Pokemon 151 Set Product Breakdown - What To Buy In The English Expansion

The original set. The first generation. Nothing is more synonymous with Pokemon than the number ‘151’ so when the world found out that there was to be a Pokemon 151 Set, anticipation grew quickly. The Japanese release has easily been the most popular expansion since Celebrations, with supply struggling to meet demand. In this article, we will prepare you for the English 151 release by breaking down the unique product line up, as well as giving our thoughts on who each product is aimed at and, ultimately, what you should buy.

Simply put, this is finally a Pokemon set with all of the original 151 Pokemon from the Kanto region re-designed for the world of Paldea. No set has ever collated all 151 Pokemon at once, so we think this is pretty incredible.

It is worth noting that this set, similarly to other special sets like Celebrations or Crown Zenith, is releasing on 2 separate dates; the 22nd September and the 6th October. We will mention which date each product releases as we go through the list.

We will also be covering the contents of each product, the recommended retail price of each product in the UK, as well as the price per-pack for each product in the range. Let’s get started!

The hot product to talk about is the booster box, or should I say, lack of booster box! Much like the Celebrations and Crown Zenith special sets, there is no traditional 36 booster pack box. However, for the first time ever in a special set, we have a Booster Bundle.

The Pokemon 151 Booster Bundle contains:

• 6 Pokemon 151 Booster Packs, all wrapped up in a neat little box.

RRP: £24.99

Release date: 22nd September

This gives us a per-pack price of £4.17 and is by far the cheapest way to pick up packs if that is all you care about. As the cheapest source of packs, it is clear that this is going to be one of the most popular products in the range.

Collectors looking to complete the full set or anyone that is primarily focussed on cracking packs for the best price and is not concerned with any peripheral items.

But, if you do want more than just packs, there are lots of other products that give you exciting promos and accessories to enjoy this set with, so read on to find out more.

The Ultra-Premium Collection contains:

• 1 etched foil promo card featuring Mew ex

• 1 full-art foil promo card featuring Mewtwo

• 1 etched metal card featuring Mew ex

• 1 playmat

• 1 deck box

• 1 metallic coin featuring Mew

• 6 damage-counter dice

• 2 plastic condition markers

• 16 booster packs from Pokémon TCG: Scarlet & Violet 151

• A code card for Pokémon TCG Live

RRP: £129.99

Release date: 6th October

This gives us a per-pack price of £8.12 and is therefore one of the worst ways to pick up packs if you have no interest in the other items in the collection.

Naturally, there is a lot of value within the UPC outside of just the booster packs, mostly in the exclusive playmat, promos, and very sweet metal card. We love the UPCs, but know that prices can vary wildly based on availability and so would urge you to be careful when looking to pick one up. Although supply looks to be tight pre-release, there is every chance significant restocks are coming, similar to the Charizard UPC.

The Ultimate collector, looking to pick up the most exclusive items from the set. Most items in this box are exclusive and premium. You can definitely enjoy this set without picking up the UPC but there is some real value available if money is no object.

Moving onto a fan favourite product, the Elite Trainer Box. For Pokemon 151 the Elite Trainer Box contains:

• 9 Pokemon TCG: Scarlet & Violet 151 booster packs

• 1 full-art foil promo card featuring Snorlax

• 65 card sleeves

• 45 Pokemon TCG Energy cards

• A player’s guide to the Scarlet & Violet 151 expansion

• 6 damage-counter dice

• 1 competition-legal coin-flip die

• 2 plastic condition markers

• A collector’s box to hold everything, with 4 dividers to keep it organised

• A code card for Pokemon Trading Card Game Live

RRP: £49.99

Release date: 22nd September

This gives us a per-pack price of £5.55. If you only care about the packs then this would be costing over 1/3 more per pack than the Booster Bundle, but remains one of the most efficient methods.

There is also great value in the additional items provided within the ETB. Whether you like to keep yourself organised with a set-themed box + dividers, or just want the foil full-art Snorlax and sleeves, this is often a very popular product.

Any trainers looking to enjoy the Pokemon 151 set and needing some set-specific or just key gameplay pieces to enjoy and play the TCG. Energy cards, sleeves, and counters are all necessary to build and play the game, so why not get the 151 version?

