XY base set: the 2014 Pokémon set explained
Pokémon's XY set of February 2014: its 146 cards block by block, its Mega Evolution and Fairy-type cards, and the six full-art Pokémon-EX at 141 to 146.
By the Rip.fan Editorial Team.
Published 7 min read
XY is the first expansion of Pokémon’s XY series, from February 2014, and the set that brought Mega Evolution cards and Fairy-type Pokémon to booster packs. It came out in the UK on February 5, 2014. It holds 146 cards, every one numbered inside the printed total of 146, so it has no cards above the total at all. The main run holds eight Pokémon-EX, two of them Mega Evolution, and six full-art Pokémon-EX close the list.
When did the XY set come out?
The XY set reached UK stores on February 5, 2014. Pokémon set that date in a notice of September 20, 2013, which said the expansion would follow the Kalos Starter Set and arrive with 10-card booster packs. A media alert of January 22, 2014 repeated it: the cards would be in stores on Wednesday, February 5.
Legendary Treasures is the last set under Black & White before it. The next expansion, Flashfire, came out on May 7, 2014 in the UK. Our guide to Pokémon card eras places the XY series in the longer history, and our guide to Flashfire covers the next expansion.
How many cards are in the XY set?
- The number blocks run like this:
| Numbers | Cards | What they are |
|---|---|---|
| 1 to 114 | 114 | Pokémon, including 8 Pokémon-EX |
| 115 to 129 | 15 | Trainer cards: 7 Items, 4 Supporters, 2 Tools and 2 Stadiums |
| 130 to 131 | 2 | Special Energy: Double Colorless Energy and Rainbow Energy |
| 132 to 140 | 9 | Basic Energy, one card for each of nine types, Fairy last |
| 141 to 146 | 6 | Full-art Pokémon-EX |
Every card reads out of 146, the full-art ones included. CGC defines a secret rare as a card numbered higher than the set number, and nothing on this list qualifies. Later XY sets such as Flashfire do print cards above their totals.
Rip.fan’s page sorts the 146 into six labels:
| Label on Rip.fan’s page | Cards | Where they sit |
|---|---|---|
| Common | 48 | Within 3 to 140, including the nine basic Energy |
| Uncommon | 42 | Within 4 to 131, including all 15 Trainers and both Special Energy |
| Rare | 26 | Within 5 to 110 |
| Rare Holo | 16 | Within 14 to 114 |
| Rare Holo EX | 8 | The Pokémon-EX in 1 to 114 |
| Rare Ultra | 6 | 141 to 146 |
The Pokémon run is grouped by type. It starts with Grass at 1 to 19 and ends with Colorless at 98 to 114, and Fairy has its own run at 87 to 97, just before Colorless. In CGC’s guide, the small black symbol by the number marks the tier: a circle for common, a diamond for uncommon and a star for rare. Our guide to Pokémon rarity symbols shows where it sits on the card.
What was new in the XY base set?
Mega Evolution, Fairy-type Pokémon and new Pokémon-EX. Example cards:
| What was new | Cards |
|---|---|
| Mega Evolution cards for Venusaur and Blastoise | M Venusaur-EX at 2 and M Blastoise-EX at 30 |
| Fairy-type cards for Aromatisse and Slurpuff | Aromatisse at 93 and Slurpuff at 95 |
| Fairy Garden, a Trainer card | A Stadium card at 117 |
| A ninth Energy type, Basic Fairy Energy | Fairy Energy at 140, the last basic Energy |
Capital EX cards began in Black & White’s Next Destinies and carried on into XY, where they tied in with Mega Evolution. Our guide to Pokémon ex, EX and GX cards explains the labels, and our guide to Mega Evolution cards shows how the M Pokémon-EX of 2014 differ from the Mega ex cards of 2025 on.
Where did Fairy type start?
Pokémon announced in September 2013 that the Kalos Starter Set, three 60-card decks sold before this expansion, introduced both Fairy-type Pokémon and the Basic Fairy Energy card. It called Fairy the eleventh type in the card game, the first new one since Dragon in 2012. A January 2014 alert then listed Fairy-type Pokémon among what the XY expansion introduced. So the starter set had Fairy cards first, and this set brought them to booster packs.
