Destined Rivals Set Guide

Destined Rivals is the next upcoming English Pokemon TCG set, with a scheduled release date of May 30, 2025. It is based on the Japanese sets Heat Wave Arena (already released on March 14) and Glory of Team Rocket (releasing April 18, 2025). With its strong connection to Team Rocket, Destined Rivals is shaping up to be one of the most anticipated releases of the Scarlet & Violet block. 

We’ve put together this Destined Rivals set guide to help you explore everything this exciting release has to offer—from standout cards and set details to some of the best products to buy for Destined Rivals.

Here is everything you need to know about Destined Rivals!

Destined Rivals Set Overview

Destined Rivals is the tenth set in the Scarlet & Violet era of the Pokémon TCG, officially launching on May 30, 2025, with prerelease events running from May 17 to May 25. This highly anticipated set draws from Japan’s Heat Wave Arena, Glory of Team Rocket, and the Marnie & Steven decks, bringing together a fiery mix of nostalgia, villainy, and fan-favorite characters.

The set heavily features Team Rocket and their iconic Pokémon, including over 85 Trainer’s Pokémon, with more than 45 specifically aligned with Team Rocket. In total, Destined Rivals includes:

• 240+ cards
• 83 cards tagged as Team Rocket’s
• 17 Pokémon ex, including 10 Trainer’s Pokémon ex
• 23 Illustration Rares
• 11 Special Illustration Rares
• 6 Hyper Rare gold-etched cards
• 45+ Pokémon and Trainer cards with special illustrations
• 20+ Trainer cards

The Elite Trainer Box promo features Team Rocket’s Wobbuffet, a playful nod to Jessie and James. The Pokémon Center edition of the ETB will include both a regular and a stamped version of the card, while the standard version includes only the regular.

Notably, there will be no Enhanced Booster Box for this set.

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Destined Rivals Top Cards

Although we have the entire Heat Wave Arena card list, At the time of writing this article, we only know a small selection of cards from the upcoming Japanese set Glory of Team Rocket. This is interesting to note, because the Team Rocket part of Destined Rivals is what everyone is so excited about.

Here are 2 of the favorite cards leaked from Glory of Team Rocket so far:

With dozens of SIRs, IRs, and Secret Rare cards still waiting to be revealed from Glory of Team Rocket, collectors speculate that the best is still to come. That said, Heat Wave Arena has been a massive success on its own, with popular cards like Cynthia's Garchomp ex and Ethan's Ho-oh ex commanding a premium. Heat Wave Arena is a great foundation to start Destined Rivals.

Here are the top 10 most expensive cards from Heat Wave Arena. Be sure to check out our article on the most expensive cards from Heat Wave Arena for a closer look. 

Cynthia's Garchomp ex Special Art Rare #087

Cynthia's Garchomp ex Special Art Rare #087 Check eBay Check Amazon

Ethan's Ho-Oh ex Special Art Rare #086

Ethan's Ho-Oh ex Special Art Rare #086 Check eBay Check Amazon

Ethan's Adventure Special Art Rare #089

Ethan's Adventure Special Art Rare #089 Check eBay Check Amazon

Cynthia's Garchomp ex Ultra Rare #091

Cynthia's Garchomp ex Ultra Rare #091 Check eBay Check Amazon

Ethan's Ho-Oh ex Ultra Rare #090

Ethan's Ho-Oh ex Ultra Rare #090 Check eBay Check Amazon

Arven's Mabosstiff ex Special Art Rare #088

Arven's Mabosstiff ex Special Art Rare #088 Check eBay Check Amazon

Yanmega ex Special Art Rare #085

Yanmega ex Special Art Rare #085 Check eBay Check Amazon

Misty's Psyduck Art Rare #071

Misty's Psyduck Art Rare #071 Check eBay Check Amazon

Ethan's Typhlosion Art Rare #070

Ethan's Typhlosion Art Rare #070 Check eBay Check Amazon

Ethan's Adventure Super Rare #084

Ethan's Adventure Super Rare #084 Check eBay Check Amazon

As the release of Glory of Team Rocket draws near, new card reveals will continue to roll in. Be sure to keep an eye on our Destined Rivals card list as it gets updated with the latest additions.

