The 17 Most Valuable Pokemon Cards Right Now (2025)
What is the most expensive Pokemon card right now?
You might be surprised by the answer. Over the last few months, the Pokemon TCG singles market has seen incredible fluctuations with many cards rising to unprecedented values. Much of the craze appears to be centered around specific characters. Renewed zeal for already popular Pokemon like Umbreon and Pikachu have driven cards on the periphery to newfound heights. It’s truly an exciting time to be a Pokemon TCG collector!
But how do you find what Pokemon cards are the most valuable right now?
There are a lot of lists out there of the most valuable Pokemon cards of all time. The problem is, these lists often focus on ridiculously rare, anomaly Pokemon cards that were given out to a select few people. Or, they focus on high level auctions featuring gem mint cards, which can often give a misleading idea of what you can expect your card’s value to fetch if you were to sell it yourself.
To really get at the heart of how much a card is worth, we analyzed the Pokemon cards with the highest market values available from our friends over at TCGplayer.
Latias Star – Deoxys
Market price: $900
Latias shows up several times on this list, proving itself as a fan favorite in the minds of Pokemon lovers. It’s not hard to see why: the Ruby/Sapphire era of Pokemon video games was certainly a high point, reaching record sales around the world. Latias was also featured in a killer, early Pokemon movie that’s a fan favorite, and still draws increased value whenever it is released in modern sets.
Take the Surging Sparks SIR Latias as a prime example: this legendary is Pokemon TCG gold!
Umbreon ex – Unseen Forces
Market price: $999
Just as John Donne once said no man is an island, the same goes for Pokemon cards. Trends that occur in one area of the Pokemon TCG market invariably impact seemingly unrelated cards. Take for example this Umbreon ex card from Unseen Forces. While this card may have released way back in 2005, it’s rarity and the fact that it is an Umbreon ex card have helped to catapult it to newfound success. This is undoubtedly thanks largely to the curren Umbreon bubble – a craze that is causing brand new cards to rise to the top of the heap in value among an already impressive list of valuable Pokemon cards.
Will this trend remain? I think it’s likely. Umbreon has proven itself to be a highly bankable card and should be considered up there besides Pikachu and Charizard as one of this franchise’s top characters.
Lugia Neo Genesis
Market price: $930
Neo Gensis hails from an epic era of the Pokémon TCG that is a personal favorite of mine, bringing not only this easily recognizable Lugia card into the fray but also one of my favorite cards of all time: the fantastic Shining Gyarados. Created in the midst of one Pokemon TCG peak, this card doesn’t fetch the value of some of today’s top chase cards. That being said, it’s a card with steady value that should make it a favorite of Pokemon TCG collectors looking for a card likely to hold its value.
Charizard – FireRed & LeafGreen
Market price: $950
Charizard ex from Fire Red & Leaf Green reminds us of an epic moment in the video game series.
The Fire Red & Leaf Green set is pretty old at this point, but holds a special place in our hearts because of how downright good those games were. We got to return to the place that sparked our love for the franchise, the Kanto Region, and do battle with the likes of Charizard as our starter Pokemon.
This card is pretty special, too, because it hails from that time period. And getting a near mint condition of this card isn’t going to cost you nearly as much as the other Charizard’s on this list, but could run you nearly $800.
Pikachu Star – Holon Phantoms
Market price: $999
Pikachu Star is a newcomer to this list. And while the star Pokemon are not exactly strangers to the top of the heap in card value, I can’t help but wonder if the new demand for this card isn’t being driven in part by the current Pokemon TCG wave. After Pikachu SIR reached such unexpected heights in Surging Sparks, it could be the rest of the higher value Pikachu cards in the Pokemon TCG are seeing added demand and popularity.
This phenomenon seems to be occuring with the Umbreon ex cards, showing an interesting pattern that once a particular Pokemon makes it big, the rest of their higher profile cards do well, too.
