Booster pack (TCG)
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Booster packs are typically packs of 10 cards from anexpansion in thePokémon Trading Card Game, contained within a foilBooster Wrap. However, booster packs come in a number of variations, some of which contain fewer cards. Booster packs are the most common way for cards to be distributed.Sleeved Boosters are a variation packaged in cardboard instead of foil.
Many Pokémon Trading Card Game products include a number of additional booster packs. Some products, likeBooster Bundles andBooster Boxes, are entirely dedicated to having multiple booster packs. A Booster Bundle contains 6 booster packs and a Booster Box contains 36 booster packs.
Terminology
This term is normally written in all lowercase, as in "booster pack". For instance, the Pokémon Trading Card Game Rules released for151 reads:
- "Once you’re ready, you can start building your collection of cards with Pokémon TCGbooster packs." (page 3)[1]
One exception from early official media isPokémon Trading Card Game forGame Boy Color. The manual for the game rendered the term in title case as "Booster Pack":
- "When you win aduel, you will receive aBooster Pack. EachBooster Pack contains 10 cards, and the cards available in the differentBooster Packs will vary." (page 25)
Overview
Booster packs offer the chance to acquire cards that players can use to strengthenpreconstructed decks, createnew decks, or customize old ones. While every booster of the same group contains the same amount of cards, the exact contents are randomized. However, booster packs have "slots", namely the rules by which cards are collated and put into booster packs at the factory, which therefore determine which kinds of cards are inside the pack. Generally speaking, the slot that a card is allowed to occupy is determined by itsrarity. There are more slots in a booster pack for Common (
) cards than Uncommon (
, and more slots for Uncommon cards than Rare (
) cards. Normally, only a single slot in a booster pack contains a Rare card. However, it is possible for that slot to instead have an "ultra rare" card, a card of a number of rarities generally tied to special cards likePokémon
andPokémon
.
- For a full description of Common (), Uncommon (), and Rare () cards see theRarity article.
Booster packs have contained varying amounts of cards over the years. From the firstBase Set through toNeo Destiny expansion, internationally released boosters contained 11 cards. Beginning with thee-Card Series and continuing through the entirety of theEX Series, boosters had only 9 cards. Since the release of the firstDiamond & Pearlexpansion, these consistently had 10 cards.Starting inSun & Moon, internationally released boosters contain oneBasic Energy card in addition to the 10 other cards. BetweenBrilliant Stars andCrown Zenith, a booster pack has a chance of having a VSTARmarker instead of aBasic Energy card.
A booster pack consists of two parts: the cards themselves and the booster wrap surrounding them. This wrapper has artwork themed to the set the booster pack is for, usually featuring Pokémon with prominent cards in the expansion. International sets usually have at least four possible artworks on booster packs, whereas Asian sets only have one associated booster pack artwork per set.
Pull ratio
Every internationally released booster pack is guaranteed to contain at least 1Rare () card, generally 3Uncommon () cards, and the remainder areCommon (). However, the Rare card(s) may have a rarity of Rare (★), or be a "ultra rare" card mentioned above, such as aPokémon-ex. Since the release of theLegendary Collection expansion, oneReverse-Holo (also known as Reverse foil) print of a Common, Uncommon, or Rare card has also been included in every booster. A Reverse-Holo card is identical to its normal counterpart, aside from a Holofoil effect in the picture or card background. Reverse-Holo cards in theEX Series also contain a stamp of theexpansion logo in the bottom right corner of the picture. The inclusion of Reverse-Holo rare and Holofoil rare cards created the potential that one booster may contain two rare cards. While the guaranteed distribution of Commons, Uncommons, and Rares is known, and earlyWizards of the Coast sets even provided approximate odds for pulling Holo Rares, the precise odds of pulling ultra rare cards have never been officially published byWizards of the Coast orThe Pokémon Company. Instead, community-collected data is used to estimate these ratios.
Japanese booster packs usually have 5 cards per pack, with special sets such asVMAX Climax containing 7, 10 or 11 cards per pack.Brazilian booster packs meanwhile have 7 cards per pack (6 beforeSun & Moon))[2].
Starting inScarlet & Violet, a booster pack contains the cards as specified in the table below. Older sets can and will vary from this standard. Notably, Scarlet & Violet retired the Rare Holo rarities. Instead, all cards with a rarity of Rare or higher areHolofoil cards by definition.
