The year 2025 was monumental for the Pokémon TCG, as it marked the end of the Scarlet & Violet era and also heralded the Mera Evolution generation. The amazing 2025 line of Pokémon royalty cards has paved the way for a huge 30th anniversary celebration in 2026 as the Pokémon TCG confirms it's here to stay.
Charizard and Umbreon return with some of the most stunning illustrations ever, setting a new standard for all modern Pokemon cards to strive for. The new era of the Pokémon TCG is here, and the most valuable cards of 2025 promise to be the ones to watch.
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Reshiram ex: White Flare (Special Illustration Rare) – $186.47
Black Bolt and White Flare debuted side-by-side as companion sets that, when combined, include illustration rares or special illustration rares of each Pokémon from the Unova region. This concept took the idea of a completely Kanto-themed Scarlet & Violet: 151 set to the next level, with Black Bolt and White Flare covering all the bases.
Pokemon TCG: Most Valuable Mega Pokemon in Mega Dream ex
Megas. Megas, everywhere.
Reshiram ex stands out as the best special illustration rare chase card in White Flare, though it faces an uphill battle against the most expensive card in the set. However, Reshiram's nearly $200 price tag confirms that this card is in high demand and will likely stand out as one of the best displays of Reshiram.
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Vaporeon ex: Prismatic Evolutions (Special Illustration Rare) – $192.19
From the special set that closed the Scarlet & Violet era in White Flare to the one that kicked off 2025, Prismatic evolution he will live on in our hearts and minds for a long time. This generation's Eevee-themed masterpiece includes every Eeveelution in the main set – a distinguishing factor that sets it apart from Sword & Shield's Evolving Skies.
Vaporeon may not be the most valuable Eeveelution of the set, but it outranks several others, including its Canton peers in Jolteon and Flareon. This terrastalized Vaporeon may be the coolest interpretation we've seen of this iconic Water-type Pokemon, with plenty of color and beautiful details to admire.
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Mega Lucario ex: Mega Evolution (Special Illustration Rare) – $194.86
Mega Lucario is one of the most popular Mega Evolutions, so it only makes sense that his Special Illustration Rare is one of the most expensive pokemon cards of 2025. Even if Lucario's presence wasn't enough to convince you of this card's cool factor, a look at the background might make an impression.
Lucario prepares a powerful strike that he directs at the Mega Venusaur facing him across the battlefield. The dynamic action sequence on this card easily makes it one of the best chase cards of 2025 for visual appeal alone – and that's even before factoring in this card's status as one of the two most sought-after special illustrations in the set.
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Glaceon ex: Prismatic Evolutions (Special Illustration Rare) – $197.23
Glaceon tends to fly under the radar among the most popular Eeveelutions, but its status as one of the most valuable cards in Prismatic Evolutions cannot be ignored. However, just one look at this card's clean blue and white background, contrasted with Tera's iridescent crown, will blow your mind.
All of Prismatic Evolution's other Eeveelutions SIRs have much busier designs that focus on nuance and dozens of achievements, but Glaceon proves that sometimes less is more. The background is very simple, but it lets Glaceon shine as the real star of the show, thanks to its central location and masterful color juxtaposition.
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Espeon ex: Prismatic Evolutions (Special Illustration Rare) – $201.15
The Prismatic Evolutions hype train is unstoppable, and this set's strong presence among the most valuable Pokemon cards of 2025 should come as no surprise. Eeveelutions will always be some of the most popular, sought after and therefore expensive cards in the Pokémon TCG due to their broad appeal and mix of cute and cool.
This Espeon ex features a much busier scene than Glaceon ex, making it a bit more difficult to appreciate its beauty on screen, but this card shines up close. Espeon's tera crown spans the entire scene, creating a brilliantly colorful refraction of rainbow colors along with a few flowers swaying peacefully in the background.
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Mega Gardevoir ex: Mega Evolution (Special Illustration Rare) – $209.18
Mega Gardevoir ex is one of the most expensive chases from the Mega Evolution set, which launched a new generation of the same name. One of the distinguishing details of the two main SIRs – Gardevoir and Lucario – is that you can spot other Pokémon in the scene with them.
In the case of Mega Gardevoir, all of his pre-evolved forms, including regular Gardevoir, are present in the background, creating a family portrait-style scene. There's a lot going on here, so it may take a while to get your bearings and catch every detail on this card.
Gardevoir has some great pursuit cards from the past, but this SIR probably enters the discussion for the best Gardevoir ever when you consider its inclusion of an entire evolution line in a single scene.
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Zekrom ex: Black Bolt (Special Illustration Rare) – $223.24
The price of Zekrom has rebounded in a fairly stable band above the $200 mark within the first few months of its debut, so there's still plenty of time before we can declare this card one of Zekrom's most valuable cards, especially considering its competition in 2025. Zekrom completes the duo with Reshiram, as the best SIR Black Bolt and White Flare are currently $225.
If you are looking for one of the most epic Zekrom illustrations then you can stop looking because you have found it. There are other excellent examples of Zekrom looking mighty or regal in other sets, but the action shots that have become a hallmark of the best chase cards of 2025 do wonders for this powerful Dragon-type legend.
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Cynthia's Garchomp ex: Destined Rivals (Special Illustration Rare) – $242.73
Despite failing to make the top 20 Pokemon TCG cards of 2025, Journey Together played a huge role by introducing the return of pokemon trainer cards like Cynthia's Garchomp ex by Destined Rivals.
This subset features the popular trainer alongside one of their most famous Pokemon partners from the main Pokemon game series, some of which also appear in spin-off games such as Pokemon Masters EX.
As one of, if not the, most popular and powerful champions in Pokemon history, Cynthia earns her place among the best chase cards from 2025 alongside her beloved Garchomp. Destined Rivals faced huge competition from Prismatic Evolutions this year, but still managed to offer this incredible SIR to the list along with one more to come.
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Leafeon ex: Prismatic Evolutions (Special Illustration Rare) – $263.85
Leafeon jumps ahead of Mewtwo as this bright green artwork from Prismatic Evolutions draws more attention than most other cards with its striking green color palette. This card offers a more detail-oriented version of Prismatic Evolutions' Glaceon ex, as Leafeon still appears as a clear central focus, but the background here is much more complex.
The white flowers and green leaves on the trees surrounding Leafeon are the perfect backdrop for this Pokémon. The green focus on this card also serves a dual purpose, subliminally suggesting that owning a copy will require a significant amount of green money.
However, paper money is not the only currency you can exchange for the most valuable Pokemon TCG 2025 cards.
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Mega Gardevoir ex: Mega Evolution (Mega Hyper Rare) – $315.95
Gold Mega Gardevoir ex is one of the new cards that belongs to the new rarity level: Mega Hyper Rares. These Hyper Rare cards feature a monochromatic gold background that pays homage to the Gold Secret Rares of past generations, with another minor tweak to the design.
This time around, the Pokemon on the Mega Hyper Rare cards is more of an etched silhouette that breaks through the massive gold background. Unfortunately, some Pokemon like Gardevoir can get a little lost in the design and end up looking like a disembodied floating head like this card. Visuals aside, Mega Gardevoir is making waves with a price tag of over $300 to usher us into the upper echelon of value cards.
