Lucario & Melmetal GX has two lives in Japanese print. The first was a straightforward TAG TEAM release across four rarities in a 2019 expansion. The second was a reprint about eight months later that pushed the same artwork into secret-card territory — a UR sitting well past the set’s own numbering.
This guide walks through both releases: where the card first appeared, how the SM12a Tag All Stars reprint differs from the original, and where the Japanese UR sits relative to its English counterpart. Our own graded copy of the SM12a UR is a live listing, and it anchors the buying section at the end.
Lucario & Melmetal GX first appeared in SM9b Full Metal Wall across four rarities (RR, SR, SR:SA, HR), then was reprinted in SM12a Tag All Stars in two further variants — a Double Rare at 083/173 and the Ultra Rare secret at 224/173, currently listed at ¥32,978 (~$207). For the wider set, our SM12a Tag All Stars booster box is also live.
Prices below are our own listed prices as of September 2026, converted at ¥159/USD. No third-party market prices are quoted in this guide.
The Card: Lucario & Melmetal GX 224/173 UR
Lucario & Melmetal GX is a Metal-type TAG TEAM card with 260 HP, pairing the Fighting/Steel Aura Pokemon with the Steel-type Mythical from Sword & Shield’s launch generation. The card we’re focused on here is the Ultra Rare secret print, numbered 224/173 — illustrated by 5ban Graphics and issued inside SM12a Tag All Stars.
A number of « 224 » in a set whose base numbering tops out at 173 tells you immediately what kind of card this is: a secret print sitting well beyond the main set, in the same numbering band Japanese high-class packs reserve for their rarest UR treatments. It isn’t part of the standard 1–173 run — it’s an insert on top of it.
This is a reprint, not the card’s original release — the artwork first appeared about eight months earlier in SM9b, at a fraction of the rarity. The next section covers every Japanese print in order.
Every Japanese Print of Lucario & Melmetal GX
Six Japanese prints exist across two sets: four from the card’s original release, and two reprints in a later high-class pack.
SM9b Full Metal Wall — 029/054, RR (Original Release)
The original Lucario & Melmetal GX, printed as a regular Rare Rare at 029/054 in SM9b Full Metal Wall (強化拡張パック「フルメタルウォール」), illustrated by Mitsuhiro Arita. This is the base rarity the card was designed at — everything after it is a step up in treatment.
SM9b Full Metal Wall — 058/054, SR (Full Art)
The Full Art Super Rare, at 058/054, moved illustration duty to 5ban Graphics — the same illustrator behind the later SM12a UR reprint.
SM9b Full Metal Wall — 059/054, SR:SA (Special Art)
A second Super Rare slot, 059/054, carries a distinct Special Art treatment illustrated by nagimiso — a different artist again from the two prints above and below it.
SM9b Full Metal Wall — 065/054, HR (Rainbow Secret)
The top rarity of the original release is the Rainbow Secret at 065/054, illustrated by 5ban Graphics. This print completes the original SM9b set of four; no image of this specific print is available for this guide.
SM12a Tag All Stars — 083/173, RR (Reprint)
About eight months later — SM9b released 2019-02-01 and SM12a released 2019-10-04 — SM12a Tag All Stars brought the card back as a straight reprint — not a new release — at 083/173, a Double Rare within the set’s normal 1–173 numbering.
SM12a Tag All Stars — 224/173, UR (Reprint, Anchor Print)
The second SM12a appearance is the 224/173 UR covered in the section above — also a reprint of the SM9b artwork, not an original release, pushed to secret-card status by 5ban Graphics’ treatment.
| Set | Number | Rarity | Illustrator | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SM9b Full Metal Wall | 029/054 | RR | Mitsuhiro Arita | Original release |
| SM9b Full Metal Wall | 058/054 | SR (Full Art) | 5ban Graphics | Original release |
| SM9b Full Metal Wall | 059/054 | SR:SA (Special Art) | nagimiso | Original release |
| SM9b Full Metal Wall | 065/054 | HR (Rainbow) | 5ban Graphics | Original release |
| SM12a Tag All Stars | 083/173 | RR (Double Rare) | — | Reprint |
| SM12a Tag All Stars | 224/173 | UR (secret) | 5ban Graphics | Reprint — anchor of this guide |
Six prints, four rarities from the original release and two reprint rarities in SM12a. Neither SM12a print is a new release of the card — both carry the same GX effect and artwork lineage as the SM9b originals, repackaged into a later high-class pack.
