Fifteen years after the original “Shining” Pokemon cards disappeared from Japanese packs, a small strengthened expansion brought the idea back — new artwork, a new set of Legendary and Mythical Pokemon, and a card frame that hadn’t been used before. That set is SM3+, and it’s why a PSA 10 Shining Rayquaza from this set is currently listed at ¥141,888 in our Tokyo stock.
Officially titled 強化拡張パック「ひかる伝説」(Shining Legends), SM3+ released in Japan on July 15, 2017, timed to that summer’s Pokemon theatrical film and its focus on Legendary and Mythical Pokemon from across the franchise’s movie history.
This guide walks through what SM3+ actually contains, the eight revived “Shining” Pokemon at its center, the card-count discrepancy you’ll run into if you research this set elsewhere, and the graded singles we currently carry out of Tokyo.
SM3+ Shining Legends revived eight “Shining” Legendary and Mythical Pokemon — Celebi, Mew, Jirachi, Rayquaza, Lugia, Arceus, Genesect, and Volcanion — as new-design cards in July 2017. (The English-language Shining Legends set is a different product: it covers only six of these eight — Celebi and Lugia weren’t included — and released October 6, 2017.) We currently carry a graded PSA 10 Shining Rayquaza [SM3+ 057/072], currently listed at ¥141,888 (update: currently sold out — restock requests via Quick Order), and a graded PSA 10 Shining Arceus [SM3+ 059/072], currently listed at ¥41,199 — both graded copies currently listed.
What Is SM3+ Shining Legends?
SM3+, formally the strengthened expansion pack 強化拡張パック「ひかる伝説」(Shining Legends), released in Japan on July 15, 2017. This guide covers the Japanese SM3+ release throughout. Readers researching the English-language Shining Legends set should note it’s a separate product — released October 6, 2017, distributed bundled with related merchandise rather than sold as a standalone booster box, with each pack holding 11 cards and at least two guaranteed foils, and covering only six of SM3+’s eight Shining Pokemon (it doesn’t include Shining Celebi or Shining Lugia).
The set’s timing lines up with that summer’s 20th animated Pokemon film and its focus on Legendary and Mythical Pokemon drawn from across the movie franchise’s history. SM3+’s roster leans into that theme directly, headlined by the return of eight “Shining” Pokemon — Celebi, Mew, Jirachi, Rayquaza, Lugia, Arceus, Genesect, and Volcanion — each given new artwork rather than a reprint of their earlier design.
The Eight Shining Pokemon Checklist
Every confirmed Shining card in SM3+, by number:
| Card | Number | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Shining Celebi | 004/072 | Mythical |
| Shining Genesect | 010/072 | Mythical |
| Shining Volcanion | 028/072 | Mythical |
| Shining Mew | 041/072 | Mythical |
| Shining Jirachi | 043/072 | Mythical |
| Shining Rayquaza | 057/072 | Legendary · Dragon · HP120 |
| Shining Lugia | 058/072 | Legendary |
| Shining Arceus | 059/072 | Legendary |
All eight sit inside the set’s base numbering, which runs to /072. Card numbers here are confirmed against multiple independent Japanese card-database and marketplace listings for each individual card — the set’s overall total card count is a separate, less settled question, covered further down this guide.
Shining Rayquaza 057/072: The Chase Card in Our Stock
Shining Rayquaza is a Basic Pokemon, Dragon-type, with 120 HP, and it’s marked with the set’s star-style rarity designation. Multiple independent Japanese marketplace and card-database listings confirm it as card 057/072 within SM3+ Shining Legends, and the illustrator credit on record is Naoki Saito.
We carry a graded copy of this card — a PSA 10 Shining Rayquaza [SM3+ 057/072], currently listed at ¥141,888 (update: currently sold out — restock requests via Quick Order). It’s a graded copy currently listed rather than an open lot: once it sells, that specific slab is gone from our stock until we’re able to source another.
View Product → (update: currently sold out — restock requests via Quick Order)
For a broader look at Mega Rayquaza’s later Japanese and English printings — a different card line, but useful context for how Rayquaza pricing tends to separate by set and rarity — see our Mega Rayquaza Card Value Guide and our Shiny Mega Rayquaza Cards Guide.
Shining Lugia, Shining Arceus, and the Rest of the Lineup
Alongside Rayquaza, SM3+ groups two more Legendary Pokemon into its Shining lineup: Shining Lugia at 058/072, sitting directly next to Rayquaza in the set’s numbering, and Shining Arceus at 059/072, closing out the trio.
We currently carry a graded copy from the Arceus slot — a PSA 10 Shining Arceus [SM3+ 059/072], currently listed at ¥41,199. Like the Rayquaza copy above, it’s a graded copy currently listed: when it sells, that specific slab is gone from our stock rather than restocked from a shelf.
