Paldea Evolved: the Pokémon set explained
Pokémon's Paldea Evolved set: its 279 cards, all 19 Pokémon ex by version, five evolution lines whose illustration rares share an artist, and its products.
By the Rip.fan Editorial Team.
Published 8 min read
Paldea Evolved is the expansion that followed Scarlet & Violet in Pokémon’s Scarlet & Violet series, released June 9, 2023. Its art cards number 36 illustration rares and 15 special illustration rares, and five evolution lines have every illustration rare and special illustration rare drawn by one illustrator. The set has 279 cards: 193 inside the printed total and 86 numbered above it. It has 19 Pokémon ex, two of which, Tinkaton ex and Annihilape ex, appear only above the printed total. Of the 19, 18 also appear in three Japanese sets.
When did Paldea Evolved come out?
On June 9, 2023. Pokémon announced it on March 23, 2023, and on June 9 it was out at participating retailers worldwide, Pokémon Center included, as booster packs, special collections and Elite Trainer Boxes.
Its code is PAL. It follows Scarlet & Violet of March 31, 2023, and comes before Obsidian Flames of August 11, 2023.
What does Paldea Evolved add?
- More Pokémon ex, three of them Tera Pokémon ex. Slowking ex, Forretress ex and Dedenne ex are its Tera Pokémon ex, with a crystal look.
- New art styles. The set’s illustration rares and special illustration rares use alternate art styles, some showing a Pokémon’s personality and some its evolutions.
- Wo-Chien ex and Chi-Yu ex. They are Legendary Ruinous Pokémon, here on a card for the first time, as Pokémon ex. The set also has Chien-Pao ex and Ting-Lu ex.
Pokémon’s own art highlights for the set include Sprigatito curled up in a planter, Paldean Wooper asleep in mud, Raichu napping and Maushold in a tree. It calls these special illustrations. In the set’s list, each of those four Pokémon has an illustration rare (196, 221, 211 and 226), while the special illustration rare rarity is used here only for Pokémon ex and Supporters. Each of the three Paldean Tauros cards, at 028, 041 and 108, has its own type, and the set adds an illustration rare of one of them at 218.
How many cards are in Paldea Evolved?
- Cards 001 to 170 are Pokémon, 171 to 189 are Trainer cards and 190 to 193 are four Special Energy cards: Jet, Luminous, Reversal and Therapeutic Energy. The rarities run like this:
| Rarity | Mark | Cards | Numbers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Common | Black circle | 81 | Within 001 to 188 |
| Uncommon | Black diamond | 70 | Within 002 to 193 |
| Rare | Black star | 25 | Within 003 to 172 |
| Double rare | Two black stars | 17 | Within 005 to 169 |
| Illustration rare | One gold star | 36 | 194 to 229 |
| Ultra rare | Two silver stars, which Pokémon calls foil stars | 26 | 230 to 255 |
| Special illustration rare | Two gold stars | 15 | 256 to 270 |
| Hyper rare | Three gold stars | 9 | 271 to 279 |
The 36 illustration rares are all Pokémon; the 26 ultra rares are 18 Pokémon ex and 8 Supporters; the 15 special illustration rares are Pokémon and Supporter cards; and the 9 hyper rares are gold etched cards.
The set has 19 different Pokémon ex names.
- The rares are 24 Pokémon and one Supporter, Boss’s Orders, at 172. It has an ultra rare (248) and a special illustration rare (265), and on Rip.fan’s price pages all three carry the name Boss’s Orders (Ghetsis).
- The hyper rares are five Pokémon ex, two Items (Super Rod and Superior Energy Retrieval) and two gold Basic Energy cards, Grass and Water.
Each mark is explained in our guide to Pokémon rarity symbols.
In card number order. Images from Scrydex.
Which Pokémon ex come in which versions?
| Pokémon ex | Double rare | Ultra rare | Special illustration rare | Hyper rare |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Forretress ex | 005 | 230 | None | None |
| Meowscarada ex | 015 | 231 | 256 | 271 |
| Wo-Chien ex | 027 | 232 | 257 | None |
| Skeledirge ex | 037 | 233 | 258 | 272 |
| Chi-Yu ex | 040 | 234 | 259 | None |
| Quaquaval ex | 052 | 235 | 260 | 273 |
| Chien-Pao ex | 061 | 236 | 261 | 274 |
| Pikachu ex | 063 | None | None | None |
| Bellibolt ex | 079 | 237 | None | None |
| Slowking ex | 086 | 238 | None | None |
| Dedenne ex | 093 | 239 | None | None |
| Lycanroc ex | 117 | 241 | None | None |
| Ting-Lu ex | 127 | 243 | 263 | 275 |
| Paldean Clodsire ex | 130 | 244 | None | None |
| Copperajah ex | 150 | 245 | None | None |
| Noivern ex | 153 | 246 | None | None |
| Squawkabilly ex | 169 | 247 | 264 | None |
| Tinkaton ex | None | 240 | 262 | None |
| Annihilape ex | None | 242 | None | None |
Five Pokémon ex reach all four versions: Meowscarada ex, Skeledirge ex, Quaquaval ex, Chien-Pao ex and Ting-Lu ex. Pikachu ex is the only one with no version above double rare. The 8 Supporter ultra rares are Boss’s Orders, Clavell, Dendra, Falkner, Giacomo, Grusha, Iono and Saguaro, and all but Clavell and Falkner also have a special illustration rare.