International releases
| Quantity | Rarity |
|---|---|
| 4 | Common |
| 3 | Uncommon |
| 1 | Reverse Holo |
 Shiny Rare (Paldean Fates only) | |
 Shiny Ultra Rare (Paldean Fates only) | |
 ACE SPEC Rare (fromTemporal Forces toPrismatic Evolutions) | |
| 1 | Reverse Holo |
 Illustration Rare | |
 Special Illustration Rare | |
 Hyper Rare | |
| 1 | Rare |
 Double Rare | |
 Ultra Rare | |
| 1 | Basic Energy card |
| 1 | Pokémon Trading Card Game Livecode card |
Brazilian releases
| Quantity | Rarity |
|---|---|
| 3 | Common |
| 1 | Uncommon |
| 1 | Uncommon |
| Rare | |
| 1 | Uncommon |
| Double Rare | |
| Ultra Rare | |
| Illustration Rare | |
| Special Illustration Rare | |
| Hyper Rare | |
| 1 | Reverse Holo |
| Basic Energy card | |
| 1 | Pokémon Trading Card Game Live code card |
Products with Booster Packs
A number of sealed Pokémon TCG products feature booster packs as their main component. These products vary in size, contents, and purpose, catering to collectors, casual players, and competitive players alike. Eachbooster pack containsa fixed number of cards depending on the release and region. The following are common product formats that include booster packs:
- Sleeved Booster: A standard booster pack enclosed in a branded paper sleeve, allowing it to be displayed on pegs at retail locations. These are commonly found at major physical retailers.[3]
- Checklane Blister: A single booster pack packaged in plastic with a promotional card and a plastic coin with a metallic finish. These products always include a code card for thePokémon TCG Live and are often aimed at entry-level or casual players.
- Three-Pack Blister: Also known as aTriple Blister, this product includes three booster packs, a promotional card, and sometimes a coin. These are released alongside most mainline expansions and are widely available at mass retail locations.
- Booster Bundle: Introduced during theScarlet & Violet Series, this sealed product contains six booster packs from a specific mainline expansion. It serves as a mid-range option between smaller blister products and full Booster Boxes.
- Booster Box: A sealed box containing 36 booster packs from a single English-language expansion. These are typically purchased by collectors, competitive players, and retailers. Booster Boxes are rarely produced for special or mini-sets.
- Elite Trainer Box: A boxed product that generally contains eight booster packs, 65card sleeves, 45Basic Energy cards, dice, markers, a player's guide, and a storage box. APokémon Center exclusive version is usually released for each mainline set, featuring ten booster packs instead of eight and an additional stamped promotional card. Older Elite Trainer Boxes released before theSword & Shield Series did not always include a promo card.
- Build & Battle Box: Designed for sealed-play formats such asPrerelease Tournaments, this product includes four booster packs, a 40-card deck built around a selection of set-specific cards, and one of four stamped promo cards.
- Build & Battle Stadium: A larger version of the Build & Battle Box designed for two players. It contains two Build & Battle Boxes, three additional booster packs, a brick of 121 Basic Energy cards, and accessories for a two-player play experience.
- Collector’s Tin / Mini Tin: Tins vary in size and contents. Modern Mini Tins usually contain two booster packs and a sticker sheet, while older releases included a coin. Larger Collector’s Tins often contain four or five booster packs, one or more promo cards, and themed inserts or art cards.
- Special Collection / Premium Collection Box: High-value boxed products that typically contain six or more booster packs, several promotional cards, and collectible items such as oversized cards, pins, coins, or playmats. They are often tied to commemorative or special releases rather than mainline expansions.
As a general rule, the more booster packs included in a product, the lower the average cost per pack compared to purchasing individual boosters. However, value and contents vary across products, especially when exclusive promotional cards or accessories are included.
Pack wrap artwork
Ever since the start of the TCG, each booster pack has had a character, whether that would be one or multiple Pokémon (or its forms), an item and/or any number of human characters be on the artwork on the wrap.
