Star Birth (S9) is the set that closed out the VSTAR era’s opening chapter — two Charizard V, two Arceus V, and the set’s own Arceus VSTAR headline a 127-card catalogue built around Sword & Shield’s Pokemon VSTAR mechanic. If you’re trying to work out exactly what’s in the set, which numbers sit in which rarity tier, and what a sealed box actually costs from a Japan-side seller, this is the full breakdown.
Everything below is transcribed directly from the Limitless TCG database, card by card, so you can check your own pulls against it or plan a want-list before you buy.
Star Birth (S9) is catalogued by Limitless TCG at 127 total cards as of August 2026 — 108 base-tier rows plus a 19-card secret tier (16 Secret Rare, 3 Ultra Rare). The Ultra Rare trio — Arceus VSTAR, Ultra Ball and Magma Basin — caps the numbering at 125–127. Our S9 booster box is currently listed at ¥22,890 (~$144).
Card data catalogued by Limitless TCG as of August 2026. Pricing shown is our own listed price for the sealed booster box, in Japanese yen, converted at ¥159/USD.
What Is Star Birth (S9)?
Star Birth is the ninth main-series Sword & Shield expansion for the Japanese Pokemon Trading Card Game, carrying the set code S9. It’s catalogued by Limitless TCG with a release index date of January 14, 2022. Star Birth is the set that brought the VSTAR treatment into the Sword & Shield lineup in Japan — a gold-bordered evolution of the earlier V mechanic, applied here to Arceus at card No. 125. The set’s numbering runs from the base commons and uncommons through a full secret tier at the back of the print run, the same layout collectors know from the rest of the Sword & Shield era.
Across the full print run, Limitless catalogues 127 total rows for S9 as of August 2026. Of those, 108 rows (catalogued by Limitless as of Aug 2026, not an official denominator) make up the base-tier Common, Uncommon, Rare and other standard-frame printings, and the remaining 19 rows sit in the secret tier — the numbers above the set’s nominal base count, split between Secret Rare and Ultra Rare treatments.
One structural quirk worth flagging if you’re cross-referencing your own pulls against the numbering: the secret tier isn’t a single unbroken block. Secret Rares run Nos. 101–116, then the catalogue jumps straight to Ultra Rares at No. 125, leaving Nos. 117–124 unaccounted for in this article’s source data. Those eight rows are counted inside the 108 base-tier total rather than the 19-card secret tier — the arithmetic checks out (100 numbered rows 1–100, plus the 117–124 block, equals 108), but the individual names and rarities for 117–124 aren’t broken out here, so treat that range as base-tier and check the full Limitless listing or our set hub page if you need those specific rows.
The rest of this article transcribes the secret tier in full, walks through the notable chase cards, and covers what our own sealed S9 box costs today.
A quick note on how to read the tables below: the No. column is the catalogue number as indexed by Limitless, matching the number printed in the corner of the physical card. The JP Name column is the Japanese text printed on the card itself, useful for matching a card in hand against this list without needing to translate first. The EN Name column is the English-language equivalent used by most international marketplaces and grading services, and the Rarity column is the tier as catalogued — Secret Rare or Ultra Rare, in this article’s case, since we’re covering only the secret tier in table form.
Secret Rare Tier: The Full List (Nos. 101–116)
Star Birth’s Secret Rare tier runs 16 cards deep, Nos. 101 through 116. It’s a mix of full-art V Pokemon — several of them printed twice under separate catalogue numbers — and four Trainer/Supporter Secret Rares.
