XY era Japanese Pokemon cards span three years, a run of main sets and Concept Packs, and card types that exist in this exact form — EX with M-EX overlays and BREAK — only in this era. The Japanese XY period is the last stretch of the modern TCG built entirely without GX, V, or VSTAR on the card, and it’s also the last era where the 1st Edition stamp existed at all.
The era closes through a 2017 high-class pack that is still built on the XY card template.
The XY era ran December 2013 through September 2016, from XY1 “Collection X / Collection Y” to the CP6 20th Anniversary set. THE BEST OF XY (April 2017) keeps the XY card frame after Sun & Moon had launched.
- Set reference: PSA 10 card list.
- Graded PSA 10 Japanese Pokemon singles from the XY era are listed on our store as of this update.
USD figures convert at ¥154/USD, approximate.
When the XY Era Ran
Japan’s XY era opened with XY1, “Collection X / Collection Y,” released December 13, 2013. It closed with Expansion Pack 20th Anniversary (CP6), released September 16, 2016 — CP6, the sixth and final subset of the XY BREAK block and the last XY-series release in Japan (its English counterpart, Evolutions, is documented as the twelfth and final XY expansion). That gives the era just under three years, spanning a run of main-numbered expansions plus the Concept Pack side-releases that ran alongside them.
It’s worth being precise about the boundary: CP6 ends the XY series, but a handful of XY-template products — most notably THE BEST OF XY — released after Sun & Moon had already begun.
EX, Mega Evolution, and BREAK
Three mechanics define the XY era, and each arrived at a specific, dated point in the run rather than all at once.
Pokemon-EX carried over from the preceding BW era; what XY1 (December 13, 2013) added was its Mega Evolution variant, M Pokemon-EX, alongside the new Fairy type. An M Pokemon-EX doesn’t require a mega stone card to evolve — instead, the game rule attached to it is that your turn ends immediately once you mega evolve, a built-in trade-off for the stat and attack boost.
Gengar EX, from XY4 “Phantom Gate” (September 13, 2014), sits at the RR (Double Rare) slot rather than a secret-rare position — not every EX card in this era is a chase-level pull. Mewtwo EX, by contrast, is printed as a UR (Ultra Rare) in the secret-number range of XY8 “Blue Shock” (the “Blue Impact” half of the split XY8 release, September 26, 2015).
Pokemon BREAK arrived later, and only once: introduced in XY8 (Blue Shock / Red Flash; English: BREAKthrough) (the same release as the Mewtwo EX), it’s a card type that lays horizontally over an existing Pokemon to add HP and new attacks without a full evolution. XY9 “BREAKpoint” (December 11, 2015) continued using BREAK rather than introducing a second new mechanic. EX/M-EX and BREAK are the two structural ideas that carry the era — our EX and Mega EX cards guide goes deeper on the EX side, and our XY8 Blue Impact best-cards guide covers the set where BREAK debuted.
The 1st Edition Stamp’s Final Years
The XY era is the closing chapter of the Japanese 1st Edition (1ED) stamp. The stamp had been running since 2001, and its production continued straight through the XY main sets and their Concept Packs, ending with Expansion Pack 20th Anniversary (CP6) — the same set that closes the XY series itself. That means every main XY expansion and every XY-period Concept Pack potentially carries a 1ED variant, and the stamp was retired before Sun & Moon launched that December (December 9, 2016).
Winona, the Secret Rare Trainer card from XY6 “Emerald Break” (March 14, 2015), carries a confirmed 1ED print. It sits in the same secret-number band (079+) as the set’s headline M Rayquaza EX SR (086/078). For the full mechanics of the stamp — how to recognize it, and how it compares to the English WOTC version — see our dedicated Japanese 1st Edition cards guide. One of the clearest late-era 1ED examples is Pokekyun Collection (CP3), released January 29, 2016, just months before the stamp retired — we cover that set card by card in our Pokekyun Collection (CP3) guide.
Concept Packs: The XY Side-Sets
Alongside the main-numbered XY sets, Japan released a run of smaller Concept Pack (CP) products — compact, themed releases rather than full-size expansions, each tied to a specific idea: a movie tie-in, a legendary-Pokemon spotlight, or an anniversary retrospective. Six of them fall inside the XY era:
| Code | Name | Japan Release |
|---|---|---|
| CP1 | Double Crisis | 2015-01-30 |
| CP2 | Legendary Shine Collection | 2015-07-18 |
| CP3 | Pokekyun Collection | 2016-01-29 |
| CP4 | Premium Champion Pack: EX×M×BREAK | 2016-04-16 |
| CP5 | Mythical & Legendary Dream Shine Collection | 2016-07-16 |
| CP6 | Expansion Pack 20th Anniversary | 2016-09-16 |
CP2, “Legendary Shine Collection,” is a 27-card, fully-holo set of 4-card packs (instead of the usual 5) tied to the 2015 Hoopa movie. CP5, “Mythical & Legendary Dream Shine Collection,” follows the same all-holo format for a 2016 movie tied to Volcanion and Magearna, running to 38 cards once its two secret slots are counted. And CP6 closes the era by reprinting the original 1996 Base Set roster — Charizard, Venusaur, Blastoise, Mewtwo, and the rest — as new XY-rules cards with fresh artwork — plus brand-new Mega Evolution secret rares like M Venusaur EX and M Charizard EX.
For a full walk-through of every Concept Pack and how they fit together, see our Japanese Concept Packs (CP) guide. Set guides: our CP2 Legendary Shine Collection guide, our CP4 Premium Champion Pack guide, our CP5 Mythical & Legendary Collection guide, and our CP6 20th Anniversary guide.
