Pokemon TCG: EX Ruby & Sapphire

EX Ruby & Sapphire (拡張パック) Trading Card Game Set E16 / J18
General information
Cards	English: 109 Japanese: 64
Series	EX Series era
Previous Expansion	Skyridge
Following Expansion	EX Sandstorm
Associated Decks	Ruby Sapphire
Released	June 18th, 2003 (English) January 31st, 2003 (Japan)

Quick menu: Overview / Nintendo’s Debut / Print Versions / Set List / For Collectors / Most Powerful / Trivia / Images & Videos

EX Ruby & Sapphire is where the Pokémon Trading Card Game changed hands. Released on 18 June 2003, it was the first expansion produced and distributed by Nintendo after Wizards of the Coast lost the licence — and it arrived barely a month after Skyridge, the last set Wizards ever made. For a game that had been in one company’s hands since 1999, that is an abrupt handover.

Nintendo used it to introduce the mechanic that would define the next four years: the Pokémon-ex. These are markedly stronger than ordinary Pokémon — higher HP, harder attacks, and a distinctive holofoil border — but they carry a real cost. Knock one out and your opponent takes two Prize cards instead of one. That single trade-off reshaped deckbuilding: a Pokémon-ex could win you the game, or hand your opponent half of theirs.

It is also the first set built on Generation III, bringing over 40 new Pokémon from Ruby and Sapphire into the card game — Treecko, Torchic and Mudkip among them. At 109 cards in English, it is roughly double the 55-card Japanese ADV Expansion Pack it was adapted from, which had appeared on 31 January 2003.

The e-Reader did not disappear overnight. Cards still carry a Dot Code along the bottom border, though the left border returned to its normal width and the codes now hold only the Pokédex entry — no minigames, no hidden attacks. It reads exactly like what it was: a new owner keeping a feature alive while quietly winding it down. Compare it with Expedition, where the dot code was the entire point of the set.

Nintendo Takes the Reins: How the Debut Set Fared

For all its Hoenn newcomers, the real story of EX Ruby & Sapphire sits behind the curtain: it was the first Pokémon set that Nintendo — through its Pokémon USA arm — produced and distributed entirely on its own, and it landed at a genuinely precarious moment. By the middle of 2003 the TCG had cooled a long way from its playground-craze peak, and Wizards of the Coast were suddenly out of the picture. Collector and historian Scott Pratte has gone so far as to say this set “may have saved the Pokémon Trading Card Game.” That is a lot of weight for a 109-card debut to carry.

On the evidence, Nintendo handled the pressure well. The most immediate win was manufacturing quality: packs from this era are famous for spilling out near-flawless cards, and the set’s grading record backs that up, with roughly a third of all submissions coming back gem-mint. Nintendo also used the handover to give the cards a quiet redesign — the character window shifted from gold to silver, a subtle circle motif ran down the lower-left, and the Energy symbols were slimmed and lined up neatly — tweaks that have aged gracefully. Most importantly, they led with a real idea: Pokémon-ex, big-hitting cards that hand your opponent two Prizes if they fall, paired with the new 2-on-2 Double Battle format. It was a bold, high-risk/high-reward hook that handed the game a fresh identity exactly when it needed one.

It wasn’t a flawless first outing. After the sprawling e-Card epics, 109 cards felt a little lean, and the e-Reader dot codes Wizards had leaned into were quietly demoted — scanning a card now surfaced little more than its Pokédex entry, a sign the gimmick was already on its way out. The ex mechanic, thrilling as it was, also lit the fuse on years of escalating power creep. And commercially the set kept a low profile: even as the first-ever Nintendo issue, it drew fairly muted enthusiasm at the time next to the classic Wizards releases, and it has taken the better part of two decades for its historical importance to be properly appreciated.

Taken together, though, it is hard not to read EX Ruby & Sapphire as a confident debut. Nintendo inherited a game at a low ebb, shipped it with excellent production values, freshened up the look, and bet on a mechanic that would anchor the much-loved EX era for the next four years. Under-celebrated in its day, it now looks like exactly the steady hand the TCG needed.

