Nearly three years, twelve main expansions, and a run of mechanics — GX, TAG TEAM GX, Prism Star, SSR — that between them shaped nearly every “chase card” conversation in modern Japanese Pokemon collecting. That’s the Sun & Moon era, and if you’re trying to figure out where a specific set, card, or box fits in that run, the timeline gets confusing fast because the era’s biggest mechanics didn’t all launch at once.
This guide lays out the Sun & Moon era (2016–2019) set by set: when GX started, when TAG TEAM GX and SSR rarity showed up, and where each of the sets we carry sealed stock for — from SM6 Forbidden Light through SM12a Tag All-Stars — sits on that map. Consider it a hub: every linked guide below covers one set in full pull-rate and chase-card detail, and this page is where they connect.
The box ladder shows our store listings at the time of this update next to the lowest SNKRDUNK asks seen on October 8, 2026. Card lists: SM12 Alter Genesis card list and the Pokemon card list hub; for the mechanic itself see Pokemon GX cards explained. The October 15, 2026 update checked store prices and listings, Shining Legends pack contents and the Prism Star deck rule; SNKRDUNK asks remain dated October 8, 2026; the other facts in this article were last checked on August 13, 2026.
The Sun & Moon era ran December 2016 to September 2019 across twelve main Japanese expansions, introducing GX (SM1), Prism Star (SM5), with SSR-rarity shinies appearing in the SM8b high-class pack, plus the TAG TEAM GX mechanic (SM9). Our SM-era booster box ladder runs from SM9b Full Metal Wall at ¥42,224 (~$274) up to SM11 Miracle Twin at ¥189,491 (~$1,230), with SM12a Tag All-Stars listed at ¥188,423 (~$1,224) on October 15, 2026.
Pricing reflects our store listings checked on October 15, 2026; asks are the lowest SNKRDUNK asking prices observed on October 8, 2026. USD figures convert at ¥154/USD, approximate. Pull-rate figures throughout this guide are described in relative, community-reported terms only — we don’t publish official pack-odds percentages.
What Is the Sun & Moon Era?
The Sun & Moon era is the run of Japanese Pokemon TCG expansions bridging SM1, Collection Sun & Collection Moon, released December 9, 2016, through SM12, Alter Genesis, released September 6, 2019 — the twelfth and final main expansion of the series. That’s roughly two years and nine months, and it’s the era most collectors associate with GX cards, TAG TEAM pairings, and the run-up to Sword & Shield’s V/VMAX mechanics.
Between those two bookends sit ten more main expansions, plus a long list of high-class packs (hai-kurasu pakku) — standalone premium releases like GX Ultra Shiny and Tag All-Stars that ran alongside the numbered SM sets rather than as part of that numbering. This guide covers both: the era’s core mechanics and mainline sets, and the specific SM-era boxes and singles we list.
GX, TAG TEAM GX & Prism Star: The Era’s Core Mechanics
Pokemon-GX is the mechanic that defines the era. It debuted in SM1 on December 9, 2016: a GX Pokemon costs the opponent two Prize cards when knocked out (instead of the usual one), and each GX Pokemon carries a GX attack that can only be used once per game. GX cards were printed in three tiers — a standard version, a full art version, and a Secret Rainbow Rare, which the Japanese market calls Hyper Rare.
TAG TEAM Pokemon-GX put two or three Pokemon on a single card. The mechanic’s confirmed debut set is SM9 Tag Bolt, released December 7, 2018, which introduced six TAG TEAM pairs at once. TAG TEAM cards run higher HP than a standard GX and cost the opponent three Prize cards on knockout instead of two. Our SM9 Tag Bolt guide covers all six debut pairs and the set’s pull structure in full, and our best TAG TEAM GX cards guide ranks the mechanic’s top pulls across every set that used it.
Prism Star cards debuted in SM5 Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon, released December 8, 2017. The official Prism Star rule limits a deck to one card of each Prism Star name; differently named Prism Star cards can be used together.
SSR Rarity: SM8b GX Ultra Shiny
The high-class pack GX Ultra Shiny (SM8b) released November 2, 2018, and it’s the set where SSR rarity shows up: SSR here denotes a shiny (color-variant) GX Pokemon, printed on the era’s already-shiny-themed release. Base numbering runs to /150, with SSR and other top-tier prints continuing past that as a 151+ numbering block — Darkrai GX SSR sits at 230/150, Charizard GX SSR at 209/150.
