Ultra Prism: the 2018 Pokémon set explained
Pokémon's Ultra Prism from February 2018: its 173 cards, the six Prism Star cards, the notice's 18 full-art cards checked, and the 2017 sets compared.
By the Rip.fan Editorial Team.
Published 8 min read
Ultra Prism is a Sun & Moon series expansion released February 2, 2018, and the set that brought in Prism Star cards. Pokémon promised more than 150 cards, among them 18 full-art cards, six Prism Star cards and five Ultra Beasts, and placed the expansion in an alternate version of the Sinnoh region. The set has 173 cards: 156 numbered up to the printed total of 156, and 17 above it.
When did Ultra Prism come out?
On February 2, 2018. Pokémon announced the set on December 13, 2017, giving that launch date.
Ultra Prism arrived 91 days after Crimson Invasion, which went on sale November 3, 2017, and Forbidden Light followed 91 days later, on May 4, 2018. That spacing held from the start of the series. These six sets came out 91 days, or 13 weeks, apart:
| Set | Released | Days after the one before |
|---|---|---|
| Sun & Moon | February 3, 2017 | |
| Guardians Rising | May 5, 2017 | 91 |
| Burning Shadows | August 4, 2017 | 91 |
| Crimson Invasion | November 3, 2017 | 91 |
| Ultra Prism | February 2, 2018 | 91 |
| Forbidden Light | May 4, 2018 | 91 |
Shining Legends, on October 6, 2017, came out between Burning Shadows and Crimson Invasion. Rip.fan’s price pages give Ultra Prism the code UPR and list it under the Sun & Moon series heading. Our guide to Pokémon card eras places the series in the longer history.
How many cards are in Ultra Prism?
- The number blocks run like this:
| Numbers | Cards | What they are |
|---|---|---|
| 1 to 117 | 117 | Pokémon, including 7 Pokémon-GX and 4 Prism Star Pokémon |
| 118 to 135 | 18 | Trainer cards: 8 Supporters, 5 Items, 4 Tools and 1 Stadium, Mt. Coronet |
| 136 to 138 | 3 | Special Energy: Super Boost Energy, a Prism Star card, and two Unit Energy cards |
| 139 to 147 | 9 | Pokémon-GX labeled Rare Ultra on Rip.fan’s page |
| 148 to 156 | 9 | Supporters, also labeled Rare Ultra |
| 157 to 165 | 9 | The same nine Pokémon-GX again, labeled Rare Rainbow |
| 166 to 173 | 8 | Labeled Rare Secret: three Items, a Tool, two Unit Energy cards, Lunala-GX and Solgaleo-GX |
A secret rare is a card numbered higher than the set number, so every card from 157 up counts as one. The 117 Pokémon cards in the main run split into 45 commons, 25 uncommons, 36 rares, 7 Pokémon-GX and 4 Prism Star Pokémon, counting the GX and Prism Star cards by their names. On Rip.fan’s price pages 13 of the rares carry the label Rare Holo, the GX cards Rare Holo GX and the Prism Star cards Rare Prism Star.
Where are the full-art cards in Ultra Prism?
The 18 full-art cards sit at 139 to 156 and carry the label Rare Ultra on Rip.fan’s price pages: nine Pokémon-GX and nine Supporters. Most full art cards since Black & White are ultra rares.
What are the Prism Star cards?
Prism Star cards are a card type of their own, and Ultra Prism is the set that introduced them. The set has six: four Pokémon, Giratina at 58, Lunala at 62, Darkrai at 77 and Solgaleo at 89, plus the Supporter Cyrus at 120 and Super Boost Energy at 136. On Rip.fan’s price pages each shows a ◇ after its name, as in Giratina ◇, and has a label of its own, Rare Prism Star, so one filter brings up all six.
All six sit inside the printed total, so none of them is a secret rare. Lunala ◇ and Solgaleo ◇ are different cards from Lunala-GX and Solgaleo-GX at 172 and 173, so a listing that only says “Ultra Prism Lunala” needs its number checked.
Which Pokémon-GX come in which versions?
Twelve Pokémon-GX names appear, in four patterns. Every version:
| Pokémon-GX | Main run | Rare Ultra | Rare Rainbow | Rare Secret |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leafeon-GX | 13 | 139 | 157 | None |
| Glaceon-GX | 39 | 141 | 159 | None |
| Dawn Wings Necrozma-GX | 63 | 143 | 161 | None |
| Dusk Mane Necrozma-GX | 90 | 145 | 163 | None |
| Dialga-GX | 100 | 146 | 164 | None |
| Palkia-GX | 101 | 147 | 165 | None |
| Pheromosa-GX | None | 140 | 158 | None |
| Xurkitree-GX | None | 142 | 160 | None |
| Celesteela-GX | None | 144 | 162 | None |
| Silvally-GX | 116 | None | None | None |
| Lunala-GX | None | None | None | 172 |
| Solgaleo-GX | None | None | None | 173 |
Six follow the full pattern of three cards. Pheromosa-GX, Xurkitree-GX and Celesteela-GX start in the Rare Ultra block, Silvally-GX has its main-run card only, and Lunala-GX and Solgaleo-GX appear only above the rainbow block. Cards with the names Lunala-GX and Solgaleo-GX also appear in the Sun & Moon set, three cards each, so the number after the slash, 156 or 149, tells you the set.