The main run has 11 Fairy-type Pokémon, all at 87 to 97: two Jigglypuff, two Wigglytuff, Mr. Mime, Spritzee, Aromatisse, Swirlix, Slurpuff, Xerneas and Xerneas-EX. The full-art Xerneas-EX at 146 is also Fairy type, which makes 12 in the whole set. Our guide to Pokémon card eras lists the Fairy symbol among the marks that help date a card.
Which Pokémon-EX are in the XY set?
Eight in the main run. Six come back as full-art cards at the end of the list, and the two Mega cards do not:
| Pokémon-EX | Main run | Full art |
|---|---|---|
| Venusaur-EX | 1 | 141 |
| M Venusaur-EX | 2 | None |
| Blastoise-EX | 29 | 142 |
| M Blastoise-EX | 30 | None |
| Emolga-EX | 46 | 143 |
| Yveltal-EX | 79 | 144 |
| Skarmory-EX | 80 | 145 |
| Xerneas-EX | 97 | 146 |
Full art cards began with Black & White and show the artwork across the whole card, and most full art Pokémon cards are ultra rare. Four of the six are credited to Ryo Ueda and the Yveltal-EX and Xerneas-EX cards to 5ban Graphics. Our guide to Pokémon card finishes explains full art beside holofoil and reverse holo.
In card number order. Images from Scrydex.
Which names appear on two different cards?
Five Pokémon have two separate cards in the main run, each with its own number: Inkay at 74 and 75, Malamar at 76 and 77, Aegislash at 85 and 86, Jigglypuff at 87 and 88, and Wigglytuff at 89 and 90. On Rip.fan’s price pages Aegislash 85 is labeled Rare and Aegislash 86 Rare Holo, so the two are not interchangeable in a listing. Xerneas and Yveltal also come twice, as a plain card and a Pokémon-EX: Yveltal at 78 and 79, Xerneas at 96 and 97.
What products held XY packs?
XY came in 10-card booster packs, sold at participating stores. Check the wrapper of any sealed pack from 2014. Our guide to spotting resealed Pokémon packs covers the signs of a pack that was opened and sealed again, and our guide to Pokémon sealed products covers what the sealed products of two recent sets hold.
How do you check XY card prices?
The set has its own page in Rip.fan’s Pokémon price pages, listed as XY under the XY series heading. It shows each card with its number, rarity and NM market price. Filter it by Rare Holo EX for the eight Pokémon-EX of the main run, or by Rare Ultra for the six full-art cards. 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 XY card?
- Set or series. A listing that says XY may mean any set in the series. The printed total settles it: this set reads out of 146, and no other set in the XY series has that total.
- The version. Venusaur-EX 1/146 and Venusaur-EX 141/146 are different cards, and the card number tells the main card from the full-art one.
- A same-named card from Generations. Generations, from 2016, has a Venusaur-EX at 1 that shares this set’s illustrator credit, but it reads out of 83. Our guide to Generations lists the other matches.
- Genuine cards. Our guide to spotting fake Pokémon cards walks through checks that leave a card unharmed.
If you plan to collect the whole list, our guide to completing a Pokémon set explains numbered, complete and master sets. The Pokémon hub has the rest of our coverage, and our guide to Roaring Skies covers a 2015 set from the same series.
Frequently asked questions
What is the most expensive XY card?
It was Blastoise-EX (142/146), at a Near Mint market price of $174.86 on October 21, 2026. Venusaur-EX (141/146) was second, at $124.99.
Which Rare Holo EX in XY has the highest price?
M Blastoise-EX (30/146) had the highest Near Mint market price among the XY cards marked Rare Holo EX on October 21, 2026, at $32.89.
What is the top-priced Rare Holo card in XY?
On October 21, 2026, Greninja (41/146) led the Rare Holo cards of XY, with a Near Mint market price of $12.
How much is Blastoise-EX from XY?
On October 21, 2026, the 2 Blastoise-EX cards in XY had Near Mint market prices of $11.63 for 29/146 (Rare Holo EX) and $174.86 for 142/146 (Rare Ultra).