Pokémon TCG: Top 10 Most Valuable Cards From Last Year (2025)

The Pokémon Trading Card Game had a defining year in 2025, with not only the return of Mega Evolutions, the bold visual direction of Black and White Rares, and jaw-dropping Special Illustration Rares from Prismatic Evolutions and Phantasmal Flames pushing artistic ambition to new heights.

Altogether, the market for singles in the Pokémon TCG has been skyrocketing, with the game’s continued short supply escalating the values of stunning chase cards even further

Altogether, there have been ten cards that have stood above the rest. The ten most valuable cards brought by the Pokémon TCG are not only more expensive due to their amazing potential for competitive play, but also because of rare and exclusive artwork that makes them worthy of a museum, rather than a deck box.

Using prices determined by the dedicated TCG marketplace TCGPlayer, ranked below from cheapest to most expensive, these ten cards represent the pinnacle of what Pokémon card collectors and players were chasing throughout 2025.

10. Mega Gardevoir ex – 187/132 (ME01: Mega Evolution)

Although only the tenth most valuable Pokémon card released in 2025, the golden Mega Hyper Rare of Mega Gardevoir has artwork that presents Ralt’s final evolution in an elegant, almost celestial pose, reinforcing its identity as a Pokémon of grace rather than brute force.

On the table, however, Mega Gardevoir ex is anything but gentle. Overflowing Wishes accelerates Psychic Energy across your bench, setting up devastating turns where Mega Symphonia scales damage based on total attached Energy. In slower, resource-heavy metas, Gardevoir decks flourished, making this card both well-sought after for its design and respected on a strategic level.

9. Mega Lucario ex – 188/132 (ME01: Mega Evolution)

Mega Lucario ex’s gold Mega Hyper Rare treatment instantly upped its value with some added prestige. With an almost ceremonial design that belongs in a chapel window, Lucario is framed as a focal icon, with metallic finishes that catch the light far more dramatically than standard illustration cards.

Competitively, all versions of Mega Lucario ex earn their place in decks through sheer efficiency. Aura Jab accelerates Fighting Energy across the board, enabling rapid board development, while Mega Brave offers an explosive 270-damage swing capable of ending games outright.

Though the attack’s drawback limits consecutive use, Lucario’s consistency kept it relevant in Fighting-based archetypes.

8. Sylveon ex – 156/131 (SV: Prismatic Evolutions)

Sylveon ex sits at number eight with its pastel-heavy Special Illustration Rare artwork that’s immediately striking, leaning fully into the Eeveelution’s fairy-like charm with crystalline motifs and soft colours that bring a nice brighter contrast with the darker chase cards of the year.

In gameplay terms, Sylveon ex carved out a niche as a control-leaning option. Magical Charm dampens opposing damage output, while Angelite provides rare bench disruption by shuffling opposing Pokémon back into the deck. In a 2025 meta increasingly defined by set-up reliant strategies, that kind of interference could carry some real value.

7. Mega Charizard X ex – 130/094 (ME02: Phantasmal Flames)

The golden ticket equivalent of the Phantasmal Flames expansion, the Mega Hyper Rare version of Charizard X ex is a pure spectacle that never gets old when staring at it in your binder. The gold silhouette treatment transforms Charizard into a mythic emblem rather than one of the best Pocket Monsters, but with even more mystique than Mega Lucario and Mega Gardevoir’s.

Despite the minimalist look, the card’s competitiveness is a joy to play with, too. Inferno X allows players to convert excess Fire Energy into overwhelming damage, making Mega Charizard X ex one of the most feared closers of the year.

6. Reshiram ex – 173/086 (SV: White Flare)

Reshiram ex’s Black White Rare treatment strips colour almost entirely, rendering the Legendary Pokémon in stark monochrome light that makes it look like a beautiful marble slab; it’s without a doubt one of the most unique prints we’ve seen recently in the TCG — all the more reason it’s a top contender among the most expensive Pokemon cards last year.

