It's been a bit over a week since the launch of Pitch Black, and while the rest of the market looks on toward the hype release of the 30th Celebration set, we are pausing to appreciate the top cards from the Pitch Black set.
As the third consecutive mini set, Pitch Black contains just 120 cards. Despite its smaller size, the set is packed with personality, embracing a dark, moody aesthetic centered around Mega Darkrai and the shadowy streets of Lumiose City, along with the Pokémon that inhabit its eerie surroundings. Here are the top 10 most expensive Pokemon cards to come out of Pitch Black, the 5th main expansion in the Mega Evolution block.
Want the full Pitch Black price guide?
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. Goldeen Illustration Rare #087/084
Illustration Rare
#10. Goldeen Illustration Rare #087/084
Illustration RareGoldeen finally has a full art card of its own in Pitch Black, and at $14.83 it lands at #10 on the list of the best cards in Pitch Black. The artwork is handled by Gemi, who has a well-known eye for the interplay between light and water, and this piece is widely considered one of their strongest TCG efforts to date. Goldeen is a Generation I Water-type known in the Pokédex as the Water Dancer, and the fact that it had gone nearly three decades in the TCG without ever receiving a full-art treatment makes this Illustration Rare feel genuinely special to long-time collectors.
#9. Slowbro Illustration Rare #090/084
Illustration Rare
#9. Slowbro Illustration Rare #090/084
Illustration RareComing in at #9 on the list of the most expensive cards in Pitch Black is the Slowbro Illustration Rare at $20.74, and it is arguably the biggest surprise of the entire Illustration Rare tier. Mékayu illustrates Slowbro paused beneath a streetlight in what appears to be Lumiose City, staring up at the glow in a scene that stands completely apart from the darkness and shadow that defines the rest of the set. Slowbro has a devoted collector following, and that character demand combined with one of the more charming full-art scenes in the set is what pushed this Illustration Rare into the top ten ahead of several Ultra Rares.
#8. Gladion's Final Battle Special Illustration Rare #118/084
Special Illustration Rare
#8. Gladion's Final Battle Special Illustration Rare #118/084
Special Illustration Rare#8 on our list is the Gladion's Final Battle Special Illustration Rare at $31.33, illustrated by DOM and one of two Supporter SIRs in the set. Gladion is a fan-favorite rival from Pokemon Sun and Moon who is closely tied to Silvally in lore, and the SIR artwork pairs nicely with the Silvally Illustration Rare also in Pitch Black, giving collectors a reason to track down both cards together. On the competitive side, Gladion's Final Battle has seen play in off-meta Festival Lead decks where its effect of giving single-prize attackers an 80 damage bonus helps them trade favorably with bulkier threats like Dragapult ex.
#7. Misty's Vitality Ultra Rare #111/084
Ultra Rare
#7. Misty's Vitality Ultra Rare #111/084
Ultra RareIllustrated by En Morikura, Misty's Vitality #111/084 is the Ultra Rare that has outrun nearly every other UR in the expansion, sitting at $31.76 and landing at #7 among the best cards in Pitch Black. Misty is the Cerulean City Gym Leader and one of the most recognizable faces in all of Pokemon, and her track record in the TCG means any card featuring her tends to perform ahead of its rarity tier in the secondary market. En Morikura's name on the artwork only adds to the appeal, as the illustrator's work on classic trainer cards has consistently driven strong collector demand across the Mega Evolution era.
#6. Gwynn Special Illustration Rare #119/084
Special Illustration Rare
#6. Gwynn Special Illustration Rare #119/084
Special Illustration RareNaoki Saito's Gwynn Special Illustration Rare #119/084 sits at #6 on this list at $42.71, and it is one of the more interesting value stories in the set. Gwynn is a brand new character introduced in Pokemon Legends: Z-A as a Ghost-type specialist and Mega Chandelure user, which means this SIR is her debut in the TCG, and Saito has been illustrating Pokemon cards since HeartGold and SoulSilver with a long history of Supporter SIRs becoming significant chase cards over time. Collectors who have tracked Saito's previous Trainer SIRs will know his artwork tends to hold its value well, and the Gwynn SIR carries that same upside even if she is a newer character without a massive established fanbase yet.
