Steven Stone — known as Daigo in the Japanese games — is the trainer whose name has been paired with Metagross across several Japanese Pokemon Trading Card Game releases. It’s a pairing the Pokemon Trading Card Game keeps coming back to, most recently with a starter deck built entirely around the two of them.
This guide covers Metagross’s Japanese card history — from a Ruby & Sapphire–era ex card through the Team Plasma years and a Mega Evolution promo, up to the two current “Steven’s Metagross ex” printings that anchor a starter deck and a Special Art Rare chase card. We ship Japanese sealed product and PSA10 graded singles out of Tokyo, and both current Metagross listings below are in our own inventory.
The current chase card is the PSA10 Steven’s Metagross ex 245/193 SAR from MEGA Dream ex (M2a), currently listed at ¥13,443 as one-of-one graded stock. The Steven’s Beldum & Metagross ex starter deck product carries the same card’s original, non-SAR printing and is priced on request via Quick Order.
Daigo, Steven Stone, and Metagross
In the Japanese versions of the Pokemon games and anime, the character international audiences know as Steven Stone is called Daigo. The Pokemon Trading Card Game has repeatedly built products around the Daigo (Steven Stone) and Metagross pairing rather than around Metagross alone.
The clearest recent example is a starter deck product built entirely around Daigo’s signature line: Beldum evolving into Metagross. Released in Japan on February 21, 2025, it packages the character and the Pokemon together under a single card name — Steven’s Metagross ex — a naming convention the TCG has used across several starter-deck lines to tie a specific trainer to a specific evolution family. Less than a year later, the same card returned in a completely different form: a Special Art Rare in the MEGA Dream ex (M2a) expansion, released November 28, 2025, with new artwork by illustrator chibi.
The two printings share identical game text. What separates them is the product they came from, the rarity tier, and the art. The sections below walk through both, then step back through Metagross’s earlier Japanese printings to show how the card has been represented across three previous eras of the TCG.
Steven’s Metagross ex: The Starter Deck Version
The starter deck product carrying this card’s name is Steven’s Beldum & Metagross ex, released in Japan on February 21, 2025. As a starter deck product, it’s built to hand a player a ready-to-use Metagross line without requiring them to assemble anything themselves — the standard purpose of this style of Pokemon TCG release. We currently list this product with pricing on request; the fastest way to confirm availability and current allocation is through our Quick Order page.
![Steven's Metagross ex [SVOD 007/018] ex Starter Set Steven's Beldum & Metagross ex](https://samuraiswordtokyo.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/SVOD_7_JP-1.webp)
The card itself, numbered 007/018 in the set (Limitless TCG set code SVOD), is a Stage 2 Metal-type Pokemon ex evolving from Metang, which in turn evolves from Beldum — the full three-stage line the deck is named after. At 340 HP, it carries the ability X Boost, which searches the deck for one basic Psychic Energy and one basic Metal Energy and attaches both to any Pokemon that already has an Energy card on it, and the attack Metal Impact, a straightforward 200-damage hit. Both the ability and the attack carry over unchanged into the later SAR printing, so the two cards play identically at the table even though they come from very different products.
![Starter Set ex Steven's Beldum & Metagross ex [SVOD] sealed deck product](https://samuraiswordtokyo.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/stevens-beldum-metagross-ex-1.webp)
Because it’s packaged inside a starter deck rather than distributed through booster packs, this printing of Steven’s Metagross ex reaches collectors differently than a typical set-pack pull. There’s no pack-opening step between purchase and card in hand — the deck is sold as a complete, sealed unit with the card already inside it, alongside whatever other components the product includes.
The Special Art Rare: Steven’s Metagross ex 245/193
Nine months after the starter product shipped, the same card returned in a very different form. Steven’s Metagross ex, numbered 245/193, appears as a Special Art Rare (SAR) in MEGA Dream ex (set code M2a), a high-class pack released in Japan on November 28, 2025. The card’s game text — ability, attack, HP, weakness, resistance, and retreat cost — matches the starter version exactly. What changed is the artwork, credited to illustrator chibi, and the rarity tier, which places this printing among M2a’s premium alternate-art pulls rather than its base deck-building cards.
![Steven's Metagross ex [M2a 245/193] SAR MEGA Dream ex](https://samuraiswordtokyo.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/M2a_245_JP-1.webp)
Our current graded copy is a PSA10 Steven’s Metagross ex 245/193 SAR, currently listed at ¥13,443. As a graded single, it’s one-of-one stock — when this specific slabbed copy sells, that exact card is gone, and any future PSA10 of this printing would be a separate graded submission with its own certification number.
![Steven's Metagross ex [M2a 245/193] SAR MEGA Dream ex graded stock scan](https://samuraiswordtokyo.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/MDjDGgyVVous1a36RzIBehwJvelZmiVaZ3uV5bEC-1.webp)
If you already own a copy of Steven’s Metagross ex and aren’t sure which printing it is, check the card number in the bottom corner. 007/018 is the starter-deck version from SVOD; 245/193 is the M2a Special Art Rare. The artwork is the fastest visual tell — the SAR uses a full alternate illustration by chibi rather than the standard-frame art from the starter set.
Metagross Through the Sets: EX to Mega
Steven’s Metagross ex isn’t Metagross’s first appearance as a headline TCG card in Japan. The Pokemon has had a Rare Holo ex slot in the Ruby & Sapphire–era EX block, a standard Rare Holo card during the Team Plasma years, and its own Mega Evolution promo card during the XY era. None of these earlier printings currently sit in our inventory, but they’re worth knowing if you’re trying to place a card you already own within Metagross’s broader Japanese TCG history.
