The 20 Most Expensive Destined Rivals Pokemon Cards
Destined Rivals will go down in history as one of the biggest Pokémon TCG sets of the Scarlet and Violet era. Comprised of cards from Japanese sets Heat Wave Arena and The Glory of Team Rocket, this set focuses on iconic trainer’s Pokemon belonging to the likes of Cynthia, Ethan, and Misty as well as the notorious Team Rocket – the first set to include Rocket’s Pokémon in decades. Below, let’s look at the most expensive Destined Rivals Pokémon cards of them all based on real market data.
#1 Team Rocket’s Mewtwo ex SIR is the most expensive Destined Rivals card
Team Rocket's Mewtwo ex - 231/182
SV10: Destined Rivals • Special Illustration Rare
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In the future, when we look back on the Scarlet & Violet era of the Pokémon TCG, we’ll remember Team Rocket’s Mewtwo ex SIR as one of its most defining cards. While it may not possess the kind of market value an Umbreon ex SIR can command, it’s still up there as one of the top chase cards of the era, as well as the single most valuable Destined Rivals card you can pull. And really it’s not very close.
I suppose that makes sense. After all, Mewtwo is one of the most iconic Pokémon of all time. Getting paired with Giovanni (who is also heavily highlighted in the artwork) only ups-the-ante for this chase, calling to mind the original Pokémon movie that saw these two working side-by-side as partners in crime.
What really excites me about Team Rocket’s Mewtwo ex beyond its value, however, is just how fun this card is to play. A basic Pokemon with 280 HP and an attack that scales to 280+, the Mewtwo ex deck has proven to be very solid in the Pokémon TCG Standard format.
#2 Cynthia's Garchomp ex – Special Illustration Rare
Cynthia's Garchomp ex - 232/182
SV10: Destined Rivals • Special Illustration Rare
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Without a doubt, Destined Rivals’s runner-up for top card is Cynthia’s Garchomp ex. One of the most iconic duos in all of Pokémon, Cynthia has a massive following – being known as one of the strongest trainers in the universe. This card’s artwork is heavily tied to the in-universe lore, featuring Cynthia’s Garchomp using its ground attacks to demolish the competition.
#3 Ethan’s Ho-Oh ex – Special Illustration Rare
Ethan's Ho-Oh ex - 230/182
SV10: Destined Rivals • Special Illustration Rare
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Ethan is the playable trainer from the Gold and Silver games, as well as his own character in the Pokémon Anime. Here he’s depicted alongside Ho-Oh – one of the main legendaries you could capture in those games. Ho-Oh also stands out in the Pokémon lore as the first legendary Ash Ketchum ever sees – flying in the skies overhead as he leaves Pallet Town on his adventure for the very first time.
The artwork here is gorgeous, and just the fact that a Pokemon as legendary as Ho-Oh gets featured alongside a trainer in a card like this feels pretty historic. While it won’t be worth as much as the Garchomp, the card’s rarity and nostalgic appeal have pushed it to the upper echelons of value for the set.
#4 Team Rocket’s Moltres ex – Special Illustration Rare
Team Rocket's Moltres ex - 229/182
SV10: Destined Rivals • Special Illustration Rare
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This isn’t the first time that the Legendary Birds have been included in a Rocket set. Indeed, some of the most expensive Team Rocket Pokemon cards of all time feature the legendary trio of birds that were a vital part of the original 151 Pokémon.
That being said, even those epic cards don’t hold a candle to the incredible beauty on display in this SIR. Moltres is often referred to mockingly as a “fire chicken” because of its looks. However, there’s nothing joking about this gorgeous illustration. Indeed, this card design by Akira Egawa single handedly up-levels Moltres, creating what is arguably the most beautiful Rocket’s card from the set.
And people have noticed, which could be partly the reason for this card’s solid market price. If you’re looking for Destined Rivals cards with future value potential, Moltres ex SIR is one of your best bets.
#5 Team Rocket’s Nidoking ex – Special Illustration Rare
Team Rocket's Nidoking ex - 233/182
SV10: Destined Rivals • Special Illustration Rare
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Getting a heavily stylized Nidoking ex SIR was not necessarily on my bingo card for Destined Rivals, but it makes sense. If you remember from the early days of Pokémon, Giovani does use Nidoking in battle against Red, so there’s certainly some nostalgia here.
Nidoking itself was something of a powerhouse back in the day – I remember using this Pokemon to take down the Elite Four when playing Pokémon Yellow. Here though we see Nidoking using what appears to be an Earthquake attack, which is one of the stronger attacks from that era.