Print Versions & Collectors Info

There is no 1st Edition English printing — Wizards had discontinued the stamp before handing over, and Nintendo never reinstated it. What you will find instead is Reverse Holofoil versions of the cards, continuing the convention Legendary Collection began and Expedition carried onto new cards.

The English set was released across six languages — English, French, German, Italian, Spanish and Portuguese. The Japanese ADV Expansion Pack came in both 1st Edition and Unlimited, and a Korean printing exists in 1st Edition only, which makes it the scarce one for anyone collecting across regions.

Boosters held nine cards — one reverse holo, one rare, two uncommons and five commons — carried over from the e-Card era, across four different wrappers, with 36 packs to a box. Collectors noted a quirk in how packs were assembled: the reverse holo normally sits just before the rare, but when a pack contains a Pokémon-ex the reverse holo appears two cards later instead, which is a reliable tell when riffling a sealed pack. Two theme decks shipped alongside: Ruby, built around Blaziken, and Sapphire, built around Swampert. In Japan this was also the first expansion to launch with pre-constructed Half Decks.

One quirk worth knowing before you chase variants: commons and uncommons exist in multiple versions, distinguished only by the last three characters of the dot code in the lower left. They are not rarer than one another and carry no premium — but they will show up as separate listings, and it is easy to think you have found something unusual when you have not.

The pack wrappers

Four English wrappers shipped with the set — Sceptile, Mightyena, Lairon and Manectric. It is a notably different choice from the Wizards era, which had almost always led with Charizard, Blastoise and Venusaur: here the packaging is given over entirely to Generation III Pokémon, with not a Kanto face among them. The Japanese ADV Expansion Pack wrapper is shown alongside.

