Every TAG TEAM GX card that’s ever been pulled, traded, or chased across the Sun & Moon era traces back to one set. SM9 Tag Bolt is where the mechanic started — and its defining chase card still anchors graded want-lists eight years later.
SM9 Tag Bolt (タッグボルト) released in Japan on December 7, 2018, introducing TAG TEAM Pokemon-GX: Basic cards that put two Pokemon on a single card, run higher HP than a standard GX, and cost the opponent three Prize cards instead of two on knockout. Six TAG TEAM pairs debuted here, but one duo — Pikachu & Zekrom GX — became the set’s defining chase and one of the most recognizable cards of the whole GX era. This guide covers the set’s structure, its top singles, and clears up a numbering mix-up that shows up often in listings for this card.
SM9 Tag Bolt introduced TAG TEAM GX Pokemon to the Pokemon TCG. Its headline chase is Pikachu & Zekrom GX, topping out at SR and HR — there is no TAG TEAM GX Ultra Rare in this set. We currently list PSA 10 Pikachu & Zekrom GX SR [SM9 100/095] (update: currently sold out — restock requests via Quick Order) at ¥90,022 (~$552) and PSA 10 Latias & Latios GX SR [SM9 104/095] at ¥37,694 (~$231).
Pricing reflects our own in-Tokyo stock listings, re-checked August 13, 2026. USD figures are approximate conversions at ¥163/USD (July 2026 basis). We don’t publish specific pack-odds percentages for this set — pull-rate figures below are described in relative, community-reported terms only.
What Is SM9 Tag Bolt?
Tag Bolt is a Sun & Moon-era Japanese expansion released December 7, 2018, and its significance goes beyond its own checklist: it’s the set that introduced TAG TEAM Pokemon-GX to the Pokemon Trading Card Game. A TAG TEAM GX is a Basic-stage card depicting two Pokemon sharing one card frame and one GX attack, printed with higher HP than a standard single-Pokemon GX and carrying a built-in penalty — when a TAG TEAM GX is knocked out, the opponent takes three Prize cards instead of the usual two.
The set released internationally as Sun & Moon—Team Up on February 1, 2019, roughly two months after the Japanese original. Every TAG TEAM GX chase card that followed across every later SM-era set that ran the mechanic, through its send-off in SM12a Tag All-Stars, traces its lineage back to this release.
Release Dates & Set Structure
| Detail | Value |
|---|---|
| Japanese name | タッグボルト (Tag Bolt) |
| Japan release date | December 7, 2018 |
| English equivalent | Sun & Moon—Team Up (February 1, 2019) |
| Base numbering | /095 (SR and above continue the numbering past 095) |
| Total cards (basic set) | 118 |
The rarity breakdown across those 118 cards runs Common ×43, Uncommon ×32, Rare ×10, Trainer’s Rare ×4, Double Rare ×6 (the six TAG TEAM GX in their regular print), Super Rare ×14, Hyper Rare ×6, and Ultra Rare ×3. That SR count — fourteen cards — is unusually deep for the era, and it’s where both of the set’s headline TAG TEAM GX pulls actually live, not in the UR tier.
The Six TAG TEAM GX Pairs That Started It All
Tag Bolt’s official set page lists six TAG TEAM Pokemon-GX pairings as the expansion’s headline cards: Pikachu & Zekrom GX, Latias & Latios GX, Gengar & Mimikyu GX, Eevee & Snorlax GX, Celebi & Venusaur GX, and Magikarp & Wailord GX. Every TAG TEAM GX printed in a Pokemon TCG set afterward is a descendant of this lineup — six debut pairings that established the format the mechanic would run with through the end of the Sun & Moon era in 2019.
Two of the six — Pikachu & Zekrom GX and Latias & Latios GX — are the pairings we currently carry graded singles for, and they’re covered in detail below.
Chase Spotlight: Pikachu & Zekrom GX
Pikachu & Zekrom GX is the card most associated with the set when people hear “Tag Bolt.” It’s printed at three numbers in the set’s secret-rare range: 100/095 SR, 101/095 SR Special Art, 112/095 HR — plus its regular Double Rare print in the base numbering. None of the secret-rare prints is an Ultra Rare, a point worth flagging since mislabeled listings for this card circulate widely (more on that below).
We currently list a graded copy of the standard SR: PSA 10 Pikachu & Zekrom GX SR [SM9 100/095] (update: currently sold out — restock requests via Quick Order), currently listed at ¥90,022 (~$552). As with all our graded stock, this is listed as a single graded slab — the product page is the source of truth on availability.
View Product → (update: currently sold out — restock requests via Quick Order)
Latias & Latios GX: The Set’s Other Headliner
Latias & Latios GX follows the same three-number pattern as Pikachu & Zekrom GX: 104/095 (standard SR), 105/095 (SR Special Art), and 114/095 (Hyper Rare). Multiple independent Japanese card-shop sources confirm all three prints as SM9 Tag Bolt cards specifically, with no crossover or mix-up with other sets — unlike the numbering confusion that follows Pikachu & Zekrom GX.
We currently list the standard SR: PSA 10 Latias & Latios GX SR [SM9 104/095], currently listed at ¥37,694 (~$231) — listed as a single graded slab, with the product page as the source of truth on availability.
Correction: SM9 Has No TAG TEAM GX Ultra Rare
SM9 Tag Bolt does have three Ultra Rare cards — but none of them is a TAG TEAM Pokemon. All three URs in this set are Trainer cards: two Items and one Stadium, printed at 116/095, 117/095, and 118/095. The set’s highest TAG TEAM GX rarity is Hyper Rare (112/095 for Pikachu & Zekrom GX, 114/095 for Latias & Latios GX), with the SR and SR Special Art prints one tier below that, on top of each pairing’s regular Double Rare print in the base numbering.
