Special Illustration Rares from Temporal Forces have seen significant movement since their highs earlier in the year. Cards like Raging Bolt ex, Iron Crown ex, and Walking Wake ex were once among the most sought-after pulls from the set, but all three have dropped from their spring peaks.
Raging Bolt ex is down 11% from its May value of $82.36 and now trades around $73.45, while Iron Crown ex has fallen 13% in the same timeframe, moving from $55.74 to $48.30. Walking Wake ex has taken the hardest hit of the trio, losing 20% since May, with its price sliding from $50.37 to $40.45. This downturn mirrors a wider cooling in the set’s high-end singles as both players and collectors reassess their priorities.
Twilight Masquerade has seen a more mixed picture, with some cards losing steam while others continue to gain. Perrin has eased down 11% from March, moving from $106.43 to $94.87, and Carmine has dipped the same percentage since June, going from $78.70 to $69.99. Both are Special Illustration Rare Supporters that enjoyed early interest thanks to their unique effects, but neither has become a fixture in competitive lists, leading to softer demand.
At the same time, the set’s Illustration Rares and certain Pokémon ex cards are climbing in value as interest from both casual and competitive buyers grows.Gastly has risen 13% since June, from $35.74 to $40.99, helped by its role in Gengar evolution lines and appealing artwork.
Greninja ex has climbed 17% since January, from $18.44 to $21.59, thanks to its versatile attacks and solid HP. Sinistcha ex and Tatsugiri have each moved up 10% since April, now priced at $21.59 and $18.48 respectively, while Eevee has gained 10% from early August to reach $21.59. These changes highlight how certain cards can gain value steadily over months due to competitive experimentation, collector interest, or them just being stunning cards. Let's break this all down:
For cards that saw heavy demand early on, the market has cooled. Some have slipped due to a lack of tournament use, others because collectors have shifted their focus.
Raging Bolt ex brings explosive plays with Bursting Roar to refill your hand and Climactic Descent to convert discarded Basic Energy into heavy damage. It looked set to become a staple in certain builds, but the high retreat cost and inconsistent setup have made it less reliable in practice. As competitive players experiment with more stable options, extra copies have been hitting the market. The Special Illustration Rare artwork still turns heads in a binder, but with demand slowing, Its price has slipped.
Iron Crown ex offers useful bench support in Future decks through Cobalt Command, adding damage to your other Future Pokémon’s attacks. Twin Shotels provides a reliable way to apply pressure across the board, bypassing common defenses. Despite this, it has not found a consistent place in top tournament lists, and collector buying has eased off. Without strong competitive results to keep attention high, the price has edged down since May.
Walking Wake ex debuted with plenty of buzz thanks to Azure Wave, which ignores effects on the opponent’s Active Pokémon, and Cathartic Roar, which can hit 240 damage under the right conditions. The trick has been making those conditions happen consistently. Decks built around it have seen mixed success, and without the sustained performance to keep it in the spotlight, its Special Illustration Rare price has fallen noticeably from its early high.
Perrin gives players the option to cycle Pokémon from hand into the deck and fetch an equal number in return. It can be a valuable setup tool in certain builds, but it faces competition from other Supporters that fit more universally into current decks such as PRofessors Research. Collectors still appreciate the detailed Special Illustration Rare art, yet its price has eased back since March as demand from both has softened.
Carmine is one of the few cards that can be used on the very first turn when going first, letting you discard your hand and draw five cards. It can enable quick starts, but the narrow conditions for use mean it often sits unused. As the metagame evolves, it's not become a fixture in competitive decks, and its Special Illustration Rare has seen its value slip since June.
Not every card is moving down. Loads of Twilight Masquerade singles have been gradually climbing in value over months, thanks to a mix of playability, collector interest, and unique artwork.
Tatsugiri is a small but effective utility card for certain strategies. Attract Customers can pull a Supporter from the top six cards of your deck if it is in the Active Spot, offering a low-maintenance way to find key cards. Its single retreat cost and light-hearted Illustration Rare artwork make it a popular pick for collectors as well. Since April, that mix of function and style has helped it hold steady gains.
Sinistcha ex benefits from Re-Brew, an attack that spreads damage based on the Grass Energy in your discard before shuffling it back into your deck. Matcha Splash offers reliable damage while healing your team, which can matter in longer matches. As Grass-focused decks see more experimentation, this Special Illustration Rare has moved upward in value since April.
