Database Insight: Holofoil Overview – WOTC era

Throughout the Pokémon TCG, there were plenty of different Holofoil patterns so far. Both the evolution and use of these Holofoil patterns is very interesting to go through and analyse. We see some Holofoil patterns being a constant Holofoil pattern, e.g. Cosmos Holofoil, while others are only present in a limited way, e.g. Sequin Holofoil.

For the purposes of this article, we will only discuss the English structure and other languages to the extent relevant.

Be aware that for proper understanding of this article a division is made between standard sets, Factory Sets that were distributed in boosterboxes and other product, and non-standard sets, Factory Sets that were not distributed in boosterboxes but solely in other product.

In the WOTC era, there are five different Holofoil patterns: (1) Starlight Holofoil, (2) Non-Holofoil, (3) Cosmos Holofoil, (4) Refractor Holofoil and (5) Reverse Holofoil.

1. Starlight Holofoil

The first Holofoil pattern used in the Pokémon TCG is the Starlight Holofoil. The Starlight Holofoil pattern can be best described as a pattern with stars in the background without the holofoil being super present.

1.1. Standard Sets

In the Base Set different Holofoil patterns were used through the different variants depending on (1) the language, and (2) the provenance.

In principle, in the Base Set, the Starlight Holofoil pattern was used for some variants of all Masters with the rarity Holo Rare. The variants in English, German, French, Spanish and Portuguese with the © 1999 WOTC copyright year received the Starlight Holofoil. However, there are three exceptions to this principle:

The first exception is Machamp. This master has one variant in English that was printed with the Cosmos Holofoil pattern and the WOTC copyright year © 1999 from the 2-Player CD-ROM Starter Set. This is an exception that excludes an English variant from the Starlight Holofoil pattern, despite meeting the conditions of the principle.

The second exception is all English variants from the UK print, also called the Fourth Print. These variants have the WOTC copyright year © 1999-2000 and have the Starlight Holofoil pattern. This is an exception that includes English variants to receive the Starlight Holofoil pattern, despite not meeting the conditions of the principle.

The third exception is the variants from Trainer Deck A, i.e. Machamp has one variant that received the Non-Holofoil pattern, and from Trainer Deck B, i.e. Blastoise has one variant that receive the Non-Holofoil pattern. This is an exception that excludes these Holo Rare variants from receiving the Starlight Holofoil pattern.

More details on Base Set and Starlight Holofoil

In the Base Set, there are 16 Masters, where each Master has at least 12 variants with the Starlight Holofoil pattern, i.e.

(1) English, 1st edition with the Shadowless Print and WOTC Copyright year © 1999,
(2) English, Unlimited edition with the Shadowless Print and WOTC Copyright year © 1999,
(3) English, Unlimited edition with the Shadowed Print and WOTC Copyright year © 1999,
(4) English, Unlimited edition with the Shadowed Print and WOTC Copyright year © 1999-2000.
(5) German, 1st edition,
(6) German, Unlimited edition,
(7) French, 1st edition,
(8) French, Unlimited edition,
(9) Spanish, 1st edition,
(10) Spanish, Unlimited edition,
(11) Portuguese, 1st edition, and
(12) Portuguese Unlimited edition.

All these variants have the Starlight Holofoil pattern.

Machamp diverts from this principle as it has only 1st edition variants, not the unlimited variants, in all languages. In addition, Machamp also has an English, 1st edition with the Shadowed Print and WOTC Copyright year © 1999-2000 variant.

Please note that the following Masters have more variants than the standard 12 variants:

Blastoise has 3 extra variants, all English unlimited edition with the Shadowed Print variants, i.e. (a) one extra variant with the “Stage Error”-print, (b) one extra variant with the “Red Dot Error”-print, and (c) one extra variant with the “Missing “Illus.””-print.

Ninetales has one extra variant, an English unlimited edition with the Shadowless Print variant, i.e. one extra variant with the “Missing Attack Damage”-print.

Raichu has one extra variant, an English unlimited edition with the Shadowed Print variant (even though it is an unofficial release), i.e. one extra variant with the “Prerelease”-stamp.

For the Base Set, in English there are 16 masters with a total of 68 variants with the Starlight Holofoil. If the other languages are added, there are 16 masters with 192 variants.

In Jungle, the Starlight Holofoil pattern was used for all English variants of all Masters with the rarity Holo Rare. As from Jungle, the Starlight Holofoil pattern was abandoned for the variants in German, French, Spanish and Portuguese.

More details on Jungle and Starlight Holofoil

In Jungle, there are 16 Masters, where each Master has at least 3 variants with the Starlight Holofoil pattern, i.e.

