Japanese Pokémon set codes explained

Every Japanese set has a short code such as M2a or SV4K. It is printed on the box and in the bottom corner of every card. It is also the quickest way to tell sets apart, since the Japanese and English names of a set rarely match. Once you know the three parts of a code you can place any Japanese box in a second.

The era letters

The letters at the start tell you which era of the card game a set belongs to.

The number after the letters counts the main expansions of the era in order, so M6 is the sixth main set of the Mega era and SV11 the eleventh of Scarlet & Violet.

What does the lowercase a mean?

A lowercase a after the number marks a special set released between the main expansions, sharing the number of the set before it. Mega Dream ex (M2a) came after Inferno X (M2), while Terastal Festival (SV8a) followed Super Electric Breaker (SV8). The high class sets all carry an a, as do smaller sets such as Triplet Beat (SV1a) and Night Wanderer (SV6a). The 30th Celebration set is M6a.

Twin set letters

When two sets come out on the same day as a pair, they share a number and each gets its own letter. The letters follow the theme of each half, such as B and W for Black Bolt and White Flare or D and P for the Dialga and Palkia twins.

Twins are usually merged into one English set. Our twin sets guide compares the chase cards of each pair.

Every set code we stock

Where to find the code on a card

On a card the set code sits near the bottom, next to the regulation mark and the card number, so a card numbered 113/076 from Storm Emeralda reads M6 beside it. Our guide to reading a Japanese card shows where each part sits. Searching a code together with a card number is also the surest way to find the right printing when you check a card’s price.

Every set above has a card list of its own on our guides page, with every secret rare and its most valuable cards.

Sources

• Pokémon Card Game official product list (Japanese)
• Limitless TCG, Japanese set database
• Samurai Sword Tokyo, what Japanese set codes mean

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