It's all well and good to grab ridiculously expensive Pokémon TCG cards regardless of the climate, and I'm absolutely writhing in jealousy at those who can.
But imagine going back in time and pulling one of those epic chase cards straight off the shelf? Of course, you could today if you hate your bank account that much, but what about the most expensive Pokémon cards in packs right now?
I'm talking about Pokémon TCG bangers that you can pull in a booster pack today, and there are loads. We're focusing on Black Bolt / White Flare, Destined Rivals, Prismatic Evolutions, Twilight Masquerade, and Surging Sparks for today, so let's have a deeper look at the mad bangers you could pull from an in-print Pokémon TCG booster pack.
Just to note, the chances of pulling these cards are extremely slim, so if you plan on spending massive amounts of money on Booster Bundles, Booster Boxes, and ETBs, bear in mind that the actual value of the card itself is usually cheaper than ripping packs. Unless you're mega lucky, of course.
12: Team Rocket's Moltres ex - 229/182
How can anyone not love this card? It's got action, stunning detail, and eye-popping color that perfectly captures the Team Rocket vibe of Destined Rivals. It's a beast in battle too, with Flame Screen dealing 110 damage while also reducing damage from the opposing Pokémon by 50.
Evil Incineration lets trainers discard a Team Rocket Energy to immediately discard the opposing Active Pokémon and all attached cards. Play it right and it could turn battles on their heads, especially since it's a Basic Pokémon, meaning it can be set up right away on a trainer's Bench without evolution mechanics getting in the way.
11: Lillie's Clefairy ex - 184/159
Whilst Lillie's Clefairy ex SIR is considered the main chase card of Journey Together, it's quite affordable now. Due to the overhype surrounding this set and scalpers not being able to get the same astronomical amounts for it, this card soon crashed to around the $150 mark. But, it's still a gorgeous card and a no brainer decision for your binder.
10: Latias ex - 239/191
Roaring Moon ex SIR has held its value out of the gate since Prismatic Evolutions dropped, which is frankly amazing. The linework in this card is ridiculously intricate, giving it that cave painting vibe that goes well with ancient Pokémon found deep in Area Zero, Paldea.
It's a cool moment too, seeing Roaring Moon seemingly escaping some sort of cosmic calamity. The more you look at it the better it gets.
8: Ethan's Ho-Oh ex - 230/182
This was one of my main chase cards from Destined Rivals, just look at it. Not only have we got mental amounts of nostalgia for Pokémon Gold and Silver OGs, but it reminds me so much of the first ever episode of Pokémon when Ho-Oh was revealed for the first time (which was before Pokémon Gold and Silver released). It's a stunning illustration that means so much to plenty of trainers, and I half expected the $215 market value before release.
7: Cynthia's Garchomp ex - 232/182
I'm calling Destined Rivals as the best Scarlet and Violet set for it sheer amount of detailed and expresive artwork, and Cynthia's Garchomp ex SIR is a fantastic example of this.
With calls to the Pokémon League in the early anime (See the fire lamps at the top of the stadium) and big screen behind trainers on platforms, Garchomp can be seen lunging forward and breaking ground as it goes. Amazing card and well worth the money.
6: Pikachu ex - 238/191
Pikachu ex SIR is partially to blame for the Pokémon TCG boom that kicked off at the end of October 2024 and is still going today. After peaking at $485 at the end of 2024, it's finally stabalized at a much for reasonable $295 at the time of writing.
It's a good time to snap it up, if you've got the cash, but the amount of nostalgia and detailed yet soft artwork on this card will make it climb back up as we move away from the Scarlet and Violet era over the years to come.
5: Greninja ex - 214/167
Greninja ex SIR is my favorite in this article as I have it graded in a 10 and I'm being completely bias. Joking aside (I'm not) but this is one of the best artworks outside of Prismatic Evolutions in the Scarlet and Violet era.
Twilight Masquerade was a slept on set in my opinion, but the chances of pulling this are stacked. If you have the money upfront, i'd put it into this card instead of trying to rip packs. But I also obviously hate having fun, so the choice is yours.
4: Zekrom ex and Reshiram ex - 172/086 / 173/086
The new Black White Rare versions of Zekrom ex and Reshiram ex combine the strong movesets of their Special Illustration Rare counterparts with a prestige look worthy of their legendary status. Zekrom ex uses Slash for [CC] as an easy setup, while Voltage Burst for [LLC] scales with your opponent’s Prize cards, offsetting its 30 recoil thanks to 230 HP and synergy with Flaaffy or Miraidon ex.
Reshiram ex mirrors this on the Fire side, with Slash for [2] into Blaze Burst at [1RR], hitting 130 plus 50 per Prize card taken while discarding just one Energy. Both serve as late-game swing attackers that slot neatly into Lightning or Fire builds.
What sets them apart is the new Black White Rare treatment. The monochrome foil gives a trophy-like finish that makes them true chase pulls, striking a balance between collector prestige and competitive play. They’re the rare kind of cards you can sleeve up to win games or showcase as centerpiece collectibles.
3: Team Rocket's Mewtwo ex - 231/182
What a beast of a card! Mewtwo ex SIR captured that Mewtwo's Revenge energy so hard, immense amounts of nostalgia in this card for me. It looks like everyone agrees considering it's currently around $450. Destined Rivals cards are up and down day after day, so no doubt we'll see this settle at a cheaper pricepoint before it crossed the vintage checkpoint in years to come.
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