(1) English, 1st edition,
(2) English, Unlimited edition, and
(3) English, Unlimited edition with “No Symbol”-print

All these variants have the Starlight Holofoil pattern.

Please note that Clefable has 1 extra variant, an unlimited edition variant, i.e. with the “Prerelease”-stamp, in addition to the above 3 variants. Clefable is the only master with more than 3 variants.

For Jungle, there are 16 masters with a total of 49 variants with the Starlight Holofoil. This was only in English as the other languages did not have the Starlight Holofoil pattern.

In Fossil, the Starlight Holofoil pattern was used for all English variants of all Masters with the rarity Holo Rare. However, due to an unofficial WOTC release there are some variants that erroneously received the Cosmos Holofoil pattern.

More details on Fossil and Starlight Holofoil

In Fossil, there are 15 Masters, where each Master has at least 2 variants with the Starlight Holofoil pattern, i.e.

(1) English, 1st edition, and
(2) English, Unlimited edition.

All these variants have the Starlight Holofoil pattern.

Please note that the following Masters have more variants than the standard 12 variants:

Aerodactyl has 1 extra variant, an unlimited edition variant, i.e. with the “Prerelease”-stamp.

Zapdos has 1 extra variant, an unlimited edition variant, i.e. with the corrected artbox as the “Evolution Box Error”-print was rectified.

For Fossil, there are 15 masters with a total of 32 variants with the Starlight Holofoil. This was only in English as the other languages did not have the Starlight Holofoil pattern.

In Base Set 2, the Starlight Holofoil pattern was replaced for all variants with the Cosmos Holofoil pattern. As a result, there were no variants with the Starlight Holofoil pattern.

The Starlight Holofoil pattern made a brief return in the Legendary Collection for, in principle, all Masters with the rarity Holo Rare (the set was only printed in English). Please note that in Legendary Collection, there were three exceptions to this principle:

The first exception Charizard. This Master has one extra variant that has a Non-Holofoil pattern from the Lava Theme Deck.

The second exception Dark Blastoise. This Master has one extra variant that has a Non-Holofoil pattern from the Turmoil Theme Deck.

The third exception Dark Raichu. This Master has one extra variant that has a Non-Holofoil pattern from the Turmoil Theme Deck.

More details on Legendary Collection and Starlight Holofoil

In Legendary Collection, there are 19 Masters, where each Master has one variant with the Starlight Holofoil pattern, i.e. Unlimited edition variants. All these variants have the Starlight Holofoil pattern.

For the Legendary Collection, in English there are 19 masters with a total of 19 variants with the Starlight Holofoil. This set was only printed in English.

As from the e-series sets (Expedition, Aquapolis and Skyridge) the Starlight Holofoil pattern was de facto abandoned with one exception in the XY era.

For completeness sake, the Starlight Holofoil pattern did not reappear until Evolutions from the XY era. In that set, and only in that set, all Holo Rare cards were printed with one variant with the Starlight Holofoil pattern, i.e. English, French, German, Italian, Spanish and Portuguese. Funnily enough, these were also the languages that used the Starlight Holofoil pattern in the Base Set.

1.2. Non-Standard Sets

There are no Masters with one or more variants with the Starlight Holofoil pattern.

2. Non-Holofoil

The Non-Holofoil pattern is not a “true” holofoil pattern. However, for completeness sake of metadata in the Collexy database it is important to mark all variants that have no holofoil pattern as Non-Holofoil.

3. Cosmos Holofoil

The Cosmos Holofoil pattern is the go-to holofoil pattern for all Holo Rare cards in the WOTC era, except for the Base Set (Starlight Holofoil). The Cosmos Holofoil pattern is best described as a very vibrant and present holofoil pattern with circles, resembling a galaxy. The Cosmos Holofoil is by far the most present holofoil pattern throughout the entire Pokémon TCG.

3.1. Standard Sets

As mentioned under the Starlight Holofoil section, in the Base Set different Holofoil patterns were used through the different variants depending on (1) the language, and (2) the provenance.

In principle, in the Base Set, the Cosmos Holofoil pattern was used for some variants of all Masters with the rarity Holo Rare. The variants in Dutch, Italian, Korean and Chinese with the WOTC copyright year © 1999-2000 received the Cosmos Holofoil. As mentioned under the Starlight Holofoil pattern, there are three exceptions to this principle (briefly repeated below):

Machamp has one variant in English that was printed with the Cosmos Holofoil pattern and the WOTC copyright year © 1999. This is an exception that excludes an English variant from the Starlight Holofoil pattern, despite meeting the conditions of the principle.