In card number order. Images from Scrydex.
Which other cards repeat?
- Seven Basic pairs. Turtwig, Chimchar, Piplup, Shinx, Magnemite, Gible and Eevee each have two cards side by side, such as Turtwig at 6 and 7.
- Shaymin. Two cards, at 15 and 111.
- Rotom. Six cards: plain Rotom at 50 and five named forms, Mow Rotom at 14, Heat Rotom at 24, Wash Rotom at 40, Frost Rotom at 41 and Fan Rotom at 110.
- Supporters. Seven of the eight in the Trainer run come back in the Rare Ultra block at 148 to 156. Cyrus, the Prism Star Supporter, does not. Lana and Lusamine appear only in that block. A regular Lana card is in Burning Shadows at 117.
Most of the main run also comes from one range of national numbers: 76 of the 117 Pokémon cards show Pokémon numbered from 387, Turtwig, to 492, Shaymin.
How does Ultra Prism compare with the 2017 sets?
The same blocks, counted in the first three Sun & Moon expansions:
| Set | Printed total | Cards in all | Pokémon-GX in the main run | Rare Ultra block | Rare Rainbow block | Other cards above the total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun & Moon | 149 | 172 | 11 | 12: 8 GX, 4 Supporters | 8 | 15, including 9 basic Energy recorded as commons |
| Guardians Rising | 145 | 169 | 12 | 15: 12 GX, 3 Supporters | 15 | 9 |
| Burning Shadows | 147 | 169 | 12 | 19: 13 GX, 6 Supporters | 13 | 9 |
| Ultra Prism | 156 | 173 | 7 | 18: 9 GX, 9 Supporters | 9 | 8 |
Three things stand out. Ultra Prism has the fewest Pokémon-GX in its main run, 7, yet the most Supporters in its Rare Ultra block, 9. It is the only one of the four with Prism Star cards. And it is the only one of the four with Pokémon-GX among the cards labeled Rare Secret on Rip.fan’s price pages, the two at 172 and 173.
What products held Ultra Prism packs?
Each booster pack held 10 cards from the set plus a basic Energy card, and at least one of the 10 was of rare or higher rarity. For boxes and collections, check the box. For sealed product from 2018, our guide to spotting resealed Pokémon packs covers the signs of a pack that was opened and sealed again.
How do you check Ultra Prism card prices?
The set has its own page in Rip.fan’s Pokémon price pages, under the Sun & Moon series heading. It lists each priced card with its number, rarity and NM market price. Filter it by Rare Prism Star to see the six Prism Star cards, or sort by card number to see a GX card’s versions in turn, such as Dialga-GX at 100, 146 and 164. For a single card, the card price lookup searches by name, set or number and shows which printing each price is for. The price changes page compares prices between Rip.fan’s weekly checks.
What should you check before buying an Ultra Prism card?
- The printed total. A card from this set reads out of 156, and no other set in the Sun & Moon series has that total.
- Prism Star or GX. Lunala and Solgaleo come both ways in this set, at 62 and 89 with a ◇ and at 172 and 173 as GX cards. Match the card number.
- The Basic pairs. Two Turtwig, two Gible and five other pairs share names, so check the number as well as the name.
- The finish. Our guide to Pokémon card finishes explains holofoil, reverse holo and full art, and our guide to Pokémon rarity symbols shows where the rarity mark sits.
- 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 guide to completing a Pokémon set explains how to track a list like this one.
Frequently asked questions
Which Ultra Prism card has the highest price?
Lillie (151/156), a Rare Ultra, led Ultra Prism on October 21, 2026, with a Near Mint market price of $468.18. Lillie (125a/156) followed at $369.99.
Which Ultra Prism Rare Rainbow costs the most?
It was Leafeon-GX (157/156), at a Near Mint market price of $94.46 on October 21, 2026.
Which Rare Prism Star in Ultra Prism has the highest price?
Giratina ◇ (58/156) had the highest Near Mint market price among the Ultra Prism cards marked Rare Prism Star on October 21, 2026, at $93.11.
How much is Lillie from Ultra Prism?
On October 21, 2026, the 3 Lillie cards in Ultra Prism had Near Mint market prices of $0.31 for 125/156 (Uncommon), $369.99 for 125a/156 (Uncommon) and $468.18 for 151/156 (Rare Ultra).