How Bonsly becomes the last boss of your Pokémon binder

If you’ve just started collecting Pokémon cards, deciding what to put in a binder can be half the fun. You could save your favorite pictures, collect a favorite character, or try to find one card of every Pokémon. That last idea can turn a little tree-shaped Pokémon called Bonsly into the most wanted card in your house.

Collectors often call this a Pokédex binder. In the games, the Pokédex is a guide to the different Pokémon, with a number for each species. A binder follows that list, giving each Pokémon its own pocket. Any Pikachu card can fill the Pikachu spot if that’s the rule you choose. Six different Pikachu cards still leave you with one Pokémon checked off and five extras to enjoy or trade.

Pokémon has announced nine binders coming to Japan on October 16 that do some of the organizing for you. They’re divided by the regions where Pokémon were introduced, with numbered pockets and sheets showing their silhouettes. Together, they cover 1,025 different Pokémon. An empty pocket with a number printed on it does have a way of looking disappointed in you.

You can start the same project with a binder you already own and a short list of Pokémon you’d like to find. There’s no need to tackle all 1,025 at once. Even one page gives you something to work toward while you learn the names.

Why some Pokémon leave a gap

The surprise is that Pokémon don’t all get new cards at the same pace. Cards come out in groups called sets, each with its own name and selection of Pokémon. A Pokémon can appear in several sets, or go years without another card. That helps explain why the little tree might be missing even when you’ve opened plenty of packs.

Bonsly looks like a small plant in a pot, although its body is made of rock. Its first English card appeared in a set called Diamond & Pearl in 2007. Then collectors waited sixteen years for another. During that wait, someone collecting one of every Pokémon had to track down the older Bonsly card to fill the gap.

The newer card pictured below comes from Obsidian Flames, a set released in 2023. It’s labeled common, a category you’ll see often when opening packs. A common can still be the card you’re happiest to find when it fills the pocket you’ve been staring at. Bonsly had kept that pocket waiting long enough to grow roots.

You can choose the picture you like

Mantyke, the little blue Pokémon shaped like a baby manta ray, had the same sixteen-year wait. When it returned in the 2023 set Paradox Rift, collectors got a choice of pictures. One version has the artwork in a box near the top. Another, called an illustration rare, lets the scene spread across the card. You can see both below, beside the older card.

Either newer version fills Mantyke’s pocket. That gives you a choice about how much collecting you want to do: you can keep the first one you find, or swap it later for artwork you like more. Your binder can mix all kinds of cards, including one that earns its place because a friend gave it to you.

What the extra words on a card mean

Chingling is the yellow Pokémon that looks like a little bell. The older card below comes from Supreme Victors, a set released in 2009. Its next English card arrived in 2025’s Destined Rivals, with a longer name: Team Rocket’s Chingling. Team Rocket are recurring villains in Pokémon’s stories, and this card shows a Pokémon belonging to their group. The bell had found employment with a questionable company.

For a binder with one of each Pokémon, you can count that card as Chingling. The extra words tell you who it belongs to in the story. This is your collection, so you get to decide whether you like that version or would rather look for the older picture.

A newer card can fill an older gap

Igglybuff is the pink puffball pictured below. It had a card in Cosmic Eclipse, a set released in 2019, and another arrived in September’s 30th Celebration set. If you find an older article saying a Pokémon hasn’t had a card in years, check whether a new one has appeared since it was written. Your missing card may now have another picture to choose from.

Kadabra, the yellow Pokémon holding a spoon, had an even longer break. The two cards below came out twenty years apart. The older one is from the 2003 set Skyridge; the newer one comes from Scarlet & Violet—151, released in 2023. You can use the newer version for your binder without hunting down a card old enough to have finished college.

How to check the cards you have

If you’d like to look for any of these, the table gives you one newer English card for each Pokémon. The card number is printed near the bottom of the card. Match it with the set name to check which version you’ve found. For example, Bonsly’s 110/197 means card 110 in that set’s main list of 197; its Pokédex number, 438, identifies Bonsly itself. That’s why the number on the card and the number on the binder pocket can be different.

Before you go looking for missing cards, give the pile you already own another pass. There’s always a chance your missing Pokémon has been living behind six Energy cards, the cards used to power attacks when you play. If you use FoilFox, you can scan a card for a suggested match or search by name, set or printed number. Check the result against your card before saving it to your collection.

Once you know who’s missing, you have a reason to ask a friend about something they might have passed over. Their spare Bonsly could finish your page, and one of your extra Pikachu cards could fill a gap in theirs. Finding the right little tree can make a pretty good afternoon.

Card artwork © Pokémon / Nintendo / Creatures / GAME FREAK. Card images show the artwork; reflective finishes can look different in person.