The UK print variants with WOTC copyright year © 1999-2000 receiving the Starlight Holofoil pattern. This is an exception that includes English variants to receive the Starlight Holofoil pattern, despite not meeting the conditions of the principle.

The variants from Trainer Deck A, i.e. Machamp has one variant that received the Non-Holofoil pattern, and from Trainer Deck B, i.e. Blastoise has one variant that receive the Non-Holofoil pattern.This is an exception that excludes these Holo Rare variants from receiving the Starlight Holofoil pattern.

This repeats the principe set out under the Starlight Holofoil pattern but from the other angle. It is important to understand that the principles are a good starting point, yet there are some exceptions that need to be taken into account.

More details on Base Set and Cosmos Holofoil

In the Base Set, there are 16 Masters, where each Master has at least 8 variants with the Cosmos Holofoil pattern, i.e.

(1) Dutch, 1st edition,
(2) Dutch, Unlimited edition,
(3) Italian, 1st edition,
(4) Italian, Unlimited edition,
(5) Korean, 1st edition,
(6) Korean, Unlimited edition,
(7) Chinese, 1st edition, and
(8) Chinese, Unlimited edition.

All these variants have the Cosmos Holofoil pattern.

Machamp divers from this principle as it has only 1st edition variants, not the unlimited variants, in all languages. There is one additional variant of Machamp, i.e. an English, 1st edition with the Shadowed Print and WOTC copyrigh year © 1999-2000. As a result, Machamp has de facto 5 variants with the Cosmos Holofoil pattern.

For the Base Set, in English there is 1 Masters with a total of 1 variant with the Cosmos Holofoil. If the other languages are added, there are 16 Masters with 125 variants.

In Jungle, the Cosmos Holofoil pattern was used for all Masters with the rarity Holo Rare, specifically for all languages, i.e. Dutch, German, French, Italian, Spanish and Portuguese, except for English.

More details on Jungle and Cosmos Holofoil

In Jungle, there are 16 Masters, where each Master has at least 2 variants with the Cosmos Holofoil pattern, i.e.

(1) Dutch, 1st edition,
(2) Dutch, Unlimited edition,
(3) German, 1st edition,
(4) German, Unlimited edition,
(5) French, 1st edition,
(6) French, Unlimited edition,
(7) Italian, 1st edition,
(8) Italian, Unlimited edition,
(9) Spanish, 1st edition,
(10) Spanish, Unlimited edition,
(11) Portuguese, 1st edition, and
(12) Portuguese, Unlimited edition.

All these variants have the Cosmos Holofoil pattern.

For Jungle, in English there are 0 Masters with a total of 0 variants with the Cosmos Holofoil. If the other languages are added, there are 16 Masters with 192 variants.

In Fossil, the Cosmos Holofoil pattern was used for all Masters with the rarity Holo Rare, specifically all languages, i.e. Dutch, German, French, Italian, Spanish and Portuguese, except for English. However, please note that for Fossil there was an unofficial release of English variants with the Cosmos Holofoil pattern.

More details on Fossil and Cosmos Holofoil

In Fossil, there are 15 Masters, where each Master has at least 13 variants with the Cosmos Holofoil pattern, i.e.

(1) English, Unlimited edition from an unofficial WOTC release
(2) Dutch, 1st edition,
(3) Dutch, Unlimited edition,
(4) German, 1st edition,
(5) German, Unlimited edition,
(6) French, 1st edition,
(7) French, Unlimited edition,
(8) Italian, 1st edition,
(9) Italian, Unlimited edition,
(10) Spanish, 1st edition,
(11) Spanish, Unlimited edition,
(12) Portuguese, 1st edition, and
(13) Portuguese, Unlimited edition.

All these variants have the Cosmos Holofoil pattern.

Please note that the following Masters have more variants than the standard 13 variants:

Aerodactyl has 3 extra variants, i.e. (a) one extra variant in English, unlimited edition with the “Prerelease”-stamp (b) one extra variant in German, unlimited edition with the “Prerelease”-stamp, and (c) one extra variant in Italian, unlimited edition with the “Prerelease”-stamp.

Zapdos has one extra variant, i.e. an English unlimited edition variant with the WOTC copyright year © 1999-2000 from the Thunderstorm Gift Box.

For Fossil, in English there are 15 masters with a total of 17 variants with the Cosmos Holofoil. If the other languages are added, there are 15 masters with 199 variants.

As from Base Set 2, the Cosmos Holofoil pattern was used for all variants (including English) until Neo Destiny, with the exception of Legendary Collection (where the Starlight Holofoil pattern very briefly returned).