Eevee is always in demand among collectors, and the Twilight Masquerade Illustration Rare shows a group of them cuddled up on a comphy chair. Ascension allows it to evolve quickly, which can be useful in certain setups, though its main draw is its place in the franchise’s history. Since early August, interest has pushed the price up slightly. I expect this card go carry on growing in value indefinately, albiet in small increments.
Greninja ex offers strong offensive options in Shinobi Blade and Mirage Barrage, the latter being able to hit two targets at once. That combination of damage output and flexibility makes it appealing for a variety of decks. The stunning Special Illustration Rare artwork and Greninja fighting for the starter Pokémon top spot with Charizard adds collector appeal, and trainers are willing to pay a premium to get their hands on one of the most valuable Pokémon cards in the Scarlet and Violet era.
Gastly combines a distinctive Illustration Rare design, showing and also evolving into competitive Gengar deck builds. Mysterious Beam offers potential energy disruption, and Suffocating Gas gives cheap damage when needed. Its appeal has been as much about binder displays as tournament tables, and since June it has been steadily rising in value.
Last week’s Pokémon TCG market update saw Paldean Fates and Hidden Fates dominating the spotlight, with several Special Illustration Rares and Shiny Vault classics making notable moves. On the climbing side, Mew ex led the charge with a 76% jump since October to $389.45, driven by its strong Restart ability and flexible Genome Hacking attack. Gardevoir ex followed with a 51% increase to $78.99, benefitting from its energy acceleration in Psychic decks, while Charizard ex rose 36% to $160.00 thanks to its powerful Infernal Reign Ability. Hidden Fates heavyweights also gained ground, with Charizard GX up 12% to $482.89 and Umbreon GX up 19% to $188.88, both continuing to appeal to collectors and players alike.
The crashers list was led by Pikachu from Paldean Fates, which plunged 48% from January to $25.00 as play demand faded despite its nostalgic appeal. Charmander from the same set fell 19% to $20.80, while Glaceon GX from Hidden Fates dropped 33% to $40.30 due to declining GX-era relevance. Moltres & Zapdos & Articuno GX saw a smaller 4% dip to $33.68, and Eevee from Hidden Fates slipped 8% to $33.13. Across both sets, the pattern was clear: high-end, competitive, or visually prestigious cards held or gained value, while smaller, less impactful pulls struggled to maintain early hype.
Prismatic Evolutions remains one of the most valuable sets in the Scarlet and Violet era, led by the Umbreon ex SIR at $869, still the top chase card despite dropping from its $1,300 high earlier this year. The Sylveon ex SIR sits in second at $315, bringing powerful control options with its Magical Charm and Angelite attacks. Espeon ex SIR follows closely at $204.99, offering disruption through devolving effects, while Leafeon ex SIR at $209.99 mixes healing and scaling damage. Vaporeon ex SIR holds $200.98 with strong spread damage potential, and Jolteon ex SIR matches the same $179.99 price as Glaceon ex SIR, though Glaceon has dropped 44% since May. Flareon ex SIR at $153.99 remains a hot pick for Fire decks, Roaring Moon ex SIR stays above $140, and Eevee ex SIR closes the top ten at $112.98 with its versatile evolution ability.
Outside the Eeveelutions, the set boasts affordable but striking SIRs like Dragapult ex at $94.99, Ceruledge ex at $93.85, and Bloodmoon Ursaluna ex at $83.99. Mid-range options such as Raging Bolt ex ($75.95), Gholdengo ex ($60.00), Palafin ex ($63.54), Iron Valiant ex ($50.99), Iron Hands ex ($45.95), Terapagos ex ($39.00), and Iron Crown ex ($40.60) offer standout art at a fraction of the top card prices. With many of these having corrected down from earlier highs, collectors now have a chance to secure key pieces at stable values before the next upward shift.
Christian Wait is a contributing freelancer for IGN covering everything collectable and deals. Christian has over 7 years of experience in the Gaming and Tech industry with bylines at Mashable and Pocket-Tactics. Christian also makes hand-painted collectibles for Saber Miniatures. Christian is also the author of "Pokemon Ultimate Unofficial Gaming Guide by GamesWarrior". Find Christian on X @ChrisReggieWait.
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