Elite Trainer Box (TCG)
An Elite Trainer Box, often abbreviated to ETB, is a staple Pokémon Trading Card Game product that was introduced alongside the Plasma Storm expansion. Elite Trainer Boxes are reusable storage boxes targeted at the TCG's "core" player base.[1] They are themed around a specific TCG expansion and include booster packs and an assortment of other TCG accessories. Special expansions, and every expansion beginning with the Scarlet & Violet Series, also have an exclusive promo card included in their ETB.
An Elite Trainer Box has been released with nearly every expansion since their introduction. They release only in regions and languages supported by The Pokémon Company International, and have no Japanese equivalent.
Some expansions release two different ETBs with different themed contents. For example, Temporal Forces has both a Walking Wake and an Iron Leaves ETB. They contain the same booster packs, but the included sleeves, dividers, and promo cards are different.
A Pokémon Center Elite Trainer Box or PC ETB is a premium version of the product available at the Pokémon Center online store and pop-up shops that was introduced alongside the Chilling Reign expansion. Compared to their regular equivalents, Pokémon Center ETBs feature a slightly different box design and additional contents.
Composition
All Elite Trainer Boxes contain the following items:
- A reusable storage box
- Booster packs, with the exact count varying by release:
- 7 (Plasma Storm)
- 8 (main expansions from Plasma Blast to Silver Tempest, PC Chilling Reign due to an error[2])
- 9 (Scarlet & Violet onwards)
- 10 (most special expansions from Generations to Crown Zenith, PC main expansions from Evolving Skies to Silver Tempest)
- 11 (PC Scarlet & Violet onwards)
- 12 (PC Pokémon GO and PC Crown Zenith)
- Celebrations uniquely comes with 10 Celebrations booster packs plus 5 more booster packs from other Sword & Shield Series expansions. Its PC ETB increases these counts to 13 and 6, respectively.
- 40 Basic Energy cards, increased to 45 from XY to Black Bolt & White Flare
- 4 dividers, increased to 6 with Mega Evolution
- 6 damage counter dice
- 1 competition-legal coin-flip die
- A Player's Guide for the expansion
Elite Trainer Boxes have also contained the following items:
- 65 sleeves (Plasma Blast onwards)
- A code card for Pokémon Trading Card Game Online or Pokémon Trading Card Game Live (Primal Clash onwards)
- 2 Special Condition markers (Plasma Storm to Black Bolt & White Flare)
- A GX marker (Sun & Moon to Cosmic Eclipse)
- A VSTAR marker (Brilliant Stars to Crown Zenith)
- A coin (PC Chilling Reign to PC Crown Zenith, PC Prismatic Evolutions, and Mega Evolution onwards)
- A deck box (Plasma Storm and PC Brilliant Stars)
- A pin (PC Evolving Skies and PC Lost Origin)
- An additional set of 65 sleeves (PC Fusion Strike and PC Silver Tempest)
- A promo card (All special expansions, and all expansions from Scarlet & Violet onwards)
- A second Pokémon Center-stamped promo card (PC Scarlet & Violet onwards)
The coins, markers, and dice included in ETBs are typically acrylic, but some releases replace them with metal.
Following the release of the first Elite Trainer Box, TPCi posted to The PokéGym forum asking for product feedback.[1] Responses to this feedback prompted future ETBs to include an extra booster pack and card sleeves rather than a deck box.
Sword & Shield Elite Trainer Box Plus
In late 2020, the Sword & Shield Ultra-Premium Collection—Zacian & Zamazenta released in North America. Outside North America, this product was split into two separate Sword & Shield Elite Trainer Box Plus products, one featuring Zacian and the other Zamazenta. Unlike other Elite Trainer Boxes, which focus on one specific expansion, these boxes instead celebrate the first year of the Sword & Shield Series, containing 3 booster packs each of Sword & Shield, Rebel Clash, Darkness Ablaze, and Vivid Voltage. These premium ETBs' included dice, coin, and markers are metal. They also contain most typical ETB accessories, including 65 sleeves, a set of dividers, a rulebook, a player's guide, and a code card. Depending on the version, a gold Full Art promo card of either Zacian V or Zamazenta V was included.
