Fusion Strike: the Pokémon set explained
Pokémon's Fusion Strike: the longest Sword & Shield expansion at 284 cards, Mew's six cards by number, the 20 above 264, and how Pokémon's counts compare.
By the Rip.fan Editorial Team.
Published 7 min read
Fusion Strike is an expansion in Pokémon’s Sword & Shield series, released November 12, 2021. It has 284 cards, 264 inside the printed total and 20 above it, the longest set in the Sword & Shield series apart from the promo series. Pokémon highlighted 25 Fusion Strike cards, with Mew VMAX, Genesect V and Hoopa V among them.
When did Fusion Strike come out?
Fusion Strike launched on November 12, 2021. Pokémon announced on August 26, 2021 that the set would launch around the world that day. Among Pokémon’s card sets, Fusion Strike follows Celebrations (October 8, 2021) and comes before Brilliant Stars (February 25, 2022).
Rip.fan’s price pages give it the code FST. CGC dates Pokémon V and VMAX cards to the Sword & Shield expansion and VSTAR cards to Brilliant Stars, so Fusion Strike has V and VMAX cards but no VSTAR. Our guide to Pokémon card eras places the series in the longer history.
How many cards are in Fusion Strike?
- The first 244 numbers are the main run, before the ultra rare block: cards 001 to 223 are Pokémon, 224 to 243 are Trainer cards and 244 is a Special Energy card. The tiers break down like this, with the Holo Rare V and Holo Rare VMAX tiers shown as Pokémon V and Pokémon VMAX:
| Tier | Cards | Numbers | What they are |
|---|---|---|---|
| Common | 89 | Within 001 to 222 | Pokémon |
| Uncommon | 83 | Within 002 to 244 | 62 Pokémon, the 20 Trainer cards and the Special Energy |
| Rare | 32 | Within 011 to 204 | Pokémon |
| Holo rare | 13 | Within 003 to 189 | Pokémon |
| Pokémon V | 19 | Within 006 to 217 | Holo V cards of 18 Pokémon |
| Pokémon VMAX | 8 | Within 023 to 218 | Holo VMAX cards |
| Ultra rare | 20 | 245 to 264 | 13 full-art Pokémon V and 7 full-art Supporters |
| Secret rare | 20 | 265 to 284 | 8 VMAX, 7 Supporters, 1 other Pokémon, 2 other Trainer cards and 2 Energy cards |
The marks for the first three tiers are a black circle for common, a black diamond for uncommon and a black star for rare. A card numbered above the printed total is a secret rare.
How long is that list next to the rest of the series? Every other expansion has 237 cards or fewer, Evolving Skies being the next longest. Only the SWSH Black Star Promos, at 307, run longer. Even a set counted together with its gallery subset stays below Fusion Strike: the largest such pair, Lost Origin and its Trainer Gallery, comes to 247, by Rip.fan’s arithmetic.
What card types does Fusion Strike have?
Pokémon announced the card counts for the set on August 26, 2021:
| Cards | Count | Numbers |
|---|---|---|
| Pokémon VMAX | 8 | Within 023 to 218 |
| Trainer cards | 20 | 224 to 243 |
| Special Energy cards | 1 | 244 |
| Full-art Pokémon V | 13 | 245 to 257 |
| Full-art Supporter cards | 7 | 258 to 264 |
The main run’s Pokémon V cards sit within 006 to 217, with Cinderace V twice, at 043 and 044. Celebi V, Sandaconda V and Hoopa V appear only as full art.
Pokémon also highlighted 25 Fusion Strike cards, with Mew VMAX, Genesect V and Hoopa V among them. Pokémon with the Fusion Strike Style are decorated with a hint of purple and pink, and the style appears on Trainer cards and Special Energy cards too. The set’s one Special Energy, at 244, is Fusion Strike Energy.
Which Pokémon have the most cards?
Mew, with six, more than any other Pokémon in the set. The table maps every Pokémon with three or more cards, plus Espeon:
| Pokémon | Holo V | Full-art V | VMAX | VMAX above 264 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mew | 113 | 250, 251 | 114 | 268, 269 |
| Greedent | 217 | 256, 257 | 218 | 272 |
| Chandelure | 039 | 247 | 040 | 265 |
| Boltund | 103 | 249 | 104 | 267 |
| Genesect | 185 | 254, 255 | None | None |
| Gengar | 156 | None | 157 | 271 |
| Inteleon | 078 | None | 079 | 266 |
| Cinderace | 043, 044 | None | 045 | None |
| Espeon | None | None | None | 270 |
Mew’s three V cards are credited to three different illustrators. Espeon VMAX at 270 is the only Espeon card in Fusion Strike.
Which Pokémon V have full-art cards?
