If you’ve spent any time tapping away at digital booster packs, you know that rush. That tiny spark of hope that maybe, just maybe, this is the pack with the immersive Mewtwo. But then you look at your collection screen and see those gaping gray silhouettes. It's a lot. Honestly, keeping track of how many cards are in Pokemon TCG Pocket is way more confusing than it should be because the game loves to hide its "secret" numbers behind missions and rare pull rates.
Let's cut through the noise.
The hard numbers: Genetic Apex and beyond
Right now, the game revolves around the massive Genetic Apex expansion. If you look at the bottom of a standard card, you’ll see it’s part of a set numbered out of 226. That’s the "base" set. These are your everyday pulls—the ones you’ll see constantly, like that Pidgey or Voltorb that seems to haunt every third pack you open.
But that 226 is a lie. Well, it's a half-truth.
Once you start pulling the ultra-high rarity stuff, you realize there are actually 60 Secret Rare cards tucked away in Genetic Apex. These don't show up in the main numbering. We’re talking full-arts, those gorgeous "Immersive" cards with the 3D animations, and the elusive Gold Crown cards.
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So, if you’re a completionist aiming for a "Master Set" of Genetic Apex:
- 226 Main set cards
- 60 Secret Rares
- 286 Total cards for the first expansion alone.
And that’s just the start.
The "hidden" cards you can't just pull
You can’t just buy your way to a full collection with booster packs. The devs were sneaky. There are cards that literally do not exist inside those digital foil wrappers.
Take the Immersive Mew, for example. You won't find it in a Charizard pack. You have to complete a specific "hidden" mission by collecting all 151 original Kanto Pokemon within the Genetic Apex set first. It’s a grind. A long one.
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Then you’ve got the Promo cards. These are usually labeled as "Promo A" and they come from everywhere—solo battles, the shop, or special limited-time events like the Wonder Pick events we've seen. Currently, there are about 24 initial Promo cards, but that number is a moving target. By the time you read this, a new event has probably added three more.
Why the rarity symbols matter
Pokemon TCG Pocket doesn't use the old-school "Circle, Diamond, Star" system exactly like the physical game. It’s been "mobile-fied."
- Diamonds (1 to 4): These are your common to rare cards.
- Stars (1 to 3): These are the secret rares. One-star is usually a full-art, two-star is an even fancier full-art (often Supporters), and three-star is the Immersive tier.
- Crowns: The ultimate rarity. Gold. Shiny. Ridiculously hard to find.
Basically, if you see a Crown symbol, you’ve just beaten the odds. The pull rate for a Crown card is somewhere in the neighborhood of 0.05%. It’s brutal.
How to actually finish your collection
Don't just mindlessly open packs. It's a trap. If you’re hunting for that one specific card to finish a set, use your Pack Points. Every time you open a pack, you get points. You can eventually "buy" any card in the set directly with these.
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Saving up 1,200 points for a Crown card feels like it takes a lifetime, but it’s the only guaranteed way to kill those gray silhouettes in your binder.
What to do next
Check your Missions tab. Look for the "Themed Collections." These usually reward you with exclusive badges or shop tickets, but they also act as a roadmap for which cards you’re missing. If you're close to 151 unique Kanto Pokemon, focus on Wonder Picks to snag those last few common cards you’re missing without wasting your daily pack openings on duplicates.
Stop checking the total count and start checking your Card Dex—it’s the only way to stay sane in the hunt for those 286+ cards.