Paradox Rift: the Pokémon set explained
Pokémon's Paradox Rift set: its 266 cards, Ancient and Future Pokémon, all 20 Pokémon ex by version, which Japanese sets share them, and the products listed.
By the Rip.fan Editorial Team.
Published 8 min read
Paradox Rift is an expansion in Pokémon’s Scarlet & Violet series, released November 3, 2023. It introduced Ancient and Future Pokémon, inspired by the Paradox Pokémon of Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet, and brought Technical Machines back as Pokémon Tool cards. The set has 266 cards: 182 inside the printed total and 84 numbered above it. Of its 20 Pokémon ex, 18 have a version above double rare, and three reach all four versions. Those 18 are exactly the ones that also appear in three Japanese sets, the same pattern this guide finds in three more Scarlet & Violet sets.
When did Paradox Rift come out?
On November 3, 2023. Pokémon announced it on August 17, 2023 with that date, and on November 3 it was out at participating retailers worldwide, Pokémon Center included, as booster packs, special collections and Elite Trainer Boxes.
Its code is PAR on Rip.fan’s price page. It followed 151, released September 22, 2023, and came before Paldean Fates, released January 26, 2024.
What are Ancient and Future cards?
Two new groups of Pokémon and Trainer cards.
| Group | How Pokémon describes it |
|---|---|
| Ancient Pokémon | Toughness and power |
| Ancient Trainer cards | Tend to help Ancient Pokémon |
| Future Pokémon | Speed and technique |
| Future Trainer cards | Tend to help Future Pokémon |
Technical Machines come back in this set as Pokémon Tool cards. There are four, at 176 to 179: Blindside, Devolution, Evolution and Turbo Energize, each named Technical Machine.
Mewtwo ex is a type-shifted Tera Pokémon ex, a Mewtwo that is usually a Psychic type. This Mewtwo ex is a Lightning type. Our guide to Pokémon ex cards covers Tera Pokémon ex in general.
How many cards are in Paradox Rift?
- Cards 001 to 158 are Pokémon, 159 to 181 are Trainer cards and 182 is a Special Energy card, Medical Energy.
| Rarity | Mark | Cards | Numbers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Common | Black circle | 81 | Within 001 to 169 |
| Uncommon | Black diamond | 54 | Within 002 to 182 |
| Rare | Black star | 27 | Within 018 to 158 |
| Double rare | Two black stars | 20 | Within 003 to 156 |
| Illustration rare | One gold star | 34 | 183 to 216 |
| Ultra rare | Two silver stars, which Pokémon calls foil stars | 28 | 217 to 244 |
| Special illustration rare | Two gold stars | 15 | 245 to 259 |
| Hyper rare | Three gold stars | 7 | 260 to 266 |
The 20 double rares are 13 Pokémon ex and 7 Tera Pokémon ex; the 34 illustration rares are all Pokémon; the 28 ultra rares are Pokémon ex and Supporter cards, full-art and etched; the 15 special illustration rares are Pokémon and Supporter cards; and the 7 hyper rares are gold etched cards.
The 27 rares are all Pokémon. The 7 hyper rares are three Pokémon ex, an Item, a Pokémon Tool, a Stadium and Reversal Energy. Two of them have no card of the same name in this list. The Stadium’s name appears in Scarlet & Violet at 167, and Reversal Energy in Paldea Evolved at 192, both as uncommons. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Froslass ex | 003 | 217 | None | None |
| Armarouge ex | 027 | 218 | None | None |
| Garchomp ex | 038 | 219 | 245 | 260 |
| Tsareena ex | 046 | 220 | None | None |
| Golisopod ex | 050 | 221 | 246 | None |
| Mewtwo ex | 058 | None | None | None |
| Tapu Koko ex | 068 | 222 | 247 | None |
| Iron Hands ex | 070 | 223 | 248 | None |
| Cofagrigus ex | 076 | 224 | None | None |
| Iron Valiant ex | 089 | 225 | 249 | 261 |
| Hoopa ex | 098 | 226 | None | None |
| Toxtricity ex | 100 | 227 | None | None |
| Sandy Shocks ex | 108 | 228 | 250 | None |
| Roaring Moon ex | 124 | 229 | 251 | 262 |
| Aegislash ex | 135 | 230 | None | None |
| Skeledirge ex | 137 | None | None | None |
| Gholdengo ex | 139 | 231 | 252 | None |
| Altaria ex | 140 | 232 | 253 | None |
| Maushold ex | 155 | 233 | None | None |
| Bombirdier ex | 156 | 234 | None | None |
Nine have a special illustration rare. The 10 Supporter ultra rares are Larry, Mela, Norman, Parasol Lady, Professor Sada’s Vitality, Professor Turo’s Scenario, Rika, Roark, Shauntal and Tulip, and six of them, all but Larry, Norman, Roark and Shauntal, also have a special illustration rare.
Which Japanese sets share its Pokémon ex?
