Lost Thunder: the 2018 Pokémon set explained
Pokémon's Lost Thunder from November 2018: its 236 cards, 13 Pokémon-GX in three versions each, seven Prism Star cards, and the 214 total it shares.
By the Rip.fan Editorial Team.
Published 8 min read
Lost Thunder is an expansion from Pokémon’s Sun & Moon series and one of the biggest sets of that series; Pokémon scheduled its US release for November 2, 2018. The set has 236 cards: 214 inside the printed total of 214 and 22 above it. It has 13 Pokémon-GX and seven Prism Star cards. Unlike Burning Shadows or Dragon Majesty, where some GX names skip a version, every GX name here comes in exactly three, numbered by a fixed rule.
When did Lost Thunder come out?
On November 2, 2018. Pokémon scheduled that date in a US alert of October 1, 2018.
Celestial Storm came out on August 3, 2018, Dragon Majesty on September 7, 2018 and Team Up on February 1, 2019. Lost Thunder came after Celestial Storm and Dragon Majesty and before Team Up. On Rip.fan’s price pages its code is LOT, in the Sun & Moon series. The Pokémon card eras guide shows how that series fits the wider timeline.
How many cards are in Lost Thunder?
- The cards split into seven blocks:
| Numbers | Cards | What they are |
|---|---|---|
| 1 to 166 | 166 | Pokémon, including 13 Pokémon-GX and 3 Prism Star cards |
| 167 to 193 | 27 | Trainer cards: 9 Supporters, 8 Items, 7 Tools and 3 Stadiums |
| 194 | 1 | Memory Energy, a Special Energy card |
| 195 to 207 | 13 | Pokémon-GX, Rare Ultra on Rip.fan’s page |
| 208 to 214 | 7 | Supporters labeled Rare Ultra |
| 215 to 227 | 13 | Pokémon-GX labeled Rare Rainbow |
| 228 to 236 | 9 | Trainer cards labeled Rare Secret |
All 22 cards from 215 up count as secret rares, since their numbers run past the set number, and each of the 22 repeats the name of a card lower in the list. Without its GX and Prism Star cards, the first block holds 150 regular Pokémon: 56 common, 35 uncommon and 59 rare. The symbols that mark those tiers on the card are explained in Pokémon card rarity symbols explained.
How big is it next to other Sun & Moon sets?
The main Sun & Moon expansions, not counting the special sets and promos, grew like this:
| Set | Printed total | Cards in the set |
|---|---|---|
| Sun & Moon | 149 | 172 |
| Guardians Rising | 145 | 169 |
| Burning Shadows | 147 | 169 |
| Crimson Invasion | 111 | 125 |
| Ultra Prism | 156 | 173 |
| Forbidden Light | 131 | 146 |
| Celestial Storm | 168 | 183 |
| Lost Thunder | 214 | 236 |
| Team Up | 181 | 196 |
| Unbroken Bonds | 214 | 234 |
| Unified Minds | 236 | 258 |
| Cosmic Eclipse | 236 | 271 |
Lost Thunder is the first set on that list with a printed total above 200, and only Unified Minds and Cosmic Eclipse, further down it, hold more cards.
What did Pokémon’s alert count?
The set’s main groups of cards:
| Card type | In the set |
|---|---|
| Trainer cards | 27 in the run at 167 to 193, plus 16 more above it |
| Prism Star cards | 7, among them 3 Stadiums: Celebi 19, Xerneas 144, Ditto 154, Heat Factory 178, Life Forest 180, Lusamine 182 and Thunder Mountain 191 |
| Pokémon-GX | 13 names, each with three cards |
| Cards in all | 236, with 214 inside the printed total |
The alert also counted four Ultra Beasts. It named Celebi and Ditto as Prism Star cards and Blacephalon-GX, Lugia-GX, Tyranitar-GX and Zeraora-GX among the GX cards, and all six are on the list. All seven Prism Star cards carry the Rare Prism Star label on Rip.fan’s page.
Which Pokémon-GX come in which versions?
All 13 come in three, and the numbers follow a pattern. Take a GX card’s place in the first block: the first, Shuckle-GX at 17, has its Rare Ultra card at 195 and its Rare Rainbow card at 215, and each later GX name steps up by one in both blocks. So every Rare Rainbow card is numbered exactly 20 above its Rare Ultra card. The full run:
| GX name | Main-run card | Rare Ultra card | Rare Rainbow card |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shuckle-GX | 17 | 195 | 215 |
| Sceptile-GX | 22 | 196 | 216 |
| Virizion-GX | 34 | 197 | 217 |
| Magcargo-GX | 44 | 198 | 218 |
| Blacephalon-GX | 52 | 199 | 219 |
| Suicune-GX | 60 | 200 | 220 |
| Zeraora-GX | 86 | 201 | 221 |
| Sigilyph-GX | 98 | 202 | 222 |
| Tyranitar-GX | 121 | 203 | 223 |
| Genesect-GX | 130 | 204 | 224 |
| Alolan Ninetales-GX | 132 | 205 | 225 |
| Mimikyu-GX | 149 | 206 | 226 |
| Lugia-GX | 159 | 207 | 227 |
All three cards of each name share an illustrator, with one exception: Sigilyph-GX, whose card at 98 is by PLANETA Otani while 202 and 222 are by PLANETA Igarashi. On Rip.fan’s price pages the main-run cards carry the label Rare Holo GX. The GX label’s place in the longer line of ex, EX and V cards is set out in our guide to those labels.
