Master sets (simple question!)

[woolsluk]

I’ve always considered a master set to be all the cards released via packs whereas every card minus reverses I would refer to as a full set.

[smpratte]

I think there is a difference for each era.

WOTC Master Set = All cards from Packs

Nintendo Era = All cards released in relation to the set.

Since WOTC didn’t have many cards with the same art released outside of the set, it was mostly just buying all the pack cards.

[missingno]

Master set is every card with the set logo on it, simple. Full set is just SR/UR/R/U/C.

[missingno]

@kpod

master includes all the recognized error cards

Pardon my Chicago grammar but, Hell to the muhfuckin nah! Errors do not count at all…

[credits]

@alovell

@credits

Master set = every card & variant with the symbol from that set
Full (or complete) set = every card obtainable from booster packs

I agree with this… with the exception of error cards. And not because they are hard to get but because many of them are just anomalies and if you count one error card then you have really blurred the line. Do you count miscuts, every PSA grade, every ink blot, different thickness of font/lettering, etc… would there really be such a thing as a true master set?

I would think that I own a Master set of Gym Challenge. However, I don’t have the corrected Blaine’s Charizard but IMO, that doesn’t count…not simply because I haven’t gotten it but because that is where I have drawn the line. Because there is no official term for “master set”, it’s left open for interpretation. I keep everything pretty close to what Bulbapedia has as their set list + all additional cards for that set.

By variant it is meant from the original manufacturer. PSA is third party. Miscuts are just an imperfection in the card making process but is the same card as a properly aligned card. Ive never understood peoples fascination with inkblots, thin, thick, grey, light , dark. My printer does that shit all the time! An error card would fall into the same category i think but as we can see, people have different perspectives on what this all means…

[pokemon_matt]

Thanks for all the advice guys.

I’m probably going to define my own term realistically, simply because I have no interest in error cards, plus all of the trophy cards are going to cost another mortgage to get hold of!

[genosha]

I always feel that the discussion about Master Sets is all about budget. And that has directly something to do with the printing behaviour of WotC in the past and Nintendo these days. What would be considered a complete Master Set 20 years ago, was already considered incorrect when Expedition was released and it got changed again and again with every new block by Nintendo. With the release of Expedition and the reverse holo cards the size of a Master Set doubled. Nintedo been stretching that even further with having 3-30 Secret Rares per set.

And this brings me back to my first sentence; it’s about budget. Not everybody can gather those Championship Exclusive cards to complete their sets. Limit release, scooped up by people many different type of collectors. The pond is to small for all the fishermen, which end up no Master Set for those sets being completed.

For me it always been like this:

Full SetEvery card released in booster packs in their normal print variation.
Master SetEvery card released in booster packs in every print variation.
Master Set PlusEvery card released in booster packs in their normal print variation with addition of every special print and release (e.g. alternative holo pattern of other sealed product, stamped cards (pre-release and alike)).

Also, error cards are not a variation. That’s like putting tomato sauce into your carbonara and calling it a carbonara variation.
Have fun collecting FRLG master sets with all the different print codes xD