#5. Mega Chandelure ex Special Illustration Rare #115/084
Special Illustration Rare
#5. Mega Chandelure ex Special Illustration Rare #115/084
Special Illustration RareSitting at #5 among the top cards in Pitch Black is the Mega Chandelure ex Special Illustration Rare #115/084 at $53.02, illustrated by REND in a close-up piece with a predominantly dark background that fits Chandelure's Ghost-type identity. Mega Chandelure ex is making its TCG debut in this set, and on the gameplay side it brings a notable Binding Flame Ability that increases the Retreat Cost of your opponent's Active Pokemon, which stacks across multiple copies and powers up its Phantom Maze attack. Chandelure has always had a dedicated collector base that leans into the spooky aesthetic, and with its Mega Evolution debuting here for the first time, this SIR has the kind of first-print appeal that tends to matter to completionists down the line.
#4. Mega Zeraora ex Special Illustration Rare #114/084
Special Illustration Rare
#4. Mega Zeraora ex Special Illustration Rare #114/084
Special Illustration RareAt $70.83, the Mega Zeraora ex Special Illustration Rare #114/084 takes the #4 spot and is one of the legitimate top pull cards in Pitch Black. GIDORA illustrates this card, and the artist has built a strong reputation for capturing color and light in ways that make their work immediately eye-catching in a binder or display. Zeraora already had an established fanbase before this set, and this is the first time Mega Zeraora has appeared in the TCG, which gives this SIR a first-edition-style appeal on top of what is already a strong artwork from one of the more collected artists currently working in the hobby.
#3. Morpeko ex Special Illustration Rare #117/084
Special Illustration Rare
#3. Morpeko ex Special Illustration Rare #117/084
Special Illustration RareMorpeko ex #117/084 has been the breakout chase card of Pitch Black among non-Darkrai cards, currently sitting at $132.19 and claiming the #3 spot on this list. The Special Illustration Rare is handled by NG Empire, and the artwork depicts Morpeko in full Hangry Mode leaping from what appears to be a pile of mostly eaten food, with intense colors that make the small Pokemon look like it could jump off the card entirely. Morpeko is not a Mega Evolution Pokemon and is not the set mascot, which makes it all the more remarkable that its SIR is trading ahead of two of the set's Mega ex Special Illustration Rares, a pattern that comes down entirely to the strength of the artwork and the infectious energy of the composition.
#2. Mega Darkrai ex Mega Hyper Rare #120/084
Mega Hyper Rare
#2. Mega Darkrai ex Mega Hyper Rare #120/084
Mega Hyper RareAt $200.96, the Mega Darkrai ex Mega Hyper Rare #120/084 is the #2 most expensive card in Pitch Black and the single hardest pull in the entire expansion. This gold-etched card is illustrated by 5ban Graphics, the same studio behind the regular and Ultra Rare prints of Mega Darkrai ex, and the Mega Hyper Rare rarity sits at the very top of the current TCG rarity hierarchy with pull rates that make it genuinely scarce out of booster boxes. It is worth noting that despite its status as the rarest card in the set by pull rate, the market has placed it below the Special Illustration Rare variant in value, which reflects the broader trend in the modern hobby where art-driven SIRs from marquee illustrators regularly command more than the gold-stamp version of the same Pokemon.
#1. Mega Darkrai ex Special Illustration Rare #116/084
Special Illustration Rare
#1. Mega Darkrai ex Special Illustration Rare #116/084
Special Illustration RareMega Darkrai ex #116/084 is the most expensive card in Pitch Black at $287.10, and it is the clear number one chase card of the set by a wide margin. The Special Illustration Rare is illustrated by AKIRA EGAWA, an artist known for a distinctive cosmic approach that sets this card apart from every other artwork in the Mega Evolution era, and the result is a piece that collectors and reviewers have described as unlike anything else currently in the TCG. Darkrai itself is classified in lore as the Pitch-Black Pokemon, a Mythical Dark-type from Generation IV that causes nightmares in anyone nearby while it sleeps, which means the set name, the Pokemon, and the Egawa artwork all feed into the same unsettling atmosphere that has made this the #1 card to pull from Pitch Black.