The Set: SM12a Tag All Stars
SM12a Tag All Stars (ハイクラスパック「TAG TEAM GX タッグオールスターズ」) is a Sun & Moon-era Japanese high-class pack built around the TAG TEAM GX card type, with a base numbering run of 173 cards before secret prints. It sits in the same lineage as SM9b Full Metal Wall — both feature TAG TEAM GX cards — but Tag All Stars functions as a spotlight release, gathering reprints of TAG TEAM GX cards from across multiple earlier sets rather than introducing all-new artwork.
Lucario & Melmetal GX is one of several TAG TEAM pairs reprinted into the set this way. Our SM12a Tag All Stars set guide covers the pack’s other chase cards, and our Marshadow & Machamp GX guide looks at a sibling single-print card from the same set.
Where the UR Sits on the Rarity Ladder
Within the SM12a print run specifically, the two Lucario & Melmetal GX cards sit at different tiers:
- 083/173, RR (Double Rare) — a standard numbered rarity within the set’s 1–173 base run.
- 224/173, UR (Ultra Rare, secret) — numbered past the base set entirely, the treatment Japanese high-class packs reserve for their top chase slot.
Looking at the card’s full print history side by side, the ladder runs from the plain RR original, through two SR-tier Full Art and Special Art treatments, up to the SM9b HR rainbow secret and the SM12a UR secret — the two highest-rarity treatments this artwork has received across both sets. We’re not quoting pull rates for either set here; the ordering above reflects printed rarity tier, not pack-opening odds.
Our own graded copy of the 224/173 UR is a live listing, and it’s the product this guide is built around.
Where to Buy Lucario & Melmetal GX from Tokyo
Our PSA 10 Lucario & Melmetal GX UR [SM12a 224/173] is currently listed at ¥32,978 (~$207), shipping tracked from Tokyo. It sits in our wider PSA 10 graded card collection alongside other Japanese TAG TEAM GX and Tag All Stars prints, including:
- PSA 10 Dedenne GX RR [SM12a 048/173] — currently listed at ¥12,980 (~$82), same set.
- PSA 10 MEGA Lucario ex MA [228/193] — currently listed at ¥6,930 (~$44), a different Lucario-focused era for collectors following the character.
For the sealed side of the set, our SM12a Tag All Stars booster box is also live — see our Tag All Stars box buying guide for what else the set contains. Every TAG TEAM GX print we carry, including the wider best Tag Team GX cards guide and our broader Lucario cards guide, is reachable from those hub pages. For a mixed order across multiple prints or sets, our Quick Order page is the fastest route.
Foire aux questions
What is the original print of Lucario & Melmetal GX?
The original release is 029/054, RR, from SM9b Full Metal Wall, illustrated by Mitsuhiro Arita. The SM12a Tag All Stars prints (083/173 RR and 224/173 UR) are later reprints of the same card, not new releases.
Is the 224/173 UR a secret rare?
Yes. Its number, 224, sits well past SM12a’s base numbering of 173, which is how Japanese high-class packs mark their top-tier secret prints. It’s an Ultra Rare treatment illustrated by 5ban Graphics.
Is there an English version of this card?
The base card was released in English as part of Unbroken Bonds. The SM12a Tag All Stars secret UR reprint (224/173) is a Japan-only print with no English equivalent, since Tag All Stars itself was never released in English.
How many Japanese prints of Lucario & Melmetal GX exist?
Six: four from the original SM9b Full Metal Wall release (RR, SR Full Art, SR Special Art, HR) and two SM12a Tag All Stars reprints (RR at 083/173 and UR at 224/173).
What does « GX » mean on this card?
GX marks a Sun & Moon-era Pokemon TCG mechanic granting a powerful once-per-game GX attack. Lucario & Melmetal GX is a TAG TEAM GX card, combining two Pokemon on a single card with a shared 260 HP pool.
Where can I buy a PSA 10 copy from Japan?
Our PSA 10 Lucario & Melmetal GX UR [SM12a 224/173] is currently listed at ¥32,978 (~$207) and ships tracked from Tokyo. See the product-cta section above or our PSA 10 collection for related listings.
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