BREAKthrough: the 2015 Pokémon set explained
Pokémon's XY BREAKthrough of November 2015: its six BREAK cards, its 165 entries block by block, and how to tell its ten Mewtwo-EX and M Mewtwo-EX apart.
By the Rip.fan Editorial Team.
Published 6 min read
BREAKthrough is the November 2015 expansion of Pokémon’s XY series and the set where Pokémon BREAK cards first appeared. Its UK release was November 4, 2015. The set has 165 entries: 162 numbered up to the printed total, 2 numbered above it and a second Professor’s Letter entry numbered 146a. The main run holds six BREAK cards and eight Pokémon-EX, four of them Mega Evolution, and Mewtwo alone takes ten entries across the set.
When did BREAKthrough come out?
On November 4, 2015 in the UK. Pokémon announced on September 23, 2015 that booster packs and two theme decks would be in stores that day.
Ancient Origins came before it: Pokémon announced on July 1, 2015 that it would reach the UK on August 12, 2015. BREAKpoint followed: Pokémon announced on December 17, 2015 that it would reach the UK on February 3, 2016, and said that set would add five more BREAK cards. Our guide to Pokémon card eras lists BREAK among the card labels of the XY era.
What is a BREAK card?
A card type that was new in this set. BREAK cards have a landscape design, a foil pattern of their own and uniquely rendered art. BREAKthrough has six:
| BREAK card | Number | Regular card just before it |
|---|---|---|
| Chesnaught BREAK | 12 | Chesnaught, 11 |
| Raichu BREAK | 50 | Raichu, 49 |
| Marowak BREAK | 79 | Marowak, 78 |
| Zoroark BREAK | 92 | Zoroark, 91 |
| Florges BREAK | 104 | Florges, 103 |
| Noivern BREAK | 113 | Noivern, 112 |
Each BREAK card is numbered straight after a regular card of the same Pokémon, so the two always sit side by side. All six BREAK cards are credited to 5ban Graphics. None of them has a full-art or secret version in this set. On Rip.fan’s price page they carry a label of their own, Rare BREAK.
How many cards are in BREAKthrough?
The number blocks run like this:
| Numbers | Cards | What they are |
|---|---|---|
| 1 to 132 | 132 | Pokémon, including 6 BREAK cards, 4 Pokémon-EX and 4 M Pokémon-EX |
| 133 to 150 | 18 | Trainer cards: 6 Items, 6 Tools, 5 Supporters and 1 Stadium |
| 151 to 152 | 2 | Special Energy: Burning Energy and Rainbow Energy |
| 153 to 160 | 8 | Full-art Pokémon-EX |
| 161 to 162 | 2 | Full-art Supporters: Brigette and Giovanni’s Scheme |
| 163 to 164 | 2 | Above the printed total: two Mewtwo-EX cards |
A second Professor’s Letter entry is numbered 146a, which makes 165. The set has no basic Energy cards. Brigette and Giovanni’s Scheme also have regular cards in the Trainer block, at 134 and 138, with the same illustrator credits. The two Mewtwo-EX above 162 fit CGC’s definition of a secret rare, a card whose number is higher than the set number.
On Rip.fan’s price pages, cards 1 to 164 are labeled like this:
| Label on Rip.fan’s page | Cards | Where they sit |
|---|---|---|
| Common | 53 | Within 1 to 132 |
| Uncommon | 48 | Within 3 to 152, including all 20 cards at 133 to 152 |
| Rare | 21 | Within 2 to 130 |
| Rare Holo | 16 | Within 11 to 111 |
| Rare BREAK | 6 | The six BREAK cards |
| Rare Holo EX | 8 | The Pokémon-EX at 21 to 64 |
| Rare Ultra | 10 | 153 to 162 |
| Rare Secret | 2 | 163 and 164 |
How do you tell the Mewtwo cards apart?