In card number order. Images from Scrydex.
Which Supporters have a second card?
Six of the nine in the main run, plus one newcomer. The Rare Ultra block at 208 to 214 holds second cards of Faba, Kahili, Mina, Morty, Professor Elm’s Lecture and Whitney, and it adds Judge at 209, which has no main-run card in Lost Thunder. So a Lost Thunder Judge is always 209/214. Aether Foundation Employee, Sightseer and the Prism Star Lusamine have one card each.
The nine Rare Secret cards at 228 to 236 work the same way for Items and Tools: each repeats a card from the run at 167 to 193, such as Adventure Bag, Net Ball and Spell Tag. None of them is a Pokémon.
Which Pokémon have more than one card in the first block?
Thirteen names, so a name alone often does not pin down a card. Unown has three cards, at 90, 91 and 92, each credited to a different illustrator. Twelve more names have two, among them Chikorita at 5 and 6, Cyndaquil at 39 and 40, Mareep at 75 and 76, Larvitar at 114 and 115 and Kecleon at 161 and 162. Some pairs sit far apart: Dedenne at 84 and 142, Carbink at 117 and 143, and Mareanie at 68 and 105.
The first block also leans toward one group of Pokémon. Of its 166 cards, 66 show Pokémon with national numbers from 152 to 251, the range from Chikorita, number 152, to Celebi, number 251, both of which are in the set. No other range comes close: the next largest, 722 to 809, has 27.
How do you tell it from Unbroken Bonds?
Check the name against the number. Unbroken Bonds, released May 3, 2019, also prints its cards out of 214, and several Pokémon names appear in both lists:
| Pokémon | Lost Thunder | Unbroken Bonds |
|---|---|---|
| Tangela | 1 | 16 |
| Tangrowth | 2 | 17 |
| Slowpoke | 54 | 42 |
| Stunfisk | 83 | 56 |
| Alolan Diglett | 122 | 121 |
| Alolan Dugtrio | 123 | 122 |
| Jigglypuff | 133 | 134 |
| Wigglytuff | 134 | 135 |
None of the shared names sits at the same number in both sets, but the numbers come close: 122/214 is Alolan Diglett in Lost Thunder and Alolan Dugtrio in Unbroken Bonds, and 134/214 is Wigglytuff in Lost Thunder and Jigglypuff in Unbroken Bonds. Unbroken Bonds stops at 234, so 235/214 and 236/214 belong to Lost Thunder alone.
How do you check Lost Thunder card prices?
The set has a table of its own in Rip.fan’s Pokémon card prices, in the Sun & Moon group, where every card has its number, rarity label and NM market price in one row. With 236 cards, the rarity filter saves scrolling: Rare Prism Star brings up the 7 Prism Star cards, Rare Holo GX the 13 main-run GX cards, Rare Ultra the 20 cards from 195 to 214, Rare Rainbow the 13 rainbow GX cards and Rare Secret the 9 Trainer cards at the end. Sorting by card number puts each GX name’s three cards in step.
The card price lookup searches every set at once as you type the opening letters of a card’s name, set or number, and each result states which printing its price covers. The price changes page ranks the largest percentage moves between Rip.fan’s weekly checks, counting only cards priced at $5 or more. None of these figures is a prediction; they record past prices for raw cards.
What should you check before buying a Lost Thunder card?
- The set behind the 214. Match the name to the number against Unbroken Bonds, which shares the printed total.
- The GX version. Every GX name has three cards. Use the rule above: the rainbow card is 20 numbers past the Rare Ultra one, and both sit above 194.
- Repeated names. Unown has three cards and twelve other names have two, so read the card number on every listing.
- Judge. The only Lost Thunder Judge is 209/214.
- A big set to finish. If you are collecting all 236, how to complete a Pokémon set explains the levels from a numbered set to a master set.
- A real card. Compare the card with the checks in how to tell if a Pokémon card is fake before you pay.
Our other Pokémon guides are a click away on the Pokémon hub.
Frequently asked questions
Which Lost Thunder card has the highest price?
Lugia-GX (227/214), a Rare Rainbow, led Lost Thunder on October 21, 2026, with a Near Mint market price of $370.06. Mimikyu-GX (226/214) followed at $311.65.
What is the top-priced Lost Thunder card within the printed total?
Inside the printed total of 214, Professor Elm's Lecture (213/214), a Rare Ultra, led on October 21, 2026, with a Near Mint market price of $186.65.
Which Lost Thunder Rare Ultra costs the most?
It was Lugia-GX (207/214), at a Near Mint market price of $125.64 on October 21, 2026.
What do the Lugia-GX cards in Lost Thunder cost?
Lost Thunder has 3 Lugia-GX cards, and on October 21, 2026, their Near Mint market prices were $37.16 for 159/214 (Rare Holo GX), $125.64 for 207/214 (Rare Ultra) and $370.06 for 227/214 (Rare Rainbow).