Blaine’s Charizard – Gym Challenge
Market price: $923
There are many valuable Charizard cards, and among the most valuable is an early version of the card printed with one of the original gym leaders, Blaine, on it. This legendary card comes from a set that should strike a chord with more recent fans of the TCG. We’re talking about the legendary trainer galleries that were a strong draw in the later Sword and Shield sets. Those galleries find their roots in the Gym Challenge sets that featured legendary Pokemon next to their most famous trainers.
Beyond that, it’s hard to say what drives the demand for this well loved Charizard card. Perhaps like myself, many have fond memories of collecting these well loved Pokemon next to their iconic trainers. Or maybe people just love Charizard. It’s difficult to know for sure.
Latias & Latios GX – Team Up
Market price: $1,199
The next most valuable card on the ungraded Pokemon card market is the Latias & Latios GX Alt Art card. This card is another anomaly on this list given it came out relatively recently, back in 2018. As for the reason for the high value? Well, the card is certainly rare, and it does feature some very popular Pokemon on it. In addition to that, people probably just really like the artwork, seeing two halves come together into such a meaningful and collectible heart-shaped pose.
First Edition Venusaur - Base Set (Shadowless) (BSS)
Market price: $1,015
A card that really needs no introduction, the original base set Venusaur remains one of the most valuable cards on the ungraded card market today. Finding this card in Near Mint Condition or better on the ungraded card market is going to be tricky, and will likely cost you over $1000. However, there are several available at the Lightly Played condition and better currently on TCGplayer.
Rayquaza Star
Market price: $1200
Rayquaza Star was the former #1 on this list of most expensive Pokemon cards. However, perhaps due in part to more accurate sales data being available for this card as well as a general boost in value to the Pokemon TCG market as a whole, Rayquza Star still fetches an impressive value while no longer topping the list itself.
Rayquaza Star is another example of an incredibly rare Delta Species Pokemon, although it doesn’t hail from Dragon Frontier. Regularly flying under the radar, it’s easily one of the most valuable Pokemon cards of all time.
As you may have noticed, prices in the Pokemon card market are largely dictated (among other things) by popularity of the Pokemon. Rayquaza is one of the most bankable Pokemon of all, lending in part to the recent popularity of Evolving Skies where it was featured prominently.
Charizard Skyridge
Market price: $1,200
Skyridge seems to be a very bankable expansion, with a high representation on this most valuable Pokemon cards list. What is it exactly about this particular Charizard card that people like so much? Certainly it’s beautiful, and it’s got that odd credit card look unique to the e-Redeader series cards. Perhaps the irregular typing also adds to this card’s high value. Whatever the reason, Skyridge cards are incredible valuable, and Charizard is one of the most valuable among them.
Shining Charizard - Neo Destiny (N4)
Market price: $1,421
Charizard features heavily on this list of most valuable Pokemon cards, and for good reason. Besides Pikachu, it is the franchise’s most recognizable Pokemon, and since the beginning has been synonymous with value and rarity in the Pokemon TCG world.
We dig a bit deeper into why this particular Charizard card is so valuable in our list of most valuable Charizard cards. But in summary, it’s the first shining version of Charizard, making it rare and desirable. At the same time, it also hails from a very big time in Pokemon card history, from sets that feature the Johto Pokemon – arguably one of the most popular generations of them all.
Umbreon Star - POP Series 5 (POP)
Market price: $2,230
If this card looks really familiar to you, it might be because you happened to pull its reprinted version from Pokemon Celebrations. But the one that’s really valuable is from the Prize Pack series 5. As these packs weren’t available to the general public at stores etc, very few of these cards are actually around. Added to this card’s desirability is the fact that it is an Umbreon, and everyone knows that Umbreon is the most popular of the very popular Eevee evolutions.
If you’re looking to pick this card up and add it to your collection, you can expect to be shelling out over $1000 on the ungraded market and a whopping $11,200 on the graded market.
