Evolutions: the 2016 Pokémon set explained
Pokémon's XY Evolutions from November 2016: its 113 cards block by block, its EX and BREAK cards, and how its list lines up with the 1999 Base Set.
By the Rip.fan Editorial Team.
Published 7 min read
Evolutions is the final expansion of Pokémon’s XY series, on sale in the UK from November 2, 2016, and a set that revisits the 1999 Base Set. It marked 20 years of Pokémon with the look and feel of the classic Base Set cards, as updated takes on the first Pokémon cards of the 1990s. The set has 113 cards: 108 up to the printed total and 5 above it.
When did Evolutions come out?
Pokémon announced the set on September 21, 2016, calling it XY Evolutions. On November 1, 2016, it said the packs would be on sale at participating stores and hobby shops in the UK from November 2, 2016.
Evolutions is the newest set in the XY series. It followed Steam Siege, released August 3, 2016, and the Sun & Moon base set followed it on February 3, 2017, in the next series. On Rip.fan’s price pages Evolutions has the code EVO and the 1999 set appears as Base. Our guide to Pokémon card eras places the XY series in the longer history.
How many cards are in Evolutions?
- The number blocks run like this:
| Numbers | Cards | What they are |
|---|---|---|
| 1 to 72 | 72 | Pokémon: 56 regular cards, 12 Pokémon-EX and 4 BREAK cards |
| 73 to 89 | 17 | Trainer cards: 3 Supporters, 9 Items and 5 Tools |
| 90 to 99 | 10 | Energy: Double Colorless Energy and nine basic Energy cards |
| 100 to 108 | 9 | Seven Pokémon-EX and two Supporters, labeled Rare Ultra on Rip.fan’s page |
| 109 to 113 | 5 | Labeled Rare Secret on Rip.fan’s page |
Rip.fan’s page sorts the 113 into eight labels:
| Label on Rip.fan’s page | Cards | Numbers |
|---|---|---|
| Common | 33 | Within 3 to 99 |
| Uncommon | 28 | Within 4 to 90 |
| Rare | 9 | Within 7 to 68 |
| Rare Holo | 13 | Within 11 to 70 |
| Rare Holo EX | 12 | The Pokémon-EX within 1 to 72 |
| Rare BREAK | 4 | 16, 32, 46 and 60 |
| Rare Ultra | 9 | 100 to 108 |
| Rare Secret | 5 | 109 to 113 |
The last five carry a number above 108, which is what CGC means by a secret rare: a card numbered higher than the set number.
Which Pokémon-EX and BREAK cards does Evolutions have?
Evolutions has four new Pokémon BREAK: Ninetales, Starmie, Nidoking and Machamp BREAK. It also has 12 Pokémon-EX within 1 to 72, 5 of them Mega Evolution cards named with a leading M. Capital-EX cards began with the Next Destinies expansion and carried on into XY, where they tied into Mega Evolution. BREAK and Mega cards also count among the special Pokémon card types.
Which Pokémon-EX cards have a second version?
| Pokémon | Pokémon-EX | Mega EX | Rare Ultra, 100 to 106 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Venusaur | 1 | 2 | 100, the Mega |
| Charizard | 12 | 13 | 101, the Mega |
| Blastoise | 21 | 22 | 102, the Mega |
| Slowbro | 26 | 27 | None |
| Mewtwo | 52 | None | 103 |
| Pidgeot | 64 | 65 | 104 and 105 |
| Dragonite | 72 | None | 106 |
Slowbro is the only Pokémon-EX line with no Rare Ultra card. The two Supporters at 107 and 108, Brock’s Grit and Misty’s Determination, repeat cards at 74 and 80.
How does Evolutions compare with the 1999 Base Set?
The set revisits the classic Base Set cards, and the two sets compare name by name like this:
| Base Set, 1999 | Evolutions, 2016 | |
|---|---|---|
| Cards | 102 | 113 |
| Pokémon cards | 69 | 72, with 12 Pokémon-EX and 4 BREAK |
| Trainer cards | 26 | 17 in the main run |
| Energy cards | 7 | 10 |
| Labeled Rare Holo on Rip.fan’s page | 16 | 13 |
| Number order | By rarity, then alphabetically | By type, with each evolution line together |
Which Pokémon carry over?
Almost all of them. 55 of Evolutions’ 56 regular Pokémon share a name with a Base Set Pokémon, and the one that does not is Mew, at 53. Going the other way, 14 Base Set Pokémon have no regular card in Evolutions: Abra, Kadabra and Alakazam; Bulbasaur, Ivysaur and Venusaur; Squirtle, Wartortle and Blastoise; Dratini and Dragonair; Pidgey and Pidgeotto; and Jynx. Venusaur and Blastoise still appear, but only as Pokémon-EX and Mega EX cards.
