ACE SPEC card (TCG)

ACE SPEC cards (Japanese: ACE SPEC(エーススペック) ACE SPEC) are a classification of Pokémon Trading Card Game cards first introduced in the Boundaries Crossed expansion. ACE SPEC cards are powerful cards with the restriction that a deck is limited to at most a single ACE SPEC card of any sort.

ACE SPEC cards as of the Scarlet & Violet Series


Information

 
An example of an ACE SPEC card from the Black & White Series
 
An example of an ACE SPEC Special Energy card

An ACE SPEC card has a powerful effect which can completely change the course of a game, such as searching for any Pokémon card, switching in the opponent's Benched Pokémon, adding large amounts of attack damage or HP, and so on. Due to their power, a player is limited to only one ACE SPEC card of any kind when building a deck. For example, if a deck includes Prime Catcher, any other ACE SPEC cards like Hero's Cape or Maximum Belt may not be included.

ACE SPEC cards were first introduced in the Boundaries Crossed expansion of the English Black & White Series (the Japanese BW Era). In total, there are 13 ACE SPEC cards introduced during the Black & White Series, all of which are Item cards or Pokémon Tool cards.

There were no more ACE SPEC cards released after the Black & White Series (except for reprints) until the English Scarlet & Violet Series (the Japanese Scarlet & Violet Era), in which ACE SPEC cards make their return. The return of ACE SPECs into the TCG format was first announced on August 13, 2023,[1] and further elaborated on during the Kyoto Championships League 2024 tournament held on December 23-24, 2023.[2][3][4] The first batch of the new Scarlet & Violet Series ACE SPEC cards were released on January 26, 2024, in the Japanese expansions Wild Force and Cyber Judge, and the Japanese Starter Deck & Build Sets. These ACE SPEC cards are included in the English Temporal Forces expansion, released on March 22, 2024.

Beginning with the release of these products, all ACE SPEC cards have a unique magenta colored design and, when applicable, a unique "ACE SPEC Rare" ( ) rarity in English; the equivalent rarity in Japanese is "ACE" ( ). As of the Scarlet & Violet Series, besides being Item cards or Pokémon Tool cards, ACE SPEC cards can also be Special Energy cards or Stadium cards. There are currently 14 ACE SPEC cards introduced during the Scarlet & Violet Series, two of which are reprints of cards from the Black & White Series (namely, Master Ball and Scoop Up Cyclone).

List of ACE SPEC cards

ACE SPEC cards
Cards listed with a blue background are only legal to use in the current Expanded format.
Cards listed with a green background are legal to use in both the current Standard and Expanded formats.
Card Type Mark English
Expansion
Rarity # Japanese
Expansion
Rarity #
Computer Search I Boundaries Crossed     137/149 Cold Flare     058/059
        Extra Regulation Box     046/048
        S-P Promotional cards     350/S-P
Crystal Edge PT Boundaries Crossed     138/149 Cold Flare     059/059
Crystal Wall PT Boundaries Crossed     139/149 Freeze Bolt     059/059
Gold Potion I Boundaries Crossed     140/149 Freeze Bolt     058/059
Dowsing Machine I Plasma Storm     128/135 Plasma Gale     069/070
        S-P Promotional cards     349/S-P
Scramble Switch I Plasma Storm     129/135 Plasma Gale     068/070
Victory Piece PT Plasma Storm     130/135 Plasma Gale     070/070
Life Dew PT Plasma Freeze     107/116 Thunder Knuckle     050/051
        Extra Regulation Box     048/048
Rock Guard PT Plasma Freeze     108/116 Spiral Force     050/051
G Booster PT Plasma Blast     92/101 Megalo Cannon     075/076
G Scope PT Plasma Blast     93/101 Megalo Cannon     074/076
Master Ball I   Plasma Blast     94/101 Blastoise + Kyurem-EX Combo Deck     017/018
Temporal Forces     153/162 Ancient Koraidon ex Starter Deck & Build Set     032/053
        Future Miraidon ex Starter Deck & Build Set     032/053
Scoop Up Cyclone I   Plasma Blast     95/101 Megalo Cannon     073/076
        Extra Regulation Box     047/048
Twilight Masquerade     162/167 Transformation Mask     093/101
Awakening Drum I   Temporal Forces     141/162 Wild Force     062/071
Hero's Cape PT   Temporal Forces     152/162 Cyber Judge     064/071
Maximum Belt PT   Temporal Forces     154/162 Wild Force     066/071
Prime Catcher I   Temporal Forces     157/162 Cyber Judge     062/071
Reboot Pod I   Temporal Forces     158/162 Cyber Judge     063/071
Neo Upper Energy   E   Temporal Forces     162/162 Wild Force     071/071
Hyper Aroma I           Crimson Haze     055/066
Secret Box I           Transformation Mask     092/101
Survival Brace PT   Twilight Masquerade     164/167 Crimson Haze     059/066
Unfair Stamp I   Twilight Masquerade     165/167 Crimson Haze     053/066
Legacy Energy   E           Transformation Mask     101/101
Neutral Center St           Night Wanderer     063/064


Cards that interact with ACE SPEC cards

In other languages

Language Title
Chinese Cantonese ACE SPEC
Mandarin ACE SPEC
  French HIGH-TECH
  German ASS-KLASSE
  Indonesian ACE SPEC
  Italian ASSO TATTICO
  Korean ACE SPEC
  Spanish AS TÁCTICO
  Thai ACE SPEC


References


  This article is part of Project TCG, a Bulbapedia project that aims to report on every aspect of the Pokémon Trading Card Game.