Surging Sparks: the Pokémon set explained
Pokémon's Surging Sparks set: its 252 cards, Pikachu ex in four versions, which of its Pokémon ex also appear in Japan's sets, and the products Pokémon lists.
By the Rip.fan Editorial Team.
Published 7 min read
Surging Sparks is an expansion in Pokémon’s Scarlet & Violet series, released November 8, 2024. It is built around Stellar Tera Pokémon ex, led by Pikachu ex, and a run of Dragon-type Pokémon. The set has 252 cards: 191 inside the printed total and 61 numbered above it, ending with six gold hyper rares. Pikachu ex and Alolan Exeggutor ex are the only Pokémon ex in all four versions. Two Japanese sets released in the weeks before it hold 14 of its 18 Pokémon ex, and those 14 are exactly the 14 that get an ultra rare.
When did Surging Sparks come out?
On November 8, 2024. Pokémon announced it on August 22, 2024, for release at participating retailers worldwide. Its code is SSP on Rip.fan’s price pages. It follows Stellar Crown of September 13, 2024, and comes before Prismatic Evolutions of January 17, 2025.
Pokémon ties the cards to the Terarium, an artificial paradise from The Indigo Disk, the second part of The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero add-on for Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet. The main list has 10 Dragon-type Pokémon, at 133 to 142, from Alolan Exeggutor ex to Tatsugiri ex. Pokémon highlights four of them: Dialga, Palkia, Eternatus and Tatsugiri ex.
Which Japanese sets share its Pokémon ex?
Two Japanese sets, both sold in 5-card packs, hold 14 of its 18 Pokémon ex:
| Japanese set | Code | Released in Japan | Days before Surging Sparks | Pokémon ex shared with Surging Sparks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paradise Dragona (楽園ドラゴーナ) | SV7a | September 13, 2024 | 56 | 6 |
| Super Electric Breaker (超電ブレイカー) | SV8 | October 18, 2024 | 21 | 8 |
The English titles are Rip.fan’s renderings. The four Pokémon ex in neither Japanese set are Ceruledge ex, Kilowattrel ex, Sylveon ex and Flamigo ex. SV8 has 138 cards and SV7a has 94, against 252 for Surging Sparks.
How many cards are in Surging Sparks?
- Cards 001 to 161 are Pokémon, 162 to 190 are Trainer cards, and 191 is an Energy card.
| Rarity | Mark | Cards | Numbers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Common | Black circle | 88 | Within 001 to 173 |
| Uncommon | Black diamond | 61 | Within 003 to 190 |
| Rare | Black star | 16 | Within 011 to 161 |
| Double rare | Two black stars | 18 | Within 004 to 160 |
| Illustration rare | One gold star | 23 | 192 to 214 |
| Ultra rare | Two silver stars, which Pokémon calls foil stars | 21 | 215 to 235 |
| Special illustration rare | Two gold stars | 11 | 236 to 246 |
| Hyper rare | Three gold stars | 6 | 247 to 252 |
The 18 double rares are 9 Stellar Tera Pokémon ex and 9 Pokémon ex, the 8 ACE SPEC rares are numbered within 162 to 191, and the 6 hyper rares are gold etched cards.
- ACE SPEC rares. Six Items, one Pokémon Tool and one Energy card, Enriching Energy at 191. All eight sit inside the printed total, mixed in with the uncommon Trainer cards.
- Ultra rares. 14 Pokémon ex and 7 Supporter cards.
- Special illustration rares. 7 Pokémon ex and 4 Supporters.
- Hyper rares. Pikachu ex, Alolan Exeggutor ex, three Trainer cards (a Tool, a Stadium and an Item) and Jet Energy.
Rip.fan’s page for Surging Sparks uses the same nine rarities. 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?