In addition to the nostalgia angle, Nidoking’s captivating comic book artwork hard-carries this card, catapulting it to the top of the list.
#6 Team Rocket’s Crobat ex – Special Illustration Rare
Team Rocket's Crobat ex - 234/182
SV10: Destined Rivals • Special Illustration Rare
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It’s hard to get more Team Rocket than Crobat. In the games, Zubat and its evolved forms are frequently used by Team Rocket grunts. In this SIR, Crobat is pictured surrounded by its bad brethren and (surprise) a Rocket Grunt in the background. It’s fitting tributes like these – those take into consideration even the minute details of the earlier days of Pokémon – that help sets like Destined Rivals build their own world.
#7 Misty’s Psyduck – Illustration Rare
Misty's Psyduck - 193/182
SV10: Destined Rivals • Illustration Rare
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Getting a Misty’s Psyduck IR is pretty epic, and the first time in a long time we’ve seen Misty featured on any card in the Pokémon TCG. The last one I remember is the Starmie V alternate art we got back in the Sword and Shield era. While that card artwork was pretty slick, there’s something extra tranquil about this portrait of Misty carelessly drifting beside one of her most recognizable partners.
Clearly, rarity isn’t the only thing that influences the card prices of modern Pokemon cards. Despite being only an Illustration Rare, Misty’s Psyduck outperforms many rarer SIR cards thanks to a combination of fantastic art and trainer popularity.
#8 Team Rocket’s Mewtwo ex – Hyper Rare
Team Rocket's Mewtwo ex - 240/182
SV10: Destined Rivals • Hyper Rare
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I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – hyper rare “gold” cards have done very well in Scarlet & Violet, and this Team Rocket’s Mewtwo ex is no exception. While it is significantly less valuable than the SIR counterpart of the same card, its value is still high enough to land it in the top ten for the set. How will the card’s value fare in the future? Typically, the more valuable an SIR the more valuable its Hyper Rare version. So pretty good for this particular card.
#9 Ethan’s Adventure – Special Illustration Rare
Ethan's Adventure - 236/182
SV10: Destined Rivals • Special Illustration Rare
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Ethan’s Adventure in its SIR artwork features the iconic trainer paired with both Pichu and Cyndaquil: popular Pokemon in their own right. The card is fairly strong, making up the backbone of the hyped Ethan’s Typhlosion single-prize deck. Otherwise, Ethan’s Adventure looks like something out of a storybook, capturing that joie de vivre and the spirit of adventure that has helped make Pokémon the biggest media franchise ever.
#10 Misty’s Lapras – Illustration Rare
Misty's Lapras - 194/182
SV10: Destined Rivals • Illustration Rare
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I honestly don’t know how you could look at this IR version of Misty’s Lapras and not feel warm and fuzzy inside – unless you aren’t a Pokémon fan, that is. As my son pointed out when he caught a glimpse of this card over my shoulder “Lapras is Ash’s Pokemon! Not Misty’s!”
As true as that is to lore, that doesn’t really matter all that much when it comes to the card itself. It perfectly invokes the fun and laid back nature that made up the Orange Island era of the Pokemon anime – one in which Misty played a pivotal role riding from island to island on the back of this well-loved Pokemon.
She may or may not have had a Lapras, but this card certainly paints the two as a dynamic duo nonetheless.
#11 Cynthia’s Garchomp ex – Hyper Rare
Cynthia's Garchomp ex - 241/182
SV10: Destined Rivals • Hyper Rare
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If you’re looking for an easier-to-find Cynthia’s Garchomp ex alt art, this Garchomp ex Hyper Rare may not be for you. It’s almost as hard to find as the SIR, despite being worth only a fraction of the price. Regardless, it’s a pretty cool card featuring the dynamic duo who are at the core of the set.
#12 Arven's Mabosstiff ex – Special Illustration Rare
Arven's Mabosstiff ex - 235/182
SV10: Destined Rivals • Special Illustration Rare
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Getting an Arven’s Pokemon in this set is notable as this set is otherwise devoid of the latest trainers from Scarlet & Violet. I suppose that makes sense since so much of the Scarlet and Violet era was focused on the latest and greatest, with several sets even focusing on specific DLCs like Twilight Masquerade. Otherwise, Arven and his Mabosstiff ex share a pretty emotional and memorable story – even if a bit sad. That doesn’t make this card the most valuable of the SIRs, but it’s enough to still command decent value.