Set List with Pictures

Card Image	No.	Card name	Rarity	Card type
	1/109	Aggron
	Card text Flip a coin. If heads, this attack does 10 damage times the number of damage counters on Aggron.
	2/109	Beautifly
	Card text As long as Beautifly is in play, do not apply Resistance for all Active Pokémon.
	3/109	Blaziken
	Card text Once during your turn (before your attack), you may attach a Fire Energy card from your discard pile to 1 of your Benched Pokémon. This power can’t be used if Blaziken is affected by a Special Condition.
	4/109	Camerupt
	Card text Choose 1 of your opponent’s Benched Pokémon. This attack does 10 damage to that Pokémon. (Don’t apply Weakness and Resistance for Benched Pokémon.)
	5/109	Delcatty
	Card text Once during your turn (before your attack), you may discard 1 Energy card from your hand. Then draw up to 3 cards from your deck. This power can’t be used if Delcatty is affected by a Special Condition.
	6/109	Dustox
	Card text Prevent all effects of attacks, except damage, done to Dustox by the Attacking Pokémon.
	7/109	Gardevoir
	Card text Once during your turn (before your attack), you may search your deck for a Psychic Energy card and attach it to 1 of your Pokémon. Put 2 damage counters on that Pokémon. Shuffle your deck afterward. This power can’t be used if Gardevoir is affected by a Special Condition.
	8/109	Hariyama
	Card text Does 20 damage to each Defending Pokémon.
	9/109	Manectric
	Card text Search your deck for a Lightning Energy card and attach it to 1 of your Pokémon. Shuffle your deck afterward.
	10/109	Mightyena
	Card text As long as Mightyena is your Active Pokémon, any damage done to your Pokémon by an opponent’s attack is reduced by 10 (before applying Weakness and Resistance).
	11/109	Sceptile
	Card text If 1 Energy is attached to Sceptile, the Defending Pokémon is now Asleep. If 2 Energy is attached to Sceptile, the Defending Pokémon is now Poisoned. If 3 Energy is attached to Sceptile, the Defending Pokémon is now Asleep and Poisoned. If 4 or more Energy is attached to Sceptile, the Defending Pokémon is now Asleep, Burned, and Poisoned.
	12/109	Slaking
	Card text As long as Slaking is your Active Pokémon, your opponent’s Pokémon can’t use any Poké-Powers.
	13/109	Swampert
	Card text Once during your turn (before your attack), you may attach a Water Energy card from your hand to your Active Pokémon. This power can’t be used if Swampert is affected by a Special Condition.
	14/109	Wailord
	Card text Wailord does 20 damage to itself.
	15/109	Blaziken
	Card text The Defending Pokémon can’t retreat until the end of your opponent’s next turn.
	16/109	Breloom
	Card text Does 40 damage plus 10 more damage for each Fighting Energy attached to Breloom.
	17/109	Donphan
	Card text If the Defending Pokémon has any damage counters on it, this attack does 20 damage plus 20 more damage.
	18/109	Nosepass
	Card text If any of your opponent’s Active Pokémon are Evolved Pokémon, search your deck for any 1 card and put it into your hand. Shuffle your deck afterward.
	19/109	Pelipper
	Card text During your next turn, Spit Up’s base damage is 70 instead of 30, and Swallow’s base damage is 60 instead of 20.
	20/109	Sceptile
	Card text As often as you like during your turn (before your attack), move a Grass Energy card attached to 1 of your Pokémon to another of your Pokémon. This power can’t be used if Sceptile is affected by a Special Condition.
	21/109	Seaking
	Card text Choose 1 of your opponent’s Pokémon. This attack does 20 damage to that Pokémon. (Don’t apply Weakness and Resistance for Benched Pokémon.)
	22/109	Sharpedo
	Card text If Sharpedo is your Active Pokémon and is damaged by an opponent’s attack (even if Sharpedo is Knocked Out), put 2 damage counters on the Attacking Pokémon.
	23/109	Swampert
	Card text Once during your turn (before your attack), when you attach a Water Energy card from your hand to Swampert, remove 1 damage counter from Swampert.
	24/109	Weezing
	Card text The Defending Pokémon is now Confused.
	25/109	Aron
	Card text Flip 2 coins. This attack does 20 damage times the number of heads.
	26/109	Cascoon
	Card text During your opponent’s turn, if Cascoon would be damaged by an opponent’s attack (after applying Weakness and Resistance), flip a coin. If heads, reduce that damage by 30.
	27/109	Combusken
	Card text Flip 2 coins. This attack does 40 damage times the number of heads.
	28/109	Combusken
	Card text When you attach a Fire Energy card from your hand to Combusken, remove all Special Conditions from Combusken.
	29/109	Delcatty
	Card text Attach 1 Energy card from your discard pile to your Active Pokémon.
	30/109	Electrike
	Card text Attach a Lightning Energy card from your discard pile to Electrike.
	31/109	Grovyle
