Pokémon 151 in 2026: Three Charizard Tiers, the Mew ex SIR Premium, and the Language That Saves You $170
By Dexhaul Team · September 14, 2026
Pokémon 151 is the Kanto collector's reference set in the Scarlet and Violet era.
Released in Japan as SV2a in June 2023, then as Scarlet and Violet 151 in English that September, the set dedicated its 165-card base entirely to the original Kanto Pokémon. Three years later it still sets the pricing baseline for what Kanto art cards are worth in this era. With 30th Celebration launching September 16 and putting Kanto back in the spotlight, understanding where 151 sits is more useful now than it has been in two years.
Here is what the set actually looks like at current market prices, and where the non-obvious value is.
Three Charizard ex Tiers in One Set
No other card in 151 illustrates the set's pricing structure quite like Charizard ex, which appears in three distinct versions at three very different price points.
The Japanese SV2a base Charizard ex (006/165) trades for $3 to $5. It is the same Pokémon, the same mechanic, the same card functionally, just in Japanese and at the bottom of the market. Collectors who play or want a complete Japanese SV2a set treat this as the entry tier.
The English Double Rare (185/165) sits at $22 to $40 raw. This is the version most buyers will pull from a Booster Bundle and the realistic floor for anyone cracking packs in English. The art is the standard dynamic pose that appears across most SV-era Double Rares.
At the top sits the Special Illustration Rare (199/165). Raw copies trade at $371 to $446 in 2026, with PSA 10 slabs running above $1,700. The art depicts Charizard and a trainer in a watercolor storybook illustration style that became one of the defining images of the SV era when the set launched.
One Pokémon, one set: a spread of roughly 100x from cheapest to most expensive.
The Mew vs. Mewtwo Inversion
The set is called 151 because Mew is the 151st Pokémon in the original Kanto Pokédex. That naming decision shapes the secondary market in a way that is not obvious from looking at the cards individually.
Mew ex's Special Illustration Rare (205/165) trades at $216 to $239 raw, making it the second-most expensive SIR in the set after Charizard. The illustration pairs Mew with a young trainer in a soft, dreamy watercolor setting that reads as the emotional center of the set's art direction.
Mewtwo, the more battle-famous legendary, has no SIR equivalent pullable from standard booster packs in the 151 set. The standard Rare (150/165) sits at $4 to $4.50. The gap between Mew ex SIR and Mewtwo's highest pullable version is roughly 50x.
There is a Mewtwo Illustration Rare promo (SVP052) that accompanied the Ultra Premium Collection and trades at $50 to $73 today, but that is a product-exclusive card, not something you pull from a Booster Bundle. For anyone buying packs, Mew ex is the Mewtwo of this set.
The Rest of the SIR Ladder
Below Charizard and Mew, the other Special Illustration Rares form a clear bracket that is accessible without the flagship premium. The complete SIR list for the English set is catalogued on Limitless TCG.
Venusaur ex SIR (198/165) trades around $110 raw, placing it roughly in the middle of the market. Alakazam ex SIR (201/165) sits at $85 to $120 depending on seller and condition. These two cards represent the set's affordable SIR entry points: illustration-quality art, Kanto fan favorites, none of the Charizard markup.
The Alakazam ex Collection Box, which bundles the card alongside booster packs and a full-art playmat, trades at $125 to $175 on the secondary market. For collectors who want the SIR without crack-and-pray variance, that bundle is currently the lower-variance path to the card.
Alakazam ex 201/165 Special Illustration Rare – Scarlet & Violet 151
$85.00 USD
Korea Has the Best Deal on Sealed Product
Three editions of Pokémon 151 exist: Japanese SV2a, English (set code MEW), and Korean SV151. All three draw from the same 165-card pool with identical artwork.
The Japanese SV2a booster box sits at $378 to $521 in 2026. The English Booster Bundle, the standard retail sealed product for the English market, ranges from $60 to $180 depending on seller. Neither is cheap for what the market sees as a three-year-old set.
The Korean SV151 booster box at $199 to $204 is the most efficient sealed-product entry point. Same pull rates, same artwork, the same Charizard ex SIR in the pool: the only difference is the language printed on the card. Collectors who are building toward SIR singles and want to crack packs for a chance at them will find the Korean box roughly 45 to 55 percent cheaper than the Japanese equivalent for the same expected yield.
The Ultra Premium Collection and Where Sealed Sits in 2026
The English Ultra Premium Collection was a Pokémon Center exclusive at launch in late 2023. Sealed copies now trade at $1,094 to $1,839 on the secondary market, reflecting the combination of the Mewtwo SVP052 promo, premium accessories, and the eleven included booster packs.
For most collectors, the Ultra Premium Collection is not a practical path to the set's SIR singles. The sealed premium exists because the box itself has become a display collectible, not because cracking one is efficient value relative to buying singles outright.
The English Booster Bundle remains the most common sealed entry: six packs plus a promo card in a retail-sized box. At $60 to $180 depending on condition and seller, it is what most people mean when they say they are "getting a 151 product" without committing to a full case.
The 30th Celebration Connection
Kanto is having another moment in September 2026. The 30th Celebration set, launching September 16, puts Kanto Pokémon back at the center of the TCG conversation for the first time since 151 itself.
For collectors comparing Kanto card options across the SV era, 151 sets the benchmark: this is what Kanto SIR illustration-style art traded for three years into a set's life. Whatever the 30th Celebration SIRs look like at launch, their secondary market trajectory will be measured against what happened here first.
Browse current Pokémon 151 singles and sealed products from independent shops at DexHaul's Pokémon 151 search. DexHaul is independent and unofficial, not affiliated with or endorsed by The Pokémon Company.