As of right now, no cards have been officially announced in Destined Rivals, but we know it will include cards from Japanese sets Heat Wave Arena and the now officially announced Glory of Team Rocket. Most likely the set will include cards from both of those sets, and probably the majority of them.

Lucky for us, Heat Wave Arena has already come out in Japan and we already know which of the cards in that set are the most expensive. Likewise, the Glory of Team Rocket’s secret rare cards have also been spoiled.

Below, let’s look at which cards are likely to be the most expensive of all when Destined Rivals hits the shelves on May 30, 2025.

#1 Cynthia's Garchomp ex is the most expensive Destined Rivals card

Without a doubt, Destined Rival’s money card is Cynthia’s Garchomp ex. One of the most iconic duos in all of Pokemon, Cynthia has a massive following – being known as one of the strongest trainers in the universe. This card’s artwork is heavily tied to the in-universe lore, featuring Cynthia’s Garchomp using its ground attacks to demolish the competition. It’s hard to guess just how valuable this card is going to be on release but It would not surprise me if it went anywhere from $250-$500 on the secondary card market.

#2 Ethan’s Ho-Oh ex Special Illustration Rare

Ethan is the playable trainer from the Gold and Silver games, and here he’s depicted alongside Ho-Oh who is one of the main legendaries you can chase from that generation. Ho-Oh also stands out in the Pokemon lore as the first legendary Ash Ketchum ever sees – flying in the skies overhead as he leaves Pallet Town on his adventure.

The artwork here is pretty gorgeous, and just the fact that a Pokemon as legendary as Ho-Oh gets featured alongside a trainer in a card like this feels pretty historic. While it won’t be worth as much as the Garchomp, the card’s rarity, potential playability, and nostalgic appeal should push it to the upper echelons of value when Destined Rivals comes out.

#3 Rocket’s Mewtwo ex – Special Illustration Rare

When I first wrote this list, I included double rare Mewtwo ex assuming we would get an SIR and that the alt art would certainly make it onto the list. Since then, the artwork for Rocket’s Mewtwo ex SIR has been spoiled online, and it definitely lives up to expectations.

Rocket’s Mewtwo ex could rival even Cynthia’s spot at the top. After all, Mewtwo is one of the most iconic Pokemon of all time, and we’ve not seen it featured prominently in the Pokemon TCG in a long time (although it did get a pretty awesome extended artwork card in the digital version, Pokemon TCG Pocket). Getting paired with Giovanni (who is also heavily highlighted in the artwork) only ups the ante for this chase, calling to mind the original Pokemon movie that saw these two working side-by-side as partners in crime.

What really excites me about Team Rocket’s Mewtwo ex beyond the potentiality of an SIR, however, is just how fun this card looks to play. A basic Pokemon with 280 HP and an attack that scales to 280+, Mewtwo ex looks very, very playable and could be a fun way to counter the increasingly challenging Pokemon TCG meta.

#4 Team Rocket’s Meowth – Illustration Rare

Team Rocket’s Meowth IR is the first alternate art we were able to glimpse from Japan’s “Glory of Team Rocket.” This chibi-style card should be a hot collector’s item, even if its rarity level of IR should keep it’s value from reaching some of the other picks on this list.

#5 Misty’s Psyduck – Illustration Rare

Getting a Misty’s Psyduck IR is pretty epic, and the first time in a long time we’ve seen Misty featured on any card in the Pokemon TCG. The last one I remember is the Starmie V alternate art we got back in the Sword and Shield era. While that card artwork was pretty slick, there’s something extra tranquil about this IR card.

The only thing that might hold this card’s value back a tad is the fact that it’s a Psyduck featured. Not that Psyduck isn’t a relatively known Pokemon. It’s just this card would be even more collectible if it included the Misty’s Gyarados (a Pokemon we are also getting in this set).

#6 Ethan’s Typhlosion – Illustration Rare

Although being an Illustration Rare gives it less intrinsic value than Ethan’s Ho-Oh, in some ways this artwork is even more dynamic. Who doesn’t remember getting Cyndiquil as a basic when playing Gold and Silver and growing it into a powerful and mean Typhlosion. Gold and Silver were notorious for being too easy to beat, and I knew people (myself included) who could clear the entire thing with just a single, hyper-powered Typhlosion. Not to mention back in those days it was easy to clone your Pokemon via various exploits in the game.

I mention the nostalgia for early Pokemon video games because that’s the primary appeal of this card beyond its fabulous artwork. Few Pokemon cards have the kind of nostalgic appeal as Ethan paired with Typhlosion taking on their foes. Despite being only an illustration rare, this card should be a highly desired card.

#7 Cynthia's Roserade – Illustration Rare

Sometimes, a picture really does say a 1000 words. In this case, I really can’t explain why this card is going to be worth a lot beyond just looking at this card. Assuming you know how vastly popular Cynthia is as a trainer, a card that features her this prominently will be worth a ton, even if it’s not an SIR.