By number. The set has Mewtwo-EX at six numbers and M Mewtwo-EX at four, all of them Psychic type. Each row below groups the cards that carry the same card text:
| Card | Main run | Full art | Above 162 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mewtwo-EX | 61 | 157 | 163 |
| Mewtwo-EX | 62 | 158 | 164 |
| M Mewtwo-EX | 63 | 159 | None |
| M Mewtwo-EX | 64 | 160 | None |
Cards 61 and 62 are credited to PLANETA, the full-art Mewtwo-EX at 157 and 158 to Ryo Ueda, the two above 162 to Mitsuhiro Arita, and all four M Mewtwo-EX to 5ban Graphics. A listing titled “Mewtwo-EX BREAKthrough” could mean any of six cards, so read the card number. Our guide to Mega Evolution cards shows how these M Pokémon-EX differ from the Mega ex cards of 2025 on.
Each card of the other two Pokémon-EX lines has one full-art version: Houndoom-EX 21 and M Houndoom-EX 22 at 153 and 154, and Glalie-EX 34 and M Glalie-EX 35 at 155 and 156. Three Tool cards carry the names of the Mega lines: Glalie Spirit Link at 139, Houndoom Spirit Link at 142 and Mewtwo Spirit Link at 144.
In card number order. Images from Scrydex.
Which other names appear more than once?
Chespin appears three times, at 7, 8 and 9, and seven more names appear twice in the main run besides the Mewtwo cards: Remoraid, Magnemite, Ralts, Zorua, Axew, Doduo and Noibat. On Rip.fan’s price page both cards of each of those pairs are labeled Common, so only the number tells them apart. The two Ralts cards, at 68 and 100, are different types.
Do other sets print cards out of 162?
Yes, one. Temporal Forces, a Scarlet & Violet set, also has a printed total of 162. A card reading 61/162 could come from either, so check the set name in a listing and the set symbol on the card.
What products held BREAKthrough?
The set came in 10-card booster packs and two 60-card theme decks, Burning Spark and Night Striker. Each theme deck held 59 standard cards and one special foil card. Our guide to spotting resealed Pokémon packs covers the signs of a sealed product that was opened and sealed again.
How do you check BREAKthrough card prices?
BREAKthrough has its own page in Rip.fan’s Pokémon price pages, under the XY series heading, abbreviated BKT. It lists the set’s priced cards, each with its number, rarity and NM market price. Filter it by Rare BREAK for the six BREAK cards, by Rare Holo EX for the eight Pokémon-EX of the main run, or by Rare Secret for the two Mewtwo-EX above 162. Sort it by name to see the cards that share a name side by side.
For a single card, the card price lookup searches by name, set or number and shows which printing each price is for. The price changes page compares prices between Rip.fan’s weekly checks.
What should you check before buying a BREAKthrough card?
- Which Mewtwo. Ten entries carry the name, so match the number to the table above.
- BREAK or regular. Each BREAK card sits one number after a regular card of the same Pokémon, so Zoroark 91/162 and Zoroark BREAK 92/162 are different cards.
- The total of 162. Temporal Forces shares it, so read the set name too.
- Genuine cards. Our guide to spotting fake Pokémon cards walks through checks that leave a card unharmed.
The Pokémon hub has the rest of our coverage. Our guide to Furious Fists covers an earlier XY set, and our guide to Pokémon card finishes explains full art.
Frequently asked questions
What is the most valuable card in BREAKthrough?
On October 21, 2026, Mewtwo-EX (164/162) had the highest Near Mint market price in BREAKthrough, at $208.37. Next came Mewtwo-EX (163/162), at $206.75.
Which card numbered inside BREAKthrough has the highest price?
Among the cards numbered up to 162, M Mewtwo-EX (160/162), a Rare Ultra, had the highest Near Mint market price on October 21, 2026, at $148.01.
What is the top-priced Rare Ultra card in BREAKthrough?
On October 21, 2026, M Mewtwo-EX (159/162) led the Rare Ultra cards of BREAKthrough, with a Near Mint market price of $132.78.