More details on Base Set 2 and Cosmos Holofoil

In Base Set 2, there are 20 Masters, where each master has one variant with the Cosmos Holofoil pattern, i.e. English, unlimited edition variant.

For Base Set 2, there are 20 masters with a total of 20 variants with the Cosmos Holofoil. This set was only printed in English.

More details on Team Rocket and Cosmos Holofoil

In Team Rocket, there are 18 Masters, where each master has at least 8 variants with the Cosmos Holofoil pattern, i.e.

(1) English, 1st edition,
(2) English, Unlimited edition,
(3) German, 1st edition,
(4) German, Unlimited edition,
(5) French, 1st edition,
(6) French, Unlimited edition,
(7) Italian, 1st edition, and
(8) Italian, Unlimited edition.

All these variants have the Cosmos Holofoil pattern.

Please note that Dark Gyarados has 1 extra variant, an unlimited edition variant, i.e. with the “Prerelease”-stamp, in addition to the above 8 variants.

For Team Rocket, there are 18 masters with a total of 37 variants with the Cosmos Holofoil. If the other languages are added, there are 18 Masters with 145 variants.

More details on Gym Heroes and Cosmos Holofoil

In Gym Heroes, there are 19 Masters, where each master has at least 2 variants with the Cosmos Holofoil pattern, i.e.

(1) English, 1st edition, and
(2) English, Unlimited edition.

All these variants have the Cosmos Holofoil pattern.

Please note that Misty’s Seadra has 1 extra variant, an unlimited edition variant, i.e. with the “Prerelease”-stamp, in addition to the above 2 variants.

For Gym Heroes, there are 19 masters with a total of 39 variants with the Cosmos Holofoil. This set was only printed in English.

More details on Gym Challenge and Cosmos Holofoil

In Gym Challenge, there are 20 Masters, where each master has at least 2 variants with the Cosmos Holofoil pattern, i.e.

(1) English, 1st edition, and
(2) English, Unlimited edition.

All these variants have the Cosmos Holofoil pattern.

Please note that Blaine’s Charizard has 1 extra variant, an unlimited edition variant, i.e. where the wrong energy symbol in the attack “Roaring Flames”, specifically the first energy symbol in the attack, was corrected from the wrong “Fighting”-symbol to the correct “Fire”-symbol. This resulted in 1 extra variant as it was never rectified on the 1st edition variant. This variant exists in addition to the above 2 variants.

For Gym Heroes, there are 20 masters with a total of 41 variants with the Cosmos Holofoil. This set was only printed in English.

More details on Neo Genesis and Cosmos Holofoil

In Neo Genesis, there are 19 Masters, where each master has at least 8 variants with the Cosmos Holofoil pattern, i.e.

(1) English, 1st edition,
(2) English, Unlimited edition,
(3) German, 1st edition,
(4) German, Unlimited edition,
(5) French, 1st edition,
(6) French, Unlimited edition,
(7) Italian, 1st edition, and
(8) Italian, Unlimited edition.

All these variants have the Cosmos Holofoil pattern.

For Neo Genesis, there are 19 masters with a total of 38 variants with the Cosmos Holofoil. If the other languages are added, there are 19 masters with 152 variants.

More details on Neo Discovery and Cosmos Holofoil

In Neo Discovery, there are 17 Masters, where each master has at least 8 variants with the Cosmos Holofoil pattern, i.e.

(1) English, 1st edition,
(2) English, Unlimited edition,
(3) German, 1st edition,
(4) German, Unlimited edition,
(5) French, 1st edition,
(6) French, Unlimited edition,
(7) Italian, 1st edition, and
(8) Italian, Unlimited edition.

All these variants have the Cosmos Holofoil pattern.

For Neo Discovery, there are 17 masters with a total of 34 variants with the Cosmos Holofoil. If the other languages are added, there are 17 masters with 136 variants.

More details on Neo Revelation and Cosmos Holofoil

In Neo Revelation, there are 16 Masters, where each master has at least 8 variants with the Cosmos Holofoil pattern, i.e.

(1) English, 1st edition,
(2) English, Unlimited edition,
(3) German, 1st edition,
(4) German, Unlimited edition,
(5) French, 1st edition,
(6) French, Unlimited edition,
(7) Italian, 1st edition, and
(8) Italian, Unlimited edition.

All these variants have the Cosmos Holofoil pattern.

Please note that Mismagius has 2 extra variants, (a) one English, 1st edition variant with the “Holo Bleed Eyes”-print, and (b) one English, Unlimited edition variant with the “Holo Bleed Eyes”-print.

