The penultimate Scarlet & Violet-era Pokémon TCG set was Destined Rivals, which kept up the momentum after the triumphant return of Trainer’s Pokémon in its predecessor, Journey Together.
While Journey Together reintroduced this popular concept that debuted in the game’s early years with Gym Heroes and Gym Challenge, Destined Rivals took the trope to the next level with a collection of Pokémon trained by those dastardly villains at Team Rocket.
Beyond that, Destined Rivals was home to one of the most notable chase cards in recent PTCG history – a luscious SIR Team Rocket’s Mewtwo with that notable legendary ‘mon and Team Rocket’s leader, the scheming Giovanni, in its artwork.
But what are the most valuable cards from this tremendous PTCG set? Let’s dive in!
These are the most Pokémon valuable cards in Destined Rivals
10. Misty’s Lapras – Illustration Rare, 194/182
Market Price: $40.74
Misty is a long-time fan favorite, as cards featuring both her Pokémon and her countenance and worth a pretty penny on the secondary market. This striking beach scene featuring Misty and her trusty Lapras features a beautiful tropical color palette via its artwork by Orca.
While this isn’t Misty’s most valuable card from the set, it does represent a strong start for Destined Rivals, as this card would rank seventh among the most valuable cards from Perfect Order.
9. Ethan’s Adventure – Special Illustration Rare, 236/182
Market Price: $48.53
A stunning full-art Trainer card SIR showcasing the male player-character from Pokémon Gold, Silver, HeartGold, and SoulSilver, Ethan. Cards featuring multiple Pokémon are almost always highly regarded works of PTCG art, and this SIR is no exception.
With the adorable trio of Pichu, Cyndaquil, and Slugma shown hanging out with Ethan, it’s no surprise this card is knocking on the door of $50 in today’s market. Furthermore, this is one of only three full-art cards that artist Kariya has ever illustrated, adding to its appeal.
8. Team Rocket’s Mewtwo ex – Hyper Rare, 240/182
Market Price: $68.09
The first Team Rocket card herein, as well as the first with one of the set’s box-art ‘mon on it. Mewtwo is still one of the strongest Pokémon in-game, and its TCG cards, by extension are often among the most valuable and sought-after whenever they appear in a set.
While the gold Hyper Rare rarity from the Scarlet & Violet era has been supplanted by the glitzier, all-gold Mega Hyper Rare, this golden Mewtwo still clocks in with a beefy price point approaching $70 – even before the MHR redux of the Mega Evolution era.
7. Misty’s Psyduck – Illustration Rare, 193/182
Market Price: $70.84
The number-one chase card for Misty fans from Destined Rivals is this striking IR that showcases the Cerulean City Gym Leader going for a refreshing swim alongside her beloved Psyduck.
Expertly illustrated by OKACHEKE, this photorealistic representation of Misty and her Psyduck is vivid, bright, and extremely detailed. The scene looks as if it was photographed (maybe via Pokémon Snap) instead of drawn. A gorgeous card deserving of an above-$70 price tag.
6. Team Rocket’s Crobat ex – Special Illustration Rare, 234/182
Market Price: $74.98
From a bright, naturalistic scene to a dark, moody collage of villainy and infamy, this Team Rocket’s Crobat SIR is a strikingly colorful (and menacing) take on Zubat’s final evolution.
One of only two full-art cards illustrated by artist Cochi8i, the other being the IR Tranquill from Black Bolt (which did not make the list of most valuable cards from that set), this hard-to-find SIR showcases a colony of Crobat alongside many examples of its pre-evolutions Zubat and Golbat.
5. Team Rocket’s Nidoking ex – Special Illustration Rare, 233/182
Market Price: $114.43
Featuring action-packed artwork by Uninori of Giovanni and his ace Pokémon Nidoking duking it out, likely at the Viridian City Gym, this exceptional SIR is the first card herein that goes above the $100 threshold.
And with good reason. The Nidoking shown on this card truly feels like it packs the power that the final evolution of Nidoran Male actually obtained in-game, as its wide move pool, strong speed and balanced attack and special attack made it a stalwart on my teams in Pokémon Blue and Pokémon Yellow.
4. Team Rocket’s Moltres ex – Special Illustration Rare, 229/182
Market Price: $124.27
SIR artist extraordinaire AKIRA EGAWA is responsible for this masterpiece in miniature, and she is also the artist behind what is sure to be the most sought-after card for collectors from the upcoming Pitch Black set.
While this card did get reprinted with a stamp in the Team Rocket’s Moltres Ultra-Premium Collection, the original from Destined Rivals remains the more valuable pull, as its presence was not guaranteed in any Destined packs you opened – unlike the stamped one.
3. Ethan’s Ho-Oh ex – Special Illustration Rare, 230/182
Market Price: $193.67
The second appearance of Ethan herein showcases the character’s canonical focus on strong Fire-type Pokémon: in this case, the legendary Fire/Flying-type denizen of Ecruteak City’s Bell Tower, Ho-Oh.
This card’s nearly $200 value is certainly merited, as the artwork is splendid. Beyond that, this card visually alludes to a memorable scene from the original Pokémon: Indigo League, which featured a Ho-Oh flying into a rainbow – before the Pokémon was officially unveiled in the U.S.
2. Cynthia’s Garchomp ex – Special Illustration Rare, 232/182
Market Price: $275.02
Cynthia, much like Misty, is among the most popular trainers of all time as the Champion of the Sinnoh region (before your player-character inevitable bests her). As such, cards featuring her – or her Pokémon – often rank highly among the most valuable ever.
Such is the case with this stunning SIR rendition of Cynthia and her ace, the pseudolegendary ‘mon Garchomp – a powerhouse Dragon/Ground-type Pokémon that boasts incredible speed and attack stats. This is one of only two cards illustrated by HICO Kim, the other being a regular holo rare Cobalion from Black Bolt. This one is worth a bit more!
1. Team Rocket’s Mewtwo ex – Special Illustration Rare, 231/182
Market Price: $548.09
As you might expect, the most valuable card from Destined Rivals is a Team Rocket’s card featuring one of the most notable ‘mons of all time: Mewtwo. Featuring a striking magenta background and incredibly dramatic artwork of a smug Giovanni with arms crossed, ready to exploit Mewtwo for its incredible power and a Mewtwo standing there menacingly, this is one of only two full-art cards illustrated by Iwamoto05 – the other is the Zoroark IR from White Flare, which is one of the most valuable cards from that set.
This amazing SIR could be had for around $370 in February, but the card’s curb appeal and general cachet has seen that number leap by about $180 in the intervening five months, and it will surely only go up. If you’ve got this card, hold onto it for dear life, as it will only go up… or trade it as part of a deal for a PSA 7 Shining Charizard (as I, perhaps foolishly, did).
Destined Rivals singles and sealed products continue to see notable gains in the secondary market, and this notable Scarlet & Violet-era set will surely age like a fine wine – much like Sword & Shield’s Crown Zenith did before it.
While its predecessor, Journey Together, didn’t quite hit the target, Destined Rivals pulled out all the stops to produce an amazing Pokémon TCG set with a plethora of notable pulls that will continue to gain value and cachet among PTCG collectors and fans over the years.
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