151
Scarlet & Violet—151
A love letter to Generation I. Every card in the set depicts exactly one of the original 151 Pokémon — no Trainers, no Items, no exceptions. The result was the most nostalgic set in modern Pokémon history.
151 (SV2A) arrived in Japan on 16 June 2023 and immediately sold out its initial production run. The concept was simple and brilliant: 165 cards, one for each of the original Kanto Pokémon plus a modest secret rare extension. No items, no trainers — just the first 151, illustrated in the Scarlet & Violet art style. The JP version carries a special weight because it was produced in limited quantities initially, leading to genuine scarcity in the weeks after release. The English edition, Scarlet & Violet—151, launched 22 September 2023 and became one of the top-selling sets of the year. The card numbering for the SAR and UR slots is identical between JP and EN (a rarity), which simplified the secondary market considerably. Charizard ex SAR remains the headline pull and has shown unusual price resilience over time — a reflection of Charizard's undiminished commercial gravity rather than artificial scarcity.
Chase Pulls
Mitsuhiro Arita illustrates Charizard for the first time in the modern era, and the result is a deliberate bridge between the old and new. The SAR depicts Charizard ascending from a volcano, wings spread, in a composition that echoes the original Base Set card but rendered with contemporary depth and foil technology. The sky is split: half clear blue, half volcanic red — the duality of power and freedom that has always defined Charizard's appeal. Its price has declined from post-release peaks but remains the gold standard for SV3.5 pulls.
Mew's UR is the minimalist gem of the set — gold-outlined on a simple pink-to-white gradient, the legendary's child-like silhouette floating with its tail curled upward. Kouki Saitou strips everything back to the essential Mew: serene, ancient, unknowable. The UR gold-stamp treatment suits Mew better than almost any other card in this rarity tier. Its price is accessible relative to the SARs, making it a popular first-buy for newer collectors entering the 151 set.
A standout curiosity in a set with no Trainer cards in the base set — Erika's Invitation is one of only two SIRs in 151 that depicts a human. nagimiso renders the Celadon Gym Leader in a lush, flower-filled scene, mid-bow, surrounded by Grass-type Pokémon. The floral composition is among the most detailed in any SV SIR. As a Trainer SIR in an otherwise Pokémon-only set, it carries a distinct collector identity.
Blastoise ex SAR places the Shellfish Pokémon in its element — deep ocean, light filtering from above, water cannons aimed at some unseen adversary. Ryota Murayama brings the same considered drama he applies to top-tier Pokémon cards: the scale is epic but the lighting is intimate. Pricing is still being established as this entry's secondary market matures.
Venusaur ex SAR offers the warmest composition among the Kanto starter SARs — a forest glade at golden hour, the flower on Venusaur's back in full bloom, vines sprawling across sunlit earth. Furusawa's botanical backgrounds are unmatched; every leaf is placed with intention. Venusaur has historically traded below Charizard and Blastoise, but the 151 version has outperformed expectations.
Zapdos ex SAR is all kinetic energy — the Electric Bird legendary mid-screech, arcs of lightning branching across a dark stormfront. Narumi Sato's texture work on the feathers and the electric discharges gives this card a physicality that photographs poorly but rewards handling. Among the Legendary Bird SARs in 151, Zapdos commands the largest premium.
Alakazam's SAR places the Psychic-type in a dimensional space — abstract geometry surrounding the Pokémon as it meditates, spoons crossed, psychic energy radiating outward in geometric fractals. Akira Komayama's Psychic-type illustrations consistently use architecture and abstraction rather than literal environments, and the Alakazam card is one of his most successful in that register.
Edition Notes
SV2A (151) is a 165-card Japanese set. It is one of the few SV-era sets where JP and EN share identical card numbering for the secret rare section — SARs and URs carry the same reference number in both editions, which makes cross-market price comparisons unusually straightforward. JP copies are regarded as the more scarce version: the initial print run was restrained, leading to genuine supply pressure at JP retail in the weeks following the June 2023 release. JP collectors also receive the characteristic JP holo finish, which renders the Charizard ex SAR's volcanic palette with particular warmth.
Scarlet & Violet—151 (SV3.5) is the EN release from 22 September 2023, maintaining the same 165-card base and shared secret rare numbering as JP — the most direct JP/EN parity in the SV era. EN copies are more widely available than JP and carry a slight price premium on Charizard ex SAR due to the larger EN collector base. This set remains one of the strongest long-term value performers in the SV era, sustained by the universal appeal of the original 151.