SV2A Secret Rare Guide: SAR, AR and Special Rares in Pokémon Card 151

Updated November 9, 2026

The SV2A secret rare cards in Japanese Pokémon Card 151 (SV2a) are the cards printed with a number above the set total of 165, such as Charizard ex SAR 201/165 and Alakazam ex SAR 203/165. Pikachu AR 173/165 and Poliwhirl AR 176/165 are in the same over-165 group.

What are the key facts about SV2A?

SV2A (SV2a) is the set code of one Japanese expansion, Enhanced Expansion Pack “Pokémon Card 151”, and the table below fixes the names so you search for the right product.

For a numbered checklist of the whole set, use our Pokemon 151 card list for SV2a. This article covers the top end of the set: what the rare slots are, what the official page features, and which of those cards we list as graded singles. You can open a PSA 10 example right away with the PSA 10 Charizard ex SAR 201/165 listing.

What does “secret rare” mean in SV2A?

In this guide, an SV2A secret rare is a card whose printed number is higher than 165, the total shown after the slash on the cards we list.

The definition works because of what our product pages show. The base-numbered cards we list, Bulbasaur 001/165, Squirtle 007/165, Gengar 094/165, Exeggutor 103/165 and Magikarp 129/165, all have numbers at or below 165. The cards whose product pages carry a rarity of AR or SAR have numbers above it: Pikachu AR is 173/165, Poliwhirl AR is 176/165, Charizard ex SAR is 201/165 and Alakazam ex SAR is 203/165.

The set is built around the 151 original Pokémon, Bulbasaur to Mew, in Pokédex number order, according to the official Pokémon Card 151 page. That page also features trainer cards, so the set is not only Pokémon cards. The official page does not use the term “secret rare” for the set, so this guide uses it as a plain description of the over-165 numbers, not as an official category.

One practical consequence: when you shop for a card from this set, read the full number. A listing that says 176/165 is a different card from one that says 133/165, even though both belong to SV2a. The number is the fastest way to tell which part of the set a card comes from.

Which rarity labels appear on the SV2A cards we list?

The rarity labels on our SV2A product pages are AR for Pikachu and Poliwhirl and SAR for Charizard ex and Alakazam ex, and the official page also mentions SR.

The official page for the set mentions AR, SAR and SR together as special illustration rares, but it does not spell out what each abbreviation stands for. This guide therefore uses the abbreviations exactly as the page and our product pages print them and does not expand them.

Our listing names for the lower-numbered cards include a letter after the Pokémon name, such as C in Bulbasaur C, R in Gengar R and U in Exeggutor U. The pages do not explain those letters, so treat them as part of the card name as we list it. For background on Japanese rarity symbols across many sets, our other guides go into it; this one stays with SV2A.

Which special illustration cards does the official SV2A page feature?

The official page features Pikachu, Nidoking, Omanyte, the Bulbasaur, Charmander and Squirtle lines, Mew ex, Erika’s Invitation and Giovanni’s Charisma as special illustration cards.

Here is the featured list from the official Pokémon Card 151 page, grouped so it is easy to scan.

Three details stand out. The special illustration group is not limited to the three starter lines and Pikachu: it also includes Nidoking and Omanyte, plus two trainer-themed cards, Erika’s Invitation and Giovanni’s Charisma. Mew ex appears in both the ex group and the special illustration group, so the page shows it in more than one featured form. And the trainer group covers items and fossils, which shows the set’s feature list goes beyond Pokémon.

The page does not print card numbers or rarity labels next to these names. To match a featured name with its number, use the product pages and the card list. For example, our product pages tie Pikachu to 173/165 with an AR rarity and Alakazam ex to 203/165 with an SAR rarity, and the Charizard ex we list is 201/165 SAR.

The page also advertises an online game, “Pokémon Card 151 Challenge”, with a 60-second course, a 10-second course and a time attack mode.

Which SV2A secret rare cards do we list as PSA 10?

We list PSA 10 copies of four over-165 cards from SV2A: Pikachu AR 173/165, Poliwhirl AR 176/165, Charizard ex SAR 201/165 and Alakazam ex SAR 203/165.

Each of these pages describes the card as graded PSA 10 (Gem Mint), the highest grade Professional Sports Authenticator certifies, and adds that the PSA case may have minor scratches or marks on its surface. Each page also says stock levels can change, so in some cases your order may take a little longer to ship.