The same “shiny Pokemon gets the top rarity slot” naming pattern shows up again later in Shiny Star V and Shiny Treasure ex, though those are separate Sword & Shield and Scarlet & Violet-era sets with no confirmed direct lineage to SM8b beyond the shared naming convention. Our SM8b GX Ultra Shiny guide covers the set’s full SSR checklist and chase structure.
TAG TEAM GX Across the Era: SM9 to SM12a
Once TAG TEAM GX launched in SM9 Tag Bolt, it ran through the rest of the era. SM10 Double Blaze (March 1, 2019) followed with Reshiram & Charizard GX. SM10a GG End (April 5, 2019), billed as Double Blaze’s enhanced companion pack, added Garchomp & Giratina GX and Heatran GX. SM10b Sky Legend (April 26, 2019) pushed the mechanic further with Moltres, Zapdos & Articuno GX — a three-Pokemon TAG TEAM, a first for the format at that point in the era.
The mechanic’s send-off is SM12a Tag Team GX: Tag All-Stars (2019), a reprint-focused compilation that finally pushed TAG TEAM GX up to the Ultra Rare tier — a slot that in SM9 Tag Bolt, the mechanic’s debut set, had gone entirely to Trainer cards. The lowest SNKRDUNK ask on October 8, 2026 for the PSA 10 Umbreon & Darkrai GX SR [SM12a 181/173] print: ¥14,999 raw, ¥51,800 PSA 10. For a closer look at how SM12a’s chase cards stack up against the Sword & Shield era’s own TAG TEAM-style set, see our Tag All-Stars vs. VSTAR Universe guide.
For the full set-by-set breakdown of each entry in this chain, see our guides for SM10 Double Blaze, SM10a GG End, SM10b Sky Legend, and SM12a Tag All-Stars.
Shining Legends and the Prism Star Sets
Before Prism Star and TAG TEAM GX arrived, the enhanced expansion pack Shining Legends (SM3+, ひかる伝説) released July 15, 2017 to coincide with the twentieth Pokemon feature film. It revived the “Shining” (ひかる) treatment — a design first seen in the early-2000s “Shining Pokemon” prints — for eight Shining prints: Shining Celebi, Shining Mew, Shining Jirachi, Shining Rayquaza, Shining Lugia, Shining Arceus, Shining Genesect and Shining Volcanion. The official Japanese product page specifies 6 randomly inserted cards per pack, including 1 holo card.
Shining Rayquaza (SM3+ 057/072) is the set’s standout: a Basic Dragon-type Pokemon printed at the Hyper Rare-equivalent “H” rarity. Our full SM3+ Shining Legends guide covers the Shining prints and their listings in detail.
Later, the Prism Star mechanic introduced in SM5 (December 8, 2017) gave the era a second “special, one-per-name” card category, running alongside GX through most of the remaining SM sets.
Rounding Out the Era: SM6, SM9b & the SM11 Family
Past the TAG TEAM debut, several Sun & Moon-era sets and high-class packs round out our sealed catalog. SM6 Forbidden Light (フォルビドゥンライト) released March 2, 2018 as a mainline numbered expansion — its full pull-rate and chase-card breakdown is in our SM6 Forbidden Light guide.
SM9b Full Metal Wall is a later enhanced expansion pack in our catalog; our SM9b Full Metal Wall guide covers its full checklist.
The SM11 family — SM11 Miracle Twin, SM11a Remix Bout, and SM11b Dream League — sits in the upper half of our SM-era box ladder by price, and each has its own detailed guide: SM11 Miracle Twin, SM11a Remix Bout, and SM11b Dream League. Lowest SNKRDUNK asks on October 8, 2026 (raw / PSA 10): Mewtwo & Mew GX SR SA [SM11 098/094] ¥110,000 / ¥599,999; Roller Skater SR [SM11a 073/064] ¥3,000 / ¥8,100; Rosa SR [SM11b 067/049] ¥31,980 / ¥110,000.