Check the card number in the corner first. SM3+’s Shining Pokemon sit close together in the numbering — Celebi at 004, Genesect at 010, Volcanion at 028, Mew at 041, Jirachi at 043, and Rayquaza, Lugia, and Arceus back-to-back at 057–059 — so it’s worth confirming the exact number before assuming which one you’re holding.
How Many Cards Are Really in SM3+?
This is the one area of SM3+ where the sources don’t line up cleanly, so it’s worth stating plainly rather than picking a single number and moving on. The set’s base numbering runs to /072, and the total card count — including higher rarities that sit above that base numbering — is widely cited at 82 cards across Japanese cardlist aggregators. A rarity breakdown circulating alongside that figure lists Common 24, Uncommon 16, Rare 6, Double Rare 4, Super Rare 5, Hyper Rare 4, and Ultra Rare 3 — but those seven numbers add up to 62, not 82, so the breakdown and the headline total don’t reconcile against each other.
On top of that, English-language reference material covering the set’s SM3+ subset describes it inconsistently as well — limitlesstcg’s set page lists the total at 77, while Bulbapedia and Japanese cardlist aggregators put it at 82. We haven’t been able to resolve which figure (or which breakdown) is correct from the sources available, so we’re presenting both here rather than asserting a single definitive total. What we can confirm independently is the position of the eight Shining Pokemon within the set (004, 010, 028, 041, 043, 057, 058, 059 of /072), which is consistent across every source we checked.
Where the “Shining” Idea Came From
According to Bulbapedia and fan-community reference material, “Shining” (ひかる) as a card treatment predates SM3+ by roughly fifteen years — the original run of Shining Pokemon cards appeared in Japanese sets in the early 2000s. SM3+ is described in that same reference material as bringing the concept back with new artwork rather than reprinting the earlier cards. We haven’t found an official statement that directly confirms this as an intentional revival versus simply reusing a naming convention, so treat the “comeback” framing as the accepted community read on the set rather than a confirmed design statement from the card’s publisher.
What’s better documented is SM3+’s release context: a July 2017 strengthened expansion, distributed with merchandise rather than as a standalone booster, timed to that year’s Legendary-and-Mythical-themed animated film. For more on how the Sun & Moon era’s Japanese sets fit together as a whole, see our companion piece, the Sun & Moon Era Japanese Pokemon Guide.
Where to Buy SM3+ Cards from Japan
We ship graded and raw Japanese singles out of Tokyo with tracked delivery. Our current SM3+ Shining Legends stock includes the PSA 10 Shining Rayquaza [SM3+ 057/072], currently listed at ¥141,888 (update: currently sold out — restock requests via Quick Order), and the PSA 10 Shining Arceus [SM3+ 059/072], currently listed at ¥41,199. Both are graded copies currently listed, so availability changes as they sell.
- Browse our full graded singles lineup on the PSA 10 collection.
- See our visual, browsable graded catalogue on the PSA 10 card list page.
- For a mixed order across multiple sets, or for singles we don’t currently have listed, our Quick Order page is the fastest way to build a shipment.
If you’re researching how SM3+’s Shining treatment compares to later “shiny” rarity concepts in the Sword & Shield and Scarlet & Violet eras, our Shiny Star V Pull Rates & Best Cards guide and our GX Ultra Shiny vs. Shiny Star V Guide both cover how those later sets built on the same core idea of color-variant Pokemon as a premium card tier.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is SM3+ Shining Legends?
SM3+ is a Japanese strengthened expansion pack officially titled 強化拡張パック「ひかる伝説」(Shining Legends), released July 15, 2017. It revived eight “Shining” Legendary and Mythical Pokemon — Celebi, Mew, Jirachi, Rayquaza, Lugia, Arceus, Genesect, and Volcanion — as new-design cards. The separate English-language Shining Legends set (October 6, 2017) covers only six of these eight — it doesn’t include Celebi or Lugia — and was distributed bundled with related merchandise rather than sold as a standalone booster box.
How many cards are in SM3+?
Sources don’t fully agree. The set’s base numbering runs to /072, and the total including higher rarities is widely cited at 82 cards, though some English-language references cite 77, and a circulating rarity breakdown for the set doesn’t add up to either figure. The six Shining Pokemon’s individual card numbers are confirmed consistently across sources.
What number is Shining Rayquaza in SM3+?
057/072. It’s a Basic, Dragon-type Pokemon with 120 HP, marked with the set’s star-style rarity designation, illustrated by Naoki Saito.
Which Pokemon got the “Shining” treatment in SM3+?
Eight Pokemon: Shining Celebi (004/072), Shining Genesect (010/072), Shining Volcanion (028/072), Shining Mew (041/072), Shining Jirachi (043/072), Shining Rayquaza (057/072), Shining Lugia (058/072), and Shining Arceus (059/072).
Was SM3+ sold as a regular booster box?
The Japanese SM3+ release was sold as a standard strengthened expansion pack. The separate English-language Shining Legends set (October 6, 2017) was distributed differently — bundled with related merchandise rather than sold standalone, with each pack holding 11 cards and at least two guaranteed foils.
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