Ten, on 13 cards. Mew V, Genesect V and Greedent V each have two full-art cards, and each pair is credited to two different illustrators, so each pair reads as alternate art versions of one card. Tsareena V, Chandelure V, Crabominable V and Boltund V have one full art each, beside their holo V in the main run.
The other three, Celebi V (245), Sandaconda V (252) and Hoopa V (253), have no card in the main run, so a listing for any of them from this set is a full-art ultra rare. Eleven of the 18 Pokémon V in the main run have no full-art card at all, among them Pikachu V, Lucario V, Gengar V and Inteleon V.
What sits above 264?
Twenty cards, in three blocks:
- 265 to 272, VMAX. Rainbow foil appears on three: Boltund VMAX (267), Mew VMAX (268) and Greedent VMAX (272). Inteleon VMAX (266), Mew VMAX (269) and Gengar VMAX (271) are each credited to a different illustrator from that Pokémon’s VMAX in the main run. Espeon VMAX (270) has no main-run card to compare with. Chandelure VMAX (265) shares its illustrator with the main-run card at 040.
- 273 to 279, Supporters. Rainbow versions of all seven full-art Supporters at 258 to 264.
- 280 to 284, gold. Flaaffy, an Item card, a Stadium card, and Grass and Fire Energy. Flaaffy has no other card in the set.
Rillaboom VMAX and Cinderace VMAX are the two VMAX with no card above 264. CGC lists rainbow rare and gold rare cards among its kinds of secret rare.
In card number order. Images from Scrydex.
Which names repeat in the main run?
Ten names appear twice among cards 001 to 223, and every pair is credited to two different illustrators: Vulpix (028, 029), Ninetales (030, 031), Cinderace V (043, 044), Sizzlipede (046, 047), Centiskorch (048, 049), Toxel (105, 106), Toxtricity (107, 108), Morpeko (109, 179), Falinks (154, 155) and Wooloo (221, 222). Some pairs differ in more than art. Centiskorch is rare at 048 and uncommon at 049, Falinks is uncommon at 154 and common at 155, and the two Morpeko cards carry different types.
What products hold Fusion Strike packs?
The set came in booster packs, Elite Trainer Boxes and special collections. Check the printed contents on the box or the seller’s listing for pack counts and contents. Our guides to Elite Trainer Boxes, booster boxes and Pokémon sealed products explain the formats. For a box from 2021, our guide to spotting resealed Pokémon packs covers what to look at.
How do you check Fusion Strike card prices?
Fusion Strike has its own page in Rip.fan’s Pokémon price pages, listing its cards with number, rarity and NM market price. Sort it by number and Mew’s cards line up with the table above, at 113, 114, 250, 251, 268 and 269. For one card, the card price lookup searches by name, set or number and shows which printing a price is for, and the price changes page compares prices between Rip.fan’s weekly checks.
If you plan to grade, our guide to deciding whether to grade a card covers the costs, and the centering checker turns border measurements into a centering split.
What should you check before buying?
- The number. Mew VMAX is three cards (114, 268 and 269) and Gengar VMAX two (157 and 271). Match the card number to the version a listing describes.
- Which full art. Mew V, Genesect V and Greedent V each have two full-art cards, credited to different illustrators, so check the picture as well as the name.
- Rainbow or second version. Above 264, Mew VMAX is rainbow at 268 and a second version at 269, credited to a different illustrator.
- The finish. Every main-run card except the Pokémon V and VMAX cards has a reverse holofoil version, and three have a cosmos-pattern holo version: Dragapult (130), Galarian Obstagoon (161) and Wooloo (222).
- Sealed product and genuine cards. See our guide to spotting fake Pokémon cards, and our guide to Pokémon card finishes for how foils differ.
The Pokémon hub has the rest of our coverage, and our guides to Evolving Skies, Celebrations and Chilling Reign cover more Sword & Shield sets the same way.
Frequently asked questions
Which Fusion Strike card has the highest price?
Gengar VMAX (271/264), a Rare Rainbow, led Fusion Strike on October 21, 2026, with a Near Mint market price of $1,027.32. Espeon VMAX (270/264) followed at $341.35.
What is the top-priced Fusion Strike card within the printed total?
Inside the printed total of 264, Mew V (251/264), a Rare Ultra, led on October 21, 2026, with a Near Mint market price of $102.08.
Which Fusion Strike Rare Ultra costs the most?
It was Celebi V (245/264), at a Near Mint market price of $81.28 on October 21, 2026.
What do the Gengar VMAX cards in Fusion Strike cost?
Fusion Strike has 2 Gengar VMAX cards, and on October 21, 2026, their Near Mint market prices were $40.91 for 157/264 (Rare Holo VMAX) and $1,027.32 for 271/264 (Rare Rainbow).