Shop the Era: SM Booster Box Ladder
Sealed Sun & Moon-era booster boxes, sorted low to high by current store price, with the lowest SNKRDUNK ask seen on October 8, 2026 (raw box; every ask is a single listing, weak).
| Set | Name | Booster Box | Price | Lowest SNKRDUNK ask, Oct 8, 2026 (raw) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SM9b | Full Metal Wall | View | ¥42,224 (~$274) | ¥44,000 (single listing, weak) |
| SM7b | Fairy Rise | View (update: currently sold out — restock requests via Quick Order) | ¥43,909 (~$285) (update: currently sold out — restock requests via Quick Order) | ¥69,800 (single listing, weak) |
| SM6 | Forbidden Light | View (update: currently sold out — restock requests via Quick Order) | ¥57,500 (~$373) (update: currently sold out — restock requests via Quick Order) | no ask seen October 8, 2026 |
| SM10a | GG End | View | ¥93,254 (~$606) | ¥92,000 (single listing, weak) |
| SM10 | Double Blaze | View | ¥100,181 (~$651) | ¥128,000 (single listing, weak) |
| SM6b | Champion Road | View | ¥103,187 (~$670) | ¥116,000 (single listing, weak) |
| SM11a | Remix Bout | View (update: currently sold out — restock requests via Quick Order) | ¥121,891 (~$792) (update: currently sold out — restock requests via Quick Order) | no ask seen October 8, 2026 |
| SM11b | Dream League | View | ¥160,744 (~$1,044) | ¥155,000 (single listing, weak) |
| SM12a | Tag All-Stars | View | ¥188,423 (~$1,224) | ¥184,000 (single listing, weak) |
| SM11 | Miracle Twin | View | ¥189,491 (~$1,230) | ¥179,800 (single listing, weak) |
| SM6a | Dragon Storm | — | — | ¥145,000 (single listing, weak) |
| SM9a | Night Unison | — | — | ¥98,000 (single listing, weak) |
The spread runs from SM9b at the low end to SM11 Miracle Twin at the top, with SM12a Tag All-Stars — the TAG TEAM GX finale set — just below it at the time of this update.
To follow TAG TEAM GX from its debut, begin with the SM9 Tag Bolt set history, then compare later releases such as SM9b Full Metal Wall, SM10/SM10a/SM10b and SM12a Tag All-Stars. The price ladder above is not a complete catalog of that arc.
Where Sun & Moon Fits: After XY, Before Sword & Shield
Sun & Moon sits between two other major Japanese Pokemon TCG eras. XY (2013–2016) came first, continued Pokemon-EX and introduced Mega Evolution; Sword & Shield (2019–2022) followed with Pokemon V and VMAX, taking over as SM12 Alter Genesis closed out the GX era in September 2019. If you’re building a broader vintage collection that spans multiple eras rather than staying within Sun & Moon, our vintage Japanese booster box guide covers sealed product selection and storage across sets from several generations, SM included.
Where to Buy Sun & Moon Era Cards from Japan
We ship sealed Japanese product and graded singles from Tokyo. For sealed boxes, the ladder above links directly to the SM-era boxes listed on October 15, 2026, from SM9b Full Metal Wall at ¥42,224 (~$274) to SM11 Miracle Twin at ¥189,491 (~$1,230). Browse the full range in our Quick Order page.
For graded TAG TEAM GX, Shining, and SM-era singles — including the cards discussed throughout this guide — our PSA 10 collection lists the graded singles on offer. Sourcing requests for a specific SM-era card go through our Quick Order page.
Frequently Asked Questions
When did the Sun & Moon era start and end in Japan?
SM1 Collection Sun & Collection Moon released December 9, 2016. The era closed with SM12 Alter Genesis on September 6, 2019, the twelfth and final main Sun & Moon expansion.
What is a TAG TEAM GX and which set introduced it?
TAG TEAM Pokemon-GX puts two or three Pokemon on one card, with higher HP than a standard GX and a three-Prize-card penalty on knockout instead of two. The mechanic’s confirmed debut set is SM9 Tag Bolt, released December 7, 2018, with six pairs.
What is Prism Star and when did it debut?
Prism Star cards allow one copy of each Prism Star card name per deck, so differently named Prism Star cards can be used together. The mechanic debuted in SM5 Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon, released December 8, 2017. The restriction applies by card name.
Where does SSR rarity appear in the Sun & Moon era?
SM8b GX Ultra Shiny, a high-class pack released November 2, 2018, is where SSR appears — denoting shiny (color-variant) GX Pokemon such as Darkrai GX (230/150) and Charizard GX (209/150), printed in the numbering block that continues past the set’s base /150 cards.
Which Sun & Moon booster boxes does Samurai Sword Tokyo carry?
On October 15, 2026, the boxes we listed were SM9b Full Metal Wall, SM7b Fairy Rise, SM6 Forbidden Light, SM10a GG End, SM10 Double Blaze, SM6b Champion Road, SM11a Remix Bout, SM11b Dream League, SM12a Tag All-Stars and SM11 Miracle Twin, priced from ¥42,224 to ¥189,491.
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