Surging Sparks has many exciting cards in it, including a powerful and gorgeous new Pikachu ex Special Illustration Rare, as well as plenty of chase cards featuring Pokemon and trainers from past and recent generations.

But which Surging Sparks Pokemon cards are the most expensive?

Despite already being out for a while at this point, Surging Sparks is one of those rare Pokemon sets that seems to only get better from a value perspective overtime. Indeed, most of these cards have only gone up in value as legends of this exceptionally good set have spread.

Below, let’s take a look at the top Surging Sparks chase cards of them all based on the latest market data from actual sales!

#1. Pikachu ex – Special Illustration Rare is the most expensive Surging Sparks card

Pikachu looks so serene in this card – almost like it has no idea how many packs are being ripped apart by Pokemon TCG fans in hopes of pulling this ultimate chase card. Not only is it the most sought after card in Surging Sparks: it’s arguably the most desirable card in the Scarlet & Violet era to date.

This Pikachu ex SIR is without a doubt the top chase card of the set. Already, Pikachu is selling for well over $500 online which is very impressive for a Scarlet & Violet era card.

Gorgeously drawn, effectively composed, and complete with the most iconic character in all of Pokemon while backed by a powerful ability and attack combo, Pikachu ex is highly sought by collectors, players, and downright Pikachu fanatics the world over.

#2. Latias ex – Special Illustration Rare

Latias is the second most expensive card in Surging Sparks. It’s got all the hallmarks of a top chase – insane playability, a popular/nostalgic Pokemon, gorgeous artwork and incredible rarity. From a competitive standpoint, the thing Latias ex has going for it is its powerful Skyline ability – an ability that grants free retreat for Basic Pokemon.

An ability like that is going to be insane in decks focused on Basic Pokemon: decks like Raging Bolt ex, or Roaring Moon ex, or even the soon to be released Pikachu ex. We’ll be seeing a lot of this card in competitive play, but collectors will also be shelving it for its broad appeal and incredible beauty.

#3. Pikachu ex – Hyper Rare

Pikachu ex gold — Market price: $173.23

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Pikachu ex gets several treatments in this expansion, and although this one is the only “gold” card, each one is worth money. While it’s not fetching the kind of value the SIR print is getting, it’s still more valuable than most chase cards in other modern sets.

#4. Milotic ex – Special Illustration Rare

Milotic ex SIR — Market price: $146.62

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I’ve had a fondness for Milotic since I evolved my own from a Feebas back when I played Pokemon Ruby religiously. Feebas was pretty hard to find in the wild, lending to the fun and challenge of getting your own Milotic. While not as fierce, Milotic has a similar appeal as Gyarados in the whole uggly-duckling-turned-attractive-Pokemon way. Only what Milotic lacks in ferocity it more than makes up for in beauty.

And Milotic’s natural grace and beauty helps make this gorgeously composed Special Illustration Card what it is – a work of art.

The artwork is ingeniously done. Half the card features a look at Milotic submerged under greenish water – the other half out in fresh air in what appears to be a forest lake. While the top half of the artwork is mostly sparse except for the silouhetts of some trees, allowing us to focus visually on the color and majesty of Milotic, the bottom half is alive with water vegetation, intricate detail, life and color.

The busyness of the bottom half of the print almost serves to excentuate Milotic’s beauty as it’s left alone in the upper half for us to gaze in marvel at.

All-in-all, this has to be one of the most gorgeous cards of Scarlet & Violet, even if the relatively less popular Pokemon will hold it’s price back from being at the very top of the list.

Feebas – Illustration Rare

Market price: $7.14

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Before moving onto the next chase on this list, you should also check out the Feebas Illustration Rare coming out in this set that corresponds with Milotic. While it won’t top the list in value, it’s a gorgeous card that many collectors will be hunting for due to its thematic and artistic tie-in with Milotic ex.

