Every now and then, there’s a specific card in a specific set of the Pokémon TCG that absolutely blows up beyond all sense. Recent examples include last year’s Iono full-art trainer card, part of Japan’s Clay Burst set, which proved so popular that Japan sold out of all Pokémon cards! We’re not quite there yet with Surging Spark’s Pikachu ex, but the card is seeing prices unheard of in the interim.
As Kotaku has endlessly advised people for years, you should never, ever buy a Pokémon card in the first two weeks of a set being released. Prices always spike, then plummet, meaning everyone getting carried away in the opening moments ends up sitting on a card worth a third of what they paid. So, with this in mind, we absolutely do not recommend spending $500 for a Pikachu ex Special Illustration Rare. However, that’s the price currently reported by reliable tracking site, TCG Player. (Thanks, Dexerto.)
Why? Because people are extremely silly. But also because this is Pikachu’s first foray into the new ex-era. It’s a decent card in play—200 HP is nothing special, but it does a ludicrously powerful 300 attack (via three different color Energies) and has an Ability that prevents it from being knocked out from full HP in a single hit. But honestly, in the scheme of some of the most powerful ex cards we’ve seen this year, it’s not that exciting.
I mean, compare it to the same set’s Hydreigon ex, which has 330HP and deals a 200 attack for just two Energy alongside a second attack that does 130 damage to two benched Pokémon. Heck, there’s a Kingdra ex from Shrouded Fable that does 50 damage per Water Energy attached, where it’s fairly simple to get six Energy on board.
Then there’s the art. It’s undeniably lovely, a really special piece of work by artist GIDORA, where the tera colors are beautifully painted. But then, this is a set that sports the three cards below, which are equally, if not more, stunning.
Or these three!
And honestly, so many others, too.
More than anything, these moments seem to be self-perpetuating, where everyone gets tremendously excited about one particular card, which creates demand, which raises the price, which exaggerates the rarity, which creates demand…
The next most expensive right now is the Latias ex at almost $200, then the gold card version of the Pikachu ex at $100, and that Hydreigon pictured above at about $95. These are the highest figures for a set we’ve seen in a while, and all of them will come crashing down over the next week—with the possible exception of the Pikachu, given this hysteria.
Oh, and prepare yourself, because this could be small fry compared to the next set, out in January—Prismatic Evolutions, featuring Eeveelutions at its core, sold out on the Pokémon Center within minutes of being up for pre-order, and that’s deeply unusual. We could be seeing another Pokémon TCG gold rush, unlike anything since 2020’s COVID/Jake Paul-driven lunacy.
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