	Card text The Defending Pokémon is now Poisoned.
	32/109	Grovyle
	Card text When you attach a Grass Energy card from your hand to Grovyle, remove all Special Conditions from Grovyle.
	33/109	Hariyama
	Card text Flip a coin. If heads, the Defending Pokémon is now Paralyzed.
	34/109	Kirlia
	Card text Flip a coin. If heads, discard 1 Energy card attached to the Defending Pokémon.
	35/109	Kirlia
	Card text Flip a coin. If heads, each Defending Pokémon is now Confused.
	36/109	Lairon
	Card text Ram
	37/109	Lairon
	Card text Does 10 damage to each Benched Pokémon (both yours and your opponent’s). (Don’t apply Weakness and Resistance for Benched Pokémon.)
	38/109	Linoone
	Card text Search your deck for up to 2 cards and put them into your hand. Shuffle your deck afterward.
	39/109	Manectric
	Card text Flip a coin. If heads, the Defending Pokémon is now Paralyzed.
	40/109	Marshtomp
	Card text Flip a coin. If heads, the Defending Pokémon is now Paralyzed.
	41/109	Marshtomp
	Card text When you attach a Water Energy card from your hand to Marshtomp, remove all Special Conditions from Marshtomp.
	42/109	Mightyena
	Card text Flip a coin. If heads, this attack does 30 damage plus 30 more damage.
	43/109	Silcoon
	Card text During your opponent’s turn, if Silcoon would be damaged by an opponent’s attack (after applying Weakness and Resistance), flip a coin. If heads, reduce that damage by 30.
	44/109	Skitty
	Card text Search your deck for 2 basic Energy cards, show them to your opponent, and put them into your hand. Shuffle your deck afterward.
	45/109	Slakoth
	Card text Flip a coin. If tails, this attack does nothing.
	46/109	Swellow
	Card text Once during your turn (before your attack), if Swellow is your Active Pokémon, you may switch 1 of the Defending Pokémon with 1 of your opponent’s Benched Pokémon. Your opponent picks the Benched Pokémon to switch. This power can’t be used if Swellow is affected by a Special Condition.
	47/109	Vigoroth
	Card text Flip 3 coins. This attack does 20 damage times the number of heads.
	48/109	Wailmer
	Card text Remove all Special Conditions and 4 damage counters from Wailmer (all if there are less than 4). Wailmer is now Asleep.
	49/109	Aron
	Card text During your opponent’s next turn, any damage done to Aron by attacks is reduced by 10.
	50/109	Aron
	Card text Gnaw.
	51/109	Carvanha
	Card text If Carvanha is your Active Pokémon and is damaged by an opponent’s attack (even if Carvanha is Knocked Out), put 1 damage counter on the Attacking Pokémon.
	52/109	Electrike
	Card text Headbutt
	53/109	Electrike
	Card text Flip a coin. If heads, each Defending Pokémon is now Paralyzed.
	54/109	Koffing
	Card text Koffing does 10 damage to itself.
	55/109	Goldeen
	Card text Does 10 damage for each damage counter on Goldeen.
	56/109	Makuhita
	Card text Slap Push.
	57/109	Makuhita
	Card text Your opponent switches the Defending Pokémon with 1 of his or her Benched Pokémon.
	58/109	Makuhita
	Card text Flip a coin. If heads, the Defending Pokémon is now Paralyzed.
	59/109	Mudkip
	Card text Flip a coin. If heads, the Defending Pokémon is now Paralyzed.
	60/109	Mudkip
	Card text Flip 3 coins. This attack does 10 damage times the number of heads.
	61/109	Numel
	Card text Flip a coin. If heads, each Defending Pokémon is now Burned.
	62/109	Phanpy
	Card text Flip a coin. If heads, this attack does 10 damage to each Defending Pokémon, and each Defending Pokémon is now Paralyzed.
	63/109	Poochyena
	Card text Bite.
	64/109	Poochyena
	Card text Flip a coin. If heads, choose 1 card from your opponent’s hand without looking and discard it.
	65/109	Poochyena
	Card text The Defending Pokémon can’t retreat until the end of your opponent’s next turn.
	66/109	Ralts
	Card text Flip a coin. If heads, the Defending Pokémon is now Confused.
	67/109	Ralts
	Card text The Defending Pokémon is now Asleep.
	68/109	Ralts
	Card text If Ralts and the Defending Pokémon have a different amount of Energy attached to them, this attack’s base damage is 10 instead of 40.
	69/109	Shroomish
	Card text The Defending Pokémon is now Asleep.
	70/109	Skitty
	Card text Attach a basic Energy card from your hand to 1 of your Pokémon.
	71/109	Skitty
	Card text Flip a coin. If tails, this attack does nothing.
	72/109	Taillow
	Card text Peck.
	73/109	Torchic
	Card text Flip a coin. If tails, discard a Fire Energy card attached to Torchic.
	74/109	Torchic
	Card text Flip a coin. If heads, the Defending Pokémon is now Burned.
	75/109	Treecko
	Card text Flip a coin. If heads, the Defending Pokémon is now Poisoned.
	76/109	Treecko
	Card text Tail Slap.
	77/109	Wingull
	Card text Flip a coin. If tails, this attack does nothing.
	78/109	Wurmple
