The Pokémon TCG market is going through some interesting shifts right now, and not everything is following the script you’d expect. While the new Mega Evolution sets are sucking up most of the oxygen in the room, a few cards are quietly climbing in value—and they’re worth paying attention to if you’re looking to make smart pickups.
The Market Right Now: A Reality Check
Let’s be honest about where we are. The market has cooled off after a crazy couple of years. Prices across the board have dropped 5-15% on a lot of major hits from the past two years. The Mega Evolution base set dropped in September, followed by Phantasmal Flames in mid-November, and everyone’s been scrambling to absorb all that new supply.
But here’s the thing: while most cards are treading water or sinking, a handful are actually gaining ground. These are the ones you should be watching.
The Surprise Climber: Hydreigon ex SIR
This is the card that caught my eye. The Hydreigon ex Special Illustration Rare from White Flare (released back in July) has been on a quiet tear. It moved from around $87 to $96 in just the past week, with some sales hitting $103.
What makes this interesting is the timing. Everyone’s distracted by the shiny new Mega Evolution cards, and this thing is just steadily climbing. It’s a classic case of the market looking left while value moves right. The card isn’t competitively relevant—it’s pure collector demand driving this. People want beautiful Special Illustration Rares, and when they’re not fighting over the latest Charizard, they’re finding gems like this.
The play here is pretty straightforward: high-quality art from a mid-2025 set that’s escaped the post-release supply dump. It’s sitting under $100, which is a reasonable entry point for modern SIRs. If you can snag one in good condition now, there’s room to run once attention shifts back to these older sets.
The Old Guard Gets Hot Again: Latias from Crown Zenith
Here’s one that really surprised people. The Latias Ultra Rare from the Crown Zenith Galarian Gallery subset spiked hard—going from around $11 to nearly $20 in a week. That’s almost double.
Why? Capital rotation. When new sets flood the market and create uncertainty, smart money moves into proven assets with finished print runs. Crown Zenith came out in January 2023. The supply is what it is. There’s no more being printed. That scarcity becomes valuable when everything else feels risky.
The Galarian Gallery cards have always had a following for their unique art style, and this Latias seems to be getting a second look. If you’re risk-averse but still want growth potential, cards like this from completed sets deserve a spot on your radar.
The Long Game: Arceus V Promo
This one’s been on a three-month climb that nobody’s really talking about. The Arceus V promo (267/S-P from the Sword & Shield era) went from $6 in August to over $19 now. That’s more than triple.
The driver? Pokémon Legends: Arceus. The video game’s success created lasting demand for Arceus cards, and this promo is the beneficiary. It’s a perfect example of how TCG value can be driven by factors completely outside the competitive game.
Promos tied to major video game releases have a special kind of staying power. They’re collectible first, playable second. If you see similar patterns—promos released alongside successful games—that’s a signal worth following.
The Competitive Angle: Gardevoir ex SIR
If you want volatility backed by tournament results, look at Gardevoir ex. The Special Illustration Rare from Paldean Fates is swinging wildly between $99 and $145 depending on the week. Why? Because Gardevoir decks are dominating right now—holding an 18.69% meta share and placing consistently at major regionals.
When a deck does well on a Saturday, the high-rarity versions of its key cards spike on Sunday. It’s predictable, but it’s also risky. Competitive relevance can evaporate overnight with a new set release or a meta shift. If you’re going to play this game, you need to watch tournament results closely and be ready to sell into strength.
Cards like Gholdengo ex and Dragapult ex are in similar boats—strong competitive performance driving value in their SIR versions. But remember: competitive value is temporary. Collector value is forever.
The Blue Chip: Charizard VMAX SV107
I’d be remiss not to mention the Shiny Charizard VMAX from Shining Fates. This card is holding steady around $135 for raw copies despite an absolute flood of new Charizard cards hitting the market.
The new Mega Charizard X cards from Phantasmal Flames are starting at $600-$780 raw, but they’re going to be volatile as supply increases. The SV107, by contrast, is a known quantity from a 2021 set. It’s finished printing, there’s established demand, and every new Charizard release actually helps it by keeping the character in the spotlight.
If you want stability and liquidity, proven Charizard cards from completed sets are still the safest bet in modern Pokémon TCG investing.
What to Avoid Right Now
Here’s the flip side: most non-Charizard chase cards from the new Mega Evolution sets are in freefall. Dawn dropped to $57. Mega Lopunny ex is around $24. Mega Sharpedo ex is down similarly. These cards had massive hype at release and are now getting crushed by supply.
The lesson? Wait for stabilization on new releases. Give it 6-12 months for the supply to normalize before jumping in, unless it’s a Charizard.
The Bottom Line
The smart money right now is doing three things: grabbing competitive staples in their high-rarity forms while tournaments validate them, holding iconic blue chips like classic Charizards, and hunting for underappreciated SIRs from mid-2025 sets that are showing organic growth.
Hydreigon ex, Latias, and Arceus V are all telling the same story: there’s value in looking past the hype cycle. The cards gaining right now aren’t the ones everyone’s talking about. They’re the ones people are quietly buying while the crowd chases the new shiny object.
If you’re deploying capital in this market, be selective. Track prices using TCGplayer or similar platforms. Consider grading valuable cards for long-term holds. And remember: not every card in every new set is going to hold value. The market’s smarter now than it was two years ago, and you need to be too.
