It has been nearly a year since Destined Rivals released in the US, and due to a lack of reprints, booster boxes are still well north of $500. The sealed product isn't the only thing climbing in the set, however.
Today we are looking at the top 10 most expensive cards from Destined Rivals as of today, and how a lack of reprints paired with community hype has made this set one of the most desirable in the Scarlet & Violet era.
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View the complete set price guide to check values beyond the top chase cards and compare the rest of the set.
View full set price guide Or browse the visual set list.#10. Misty's Lapras Illustration Rare #194/182
Illustration Rare
#10. Misty's Lapras Illustration Rare #194/182
Illustration Rare#10 on the list of the most expensive cards in Destined Rivals is Misty's Lapras #194/182, the Illustration Rare illustrated by Orca, coming in at $39.97. Lapras is one of Misty's most iconic Pokemon from the original anime, and the artwork here leans into that relationship with a calm, serene ocean setting that pairs the two in a moment that feels genuinely nostalgic. Misty did not receive a Special Illustration Rare in Destined Rivals, which means both of her Illustration Rares carry more collector weight than you would normally expect from the IR tier.
#9. Ethan's Adventure Special Illustration Rare #236/182
Special Illustration Rare
#9. Ethan's Adventure Special Illustration Rare #236/182
Special Illustration Rare#9 is Ethan's Adventure #236/182, the Special Illustration Rare illustrated by Kariya, currently priced at $44.43. Featuring Ethan alongside Cyndaquil, Pichu, and Slugma in an artwork that captures the spirit of the Johto era, this card connects strongly with players who grew up with Gold and Silver. It also forms the backbone of the competitive Ethan's Typhlosion single-prize deck, where each copy in the discard pile adds 60 extra damage to Typhlosion's Buddy Blast attack, giving it real dual-purpose value across both the collector and player markets.
#8. Team Rocket's Mewtwo ex Hyper Rare #240/182
Hyper Rare
#8. Team Rocket's Mewtwo ex Hyper Rare #240/182
Hyper RareAt $69.76, the Team Rocket's Mewtwo ex Hyper Rare #240/182 is #8 on this list and the most expensive of the gold cards in Destined Rivals. Illustrated by Marina Chikazawa, the card depicts Mewtwo alongside Giovanni in the classic gold-etched finish, and while the SIR version at the top of this list gets most of the conversation, this Hyper Rare is a near-equally difficult pull at roughly 1 in 894 packs for a specific gold card in the set. Collectors who want every version of Team Rocket's Mewtwo ex across all four prints will need this one, and it holds a significant portion of the Hyper Rare tier's total value in Destined Rivals.
#7. Team Rocket's Crobat ex Special Illustration Rare #234/182
Special Illustration Rare
#7. Team Rocket's Crobat ex Special Illustration Rare #234/182
Special Illustration RareTeam Rocket's Crobat ex #234/182 is #7 on the list, currently sitting at $72.74 as the Special Illustration Rare illustrated by cochi8i. The artwork is widely praised for filling the card with an entire swarm of Zubat, Golbat, and Crobat all in motion at once, creating a sense of movement and atmosphere that stands out even among the strong SIR lineup in this set. Crobat also has genuine competitive utility with its Biting Spree ability, placing two damage counters on two of your opponent's Pokemon when it evolves, which adds player demand on top of the collector interest.
#6. Misty's Psyduck Illustration Rare #193/182
Illustration Rare
#6. Misty's Psyduck Illustration Rare #193/182
Illustration RareComing in at #6 on our list of the most expensive cards from Destined Rivals is Misty's Psyduck, the Illustration Rare #193/182, currently valued around $78.59. The artwork on this card is done by OKACHEKE, and it is one of the stronger Illustration Rares in the set, driven entirely by collector demand rather than competitive play since Psyduck is not a staple in the current Standard meta. If you are looking for a solid chase card from Destined Rivals to add to your collection, this one has been showing steady upward movement in price and is well worth keeping an eye on in this price guide.
#5. Team Rocket's Moltres ex Special Illustration Rare #229/182
Special Illustration Rare
#5. Team Rocket's Moltres ex Special Illustration Rare #229/182
Special Illustration Rare#5 on the list is Team Rocket's Moltres ex #229/182, the Special Illustration Rare illustrated by AKIRA EGAWA, currently valued at $102.60. Moltres was the first legendary bird to receive the SIR treatment in this form in the modern era, and AKIRA EGAWA brings a cinematic quality to the artwork, showing a blazing Moltres cutting across a dark skyline with a Rocket operative directing the scene below. The card's Evil Incineration attack, which can remove your opponent's Active Pokemon and all attached cards, gives it a real presence in competitive Team Rocket builds alongside its strong collector appeal.
#4. Team Rocket's Nidoking ex Special Illustration Rare #233/182
Special Illustration Rare
#4. Team Rocket's Nidoking ex Special Illustration Rare #233/182
Special Illustration Rare#4 goes to Team Rocket's Nidoking ex #233/182, the Special Illustration Rare illustrated by Uninori, sitting at $104.52. Nidoking carries specific lore weight here because Giovanni uses a Nidoking in all the main series games in which he appears as an opponent, making the pairing feel like a natural and long-overdue card. The artwork by Uninori puts Nidoking crashing through shattered rock while Giovanni commands from behind, which is a strong visual representation of the power dynamic that defines Team Rocket's identity in the Destined Rivals set.