Charizard ex SAR 201/165

Charizard ex is on the official page’s featured ex list, and the Charmander line also appears in the featured special illustration group. The SAR we list is number 201, and the product page confirms the number, the SAR rarity and the PSA 10 grade.

Alakazam ex SAR 203/165

Alakazam ex is also on the official featured ex list, next to Venusaur ex, Charizard ex, Blastoise ex, Jynx ex, Wigglytuff ex and Mew ex. The SAR we list is number 203, which is two numbers above the Charizard ex 201.

Pikachu AR 173/165

Pikachu is the first name in the official page’s special illustration list, and our listing carries the AR rarity at number 173. It is the lowest number among the four over-165 cards in the table above.

Poliwhirl AR 176/165

Poliwhirl is not named on the official page’s feature lists, yet it carries AR 176/165 on our product pages. That shows an AR card can be a Pokémon the page does not highlight. We have a second photo of the same card as well.

We also cover another Pokémon from this part of the set in a separate article: the Psyduck 151 Pokemon card guide.

How do numbers above 165 look in our SV2A listings?

In our listings the AR cards sit at 173 and 176 and the SAR cards at 201 and 203, while the base-numbered cards we list run from 001 to 129.

We do not list every number above 165 here. A full numbered catalog goes stale and belongs on a list page, so use the Pokemon 151 card list for that. What this guide can do is show the shape of the range from the cards we have product pages for.

Within this small sample, the AR cards have the lower numbers and the SAR cards have the higher ones. A sample of nine cards cannot show how the whole range is arranged, so read the table as what we list, not as a rule for the set. The official page mentions SR as well, and nothing in our sources ties SR to a number.

The official card database gives one more verified detail from the base range: the Eevee card numbered 133/165, regulation mark SV2a, illustrator Narumi Sato, HP 70, with the attacks Colorful Friends (カラフルフレンズ) and Skip 10 (スキップ10), per the official card database. The database entry shows how SV2a cards are identified: the regulation mark SV2a plus the number out of 165.

Where do Master Ball and Monster Ball Mirror listings fit?

Our Master Ball Mirror and Monster Ball Mirror listings are numbered 094/165 and 103/165, so under the number definition used in this guide they are not secret rares.

The two listings are Gengar R: Monster Ball Mirror 094/165 and Exeggutor U: Master Ball Mirror 103/165. Both numbers are below 165, which puts them in the same number range as the other base-numbered cards. The pages do not describe the finish. The only finish detail in our sources is on the official page, which says the three promo cards in the card file sets are mirror finish with a Monster Ball pattern; it does not say those promos are the same thing as the Gengar and Exeggutor listings.

For deeper reading on these listings, see our articles on Gengar R Monster Ball Mirror 094/165, Gengar R Master Ball Mirror 094/165 and Eevee C Master Ball Mirror 133/165.

How does a PSA 10 AR or SAR compare with a PSA 10 base-range card?

A PSA 10 AR or SAR from SV2A and a PSA 10 base-numbered card carry the same grade, but the AR or SAR has a number above 165 and a rarity line on its product page.

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We also list PSA 10 copies of base-numbered cards from SV2A. They show what the lower numbers of the set look like when graded.

The practical advice is to choose by the card you want, not by the grade alone. If you collect the starter Pokémon in their illustrated forms, note that the official page lists the Bulbasaur, Charmander and Squirtle lines in its special illustration group, and match the number on the listing to the card you have in mind. If you want to follow the original 151 in order, the set is organized by Pokédex number, so a run that begins with Bulbasaur 001/165 follows that order.

Some of our commons have more than one product listing. There are two Bulbasaur pages, one (update: currently sold out — restock requests via Quick Order) and the other, and the Squirtle page is here. A Magikarp page is here.

Do SV2A secret rares come from booster packs or card files?

The official page describes booster packs of 7 randomly inserted cards at 290 yen (tax included) and separate card file sets, and it gives no list of which product holds which rare card.

The official page gives the pack price and card count, and it presents the card file sets as a separate product. Each card file set costs 2,200 yen (tax included) and comes in two versions, the Monster Ball set and the Venusaur/Charizard/Blastoise set. A set holds 5 expansion packs, 1 card file, 1 catalog poster and 3 promo cards: Bulbasaur, Charmander and Squirtle, one each, in mirror finish with a Monster Ball pattern.