#8 Arven's Mabosstiff ex – Special Illustration Rare

Gettin an Arven’s Pokemon in this set is pretty notable as this set is otherwise pretty devoid of the latest trainers from Scarlet & Violet. I suppose that makes sense since so much of the Scarlet and Violet era was focused on the latest and greatest, with several sets even focusing on specific DLCs like Twilight Masquerade etc.

Otherwise, Arven and his Mabosstiff ex share a pretty heartwarming story, even if a bit sad. Will that be enough to catapult this card’s value? I think the greatest thing that will lend value to this particular card will be the fact it is an SIR. Otherwise, Arven probably isn’t quite as popular as the other trainers you can pull from Destined Rivals.

#9 Rocket’s Moltres ex – Special Illustration Rare

It’s been revealed that the Three Legendary Birds are going to be included in The Glory of Team Rocket, and undoubtedly will be part of Destined Rivals as well. This isn’t the first time that the Legendary Birds have been included in a Rocket set. Indeed, some of the most expensive Team Rocket Pokemon cards of all time are the trio of birds that were included in the Team Rocket Returns set back in the 2000s.

That being said, even those epic cards don’t hold a candle to the incredible beauty on display in this SIR. Moltres is often referred to mockingly as a “fire chicken” because of its looks. However, there’s nothing joking about this gorgeous illustration. Indeed, this card design by Akira Egawa single handedly up-levels Moltres, creating what is arguably the most beautiful Rocket’s card from the set.

#10 Nidoking ex – Special Illustration Rare

Getting a heavily stylaized Nidoking ex SIR was not necessarily on my bingo card for Destined Rivals, but it makes sense. If you remember from the first movie, Giovani does use Nidoking in battle against Mewtwo, so there’s certainly some nostalgia here.

Nidoking itself was something of a powerhouse back in the day – I remember using this Pokemon to take down the Elite Four when playing Pokemon Yellow several times. Here though we see Nidoking using what appears to be an Earthquake attack, which is one of the stronger attacks from that time.

Somewhat unexpectedly, however, this Nidoking has the dark typing. I suppose that makes sense as poison types are often given that typing in the card game. Either way, Nidoking’s artwork hard carries this card and should easily be towards the top of the list in regards to value once Destined rivals hits the shelves.

#11 Rocket’s Mewtwo ex – Hyper Rare

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – hyper rare “gold” cards have done very well in Scarlet & Violet, and this Rocket’s Mewtwo ex should be no exception. What’s the biggest predictor of how well a hyper rare version of a chase card will do on the secondary card market?

Well, they’re almost never worth as much as their SIR counterpart, but their value can increase dramatically depending on how much that SIR is worth. For example, in Surging Sparks when the SIR Tera Pikachu shot up in price, it’s gold version also went up.

So just how valuable will the Rocket’s Mewtwo ex Hyper Rare be? We’ll just have to wait and see how this set fairs overall on the secondary card market, but my outlook is optimistic to say the least.

#12 Rocket’s Crobat ex – Special Illustration Rare

It’s hard to get more Team Rocket than Crobat. In the games, Zubat and its evolved forms are frequently used by Team Rocket grunts. In this SIR, Crobat is pictured surrounded by its bad brethren and (surprise) a Rocket Grunt in the background.

#13 Team Rocket’s Giovanni – Special Illustration Rare

Giovanni is featured a whopping 10 times in the secret rare cards from this set. Clearly he’s the main antagonist of Destined Rivals. However, the supporter card named for him is likely to be among the most expensive. We’re not talking bank breaking value here but should be a solid card worth somewhere in the double digits.

#14 Team Rocket’s Ariana – Special Illustration Rare

Ariana is a Team Rocket executive originally introduced in the Gold/Silver era. That’s a pretty solid tie-in with Ethan from Destined Rivals, and she’s the only other member of team rocket to get an SIR outside of Giovanni himself.

#15 Rocket’s Houndoom – Illustration Rare

Last but not least is this incredibly exciting Illustration Rare card featuring the notorious Houndoom. Houndoom is very well recognized as a Team Rocket Pokemon with a dark typing that makes it an excellent choice for these hardened Pokemon criminals. While this card won’t see the same kind of value as the SIRs on this list due to its lower rarity, as we’ve seen time-and-time again, IRs can often upset expectations with how much value they are capable of drawing, especially when they featured beloved characters or phenomenal artwork like this.

While it’s still very early days for this set, I’ll continue to make updates to this list especially once actual market data is available. Until then, it’s clear Destined Rivals is destined to be an absolutely massive set for players and collectors, and an excellent way to help send the Scarlet and Violet era off with a bang.

The 15 Most Expensive Destined Rivals Pokemon Cards