Could the Top Perfect Order Chase Card be a Trainer?

So far, Mega Evolution era Pokemon TCG sets have followed a relatively predictable pattern: Special Illustration Rare Pokemon cards (called SIRs for short) have been the most dominant type of card – at least as far as value is concerned. Sure, the base set called Mega Evolution did feature some unusually valuable Mega Hyper Rare cards (an incredibly rare type of card featuring monochromatic bold coloring), but both of the next two sets followed the same pattern: SIRs outperforming the far rarer Mega Hyper Rares by a relatively wide margin.

However, one thing that has not yet occurred in this current era of the Pokemon TCG is for an SIR Supporter card to take the throne of most valuable card from a set. That could all change with Perfect Order however and this incredibly valuable (and pretty incredible) Rosa’s Encouragement Special Illustration Rare.

Rosa’s Encouragement is the most expensive Perfect Order Special Illustration Rare right now

Going purely by market data, Rosa’s Encouragement is the most expensive card from Perfect Order right now, sitting comfortably at $175 on TCGPlayer based on confirmed sales. And while it’s still very early (Perfect Order hasn’t technically released yet and won’t until Friday, although we’ve had access to Build and Battle Boxes for a while), even given these are technically presale prices, Rosa’s market price is special, even for an SIR.

To put it plainly, Supporter SIRs don’t tend to do all that well, at least not from contemporary sets. The last SIR Supporter card to show an impressive market value like this was the Lillie’s Determination from Mega Evolution, a card which debuted at a similar high of $175 before plummeting down to its current market price: still a decent $76.

What does this mean for Perfect Order?

Already, Perfect Order has been getting mixed reviews from fans and critics online. While generally considered a somewhat average Pokemon TCG set – especially when compared to the stellar Ascended Heroes that continues to release products through April of this year – current price trends for what should be the set’s top chase cards paint a troubling picture for the collectibility of the set.

While there’s nothing wrong with an SIR Supporter card punching above its usual weight like this – especially considering the magnetic charm and general popularity Rosa enjoys – almost always Pokemon cards steal the show.

However, Mega Zygarde ex is proving that despite getting a considerable amount of marketing focused on it in the product images and via spoilers revealed from the initial announcement, Zygarde as a Pokémon may just be too niche of a character to pull serious collectors in.

In effect, it feels like the market has decided Mega Zygarde ex isn’t the ultimate chase that it was intended to be. This seems to be leaving a “value vacuum” that’s being filled by other less typical chase cards from the set: chase cards like Rosa’s Encouragement and Meowth ex SIR.

Can Meowth ex SIR hard carry Perfect Order?

While Mega Zygarde ex’s SIR artwork is admittedly cool and features the same kind of concept as the Mega Dragonite ex and Mega Charizard X ex before it (one with its evolution line displayed all around it), early market data suggests that collectors are gravitating more towards Meowth ex SIR’s more homely pop art aesthetic to rally around for potential value.

Perhaps some of the hype centered around Meowth ex as a competitively desirable card is doing some heavy lifting here. Or maybe its just collectors leaning into one thing that always works for Pokémon cards when all else fails: nostalgia. At this rate, we could very well end up seeing the Meowth ex SIR taking the top spot of most expensive SIR. For the time being, that spot is granted

Could Mega Hyper Rare Mega Zygarde ex rally in price?

One last piece to the puzzle that we would be remiss to ignore in the Perfect Order enigma is that we still have one very rare card to get a confirmed market data via TCGPlayer, and that’s the Mega Hyper Rare Mega Zygarde ex. Mega Hyper Rare cards are insanely hard to pull, with general estimates putting the odds at 1 in 1200+ packs. While the top SIR from a set generally outperforms them, they’re still seen as a top tier chase by many collectors due to their rarity alone.

Very early auctions on eBay paint a positive sign for the Mega Zygarde ex Mega Hyper Rare card, with more than one going for over the $200 mark – putting it out of reach of even Rosa’s Encouragement. Trends on the Japanese Pokemon card market mirror what we are seeing so far for Perfect Order, showing Mega Zygarde ex Mega Hyper Rare as #1, and Rosa’s Encouragement as #2 from the Japananse sister set to this expansion called “Nihil Zero.”

So while Rosa’s Encouragement may be the top SIR from the set, overall, there’s a good chance the Mega Hyper Rare takes the top spot: a first since Mega Evolution dropped back in September of 2025. Regardless, given current listing prices for the Mega Zygarde ex Mega Hyper Rare, it looks like it’s going to be a close race between it and Rosa’s Encouragement – a trainer card – for what gets the top spot when Perfect Order gets its full release this Friday.