#13 Ethan’s Typhlosion – Illustration Rare
Ethan's Typhlosion - 190/182
SV10: Destined Rivals • Illustration Rare
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Although being an Illustration Rare gives it less intrinsic value than Ethan’s Ho-Oh ex, in some ways this artwork is even more dynamic. Who doesn’t remember getting Cyndaquil as a basic when playing Pokémon Gold and Silver and evolving it overtime into the formidable Typhlosion? Gold and Silver were notorious for being too easy to beat, and I knew people (myself included) who could clear the entire thing with just a single, hyper-powered Typhlosion.
I mention the nostalgia for early Pokémon video games because that’s the primary appeal of this card beyond its fabulous artwork. Few Pokemon cards have the kind of nostalgic appeal as Ethan paired with Typhlosion taking on their foes. Despite being only an Illustration Rare, this card is a highly desired pull.
#14 Team Rocket’s Giovanni – Special Illustration Rare
Team Rocket's Giovanni - 238/182
SV10: Destined Rivals • Special Illustration Rare
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Giovanni is featured a whopping 10 times in the secret rare cards from this set. Clearly he’s the main antagonist of Destined Rivals. And while the SIR version of the supporter card bearing his name may not be worth a fortune, it’s a decent hit that certainly fits the theme of the set.
#15 Team Rocket’s Meowth – Illustration Rare
Team Rocket's Meowth - 203/182
SV10: Destined Rivals • Illustration Rare
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As far as iconic Pokemon go, it’s hard to get more iconic than Team Rocket’s Meowth. This guy's been a key component of the Pokemon universe since the beginning. Although here he’s depicted next to Giovanni meaning it’s probably a different Meowth than the one we know and love from the anime, it’s still a nice allusion to our beloved character that collectors will go nuts for.
#16 Ethan’s Ho-Oh ex – Hyper Rare
Ethan's Ho-Oh ex - 239/182
SV10: Destined Rivals • Hyper Rare
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Of the hyper rare cards in this set, Ethan’s Ho-Oh ex might be my favorite. Ethan’s figure is boxier than his anime version, calling to mind the old style of the characters in Pokémon Video Games. Ho-Oh here is depicted with some serious attitude, and its colors work well when combined with the golden outline. Not all Hyper Rare cards are created equal, but this is a good example of one such card done right.
#17 Team Rocket’s Ariana – Special Illustration Rare
Team Rocket's Ariana - 237/182
SV10: Destined Rivals • Special Illustration Rare
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Ariana is a Team Rocket executive originally introduced in the Gold/Silver era. That’s a pretty solid tie-in with Ethan from Destined Rivals, and she’s the only other member of team rocket to get an SIR outside of Giovanni himself.
#18 Yanmega ex – Special Illustration Rare
Yanmega ex - 228/182
SV10: Destined Rivals • Special Illustration Rare
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Not that anyone was asking for a Yanmega ex SIR surging across the water to challenge an opposing Pokemon – but here it is. This card certainly has a vibe, and if you replaced the dragonfly Pokemon with Latios or Latias you’d have a hot card. As it is, the artwork still looks nice and its high degree of rarity lends value to an otherwise overlooked Pokemon.
#19 Team Rocket’s Mewtwo ex – Ultra Rare
Team Rocket's Mewtwo ex - 213/182
SV10: Destined Rivals • Ultra Rare
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Here we have essentially the same design as the Hyper Rare version of the card only with even more compelling colors in the background – the notorious red/black of Team Rocket. Mewtwo looks like its huddled up inside its water casing it was born in, about to break free. Although a far cry in value from the hyper rare version of the card, this is one pull I’d be very, very happy with.
#20 Team Rocket’s Crobat ex – Hyper Rare
Team Rocket's Crobat ex - 242/182
SV10: Destined Rivals • Hyper Rare
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Team Rocket’s Crobot ex is the final Hyper Rare Pokemon card on this list. The main selling point of me for this card isn’t actually the Crobat the way it is in the SIR – in this card it’s the Team Rocket’s Grunt getting such huge amounts of visibility in the background.
Destined Rivals was originally met with huge demand similar to what we saw for Prismatic Evolutions as excitement for the nostalgic appeal of Team Rocket and other iconic trainers included in the set sends fans and opportunists alike into a frenzy as they try to bag hard-to-find products and even harder to find chase cards. It’s clear this set is destined to be an absolutely massive one for players and collectors, and an excellent way to help send the Scarlet and Violet era off with a bang.