	Card text Search your deck for Silcoon and Beautifly, or Cascoon and Dustox cards. Show 1 card or both cards of a pair to your opponent and put them into your hand. Shuffle your deck afterward.
	79/109	Zigzagoon
	Card text Flip 3 coins. This attack does 10 damage times the number of heads.
	80/109	Energy Removal 2		T
	Card text Flip a coin. If heads, choose 1 Energy card attached to 1 of your opponent’s Pokémon and discard it.
	81/109	Energy Restore		T
	Card text Flip 3 coins. For each heads, put a Basic Energy card from your discard pile into your hand. If you don’t have that many basic Energy cards in your discard pile, put all of them into your hand.
	82/109	Energy Switch		T
	Card text Move a basic Energy card attached to 1 of your Pokémon to another of your Pokémon.
	83/109	Lady Outing		T[Su]
	Card text Search your deck for up to 3 different types of basic Energy cards, show them to your opponent, and put them into your hand. Shuffle your deck afterward.
	84/109	Lum Berry		T[Tool]
	Card text Attach Lum Berry to 1 of your Pokémon that doesn’t already have a Pokémon Tool attached to it. If that Pokémon is Knocked Out, discard this card.
	85/109	Oran Berry		T[Tool]
	Card text At any time between turns, if the Pokémon this card is attached to has at least 2 damage counters on it, remove 2 damage counters from it. Then discard Oran Berry.
	86/109	Poké Ball		T
	Card text You may play as many Item cards as you like during your turn (before your attack).
	87/109	Pokémon Reversal		T
	Card text Choose 1 of your opponent’s Benched Pokémon. Flip a coin. If heads, switch that Pokémon with the Defending Pokémon.
	88/109	PokéNav		T
	Card text Look at the top 3 cards of your deck, and choose a Basic Pokémon, Evolution card, or Energy card. Show it to your opponent and put it into your hand. Put the 2 other cards back on top of your deck in any order.
	89/109	Professor Birch		T[Su]
	Card text You can play only one Supporter card each turn. When you play this card, put it next to your Active Pokémon. When your turn ends, discard this card.
	90/109	Energy Search		T
	Card text Search your deck for a basic Energy card and put it into your hand. Shuffle your deck afterward.
	91/109	Potion		T
	Card text You may play as many Item cards as you like during your turn (before your attack).
	92/109	Switch		T
	Card text You may play as many Item cards as you like during your turn (before your attack).
	93/109	Darkness Energy		E
	Card text If the Pokémon Darkness Energy is attached to damages the Defending Pokémon (after applying Weakness and Resistance), the attack does 10 more damage to the Defending Pokémon. At the end of every turn, put 1 damage counter on the Pokémon Darkness Energy is attached to, unless it’s Darkness or has Dark in its name. Darkness Energy provides Darkness Energy. (Doesn’t count as a basic Energy card.)
	94/109	Metal Energy		E
	Card text Damage done to the Pokémon Metal Energy is attached to is reduced by 10 (after applying Weakness and Resistance). If the Pokémon Metal Energy is attached to isn’t Metal, whenever it damages a Pokémon, reduce that damage by 10 (before applying Weakness and Resistance). Metal Energy provides Metal Energy. (Doesn’t count as a basic Energy card.)
	95/109	Rainbow Energy		E
	Card text Attach Rainbow Energy to 1 of your Pokémon. While in play, Rainbow Energy counts as every type of basic Energy but only provides 1 Energy at a time. (Doesn’t count as a basic Energy card when not in play.) When you attach this card from your hand to 1 of your Pokémon, it does 10 damage to that Pokémon. (Don’t apply Weakness and Resistance.)
	96/109	Chansey ex
	Card text Remove 2 damage counters (1 if there is only 1) from each of your Pokémon. Remove no damage counters from Chansey ex.
	97/109	Electabuzz ex
	Card text Flip a coin. If heads, the Defending Pokémon is now Paralyzed.
	98/109	Hitmonchan ex
	Card text Flip a coin. If heads, this attack does 10 damage plus 10 more damage.
	99/109	Lapras ex
	Card text Does 10 damage plus 10 more damage for each Energy attached to Lapras ex but not used to pay for this attack’s Energy cost. You can’t add more than 20 damage in this way.
	100/109	Magmar ex
	Card text If the Defending Pokémon tries to attack during your opponent’s next turn, your opponent flips a coin. If tails, that attack does nothing.
	101/109	Mewtwo ex
	Card text Attach up to 2 Energy cards from your discard pile to Mewtwo ex.
	102/109	Scyther ex
	Card text Flip a coin. If heads, prevent all effects of an attack, including damage, done to Scyther ex during your opponent’s next turn.
	103/109	Sneasel ex
	Card text Flip 2 coins. This attack does 10 damage times the number of heads.
	104/109	Grass Energy	__	E
	105/109	Fighting Energy	__	E
	106/109	Water Energy	__	E
	107/109	Psychic Energy	__	E
	108/109	Fire Energy	__	E
	109/109	Lightning Energy	__	E

