Scarlet and Violet base set prices have been anything but steady lately, with some Illustration Rares climbing fast while SIRs cool off just as quickly. I’ve been tracking a handful of cards that stood out this month, with some pulling in surprising gains and others dropping harder than expected. Here’s a quick look at which Pokémon TCG cards are crashing and climbing ahead of the final Scarlet and Violet sets release in Black Bolt and White Flare.
Pokémon TCG Crashers
I've been keeping an eye on Scarlet and Violet base set prices lately, and the Psychic-type Illustration Rares seem to be the ones pulling ahead. Ralts 211/198 has been quietly climbing. It's sitting around $38.99 now, which is up about 28% this month. For a Basic card with simple art and a single Psyshot attack, that's not something I saw coming. Same goes for Kirlia 212/198. It's up to $27.99, mirroring Ralts's percentage jump. That evolution line seems to be gaining popularity as a set, more than just individual play value.
Speaking of evolutions, Gardevoir ex 245/198 is definitely riding that same wave. It’s hit $54.99 recently, up from $41.19 just a month back. I don’t play Gardevoir myself, but the Psychic Embrace ability keeps showing up in deck lists, so the price hike makes sense when you look at both collector and competitive demand feeding into each other. Miraidon ex 244/198 and Koraidon ex 247/198 are seeing their own upticks, both sitting around $23.99 now. Not massive jumps compared to Gardevoir, but steady enough to notice if you’ve been following these since launch. Miraidon especially, thanks to that Tandem Unit ability, looks like it’s still holding value in Lightning-heavy builds.
Pokémon TCG Climbers
On the other end of things, some cards are definitely cooling off. Fidough 213/198 took a 15% hit, now hovering around $13.74. Cute card, but it doesn’t exactly have a standout ability or attack, so this feels more like a natural correction. Armarouge 203/198 dipped too, though only about 11%. I could see it regaining some ground later if Fire decks make a comeback, but for now, it’s sliding. Pachirisu 208/198’s price drop caught my attention more, which is currently down 19%. I feel like that’s tied to Lightning deck meta shifting around; its no-Paralysis ability isn’t moving the needle price-wise anymore.
Dondozo 207/198 and Starly 221/198 both saw the sharpest drops, each now at $9.99. Dondozo lost 30% this month, and Starly even more at 37%. I never really saw much hype for either of these beyond early Scarlet and Violet excitement, so the fall-off doesn’t surprise me. It feels like folks are figuring out what’s actually playable or collectible long-term.
Pokémon TCG Mega Evolution Preorders
This is it, the beggining of a new expansion for Pokémon TCG. Best Buy have gone live with their preorder allocation for Mega Evolutions today, which mean Target and Walmart won't be far behind. Here's all the links you need and good luck trainers!
Pokémon TCG Price Updates
I can't believe I'm writing this, but Amazon has quite a bit of sealed Pokémon TCG product for under market value. Whilst that unfortunately means it's still way above MSRP, some of these sets are at the best prices they've been in the last month.
Last Weeks Crashers and Climbers
As newer Pokémon TCG sets grab the spotlight, Paradox Rift is seeing its high-rarity SIR ex cards drop in value while several Illustration Rares quietly climb due to shifting collector interest and low inventory. Cards like Altaria ex, Gholdengo ex, and Steelix have dropped between 16% and 25%, while Illustration Rares including Morpeko, Plusle, Minun, Groudon, and Iron Valiant ex are climbing fast, with Morpeko leading at a 43% increase. This mirrors earlier trends where less flashy cards gain traction as availability tightens.
Christian Wait is a contributing freelancer for IGN covering everything collectable and deals. Christian has over 7 years of experience in the Gaming and Tech industry with bylines at Mashable and Pocket-Tactics. Christian also makes hand-painted collectibles for Saber Miniatures. Christian is also the author of "Pokemon Ultimate Unofficial Gaming Guide by GamesWarrior". Find Christian on X @ChrisReggieWait.
