The Pokémon Trading Card Game is great fun. Whether you’re a Pokémon fan who collects cards for the beautiful artwork, or a seasoned tournament player who builds killer decks, this hobby can attract collectors of all ages.
There’s something enticing about buying booster packs, ripping them open and seeing what Pokémon you pull, all the while praying for a cool legendary, an EX card or a holographic version of your favorite rare card.
If you’re looking for the best of the best and the rarest of the rare, though, you’ve come to the right place. Here is our guide to the best Pokémon cards, complete with prices and links to buy them. If you’re a serious collector or battler, you should have these amazing Pokemon cards in your collection.
Oh, and if you’re wondering which sets are still available, we’ve added the best deals to the bottom of the table for your viewing pleasure.
In Japan, there were two versions of this card. The regular, and the one you’re seeing today, which was a Full Art XY-P promo card in the Luigi Pikachu Speical Box back in 2016.
I’m not sure why this Mew delta species card, marked by a gold star next to its name, is so expensive, but it is. What’s unique about delta species cards is that they give Pokémon irregular typing. Mew is normally a psychic type, but this card makes it a water type, which can throw an opponent off. Its Mimicry attack has potential to ruin your opponent’s day, considering you copy one of his or her Pokémon’s attacks. Rainbow Wave allows you to potentially do hundreds of damage, if you can keep Mew alive long enough and attach enough energy cards to it.
This special Reshiram card is officially deemed ‘Ultra Rare’. That means there are very few in circulation.
Act fast when you see this card and add it to your collection ASAP. It’s a bit of a weird one, but the Reshiram (114/113) Holo is strangely stunning. It’s also rarer than a Pikachu that somehow defeats Brock’s Rock Pokemon. By removing all the things we love about collecting Pokemon cards, like the glimmering aesthetic, this card somehow stands out more.
The M Gengar EX card boasts 220 HP, but the real attraction here is Phantom Gate.
Using this move allows you to choose one of your opponent’s Pokémon’s moves and use it against him. This has huge potential if your opponent has glass cannon Pokémon either active or on the bench.
Use it wisely, and try not to be blinded by M Gengar EX’s fluorescent coloring.
Not only is it just jaw-droppingly gorgeous, Icy Winds is great for putting Pokemon to sleep, while Hyper Splash does an extra 40 damage if the Pokemon it hits is a second stage in the evolution chain.
It’s OP, and it’s really striking. All the things you want from a Pokemon card, really.
Yet another of the more expensive cards in this list is another of the delta species. This dark-type Charizard is definitely for hardcore collectors only, but it’s a great card if you’ve got the money to buy it. Its main attack, Dark Swirl, does 150 damage. You have to discard all energy cards attached to Charizard, but you also get to discard three from your opponent’s active Pokémon, which will put him or her in hot water.
Mega Blastoise EX card is just as powerful as its starter brethren, Venusaur and Charizard, making it a force to be reckoned with. It features 220 HP, which is a meaty amount. Its real power comes from Hydro Bomb, however, which does 120 damage and 30 damage to two of your opponent’s benched Pokémon. That’s just cruel. Besides its battle power, Mega Blastoise EX looks awesome, again featuring Japanese characters.
Imagine pulling two dud cards. With the Computer Search card, you can put those duds back in your deck and select a completely different card of your choosing.
Not you get any random card. No. You literally get to select whichever card in the deck you want. Madness.
As you can probably guess, every (Poke) man and his dog wants this card.
Because at the end of the day, we’re all scum and play to win at any cost.
Xerneas EX is a fairy type, which is only weak to steel types (an underused Pokémon type), meaning it will likely survive tons of attacks.
I love how Xerneas takes up the entire card, essentially breaking out of its display box.
Speaking of breaking out, Xerneas EX features the attack Break Through, which does 60 damage to an active Pokémon and 30 damage to a single benched one. It’s the perfect move to use between bouts of X Blast, which does 140 damage.
If you played the Jungle Set, the Wigglytuff Jungle Holo was the one card to rule them all.
Basically, a lot of the most popular picks (in Jungle it was Scyther, for example) had 70HP or less. What that means is this over-powered Wigglytuff was one of the strongest Pokemon cards for sale out there thanks to being able to one-hit-KO a large number of cards.
This Mega Venusaur EX card may only have one attack, but it’s a doozy.
Crisis Vine does 120 damage, which might not seem like a lot, but it also paralyzes and poisons your opponent’s Pokémon. That’s insane. With 230 HP, it will be hard for your opponent to take M Venusaur EX down in one hit, considering they get one free turn when your Venusaur mega evolves.
Another great thing about this card is its beautiful art, complete with Japanese characters. Mega evolutions are fun in the Pokémon video games, but they’re just as great in the Trading Card Game, too.
In the video games, Armaldo isn’t special by any means, but in the Trading Card Game, it shines with an EX card. Its Poké-Body, Dual Armor, gives it two typings (grass and fighting) so long as it has a react energy card attached to it. Spiral Drain does 40 damage while simultaneously healing Armaldo, and Vortex Chop supersedes resistances. With 160 HP, Armaldo EX is a great wall, staller and attacker, all in one package.
Charizard is already a great Pokémon. In fact, its a fan favorite, considering it’s essentially a fire-breathing dragon first generation starter. What’s not to love? What makes Charizard even better than before in the Trading Card Game is this Charizard G Lv. X card. By attaching it to a Charizard G, you have the option of using any previous attack, Poké-Body or Poké-Power, just like the Rayquaza C Lv. X. Charizard G Lv. X’s Poké-Power allows him you to move energy cards onto your Charizard, which is great for setting up Malevolent Fire, which does a staggering 150 damage. Besides its battle prowess, this Charizard card is just pretty to look at.
No matter how you slice it, Pokemon Cards are expensive. But the Elite Trainer boxes consistently manage to justify the price.
In this box you get eight Sun & Moon: Unbroken Bonds booster packs, 45 energy cards, six damage-counter dice, one competition-legal coin-flip die, 65 Reshiram and Charizard-themed card sleeves, and two acrylic condition markers and one acrylic tag team GX marker.
In terms of the potential best cards, you’ve got tag team GX versions of Reshiram and Charizard, Pheromosa and Buzzwole, Gardevoir and Sylveon, and Lucario and Melmetal.
As a side note, I really love the art style on the Unbroken Bonds cards. They are lush!
In it you get eight Sun & Moon booster packs, 45 energy cards, six damage-counter dice, one competition-legal coin-flip dice, 65 card sleeves, the rulebook, and two acrylic condition markers and one acrylic tag team GX marker.
And, of course, you’ve got a giant box with four storage areas to keep your best cards in.
As for which cards you could potentially get, there’s the Pikachu and Zekrom GX team up card, as well as Lycanroc GX, Hoopa GX, and Cobalion GX.
In this Elite box you get eight Lost Thunder booster packs, 45 energy cards, 65 card sleeves, six damage counter dice, one competition-legal dice, two acrylic condition markers, and one acrylic GX marker.
That’s as well as a rulebook covering the lost Thunder expansion.
In terms of what cards you want to keep an eye out for, you’ll be wanting to nab Prism Star Celebi or Ditto, and GX versions of Blacephalon, Lugia, Tyranitar, and the mythical Zeraora.
Oh, and if you haven’t got one of these boxes yet, their four-section storage is excellent for keeping your collection in order.