#5. Hydreigon ex – Special Illustration Rare

Beautiful and competitively viable, Hydreigon ex is going to be the top chase card in this set for many. Its Obsidian attack is reminiscent of one of the strongest Pokemon in the game at one point: Rapid Strike Urshifu VMAX. Being able to dish out 130 damage to any two Pokemon is unparalleled in the game right now, and it doesn’t even force you to discard energy like Radiant Greninja’s Moonlight Shuriken does. Needless to say, many are excited to build their own Hydreigon ex deck.

#6. Alolan Exeggutor ex – Special Illustration Rare

This Special Illustration Rare is a valuable card mostly due to its rarity. The artwork is also nice, as far as its subject matter allows. I’ve just never been the biggest fan of the Alolan version of Exeggutor. I get he looks like a big walking palm tree. But that’s just not my definition of what makes a Pokemon cool.

Regardless, it does have that appeal of being an Alolan version of one of the original Kanto 151, and this one appears in dragon form, meaning it has no weaknesses.

From a player’s standpoint, the Swinging Sphene is a pretty attractive attack, letting you automatically knock out a basic Pokemon. This could be a powerful counter to some of the basic focused decks popular right now – a fact which could (and since originally writing this has) drive further value for this card.

#7. Lisia’s Appeal – Special Illustration Rare

Lisia's Appeal SIR — Market price: $67.14

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Most modern Pokemon TCG sets have a supporter chase card alongside the rare Pokemon. This expansion’s is Lisia’s Appeal. Not only is the artwork great (Altaria and all), Lisia’s Appeal has a strong effect, working much like the ever popular Boss’s Order’s only with an added advantage of making your foe’s Pokemon confused.

#8. Jasmine’s Gaze – Special Illustration Rare

This alternate art featuring OG trainer Jasmine from the Johto region might just be one of the hottest cards from Surging Sparks. It’s set in a familiar setting to many of us – a charming cafe filled to the brim with sandwiches, sweets and even an Alcremie relaxing seruptisiously by the cakes. Jasmine is turning around looking at us in this illustration, almost like we’ve taken her by surprise. It’s a brilliant concept that achieves the dual purpose of drawing us in and tying in with the title of this card.

I don’t think Jasmine’s Gaze will see much play competitively, but she should be relatively valuable on the secondary card market, and certainly a chase card of many especially older fans of the franchise.

#9. Pikachu ex – Ultra Rare

Despite being considerably easier to pull than a Special Illustration Rare, this Ultra Rare Pikachu ex draws a decent market value just from bearing one of Pokemon’s most bankable characters of them all.

Apart from it being a Pikachu chase card, players are already clamoring for the new Pikachu ex deck, seeing it’s combination of attack and ability as a strategic advantage in the Pokemon TCG. Basically, Pikachu ex can withstand any hit and have 10 HP remaining, while its attack dishes out an unheard of 300 base damage. That’s pretty insane, with the only issue being its relatively random collection of energies it takes to power it up.

#10. Latios – Illustration Rare

Latios IR — Market price: $37.18

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As cool as the Latias SIR card is from this expansion, this Latios Illustration Rare might be even more gorgeous. Latios has always been my favorite of the pair, and here we get a glimpse of the iconic Pokemon flying out into the sunset over the city we all know from the Pokemon Heroes movie.

Of course, given its lesser rarity, this Latios won’t be worth as much as Latis. But don’t underestimate the potential value of a gorgeous Illustration Rare card! They often end up being the most valuable from any given set.

#11. Durant ex – Special Illustration Rare

It seems that whenever Durant makes its way into the Pokemon TCG it comes with some sort of mill strategy. Otherwise, this card’s status as a an SIR brings it more value than it otherwise would have. I’m a little surprised here that it is outranking some of the other supporter characters that also received similarly rare cards. However, there must be just enough Durant fans out there to push this Pokemon up into the top 15 in regards to value.

#12. Night Stretcher – Hyper Rare

Hyper rare cards (also known as gold cards) featuring commonly used items tend to do very, very well on the secondary card market. Night Stretcher is one of those cards. With an effect that lets you bring back any basic energy or a Pokemon card (regardless of stage) from your discard to your hand is pretty broken, especially in the current standard meta.

