Guides

Portal Guides: Hyperia City master set guide, how many cards, the chase cards and the binder size
Hyperia City Master Set Guide: How Many Cards, Chase Cards and Binder Size
A master set guide to Disney Lorcana Hyperia City: 204 main set cards and 38 Epic, Enchanted and Iconic cards, every rarity counted, the chase led by Mickey Mouse -... Read more...
Portal Guides: Perfect Order master set guide, how many cards, the chase cards and the binder size
Perfect Order Master Set Guide: How Many Cards, Chase Cards and Binder Size
A master set guide to Pokemon Perfect Order: how many cards are in the set (88 main set cards and 36 secret rares), every rarity counted, the 4 Mega ex... Read more...
Portal Guides: Ascended Heroes master set guide, how many cards, the chase cards and the binder size
Ascended Heroes Master Set Guide: How Many Cards, Chase Cards and Binder Size
A master set guide to Pokemon Ascended Heroes: how many cards are in the set (217 main set cards and 78 secret rares), every rarity counted, the 13 Mega ex... Read more...
Portal Guides: Phantasmal Flames master set guide, how many cards, the chase cards and the binder size
Phantasmal Flames Master Set Guide: How Many Cards, Chase Cards and Binder Size
A master set guide to Pokemon Phantasmal Flames: how many cards are in the set (94 main set cards and 36 secret rares), every rarity counted, the 6 Mega ex... Read more...
Portal Guides: Mega Evolution master set guide, how many cards, the chase cards and the binder size
Mega Evolution Master Set Guide: How Many Cards, Chase Cards and Binder Size
A master set guide to Pokemon Mega Evolution: how many cards are in the set (132 main set cards and 56 secret rares), every rarity counted, the 10 Mega ex... Read more...
Every Pokemon set in order: all English Pokemon TCG sets by release date
Every Pokemon Set in Order: All English Sets by Release Date
Every English Pokemon TCG set in release order, 131 booster and special sets from Base Set to 30th Celebration, grouped by series with release month and printed set number. Read more...
Every Eevee Pokemon card: the complete English list
Every Eevee Pokemon Card: The Complete English List
The complete list of English Eevee Pokemon cards: 92 cards named Eevee across 55 sets and products, 165 printed versions, from Jungle in 1999 to 30th Celebration, with the special... Read more...
Portal Guides: Chaos Rising master set guide, every card, every rarity and the chase
Chaos Rising Card List and Master Set Guide: All 198 Cards
A master set guide to the Pokemon Chaos Rising card list: 86 main set cards and 36 secret rares, every rarity counted, the Mega ex cards, the chase led by... Read more...
Pokemon master set sizes: every English set ranked in one table
Pokemon Master Set Sizes: Every Set Ranked in One Table
Every English Pokemon set from Evolving Skies to 30th Celebration ranked by master set size in one table: main set, numbered cards, reverse holos and the master set total, plus... Read more...
Portal Guides: Destined Rivals master set guide, how many cards, the chase cards and the binder size
Destined Rivals Master Set Guide: How Many Cards, Chase Cards and Binder Size
A master set guide to Pokemon Destined Rivals: how many cards are in the set (182 main set cards and 62 secret rares), every rarity counted, the 17 ex cards... Read more...
Portal Guides: Pitch Black master set guide, every card, every rarity and the chase
Pitch Black Card List and Master Set Guide: All 194 Cards
A master set guide to the Pokemon Pitch Black card list: the 84 main set cards and 36 secret rares, every rarity counted, the six Mega ex cards and their... Read more...
Portal Guides: Pokemon 30th Anniversary master set guide, every card in the English set and the chase cards
Pokemon 30th Anniversary Set: Every Card, the Chase and the Master Set
A guide to the Pokemon 30th Anniversary set, officially Pokemon TCG: 30th Celebration: what it is, how the 199 English cards break down, the 30 Pikachu in every pack, the... Read more...
How to start collecting One Piece cards: pick a focus, learn how cards are sold, and protect what you buy
How to Start Collecting One Piece Cards
A beginner's guide to collecting One Piece Card Game cards: why people collect them, how they are sold as booster packs, starter decks, boxes and singles, what the OP, ST... Read more...
What size binder do I need for my set: a guide to 4, 9 and 12 pocket binders and the toploader options
What Size Binder Do I Need for My Set?
A plain-English guide to choosing a trading card binder size: why pocket count matters, what the 4 pocket, 4 pocket toploader, 9 pocket, 12 pocket and 9 pocket toploader binders... Read more...
How to collect one of every Pokemon, the National Pokedex, in one binder using placeholders
How to Collect One of Every Pokemon: The National Pokedex
A complete guide to collecting the National Pokedex, one of every Pokemon: what the National Pokedex is, why it is hard to start, how placeholders make it collectable, where to... Read more...