EX Hidden Legends: Metagross ex (Japanese: Undone Seal, 070/083)
Metagross’s first ex-rarity card appeared in the English-language EX Hidden Legends set, corresponding to the Japanese-language set known in English as Undone Seal. It’s a Rare Holo ex card with 150 HP, illustrated by Mitsuhiro Arita. This printing sits within the Ruby & Sapphire–through–Emerald block of ex-era sets, and it’s one of Metagross’s earliest representative cards from that period of the TCG.
Plasma Freeze: Metagross (Japanese: Thunder Knuckle, 027/051)
Metagross next appeared as a standard Rare Holo card in Plasma Freeze, corresponding to the Japanese set known in English as Thunder Knuckle. This 140 HP card, illustrated by 5ban Graphics, dates to the Team Plasma period of the Black & White block. A gold-stamped “Staff” version of this card also exists; it’s associated with prerelease tournaments and trade-show distribution rather than a standard retail pull, though the exact distribution context isn’t fully documented.
M Metagross-EX: The Mega Evolution Promo (XY Promo 35)
Metagross’s Mega Evolution form reached cards as M Metagross-EX, a promo-rarity card with 220 HP, illustrated by 5ban Graphics. The English-language version released via a Mega Metagross-EX Premium Collection on November 19, 2014; the Japanese version followed on December 13, 2014, distributed through a “Silver M Metagross EX Special Pack” release. This is the only Mega Evolution–form Metagross card covered in this guide, and it predates the current Mega-era sets by roughly a decade.
None of these three earlier cards currently have verified sealed or singles stock on our site, so they’re covered here for identification and context rather than as active listings.
Every Metagross Printing Covered Here
Steven’s Metagross ex — in both its printings — shares one game-text profile. Here’s the full stat line, which applies to the starter-deck card (007/018) and the M2a Special Art Rare (245/193) alike:
| Attribute | Detail |
|---|---|
| Card name | Steven’s Metagross ex |
| Type | Metal (Steel) |
| Stage | Stage 2 (Beldum → Metang → Metagross) |
| HP | 340 |
| Ability | X Boost — search the deck for 1 basic Psychic Energy and 1 basic Metal Energy, then attach them to any Pokemon with an Energy already attached |
| Attack | Metal Impact — 200 damage |
| Weakness | Fire ×2 |
| Resistance | Grass −30 |
| Retreat cost | 3 |
And here’s how all five Metagross printings in this guide line up by set and era:
| Card | Set (JP name) | Rarity | Released | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Metagross ex | EX Hidden Legends (Undone Seal) | Rare Holo ex | Ruby & Sapphire–Emerald era | Not currently in stock |
| Metagross | Plasma Freeze (Thunder Knuckle) | Rare Holo | Team Plasma era | Not currently in stock |
| M Metagross-EX | XY Promo 35 | Promo | Dec 13, 2014 (JP) | Not currently in stock |
| Steven’s Metagross ex | ex Starter Set (SVOD 007/018) | Standard | Feb 21, 2025 | Price on request |
| Steven’s Metagross ex | MEGA Dream ex (M2a 245/193) | SAR | Nov 28, 2025 | PSA10 — ¥13,443 |
The pattern across these five cards is consistent with a lot of long-running Pokemon: a signature Pokemon gets a flagship ex-tier card roughly once per generation of sets, a Mega Evolution promo when that mechanic is active, and then a fresh ex printing — sometimes tied to a specific trainer, as with Daigo here — when the TCG revisits it. What’s unusual about the two 2025 Steven’s Metagross ex prints is how close together they landed: nine months apart, from a starter deck to a high-class pack SAR, without a gap in between.
Where to Buy Metagross Cards from Japan
We ship Japanese sealed product and PSA10 graded singles worldwide from Tokyo with tracked delivery. For the starter-deck version of Steven’s Metagross ex, the Steven’s Beldum & Metagross ex product page has current details, and our Quick Order page is the fastest way to get a live quote if you want it combined into a mixed shipment.
For the graded chase card, the PSA10 Steven’s Metagross ex 245/193 SAR is currently listed at ¥13,443 as one-of-one stock. Once it sells, that specific graded copy is gone. Browse our full PSA10 card list for other graded Japanese singles. If you’re comparing across this week’s other signature-card guides, see our Ditto cards guide and Machamp cards guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many official Metagross card printings does this guide cover?
Five: Metagross ex from EX Hidden Legends (Japanese: Undone Seal), Metagross from Plasma Freeze (Japanese: Thunder Knuckle), the M Metagross-EX XY Promo card, the starter-deck Steven’s Metagross ex (SVOD 007/018), and the Steven’s Metagross ex Special Art Rare (M2a 245/193).
What’s the difference between the SVOD starter version and the M2a Special Art Rare of Steven’s Metagross ex?
The game text is identical — same 340 HP, same X Boost ability, same Metal Impact attack. The difference is the product and printing: 007/018 comes from the February 2025 ex Starter Set Steven’s Beldum & Metagross ex, while 245/193 is a Special Art Rare from the November 2025 MEGA Dream ex expansion, illustrated by chibi rather than PLANETA Mochizuki.
Is M Metagross-EX from the XY Promo era the same card as Steven’s Metagross ex?
No. M Metagross-EX (XY Promo 35) is an earlier, separate card — a 220 HP Mega Evolution promo released in Japan on December 13, 2014. Steven’s Metagross ex is a distinct card line introduced a decade later, in 2025, tied specifically to the Daigo (Steven Stone) starter deck.
How much is the PSA10 Steven’s Metagross ex 245/193 SAR currently listed for?
Our graded copy is currently listed at ¥13,443. It’s one-of-one stock, so this specific listing reflects a single graded card rather than ongoing inventory.
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