Functionally, Reshiram ex thrives as a comeback threat. Blaze Burst scales damage with the opponent’s Prize count, punishing aggressive decks that take early leads. Fire decks in 2025 often leaned on this mechanic to flip matches late, and combined with the card’s minimalist aesthetic, made Reshiram ex a standout collector piece.

5. Zekrom ex – 172/086 (SV: Black Bolt)

Following Reshiram’s lead, Zekrom ex’s own Black White Rare follows the same style design, but is stunning in its own way: using the Black White Rare format to emphasise raw power and silhouette. In fact, the sculpted look almost gives the Gen-5 Legendary a statue-like depiction, giving the card itself a sense of weight rarely seen in modern artwork in the TCG lately.

In gameplay, Voltage Burst rewards aggressive opponents by scaling damage as Prize cards are taken. While the self-damage drawback keeps it balanced, Lightning decks capable of managing recoil found Zekrom ex to be a reliable late-game finisher.

4. Victini – 171/086 & 172/086 (SV: Black Bolt / White Flare)

Victini earns its place here as a paired phenomenon among the Pokémon TCG’s most valuable 2025 cards. Both Black White Rare versions (#172 in White Flare, #171 in Black Bolt) share a vivid red presentation, creating an instantly recognisable aesthetic unlike anything else released.

When played with in decks, Victini is deceptively simple. V-Force delivers efficient damage under specific bench conditions, rewarding precise board management. While not a format-defining attacker, Victini’s consistency and iconic status have pushed collector interest sky-high in the last 12 months.

3. Team Rocket’s Mewtwo ex – 231/182 (SV: Destined Rivals)

Few cards in 2025 carried as much narrative weight as Team Rocket’s Mewtwo ex. The Special Illustration Rare artwork places Mewtwo front and centre, with Giovanni placed directly in front — almost like it’s a special edition print of Pokémon: The First Movie.

Mechanically, Mewtwo ex can be powerful, but it demands a lot of commitment. Power Saver restricts its use unless your board is fully aligned with Team Rocket Pokémon, but the payoff is substantial in terms of damage. Meanwhile, Erasure Ball scales aggressively with Energy discard, enabling devastating one-hit knockouts.

2. Mega Charizard X ex – 125/094 (ME02: Phantasmal Flames)

The Mega Hyper Rare was the golden ticket of Phantasmal Flames, but this Mega Charizard X ex is the crown jewel and the must-have expensive Pokémon card of late last year. This Special Illustration Rare treatment is breathtaking: with Mega Charizard X’s blue flames crashing above the cards, followed by masterfully added silhouettes of Charmander, Charmeleon, and base Charizard underneath.

On the battlefield, this version shares the same destructive Inferno X attack, but its scarcity and artwork elevate it far beyond its gold counterpart. For many players, this was the definitive Charizard of 2025

1. Umbreon ex – 161/131 (SV: Prismatic Evolutions)

At the summit stands the most valuable Pokémon card of them all: Prismatic Evolution’s Umbreon ex, the undisputed chase card of 2025. Its Special Illustration Rare artwork is dazzling and surreal, blending gemstone motifs with cosmic patterns that frame Umbreon as something almost otherworldly.

When Prismatic Evolutions launched in January 2025, packs were in short supply from the get-go (even compared to other expansions that were hard to buy already). SIR Umbreon was a rare card to begin with, but that double scarcity, and being arguably one of the most beautiful modern cards released, is the reason why this card is currently worth just under $1000.

Beyond those bank account-draining factors, Umbreon ex delivers meaningful utility in gameplay, if anyone is brave enough to put on in their deck. Moon Mirage disrupts opposing attackers with confusion, while Onyx introduces rare Prize-taking mechanics that can swing games unexpectedly.

That said, you can get a ‘lightly played’ Double Rare version for around $6, so we’d recommend that if you’re just looking to use one in tournaments. If you’re after a new family heirloom, though, SIR Umbreon’s for you.

Ben Williams – IGN freelance contributor with over 10 years of experience covering gaming, tech, film, TV, and anime. Follow him on Twitter/X @BenLevelTen.

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