Shadowless Base Set Charizard
Market Price: $1,599
Base set Charizard may be the gold standard in the Pokemon TCG, but in it’s ungraded form it takes fourth place on this list. After some turbulence on the market as of late for this as well as other expensive Charizard cards, the Charizard Base set is back on top as it deserves to be.
And while any base set Charizard is valuable, the most valuable among them is the Base Set Shadowless first edition Charizard. Part of a limited print run that occurred at the very beginning of the Pokemon TCG, these cards are very, very rare in pristine condition, making them arguably the most bankable of all Pokemon TCG investments.
Mew Star (Delta Species) - Dragon Frontiers (DF)
Market price: $1,500
Without a doubt, Delta Species – or Pokemon with atypical typing from an expansion released in the mid-2000s – are among the rarest and most valuable cards out there. Of these, few are more expensive on the ungraded market than Mew Star.
It’s not really surprising that the Mew Star Delta Species variant card would be so valuable. After all, it’s from a legendary pack (Dragon Frontiers) and it’s Mew. Mew is easily one of the best loved Pokemon of all time, with a special place in our hearts given its title as mythic Pokemon from the original Pokemon set.
Of all the Mew cards released over the years, however, this Mew is the most valuable. That being said, a new Mew ex shiny card is soon to be unleashed on the world in Paldean Fates.
Umbreon VMAX – Alternate Art
Market price: $1,536
Umbreon VMAX is the most popular card of the epic Sword and Shield era of Pokemon TCG, and also hails from the mega legendary Evolving Skies expansion (arguably the best Pokemon pack to buy right now).
Just why is this card so valuable? It’s got the most popular of the very popular Eeveelutions (Umbreon) and it’s booping the moon. Not to mention stellar artwork, and a legendary pull rate making it extraordinarily rare.
The price for this card continues to increase overtime, making it a solid investment for mega card collectors.
See the market price history of this card in our Umbreon VMAX alt art guide.
Umbreon ex SIR – Prismatic Evolutions
Market price: $1,604
If this list proves anything, it’s that retro Pokemon cards aren’t the only ones collecting a high value on the secondary card market. Indeed, the second most valuable Pokemon card of all is the legendary Sunbreon or Umbreon ex SIR from Prismatic Evolutions.
Indeed, this epic chase card has sent the Pokemon TCG world into a crazed spiral the likes of which we haven’t seen since the height of the pandemic when scalpers and collectors alike raided local shops and department stores in hopes of collecting anything Pokemon TCG related.
However, as we know, the odds of actually pulling this card are not great, lending extra value to this rare card.
Lugia (Aquapolis)
Market price: $2,386
There’s a new king of the hill when it comes to the most expensive cards right now on the ungraded secondary card market, and that’s none other than this gorgeous Lugia card from the Aquopolis set, hailing from the e-Card series of the Pokemon TCG. These e-Card Pokemon cards have proven to be quite the collector item despite their somewhat odd look compared to most cards. However, not only is this era known for gorgeous chase cards, there’s something about these early cards that provide a nostalgic factor that’s quite unique.
I was old enough to have gotten e-Cards in packs, but I didn’t pull any particularly rare ones. I’m sure many like myself and even those older than me have a fond memory of this particular phase of the game, and their distinct look certainly make them stand out in a crowd.
That being said, the artwork itself is stupendous as we see a hazy Lugia making its way through a flurry of snow. Definitely peak card design here.
A Few Important Notes on How this List of Most Valuable Pokemon Cards Was Compiled
Condition massively impacts value of a card
The graded card market has its own specific rules for how to asses the potential value of a Pokemon card. The ungraded market, however, can be more open to interpretation. Before purchasing or selling ungraded cards, look at our guide to understand the different conditions of a card, and how those broad conditions affect the value of a card.
What is market value?
Market value is the most accurate way to assess the value of a card. While many sellers will list cards at inflated prices, that won’t influence the market value. Market value is influenced only by the confirmed sales number an actual sold card has fetched. This way, you know what it is people are actually willing to pay for a card, not some arbitrary number being listed online or at an auction with a select group of buyers.