| No. | JP Name | EN Name | Rarity |
|---|---|---|---|
| 101 | シェイミV | Shaymin V | Secret Rare |
| 102 | リザードンV | Charizard V | Secret Rare |
| 103 | リザードンV | Charizard V | Secret Rare |
| 104 | ネオラントV | Lumineon V | Secret Rare |
| 105 | ネオラントV | Lumineon V | Secret Rare |
| 106 | ライチュウV | Raichu V | Secret Rare |
| 107 | エルフーンV | Whimsicott V | Secret Rare |
| 108 | ドンカラスV | Honchkrow V | Secret Rare |
| 109 | ドンカラスV | Honchkrow V | Secret Rare |
| 110 | フライゴンV | Flygon V | Secret Rare |
| 111 | アルセウスV | Arceus V | Secret Rare |
| 112 | アルセウスV | Arceus V | Secret Rare |
| 113 | キャンプファイヤー | Kindler | Secret Rare |
| 114 | シロナの覇気 | Cynthia’s Supremacy | Secret Rare |
| 115 | チェレンの気くばり | Cheren’s Care | Secret Rare |
| 116 | ハマナのバックアップ | Roseanne’s Backup | Secret Rare |
Notice that Charizard V (102/103), Arceus V (111/112), Lumineon V (104/105) and Honchkrow V (108/109) each appear twice. That’s a deliberate Sword & Shield-era pattern — the set doubles up its most in-demand V Pokemon into two separate Secret Rare slots rather than printing a single copy, which is part of why V-Secret-Rare hit rates read differently from set to set. The four Supporter Secret Rares — Kindler, Cynthia’s Supremacy, Cheren’s Care and Roseanne’s Backup — round out the tier as full-art Trainer cards.
If you’re trying to identify a card from a partial number or a scan, the JP name column above is the fastest way in — Japanese Secret Rares carry the same card name printed on the card itself, so matching the katakana or kanji string against this table will confirm the number even if the corner index is worn or cropped out of a photo. The EN name column is there for cross-referencing against English-language marketplaces and grading submissions, where cards are usually listed by their English name rather than the JP text.
Two Charizard V, two Arceus V, two Lumineon V and two Honchkrow V means eight of the sixteen Secret Rare slots are “doubled” Pokemon, leaving Shaymin V, Raichu V, Whimsicott V and Flygon V as the only single-print V Secret Rares in the set. That’s a useful thing to know if you’re building a specific Pokemon’s collection rather than chasing the set as a whole — a single-print V Secret Rare and a doubled one occupy the same rarity tier, but only one of them has two catalogue numbers behind it.
Ultra Rare Tier: Nos. 125–127
Above the Secret Rares, Star Birth caps its numbering with three Ultra Rare cards, Nos. 125 through 127:
| No. | JP Name | EN Name | Rarity |
|---|---|---|---|
| 125 | アルセウスVSTAR | Arceus VSTAR | Ultra Rare |
| 126 | ハイパーボール | Ultra Ball | Ultra Rare |
| 127 | マグマの滝壺 | Magma Basin | Ultra Rare |
Arceus VSTAR (125) is the set’s flagship card — the gold-rainbow VSTAR treatment applied to the same Arceus that also appears twice in the Secret Rare tier as a standard V. Ultra Ball (126) and Magma Basin (127) close out the print run as Trainer-item Ultra Rares, closing the numbering at 127.
Structurally, Arceus VSTAR sits above both Arceus V copies (Nos. 111 and 112) in the same way a VSTAR always sits above its base V form — it’s a separate, later-numbered evolution rather than an alternate print of the same card. Ultra Ball and Magma Basin are both Trainer-item cards rather than Pokemon, printed in the same full-art gold treatment reserved for the top of the set’s rarity ladder. Together, just three Ultra Rare rows cap the entire 127-row S9 catalogue.
Put the two tiers side by side and the shape of the set becomes clear: 108 base-tier rows carry the standard commons, uncommons, rares and other everyday printings collectors pull most often; 16 Secret Rares add the full-art V and Supporter chase layer on top of that; and 3 Ultra Rares sit above even the Secret Rares as the single scarcest tier in the catalogue. That three-tier structure — base, Secret Rare, Ultra Rare — is what the 127-card total breaks down into.
Chase Cards to Know
With 19 secret-tier cards to choose from, these are the numbers collectors ask about most when they’re checking a Star Birth pull against the catalogue.
Arceus VSTAR (125) is the card most collectors are hunting when they open a Star Birth box — it’s the set’s headline VSTAR and sits above both Arceus V slots (111/112) in the print hierarchy. Look for the gold-foil border and rainbow-star icon in the lower corner to confirm you’re holding the VSTAR print rather than either standard V. Ultra Ball (126) and Magma Basin (127) are the set’s Trainer-item Ultra Rares, printed in the same gold-bordered treatment as Arceus VSTAR but built around supporting items rather than a Pokemon — if your card shows an object or scene instead of a Pokemon illustration inside that gold border, it’s one of these two rather than 125.
