VMAX Climax closed out the Sword & Shield era’s “VMAX” naming convention with one of the densest secret-rare tiers of the whole block — two separate chase rarities stacked on top of each other in a single High Class Pack release. Four years on, it’s still one of the most enduring sets from the block.
Part of that staying power comes from what’s inside it. As catalogued by Limitless TCG, VMAX Climax packs 65 secret-tier cards into a 277-card set — almost a quarter of the checklist — built around fan-favorite VMAX reprints and the Galar region’s full supporting cast of gym leaders and characters.
This guide covers what’s actually inside a VMAX Climax box in rarity terms, which cards collectors are chasing, and what our own listed box price looks like right now. We ship sealed Japanese product out of Tokyo, so every price below is a price we’ve actually put on a listing — not a market estimate.
VMAX Climax (S8b) is catalogued at 277 cards, with 65 of those sitting in the secret-rare tier — split between 42 Character Super Rares and 23 plain Secret Rares. Our sealed box is currently listed at ¥39,690 (~$250). For exact pack counts and per-box odds, see our dedicated VMAX Climax chase-card breakdown.
What Is VMAX Climax (S8b)?
VMAX Climax is a High Class Pack released on December 3, 2021, closing out the VMAX naming era of the Sword & Shield block before the franchise moved on to VSTAR. As catalogued by Limitless TCG, the set runs to 277 cards, with 65 of those falling into the secret-tier range above the base set — split between two rarities: 42 Character Super Rare (CSR) and 23 plain Secret Rare cards.
That two-tier split is what makes VMAX Climax distinct from a lot of other High Class Packs. The CSR tier reprints fan-favorite Pokemon VMAX cards in a painted, illustration-style full art, while the Secret Rare tier is reserved for trainer and supporter cards done as full-art holos. For the complete numbered catalogue, see our full VMAX Climax card list or the set hub page.
Unlike a card list article, this guide isn’t trying to walk through all 277 rows — it’s focused on the box itself: what rarity tiers you’re actually opening for, which of those cards we currently carry as graded singles, and what our own sealed-box price looks like today. If you want the row-by-row catalogue instead, the card list linked above covers every number from 1 through 277.
What’s Inside the Set
We’re not going to guess at pack counts or box configuration here — that data lives in our dedicated chase-card and odds breakdown for this set, and we’d rather point you there than estimate. What we can confirm from the catalogue itself is the rarity structure: 212 cards in the base set numbering, plus the 65-card secret tier stacked on top (Character Super Rare and Secret Rare), for 277 catalogued rows in total.
Doing the arithmetic on those two figures: 277 catalogued rows minus 65 secret-tier cards leaves 212 cards in the base numbering, before you even get to the CSR or Secret Rare range covered below.
The two secret rarities pull from very different parts of the card pool. CSR cards are almost entirely Pokemon — VMAX and V reprints redone in a painted illustration style. Secret Rare cards, by contrast, are trainers: supporters, items, and stadium cards done as full-art holofoils. Collectors chasing “the good pull” from this set are usually talking about the CSR tier specifically.
Within VMAX Climax specifically, the Character Super Rare tier is a curated group of 42 cards rather than a treatment applied broadly — that concentration is a large part of why the CSR cards in this set get singled out over the more common V/VMAX rares sitting lower in the same checklist.
The CSR Chase Cards Worth Pulling
The Character Super Rare tier is the headline reason people still open VMAX Climax boxes. Below are graded PSA 10 examples currently listed on our site, with their catalogue number and rarity so you can identify them against a raw pull. PSA independently determines authenticity and grade — these listings reflect graded, certified copies, not raw box pulls.
| Card | Number | Rarity | Our listed price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Umbreon VMAX | 245/184 | CSR | ¥42,064 (~$265) (update: currently sold out — restock requests via Quick Order) |
| Pikachu VMAX | 279/184 | UR | ¥46,739 (~$294) (update: currently sold out — restock requests via Quick Order) |
| Rayquaza VMAX | 284/184 | UR | ¥30,272 (~$190) (update: currently sold out — restock requests via Quick Order) |
| Dedenne | 200/184 | CHR | ¥17,028 (~$107) (update: currently sold out — restock requests via Quick Order) |
| Jolteon | 193/184 | CHR | ¥13,464 (~$85) (update: currently sold out — restock requests via Quick Order) |
| Friends in Galar | 258/184 | SR | ¥15,389 (~$97) (update: currently sold out — restock requests via Quick Order) |
| Umbreon V | 100/184 | RR | ¥9,790 (~$62) (update: currently sold out — restock requests via Quick Order) |
Umbreon VMAX and Rayquaza VMAX are the two Pokemon collectors mention most when talking about this set, currently listed at ¥42,064 (~$265) (update: currently sold out — restock requests via Quick Order) and ¥30,272 (~$190) (update: currently sold out — restock requests via Quick Order) respectively in PSA 10. Dedenne and Jolteon sit at the more accessible end of the CHR tier, both currently listed under ¥18,000 in graded condition.
Umbreon VMAX (245/184, CSR) renders the Eeveelution in the set’s painted illustration style, and it’s the card most people picture when they hear “VMAX Climax.” Pikachu VMAX (279/184, UR) sits a tier above CSR at Ultra Rare, one of the two Ultra Rares that anchor the set’s uppermost rarity, currently our highest-priced graded single from this release. Rayquaza VMAX (284/184, UR) shares that Ultra Rare slot, the box’s other headline Legendary.
Below those, Dedenne (200/184) and Jolteon (193/184) both carry the CHR (Character Rare) designation — a step down from CSR in rarity terms but still done in the same painted illustration treatment, which is why both remain popular entry points into the set’s chase-card range. Umbreon V (100/184, RR) is a Rainbow Rare, the standard non-VMAX secret-tier treatment, and Friends in Galar (258/184, SR) is one of the set’s Secret Rares outside the trainer full-art run detailed below.