The official sources do not give the number of rare cards per pack or any odds, and this article states none. If you want sealed product instead of a single, our Japanese Pokémon 151 booster box guide covers the 20-pack box, the carton and the damaged box, and the sealed vs damaged box guide helps you choose between box conditions.

The Pokémon Card Game site also published a notice that Pokémon Center Online would sell the pack in a made-to-order format (official announcement). The notice gives no dates, prices, card contents or quantities, and refers readers to Pokémon Center Online for details under product code 4521329331348.

How do I buy PSA 10 SV2A cards from outside Japan?

You buy them from the product pages above, pay in Japanese yen by Wise, PayPal or a card through PayPal, and the order ships by FedEx with a tracking number.

These are the terms from our own policy pages. They are estimates and conditions, not guarantees.

Details are on the shipping policy and the payment methods page. Customs processing, weather and carrier congestion can slow delivery after FedEx takes the parcel, and the policy says those transit delays are outside our control.

Paying with Wise

Wise is the method without the 5% payment processing fee. At checkout you choose whether to upload a screenshot of your transfer. Without a screenshot, the order is cancelled automatically if payment has not arrived within 12 hours (3 hours if the order contains a pre-order item). With a screenshot, you upload it within 5 days of placing the order, and the order price is held for a total of 10 days. The screenshot option needs an account and is not available at guest checkout. Enter the payment reference SST-{order number} in the Wise reference field exactly as issued. For SWIFT transfers the page states a receiving fee of JPY 611, so add that amount to your order total, and select the OUR charge option so correspondent bank fees are covered on your side.

Paying with PayPal or a card

PayPal completes the payment immediately at checkout. The black Debit or Credit Card button opens a card form in PayPal’s own window; the page lists Visa, Mastercard, American Express and JCB, and PayPal decides which is offered based on your country and card. A PayPal account is usually not required for a card payment. We never see or store card details. PayPal Pay Later, where PayPal makes it available, splits an eligible order into interest-free instalments; the page lists, for example, Pay in 4 for the United States, Canada and Australia and Pay in 3 for the United Kingdom, Italy and Spain, and says availability is not guaranteed.

Address and PSA allocation

Check your shipping address before you order. While an order is paid and its shipment has not yet been scheduled, you can update the shipping address yourself under My Account > Orders. The destination country cannot be changed, and if the new address costs more to ship to, you pay the difference before dispatch.

One policy point matters for graded singles in particular. PSA graded cards may also be offered through our other sales channels, so an item shown online may already be sold before the allocation for your order is locked. Once your payment has cleared, we secure the PSA graded card that matches your order, even if more sourcing is needed, and dispatch may take longer in that case. We provide status updates whenever the schedule changes.

Which SV2A secret rare should I choose?

Choose the card that matches the Pokémon you collect: Charizard ex SAR 201/165 for Charizard, Alakazam ex SAR 203/165 for Alakazam, Pikachu AR 173/165 for Pikachu and Poliwhirl AR 176/165 for Poliwhirl.

Here is a short decision guide that uses only what the sources confirm.

• You collect Charizard. Take the SAR 201/165. The official page features Charizard ex, and the Charmander line also appears in the special illustration group.
• You collect Alakazam or ex cards. Take the Alakazam ex SAR 203/165. Alakazam ex is on the official ex list.
• You want Pikachu. Take Pikachu AR 173/165. Pikachu is the first name in the official special illustration list.
• You want a card outside the highlighted names. Poliwhirl AR 176/165 is an AR card the official page does not name.
• You want a base-numbered card with a Ball name in the listing. Gengar R Monster Ball Mirror 094/165 and Exeggutor U Master Ball Mirror 103/165 are numbered below 165.

Whatever you pick, check the number on the product page against the number in this guide before you pay, and remember that every listing here is a PSA 10 single of the Japanese edition.

Related Articles

• Pokemon 151 Card List (SV2a Japanese): All 210 Cards and Secret Rares
• Pokemon 151 Chase Cards: Top 10 Japanese SV2a Cards and Prices
• Japanese Pokémon 151 Booster Box (SV2a): 20 Packs, Chase Cards, Carton and Damaged Box
• Psyduck 151 Pokemon Card: Japanese SV2a 175/165 AR and PSA 10 Price
• Chinese 151 vs Japanese Pokemon 151 (SV2a): Prints, Pikachu AR and Prices

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