What are the top Paldean Fates chase cards to collect?

Paldean Fates may not be released in English yet, but we have a pretty good idea of what the top chase cards are going to be thanks to the fact that the set its based on – Shiny Treasure ex – is already available in Japan. In addition to the cards revealed in that set, the English versions of Paldean Fates spoilers are slowly being officially revealed.

In this list, we’ll be sharing which of those are the top Paldean Fates chase cards based on how well they are performing now, as well as how likely they are to retain value overtime.

*Updated May 7, 2024 with the current most valuable Paldean Fates chase cards. Each card includes up-to-date market data info gathered from actual card sales.

Shiny Mew ex – Special Illustration Rare

This card’s artwork is epic in its simplicity. While I may like the Mew ex from Pokemon 151’s Ultra Premium Collection even better, I can’t deny that this card looks cool. I especially appreciate the way they took care to only depict Pokemon from the original 151, keeping with the theme of that epic special set released previous to this one.

Mew here appears in its shiny form – a blue variation you’ll notice is different than its patented pink look. Blue definitely suits this Pokemon though. I can’t wait to get my hands on this super rare Mew ex version. And I’m sure plenty of other players can’t wait, either.

Shiny Gardevoir ex – Special Illustration Rare

Gardevoir ex Paldean Fates Chase Card — Market price: $47.82

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Going from pink to blue must be something Psychic Pokemon have in common when they appear in their shiny variations. I actually like this special illustration rare better than Gardevoir ex’s existing alternate art from Scarlet and Violet’s base set. The setting is pretty magical, and you get the feeling that you’re accidentally walking upon this rare shining Pokemon in the wild.

Gardevoir ex is not only something of a favorite Pokemon for many fans, it’s also a hugely popular and successful deck right now. And when cards are both collectible and competitively viable, you can bet they are going to be right at the top of any chase card list.

Shiny Charizard ex – Special Illustration Rare

Market price: $108.12

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Seeing this card makes me wonder if Pokemon wasn’t fully satisfied with their smash hit that was Obsidian Flames. Here we have the same Tera Charizard as from that set only in its famous shiny form – black and red all over. Even I have to say, though, this is a pretty stellar card. And while we’ve had a lot of stellar Charizard cards in recent years, none of them have been quite like this one.

There’s just something about the texture of this image that makes it feel real – like somehow you’re actually touching that Charizard’s tough exterior.

Either way, this is likely to be a Moby Dick sized chase card for Paldean Fates.

Iono – Special Illustration Rare

Iono Paldean Fates English Card — Market price: $33.06

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Pokemon has finally officially revealed that the Iono Special Illustration rare card we’ve all been excited about will in fact be a part of Paldean Fates!

Oh, I’m not talking about that famous card that to this day seems to be single handedly driving up prices for Paldea Evolved packs. I’m talking about the new Iono Special Illustration Rare card that’s about to take the Pokemon world by storm. Iono has proven to be not only one of the chase cards from its set but from the Scarlet & Violet era of Pokemon TCG, and I doubt this version will be any different.

Arven – Special Illustration Rare

This is our first illustration rare card featuring the incredibly popular Arven card. Arven is a powerful card, enabling you to bring a Pokemon tool and item into your hand. Although an illustration rare of a previous card, the artwork here is captivating, depicting food, Pokemon, and a perfectly front and center Poke Ball that grabs your attention.

Penny Special Illustration Rare

Last but not least we have our final card reprint-turned-illustration rare in the form of Penny. Penny has been a fascinating card since her original release in the Scarlet & Violet base set, enabling you to bounce any basic Pokemon from the active spot or bench into your hand (and along with it all attached cards). Penny has certainly seen some play in competitive level cards, and this artwork uplevels her to a whole new status.

Why exactly?

Well…this card features an Umbreon. And everyone knows that Umbreon is the most popular of all the popular Eevee Evolutions. Given the gorgeous and mysterious artwork combined with the Umbreon, Paldean Fates chase card should hold up incredibly well in value overtime.

Shiny Rare Pikachu

Many players are in the hunt for Pokemon’s mascot, Pikachu, in their Paldean Fates booster packs. Right now, this card is carrying a particularly impressive price tag online. That alone makes mentioning it here worthwhile. Right now, it’s one of the more expensive Pikachu cards out there. However, this inflated price is not likely to last. As Paldean Fates packs continue to be opened, more and more players will undoubtedly pull shiny rare Pikachu cards. After all, Shiny rare Pokemon are not actually all that difficult to pull.

Still, this card is a major hype card right now and rightfully included as a top Paldean Fates chase card.

Shiny Rare Charmander

Pikachu isn’t the only shiny rare demanding an impressive price online right now. The other shiny rare card from Paldean Fates that trainers are chasing is shiny Charmander. Of course, we don’t need to reiterate how popular Charmander’s evolved form is (Charizard cards are some of the most expensive Pokemon cards of all). Still, it can be a little surprising to see the less famous starter Pokemon topping the charts as a valuable chase card.

It shouldn’t by now, however. Charmander has done well in other recent sets. Take, for example, the popular Pokemon 151 set. Charmander is also one of the top chase cards of that set.

Needless to say, people love Charmander almost as much as they love Charizard, and really dedicated shiny hunters are going to be looking to collect the set – shiny Charmander, Charizard and Charizard ex.

Charmeleon – Shiny Rare

Speaking of…Charmeleon is another one of the most valuable cards in Paldean Fates right now. Which is not exactly hard to see why. This Charmeleon looks really cool, and has a pretty terrific attack. I’d totally run it in a Charizard ex deck just to look extra fancy at my local events.

Despite an abundance of Charizard evolution chain Pokemon being featured in Pokemon expansions lately, it’s pretty clear to see that Charizard remains a very bankable Pokemon.

Shiny Pidgey, Ditto, and Snorlax

Originally we called Shiny Pidge, Ditto, and Snorlax to be the sleeper chase cards of the set: those that were undervalued. Now, they are in the top 12 most expensive Paldean Fates cards.

Pidgey has been doing well despite being a relatively easy to pull Shiny Rare, and so has Ditto and Snorlax shiny rares. Of course, all three of these cards have in common the fact that they are generation one Pokemon, so that is probably helping out their market value. Nostalgia sells!

Our Verdict

Paldean Fates is a pretty epic set. Pokemon has certainly done a great job with its chase cards – combining some of the greatest hits from the Scarlet & Violet era so far and compiling them into one epic set that’s sure to go down in history as one of the greats.

Additionally, the value for these cards has held up incredibly well since the sets release, and many of these cards have actually increased in value! This is easily one of the best Pokemon packs to buy right now.

The 12 Most Expensive Paldean Fates Chase Cards