What is a master set? Base, master and grandmaster sets explained
The difference between completing a set, a master set and a grandmaster set, and how to plan and track one.
“Completing a set” can mean different things. Here’s how collectors, and Holofile, count them.
Base set: one of each card
The simplest goal is one copy of every card in a set, in any printing. A set with 252 cards takes 252 cards to complete. Whether to include secret rares, the cards numbered past the main set, is up to you; most collectors aiming for a full set include them.
Master set: every printing
A master set is every printing of every card that comes from the set’s booster packs: the normal and holo cards, and the reverse holo of each card that has one. Some sets add special reverse patterns, like Poké Ball and Master Ball reverses, and vintage sets have 1st Edition and Unlimited prints.
A master set is a lot bigger than a base set: in most modern sets, the common, uncommon and rare cards each come in a normal (or holo) and a reverse holo printing.
Grandmaster set: everything filed under the set
Some collectors go further and add everything else released with the set’s cards: stamped promos, cosmos and cracked-ice holos, jumbo cards and other extras. Holofile calls this a grandmaster set.
How to plan one
- Open the set’s card list, for example Surging Sparks, and see how many cards it has and how many are secret rares.
- Check each card’s printings on its page, and their prices.
- Start with the cards you can pull or buy cheaply, and save the chase cards for last: they’re usually most of the cost.
- A binder with a pocket for every card, in number order, shows what’s missing at a glance. See organizing a binder.
Track it in Holofile
In the Holofile app, open a set and switch between Base set, Master set and Grandmaster set to see which cards and printings you own, which are missing and what the rest would cost. Completing a set earns badges on your Trainer card. See Track set completion.