List of Elite Trainer Boxes
Elite Trainer Boxes were initially released on a staggered schedule, with one releasing every other expansion. Because of this, Plasma Freeze, Legendary Treasures, and Flashfire did not receive an ETB. Beginning with Furious Fists, the only expansions to lack an ETB are the special expansions Double Crisis and Detective Pikachu. Generations and Ascended Heroes are the only expansions to not have their ETBs release on their set's initial release date; the former was released midway through the Pokémon 20th Anniversary, and the latter released three weeks after Ascended Heroes's initial products. The delay of the Ascended Heroes ETB led to a rule change where special expansions do not become legal for tournament play until two weeks after the release of their ETB or Booster Bundle, whichever comes first.[3][4]
Black & White Series
| Image | Expansion | Theme |
|---|---|---|
|
Plasma Storm (Player's Guide) |
Lugia |
|
Plasma Blast (Player's Guide) |
Genesect |
XY Series
| Image | Expansion | Theme | Promo card |
|---|---|---|---|
|
XY (Player's Guide) |
Xerneas | — |
|
Yveltal | — | |
|
Furious Fists (Player's Guide) |
Mega Lucario | — |
|
Phantom Forces (Player's Guide) |
Mega Gengar | — |
|
Primal Clash (Player's Guide) |
Primal Groudon | — |
|
Primal Kyogre | — | |
|
Roaring Skies (Player's Guide) |
Mega Rayquaza | — |
|
Ancient Origins (Player's Guide) |
Hoopa Unbound | — |
|
BREAKthrough (Player's Guide) |
Mega Mewtwo X | — |
|
Mega Mewtwo Y | — | |
|
BREAKpoint (Player's Guide) |
Mega Gyarados | — |
|
Fates Collide (Player's Guide) |
Mega Alakazam | — |
|
Generations (Player's Guide) |
Pokémon 20th Anniversary |  XY148Shaymin-EX |
|
Steam Siege (Player's Guide) |
Volcanion | — |
|
Evolutions (Player's Guide) |
Mega Charizard Y | — |
|
Mega Blastoise | — |
Sun & Moon Series
| Image | Expansion | Theme | Promo card |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Sun & Moon (Player's Guide) |
Solgaleo | — |
|
Lunala | — | |
|
Guardians Rising (Player's Guide) |
Tapu Koko | — |
|
Burning Shadows (Player's Guide) |
Necrozma | — |
|
Shining Legends (Player's Guide) |
Ho-Oh | SM70 Shining Ho-Oh |
|
Crimson Invasion (Player's Guide) |
Silvally | — |
|
Ultra Prism (Player's Guide) |
Dusk Mane Necrozma | — |
|
Dawn Wings Necrozma | — | |
|
Forbidden Light (Player's Guide) |
Ultra Necrozma | — |
|
Celestial Storm (Player's Guide) |
Rayquaza | — |
|
Dragon Majesty (Player's Guide) |
Naganadel | SM125 Naganadel-GX |
|
Lost Thunder (Player's Guide) |
Zeraora | — |
|
Team Up (Player's Guide) |
Pikachu and Zekrom | — |
|
Unbroken Bonds (Player's Guide) |
Reshiram and Charizard | — |
|
Unified Minds (Player's Guide) |
Mewtwo and Mew | — |
|
Hidden Fates (Player's Guide) |
Moltres, Zapdos, and Articuno | SM210 Moltres & Zapdos & Articuno-GX |
|
Cosmic Eclipse (Player's Guide) |
Arceus, Dialga, and Palkia | — |
Sword & Shield Series
Scarlet & Violet Series
Mega Evolution Series
| Image | Pokémon Center | Expansion | Theme | Promo card |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
Mega Evolution (Player's Guide) |
Mega Gardevoir |  009Alakazam |
|
|
Mega Lucario | 010 Riolu | |
|
|
Phantasmal Flames (Player's Guide) |
Mega Charizard X | 022 Charcadet |
|
|
Ascended Heroes (Player's Guide) |
Mega Dragonite | 031 N's Zekrom |
|
|
Perfect Order (Player's Guide) |
Mega Zygarde | 070 Tyrunt |
|
|
Chaos Rising (Player's Guide) |
Mega Greninja | 080 Fennekin |
|
|
Pitch Black (Player's Guide) |
Mega Darkrai | 088 Zarude |
|
30th Celebration (Player's Guide) |
Pokémon 30th Anniversary | 101 Nidorina |
In other languages
| Language | Title | |
|---|---|---|
| French | Coffret Dresseur d'Élite | |
| German | Top-Trainer-Box | |
| Italian | Set Allenatore Fuoriclasse | |
| Brazilian Portuguese | Coleção Treinador Avançado | |
| Spanish | Caja de Entrenador Élite | |
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Feedback on the Elite Trainer Box | The PokéGym, Apr 8, 2013
- ↑ Manufacturing Error Announced for Pokemon Center Elite Trainer Boxes, Goodies to Compensate! | PokéBeach, Jun 16, 2021
- ↑ Tweet by @playpokemon | Jan 28, 2026
- ↑ Tweet by @PokemonTCG | Jan 28, 2026
See also
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This article is part of both Project TCG and Project Merchandise, Bulbapedia projects that, together, aim to write comprehensive articles on the Pokémon TCG and Merchandise, respectively. | 
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