The Secret Rare Trainer Full Arts
The plain Secret Rare tier — 23 cards in total — is entirely trainers and supporters, done as full-bleed holofoils. Here are six of the highest-numbered rows in that tier, as catalogued by Limitless TCG:
Mustard’s two Dojo-themed supporter cards (272 and 273) headline this tier, alongside the Galar gym leader lineup — Melony, Milo, Gloria, and Nessa all got the full-art secret-rare treatment in this set. These are less flashy than a VMAX in painted style, but for players who followed the Galar storyline, they’re the more thematically complete pulls.
The full run of Secret Rare trainers, as catalogued by Limitless TCG, covers rows 264 through 277:
| No. | JP name | EN name | Rarity |
|---|---|---|---|
| 264 | ネズ | Piers | Secret Rare |
| 265 | バーネット博士 | Professor Burnet | Secret Rare |
| 266 | 博士の研究 | Professor’s Research | Secret Rare |
| 267 | 冒险家の発見 | Adventurer’s Discovery | Secret Rare |
| 268 | ボスの指令 | Boss’s Command | Secret Rare |
| 269 | ポプラ | Opal | Secret Rare |
| 270 | マクワ | Gordie | Secret Rare |
| 271 | マスター | Café Master | Secret Rare |
| 272 | マスタード いちげきのかた | Mustard’s Single Strike Style | Secret Rare |
| 273 | マスタード れんげきのかた | Mustard’s Rapid Strike Style | Secret Rare |
| 274 | メロン | Melony | Secret Rare |
| 275 | ヤロー | Milo | Secret Rare |
| 276 | ユウリ | Gloria | Secret Rare |
| 277 | ルリナ | Nessa | Secret Rare |
Note the first four rows (264–267) — Piers, Professor Burnet, Professor’s Research, and Adventurer’s Discovery — are Secret Rares without dedicated verified image assets in this guide; the six above with images (272–277) are the ones we can show you directly.
Current Box Pricing
Our sealed VMAX Climax box is currently listed at ¥39,690 (~$250). That’s our listed price only — we’re not comparing it to third-party market asks here, just telling you what it costs to order from us today.
For scale, a single PSA 10 Pikachu VMAX (~$294) (update: currently sold out — restock requests via Quick Order) or Umbreon VMAX CSR (~$265) (update: currently sold out — restock requests via Quick Order) from this set already lists above our box price on its own. That gap is exactly why some buyers weigh a sealed box against simply buying the graded single they actually want — a box gives you a shot at multiple hits and the full opening experience, while a graded single guarantees the specific card. We don’t publish per-box pull odds here, so we can’t tell you which route is statistically better; we can only point you to the pull-data article linked above if you want that level of detail before deciding.
Who Should Buy This Box
VMAX Climax makes the most sense for two kinds of buyers. If you specifically want the CSR-style painted VMAX cards seen above — Umbreon and Rayquaza in particular — this is the set that carries them. If you’re a Galar-region completionist chasing gym leader supporter cards, the Secret Rare trainer run covered above is where several of those specific full arts appear.
If your priority is a specific card rather than the opening experience, the graded PSA 10 singles in the table above are the more direct route — you know exactly what you’re getting, at a fixed listed price, without needing a box at all. If your priority is the set itself and you want to open packs, the sealed box is the only way to get a mix of both rarity tiers in one purchase.
If you’re weighing this against a later VSTAR-era release, our VMAX Climax vs VSTAR Universe box comparison lays the two sets side by side. And if you want to see the full 277-card catalogue before deciding, the complete card list is the place to start.
Where to Buy VMAX Climax
We ship sealed Japanese product and graded singles worldwide from Tokyo with tracked delivery. The sealed box above is the direct route to opening your own CSR and Secret Rare pulls; the PSA 10 singles in the table earlier are the direct route if you’d rather buy a specific chase card already graded. Every graded card we list has been through independent PSA grading — PSA independently determines authenticity and grade, and the certification number on each holder is verifiable against PSA’s own records.
Before checking out, it’s worth browsing the S8b set hub or the full card list article to see the rest of the catalogue beyond the chase cards covered here — VMAX Climax has plenty of lower-rarity Galar-region cards worth picking up alongside a box.
For mixed orders, other sets, or anything not currently listed on the site, our Quick Order page lets you request a quote directly.
Frequently Asked Questions
What’s inside a VMAX Climax (S8b) booster box?
VMAX Climax is a 277-card set as catalogued by Limitless TCG, with 65 cards in the secret tier split between 42 Character Super Rares and 23 Secret Rare trainer full arts. For exact pack counts and per-box odds, see our dedicated VMAX Climax chase-card breakdown.
What’s the best chase card in VMAX Climax?
The Character Super Rare (CSR) tier is the set’s headline chase rarity — 42 cards done in a painted illustration style, including Umbreon VMAX and Rayquaza VMAX, both currently listed by us as PSA 10 graded singles.
How much does a VMAX Climax booster box cost?
Our sealed VMAX Climax box is currently listed at ¥39,690 (about $250).
What rarity tiers appear in the VMAX Climax secret-card range?
Two: Character Super Rare (42 cards, mostly Pokemon VMAX/V reprints in painted style) and Secret Rare (23 cards, entirely trainer and supporter full arts), for 65 secret-tier cards total among 277 catalogued.
How does VMAX Climax compare to VSTAR Universe?
They’re different eras of the Sword & Shield block with different chase rarities. See our VMAX Climax vs VSTAR Universe box comparison for a full side-by-side.
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