I've been giving a lot of thought to Master Sets and variations of set collections lately. While on the hunt for cards for my Scarlet & Violet 151 Master Set, I've looked at numerous lists of what truly makes up a Master Set. I've come up with several variations of a set collection. They are listed below.
Updated on September 13th, 2024
Variations of Set Collections 1.1
Changes from Version 1.0 are in bold and italicized below:
Main Set: Main Collection
This set includes all non-holos, holos, and reverse holos that make up the main collection of a set that can be obtained via retail booster packs
Complete Set: Main Collection + Secret Rares
This set includes all non-holos, holos, reverse holos, and all secret rares that can be obtained via retail booster packs
Master Set: Main Collection + Secret Rares + Pre-release Variants + Retail Promos (Black Star and Numbered)
This set includes all non-holos, holos, reverse holos, secret rares that can be obtained via retail booster packs, all pre-release non-holo variants, and all promo cards that can be purchased via retail outlets (e.g. pre-release promos, blister pack promos, Elite Trainer Box promos, Ultra Premium Collection promos, etc.)
Perfect Set: Main Collection + Secret Rares + Pre-release Variants + Retail Promos (Black Star and Numbered) + Special Promos
This set includes all non-holos, holos, reverse holos, secret rares that can be obtained via retail booster packs, all pre-release non-holo variants, all promo cards that can be purchased via retail outlets (e.g. pre-release promos, blister pack promos, Elite Trainer Box promos, Ultra Premium Collection promos, etc.), and all special promo cards that cannot be purchased via retail outlets (e.g. retail store stamped promos, Pokémon Play Prize Pack Series cards, Professor Program cards,
andPoké Post cards, etc.)