Next, we will look at the Mini Tins. Mini Tins have been a consistent product type for a while and offer something completely unique. Each one of the Pokemon 151 Mini Tins contains:

• 2 Pokemon TCG: Scarlet & Violet 151 booster packs

• 1 cool coin featuring an Energy symbol

• A Pokemon art card showing the art from this Mini Tin—you can collect and combine all 10!

RRP: £10.99 per Tin

Release date: 6th October

This gives us a price per-pack of £5.50 and so comes in slightly cheaper than the ETB for that metric.

Why buy these mini tins? Well, we love the aesthetic of the slim tins and collecting a full set of the 10 different artworks gives you both the tins and the art cards that can be laid out to form a larger scene. In addition to this, for the first time, there are 10 different coins to collect, one for each energy symbol. We aren’t sure if each tin will contain a corresponding energy symbol or if these are truly randomised but, once we know, we’ll add it to the pinned comment below. The tins, of course, can also be used for storing some cards or anything else that may fit into them!

The Tin lover. You know who you are. Some people just need that little collectable, memorable metal container. The per pack price is also the 2nd best out of the entire line up of products. The art cards are pretty neat too!

We have 2 different promo boxes, Zapdos ex and Alakazam ex. The Zapdos ex is a traditional ex box and contains:

• 1 foil promo card featuring Zapdos ex

• 1 foil card featuring Electabuzz

• 1 oversize foil card featuring Zapdos ex

• 4 Pokemon TCG: Scarlet & Violet 151 booster packs

• A code card for Pokémon TCG Live

Where as the Alakazam ex box contains:

• 1 foil promo card featuring Alakazam ex

• 1 foil card featuring Kadabra

• 1 foil card featuring Abra

• 4 Pokemon TCG: Scarlet & Violet 151 booster packs

• A code card for Pokemon TCG Live

RRPs: £23.99

Release dates: 6th October

The per-pack price for either box is £6, making it one of the most expensive ways to buy packs.

These boxes are great if you like collecting promos and ensuring your hard earned cash gets you ex cards. Especially the Alakazam ex box which contains a Kadabra - this is a Pokemon we have not seen since 2003 due to a since-dropped lawsuit against the Pokemon Company.

Plain and simple, these are only for people that want the promos. If you don’t want the promos, don’t buy these boxes.

2 more products to cover and these are pretty unique. Our penultimate product is the Pokemon 151 Binder Collection. This contains:

• A binder with 20 9-pocket pages

• 4 Pokemon TCG: Scarlet & Violet 151 booster packs

RRP: £34.99 

Release date: 22nd September

The per-pack price is therefore £8.75, officially the most expensive price per pack from any product.

It’s easy to see why the price is so high and that is down to the beautiful, full-sized, Pokemon 151 set themed binder. If you want to collect the full set of 151 then there is no better place to store it than in the official Pokemon 151 binder. With room for 360 cards, you should have plenty of room and then some.

This is a great product for most collectors. Although we can’t verify the quality of this binder, it will likely meet a basic standard for storage and will keep the cards from this set safe. If you like to keep each set in a different binder then this is a great set-themed option. Plus packs!

Lastly, we have the Pokemon 151 Poster Collection. This contains:

• 3 foil promo cards featuring Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle

• 1 poster with a Scarlet & Violet 151 theme

• 3 Pokemon TCG: Scarlet & Violet 151 booster packs

• A code card for Pokémon TCG Live

RRP: £17.99

Release date: 22nd September

That means the per-pack price is £6, pretty high.

However, as with most of these products, you get so much more than just a few packs. You have the awesome promo cards of the original first generation starters and, naturally, the double-sided Pokemon 151 poster. On one side are coloured silhouettes of the 151 Pokemon and the other contains each Pokemon’s card artwork in Pokedex order.

The empty walled. The nostalgic Pokemon fan. Anyone that enjoys Pokemon for its card art. The poster will look great, and with 2 options, most people will find a side they can frame or just tack straight up over the desk or on the front door. I don’t know, knock yourself out!

All in all, this is a wonderful product line-up with something for everyone. What's more, no matter which product you choose, there will be at least a few packs to crack to begin your Pokemon 151 collection.

What you should pick up will depend on your goals as a collector or hobbyist. Fundamentally there aren't any bad products here, if you want the items within a product, the prices seem reasonable and the quality of any peripheral items should be sufficient.

The Booster Bundle is clearly your best bet for the lowest price per pack but, if you can’t get hold of these, the Mini Tins and Elite Trainer Boxes also offer a decent bang for your buck.