Where the Era Lands: The Best of XY
The XY series proper ends at CP6 in September 2016, but the era’s card template got one more outing after Sun & Moon had already launched: the high-class pack THE BEST OF XY, released April 21, 2017, with 188 cards. It’s built around EX, M Pokemon-EX, and BREAK reprints plus new Full Art Supporters — packs run 15 cards deep instead of the standard 5. It’s a Sun & Moon-period product by release date, but it keeps the XY card frame throughout, which is why we treat it as the era’s closing statement rather than a separate topic.
Two Full Art Supporters come from the set’s secret-rare run: Hex Maniac (181/171) and Karen (183/171). For the complete 188-card breakdown and the rest of the set’s chase cards, see our The Best of XY high-class pack guide.
Six Sets Worth Knowing
If you’re getting oriented in the XY era for the first time, these six releases — spanning the opening set to the closing one — give a reasonable cross-section of the run:
| Code | Name | Japan Release | Notable For |
|---|---|---|---|
| XY1 | Collection X / Collection Y | 2013-12-13 | Series launch — introduces EX, M-EX, Fairy type |
| XY4 | Phantom Gate | 2014-09-13 | Mega Gengar theme, Team Flare support cards |
| XY6 | Emerald Break | 2015-03-14 | Mega Rayquaza / Mega Latios dragon-type focus |
| XY7 | Bandit Ring | 2015-06-20 | Mid-era set ahead of the BREAK mechanic’s debut |
| XY8 | Blue Shock / Red Flash (BREAKthrough) | 2015-09-26 | Introduces Pokemon BREAK; split into two JP releases |
| CP6 | Expansion Pack 20th Anniversary | 2016-09-16 | Sixth and final subset of the XY BREAK block; closes the 1ED era |
Phantom Gate and Emerald Break have dedicated best-cards guides on our blog: our XY4 Phantom Gate best cards guide and our XY6 Emerald Break best cards guide. If you’re tracking a specific Pokemon rather than a set, our Groudon cards guide follows one XY-era legendary — including its 2014 Primal Reversion pair from “Gaia Volcano” (XY5) — through every major Japanese printing.
XY Era Japanese Pokemon Cards: PSA 10 Price Ladder
These graded PSA 10 singles from the XY era and its Best of XY closer are currently listed, sorted from lowest to highest:
| Card | Set / Number | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Xerneas | XY 097/171 | ¥18,480 (~$120) |
| Magneton R 1ED | CP6 036/087 | ¥20,580 (~$134) (update: currently sold out — restock requests via Quick Order) |
| Charmander C 1ED | CP6 009/087 | ¥21,673 (~$141) |
| Hydreigon RR 1ED | XY11 043/054 | ¥25,200 (~$164) |
| Yanmega RR 1ED | XY11 008/054 | ¥26,320 (~$171) |
| M Gardevoir EX | XY 092/171 | ¥28,000 (~$182) |
| Zoroark | XY 075/171 | ¥34,999 (~$227) |
| Entei | XY 011/171 | ¥39,590 (~$257) (update: currently sold out — restock requests via Quick Order) |
| M Venusaur EX SR 1ED | CP6 089/087 | ¥101,055 (~$656) |
| Ho-Oh P | XY-P 225 | ¥133,120 (~$864) |
Where to Buy XY-Era Cards from Japan
We ship graded Japanese singles out of Tokyo with tracked delivery worldwide.
- 20th Anniversary Japanese Pokemon Booster Pack [CP6], currently listed at ¥120,000 (~$779) (update: currently sold out — restock requests via Quick Order)
- Browse the graded lineup on our PSA 10 collection or the visual PSA 10 card list
The PSA 10 Hex Maniac [XY-BEST 181/171], Flareon EX RR 1ED [CP3 007/032], Mewtwo EX UR [XY8 065/059] and Gengar EX RR [XY4 033/088] cards are not listed at the time of this update — sourcing requests go through Quick Order.
Frequently Asked Questions
What years does the XY era cover in Japan?
December 13, 2013 through September 16, 2016 — from XY1 “Collection X / Collection Y” through Expansion Pack 20th Anniversary (CP6), the sixth and final subset of the XY BREAK block and the last XY-series release in Japan (its English counterpart, Evolutions, is documented as the twelfth and final XY expansion).
What’s the difference between Pokemon-EX and M Pokemon-EX?
Pokemon-EX carried over from the preceding BW era; what XY1 (December 13, 2013) added was its Mega Evolution variant, M Pokemon-EX, alongside the new Fairy type. M Pokemon-EX doesn’t require a mega stone card, but the game rule is that your turn ends immediately after you mega evolve, in exchange for a boosted attack and HP.
When was Pokemon BREAK introduced, and is it still used?
BREAK debuted in XY8 (September 26, 2015), continued in XY9, and appears in later era products like CP4 and The Best of XY. No later era brought the mechanic back.
Do XY-era cards carry the Japanese 1st Edition stamp?
Many do. The 1ED stamp ran from 2001 through Expansion Pack 20th Anniversary (CP6), released September 16, 2016 — the same set that closes the XY series, so 1ED coverage spans essentially the entire era. It stops before Sun & Moon launched that December (December 9, 2016).
Is The Best of XY part of the XY era?
By release date, no — it came out April 21, 2017, after Sun & Moon had launched. But it’s built entirely on the XY card template, with EX, M Pokemon-EX, and BREAK reprints plus new Full Art Supporters, which is why we treat it as the era’s closing high-class pack.
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