Original Series
Neo Series
e-Card Series
| Image | Expansion | Character | Card(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Expedition | Venusaur | - |
 | Charizard | - | |
 | Blastoise | - | |
 | Feraligatr | - | |
 | Aquapolis | Arcanine | - |
 | Scizor | - | |
 | Entei | - | |
 | Tyranitar | - | |
 | Skyridge | Poliwrath | - |
 | Vaporeon | - | |
 | Kabutops | - | |
 | Ho-Oh | - |
EX Series
Diamond & Pearl Series
Platinum Series
| Image | Expansion | Character | Card(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Platinum | Dialga | - |
 | Palkia | - | |
 | Giratina | - | |
 | Shaymin Sky Forme | - | |
 | Rising Rivals | Scizor | - |
 | Houndoom | - | |
 | Leafeon | - | |
 | Rotom | - | |
 | Supreme Victors | Charizard | - |
 | Absol | - | |
 | Rayquaza | - | |
 | Garchomp | - | |
 | Arceus | Zapdos | - |
 | Salamence | - | |
 | Arceus Meadow Plate | - | |
 | Arceus Splash Plate | - |
HeartGold & SoulSilver Series
| Image | Expansion | Character | Card(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
 | HeartGold & SoulSilver | Ampharos | - |
 | Donphan | - | |
 | Lugia | - | |
 | Ho-Oh | - | |
 | Unleashed | Crobat | - |
 | Raikou | - | |
 | Entei | - | |
 | Suicune | - | |
 | Undaunted | Jolteon | - |
 | Skarmory | - | |
 | Houndoom | - | |
 | Rayquaza | - | |
 | Triumphant | Electivire | - |
 | Magmortar | - | |
 | Dialga | - | |
 | Palkia | - |
HeartGold & SoulSilver Series
| Image | Expansion | Character | Card(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Call of Legends | Lugia | - |
 | Kyogre | - | |
 | Groudon | - | |
 | Deoxys | - |
Fun Packs
TheHeartGold & SoulSilver expansion introducedSampling Packs, renamed toFun Packs beginning with theSword & Shield expansion. Fun Packs are small booster packs that include only three cards: two Common cards and one Reverse Holo. Fun Packs are typically released in unconventional ways, such as being included inmagazines or distributed at special events. They are also sometimes included in products such as holiday event calendars.
Fun Packs do not use their expansion's typical artwork on the Booster Wrap, instead using a collage of stock art of three Common rarity Pokémon in the expansion.
Special expansions do not receive Fun Packs.
Code cards
- Main article:Code Card
Internationally-released booster packs mainly released afterBlack & White will come with acode card that can be used to redeem a virtual booster of the same expansion for thePokémon Trading Card Game Online andPokémon Trading Card Game Live. These booster packs state that they contain a code card on the packaging.
The codes found in booster packs will generate a set of virtual cards that is different from the physical cards that were inside the pack.
In the games
Pokémon Trading Card Game and Pokémon Trading Card Game 2
By winningduels against most characters and throughDr. Mason's recurring emails, players usually receive booster packs ofgame-exclusive sets and automatically get their contained cards.
Pokémon Trading Card Game Online
Booster packs could be obtained in thePokémon Trading Card Game Online to add cards to a player's digital collection and follow the same pull ratios of a real booster pack, but never replace Basic Energy with VSTAR markers. After being obtained, the booster pack is added to the player's Collection, where they could open it right away or save for later.
Tradable booster packs unlocked tradable cards, while untradable ones unlocked trade-locked cards. A tradable booster pack could be exchanged for different items, and the community-led economy for the game was based mostly around trading booster packs between players for desired cards and other items as though booster packs were a currency. Tradable booster packs could generally be acquired from code cards (following the card quantity of its physical booster and being the only way to acquire non 10-card or 11-card booster packs), good standings the game's Events, andChallenges for Knocking Out Pokémon.
Trade-locked booster packs for any set could be purchased from the shop with 200Trainer Tokens. Beating each Trainer in the Trainer Challenge with four different decks also allowed the player to obtain a trade-locked booster pack, and beating 12 different Trainers in this mode with eachTheme Deck rewarded the player with a trade-locked booster pack for the expansion the Theme Deck was released with. The login bonus was also another recurring way to earn these boosters packs.
When opening a booster pack, the game fans out the cards. All of the commons and uncommons would automatically flip face up, but any cards with a rarity of rare or higher would stay face down until the player clicked on them.
In the transition from Pokémon Trading Card Game Online toPokémon Trading Card Game Live, booster packs in each player's collection wereconverted into Crystals.
Pokémon Trading Card Game Live
Booster packs can be acquired in thePokémon Trading Card Game Live through code cards, by purchasing a specific expansion's booster pack with Crystals,Ladder End drops, andBattle Pass rewards. Card drop ratesdiffer from real-life products and, unlike its antecessor, booster packs are always automatically opened upon redemption.[4]
Booster packs contain six cards (five, prior toScarlet & Violet). A card with a rarity of rare or higher is guaranteed in every pack. However, every slot without a normal chance to have a card with a rarity of rare or higher has a smaller chance to contain a card with a rarity of rare or higher instead.
Opening a booster pack is like receiving any other item. Cards are presented in a stack, and they are flipped over one at a time, then pulled over the bottom of the screen to reveal the next card.
Collector's Crates
Its a special booster pack inside the PTCGL, where you can pull a Ultra Rare or Secret Rare inside all the 10 cards from this pack. You can gain some at the higher levels of a Battle Pass and during the higher Ranked position (aka, reaching Arceus Ranked ladder) too.
References
 | This article is part ofProject TCG, aBulbapedia project that aims to report on every aspect of thePokémon Trading Card Game. |