All 18 have a double rare inside the main list. Which higher versions they get varies:
| Pokémon ex | Double rare | Ultra rare | Special illustration rare | Hyper rare |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Durant ex | 004 | 215 | 236 | None |
| Ceruledge ex | 036 | None | None | None |
| Scovillain ex | 037 | 216 | None | None |
| Milotic ex | 042 | 217 | 237 | None |
| Black Kyurem ex | 048 | 218 | None | None |
| Pikachu ex | 057 | 219 | 238 | 247 |
| Kilowattrel ex | 068 | None | None | None |
| Latias ex | 076 | 220 | 239 | None |
| Sylveon ex | 086 | None | None | None |
| Palossand ex | 091 | 221 | None | None |
| Flygon ex | 106 | 222 | None | None |
| Hydreigon ex | 119 | 223 | 240 | None |
| Archaludon ex | 130 | 224 | 241 | None |
| Alolan Exeggutor ex | 133 | 225 | 242 | 248 |
| Tatsugiri ex | 142 | 226 | None | None |
| Slaking ex | 147 | 227 | None | None |
| Cyclizar ex | 159 | 228 | None | None |
| Flamigo ex | 160 | None | None | None |
Three patterns stand out:
- Two Pokémon ex come in all four versions. Pikachu ex and Alolan Exeggutor ex are the set’s two Pokémon hyper rares, so a listing for either needs the number to say which card it is.
- The four without an ultra rare are the four not in either Japanese set. Ceruledge ex, Kilowattrel ex, Sylveon ex and Flamigo ex appear only as double rares. The other 14 all have an ultra rare.
- Pokémon names five of its nine Stellar Tera Pokémon ex: Pikachu ex, Alolan Exeggutor ex, Sylveon ex, Palossand ex and Flygon ex. Our guide to Pokémon ex cards explains Tera Pokémon ex.
Which art cards share an illustrator?
Some of the set’s illustration rare and special illustration rare art pairs thematically with other cards, such as Feebas and Milotic. Feebas (198) and Milotic ex (237) are credited to the same illustrator, Kuroimori. Three more pairs of art cards share an illustrator: Exeggcute (192) and Alolan Exeggutor ex (242), both credited to Yuriko Akase; Latios (203) and Latias ex (239), both to OKACHEKE; and Archaludon ex (241) and Clemont’s Quick Wit (243), both to Shinya Mizuno. A shared credit does not show that two cards were meant as a pair. Our guide to illustration rares sets the set’s counts beside others.
What products hold Surging Sparks packs?
Six products were featured: a Booster Display, a Booster Bundle, a Sleeved Booster, a box with a 40-card prebuilt deck, and two Elite Trainer Boxes, one of them made for Pokémon Center. The prebuilt-deck kind of box holds a smaller, 40-card deck, and the Pokémon Center Elite Trainer Box was offered for preorder at Pokémon Center in the US, Canada and the UK.
The set is also sold in booster packs, in Elite Trainer Boxes and in special collections. Later sets, such as Journey Together, list their box contents, so check a Surging Sparks box’s printed contents or the seller’s listing before you buy. Our guides to booster boxes and Elite Trainer Boxes cover what these products hold in other sets.
How do you check Surging Sparks card prices?
Surging Sparks has its own page in Rip.fan’s Pokémon price pages, listing the set’s cards with number, rarity and NM market price. Sort it by number and Pikachu ex’s four cards sit at 057, 219, 238 and 247; 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. Pikachu ex is four different cards here: 057, 219, 238 and 247. Match the card number to the rarity a listing claims.
- The language. Japanese printings sit in two sets with their own numbers. Pikachu ex is 033 in SV8 and 057 in Surging Sparks. Our Japanese and English cards guide explains the differences.
- Sealed contents. Compare a box with its printed contents, and see our guide to spotting resealed Pokémon packs.
- 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 Paldean Fates, the Mega Evolution set and Prismatic Evolutions cover more sets the same way.
Frequently asked questions
What is the most expensive Surging Sparks card?
It was Pikachu ex (238/191), at a Near Mint market price of $266.98 on October 21, 2026. Latias ex (239/191) was second, at $174.13.
Which regular-numbered Surging Sparks card costs the most?
Of the cards numbered 1 to 191, Latias ex (076/191), a Double Rare, cost the most on October 21, 2026, with a Near Mint market price of $5.53.
Which Hyper Rare in Surging Sparks has the highest price?
Pikachu ex (247/191) had the highest Near Mint market price among the Surging Sparks cards marked Hyper Rare on October 21, 2026, at $71.24.
What do the Pikachu ex cards in Surging Sparks cost?
Surging Sparks has 4 Pikachu ex cards, and on October 21, 2026, their Near Mint market prices were $4.50 for 057/191 (Double Rare), $25.89 for 219/191 (Ultra Rare), $71.24 for 247/191 (Hyper Rare) and $266.98 for 238/191 (Special Illustration Rare).