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Field Notes Reference 140 sets indexed

Pokémon TCG Set Codes

Tori Elstrom Last updated May 26, 2026

If you've ever seen a card described as SVI 13 or OBF 230 and wondered what the letters meant, this page is for you. The three-letter codes come from the Pokémon TCG Online / TCG Live digital game — they're printed inside every physical booster pack as a redemption code, and the community has adopted them as universal shorthand for which set a card came from.

This index covers every Pokémon TCG set we can identify a code for — that's 140 expansions, drawn from the Pokémon TCG API and current as of today's build. Set symbols below are the actual corner-of-card symbols printed on every card in that set, not the marketing logos.

Sets are organized by which competitive format they're currently legal in: Standard (the rotating main format), Expanded only, and everything older. Pokémon Company publishes rotation rules using regulation marks (the small letter near the artist credit on modern cards) — every set with a given mark either is or isn't in Standard. We use the legality data straight from the Pokémon TCG API. For the actual list of legal regulation marks and what they mean, see the parent guide on Sets, Symbols, and Abbreviations.

What's not on this list

This index skips Black Star Promo sets, McDonald's collections, Trainer Kits, and the POP Series tournament-prize era — those don't have widely-used codes and pollute lookup. They're all in the full Codex if you want them.

I · Standard format

Standard format

Sets currently legal in Standard tournaments as of May 26, 2026. Newest first. These are the cards people are actively buying, playing, and chasing.

33 sets

II · Expanded format

Expanded format

Older sets still legal in Expanded but no longer in Standard. Roughly Black & White era (2011) through the last Sword & Shield rotation. Chronological, oldest first.

56 sets

III · Unlimited

Unlimited

Everything older — Diamond & Pearl, EX era, Neo, Base. No longer legal in any rotating format, but still tradeable, gradeable, and very much collected. The vintage market.

51 sets

Common questions

What's the difference between Standard, Expanded, and Unlimited?

Standard is the current competitive format that rotates roughly once a year — only the most recent ~2 years of sets are legal. Expanded includes everything from Black & White (2011) onward and rotates much more slowly. Unlimited has no rotation at all and allows any card ever printed, but is rarely used outside casual play or vintage tournaments.

Where do these 3-letter set codes come from?

They're the official PTCGO codes (Pokémon Trading Card Game Online) and PTCGL codes (Pokémon TCG Live, the current digital client). The same three letters print inside every booster pack so you can redeem digital copies of the cards you pulled. The community has adopted them as universal shorthand on TCGPlayer, eBay, and Limitless tournament listings.

What does "SVI 13" mean?

It identifies a specific printing of a card. SVI is the set code for Scarlet & Violet base set; 13 is the card's number within that set. So SVI 13 = "the 13th card in Scarlet & Violet base," which is Sprigatito. Different printings of the same Pokémon have different SVI/PAL/OBF codes — collectors and competitive players use these to disambiguate which printing they mean.

Why do some sets share the same code (e.g. BRS for Brilliant Stars and Brilliant Stars Trainer Gallery)?

Trainer Galleries and Galarian Galleries are subsets that share a parent set's code. The Trainer Gallery cards have their own numbering (TG01, TG02…) but the PTCGO code is the same as the parent set. Same for the Crown Zenith Galarian Gallery, which shares the swsh12pt5 code.

Related Field Notes

Reference

Sets, Symbols, and Abbreviations

How to read a Pokémon card — every symbol in the corner, every rarity mark, every regulation mark.

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The Codex

All 215 expansions across 13 eras, with set artwork and card counts. Browse and search.