The earliest Salamence print verified in this guide is a 2012 concept pack that introduced the Dragon type to the Japanese TCG, and the line has kept reappearing ever since — through a Sun & Moon GX pair, a Sword & Shield V/VMAX trio, and a 2025 ex with a Special Art Rare chase print. Eleven prints in all, across six different Japanese sets.
This guide walks through every one of them: what set each came from, what the card actually does, and which Japanese sealed boxes still carry a shot at pulling one. We don’t hold single Salamence cards in our own stock right now, so instead of pointing you at singles that don’t exist, this guide points you at the sealed product and sourcing route that actually gets you one. We ship Japanese sealed product out of Tokyo every week, and Quick Order is where specific-card sourcing requests get handled.
Salamence’s card history mirrors its place in the Pokedex as the fully evolved Stage 2 form of the Bagon line, and that framing shows up directly on the cards: the Dragon Selection print and the newest Battle Partners ex are both explicitly Stage 2 Pokemon, and Battle Partners pairs the ex with a Bagon single from the same set for the first time in this lineup. Everything from a plain 2015 Rare to a 2025 Special Art Rare sits under that same evolution line.
Salamence has appeared on eleven main Japanese card prints since 2012, spanning a Dragon-type concept pack, three standalone Rares, a GX pair, a V/VMAX/SA trio, and the current Battle Partners ex line with its Special Art Rare. We don’t currently hold single Salamence cards in stock — the direct route is sealed product. The Battle Partners Booster Box and Infinity Zone Booster Box are both currently listed, and restock requests or specific-card sourcing run through Quick Order.
Every Japanese Salamence Card and Where It’s From
Eleven Salamence prints across six Japanese sets, plus the Bagon single that shares a set with the newest ex:
| Card | Number | Rarity | Set | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Salamence | DS #8 | — | Dragon Selection | 2012 |
| Salamence | XY6 #47/078 | Rare | Emerald Break | 2015 |
| Salamence-GX | SM6b #45 | Double Rare | Champion’s Road | 2018 |
| Salamence-GX | SM6b #72 | Secret Rare | Champion’s Road | 2018 |
| Salamence V | S3 #80 | Double Rare | Infinity Zone | 2020 |
| Salamence VMAX | S3 #81 | Double Rare | Infinity Zone | 2020 |
| Salamence V (SA) | S3 #108 | Secret Rare | Infinity Zone | 2020 |
| Salamence | S7R #45 | Rare | Blue Sky Stream | 2021 |
| Salamence ex | SV9 #72 | Double Rare | Battle Partners | 2025 |
| Salamence ex | SV9 #119 | Secret Rare | Battle Partners | 2025 |
| Salamence ex | SV9 #129 | Special Art Rare | Battle Partners | 2025 |
| Bagon | SV9 #70 | Common | Battle Partners | 2025 |
Two eras stand out. Champion’s Road, still under the Sun & Moon banner, produced the GX pair with the earliest mechanics in the lineup. Infinity Zone and Blue Sky Stream are both Sword & Shield-era Salamence prints — one built around the V/VMAX line, the other a standalone Rare. Battle Partners in early 2025 is the newest print and the first ex-era Salamence, issued at three separate rarity levels within a single set.
The mechanic printed on the card — plain Pokemon, GX, V/VMAX, or ex — tells you the era faster than the artwork does. The rarity tier (Double Rare, Secret Rare, Special Art Rare) then tells you how far up the chase-card ladder that specific copy sits within its own set.
The 2012 Concept Pack: Dragon Selection
The earliest Salamence print verified in this guide comes from Dragon Selection (DS), a concept pack released January 27, 2012 that introduced the Dragon type to the Japanese TCG. Card #8 is a Stage 2 Pokemon with 140 HP, illustrated by BERUBURI. Its English-language counterpart, printed for the same concept, is Dragon Vault #8. Limitless doesn’t list a rarity tier for this print, so we’re not assigning one here — it’s a set-specific concept-pack card rather than a standard rarity-tier single.
Because Dragon Selection was built specifically to launch the Dragon type rather than to slot into the ordinary Rare-through-Secret-Rare ladder, it reads more like a foundational reference point for the rest of this lineup than a chase card in its own right. Most of the later Dragon-type Salamence prints in this guide — including the Emerald Break Rare, the Champion’s Road GX pair, and the Battle Partners ex — carry the same typing this 2012 release helped establish; the Infinity Zone V and VMAX prints are Colorless instead, a typing shift that came with the V/VMAX mechanic.
Emerald Break: The 2015 Rare
Three years later, Salamence returned as a straightforward Rare in Emerald Break (XY6), released March 14, 2015. Card #47 of 78 is a Dragon-type, 160 HP single illustrated by TOKIYA, with Roaring Skies #57 as its English equivalent. It’s the most conventional of the eleven prints — no V, no GX, no ex, just a Rare-tier Salamence from the mid-2010s XY era.
