Quick Answer
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet base set introduced the new ex card era in 2023 and remains one of the more accessible SV sets for Australian collectors. At current retail pricing of AU$130 to AU$180 per booster box, the set sits in borderline territory. The top cards including Charizard ex and Miriam Special Illustration Rare hold meaningful AU value, but the bulk of the box value concentrates in a handful of chase cards. Run the numbers for your specific purchase price at the EV Calculator at /tools before committing. Browse current AUD singles prices at /cards/pokemon.
What Is in Scarlet and Violet Base Set?
Scarlet and Violet base introduced 198 cards plus Secret Rare and Special Illustration Rare variants. The set launched the new card mechanics: ex cards replaced V and VMAX, pulling power shifted toward double-Prize ex attackers, and Supporter cards including Iono and Arven became competitive staples worth chasing as singles.
Set size: 198 standard cards plus Secret Rares and Special Illustration Rares.
Packs per box: 36 packs for a standard booster box. Each pack contains 10 cards.
The pull structure: roughly one Ultra Rare (full-art or ex card) per two packs, and one Special Illustration Rare or higher per case of six boxes. Those concentrations matter enormously when you calculate whether a single box can return its cost.
Top Cards to Know
Charizard ex Special Illustration Rare is the headline card and the one most likely to hold long-term AU value due to Charizard's perennial collector demand. Values fluctuate with market conditions, check the current AUD price at /cards/pokemon before making any purchase or sale decision.
Miriam Special Illustration Rare attracted strong collector demand as a new character Supporter card with striking art. Iono and Arven in their full-art and Special Illustration versions are competitive staples that see consistent buy pressure from tournament players.
Scarlet and Violet ex cards including Gardevoir ex, Arcanine ex, and Gyarados ex are playable in competitive formats and maintain modest singles value that can collectively contribute meaningful box value when pulled in quantity.
Pull Rates and What to Expect
From a standard 36-pack booster box you should expect roughly 18 Ultra Rare cards (one per two packs), zero to one Special Illustration Rare cards, and a small chance of a Hyper Rare (gold card). The expected value of a box depends entirely on whether your Ultra Rare pulls are high-demand chase cards or lower-tier ex cards that sell for AU$5 to AU$15 each.
The honest assessment: most boxes return 60 to 80 percent of their retail cost in singles value when sold on eBay AU. Chase the Special Illustration Rare and you recover close to full box price. Pull 18 mid-tier ex cards and you've paid a premium for the experience.
Box EV at Current Australian Prices
The EV Calculator at /tools uses current AUD market pricing to give you a verdict for your specific purchase price. The inputs that matter most are the current price of the Charizard ex SIR and the base ex card price floor, both of which shift regularly. Run the calculator before you open.
As a framework: if the Charizard ex SIR is trading above AU$120 and you paid under AU$150 for your box, the expected value maths are broadly positive assuming average luck. Below those conditions, buying singles is the better path.
Should You Open or Buy Singles?
Open if: you want the experience, you are an SV completionist, the EV Calculator returns a positive verdict at your purchase price, or you are building a collection across the entire card pool for competitive play.
Buy singles if: you want specific chase cards (Charizard ex SIR, Miriam SIR), you are building a competitive tournament deck around specific ex cards, or the box price at your retailer exceeds AU$160 without promotional pricing.
The SV base set ex cards are widely available as singles through eBay AU and Australian singles stores. Paying box prices for random pulls when your target is one or two specific cards is rarely the optimal approach.
The C3 Take
Scarlet and Violet base set matters because it established the SV era mechanics that now run through every set. If you are building an SV collection or need the competitive staple Supporters like Iono and Arven, the singles market is deep and prices are accessible. If you want the Charizard ex SIR specifically, buy it directly, since opening boxes for a single chase card at roughly 1-in-6-box odds is expensive. Check current AU prices at /cards/pokemon and let the data drive the decision.
What to Read Next
- Browse Pokemon singles and current prices at /cards/pokemon
- Calculate whether a box is worth opening at /tools
- Find your Pokemon archetype at /quizzes/pokemon-archetype