Entei has never been printed as an “ex” card — even though two of its Japanese sets have “ex” sitting right there in the set name.
That’s the kind of mix-up that happens when a Pokemon has been reprinted across fifteen years of Japanese sets under a rotating cast of rarity systems: EX, plain Basic, V, VSTAR-era Special Art Rare, and two more recent Basic prints in sets called Shiny Treasure ex and Mega Dream ex. This guide verifies eight key Japanese Entei printings card by card — set code, number, rarity, illustrator, and release date pulled directly from each card’s own listing — so you can tell exactly which of the major prints you’re holding. It’s an Entei-only deep dive; if you want the full trio, our legendary beasts guide to Entei, Raikou, and Suicune covers all three together.
Eight verified Japanese Entei prints run from 2011’s Dark Rush EX card to the 2025 Mega Dream ex reprint, across seven sets. Despite the set names, Entei is never actually printed as an ex card in either Shiny Treasure ex or Mega Dream ex — both are plain Basic Pokemon. The print collectors ask about most is the VSTAR Universe Special Art Rare (S12a 213/172); a PSA10 graded copy is currently listed at ¥16,315 (~$100). To chase your own copy from sealed product, our VSTAR Universe Booster Box is currently listed at ¥33,280 (~$204).
Card details (set, number, rarity, illustrator) are verified against each card’s individual Limitless TCG listing as of August 2026. Prices reflect our own catalog as of the same date, converted at ¥163/USD.
Eight Key Entei Prints and What We Verified
Eight key Japanese Entei cards, verified card by card and ordered by release date. Japanese TCG databases list well over a dozen Entei prints in total — these eight are the ones that matter most for identifying what’s in your binder:
| Kaart | Number | Rarity | Set | Released |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Entei EX | BW4 009 | Rare | Dark Rush | Dec 16, 2011 |
| Entei | XY7 014 | Uncommon | Bandit Ring | Jun 20, 2015 |
| Entei | SM8 022 | Rare | Super Burst Impact | Sep 7, 2018 |
| Entei | S11a 014 | Rare | Incandescent Arcana | Sep 2, 2022 |
| Entei V | S12a 019/172 | Double Rare | VSTAR Universe | Dec 2, 2022 |
| Entei V | S12a 213/172 | SAR | VSTAR Universe | Dec 2, 2022 |
| Entei | SV4a 028 | Standard† | Shiny Treasure ex | Dec 1, 2023 |
| Entei | M2a 020 | Standard† | Mega Dream ex | Nov 28, 2025 |
† No special-rarity marker appears on these two listings — both are ordinary non-secret Basic Pokemon cards within their set’s main print run.
Two things stand out immediately. First, Entei has been reprinted at most of the rarity tiers the Japanese TCG has used since 2011 — EX, plain Basic, V, and a Special Art Rare — but never as a VMAX, VSTAR, or ex card in its own right, though it did get a GX in 2017’s Shining Legends (SM3p). Second, despite the “ex” in Shiny Treasure ex and Mega Dream ex, Entei’s own cards in both sets are printed as plain Basic Pokemon, not Entei ex. The sections below walk through each of the eight key prints in order.
2011–2018: EX, Uncommon, and the First Two Rares
Entei’s Japanese TCG history starts with an EX card, then settles into a run of plain, non-holo-rare prints for most of the following decade.
Entei EX (BW4 009, Dark Rush) is the oldest print covered here, released December 16, 2011 and illustrated by Shizurow. It’s a 180 HP Fire-type with two attacks: Fire Fang for 30 damage that burns the opponent’s Active Pokemon, and Grand Flame for 90 damage that also attaches a Fire Energy from your discard pile to a Benched Pokemon. As an EX-era card it carries the higher HP and bigger attack numbers typical of that mechanic.
Entei (XY7 014, Bandit Ring), released June 20, 2015 and illustrated by Naoki Saito, drops back down to a 120 HP plain Basic at Uncommon rarity — the lowest rarity tier in this entire lineup. Its first attack discards the top four cards of your deck and attaches any Fire Energy found among them to your Pokemon; its second, Combat Blaze, scales with the opponent’s Bench count.
Entei (SM8 022, Super Burst Impact) followed on September 7, 2018, illustrated by kawayoo. At 130 HP with Fire Fang and an Eruption-style attack that mills both players’ decks for bonus damage, it’s a Rare-tier card with an English-market equivalent listed as Lost Thunder #47.
Three different plain “Entei” cards (XY7, SM8, and S11a below) look similar at a glance in a binder — a non-holo Fire-type Basic with no V, EX, or ex marking. The set code and number printed on the card are the only reliable way to tell them apart.
Incandescent Arcana (2022): The Ability-Driven Rare
Entei’s Incandescent Arcana print (S11a 014) released September 2, 2022 and was illustrated by Nisota Niso. It’s a 120 HP Fire-type with an ability that removes its own retreat cost entirely as long as a Fire Energy is attached, paired with a three-cost attack for 90 damage. Three months later, VSTAR Universe would reprint Entei V (which had first appeared the year before in Starter Decks 100) with a new Special Art Rare — the section below covers that jump.
The Anchor: Entei V and Entei V SAR from VSTAR Universe
Entei V first appeared in the Starter Decks 100 set in December 2021. VSTAR Universe (S12a), released December 2, 2022, reprinted it at 019/172 and added the SAR at 213/172 — the only Special Art Rare Entei to date — putting the same card text in two forms at card numbers 019 and 213 out of the set’s 172-card main run.