For Neo Revelation, there are 16 masters with a total of 34 variants with the Cosmos Holofoil. If the other languages are added, there are 16 masters with 130 variants.

More details on Neo Destiny and Cosmos Holofoil

In Neo Destiny, there are 16 Masters, where each master has at least 8 variants with the Cosmos Holofoil pattern, i.e.

(1) English, 1st edition,
(2) English, Unlimited edition,
(3) German, 1st edition,
(4) German, Unlimited edition,
(5) French, 1st edition,
(6) French, Unlimited edition,
(7) Italian, 1st edition, and
(8) Italian, Unlimited edition.

All these variants have the Cosmos Holofoil pattern.

For Neo Destiny, there are 16 masters with a total of 32 variants with the Cosmos Holofoil. If the other languages are added, there are 16 masters with 128 variants.

In the Legendary Collection, there were no Masters with one or more variants with the Cosmos Holofoil.

For Expedition, there are masters that have either a Cosmos Holofoil variant and Reverse Holofoil variant (e.g. Alakazam 1/165) or a Non-Holofoil variant and a Reverse Holofoil variant (e.g. Alakazam 33/165). All variants with Cosmos Holofoil pattern and Reverse Holofoil pattern have a strip of 13 vertical lines on the bottom of the card in the same color as the color of the card. The Non-Holofoil variants have a simple dotcode strip on the bottom of the card.

**Cosmos Holofoil (if applicable) and Reverse Holofoil**

More details on Expedition and Cosmos Holofoil

In Expedition, there are 32 Masters, where each master has at least 4 variants with the Cosmos Holofoil pattern, i.e.

(1) English, Unlimited edition,
(2) German, Unlimited edition,
(3) French, Unlimited edition, and
(4) Italian, Unlimited edition.

All these variants have the Cosmos Holofoil pattern.

For Expedition, there are 32 masters with a total of 32 variants with the Cosmos Holofoil. If the other languages are added, there are 32 masters with 128 variants.

For Aquapolis and Skyridge, there are masters that have either a Cosmos Holofoil variant (e.g. Ampharos H1/H32) or a Non-Holofoil and a Reverse Holofoil variant (e.g. Ampharos 1/147). All variants with Cosmos Holofoil pattern and Reverse Holofoil pattern have a strip of 13 vertical lines on the bottom of the card in the same color as the color of the card.

More details on Aquapolis and Cosmos Holofoil

In Aquapolis, there are 35 Masters, where each master has at least 4 variants with the Cosmos Holofoil pattern, i.e.

(1) English, Unlimited edition,
(2) German, Unlimited edition,
(3) French, Unlimited edition, and
(4) Italian, Unlimited edition.

All these variants have the Cosmos Holofoil pattern.

For Aquapolis, there are 35 masters with a total of 35 variants with the Cosmos Holofoil. If the other languages are added, there are 35 masters with 140 variants.

More details on Skyridge and Cosmos Holofoil

In Skyridge, there are 38 Masters, where each master has at least 1 variant with the Cosmos Holofoil pattern, i.e.

(1) English, Unlimited edition,
(2) German, Unlimited edition,
(3) Italian, Unlimited edition.

All these variants have the Cosmos Holofoil pattern.

For Skyridge, there are 38 masters with a total of 38 variants with the Cosmos Holofoil. If the other languages are added, there are 38 masters with 114 variants.

3.2. Non-standard Sets

The Cosmos Holofoil pattern also appeared in the non-standard sets, specifically in the Wizards Black Star Promos and WOTC Energies. The Cosmos Holofoil pattern was not used in the other non-standard sets. The rarity of the cards does not have an impact on the Cosmos Holofoil pattern.

In the Wizards Black Star Promos, some Masters have a variant with the Cosmos Holofoil pattern. The Cosmos Holofoil pattern treatment was not applied to every Master in this set, as the other cards received a Non-Holofoil treatment.

More details on Wizards Black Star Promos and Cosmos Holofoil

In Wizards Black Star Promos, there are 7 masters, where each master has at least 1 variant with the Cosmos Holofoil, i.e. in English, Unlimited edition, specifically the following Masters:

All these variants have the Cosmos Holofoil pattern.

Please note that Persian (17) has 1 extra variant, i.e. with the “No HP Error”-print, in addition to the above variant.

For Wizards Black Star Promos, there are 9 Masters with a total of 10 variants with the Cosmos Holofoil. These 9 Masters were not printed in other languages, except for __________’s Pikachu (24) which was printed with the Non-Holofoil pattern and “Pikachu Tail”-stamp.

In the WOTC Energies, each Master has one variant, which has the Cosmos Holofoil pattern.

