SV2A Guide: How to Choose Pokémon Card 151 Cards and Buy Them

Updated November 9, 2026

SV2A (SV2a) is the set code of Pokémon Card 151, the Japanese Scarlet & Violet enhanced expansion pack released on June 16, 2023. To choose a card from it, decide your goal first: a SAR ex showpiece such as Charizard ex SAR 201/165, an AR, a mirror card or a PSA 10 card from the low numbers.

What are the key facts about SV2A?

SV2A is the set code for Pokémon Card 151 (Japanese name ポケモンカード151, read “Ichigo-ichi”), and the table below lists the official facts.

Everything in that table comes from the official Pokémon Card Game page for SV2a. The official card database lists each card by number too. For example, Eevee is No. 133, numbered 133/165, with illustrator Narumi Sato and HP 70 (official Eevee entry). the current figure is always on each product page.

The official ex card list includes Mew ex, Alakazam ex, Venusaur ex, Charizard ex, Blastoise ex, Jynx ex, Wigglytuff ex, Ninetales ex, Golem ex, Kangaskhan ex, Zapdos ex and Arbok ex. The page also names Supporters such as Giovanni’s Charisma, Erika’s Invitation and Bill’s Transfer, items such as Safety Goggles, Snatch Arm, Leftovers and Big Balloon, and Fossil items like Old Helix Fossil, Old Shield Fossil and Old Amber.

The Pokémon Card Game site also published a notice about this product. Its title announces the decision on made-to-order production of Pokémon Card 151, and it says the product will be sold on a made-to-order basis through Pokémon Center Online (official notice). For the complete numbered list, use our Pokemon 151 card list for SV2a; this guide stays on how to choose.

How should you choose a card from SV2A?

Choose by purpose: one showpiece, a second SAR card, an artwork card, a mirror-finish card, or a number-order card.

SV2A is a large set, and several cards can share a Pokémon name. A buyer who walks in with “I want a Charizard” has more than one possible card. A buyer who walks in with “I want the SAR rarity of Charizard ex” has one. The questions below narrow the field quickly.

1. Do you want the rarity or the Pokémon? If rarity matters, go to the SAR ex cards. If the Pokémon matters, check whether an AR or a common version of that Pokémon exists in the listings.
2. Do you want artwork or a finish? The official page lists AR, SAR and SR cards with special artwork, and separately notes a Monster Ball-patterned mirror finish on some cards. Those are two different features.
3. Do you want a collection order? The set follows Pokédex number order, and our listings carry the card numbers, such as Bulbasaur 001/165 and Squirtle 007/165. A row of low-number cards is a coherent way to start.
4. Do you want to open packs or own a named card? Packs are for opening; a single is for owning one specific card.

The table maps those answers to the cards we list as PSA 10 singles. It sorts by role and rarity label, and it is not a forecast of how any card will move in price.

Our recommendation for a buyer who wants exactly one card from the set is Charizard ex SAR 201/165. If you want two, add Alakazam ex SAR 203/165. Every other row is a decision about taste.

Which SAR ex card should you pick, Charizard or Alakazam?

Pick Charizard ex SAR 201/165 if you want one showpiece, and add Alakazam ex SAR 203/165 if you want a second SAR.

Both are listed in our shop as PSA 10 graded Japanese cards from the Enhanced Expansion Pack “Pokemon Card 151”. The product pages describe PSA 10 as Gem Mint, the highest grade PSA certifies. They also note that the PSA case may have minor scratches or marks on its surface, so read the grade as a description of the card inside the case.

Why Charizard ex SAR is the first pick

The official page names a Card File Set “Venusaur, Charizard, Blastoise”, and Charizard ex appears in the official ex card list. Charizard ex SAR 201/165 is the card in our listings that carries both the SAR rarity label and that official Charizard link, which is why we recommend it first for a single-card buyer.

Why Alakazam ex SAR is the second pick

Alakazam ex is named on the official page among the ex cards, and our shop lists its SAR at 203/165. It is the only other SAR we list from this set, so it is the second choice for a SAR-focused group.

How to decide between the two

• Choose Charizard ex SAR if you want a single card to represent the set.
• Choose Alakazam ex SAR if you already have the Charizard or want the other SAR in our listings.
• Choose both if you are building a SAR-only SV2A group from our listings.

For a wider look at the set’s high-rarity cards, see our Pokemon 151 chase cards article for SV2a.

Which AR cards can you buy from SV2A, Pikachu or Poliwhirl?

Pikachu AR 173/165 and Poliwhirl AR 176/165 are the two AR cards we list as PSA 10, and AR is one of the special-artwork rarities the official page names.