Both cards share identical game text: a 230 HP Fire-type with the ability しゅんそく (Fleet-Footed), which lets you draw one card once per turn as long as Entei V is your Active Pokemon, and the attack バーニングロンド (Burning Rondo), which deals 20 damage plus 20 more for every Benched Pokemon in play on both sides combined.
The Double Rare at 019/172, illustrated by PLANETA Mochizuki, is the standard version found in the set’s main 172-card run. The Special Art Rare at 213/172, illustrated by Shigenori Negishi in a full-bleed alternate composition, is the version collectors specifically hunt for — it’s numbered well past the 172-card main set, placing it in VSTAR Universe’s secret rare range alongside the set’s other SAR pulls. For the wider field of SAR-tier cards from this release, our VSTAR Universe best cards guide covers the set’s top chase cards in one place.
This SAR is our reference point for Entei’s secondary-market value: a PSA10 graded Entei V SAR (S12a 213/172) is currently listed at ¥16,315 (~$100).
The “Ex Set, Not Ex Card” Confusion: Shiny Treasure ex and Mega Dream ex
Here’s the mix-up this guide opened with. Both of Entei’s two most recent Japanese prints come from sets with “ex” in the name — Shiny Treasure ex and Mega Dream ex — and both are easy to mistake for an “Entei ex” at a glance. Neither one actually is. Checked against each card’s own listing, the physical card in both cases is printed as a standard Basic Pokemon named simply “Entei,” with no ex designation and no special-rarity marker.
Entei (SV4a 028, Shiny Treasure ex), released December 1, 2023 and illustrated by toriyufu, is a 130 HP Fire-type with the Pressure ability (reduces incoming Active-spot damage by 20) and the attack Blaze Ball, which deals 60 damage plus 20 more per Fire Energy attached. Shiny Treasure ex also carries a second Entei at #213, a Shiny Rare variant of the same card — outside the scope of this guide’s eight key prints but worth knowing if you’re sorting a full Shiny Treasure ex run.
Entei (M2a 020, Mega Dream ex), released November 28, 2025 and illustrated by Kazumasa Yasukuni, is the newest print in this guide. It’s a 140 HP Fire-type with a single attack, Flare Fall, dealing 30 damage plus 90 more if your side of the field has four or more Fire Energy in play — no ability, and a heavier three-Energy retreat cost.
If you’re specifically searching for an “Entei ex” card to complete a collection, none currently exists among Entei’s Japanese printings — every ex-named set so far has given Entei a plain Basic slot instead.
Which Entei Print Should You Chase
With verified card data in hand but pricing data limited to our own anchor listing, here’s how to think about the lineup by what each print offers rather than by price alone:
- For the deepest cut — Entei EX (BW4 009, Dark Rush, 2011). The oldest print here and the only EX-era version, with a distinct two-attack burn-and-attach kit.
- For a budget-friendly binder card — Entei (XY7 014, Bandit Ring) at Uncommon, the lowest rarity tier in this lineup.
- For the current-era mechanic — Entei (S11a 014, Incandescent Arcana) or either of the two “ex set, not ex card” prints (SV4a 028, M2a 020) — all three are plain Basics with distinct attacks from the last four years.
- For the chase card — Entei V SAR (S12a 213/172, VSTAR Universe). The only Special Art Rare in Entei’s Japanese print history, and the print our own PSA10 stock is graded from.
Chasing specific singles from any of these seven sets is fastest through our Quick Order page, where you can check current availability across all of them in one place.
Where to Buy Japanese Entei Cards
We ship Japanese sealed product and singles worldwide from Tokyo with tracked delivery. For the VSTAR Universe SAR specifically, sealed booster boxes are the direct route to a shot at pulling one alongside the set’s other secret rares.
If you’d rather buy the graded SAR outright, our PSA10 Entei V SAR is currently listed as an individual piece. For the other seven prints in this guide — from the 2011 Dark Rush EX card through the 2025 Mega Dream ex reprint — our Quick Order page is the fastest way to check what’s currently available and build a mixed order. For budget-tier graded singles across sets generally, see our PSA10 Japanese cards under ¥30,000 guide — the Entei V SAR listing above fits comfortably within that range. And if pre-2002 Japanese prints interest you beyond what’s covered here, our old-back Pokemon cards guide covers that earlier era in detail.
Veelgestelde vragen
How many Entei Pokemon cards exist in the Japanese TCG?
At least eight verified Japanese Entei printings span 2011 through 2025, from the Dark Rush EX card (BW4 009) through the Mega Dream ex reprint (M2a 020), across seven different sets.
Is there an Entei ex card?
Not currently. Entei’s printings in Shiny Treasure ex (SV4a 028) and Mega Dream ex (M2a 020) are both plain Basic Pokemon cards named simply “Entei” on the physical card — the “ex” in those cases refers to the set name, not the Pokemon’s card type.
What is the Entei V SAR from VSTAR Universe?
It’s the Special Art Rare version of Entei V (S12a 213/172), illustrated by Shigenori Negishi and released December 2, 2022. It shares its game text with the set’s standard Entei V (S12a 019/172). A PSA10 graded copy is currently listed at ¥16,315.
What is the oldest Entei Pokemon card?
Among the prints verified in this guide, the oldest is Entei EX from Dark Rush (BW4 009), released December 16, 2011 — a 180 HP Fire-type illustrated by Shizurow.
Where can I buy Japanese Entei cards?
We ship Japanese sealed product and singles worldwide from Tokyo. The VSTAR Universe Booster Box is currently listed at ¥33,280 and is the direct route to the Entei V SAR pull; a graded PSA10 Entei V SAR is also currently listed as an individual piece, and our Quick Order page is the fastest way to check availability across the other prints.
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