The 15 Most Expensive Ascended Heroes Pokemon Cards
Wondering what the top Ascended Heroes chase cards are going to be?
Slated for a very rolling release that starts January 30, 2026 and continues throughout the year, from the early looks of things, Ascended Heroes is going to be as big of a set as any we’ve seen lately.
Ascended Heroes will include cards from Japanese sets Mega Dream ex which released on November 28, 2025 and Start Deck 100 Battle Collection which releases on December 19, 2025. As such, we’ve already been granted a sneak peak at several of the set’s top chase cards via official reveals in English from the Pokemon Company, as well as reveals from these Japanese sister sets.
Below, we’ll be looking at the cards that will end up being the most expensive in Ascended Heroes. Check back often as I’ll be updating this list with more info as it becomes available!
#1 Mega Gengar ex – Special Illustration Rare is the most expensive card in Ascended Heroes
While Phantasmal Flames will go down in history as a Mega Charizard X set, Ascended Heroes could very well end up being best known for what is likely to be its top chase card: Mega Gengar ex Special Illustration Rare.
Mega Gengar ex was one of the first Ascended Heroes English cards officially revealed in English by the Pokemon Company. News of its inclusion is a big deal for collectors as the last time we had a Gengar alt that was this exciting was way back in Fusion Strike during the Sword and Shield era of the Pokemon TCG. According to TCGPlayer, that Gengar VMAX is worth over $700 – a comparison which won’t hurt Mega Gengar ex’s value.
While not the rarest card from the set, Mega Gengar ex SIR should still be the most valuable, with early market data from the Japanese sister set from TCGPlayer confirming this trend, as well as it following the same trend that saw Phantasmal Flames’s Mega Charizard X ex SIR more valuable than its Mega Hyper Rare.
It just goes to show you that – in the Pokemon TCG hobby – rarity isn’t everything.
#2 Mega Charizard Y ex – Mega Hyper Rare
If you weren’t already convinced about how hyped of a set Ascended Heroes is going to be, look no further than this Mega Hyper Rare featuring Mega Charizard Y. Spoiled online as part of the Start Deck 100 Collection, this card could very well end up being the top chase from the set, although data from the earliest Mega Evolution era sets tend to lean towards SIR cards taking the top spot. Charizard is, of course, the most bankable Pokemon of all time, and you can bet collectors are going to go absolutely mad to get their hands on this incredibly rare card.
#3 Mega Dragonite ex – Mega Hyper Rare
Whether you saw it coming or not, looks like the Mega Hyper Rare card for Ascended Heroes is none other than Mega Dragonite ex! Although originally panned online for its somewhat odd looking design, that did help Mega Dragonite gain a lot of exposure, and Pokemon is leaning into this very hype for it’s second most desirable chase card in Ascended Heroes.
Just how much will Mega Dragonite ex Mega Hyper Rare be worth when the whole set releases? While it’s impossible to say for sure, it will probably hover around the same value as Mega Charizard X ex’s Mega Hyper Rare version – so just shy of $500.
#4 Mega Dragonite ex – Special Illustration Rare
While Mega Gengar ex SIR may top the charts for most valuable SIR, the Mega Dragonite SIR also has a strong claim to the throne. This Mega Dragonite appears to be following the lead of Mega Charizard X ex from Phantasmal Flames by being casually displayed surrounded by the ethereal images of its evolution line behind it.
Dragonite should be a huge chase, with the most recent Dragonite alt art being worth nearly $300 back in Evolving Skies. This Mega Dragonite should manage to top its predecessor as one of the most valuable modern Dragonite cards alongside its Mega Hyper Rare version.
#5 Mega Lucario ex – “Mega Attack” promo
Back into more official territory once again, we know that we’ll be getting the above Mega Lucario Special Illustration Rare style promo via the Premium Poster Collection product releasing on March 20, 2026. Again as we know from my partners at TCGPlayer and their data they’ve collected around the Mega Attack Charizard X ex promo, these products can be in so much demand that the promos that come with them are chase cards in-and-of themselves.
#6 Mega Gardevoir ex – Mega Attack Promo
The Mega Gardevoir ex Mega Attack promo looks really good, and should be a huge draw among collectors. If previous patterns from the Mega Evolution set repeats themselves here, then the Lucario promo will probably be the more valuable of the two promos. But never underestimate Gardevoir! This Pokemon has a serious following that could help launch this epic artwork very high on the charts.
#7 Marnie’s Grimmsnarl ex – Special Illustration Rare
This Marnie’s Grimmsnarl ex SIR in Ascended Heroes is going to be worth BANK. Marnie’s Grimmsnarl consistently ranks among the strongest Pokemon TCG decks which means tons of players will want to grab this card to bling out their decks. Meanwhile, Marnie herself is a pretty popular trainer, so you know collectors are going to crazy for an alt art featuring her with her Pokemon.