An AR is a card you choose for its artwork. Pick Pikachu AR if you want the Pikachu card, and Poliwhirl AR if you want the Poliwhirl card. Both are graded PSA 10 singles on our site, so you are choosing between artworks, not between grades.

Poliwhirl has two product pages in our shop, one with the psabo code and one with the psa10 code, and both use the same card name and number. Open the page you want and read its description, because each listing is its own product.

If you are weighing other AR cards from the set, our guide Psyduck 151 Pokemon Card: Japanese SV2a 175/165 AR and PSA 10 Price covers that card in its own article.

Which mirror-finish cards in SV2A can you buy as PSA 10?

Gengar R 094/165 in its Monster Ball Mirror version and Exeggutor U 103/165 in its Master Ball Mirror version are the two mirror cards we list as PSA 10.

The official page says some cards in the set have a Monster Ball-patterned mirror finish, and that the 3 promo cards in the Card File Sets are mirror-style. We use the labels “Monster Ball Mirror” and “Master Ball Mirror” exactly as they appear on our listings, so match the label in the title to the card you want.

Gengar or Exeggutor

Pick Gengar if you want card 094/165 and the Monster Ball Mirror label; pick Exeggutor if you want card 103/165 and the Master Ball Mirror label. The decision is about which card you want to own, since both are PSA 10 singles. Our guides on the Gengar R Monster Ball Mirror and the Gengar R Master Ball Mirror both carry the number 094/165 in their titles.

We also have an Eevee C Master Ball Mirror 133/165 guide, and the official database lists the Eevee card as No. 133 with HP 70 and the attacks カラフルフレンズ and スキップ10.

Which PSA 10 commons make sense?

Bulbasaur 001/165, Squirtle 007/165 and Magikarp 129/165 make sense as PSA 10 commons when you want to collect by Pokédex number rather than by rarity.

The official theme is the 151 original Pokémon in Pokédex number order, from Bulbasaur to Mew. Our Bulbasaur listing carries number 001/165 and our Squirtle listing carries 007/165. Card 001 is where a number-order collection starts. Magikarp at 129/165 suits a themed collection when you want a Pokémon from the set without a high-rarity label.

The limit of this tier is that a PSA 10 on a common tells you about grade, not about a rarity label. If a rarity label is your goal, skip the commons and start with the SAR cards. If your goal is a number-order row, start at 001 and add cards by number.

Should you buy SV2A packs and boxes or PSA 10 singles?

Buy a PSA 10 single if you want one specific card, and buy packs or a box if you want to open them yourself.

The official numbers frame the choice. A pack holds 7 cards at 290 yen (tax included), and A PSA 10 single is the exact named card, and the product page states it is graded PSA 10 (Gem Mint).

If you want a box, read our Japanese Pokémon 151 booster box guide, then Sealed Box vs Damaged Box to decide which condition suits you. The yen figures in the table are official Japanese list prices, not our shop prices.

The two Card File Sets differ by name only in the official listing: “Monster Ball” and “Venusaur, Charizard, Blastoise”. Each contains the three promo cards (Bulbasaur, Charmander and Squirtle, one each), and the official page describes those promos as mirror-style.

If you are comparing the Chinese 151 with the Japanese one, our Chinese 151 vs Japanese 151 article is a separate comparison. The numbers and card names in this guide refer only to the Japanese edition.

Shop this setSV2A-Pokemon 151 Japanese Pokemon Booster Box

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How should you check a listing before you buy an SV2A card?

Check the card number, the rarity and the finish name in the listing title, because a Pokémon name alone does not identify one card.

Our own guides show why. There are separate Gengar R guides for the Monster Ball Mirror and the Master Ball Mirror, both carrying 094/165 in their titles. A listing that gives only the Pokémon name is not enough; the number and the label in the title are what identify the card.

• Number: compare the listing with the official card search, as in the Eevee entry, which shows the number, illustrator and HP.
• Grade: our product names begin with PSA10, and the description states Gem Mint, the highest possible grade.
• Case: the description says the PSA case may have minor scratches or marks on its surface.
• Set: the title should read Enhanced Expansion Pack “Pokemon Card 151” with the code SV2a, the Japanese edition.
• Listing code: some cards, such as Poliwhirl AR and Bulbasaur C, have two product pages. Treat each page as its own listing and read the one you open.

How do shipping and payment work for PSA 10 cards?

We ship PSA 10 cards with FedEx, and most orders are processed within 5 business days after PayPal or Wise payment has cleared.