More details on WOTC Energies and Cosmos Holofoil

In WOTC Energies, there are 8 masters, where each master has 1 variant with the Cosmos Holofoil, i.e. in English, Unlimited edition.

All these variants have the Cosmos Holofoil pattern.

For WOTC Energies, there are 8 masters with a total of 8 variants with the Cosmos Holofoil. This set was only printed in English.

4. Refractor Holofoil

The Refractor Holofoil pattern was introduced for the first time in Neo Destiny, which was also the only set in the WOTC era in which the Refractor Holofoil pattern made an appearance. The Refractor Holofoil pattern can be described as an inverse pattern as the Pokémon itself receives a reflective foil treatment, whereas the background does not have any holofoil pattern. This style is very different compared to the other holofoil patterns.

4.1. Standard Sets

In Neo Destiny, the Refractor Holofoil pattern was only used on the Secret Rare cards of this set. These cards are always “Shining” cards, with the Shiny Pokémon subrarity. However, note that the Holo Rare cards in this set have the Cosmos Holofoil pattern. For the WOTC era, the Refractor Holofoil only made an appearance in Neo Destiny.

More details on Neo Destiny and Refractor Holofoil

In Neo Destiny, there are 8 Masters, where each Master has 2 variants with the Refractor Holofoil pattern, i.e.

(1) English, 1st edition,
(2) English, Unlimited edition,
(3) German, 1st edition,
(4) German, Unlimited edition,
(5) French, 1st edition,
(6) French, Unlimited edition,
(7) Italian, 1st edition, and
(8) Italian, Unlimited edition.

All these variants have the Refractor Holofoil pattern.

For Neo Destiny, there are 8 masters with a total of 8 variants with the Refractor Holofoil. If the other languages are added, there are 16 masters with 64 variants.

Interesting to note, the Refractor Holofoil pattern made a return in the EX Series era in EX Delta Species and subsequent sets.

4.2. Non-standard Sets

There are no Masters with one or more variants with the Refractor Holofoil pattern.

5. Reverse Holofoil

The Reverse Holofoil pattern is a holofoil pattern that is exactly what the name indicates, everything on the card receives a holofoil treatment except for the artbox with the Pokémon or Trainer in it.

To fully understand the Holofoil patterns in the WOTC era and the introduction of the Reverse Holofoil pattern, a differentiation should be made between the standard sets (1) Base Set to Neo Destiny (“WOTC: Part I“), and (2) Legendary Collection to Skyridge (“WOTC: Part II“).

In WOTC: Part I, for each Master there were always at least two versions: 1st edition and unlimited edition (ignoring the different languages). There were no variants with the Reverse Holofoil pattern. However, during the Neo sets there were supply chain issues which resulted in 1st edition booster boxes coming out after the unlimited edition booster boxes were released.

To replace the abolishment of 1st edition and unlimited edition, the Reverse Holofoil pattern was introduced in WOTC: Part II as from the Legendary Collection (released on the 24th of May 2002). This meant the official end of the 1st edition in the English structure and thus all cards released as from Legendary Collection are unlimited edition. As a result, the Reverse Holofoil pattern was present in the following sets in the WOTC era: Legendary Collection, Expedition, Aquapolis and Skyridge.

For purposes of this division, the non-standard sets are discussed separately:

Southern Islands is considered separately as this set deviates from regular sets due to (1) the absence of 1st edition and unlimited edition as in WOTC: Part I, and (2) each master having a variant with either a Non-Holofoil pattern or a Reverse Holofoil pattern with Cosmos Pattern, contrary to the normal structure of a set from WOTC: Part II.

Tropical Mega Battle Half Deck is considered separately as this set deviates from regular sets due to (1) the absence of 1st edition and unlimited edition as in WOTC: Part I, and (2) each master having only one variant with the Non-Holofoil pattern, contrary to the normal structure of a set from WOTC: Part II.

Wizard Black Star Promos and Best of Game are considered separately as these sets run throughout the era and can therefore not be linked to a specific part of WOTC.

5.1. Standard Sets

5.1.1. Regular Pattern

In WOTC: Part II, the “Regular Pattern” of the Reverse Holofoil, i.e. Set Reverse Holofoil pattern, refers to the Reverse Holofoil that is used for the cards in that specific set. This can differ throughout an era, but there is always only one Set Reverse Holofoil pattern. If a variant has a Reverse Holofoil pattern that matches the Set Reverse Holofoil pattern, the specific Reverse Holofoil pattern is not mentioned.

