Lugia has anchored more than one Japanese set, but Paradigm Trigger is the one most closely built around it. Released in Japan on October 21, 2022, S12 “パラダイムトリガー” (Paradigm Trigger) is a Sword & Shield-era expansion that pairs a 98-card main set with a 27-card secret tier — and that secret tier is headlined by Lugia.
This guide covers what’s actually in a Paradigm Trigger box, which cards collectors open it for, how the regular and Damaged Box listings on our site compare, and how the set lines up against its English-language counterpart. We ship Japanese sealed product out of Tokyo, so the pricing below reflects our current listings.
Paradigm Trigger is 125 cards total — 98 in the main set plus a 27-card secret tier led by Lugia V 110/98 (Secret Rare). Each box holds 30 packs of 5 cards. Our S12-Paradigm Trigger Japanese Booster Box is currently listed at ¥21,266 (~$134), and the Damaged Box listing is currently listed slightly lower at ¥20,830 (~$131).
Prices below are our current listed prices as of September 2026, converted at ¥159/USD.
What’s in an S12 Paradigm Trigger Box
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Release date (JP) | October 21, 2022 |
| Total cards in set | 125 (98 main-set + 27 secret) |
| Packs per box | 30 |
| Cards per pack | 5 |
| Cards per box | 150 |
The headline number here is the 27-card secret tier. On top of the 98-card main set, Paradigm Trigger adds a run of Secret Rare and Hyper Rare cards that sits above the regular numbering — effectively a “premium pool” layered on top of the base expansion. We don’t publish pull-rate percentages for this set; for a detailed breakdown of what tends to come out of a box, see our own Paradigm Trigger pull rates and best cards guide.
For the full card-by-card list across all 125 entries, see our Paradigm Trigger (S12) complete card list.
Chase Cards in Paradigm Trigger
The secret tier is where Paradigm Trigger earns its reputation. Four named cards define the set’s chase pool, all pulled from the 27-card secret run above card 098:
Lugia V — 110/98 (Secret Rare)
Lugia V at 110/98 is the alternate-art Secret Rare treatment of the box’s cover Pokémon. It sits above the 98-card main numbering within the set’s 27-card secret tier. Alongside it, our own research also names a standard full-art printing, Lugia V 109/98 (Secret Rare), as well as Lugia VSTAR printed in both Ultra Rare and Hyper Rare treatments — putting Lugia in multiple secret-tier prints across the set, though we haven’t independently reverified the exact card numbers on the two VSTAR treatments.
Candice — 113/98 (Secret Rare)
Candice is one of the set’s supporter-card secrets, and a second, higher-tier printing — Candice 121/98 (Hyper Rare) — also appears in the secret pool per our own research. Trainer-card secrets like Candice tend to draw a different kind of buyer than the Pokémon V/VSTAR chases: collectors building out a full supporter-card secret run rather than chasing a single flagship pull.
Unown V — 103/98 (Secret Rare)
Unown V’s alternate-art Secret Rare treatment at 103/98 is a lower-numbered secret than Lugia V, and a companion Unown VSTAR 116/98 (Hyper Rare) print is also named in our own research. Unown is an unusual pick for a full-art secret slot, which is part of why this particular pair gets singled out by collectors working through the set.
Regidrago V — 108/98 (Secret Rare)
Regidrago V rounds out the set’s headline four at 108/98, again in the alternate-art Secret Rare treatment, with a paired Regidrago VSTAR 117/98 (Hyper Rare) also named in the secret tier. Regidrago’s VSTAR form was one of the newer mechanics introduced around this window of the Sword & Shield era, which adds to the draw for players collecting VSTAR cards specifically rather than just full-art secrets.
| Card | Number | Rarity |
|---|---|---|
| Lugia V | 110/98 | Secret Rare |
| Lugia V | 109/98 | Secret Rare (standard full art) |
| Lugia VSTAR | — | Ultra Rare & Hyper Rare (two separate prints) |
| Candice | 113/98 | Secret Rare |
| Candice | 121/98 | Hyper Rare |
| Unown V | 103/98 | Secret Rare |
| Unown VSTAR | 116/98 | Hyper Rare |
| Regidrago V | 108/98 | Secret Rare |
| Regidrago VSTAR | 117/98 | Hyper Rare |
None of these singles are currently listed on our site — sourcing requests for any of them go through Quick Order. For the full rundown of which secrets tend to appear across the 27-card tier, our Paradigm Trigger pull rates and best cards guide covers it in more detail.
