Key takeaways
- A set code plus a card number points to one exact card.
- A number like 025/165 means card number 25 in a set that prints 165 cards.
- Set names are long and can change language. Set codes are short and printed on the card.
- Japanese cards use their own codes, so do not mix them up with English ones.
- In DeckMaster you can type the code and skip the scrolling.
Every Pokémon TCG card carries a tiny address. Once you can read it, you can find any card in seconds, sort a binder in the right order and tell two look-alike cards apart. It takes two minutes to learn.
Where to look
Look at the front of the card, along the bottom edge. The set code and number usually sit in one of the two bottom corners. The exact spot changes from one era of cards to another, so check both corners.
- Recent cards often show a short set code made of letters, and the card number next to it.
- Older cards may show only a small set symbol and the number. In that case, use the symbol or the set name to know which set it is.
- Promo cards and special subsets can have letters inside the number, such as TG05. Type it exactly as printed.
Reading 025/165
The number has two parts, with a slash in the middle.
- The first part is the card's own number in the set. In 025/165, it is card number 25. (Leading zeros are only for show: 025 and 25 are the same.)
- The second part is the number of cards in the main set, as printed on the card. In 025/165, the set prints 165 cards.
Sometimes the first number is bigger than the second, as in 190/165. That is not a typo. In many sets it is a card beyond the main list, often a special rarity. We found no official definition, so treat this as a collector convention.
Code vs name of the set
A set has three things that people mix up.
| What | Example | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Name | A long title, which can be translated | Talking about the set |
| Code | A short code like MEW, printed on recent cards | Finding the exact card |
| Series | A bigger family that groups many sets | Browsing by era |
The code is the one to use. It is short, it is printed on the card and it does not change with the language of the set name. Databases also keep their own internal ids, which are not printed on the card. DeckMaster understands the printed code and other common codes, so you do not have to learn them.
English and Japanese codes
Japanese cards belong to Japanese sets, and those sets have their own codes. A Japanese set and an English set with a similar theme can share part of their card list, but the code and the contents are not the same. For example, a Japanese set with code SV2a and an English set with code MEW can both have a card 025/165, and they are still two different sets.
So write down the language of a card together with its code. Our guide "Japanese vs English cards" explains the other differences.
Search by code in DeckMaster
Type what you read on the card and DeckMaster does the rest.
- A code and a number, like
MEW 025,mew-025orMEW 025/165, goes straight to that card. - A number with its total, like
025/165, finds cards with that number in sets of that size. - A code alone, like
MEW, shows you the set. - Zeros do not matter.
025and25give the same result. - Names work too. If a code finds nothing, we try the name.