first Sword & Shield set. It replaced Pokémon-GX with Pokémon V and VMAX, printed the first regulation marks, and its rainbow Snorlax VMAX is its most valuable card.
Overview
Sword & Shield started its series in February 2020 with the Pokémon of the Galar region: 202 cards up to the printed total and 14 secret rares above it (203 to 216), eight Rainbow Rares and six Rare Secret cards.
It brought in Pokémon V, Basic Pokémon worth two Prize cards, and Pokémon VMAX, which evolve from them and are worth three. It was also the first set with a regulation mark, the letter at the bottom left that decides Standard legality: every card here carries a D. Its Trainers include Marnie and Quick Ball.
Cards and rarities
Sword & Shield has 216 cards. Every card shows its number over the printed total along the bottom, as in "001/202", next to the set code SSH.
The printed total is 202, so the 14 cards from 203 to 216 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
A Pokémon V gives up two Prize cards when Knocked Out, and a Pokémon VMAX, which evolves from it, gives up three. Three of this set's:
Zacian V
Sword & Shield #138
220 HP. Intrepid Sword: once during your turn, look at the top 3 cards of your deck, attach any Metal Energy there to it and take the rest. Your turn ends.
Snorlax VMAX
Sword & Shield #142
340 HP VMAX. G-Max Fall does 60 plus 30 for each of your Benched Pokémon.
Zamazenta V
Sword & Shield #139
230 HP. Dauntless Shield: prevent all damage done to it by attacks from your opponent's Pokémon VMAX.
Trainers worth knowing
Two Trainers from the set:
The chase card: Snorlax VMAX
Sword & Shield's chase card is Snorlax VMAX, numbered 206/202, a Rare Rainbow, illustrated by aky CG Works, at $107.02 on October 22, 2026.
The Rare Holo VMAX Snorlax VMAX (142/202) was second at $46.20 and the Rare Ultra Marnie (200/202) third at $34.78.
Snorlax VMAX is printed twice in Sword & Shield. The Rare Holo VMAX (142/202) was $46.20.
Every Snorlax VMAX in Sword & Shield
| Version | Number | Market price, October 22, 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Rare Holo VMAX | 142/202 | $46.20 |
| Rare Rainbow | 206/202 | $107.02 |
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
The rainbow Snorlax VMAX leads, more than twice the regular Snorlax VMAX in second. Prices across the set are low.
| Card | Rarity | Market price, October 22, 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Snorlax VMAX | Rare Rainbow | $107.02 |
| Snorlax VMAX | Rare Holo VMAX | $46.20 |
| Marnie | Rare Ultra | $34.78 |
| Snorlax V | Rare Ultra | $32.99 |
| Morpeko VMAX | Rare Rainbow | $26.82 |
| Lapras VMAX | Rare Rainbow | $21.54 |
| Zacian V | Rare Secret | $20.82 |
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 Sword & Shield, bought as singles, cost $526.51 on October 22, 2026. That is the 12th most expensive of the seventeen sets in the Sword & Shield series.
The three most valuable cards, two Snorlax VMAX cards and Marnie, come to $188.00, or 36% of the total. Without them the set costs $338.51. Of the 216 cards, 181 were under $2.00, together $53.55; the other 35 add up to $472.96.
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
Sword & Shield cards carry the D regulation mark, and Standard has allowed only H, I and J since April 10, 2026, so none is Standard-legal as printed. Every card in Sword & Shield is legal in Expanded, which takes every set from Black & White on.
A reprint with a legal mark makes older printings of the same card legal again, so check a card's name before you rule it out.
Frequently Asked Questions
When did Sword & Shield release?
February 7, 2020. Its set code is SSH.
How many cards are in Sword & Shield?
216. The printed total is 202, and the 14 cards numbered above it are secret rares.
What is the regulation mark on Sword & Shield cards?
The letter in a small box at the bottom left of the card. Sword & Shield was the first set to print one; its cards carry a D. Standard decides legality by these marks, and since April 10, 2026 it allows only H, I and J.
What is the most valuable Sword & Shield card?
The Rare Rainbow Snorlax VMAX (206/202), at $107.02 on October 22, 2026, ahead of the Rare Holo VMAX Snorlax VMAX (142/202) at $46.20. Prices move daily, so check each card's page for the current figure.
Track your Sword & Shield 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.