Japanese Pokémon Set Codes: How to Read SV2a, S1W, M1L and SM12a

Japanese Pokémon sets are identified by a code, not by their name: SV2a, S1W, M1L, SM12a. The code is printed on the booster box and on every card in the set, and it is the only reliable way to be sure which set you are buying — the same set often has a different name in English. This page takes the code apart.

The three parts of a code

A code reads era + set number + optional letter. In SV2a: SV is the era, 2 is the set number inside that era, and the lower-case a marks the pack type.

The era prefix

Prefix	Era	Example
SM	Sun & Moon	SM12a Tag All Stars
S	Sword & Shield	S12a VSTAR Universe
SV	Scarlet & Violet	SV2a Pokémon Card 151
M	MEGA	M6a 30th Celebration

The number counts upwards inside the era, so SV1 is the first Scarlet & Violet set and SV11 one of the last.

The lower-case letter — the pack type

Japanese sets come in three sizes, and the publisher names them on the packaging:

• No letter — 拡張パック, a main expansion. The big sets: SV3, S8, SM12.
• a or b — 強化拡張パック, a smaller "enhanced" expansion released between the main sets: SV5a, S11a, SM11b.
• High class pack — ハイクラスパック, the premium end-of-year set, every card a reprint or a special art. These also carry a lower-case letter: SM12a, S12a, SV8a.

So a lower-case letter does not tell you the set is small — it tells you it is not a main expansion. Check the set itself: SV8a Terastal Festival ex and S12a VSTAR Universe are both high class packs, and both are among the most sought-after sets of their era.

The capital letter — sets released as a pair

A capital letter means the set has a twin: two boxes, one code number, one letter each. Where the letter follows the set name it is obvious; where it does not, the publisher does not state what it stands for, and the useful thing to know is simply that the two belong together.

Pair	Sets
S1W / S1H	Sword V / Shield V — W for Sword, H for Shield
S6K / S6H	Jet-Black Geist / Silver Lance
S7R / S7D	Blue Sky Stream / Skyscraping Perfection
S10D / S10P	Time Gazer / Space Juggler
SV1S / SV1V	Scarlet ex / Violet ex — S for Scarlet, V for Violet
SV2D / SV2P	Clay Burst / Snow Hazard
SV4K / SV4M	Ancient Roar / Future Flash — the ancient and future halves of the same release
SV5K / SV5M	Wild Force / Cyber Judge — the same ancient and future split
SV11B / SV11W	Black Bolt / White Flare — B and W follow the names
M1L / M1S	Mega Brave / Mega Symphonia

DX, and what is not part of the code

A few sets also have a DX box — SV11B DX, SV11W DX — a separate deluxe product, not a different set. Words a shop adds, such as "no shrink" or "3-pack", describe the packaging or the quantity, never the set.

Where to find the code

On the booster box it is printed with the set name. On a card it sits next to the card number at the bottom. If you are also trying to read the rarity letters beside it, see Japanese card rarity codes.

Every PulloraX product page states its set code in the spec table. Browse by era: MEGA, Scarlet & Violet, Sword & Shield, Sun & Moon.