#13. Archaludon ex – Special Illustration Rare

#10 Archaludon ex – Special Illustration Rare — Market price: $26.42

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Archaludon ex SIR is a compelling card. While far from an iconic Pokemon, it’s a powerful one in the video game, and this artwork is pretty crazy. Once again, this card’s value is driven a lot by how rare it is.

Beyond that, I could see this card working well when paired with existing metal decks – like the Dialga VSTAR deck that seems to always come back as a fad in competitive play.

#14. Alolan Exeggutor ex – Hyper Rare

Despite all odds, Alolan Exeggutor ex has seen competitive level success when included in the Regidrago VSTAR deck. I can’t help but wonder if that is partly to blame for this card making its way into the top fifteen most expensive cards in this epic set. That coupled with its zany appearance could make this card a reasonably exciting one for many to pull.

#15. Ceruledge – Illustration Rare

Just like you can’t judge a book by its cover, you can always judge a Pokemon card by its rarity alone. Right now, this Illustration Rare Ceruledge card is performing very well on the market despite being a lesser rarity than most of the other cards on this list. Honstly, given how cool this artwork is, it’s not hard to see why.

It’s also not unheard of for IRs to make it to the top of the heap in modern sets despite their lesser rarity. Many of the top cards from Scarlet & Violet era sets have been Illustration Rares. Just think of the Eevee from Twilight Masquerade, for example, which is one of the most expensive cards of the year!

#16. Clemont’s Quick Wit – Special Illustration Rare

There’s a pretty incredible range of secret rare cards in this set from incredible era-defining chase cards worth over $300 to more humble cards worth just a little more than pocket change. Clemont’s Quick Wit is on the more affordable end of the cards on this set.

A little Pokemon lore that helps show how Clemont fits into this particular set: if you couldn’t tell from the cables and tools, this trainer specializes in electric Pokemon – the ideal kind of trainer to be included in an electric-Pokemon-themed set like Surging Sparks.

#17. Drayton – Special Illustration Rare

I’m not gonna lie – I totally would have thought Drayton would’ve ended up higher up on this list. But it is what it is. I guess most collectors fail to apprecaite this laid back dragon master for what he is – a chill guy who’s also an unusually strong trainer. Maybe it’s not that at all. Maybe it’s just that Surging Sparks is such an epic set that in comparison Drayton feels ordinary.

Here we see him shopping at the store you can go to at the Bluberry Acadamy which is pretty cool. Otherwise, this card is still commanding a strong enough value to make it into the top 20 most expensive Surging Sparks cards. And for a set that just seems to get better with age, that’s saying something.

#18. Jet Energy – Hyper Rare

Speaking of cards that are worth far less than I would have though – I had pegged Jet Energy as one of the most valuable in Surging Sparks ahead of the release. Jet Energy is a fairly commonly used card so I had thought players would be eager to pick this one up in order to add it to their deck. However, Jet Energy is used far less these days than it used to be which is probably partly to blame for the lower price tag.

It seems the chase hyper rare item from this set isn’t really Jet Energy so much as the Night Stretcher covered above.

#19. Gravity Mountain – Hyper Rare

While Gravity Mountain saw some hype leading into the Surging Sparks format as an interesting tech to take down big Stage 2 Pokemon or extend the reach of Dusknoir, in the end it’s really this card’s natural, scenic artwork that drives its demand. While that’s not enough to put it at the top of the hyper rare cards from this set, it still commands a decent market value.

#20. Skarmory – Illustration Rare

Personally I’m pretty happy to see this artistic take on Skarmory make it into the top 20 from this set. Not only does the artwork feature an impressionistic take on the landscaep in the background, but it merges this with almost a hyper realistic depiction of the Skarmory’s metalic body. This is excentuated by the aluminum feeling cars in the background that bring to mind adventure in the great outdoors.

Artwork wise this Skarmory is striking, and Skarmory is actually a pretty Pokemon from the early generations, adding to the allure of this card.

20 Most Expensive Cards in Surging Sparks