Three Japanese sets of 5-card packs hold 6 of Paradox Rift’s Pokémon ex each:
| Japanese set | On sale in Japan | Days before Paradox Rift | Pokémon ex it shares |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ancient Roar (古代の咆哮, SV4K) | October 27, 2023 | 7 | Armarouge, Tsareena, Golisopod, Cofagrigus, Sandy Shocks, Roaring Moon |
| Future Flash (未来の一閃, SV4M) | October 27, 2023 | 7 | Iron Hands, Iron Valiant, Toxtricity, Aegislash, Altaria, Maushold |
| Raging Surf (レイジングサーフ, SV3a) | September 22, 2023 | 42 | Froslass, Garchomp, Tapu Koko, Hoopa, Gholdengo, Bombirdier |
Mewtwo ex and Skeledirge ex appear in none of these three. Rip.fan also looked for them in Ruler of the Black Flame (SV3) and Pokémon Card 151 (SV2a), English titles again in Rip.fan’s rendering, and found neither there. Triplet Beat (SV1a), one of the Japanese sets in our Paldea Evolved guide, does hold a Skeledirge ex. Mewtwo ex and Skeledirge ex are also the only two of the 20 with no version above double rare.
Does the same pattern hold in other sets?
Yes, in all four sets in this group of guides. In each one, the Pokémon ex with any version above double rare are exactly the Pokémon ex that also appear in the matching Japanese sets:
| Set | Released | Cards | Pokémon ex | Above double rare | Matching Japanese sets |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scarlet & Violet | March 31, 2023 | 258 | 12 | 12 | SV1S and SV1V |
| Paldea Evolved | June 9, 2023 | 279 | 19 | 18 | SV2P, SV2D and SV1a |
| Paradox Rift | November 3, 2023 | 266 | 20 | 18 | SV4K, SV4M and SV3a |
| Shrouded Fable | August 2, 2024 | 99 | 6 | 6 | SV6a |
So within each of these English sets, a Pokémon ex that sits only at double rare is one that is not in the Japanese sets matched to that set. Our guide to Obsidian Flames reports the same pattern for that set and three later ones.
Which art cards share an illustrator?
The special illustration rares of Iron Valiant ex and Roaring Moon ex show scenes inside Area Zero, and one of the illustration rares shows Wimpod exploring a flooded structure. Three Pokémon have an illustration rare and a special illustration rare of their evolution by the same artist:
- Oku: Wimpod (191) and Golisopod ex (246).
- Jiro Sasumo: Swablu (213) and Altaria ex (253).
- Akira Komayama: Gimmighoul (198) and Gholdengo ex (252).
Takeshi Nakamura also drew both the Iron Moth (187) and Slither Wing (203) illustration rares, and OKACHEKE drew Plusle (193) and Minun (194). Our guide to illustration rares sets the set’s counts beside others.
What products hold Paradox Rift packs?
Pokémon features nine entries for the set: a Booster Box, a Booster Bundle, a Sleeved Booster, two products from one range (a box with a 40-card deck and a second product), and the Elite Trainer Box and Pokémon Center Elite Trainer Box, each listed twice.
The Pokémon Center Elite Trainer Box comes with two extra booster packs and one extra illustration rare promo card 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 Paradox Rift card prices?
Paradox Rift has its own page in Rip.fan’s Pokémon price pages, listing its 266 cards with number, rarity and NM market price. Sort it by number and Roaring Moon ex’s four cards sit at 124, 229, 251 and 262; filter it to see one rarity at a time. 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. Garchomp ex, Iron Valiant ex and Roaring Moon ex are four different cards each. Match the card number to the rarity a listing claims.
- Which Skeledirge ex. Paradox Rift’s, at 137, is a Metal type, and Paldea Evolved has a different Skeledirge ex, a Fire type, at 037.
- The language. Japanese printings carry their own numbers. The double rare Roaring Moon ex is 054 in Ancient Roar and 124 in Paradox Rift. 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, Paldea Evolved and Shrouded Fable cover more sets from the series the same way.
Frequently asked questions
What is the most expensive Paradox Rift card?
It was Groudon (199/182), at a Near Mint market price of $95.55 on October 21, 2026. Morpeko (206/182) was second, at $62.14.
Which regular-numbered Paradox Rift card costs the most?
Of the cards numbered 1 to 182, Mewtwo ex (058/182), a Double Rare, cost the most on October 21, 2026, with a Near Mint market price of $2.93.
Which Special Illustration Rare in Paradox Rift has the highest price?
Altaria ex (253/182) had the highest Near Mint market price among the Paradox Rift cards marked Special Illustration Rare on October 21, 2026, at $43.13.
What do the Groudon cards in Paradox Rift cost?
Paradox Rift has 2 Groudon cards, and on October 21, 2026, their Near Mint market prices were $0.09 for 093/182 (Rare) and $95.55 for 199/182 (Illustration Rare).