Card prices shift quickly after a new set launches, so the values listed here reflect current market prices at the time this article was written. For the most up to date prices on these cards and every other card in the set, check out the full Pitch Black price guide.
Want to see more? Here are the runner-ups that just missed the top 10:
#11. Mega Darkrai ex Ultra Rare #101/084
Ultra Rare
#11. Mega Darkrai ex Ultra Rare #101/084
Ultra RareRunner-up #11 goes to the Mega Darkrai ex Ultra Rare #101/084 at $14.11, which is the most affordable way to own a full-art version of the set's flagship Pokemon. This card is illustrated by 5ban Graphics and shares its basic design DNA with the Mega Hyper Rare at #120, making it a solid budget pick for collectors who want Mega Darkrai ex in their binder without spending deep into the three-figure range. It also has a floor that is unlikely to erode much further, since demand for the set mascot in any rarity tends to stay steady once initial post-launch corrections play out.
#12. Gwynn Ultra Rare #109/084
Ultra Rare
#12. Gwynn Ultra Rare #109/084
Ultra RareRunner-up #12 is the Gwynn Ultra Rare #109/084 at $11.84, which is the full-art Supporter version sitting a few spots below its Special Illustration Rare counterpart. As a newer character from Pokemon Legends: Z-A making her TCG debut in this set, Gwynn's Ultra Rare has attracted attention from players who want access to her Supporter effect without paying SIR prices, and from collectors who are building around the Pitch Black trainer lineup more broadly. The Ultra Rare tier in Pitch Black includes full-art treatments for all four of its Supporter cards, so the Gwynn UR competes within a strong group, but its position as a runner-up here shows it is holding its own compared to the rest of the Ultra Rare pool.
#13. Mega Chandelure ex Ultra Rare #099/084
Ultra Rare
#13. Mega Chandelure ex Ultra Rare #099/084
Ultra RareMega Chandelure ex's Ultra Rare #099/084 comes in at runner-up #13 at $10.19, and like all the Mega ex Ultra Rares in Pitch Black it is illustrated by 5ban Graphics. For players looking to build around Mega Chandelure ex and its Binding Flame Ability, this is the version most decks will run since the card effect is identical across all prints. It is one of three Mega ex Ultra Rares making the runner-up section of this list, which shows just how focused the real secondary market value in Pitch Black is on the Special Illustration Rare and higher tiers.
#14. Mega Excadrill ex Ultra Rare #103/084
Ultra Rare
#14. Mega Excadrill ex Ultra Rare #103/084
Ultra RareRunner-up #14 is the Mega Excadrill ex Ultra Rare #103/084 at $9.33, and Mega Excadrill ex is notable for being the only Mega ex in Pitch Black that did not receive a Special Illustration Rare print. Illustrated by Keisuke Azuma, the Ultra Rare tops out the rarity ceiling for this card entirely, which has kept secondary market heat relatively low compared to the Mega ex cards in the set that do have SIRs. On the competitive side, Mega Excadrill ex has been identified as one of the more approachable deck options out of Pitch Black, which gives the Ultra Rare a degree of player demand that should keep it from fading entirely into the background.
#15. Mega Zeraora ex Ultra Rare #098/084
Ultra Rare
#15. Mega Zeraora ex Ultra Rare #098/084
Ultra RareRounding out the runner-up section at #15 is the Mega Zeraora ex Ultra Rare #098/084 at $8.10, illustrated by 5ban Graphics. This is the budget entry point for Mega Zeraora ex, a Pokemon that is making its TCG debut in this set, and for competitive players it is the functional equivalent of the SIR at a fraction of the price. With the Mega Zeraora ex SIR sitting at $70.83 and claiming the #4 spot on the main list, there is a significant gap between the two versions, and which one belongs in your collection comes down entirely to whether you are building a deck or a display binder.
Please note that any purchases made through links in recommendations or ads may earn our company commission. Any purchases made on Amazon or eBay should be done through reputable card stores only!