That’s a real card — but it isn’t from SM9 Tag Bolt. Card number 221/173 belongs to SM12a Tag Team GX: Tag All-Stars (2019), a reprint-focused high class pack whose top TAG TEAM prints reached UR. The “/173” denominator is SM12a’s own base card count, not SM9’s /095 numbering, and multiple independent sources (TCGplayer, collectors.com, eBay listings) confirm the 221/173 print as SM12a-exclusive. If a listing shows this exact number attached to Tag Bolt, treat it as a set mix-up.
We do currently list a graded copy of the SM12a print: PSA 10 Pikachu & Zekrom GX 221/173 UR (update: currently sold out — restock requests via Quick Order) at ¥142,099 (~$872) — the later SM12a re-release of the same TAG TEAM pairing, at the Ultra Rare tier the mechanic reached in its final set. If you’re specifically after Tag Bolt’s own SM9 prints, the SR and Hyper Rare listed above are the ones to look for.
Pull Rates: What We Can (and Can’t) Confirm
We don’t publish specific box-odds percentages for SM9 — we haven’t found an official Pokemon-published pull-rate figure for this set, and community-reported odds we’ve seen vary too widely between sources to treat as reliable numbers. What is structurally clear from the set’s own rarity breakdown is that the SR tier (14 cards) is where Tag Bolt puts its collecting pressure: both TAG TEAM GX headliners have an SR print, an SR Special Art print, and a Hyper Rare print, while the three URs go to Trainer cards instead of a TAG TEAM Pokemon. That’s a different chase structure than later TAG TEAM sets, where the mechanic’s biggest pulls sit at the UR tier — SM12a Tag All-Stars being the clearest example.
Any pull-rate figure you see quoted for this set should be treated as community-reported and unofficial until you can trace it to a verifiable, repeatable sample.
Where Tag Bolt Fits in TAG TEAM GX History
Tag Bolt is set zero for the TAG TEAM GX mechanic — every later set that ran the format, from SM10 Double Blaze through SM12a Tag All-Stars, built on the template this set established. For the full arc of the mechanic across every set that used it, our best TAG TEAM GX cards guide ranks the top pulls set by set. For a closer look at every printing of this set’s signature pairing across its full run, our Pikachu & Zekrom GX card guide covers the SM9, SM10b, and SM12a versions side by side. And for the mechanic’s send-off set — where 221/173 actually belongs, and where TAG TEAM GX finally reached the Ultra Rare tier — see our SM12a Tag All-Stars guide.
If you’re tracking the Sun & Moon era more broadly, our SM10 Double Blaze guide, published alongside this article, covers the next TAG TEAM GX set in the timeline and its own Reshiram & Charizard GX chase.
Where to Buy SM9 Tag Bolt Cards from Japan
We ship graded Japanese singles worldwide from Tokyo with tracked delivery. Right now our Tag Bolt stock is two graded TAG TEAM GX SRs: PSA 10 Pikachu & Zekrom GX SR [SM9 100/095] (update: currently sold out — restock requests via Quick Order) at ¥90,022 (~$552) and PSA 10 Latias & Latios GX SR [SM9 104/095] at ¥37,694 (~$231). Both are listed as single graded slabs — the product page is the source of truth on availability.
We don’t currently carry SM9 Tag Bolt sealed booster boxes. For sealed Japanese product from other sets, browse our Japanese sealed booster box collection. For more graded TAG TEAM GX singles — including the SM12a 221/173 UR print of this same pairing — our PSA 10 collection is the fastest way to browse current stock. And for a mixed order across sealed product and singles, or to ask us to source a specific SM9 number we don’t currently list, our Quick Order page is the fastest route.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is SM9 Tag Bolt and when was it released?
SM9 Tag Bolt (タッグボルト) is a Japanese Sun & Moon-era expansion released December 7, 2018. It introduced TAG TEAM Pokemon-GX to the Pokemon TCG, a Basic-card format pairing two Pokemon on one card. It released internationally as Sun & Moon—Team Up on February 1, 2019.
What is the best card in SM9 Tag Bolt?
Pikachu & Zekrom GX is the set’s headline chase, printed at three numbers in the set’s secret-rare range: 100/095 SR, 101/095 SR Special Art, 112/095 HR — plus its regular Double Rare print in the base numbering. Latias & Latios GX follows the same pattern at 104/095, 105/095, and 114/095, plus its own regular Double Rare print.
Does SM9 Tag Bolt have an Ultra Rare TAG TEAM GX?
No. SM9’s three Ultra Rares (116/095, 117/095, 118/095) are Trainer cards — two Items and a Stadium — not TAG TEAM Pokemon. The set’s highest TAG TEAM GX rarity is Hyper Rare.
Is Pikachu & Zekrom GX 221/173 UR from SM9 Tag Bolt?
No. Card number 221/173 belongs to SM12a Tag Team GX: Tag All-Stars (2019), a later reprint-focused set. SM9’s own numbering tops out at /095; the “/173” denominator identifies it as an SM12a print, confirmed by multiple independent sources.
How many TAG TEAM GX pairs debuted in SM9 Tag Bolt?
Six: Pikachu & Zekrom GX, Latias & Latios GX, Gengar & Mimikyu GX, Eevee & Snorlax GX, Celebi & Venusaur GX, and Magikarp & Wailord GX, as listed on the set’s official product page.
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