Here’s a statement which might surprise some of you out there who aren’t too familiar with how Pokémon TCG sets are launched: not every set is intended to be complete as-is.

“How is that possible?” you might ask. “Don’t all the cards in a specific set make up the whole thing?”

While that would be technically true, it’s sometimes the case that a certain set only makes up half of a dual set. As such, to truly complete the set, one must own all the cards from both halves of the dual set.

With this in mind, let’s take a deeper dive into Pokémon TCG dual sets.

What Is a Pokémon TCG Dual Set?

The very name “dual set” is self-explanatory—it refers to any Pokémon TCG set which is divided into two halves. Dual sets were introduced to the Japanese iteration of the Pokémon TCG in the fourth generation. To date, there have been 26 pairs of dual sets released, with another two in the pipeline as of this article. They are as follows:

Gen 4: Moonlit Pursuit [DP4] / Dawn Dash [DP4], Cry from the Mysterious [DP5] / Temple of Anger [DP5], HeartGold Collection [L1] / SoulSilver Collection [L1]

Gen 5: Black Collection [BW1] / White Collection [BW1], Psycho Drive [BW3] / Hail Blizzard [BW3], Dragon Blast [BW5] / Dragon Blade [BW5], Freeze Bolt [BW6] / Cold Flare [BW6], Spiral Force [BW8] / Thunder Knuckle [BW8]

Gen 6: Collection X [XY1] / Collection Y [XY1], Gaia Volcano [XY5] / Tidal Storm [XY5], Blue Shock [XY8] / Red Flash [XY8], Fever-Burst Fighter [XY11] / Cruel Traitor [XY11]

Gen 7: Collection Sun [SM1S] / Collection Moon [SM1M], Islands Await You [SM2K] / Alolan Moonlight [SM2L], To Have Seen the Battle Rainbow [SM3H] / Darkness that Consumes Light [SM3N], Awakened Heroes [SM4S] / Ultradimensional Beasts [SM4A], Ultra Sun [SM5S] / Ultra Moon [SM5M]

Gen 8: Sword [S1W] / Shield [S1H], Single Strike Master [S5I] / Rapid Strike Master [S5R], Silver Lance [S6H] / Jet-Black Spirit [S6K], Skyscraping Perfection [S7D] / Blue Sky Stream [S7R], Time Gazer [S10D] / Space Juggler [S10P]

Gen 9: Scarlet ex [SV1S] / Violet ex [SV1V], Snow Hazard [SV2P] / Clay Burst [SV2D], Ancient Roar [SV4K] / Future Flash [SV4M], Wild Force [SV5K] / Cyber Judge [SV5M], Black Bolt [SV11B] / White Flare [SV11W]*, Mega Brave [M1L] / Mega Symphonia [M1S]*

* = unreleased as of 22 May 2025

Ever since Collection Sun [SM1S] and Collection Moon [SM1M], all dual sets use different set acronyms for each half of the set. Before that dual set, both halves of a dual set used the same acronym. All dual sets have the same number of cards, including secret rares, in each half.

To date, dual sets have thus far only been released in Japanese; English versions of these sets combine them into a single set. However, this will change on 18 July 2025 with the international release of Black Bolt [BLK] and White Flare [WHT]—the first-ever non-Japanese dual set in the history of the Pokémon TCG.

Why Does Creatures Inc. Release Dual Sets?

There are several reasons why Creatures Inc. might choose to release a dual set instead of an ordinary stand-alone expansion set. The most well-known of these reasons is to commemorate the release of a new Pokémon video game, which usually arrives shortly before the set in question.

The following dual sets were or will be associated with a new video game release:

HeartGold Collection [L1] / SoulSilver Collection [L1] (Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver)
Black Collection [BW1] / White Collection [BW1] (Pokémon Black and White)
Freeze Bolt [BW6] / Cold Flare [BW6] (Pokémon Black 2 and White 2)
Collection X [XY1] / Collection Y [XY1] (Pokémon X and Y)
Gaia Volcano [XY5] / Tidal Storm [XY5] (Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire)
Collection Sun [SM1S] / Collection Moon [SM1M] (Pokémon Sun and Moon)
Ultra Sun [SM5S] / Ultra Moon [SM5M] (Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon)
Sword [S1W] / Shield [S1H] (Pokémon Sword and Shield)
Time Gazer [S10D] / Space Juggler [S10P] (Pokémon Legends: Arceus)
Scarlet ex [SV1S] / Violet ex [SV1V] (Pokémon Scarlet and Violet)
Mega Brave [M1L] / Mega Symphonia [M1S] (Pokémon Legends: Z-A)

Two dual sets were also released in conjunction with the launch of DLC for Pokémon Sword and Shield. These dual sets were Single Strike Master [S5I] / Rapid Strike Master [S5R] (The Isle of Armor) and Silver Lance [S6H] / Jet-Black Spirit [S6K] (The Crown Tundra).

In some other instances, a dual set is released because the cards in each half of the dual set are intended not only to be complementary, but also specifically to be juxtaposed with each other. Examples of such dual sets include Blue Shock [XY8] / Red Flash [XY8], To Have Seen the Battle Rainbow [SM3H] / Darkness that Consumes Light [SM3N], and Snow Hazard [SV2P] / Clay Burst [SV2D].

On other occasions, dual sets are released because there are two or more cards serving as the set’s headliners rather than just one. Some of those dual sets include To Have Seen the Battle Rainbow [SM3H] / Darkness that Consumes Light [SM3N], Skyscraping Perfection [S7D] / Blue Sky Stream [S7R], and Snow Hazard [SV2P] / Clay Burst [SV2D].

What Are the Advantages of Dual Sets?

For Pokémon TCG collectors, dual sets provide specific advantages which aren’t present in other expansion sets. For example, because the cards in a dual set are usually divided along thematic lines, buyers can choose which of the two themes they prefer and buy a booster pack or box that corresponds to the half to which the theme in question belongs.

Those who play the Pokémon video games might also find certain dual sets of particular interest. As was earlier mentioned, many dual sets are directly tied to a Pokémon video game. Just like the TCG dual sets, all main-series Pokémon video games come in pairs. It’s almost always the case that a video game player will own just one of the pair of games. As such, Pokémon video game players wanting to get into the TCG might choose to buy booster packs or a booster box from the half of the dual set that corresponds to the video game version they own.

It’s often the case that dual sets are even advantageous to Creatures Inc. themselves. This is because booster packs and boxes from each half of the dual set are sold separately. There are no booster packs or boxes combining both halves of the set; only a select few special products are that way, and these products don’t even come with every dual set. Since there are two different booster packs and boxes to be sold, Creatures Inc. often stands to make more money through a dual set than they do through most other expansion sets.

Now that we’ve reached the end of this article, why not scroll back up to the list of Pokémon TCG dual sets, browse through the links, and pick some of your favorites? Whether you’re interested in one half or both of a particular dual set, we’re sure that you’ll find many of the cards in them highly appealing. 

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