For Collectors: Most Valuable Cards

This set carries a status premium that has little to do with scarcity: it is the first Pokémon-ex set, and the first card Nintendo ever printed. Anyone collecting the EX era by origin starts here.

Mewtwo ex (101/109)

The most sought-after card in the set. Mewtwo’s standing as the original powerhouse legendary, combined with the debut of the Pokémon-ex mechanic, makes this the card people want from EX Ruby & Sapphire. High-grade copies are the set’s blue-chip target.

Scyther ex (102/109) and Lapras ex (99/109)

The other two Pokémon-ex that consistently lead the set. Both are Kanto Pokémon given the new treatment — which is part of the appeal, since the mechanic debuted on familiar faces rather than the Hoenn newcomers.

Vintage prices move constantly. Treat any quoted figure as directional and check live sold comps before buying or selling.

Most Powerful Cards (Competitive Play)

The Pokémon-ex is one of the most consequential mechanics the game has ever introduced, and understanding the trade-off is the key to understanding the entire EX era that follows.

Mewtwo ex (101/109)

The strongest of the debut Pokémon-ex and the one that defined what the mechanic could do in play. If you want to understand why players accepted the two-Prize penalty, this is the card that explains it.

Trivia & Pop Culture

• Released in English on 18 June 2003 — just over a month after Skyridge, the final Wizards of the Coast expansion. The Japanese ADV Expansion Pack had arrived on 31 January 2003.
• It is the first Pokémon TCG expansion produced in-house by Nintendo and the first distributed by Nintendo of America.
• It introduced Pokémon-ex: stronger Pokémon with holofoil borders that surrender two Prize cards when knocked out.
• The English set has 109 cards; the Japanese original had only 55.
• It is the first set based on Generation III, bringing over 40 Hoenn Pokémon into the game including Treecko, Torchic and Mudkip.
• Cards retained the Dot Code strip along the bottom border, but scanning now revealed only the Pokédex entry — the minigames and hidden attacks of the e-Card era were gone.
• The left border, widened in Expedition to fit the dot code, returned to its normal width.
• The artwork window and Evolution box changed from gold to silver, and a row of small circles appeared down the left of the card — the clearest visual tells that you are holding an EX-era card rather than a Wizards one.
• Two theme decks accompanied the set — Ruby (Blaziken) and Sapphire (Swampert), the fully evolved forms of two of the three Hoenn starters.
• A promotional mousepad was given away at the Origins Game Fair 2003 to mark the release.
• A Korean printing exists in 1st Edition only, unlike the Japanese release which came in both editions.

Images & Videos

All 109 cards from EX Ruby & Sapphire in official set order. Click any card to open it full size. The Pokémon-ex sit at the end of the numbering and are easy to spot — they are the ones with holofoil borders running right around the card.