Regular Box vs Damaged Box on Our Site
We currently list two versions of the Paradigm Trigger booster box:
| Listing | Price |
|---|---|
| S12-Paradigm Trigger Japanese Pokemon Booster Box (regular) | currently listed at ¥21,266 (~$134) |
| S12-Paradigm Trigger Japanese Pokemon Booster Box – Damaged Box | currently listed at ¥20,830 (~$131) |
“Damaged Box” on our site refers to the outer packaging — a dented corner, a crushed edge, shelf wear — not the sealed packs inside, which are unaffected. On this particular set the Damaged Box listing runs only a small amount below the regular box, roughly ¥436 (~$3) apart. That’s a smaller gap than on some other sets we carry — the size of the Damaged Box discount varies from listing to listing rather than following a fixed percentage, a pattern we’ve also flagged in our own Damaged Box explainer for other sets.
We don’t currently have a No Shrink listing for Paradigm Trigger. If one becomes relevant, it would appear as a separate product page rather than a variant of the two listings above.
Japanese vs English Version of This Set
Paradigm Trigger’s English-language counterpart is Silver Tempest. Both sets are built around Lugia, and both released within the same two-month window in late 2022 — Paradigm Trigger in Japanese on October 21, and Silver Tempest in English shortly after. That’s a tighter release gap than usual; many Japanese sets carry a lead of several months to a year over their English equivalent, but this pairing landed almost back to back.
The two sets share the Lugia-as-cover-Pokémon concept and the same broad Sword & Shield-era design language, but the card lists, numbering, and specific secret-rare treatments are not identical between the Japanese and English printings — they’re companion sets from the same design cycle, not the same set in two languages. If you’re specifically after the Japanese-only prints named above (Lugia V 110/98 SA/SR and the rest), those come from Paradigm Trigger product, not from Silver Tempest packs.
Where to Buy a Paradigm Trigger Booster Box from Tokyo
We ship sealed Japanese product worldwide from Tokyo with tracked delivery. For Paradigm Trigger specifically, the regular box listing and the Damaged Box listing are both currently live, with the Damaged Box the slightly cheaper of the two.
For singles — Lugia V, Candice, Unown V, Regidrago V, or any of their sibling secret-tier prints named above — none of those are currently listed as individual cards on our site, and sourcing requests for them go through Quick Order. Browse the wider Pokemon booster box collection for other Japanese sets from the same era, and see our full 125-card Paradigm Trigger list for every entry in the set.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is S12 Paradigm Trigger and when did it release?
Paradigm Trigger (S12, “パラダイムトリガー”) is a Japanese Sword & Shield-era Pokemon expansion released on October 21, 2022. It’s a 125-card set — 98 main-set cards plus a 27-card secret tier headlined by Lugia V.
What’s inside a Paradigm Trigger booster box?
Each box holds 30 packs of 5 cards, for 150 cards per box, drawn from the 125-card set. We don’t publish pull-rate percentages; see our dedicated pull rates and best cards guide for a detailed breakdown of what tends to appear.
What are the chase cards in Paradigm Trigger?
The four headline secret-tier cards are Lugia V (110/98, Secret Rare), Candice (113/98, Secret Rare), Unown V (103/98, Secret Rare), and Regidrago V (108/98, Secret Rare). Lugia, Candice, Unown, and Regidrago each also have a second, higher secret-tier print (VSTAR or Hyper Rare) named in our own research.
What’s the difference between the regular box and the Damaged Box on your site?
Both contain factory-sealed packs; “Damaged Box” refers only to cosmetic wear on the outer packaging. On this set the Damaged Box is currently listed at ¥20,830 (~$131), a small amount below the regular box at ¥21,266 (~$134).
Is there an English version of Paradigm Trigger?
Not directly — its English-language counterpart is Silver Tempest, a companion set built around the same Lugia concept that released within roughly two months of the Japanese Paradigm Trigger. The two sets share a design cycle but are not identical card-for-card.
Where can I buy Paradigm Trigger singles that aren’t listed on your site?
Sourcing requests for cards not currently listed — including Lugia V, Candice, Unown V, and Regidrago V — go through our Quick Order page, which is the fastest way to flag what you’re after.
Free and discounted shipping, by delivery country
- Each delivery country has its own qualifying amount and its own coupon code.
- Each paid campaign order unlocks the next step for your account.
- Sign in, or choose "Create account: Yes" at checkout, to use a campaign code.
The coupon code, the minimum order and the shipping benefit all depend on your delivery country — open the campaign page for the terms that apply to you. The minimum is the product subtotal only: shipping, tax and any other discount are not counted towards it. The campaign ends September 10, 2026 23:59 Japan time (September 10, 2026 14:59 UTC); the codes stop working at that moment. Coupons cannot be applied to pre-order items. Add an in-stock item to use a coupon. Import duties, taxes and customs charges are not included in the price and are collected on delivery, except for destinations we ship duty-paid.
Picked for this article
📩 Get member-only sale alerts & coupons
Sale alerts, coupons and restock notices by email — straight from Tokyo.