How to get started collecting trading cards: pick a game, protect your cards, and build a collection with a plan
How to Get Started Collecting Trading Cards
The complete beginner's guide to collecting trading cards across Pokemon, Disney Lorcana, One Piece and Palworld: how to pick a game and a focus, how cards are sold from packs... Read more...
How to build a Pokemon master set: what a master set is, the three tiers, and the method from empty binder to finished set
How to Build a Master Set: The Complete Beginner's Guide
The complete beginner's guide to building a Pokemon master set: what a master set actually is, how it differs from a plain set and a grand master set, how to... Read more...
How Many Cards Are in a Japanese Master Set? Every Set Counted
Every Japanese Pokemon set counted: main set, secret rares and the full master set total. Japanese sets have no reverse holos, so the maths is not the English maths. Simplified Chinese sets too. Read more...
How to complete a Pokemon master set: the method from first pack to last reverse rare
How to Complete a Master Set (Without Losing the Plot)
The method that finishes master sets, in order: choose a set you can finish using real sizes from the Portal checklists, fix the scope before the first pack, build the... Read more...
Which Pokemon binder should you buy: 9 pocket zip binders compared for UK collectors
Which Pokemon Binder Should You Buy? The Honest UK Guide
The honest UK guide to choosing a Pokemon binder: the six decisions a binder turns on, in order, with real specs from the binders we build on and card counts... Read more...
How many cards are in a Pokemon master set: main set, with secret rares and master set counts for every current set
How Many Cards Are in a Master Set? Every Current Pokemon Set Counted
Every current English Pokemon set counted three ways from the Portal master set checklists: main set, with secret rares, and the master set total, for 29 sets, plus which master... Read more...
Reverse holo versus holo Pokemon cards: the difference explained and which rarities get a reverse holo
Reverse Holo vs Holo: What Is the Difference, and Which Cards Get One?
Reverse holo versus holo explained for collectors: what each finish is, how to tell them apart in a glance, which rarities get a reverse holo in the Sword and Shield,... Read more...
What is a grand master set in Pokemon TCG: promos, stamped cards, print runs and error cards explained
What Is a Grand Master Set? (And Should You Attempt One)
The honest guide to the grand master set: the four categories of cards printed around an expansion, the argued promo boundary, why no grand master set can be proven complete,... Read more...
Printed Pokemon set binders versus plain binders compared
Printed Set Binders vs Plain Binders: Which Should a Collector Buy?
Printed set binders and plain binders compared honestly by a shop that sells both: identical protection, what a set specific binder gives a master set collector, the five cases where... Read more...
Side loading versus top loading binder pockets for Pokemon cards explained
Side Loading vs Top Loading Binder Pockets: Why It Matters
Side loading and top loading binder pockets compared for Pokemon cards: how each behaves in a bag, on a shelf and in the hand, why a zip stops loss but... Read more...
Zip, strap and elastic binder closures compared for Pokemon card binders
Zip, Strap or Elastic: Which Binder Closure Protects Your Cards?
Zip, strap and elastic binder closures compared for Pokemon cards: what each one keeps in and keeps out, the speed trade off, why the zip moisture claim does not hold... Read more...
9 pocket versus 12 pocket binder pages compared for Pokemon cards
9 Pocket vs 12 Pocket Binders: Which Is Right for Pokemon Cards?
The honest comparison of 9 pocket and 12 pocket binders for Pokemon cards: what actually changes, the page maths for five real master sets from our own checklists, why every... Read more...
Is grading Pokemon cards worth it - how to work out whether a card is worth grading
Is Grading Pokemon Cards Worth It? Do the Maths First
The arithmetic behind the most-asked question in grading: a five number method, three worked examples where two lose money, the costs people forget to count, and an honest list of... Read more...
What is a master set in Pokemon TCG - base set vs master set vs grand master set explained
What Is a Master Set? (And a Grand Master Set)
There is no official definition of a master set, so this guide gives the honest version: what's settled, what's genuinely argued about, real card counts for six current sets from... Read more...
How to protect and store your Pokemon card collection - sleeves, toploaders, binders and storage conditions
How to Protect and Store Your Pokemon Card Collection
A storage guide built around a value ladder rather than a shopping list: which plastics quietly destroy cards, how much protection any given card deserves, what to look for in... Read more...
Pokemon card grading in the UK - what it is, what it costs and who to use, updated July 2026
Pokemon Card Grading in the UK: What It Is, What It Costs, and Who to Use
A plain-English guide to grading Pokemon cards in the UK: what a grade measures, the sum to do before you submit, who to use for what, and what it genuinely... Read more...