#8 Team Rocket’s Mewtwo ex – Special Illustration Rare
Here we have an alternate and even darker look at Team Rocket’s Mewtwo ex SIR to be included in January 2026’s special set that should be plenty valuable. While its more abstract take on this dynamically evil duo is less enthralling than the SIR we got in Destined Rivals (one of the most expensive Pokemon cards of 2025), it should still be worth a solid chunk of change, if not quite the $468 that the original is fetching via TCGPlayer.
#9 Pikachu ex – Special Illustration Rare
Ascended Heroes really is self-conscious of the Pokemon TCG’s latest and greatest Pokemon TCG packs, featuring this creative and cute look alternate art of the Pikachu ex SIR that many (myself included) credit in part with setting off the renewed excitement for the Pokemon TCG when it was released in Surging Sparks.
While the SIR from Surging Sparks is arguably better from an artistic standpoint, it really does further prove that Ascended Heroes is a “greatest hit” album from the last few years of the Pokemon TCG, much like Prismatic Evolutions was before it.
#10 N’s Zoroark ex – Special Illustration Rare
Speaking of Prismatic Evolutions, lastly we have this captivating look at N’s Zoroark ex SIR that very much follows the same kind of abstract floral patterns that made the Prismatic Evolution chase cards like Umbreon ex SIR really stand out. While we already had a very cool looking SIR of this card back in Journey Together, I like this one even better, and wouldn’t be surprised to see it overwhelm the $60 price tag the original currently commands on TCGPlayer.
#11 Iono's Bellibolt ex – Special Illustration Rare
It’s nice to see trainer’s Pokemon featured so prominently in this special Pokemon set. After all, they played a huge role in the Pokemon TCG in 2025 – the year that saw them officially return to the game for the first time in nearly decades. While we did get an SIR of this same duo back in Journey Together, Ascended Heroe’s alternate art is somehow even more satisfying. Iono was a super popular trainer from the Scarlet and Violet era, and this card is a fantastic sendoff for one of the most bankable trainer cards from that era.
#12 Lillie’s Clefairy ex – Special Illustration Rare
Yet another Journey Together revamp – the original Lillie’s Clefairy ex was nice, but my money is likewise on this card performing even better on the secondary card market than its predecessor. A competitively viable Pokemon featuring one of the franchise’s most beloved trainers equates to Pokemon TCG collector gold.
What’s more, there’s an up-close-and-personal feel to this card that spreads warmth through you just looking at it. You get a strong sense for the bond between Pokemon and trainer while the colors and texture exude summer vibes — just like some of Lillie’s other recent SIRs manage to convey.
#13 Mega Meganium ex – Special Illustration Rare
While the Start Deck 100 Battle Collection contains many gorgeous cards in it – some of which I have a gut feeling won’t be included in Ascended Heroes (like the Pikachu ex promo) — one card that’s very likely to be included in the English set is this epic Mega Meganium ex card. Mega Meganium ex has already been spoiled for the Ascended Heroes main set, so it seems quite likely we’d get its alternate SIR print included, too.
While the Mega Meganium may not be as popular as the Mega Dragonite, many do harbor nostalgic love for the Johto starter Pokemon evolution, making it a decently bankable pick.
#14 Mega Feraligatr ex – Special Illustration Rare
Mega Feraligatr ex was revealed at the same time as the Meganium and the Emboar. However, it shares clear thematic ties with the former as it, too, is a Mega form of a Johto starter. What’s more, Mega Feraligatr ex may be the hardest hitting Pokemon card we’ve had in the Pokemon TCG in a long while, easily hitting for 400 damage. It’s an insane card, and insane artwork that should amount to some solid value – approximately $80-$150 on the secondary card market.
#15 Mega Froslass ex – Special Illustration Rare
This card gets bonus points for its incredible artistry, looking like something you’d see in some Japanese print. Mega Froslass is yet another of the newly introduced Mega Pokemon for the Pokemon Z-A game, and as such gets some added hype from collectors looking to bag this Pokemon printed on a card for the first time.
The original preview of Ascended Heroes made the set look big. With over 30 Pokémon and Trainer cards with special illustrations and a whopping 290 cards total, Ascended Heroes looked promising. Now, with this early look at the top chase cards in the set, it seems Pokemon has once again done the impossible by releasing yet an even bigger set than the last.
Stay tuned for more updates as they become available and bookmark this page as I’ll be updating it regularly as we get closer to the official worldwide release of Ascended Heroes!
