Ultra Ball (Dark Explorers 102)

Ultra Ball (Japanese: ハイパーボール Hyper Ball) is an . It was first released as part of the expansion.
==Card text==
==Release information==
===Black & White Series===
This card was included in the expansion with artwork by 5ban Graphics, first released in the Japanese and s. It was reprinted in the Japanese and s, the , and the and s. An Ultra-Rare print with new artwork by the same artist was later included in the expansion, first released in the Japanese expansion. The original print was later included in the expansion, first released in the Japanese .
===XY Series===
During the XY Series, Ultra Ball was reprinted in the expansion with new artwork by 5ban Graphics, first released in the Japanese . This print was later included in the Japanese and the . It was reprinted again in the expansion, first released in the Japanese . This print was later included in the Japanese and , the , and as a Mirror Reverse Holo in the . It was reprinted once again in the expansion, first released in the Japanese and .
===Sun & Moon Series===
Ultra Ball was reprinted again during the Sun & Moon Series as part of the expansion, first released in the Japanese and simultaneously, on December 9, 2016. A print was also released in the Sun & Moon expansion, first released in the Japanese . Both prints feature artwork by Ryo Ueda. A Mirror Holo reprint of the Regular print was included in the subset in Japan. The Regular print was reprinted again in the Japanese . A reprint was 1 of 9 possible cards included in special packs sent to Event Organizers in August 2017 for distribution in official events hosted by them. This print features the Event Organizer logo in the bottom right corner of the illustration. It was reprinted again in the English expansion and Japanese subset of the same name. In Japan, it was reprinted in the , the expansion, the , in both , and the and expansions.
The Regular Sun & Moon print was later given to players competing in International Championships held over the course of the 2017-2018 season. Four primary versions of this print were distributed, with stamps reflecting the event in which they were awarded. These included the Europe International Championships, held at the ExCeL London convention center in London, UK, on November 17–19, 2017; the Oceania International Championships, held at Sydney Olympic Park in Sydney, Australia, on February 9–11, 2018; the Latin America International Championships, held at the WTC Events Center in São Paulo, Brazil, on April 27–29, 2018; and the North America International Championships, held at the Greater Columbus Convention Center in Columbus, Ohio, USA, on July 6–8, 2018. Each of these prints also have gold foil stamped "Staff" versions given to those overseeing the events, as well as gold foil stamped "Top 8" and "Champion" versions given to competitors.
In Japan, participants of the Sky-Splitting Charisma Sealed Game, held at the Pokémon Card Station at the Tokyo Bay Pokémon Center on June 1, 2018, were given 5 s to use in their decks if they so wished. These included an unnumbered copy of this card, 2 unnumbered SM-P Promotional copies of , and 2 unnumbered SM-P Promotional copies of . The Sealed Game operated much in the same way as Limited format tournaments outside Japan: participants would receive 15 Sky-Splitting Charisma booster packs and 14 copies of each basic Energy card upon entry and play using a 40-card deck and four Prize cards. The event was limited to 24 entrants.
In Japan, it was reprinted again in the subset, in each of the , in the expansion, in each of the , concurrently in the expansion and , and in both . A new print with different artwork by Ryo Ueda was released as a and was awarded to participants of s held during the Team Up Season (February-April 2019). A gold foil stamped "Staff" version was also given to those overseeing the events. This print originated from the Japanese subset. The Sun & Moon Regular print was later reprinted simultaneously in the Japanese expansion and , and again in the .
===Sword & Shield Series===
Ultra Ball was reprinted during the Sword & Shield Series in the Japanese with different artwork by sadaji. This print was available in both Non Holofoil and Mirror Holofoil versions. Non Holofoil prints were subsequently released in the Japanese expansion and ; a Full Art Secret print with artwork by sadaji was also included in the Star Birth expansion. Both the Regular and Secret prints were later included in the expansion outside Asia. In Japan, a Line Holofoil version of the Regular print was given to participants of the , which took place at approved Pokémon Card Gym locations between January 15 and February 27, 2022.「スタートデッキ100 でたとこバトル！」開催決定！ | Pokémon Card Game Trainers Website (archived copy) These events required participants to purchase a at a venue and use it throughout without any modification. This print also features the Start Deck 100 logo on the artwork. Non Holofoil copies of the Regular print were reprinted in the Japanese ; Mirror Holofoil copies were also reprinted in the Japanese and both of the Japanese .
The S-P Promotional print was given away at two more Japanese events. The first of these was the , which was hosted by participating Pokémon Card Gym stores starting August 15, 2022. These events required players to use a Start Deck 100 or Start Deck 100 CoroCoro Comic Version in a game without any modification; the former could also be purchased at venues. This print was given away to all participants for as long as stocks lasted.デッキそのままバトル～スタートデッキ100～開催！ | Pokémon Card Game Trainers Website (archived copy) The next event was the Start Deck 100 Station, which took place on platform 3 at , Sumida, Tokyo between August 18 and 21, 2022.両国駅にて「スタートデッキ100ステーション」開催！ | Pokémon Card Game Trainers Website (archived copy) Two activities were present at the venue: the battle area, in which people could loan a Start Deck 100 and play against others, and the family area, where groups of up to four people could be tutored from event staff using copies of the Start Deck 100. The battle area had a capacity of 24 people per session and the family area had a capacity of six groups per session; each session lasted approximately an hour.対戦エリアご予約フォーム | coubic.com (archived copy)ファミリーエリアご予約フォーム | coubic.com (archived copy) Reservations could be made between August 5 and 17, 2022. All battle area participants were given a copy of the S-P Promotional print; one copy per group was given away for family area participants.
Mirror Holofoil copies of the Regular print were reprinted in the Japanese . Another print with different artwork by Amelicart was later included in the special expansion, which was first released in the Japanese subset.
===Scarlet & Violet Series===
During the Scarlet & Violet Series, this card was reprinted in the Japanese expansion on January 20, 2023 with new artwork by Ayaka Yoshida. This print was also included in each of the three and the . These prints feature the updated layout introduced with the expansion. In Japan, it was reprinted in the , in each of the , the , the , and in both .
The Regular print of Ultra Ball was reprinted in Holofoil for the . This reprint lacks a regulation mark and is thus not legal for tournament play. The Scarlet & Violet print was then reprinted in Japan again in the , the subset (prompting an inclusion in the expansion), both , both , the , both , and the . It was later reprinted in the Japanese and .
===Gallery===
==Trivia==
As of June 19, 2020, this card was banned in Hong Kong and Taiwan.
===Origin===
The Ultra Ball is a type of Poké Ball in the Pokémon games which has an improved capture rate over the Great Ball.
==References==
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de:Hyperball (TCG)
es:Ultra Ball (TCG)
fr:Hyper Ball (XY Étincelles 99)
it:Ultra Ball (Esploratori delle Tenebre 102)
ja:ハイパーボール (カードゲーム)
zh:高级球（TCG）