Salamence-GX and Champion’s Road
Champion’s Road (SM6b), released May 3, 2018, gave Salamence its GX treatment. The Double Rare #45 and its Secret Rare counterpart #72 — both illustrated by 5ban Graphics — carry 250 HP and an ability called Dragon Lift that reduces the Retreat Cost of Pokemon in play, with some exceptions noted on the card itself. In English, the same card appears as Dragon Majesty #44 and related numbers. It’s the only GX-era Salamence in the lineup, and the Secret Rare is the rarer of the pair.
Salamence V and VMAX: Infinity Zone
Infinity Zone (S3), released June 5, 2020, is where Salamence picked up the V and VMAX mechanics. Card #80 (V, Colorless, 220 HP) and #81 (VMAX, Colorless, 320 HP) are both Double Rare, illustrated by Saki Hayashiro and 5ban Graphics respectively. A third print, #108, is a Secret Rare Special Art version of the V. All three share the same English equivalents: Darkness Ablaze #143, #144, #185, and #194. If you want the fuller picture of how V, VMAX, and the rest of the rarity system fit together, see our Sword & Shield-era Japanese Pokemon guide.
Blue Sky Stream: The Roar of Menace Rare
Blue Sky Stream (S7R), released July 9, 2021, added one more standalone Rare: card #45, a 170 HP Dragon-type illustrated by kodama. Its ability, Roar of Menace, lets you switch the opponent’s Active Pokemon with one from their Bench once per turn — a disruption tool rather than a straight attacker. The English equivalent is Evolving Skies #109.
The Current Print: Salamence ex in Battle Partners
The newest and highest-HP Salamence print comes from Battle Partners (SV9), released January 24, 2025. Salamence ex is a 320 HP, two-stage Dragon-type Pokemon with an attack called Wide Blast that deals 50 damage to each of the opponent’s Benched Pokemon. It was printed at three rarity levels in the same set: Double Rare #72 (illustrated by toriyufu), Secret Rare #119 (5ban Graphics), and Special Art Rare #129 — illustrated by Tsuyoshi Nagano, and the highest rarity tier printed anywhere in this lineup. If you’re comparing alt-art chase prints across sets, our alt-art SAR cards guide covers how Special Art Rare fits into the wider Japanese rarity system. The English equivalents are Journey Together #114 and related numbers. The same set also carries the Common-rarity Bagon #70, illustrated by Miki Tanaka — the first stage of the evolution line, printed alongside its final form for the first time in this lineup.
Sourcing Salamence Through Sealed Japanese Boxes
None of the eleven Salamence prints above are currently in our single-card stock. What we do carry is sealed product from four of the six sets Salamence appears in, and that’s the direct route to pulling one yourself. Each box below is tied to a specific era covered earlier in this guide, so match the box to the print you’re after rather than assuming any Japanese Pokemon box carries a shot at all eleven:
- Champion’s Road Booster Box (Japanese) — carries the Salamence-GX Double Rare and Secret Rare
- Infinity Zone Booster Box (Japanese) — carries Salamence V, VMAX, and the Secret Rare Special Art V
- Blue Sky Stream Booster Box (Japanese) — carries the standalone Rare #45
The Dragon Selection and Emerald Break prints don’t have a matching booster box in current sealed inventory. For those two, Quick Order is the direct channel for restock requests and specific-card sourcing.
Where to Buy Japanese Salamence Cards
We ship Japanese sealed product worldwide out of Tokyo with tracked delivery. For Salamence specifically, Battle Partners is the newest and most direct box, carrying all three of the current ex rarities in one product, while Champion’s Road, Infinity Zone, and Blue Sky Stream cover the GX, V/VMAX, and standalone-Rare eras respectively. Browse the Battle Partners Booster Box directly, check the wider Japanese Pokemon booster box collection for what else is currently available, or use Quick Order to submit a specific-card sourcing request for any of the other prints in this guide. For raw-versus-graded context on older Salamence singles like the 2012 and 2015 prints, see our PSA 10 vs raw Japanese Pokemon cards guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many Japanese Salamence Pokemon card prints are there?
Eleven main prints across six Japanese sets, from the 2012 Dragon Selection concept pack through the 2025 Battle Partners ex line, plus a Common-rarity Bagon printed in the same set as the newest ex.
What is the oldest Salamence print in this guide?
January 27, 2012, in Dragon Selection (DS #8) — the oldest Salamence print verified in this guide, a concept pack that introduced the Dragon type to the Japanese TCG.
What does Salamence ex do in the Battle Partners print?
The SV9 Salamence ex is a 320 HP, two-stage Dragon-type Pokemon with the attack Wide Blast, which deals 50 damage to each of the opponent’s Benched Pokemon. It was printed as Double Rare (#72), Secret Rare (#119), and Special Art Rare (#129).
Where can I buy Japanese Salamence Pokemon cards?
We ship Japanese sealed product from Tokyo with tracked delivery. The Battle Partners, Infinity Zone, Champion’s Road, and Blue Sky Stream booster boxes each carry a different Salamence print, and Quick Order handles sourcing requests for the two prints without a matching box in current stock.
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