Top 10 Scarlet and Violet Sets

Temporal Forces starts the list with a solid array of cards. The set has some excellent illustration rares, such as Gastly, Sawsbuck, and Deerling, which are great chase cards even for casual collectors. However, the set is slightly let down by its special illustration rares. Morty gets some praise here because Gengar is heavily featured in the artwork, but the ancient variations of the legendary beasts from Generation 2 were not especially popular with the community. As a result, the SIRs are also a little less popular than SIRs from other sets. This set is great for collectors who are just starting out, as there are plenty of excellent IRs to chase while packs are still somewhat affordable.

Mentioned cards from Temporal Forces

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The number 9 spot on the list is taken by Surging Sparks, which is the Pikachu set of the Scarlet and Violet block. This set ranks somewhat low on the list even though it contains several Pikachu chase cards, including the SIR. Other SIRs of note include Milotic and Latias, which are also great chase cards from the set. The IRs are a little underwhelming, with plenty of solid cards but very few that truly stand out. This set also has gold cards, which are quite hard to pull, but many collectors are not huge fans of gold cards and they tend to fall a little flat no matter which set they appear in. Overall, Surging Sparks still has some good chase cards, but it is beaten by other sets on this list that have a larger number of premium-looking hits.

Mentioned cards from Surging Sparks

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Twilight Masquerade is known primarily for the SIR Greninja, but there are also some great illustration rares in this set to chase. Eevee and Chansey are two fan favourites, while more underrated cards such as Tatsugiri and Sunflora also have excellent artwork. The other special illustration rares in the set are a little average, with Greninja being the best by quite a large margin. The reason this set is not higher on the list comes down to consistency. A couple of great IRs and one fantastic SIR cannot carry a set on their own, especially when many of the other hits feel a little average compared with alternatives from the same era.

Mentioned cards from Twilight Masquerade

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An underrated set comes in at number 7. Paldea Evolved was not necessarily the most well-received set when it first released, especially since the SIR cards focused on new legendary Pokémon that many fans were not especially attached to. These cards have not aged particularly well either, and the set has some very cheap SIRs if you are looking to pick them up as singles. However, Paldea Evolved features some of the best illustration rares of the era, including the famous Shinji Kanda Magikarp, which feels like an SIR due to how stunning the artwork is. Other great IRs in this set include Raichu, Maushold, Marill, and many more. This makes the opening experience very enjoyable, as the set still has the appeal of a major chase card while also offering a large group of other cards to look for.

Mentioned cards from Paldea Evolved

You can view the full Paldea Evolved set list, use the odds calculator to compare pull chances, or search for individual Pokémon cards.

White Flare was one of the final sets of the block and includes a huge number of illustration rares, with 70 in total. The hit rate for IRs in this set is roughly 1 in 6 packs compared with the usual 1 in 12, which makes the opening experience very fun, especially for newer collectors. Across Black Bolt and White Flare, every Generation 5 Pokémon gets either an SIR or an IR, which is a huge deal for fans of that generation. White Flare also has a new rarity called Black White Rare, which includes the all-white Reshiram and the red Victini. This set does not rank any higher because we are getting to the real heavy hitters, and White Flare simply does not have enough major chase cards compared with the sets still to come.

Mentioned cards from White Flare

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Black Bolt released at the same time as White Flare and similarly has a huge array of IRs, as well as some fantastic SIRs such as Zekrom and the Black White Rare Zekrom and Victini cards. One card just tips Black Bolt over the edge and helps it rank higher than White Flare, and that card is the IR Seismitoad. White Flare does not have a huge IR hit like this, so it is effectively the cherry on top for Black Bolt. This IR is illustrated by the same artist as the Magikarp from Paldea Evolved and looks just as impressive, with an incredible amount of detail. Like its partner set, Black Bolt does not have enough truly major chase cards to rank any higher than this.

Mentioned cards from Black Bolt

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This was perhaps the most difficult set to rank on this list due to the varying opening experience. Prismatic Evolutions has undoubtedly the highest highs of any Scarlet and Violet era set thanks to the tiny chance of pulling a God Pack, which contains all of the Eeveelution SIRs. The most notable of these are Leafeon, Espeon, Sylveon, and, of course, Umbreon. However, as this set has no illustration rares, most packs can feel effectively dead, with perhaps only a full art trainer card here and there. This gives the set some of the lowest lows of the era too. Another issue is that there are many SIRs that are not Eeveelutions, and most of them feel below average for SIR cards. The various mask cards can make it even more disappointing when you finally pull an SIR, only for it to be one of those rather than Umbreon, for example.

Mentioned cards from Prismatic Evolutions

You can view the full Prismatic Evolutions set list, use the odds calculator to compare pull chances, or search for individual Pokémon cards.

Destined Rivals brings us the first true Team Rocket set that we have had in years, and it was very well received by fans. This set has perhaps the most consistent SIR lineup in the era, with so many of them being huge pulls. It also boasts one of the biggest SIRs of the era with Team Rocket's Mewtwo. The set also has some great IRs, including Misty's Psyduck, Misty's Lapras, and Ethan's Typhlosion, which help to round out the set and create a great opening experience with lots of different cards to chase. Destined Rivals does not make it any higher because the remaining two sets will be iconic for years to come and have some of the best chase cards in recent years.

Mentioned cards from Destined Rivals

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Each era usually contains one set dedicated to shiny Pokémon, and these are almost always fan favourites. With a focus on baby shiny Pokémon, this set contains some fantastic cards at modest pull rates, such as shiny Pikachu, Mimikyu, Ditto, and more. However, there is one reason this set overtakes so many others in this ranking: the bubble Mew. It is almost hard to believe that this card was not especially popular when it first released, but it is now one of the most iconic cards of the modern era. This SIR is simple but so well executed that many fans believe it is the best card created since Sword and Shield. We also have to mention the SIR Gardevoir and Charizard, which are both stunning cards with tough pull rates. This set will be remembered for years to come, but it is still beaten by one other set.

Mentioned cards from Paldean Fates

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