A pre-built starter deck isn’t supposed to have a $70 card sitting inside it.
Japan’s MEGA Starter Set Mega Gengar ex is a fixed, 22-card deck — not a randomized booster product — and it shipped with exactly one card numbered outside the deck’s own count. That card is Haunter, 022/021, rarity AR, and the «022» printed on a card from a «21» deck is the giveaway that it’s the starter deck’s dedicated chase card.
This guide walks through what the card actually is, why a starter-deck product carries a numbered exclusive at all, how to read the AR rarity and card number for yourself, and where our own PSA10-graded copy stands today.
Haunter AR (022/021) is the numbered exclusive from Japan’s MEGA Starter Set Mega Gengar ex (released September 5, 2025) — a fixed 22-card starter deck, not a booster pull. The «022» on a nominal 21-card deck is the standard Japanese convention for marking a starter deck’s chase card. We currently have a PSA10-graded copy listed at ¥11,264 (~$70.9) (update: currently sold out — restock requests via Quick Order).
Prices below are converted at ¥159/USD (September 2026).
The Card: Haunter AR (022/021) Explained
The card’s Japanese name is ゴースト, which is Haunter’s own Japanese name (not to be confused with Gastly’s ゴース or Gengar’s ゲンガー). In this print it’s a Stage 1 Pokemon with 100 HP, illustrated by Arai Kiriko.
Its one attack, Hollow Shot (ホロウショット), deals 40 damage. The card carries a Fighting-type weakness and a retreat cost of 1. Worth flagging: in this TCG print, Haunter is typed as a Darkness-type card — that’s the Pokemon Trading Card Game’s own type system, which doesn’t map directly onto the Ghost typing Haunter has in the video games.
| Attribute | Value |
|---|---|
| Card name (JP) | ゴースト (Haunter) |
| Card number / Rarity | 022/021, AR |
| TCG type | Darkness |
| Stage | Stage 1 |
| HP | 100 |
| Attack | Hollow Shot — 40 damage |
| Weakness | Fighting |
| Retreat cost | 1 |
| Artist | Arai Kiriko |
| Producto | MEGA Starter Set Mega Gengar ex (MBG) |
| Release date | September 5, 2025 (Japan) |
Haunter is Gengar’s pre-evolution, and this particular printing exists specifically because of that relationship — it’s the supporting exclusive tied to the Mega Gengar ex starter product. Our Gengar Japanese card ranking covers where this card’s evolution line sits more broadly.
The copy we carry is PSA10-graded and currently listed at ¥11,264 (~$70.9) (update: currently sold out — restock requests via Quick Order).
Why a Starter Deck Has a Chase Card At All
MEGA Starter Set Mega Gengar ex (set code MBG) is a Japanese starter-deck product released September 5, 2025, built around Mega Gengar ex. It’s worth being precise about what that means: a starter deck is a fixed, pre-built card list, not a randomized booster product. Haunter AR is not a card you pull from a pack — it isn’t part of a booster box or a mainline numbered expansion at all. It’s exclusive to this specific starter-deck product.
That distinction matters for anyone comparing this card to booster-exclusive chase cards elsewhere in the market. Different product, different distribution model. For the deck’s headline card itself, our Mega Gengar ex value guide covers the full line tied to this same starter-deck release.
Positioned next to that headline Mega Gengar ex card, Haunter AR is the far more affordable way into the same product line — our budget MEGA-era ex card guide looks at it in that context, as a low-cost complement to the deck’s main chase card rather than a rival to it.
Reading the AR Rarity and the 022/021 Number
AR stands for Art Rare, and the numbering is the part collectors should actually pay attention to. The deck’s own card count is 21, so a card printed as 022/021 sits one slot beyond that nominal total. That’s a standard Japanese TCG convention: numbering a card beyond a product’s stated count to mark it as the set’s secret or chase card, separate from the regularly numbered 21.
Look at the bottom edge of the card for the «022/021» print. If the second number reads 021 rather than a higher figure like 025 or 030, you’re looking at this starter deck’s numbering system specifically — it’s how Japanese starter decks flag their exclusive card without changing the product’s advertised count.
Because the deck itself is fixed rather than randomized, the AR designation isn’t about a pull from a stack of boosters — it’s a print classification within a product where every copy is assembled from the same card list. The scarcity, in other words, comes from how many decks were produced, not from a pack-opening lottery.
PSA10, Estado, and Buying a Graded Copy
PSA10 refers to the top numerical grade issued by Professional Sports Authenticator, and it’s the standard third-party grading service used across the Japanese and English card markets. The copy of Haunter AR we hold is graded PSA10 and encapsulated as such.
We only have our own listing to point to here — there’s no competitor or auction pricing we can cite for this specific card, so we won’t speculate about a broader market range. What we can say directly: our PSA10 copy is currently listed at ¥11,264 (~$70.9) (update: currently sold out — restock requests via Quick Order), which keeps it well under most collectors’ entry-level thresholds for a graded Japanese exclusive. Our PSA10 Mega-era card guide covers other graded cards from this same era of Japanese releases if you’re building out a wider collection.
Other Japanese Exclusive Chase Cards Worth Knowing
Haunter AR isn’t the only product-exclusive Japanese card worth knowing if you collect this category. Several other 2025-era Japanese releases carry their own dedicated exclusive or alternate-art cards outside the mainline expansion numbering, each covered in its own dedicated guide on our site:
At ¥11,264, Haunter AR also sits comfortably inside the lower end of the graded-card market — our best PSA10 Japanese cards under ¥30,000 roundup is the place to compare it against similarly priced graded options.
Where to Buy the Haunter AR from Japan
We ship Japanese sealed product and singles from Tokyo. Our current listing is a PSA10-graded copy of Haunter AR, pulled from the MEGA Starter Set Mega Gengar ex starter deck.
Looking to add it to a mixed order with other Japanese singles or sealed product? Restock requests and mixed-item orders go through our Quick Order page.
Preguntas frecuentes
What is Haunter AR (022/021)?
It’s the numbered exclusive card from Japan’s MEGA Starter Set Mega Gengar ex, a fixed 22-card starter deck released September 5, 2025. In this print it’s a Stage 1, 100 HP, Darkness-type card with the attack Hollow Shot for 40 damage, illustrated by Arai Kiriko.
Is Haunter AR from a booster pack?
No. It’s exclusive to the MEGA Starter Set Mega Gengar ex starter deck, a fixed pre-built product, not a randomized booster pack or a mainline numbered expansion.
Why is the card numbered 022 in a 21-card deck?
Numbering a card one past a product’s nominal count is a standard Japanese TCG convention for marking a starter deck’s secret or chase card, keeping it separate from the regularly numbered cards.
What type is Haunter in this card print?
Darkness-type. That’s the Pokemon Trading Card Game’s own type system for this particular print, which is separate from Haunter’s Ghost typing in the video games.
How much does the Haunter AR cost?
Our PSA10-graded copy is currently listed at ¥11,264, roughly $70.9 at ¥159/USD.
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