On the Secret Rare side, Arceus V (No. 112) is one of two Arceus V printings in the set (alongside 111), and it pairs directly with the VSTAR evolution at 125 — a natural set to chase together if you’re building a full Arceus playset across all three numbers. The Supporter Secret Rares — Cynthia’s Supremacy (114) and Roseanne’s Backup (116) — are full-art Trainer cards rather than Pokemon, and they’re the two Supporter slots most frequently asked about by name, alongside Kindler (113) and Cheren’s Care (115) rounding out the four-card Supporter block.
Because Star Birth doubles up several of its V Pokemon across two catalogue numbers, it’s worth double-checking the exact number on a card before assuming you’ve completed a pair — a 102 and a 103 Charizard V, for example, are both valid Secret Rares from the same set but occupy separate rows in the table above, and completionists chasing every catalogued number will want both.
Grading is a separate question from identification. If you’re planning to submit any of these chase cards, PSA independently determines authenticity and grade once a card is submitted — matching a card against the table above confirms which printing you have, but it doesn’t substitute for a professional grading opinion on condition.
For a deeper breakdown of what actually comes out of a box, see our companion article, the Star Birth (S9) best cards guide.
S9 Booster Box: What’s Inside
We stock sealed Star Birth booster boxes shipped from Tokyo. Our S9 box is currently listed at ¥22,890 (~$144) — that’s our own listed price for the sealed product, not a market or MSRP figure, so it’s the number to work from if you’re deciding whether to buy sealed or hunt singles instead.
Every S9 box draws from the same 127-card catalogue above: the 108 base-tier rows fill out the bulk of each pack, while the 19-card secret tier (Secret Rare and Ultra Rare) is where the chase cards from the previous section come from.
Buying sealed rather than chasing individual Secret Rares has one clear advantage for anyone building a full run of the set: every pack contributes toward the base-tier count as well as a chance at the secret tier, so a box is a natural way to work through the 108 base rows even if your main interest is a specific Secret Rare or the Arceus VSTAR at 125.
We list our S9 box at our own price rather than quoting an MSRP or a separate market estimate. If you’re comparing this listing against another seller, the number to check against is the one linked in the product card above.
Where to Buy Star Birth (S9)
We ship Japanese sealed product out of Tokyo with tracked delivery worldwide. If you want the full 127-card catalogue in one box, our S9 booster box, currently listed at ¥22,890 (~$144), is the direct route.
For individual S9 singles — whether you’re after Arceus VSTAR, one of the two Arceus V slots, or any of the base-tier cards from the 108-row catalogue — request a quote via our Quick Order page. Include the catalogue number and rarity from the tables above (for example, “No. 112, Secret Rare, Arceus V”) so we can match your request against the exact printing you’re after rather than a similarly named card from a different number.
You can also browse the full set on our Star Birth (S9) card list hub page, and check current pull data on our S9 best cards guide for a look at what actually comes out of a box beyond the raw catalogue.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many cards are in Star Birth (S9)?
Limitless TCG catalogues 127 total rows for Star Birth (S9) as of August 2026 — 108 base-tier rows (Common, Uncommon, Rare and other standard printings) plus a 19-card secret tier split between 16 Secret Rares and 3 Ultra Rares.
What are the Secret Rare cards in Star Birth S9?
The Secret Rare tier runs Nos. 101–116: Shaymin V, two Charizard V, two Lumineon V, Raichu V, Whimsicott V, two Honchkrow V, Flygon V, two Arceus V, and four Supporter Secret Rares — Kindler, Cynthia’s Supremacy, Cheren’s Care and Roseanne’s Backup.
What are the Ultra Rare cards in Star Birth S9?
Three Ultra Rares close out the set at Nos. 125–127: Arceus VSTAR (125), Ultra Ball (126), and Magma Basin (127).
When was Star Birth (S9) released?
Star Birth (S9) is catalogued by Limitless TCG with a release index date of January 14, 2022.
Is the Star Birth S9 booster box currently in stock?
Yes — our S9 booster box is currently listed at ¥22,890 (~$144), shipped from Tokyo with tracked delivery. See the product page for current availability, or request singles via our Quick Order page.
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