Dark Explorers (TCG)/Information

Dark Explorers features Pokémon. Many of the TCG Trainer cards benefit Pokémon. The set continues releasing TCG Pokémon-EX cards with six included:, , , , , and. Groudon-EX and Kyogre-EX are, respectively, the final cards from the Japanese TCG Hail Blizzard and TCG Psycho Drive expansions to be released in English. Because the set contains many TCG Stage 2 Pokémon (Stage 2) evolutionary families, it also contains a reprint of ; the first release of the card to be printed with the errata issued at the beginning of the Black & White Series.

The English expansion contains all of the remaining cards from the Japanese TCG Dark Rush expansion, as well as a few from the TCG Reshiram EX Battle Strength Deck (Reshiram-EX) and TCG Zekrom EX Battle Strength Decks, the TCG Battle Gift Set: Thundurus vs Tornadus, the TCG Psycho Drive and TCG Hail Blizzard expansions, and the TCG BW-P Promotional cards. Dark Explorers includes 111 different cards: 3 of which are TCG Secret cards. The Secret cards are Shiny reprints of from TCG Next Destinies (TCG Hail Blizzard in Japan),  from TCG Noble Victories (TCG Red Collection in Japan), and  from TCG Emerging Powers (TCG White Collection in Japan). Dark Rush, the Japanese equivalent to the set, contains 76 cards, making it the largest Japanese expansion released during the BW era.

Much like TCG Psycho Drive and TCG Hail Blizzard, the artwork in the set features locations around the Unova region. For example, and  can be found in Chargestone Cave and  and  are depicted in Mistralton City.

The Japanese Dark Rush expansion contains two cards that were first released in English. and were pulled from this set and released in the English TCG Emerging Powers expansion in August 2011 in order to complete their Pokémon families.

Vanillite and Vanillish, and Ducklett and Swanna are numbered incorrectly. As of the TCG Black & White expansion, Pokémon have been numbered first by type, then by National Pokédex number within type. The official numbering misplaces Vanillite (number 582) and Vanillish (number 583) before Ducklett (number 580) and Swanna (number 581).

Dark Explorers is the first expansion whose TCG Prerelease cards (Prerelease promo) was a Black Star Promo, specifically the TCG BW Black Star Promos, instead of a card actually in the set. The Prerelease promo is.

Officially, the English release of the set contains 108 cards. Between alternate holofoils, promotional stamps, reverse holofoils, and Secret cards, the set contains 236 cards. A list of the non standard cards can be seen below.