However, it can occur that some variants have a different Reverse Holofoil pattern than the Set Reverse Holofoil pattern. In this event, the variant with the different Reverse Holofoil pattern (compared to the Set Reverse Holofoil pattern) is differentiated through the “Print”-parameter, specifically by mentioning the exact “Pattern” of the Reverse Holofoil pattern.

This means that there are variants of one Master with different Reverse Holofoil patterns, which means that

the variant with the Set Reverse Holofoil pattern will have as “Holofoil”-parameter the input “Reverse Holofoil” without any “Print”-parameter related to the Reverse Holofoil pattern, and
the differing Reverse Holofoil, i.e. Reverse Holofoil pattern with a different pattern than the Set Reverse Holofoil pattern, will have (a) as “Holofoil”-parameter the input “Reverse Holofoil”, and (b) as “Print”-parameter the input of the specific Pattern (e.g. Cosmos Pattern, Cracked Ice Pattern, etc.).

5.1.1.1. Fireworks Pattern

In the WOTC era, the Set Reverse Holofoil pattern used in Legendary Collection has a Fireworks pattern. This Reverse Holofoil pattern has a very special pattern that resembles an exploding firework. This pattern only appeared in this set, as a new Reverse Holofoil pattern was introduced in the subsequent sets in the WOTC era. The Set Reverse Holofoil pattern for Legendary Collection looks as follows:

More details on Legendary Collection and Reverse Holofoil

In Legendary Collection, there are 110 Masters, where each Master has 1 variant with the Set Reverse Holofoil pattern, i.e. English unlimited variant.

All these variants have the Reverse Holofoil pattern. For this set, the Set Reverse Holofoil pattern is the Fireworks pattern.

For the Legendary Collection, in English there are 110 masters with a total of 110 variants with the Reverse Holofoil.

5.1.1.2. Mirror Pattern

The Reverse Holofoil pattern was changed in Expedition, Aquapolis and Skyridge. This Reverse Holofoil pattern resembles a mirror-like effect without any specific pattern, a so-called Mirror pattern.

The Set Reverse Holofoil pattern can be determine by (1) the lack of a Cosmos Holofoil in the artbox, (2) the presence of a Reverse Holofoil pattern on the rest of the card, and (3) a strip of 13 vertical lines on the bottom of the card in the same color as the color of the card. The Reverse Holofoil variants of the cards for Expedition, Aquapolis and Skyridge look as follows:

More details on Expedition and Reverse Holofoil

In Expedition, there are 159 Masters, where each master has at least 4 variants with the Reverse Holofoil pattern, i.e.

(1) English, Unlimited edition,
(2) German, Unlimited edition,
(3) French, Unlimited edition, and
(4) Italian, Unlimited edition.

All these variants have the Reverse Holofoil pattern. For this set, the Set Reverse Holofoil pattern is the Mirror pattern.

For Expedition, there are 159 masters with a total of 159 variants with the Reverse Holofoil. If the other languages are added, there are 159 masters with 636 variants.

More details on Aquapolis and Reverse Holofoil

In Aquapolis, there are 151 Masters, where each master has at least 4 variants with the Reverse Holofoil pattern, i.e.

(1) English, Unlimited edition,
(2) German, Unlimited edition,
(3) French, Unlimited edition, and
(4) Italian, Unlimited edition.

All these variants have the Reverse Holofoil pattern. For this set, the Set Reverse Holofoil pattern is the Mirror pattern.

Please note that there are additional Masters that each have one variant with the Reverse Holofoil pattern:

Golduck has two masters for the same artwork due to different numbers as (a) the first Master has number 50a/147 and one variant with the Reverse Holofoil pattern, and (b) the second Master has number 50b/147 and one variant with the Reverse Holofoil pattern.

Drowzee has two masters for the same artwork due to different numbers as (a) the first Master has number 74a/147 and one variant with the Reverse Holofoil pattern, and (b) the second Master has number 74b/147 and one variant with the Reverse Holofoil pattern.

Mr. Mime has two masters for the same artwork due to different numbers as (a) the first Master has number 50a/147 and one variant with the Reverse Holofoil pattern, and (b) the second Master has number 50b/147 and one variant with the Reverse Holofoil pattern.

Porygon has two masters for the same artwork due to different numbers as (a) the first Master has number 50a/147 and one variant with the Reverse Holofoil pattern, and (b) the second Master has number 50b/147 and one variant with the Reverse Holofoil pattern.

For Aquapolis, there are 151 masters with a total of 151 variants with the Reverse Holofoil. If the other languages are added, there are 151 masters with 604 variants.

More details on Skyridge and Reverse Holofoil

In Skyridge, there are 150 Masters, where each master has at least 3 variants with the Reverse Holofoil pattern, i.e.