The art credits line up too. For all 55 shared names, the same illustrator is credited on both cards, mostly Ken Sugimori, Mitsuhiro Arita and Keiji Kinebuchi.
What happened to the Base Set holo rares?
On Rip.fan’s price pages, Base cards 1 to 16 carry the label Rare Holo. In Evolutions:
| Base Set holo rare | In Evolutions |
|---|---|
| Chansey, Charizard, Clefairy, Gyarados, Hitmonchan, Machamp, Magneton, Nidoking, Ninetales, Poliwrath, Raichu, Zapdos | Rare Holo again |
| Mewtwo | Rare, at 51, beside Mewtwo-EX at 52 and 103 |
| Venusaur, Blastoise | Pokémon-EX and Mega EX cards only |
| Alakazam | No card |
Evolutions’ 13th holo is Mew. Across all 55 shared names, 43 keep the same label on Rip.fan’s two pages and 12 change. Starmie moves from Common in Base Set to Rare in Evolutions, for example, and Electabuzz moves from Rare to Common.
Why are the numbers different?
The two sets order their cards differently. Base Set numbers its Pokémon by rarity, holo rares first, and alphabetically within each rarity, so Alakazam is 1 and Charizard is 4. Evolutions numbers its Pokémon by type, from Grass at 1 to Colorless at the end of the Pokémon run, with each evolution line kept together. Charizard, 4/102 in Base Set, is 11/108 in Evolutions, right after Charmander and Charmeleon.
What about Trainers and Energy?
Nine Trainer names appear in both lists, from Devolution Spray to Switch. Evolutions adds eight: five Spirit Link Tools named for Venusaur, Charizard, Blastoise, Slowbro and Pidgeot, and three Supporters, Brock’s Grit, Misty’s Determination and Professor Oak’s Hint. The other 17 Base Set Trainers do not appear. Both sets have Double Colorless Energy, and Evolutions adds Darkness, Metal and Fairy Energy, none of which is on Base Set’s list.
What is above 108?
Five cards carry the label Rare Secret on Rip.fan’s price pages: an Exeggutor card listed under its Japanese name, Flying Pikachu at 110, Surfing Pikachu at 111, Imakuni?’s Doduo at 112 and a Supporter card at 113. None of the five shares a name with a card from 1 to 108.
![ナッシー[Exeggutor], card 109/108 from Evolutions](https://images.scrydex.com/pokemon/xy12-109/small)
In card number order. Images from Scrydex.
What products held Evolutions packs?
Booster packs were among the set’s products, so check the wrapper of any booster pack for how many cards it held. Our guide to spotting resealed Pokémon packs covers the signs of a pack that was opened and sealed again, and our guide to Pokémon sealed products covers how recent products are laid out.
How do you check Evolutions card prices?
Evolutions has its own page in Rip.fan’s Pokémon price pages, under the XY series heading. It lists each card with its number, rarity and NM market price. Filter it by Rare Holo EX for the 12 Pokémon-EX of the main run, by Rare BREAK for the four BREAK cards, or by Rare Holo to compare the 13 holo rares with Base Set’s. The Base page for the 1999 set is laid out the same way. For a single card, the card price lookup searches by name, set or number and shows which printing each price is for, which matters for Base Set, and the price changes page shows moves between Rip.fan’s weekly checks.
What should you check before buying an Evolutions card?
- The number and total. Base Set runs to 102 and Evolutions to 108, so the card number tells a 2016 Charizard (11/108) from a 1999 one (4/102).
- The Base Set print, if it is the older card. Our guide to 1st Edition, Shadowless and Unlimited cards covers how to tell the 1999 prints apart, and our guide to vintage Pokémon sets covers Base Set and the sets that followed it to 2003.
- The Mega cards. M Charizard-EX appears twice, at 13 and 101, so match the number to the listing. Our guide to Pokémon ex, EX and GX cards explains the labels.
- 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, and our guides to Team Up and Cosmic Eclipse cover two sets from the Sun & Moon series that followed.
Frequently asked questions
What is the most expensive Evolutions card?
It was M Charizard-EX (101/108), at a Near Mint market price of $124.85 on October 21, 2026. Charizard (11/108) was second, at $98.02.
Which Rare Holo EX in Evolutions has the highest price?
M Charizard-EX (13/108) had the highest Near Mint market price among the Evolutions cards marked Rare Holo EX on October 21, 2026, at $39.79.
What is the top-priced Rare Holo card in Evolutions?
On October 21, 2026, Ninetales (15/108) led the Rare Holo cards of Evolutions, with a Near Mint market price of $27.48.
How much is M Charizard-EX from Evolutions?
On October 21, 2026, the 2 M Charizard-EX cards in Evolutions had Near Mint market prices of $39.79 for 13/108 (Rare Holo EX) and $124.85 for 101/108 (Rare Ultra).