#3. Ethan's Ho-Oh ex Special Illustration Rare #230/182
Special Illustration Rare
#3. Ethan's Ho-Oh ex Special Illustration Rare #230/182
Special Illustration Rare#3 on the list of the most expensive cards in Destined Rivals is Ethan's Ho-Oh ex #230/182, the Special Illustration Rare illustrated by Atsushi Furusawa, currently priced at $176.73. Ethan's pairing with Ho-Oh goes all the way back to the Pokemon Gold game, where Ho-Oh served as the version mascot, and the artwork captures that legendary connection with Ho-Oh soaring in full wingspan over Ethan. The card also functions as a strong competitive piece with its Golden Flame ability, which attaches two fire energies to your benched Ethan's Pokemon each turn and sets up the rest of the Ethan archetype's attack chain.
#2. Cynthia's Garchomp ex Special Illustration Rare #232/182
Special Illustration Rare
#2. Cynthia's Garchomp ex Special Illustration Rare #232/182
Special Illustration Rare#2 on the list is Cynthia's Garchomp ex #232/182, the Special Illustration Rare illustrated by HICO KIM, sitting at $274.12 and the second most expensive card in Destined Rivals. Cynthia has one of the largest and most dedicated fanbases of any Pokemon Champion, and Garchomp is her signature Pokemon, which means this card was guaranteed serious collector demand the moment it was revealed. It is also one of the stronger competitive pulls in the set, with Garchomp ex's Draconic Buster hitting 260 damage and its Corkscrew Dive attack refilling your hand to six cards, making it a genuine dual-purpose chase card.
#1. Team Rocket's Mewtwo ex Special Illustration Rare #231/182
Special Illustration Rare
#1. Team Rocket's Mewtwo ex Special Illustration Rare #231/182
Special Illustration Rare#1 and the most expensive card in Destined Rivals by a wide margin is Team Rocket's Mewtwo ex #231/182, the Special Illustration Rare illustrated by Iwamoto05, currently priced at $552.87. The artwork places Giovanni in an unusually prominent foreground position with Mewtwo looming behind him in a neon-lit industrial lair, and the composition has been cited repeatedly as one of the most visually striking pieces of art in the entire Scarlet and Violet era. This is the defining chase card of the set and one of the top chase cards in the modern Pokemon TCG altogether, with a specific pull rate of roughly 1 in 1,033 packs helping to sustain its position at the top of the market.
Want to see more? Here are the runner-ups that just missed the top 10:
#11. Team Rocket's Giovanni Special Illustration Rare #238/182
Special Illustration Rare
#11. Team Rocket's Giovanni Special Illustration Rare #238/182
Special Illustration RareRunner-up #11 is Team Rocket's Giovanni #238/182, the Special Illustration Rare illustrated by Krgc, priced at $36.14. Giovanni appears on the card alongside four of his top Rocket executives, Ariana, Archer, Petrel, and Proton, in what looks like a full organizational portrait, making it one of the most lore-dense pieces of art in the set. Giovanni features across the Destined Rivals secret rare section more than any other character, and while this particular version sits at the lower end of the SIR pricing tier, it remains a standout piece for anyone collecting the villain side of these best cards in Destined Rivals.
#12. Ethan's Typhlosion Illustration Rare #190/182
Illustration Rare
#12. Ethan's Typhlosion Illustration Rare #190/182
Illustration RareRunner-up #12 is Ethan's Typhlosion #190/182, the Illustration Rare illustrated by GIDORA, coming in at $35.12. Typhlosion was the fan-favorite starter choice for a lot of players who came up on Gold and Silver, and the artwork here captures both Ethan and Typhlosion in an action-ready pose that many collectors feel belongs at the SIR tier. Beyond collector appeal, the card plays a supporting role in the Ethan's Typhlosion single-prize deck, where its Buddy Blast attack scales in damage for each Ethan's Adventure card in the discard pile.
#13. Cynthia's Garchomp ex Hyper Rare #241/182
Hyper Rare
#13. Cynthia's Garchomp ex Hyper Rare #241/182
Hyper RareRunner-up #13 is the Cynthia's Garchomp ex Hyper Rare #241/182, the gold card version of one of the biggest pairings in Destined Rivals, currently priced at $34.05. Hyper Rares pull at roughly 1 in 149 packs for any gold card in the set, and a specific one lands at around 1 in 894, making this nearly as difficult to pull as the SIR version despite carrying only a fraction of that card's value. For collectors building out the full Cynthia's Garchomp ex run across all prints, this gold card is a necessary piece and a solid addition to any Destined Rivals binder.
#14. Arven's Mabosstiff ex Special Illustration Rare #235/182
Special Illustration Rare
#14. Arven's Mabosstiff ex Special Illustration Rare #235/182
Special Illustration RareRunner-up #14 goes to Arven's Mabosstiff ex #235/182, the Special Illustration Rare currently sitting at $33.47. Illustrated by Yuriko Akase, the artwork shows Arven and Mabosstiff sharing a quiet outdoor moment together, with Mabosstiff resting at his side while Arven studies a map, which fits the emotional arc these two share throughout the Scarlet and Violet games. Arven and Mabosstiff are still relatively new characters in the Pokemon universe, and a lot of collectors think this card has long-term upside as the generation ages.
#15. Team Rocket's Meowth Illustration Rare #203/182
Illustration Rare
#15. Team Rocket's Meowth Illustration Rare #203/182
Illustration RareRounding out the list at runner-up #15 is Team Rocket's Meowth #203/182, the Illustration Rare that a lot of collectors point to as one of the more charming pulls in Destined Rivals. The artwork by Shimaris Yukichi is famous for its slice-of-life contrast, with Meowth enjoying a bath in the foreground while Giovanni can be spotted going about his villainous business in the background. At $29.87, it sits at the more accessible end of the best cards in Destined Rivals, but the personality in this one keeps demand steady.
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