(1) English, Unlimited edition,
(2) German, Unlimited edition,
(3) Italian, Unlimited edition.

All these variants have the Reverse Holofoil pattern. For this set, the Set Reverse Holofoil pattern is the Mirror pattern.

For Skyridge, there are 150 masters with a total of 150 variants with the Reverse Holofoil. If the other languages are added, there are 150 masters with 450 variants.

5.2. Non-standard sets

In the non-standard sets, there is no Set Reverse Holofoil pattern as different patterns are used through these sets. Hence, for every variant that has a Reverse Holofoil pattern in the non-standard sets there will always be a “Print”-parameter containing its “Pattern”.

Interestingly, the variants in the non-standard sets that do have a Reverse Holofoil variant do not have either the Fireworks Pattern or the Mirror Pattern as discussed above. Instead, the non-standard sets have some variants with the Cosmos Pattern. This is basically the Reverse Holofoil pattern of the Cosmos Holofoil pattern, i.e. a very vibrant and present holofoil pattern with circles, resembling a galaxy, but on everything except for the artbox.

The variants with the Cosmos Pattern could be found in Wizards Black Star Promos, Southern Islands and Best of Game and look as follows:

More details on Wizards Black Star Promos and Cosmos Pattern

In Wizards Black Star Promos, there are 2 masters, where each Master has at least 1 variant each with the Reverse Holofoil pattern and Cosmos Pattern.

Entei, has one variant, i.e. English Unlimited edition variant.

Pichu has five variants, all Unlimited edition variants, i.e. (a) English variant, (b) German variant, (c) French variant, (d) Italian variant, and (e) Spanish variant.

All these variants have the Reverse Holofoil pattern with the Cosmos Pattern. For this set, there is no Set Reverse Holofoil pattern as it is a non-standard set.

For Wizards Black Star Promos, there are 2 masters with a total of 2 variants with the Reverse Holofoil pattern with Cosmos Pattern. If the other languages are added, there are 2 masters with 6 variants.

More details on Southern Islands and Cosmos Pattern

In Southern Islands, there are 6 masters, where each Master has 1 variant with the Reverse Holofoil pattern and Cosmos Pattern, i.e. English unlimited edition.

All these variants have the Reverse Holofoil pattern with the Cosmos Pattern. For this set, there is no Set Reverse Holofoil pattern as it is a non-standard set.

For Southern Islands, there are 6 masters with a total of 6 variants with the Reverse Holofoil pattern with Cosmos Pattern. This set was only printed in English.

More details on Best of Game and Cosmos Pattern

In Best of Game, there are 5 masters, where each Master has at least 1 variant with the Reverse Holofoil pattern and Cosmos Pattern, i.e. English unlimited edition.

Electabuzz has two variants, i.e. (a) one variant, and (b) one variant with the “Winner”-stamp.

Hitmonchan has two variants, i.e. (a) one variant, and (b) one variant with the “Winner”-stamp.

Professor Elm has one variant.

Rocket’s Mewtwo has one variant.

Rocket’s Hitmonchan has one variant.

All these variants have the Reverse Holofoil pattern with the Cosmos Pattern. For this set, there is no Set Reverse Holofoil pattern as it is a non-standard set.

For Best of Game, there are 5 masters with a total of 7 variants with the Reverse Holofoil pattern with Cosmos Pattern. This set was only printed in English.

This means that in the WOTC era, there are are a total of 13 masters with 15 variants that have a Reverse Holofoil pattern with the Cosmos Pattern.

Conclusion

In the WOTC era, there were 5 different holofoil patterns introduced. Some of these patterns were recurring throughout the other eras (e.g. Cosmos Holofoil), while other patterns almost never reappeared (e.g. Starlight Holofoil). With respect to the Reverse Holofoil, aside of the Set Reverse Holofoil pattern in standard sets, the first Pattern (“alternative” Reverse Holofoil pattern) was introduced in non-standardized sets, i.e. the Reverse Holofoil with the Cosmos Pattern.

I hope this guide is helpful to illustrate the different holofoil patterns in the WOTC era. If you have found any inconsistencies, mistakes or have any other comments, please do let me know on [email protected].

Thank you for reading and have a blessed week!

Tom

Standard Sets	Non-Standard Sets
Base Set Jungle Fossil Base Set 2 Team Rocket Gym Heroes Gym Challenge Neo Genesis Neo Discovery Neo Revelation Neo Destiny Legendary Collection Expedition Aquapolis Skyridge	Southern Islands Best Of Game Wizards Black Star Promos WOTC Energies Tropical Mega Battle Half Deck