Which Japanese sets share its Pokémon ex?
Three Japanese sets of 5-card packs each hold 6 of Paldea Evolved’s Pokémon ex. The English titles are translations:
| Japanese set | On sale in Japan | Days before Paldea Evolved | Pokémon ex it shares |
|---|---|---|---|
| Snow Hazard (スノーハザード, SV2P) | April 14, 2023 | 56 | Wo-Chien, Chien-Pao, Slowking, Copperajah, Squawkabilly, Annihilape |
| Clay Burst (クレイバースト, SV2D) | April 14, 2023 | 56 | Forretress, Chi-Yu, Bellibolt, Ting-Lu, Noivern, Tinkaton |
| Triplet Beat (トリプレットビート, SV1a) | March 10, 2023 | 91 | Meowscarada, Skeledirge, Quaquaval, Dedenne, Lycanroc, Paldean Clodsire |
Those 18 are exactly the Pokémon ex with an ultra rare in the English set, and Pikachu ex is in none of the three. In the Japanese sets, Tinkaton ex and Annihilape ex are double rares, at 035 in Clay Burst and 040 in Snow Hazard. Our Paradox Rift guide sets this result beside the other sets in this group.
Which evolution lines share an illustrator?
Five lines have every illustration rare and special illustration rare in the set by one illustrator, listed here with each evolution step:
| Evolution line | Illustrator | Illustration rares | Special illustration rare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sprigatito, Floragato, Meowscarada ex | Kouki Saitou | 196, 197 | 256 |
| Fuecoco, Crocalor, Skeledirge ex | kantaro | 201, 202 | 258 |
| Quaxly, Quaxwell, Quaquaval ex | Souichirou Gunjima | 206, 207 | 260 |
| Frigibax, Arctibax, Baxcalibur | Tomokazu Komiya | 208, 209, 210 | None |
| Tinkatink, Tinkatuff, Tinkaton ex | Tika Matsuno | 216, 217 | 262 |
A shared credit alone does not prove the cards were planned as a series, so treat the table as a record of credits. Our guide to illustration rares sets the set’s counts beside others.
What products hold Paldea Evolved packs?
Pokémon features seven products for the set: a Booster Box, a Booster Bundle, a Sleeved Booster, an Elite Trainer Box, a Pokémon Center Elite Trainer Box, and two products from one range (a box with a 40-card deck and a second product).
The Pokémon Center Elite Trainer Box comes with two extra booster packs plus an illustration rare-style promo card in two copies, one of them carrying the Pokémon Center logo. The box with the deck holds a smaller, 40-card deck, and the Elite Trainer Box holds a little of everything, from card sleeves and Energy cards to full-art promo cards, booster packs and a guide. For pack counts, check the printed contents or the seller’s listing. Our guides to booster boxes and Elite Trainer Boxes cover these formats.
How do you check Paldea Evolved card prices?
Paldea Evolved has its own page in Rip.fan’s Pokémon price pages, listing its 279 cards with number, rarity and NM market price. Sort it by number and Chien-Pao ex’s four cards sit at 061, 236, 261 and 274; filter it to Illustration Rare to see all 36 together. For a single card, the card price lookup searches by name, set or number and shows which printing each price is for, and the price changes page shows moves between Rip.fan’s weekly checks.
If you plan to grade, our guide to whether a card is worth grading covers the costs, and the centering checker turns border measurements into a centering split.
What should you check before buying?
- The version. Five Pokémon ex come in four versions each. Match the card number to the rarity a listing claims.
- Tinkaton ex and Annihilape ex. In this set they exist only at 240, 242 and 262, so a listing that places either in Paldea Evolved should carry one of those numbers.
- Boss’s Orders. Three cards share the name, at 172, 248 and 265.
- The language. Japanese printings carry their own numbers. The double rare Chien-Pao ex is 028 in Snow Hazard and 061 in Paldea Evolved. Our Japanese and English cards guide explains the differences.
- Sealed contents and genuine cards. Compare a box with its printed contents, and see our guides to spotting resealed Pokémon packs and spotting fake Pokémon cards.
The Pokémon hub has the rest of our coverage, and our guides to Scarlet & Violet, Paradox Rift and Shrouded Fable cover more sets from the series the same way.
Frequently asked questions
What is the most valuable card in Paldea Evolved?
On October 21, 2026, Magikarp (203/193) had the highest Near Mint market price in Paldea Evolved, at $339.44. Next came Raichu (211/193), at $93.59.
Which card numbered inside Paldea Evolved has the highest price?
Among the cards numbered up to 193, Pikachu ex (063/193), a Double Rare, had the highest Near Mint market price on October 21, 2026, at $4.18.
What is the top-priced Special Illustration Rare card in Paldea Evolved?
On October 21, 2026, Tinkaton ex (262/193) led the Special Illustration Rare cards of Paldea Evolved, with a Near Mint market price of $51.55.
What do the Magikarp cards in Paldea Evolved cost?
Paldea Evolved has 2 Magikarp cards, and on October 21, 2026, their Near Mint market prices were $0.18 for 042/193 (Common) and $339.44 for 203/193 (Illustration Rare).