What to Buy for Destined Rivals

With demand continuing to surge in the Pokemon TCG market, it is no surprise that product has already been extremely difficult to source for Destined Rivals. While we have seen a few product drops between the Pokemon Center and sites like Best Buy and Target, most of the product has been purchased by bots and scalpers looking for a quick flip.

That said, many users in our Discord have been able to compete with the bots by using our restock alerts. If you want the best shot at getting high-demand items at release, consider joining our free Discord server that provides alerts when items go live.

Destined Rivals is a standard set release which means it will come with a booster box. Although Journey Together came with an Enhanced Booster Box (which included a box topper), there is no mention currently of any plans for an Enhanced Booster Box for Destined Rivals. 

Here are some of the best products to buy for Destined Rivals, but check out our Destined Rivals Buying Guide for more options: 

Booster Box

	What's Inside? 36 booster packs. Check eBay Check Amazon
The Destined Rivals Booster Box has an expected MSRP around $161.64.

The Destined Rivals Booster Box is your standard 36-pack box which provides some of the best value for your price per pack - as long as you can find it at MSRP. These boxes have been sold on Pokemon Center, Best Buy, and Target so far - though we are expecting more drops, particularly on Walmart. Be sure to join our Discord server to be notified when a drop happens.

Elite Trainer Box

	What's Inside? 9 booster packs, Full art Team Rocket's Wobbuffet promo, TCG accessories. Check eBay Check Amazon
The Destined Rivals Elite Trainer Box has an expected MSRP around $59.99.

The Destined Rivals Elite Trainer Box (ETB) comes with 9 booster packs, TCG accessories, and the Team Rocket's Wobbuffet full art promo card. The Pokemon Center version of this box will include 2 of the promos, one with a PC stamp.

Booster Bundle

	What's Inside? 6 booster packs. Check eBay Check Amazon
The Destined Rivals Booster Bundle is has an expected MSRP around $27.99.

The Destined Rivals Booster Bundle is a great deal if you can find it for MSRP. At a price of $27.99, You are getting a pack price of around $4.66, compared to a booster box pack price of $4.49. Not a bad deal to get a similar experience without breaking the bank. Booster bundles do not include any additional promo cards or TCG accessories, making them perfect for someone who just wants to rip packs. 

3-Pack Blister

	What's Inside? 3 booster packs, Kangaskhan or Zebstrika promo card. Check eBay Check Amazon
The Destined Rivals 3-Pack Blister is has an expected MSRP around $14.99.

If you are looking to spend less money, the 3-pack blisters are a great choice. At $14.99 you are paying right around $5/pack and getting an extra promo card. The Destined Rivals 3-packs come with either a Kangaskhan or a Zebstrika. These are foil promos that typically cannot be obtained outside of the 3-pack.

Destined Rivals will also have a Build & Battle Box. The prerelease promos included will be Team Rocket's Tyranitar, Team Rocket's Mimikyu, Misty's Garados, and Ethan's Typhlosion.

Coming June 13th, we will be getting the Team Rocket's Mewtwo ex box and the Cynthia's Garchomp ex Premium Collection. Both of these products should feature Destined Rivals packs as well as Journey Together, so we expect these boxes to have a lot of demand. They will MSRP for $21.99 and $39.99 respectively.

Where to Buy Destined Rivals?

Pokemon has indicated that their printing will be ramping up, which is good news because the supply/demand on this set is completely off the charts. With Prismatic Evolutions and Pokemon-151 getting reprints in May, we can be hopeful that we will see multiple waves of Destined Rivals. That said, there is no sign of demand dropping any time soon, so be watchful for drops and opportunities to source Destined Rivals for MSRP.

Destined Rivals will likely be available in most big box stores such as Walmart, Best Buy, Target, and GameStop. Additionally, it will be available on PokemonCenter.com, Amazon, eBay, and plenty of third party seller websites.

GameStop has the following release schedule posted for their in-person release dates. Be sure to call your local GameStop closer to the specified date to confirm product and pricing:

GameStop Destined Rivals Release Schedule

Product Name	Release Date
ETB	5/30/2025
Booster Box	5/30/2025
Booster Packs	5/30/2025
3-Pack Blisters	5/30/2025
Booster Bundle	6/6/2025
Build & Battle	6/13/2025

To stay up to date with the Destined Rivals drops be sure to join our free Discord!

Want to check on current listings for Destined Rivals? Use our quick search tool to compare listings and prices for Destined Rivals products across online retailers:

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