These points come from our shipping policy and payment methods page. The table summarizes the parts that matter for a graded card.

One rule specific to PSA cards

The shipping policy says PSA graded cards may also be sold through our other sales channels, so an item shown online can already be sold before our team locks the allocation for your order. Once your payment has cleared, we secure the PSA graded card matching your order, even if extra sourcing is required, and dispatch may take longer. That is why product pages carry the line “Stock levels can change, so in some cases your order may take a little longer to ship.” The policy adds that we will provide status updates whenever the schedule changes.

Order status and tracking

You can check your order status through your customer account. Once the products are secured and the shipment is ready, we update the order status. After dispatch, the tracking number and the carrier’s latest delivery estimate are available from your account or your shipping confirmation email.

Customs and delays after dispatch

After an order is handed to FedEx, delivery timing is controlled by the carrier and destination-country authorities, and customs inspections or import procedures may delay delivery. The policy says such transit delays do not by themselves create a right to cancel or refund after dispatch. It also says delivery dates shown on the website, at checkout or in carrier tools are estimates that do not include handling time, weekends, Japanese national holidays, customs processing, carrier congestion, weather or destination-country conditions.

If dispatch is delayed

Stock levels for sealed Japanese trading card products fluctuate, and dispatch can take longer than the standard handling time, for example when a unit reserved for your order fails quality inspection. If dispatch is delayed, we contact you by email as soon as practical with the revised estimate. For significant dispatch delays before handoff to FedEx, we may offer the option to wait or to cancel the order with a full refund.

How do Wise payment and address changes work?

Wise is the one payment method with no 5% processing fee, and you can change your shipping address yourself while the shipment has not yet been scheduled.

For Wise, the payment deadline depends on whether you upload a screenshot of your transfer at checkout. Without a screenshot, your order is cancelled automatically if payment has not been received within 12 hours of placing it, or within 3 hours if the order contains a pre-order item. With a screenshot, you upload it within 5 days of placing the order, your order price is held for a total of 10 days, and payment must arrive before that hold ends. The screenshot option requires an account and is not available at guest checkout.

• Enter the payment reference SST-{order number} in the Wise transfer reference field exactly as issued, without modification. A missing or altered reference may delay or prevent us from matching your payment.
• Payments received by SWIFT incur a receiving fee of JPY 611, deducted before the funds reach us, so add JPY 611 to your order total. If the amount we receive is short, order processing is paused until the shortfall is paid and confirmed.
• Correspondent banks may deduct their own fees before the funds reach our Wise account. The payment methods page asks you to select the OUR charge option (sender pays all charges) when you send a SWIFT transfer.
• Payments are confirmed during our business hours in the order received.

Changing your address before the shipment is scheduled

While an order is paid and its shipment has not yet been scheduled, you can update the shipping address yourself from My Account > Orders > the order. The destination country cannot be changed, and the carrier, shipping method and FedEx service level remain those selected at checkout. If shipping to the new address costs more, we ask you to pay the difference before dispatch and the order is held until it is settled; if it costs less, the shipping charge is not recalculated and no refund is made. Check the address carefully before you order, because the customer is responsible for providing a complete and accurate shipping address.

After the shipment is scheduled

Once the shipment is scheduled, the self-service change is closed. If you notice an error, contact us immediately through the Contact Form. The policy says a correction is possible only if the shipment has not been handed to FedEx, the processing stage still allows it, and all shipping conditions remain unchanged; otherwise we decline the request.

Can you pay with cards or PayPal Pay Later?

Yes, you can pay by credit or debit card through PayPal, and PayPal may show a Pay Later option at checkout depending on your country.

Card payments use the black Debit or Credit Card button, and the card form opens in PayPal’s own secure window. The accepted brands are Visa, Mastercard, American Express and JCB, and PayPal decides which of them is offered to you based on your country and your card. A PayPal account is usually not required for a card payment, although PayPal may occasionally ask you to sign in or create one. We never see, receive or store your card number, expiry date or security code. Your card issuer may apply 3-D Secure authentication, such as a one-time code or a confirmation in your banking app. The 5% payment processing fee applies to PayPal and card payments.

PayPal Pay Later splits an eligible order into instalments. It is offered and operated by PayPal, not by Samurai Sword Tokyo, and the instalment agreement is between you and PayPal. The options we see at our checkout are interest-free:

In other countries PayPal may show a different option on different terms, and availability is not guaranteed. Whichever option appears, the terms PayPal displays in its own window are the ones that apply. All payments are charged in Japanese yen, and any difference between the amount we charge and your statement is determined by your payment provider.

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