At long last, the Pokémon TCG brought back the beloved mechanic of “Trainer’s Pokémon” (formerly known as Owner’s Pokémon) in 2025’s Journey Together.
Trainer’s Pokémon cards feature the name and likeness of notable trainers throughout Pokémon history. In Journey Together, those highlighted trainers were Lillie, Hop, N, and Iono.
While this PTCG trope has existed since the game’s early days, with the first Trainer’s Pokémon being unveiled in the Gym Heroes expansion from 2000, the mechanic had not been seen since 2015’s Double Crisis, which focused on Team Aqua and Team Magma.
But what are the most valuable cards from this late Scarlet & Violet-era set? Let’s see!
Check out the most valuable Journey Together Pokémon cards
10. N’s Zoroark ex – Hyper Rare, 189/159
Market Price: $16.21
While hyper rare cards have had a glow-up in the Mega Evolution era thanks to the eminently hard-to-find all-gold Mega Hyper Rare rarity, some of the Trainer’s Pokémon hyper rare cards from Journey Together also weigh in with impressive values.
Kicking them off is N’s ace Pokémon, Zoroark. N, the fan-favorite anti-hero from Pokémon Black & White has long been the face for a number of notable chase cards, with his appearance on the Reshiram & Zekrom GX Full Art from Cosmic Eclipse leading the charge.
9. N’s Reshiram – Illustration Rare, 167/159
Market Price: $18.88
Two straight N cards kick us off, with this one featuring the far better artwork of N astride the powerful legendary Fire/Dragon-type Reshiram.
Notably, this card was also included in “enhanced” booster boxes of Journey Together as a box topper with a Journey Together set symbol stamped atop it. That version is worth slightly more, but the non-stamp version is still fairly pricey. Interestingly, the inverse is true of one of the most valuable cards from Destined Rivals, the SIR Team Rocket’s Moltres.
8. Iono’s Bellibolt ex – Hyper Rare, 188/159
Market Price: $18.91
Iono is the most recently introduced trainer from Journey Together, and her ace ‘mon Bellibolt stands as a notable box-art Pokémon from the set.
While the SIR version of this card is far prettier (more to come on that), a “standard” hyper rare from this era being worth nearly $19 is no small feat and is likely due to Iono’s popularity as a character.
7. Volcanion ex – Special Illustration Rare, 182/159
Market Price: $20.42
The only Fire/Water-type Pokémon in the franchise’s history is this mythical ‘mon first introduced in Generation Six, though it is no stranger to full-art cards across its history in the TCG.
This SIR from JTG is one of seven full-art cards that Volcanion has received in its PTCG “career,” though it doesn’t tip the scales as the most valuable card featuring this ‘mon: that would be the Secret Rare Volcanion from Steam Siege with artwork by PTCG illustrator extraordinaire Mitsuhiro Arita.
6. Articuno – Illustration Rare, 161/159
Market Price: $24.08
One of the best artworks found on a Pokémon card over the past year-plus comes via one of the original Generation One Pokémon games’ Legendary Birds. In this case, it’s Articuno.
Kuroimori’s illustration is spectacular, especially if you’re a fan of the color blue or of Gen One’s Ice/Flying-type Legendary Bird. While collectors and fans eagerly anticipate Kuroimori’s art on the Mega Chandelure SIR, which will surely be one of the most sought-after cards from Pitch Black, this Articuno IR is sure to keep you feeling good about your collection in the meantime.
5. Hop’s Zacian ex – Special Illustration Rare, 186/159
Market Price: $38.94
Hop, from the Pokémon Sword & Shield series of games, is one of the most upbeat and likeable rivals that the franchise has ever developed, and he gets his due with a number of Trainer’s Pokémon in Journey Together – with his Zacian SIR being the most valuable of the bunch.
Showcasing detailed and golden-hued artwork from DOM, this card looks less like an illustration and more like a detailed photo of Hop and Zacian training in the Slumbering Weald, the foggy forest where Zacian and Zamazenta can be found in-game.
4. Iono’s Bellibolt ex – Special Illustration Rare, 183/159
Market Price: $41.43
Now here’s the best Bellibolt!
With up-close artwork of Levincia City’s Electric-type Pokémon expert and her ace ‘mon ready to unleash a powerful attack or an entertaining video, this card is fully deserving of its above-$40 price tag.
3. N’s Zoroark ex – Special Illustration Rare, 185/159
Market Price: $48.05
Zoroark has been featured a number of times on these lists, including as one of the chase cards from Ascended Heroes, as well as a pricey single from White Flare.
While the identical card from Ascended Heroes is worth far more than its original rendition from Journey Together, N’s Zoroark from this set is still worth nearly $50 on the secondary market, making it a notable grail from this 2025 set.
2. Salamence ex – Special Illustration Rare, 187/159
Market Price: $65.06
While I hold the Articuno artwork from this set in high esteem, it still doesn’t match the illustration of this Salamence roaring above the skies – showcasing its power and dominance across the entire world of Pokémon.
Produced by legendary artist Tsuyoshi Nagano, who is likely best known for producing cover artwork for Koei video games in the 1980s, this incredible Salamence SIR is one of only three cards illustrated by this gifted artist. One is a regular holo rare Haxorus from Shrouded Fable, and the other is the IR Tauros from Chaos Rising (not one of that set’s most valuable cards).
With this two awesome full-arts on Nagano’s resume, I can’t wait to see what other cards he illustrates in his PTCG career.
1. Lillie’s Clefairy ex – Special Illustration Rare, 184/159
Market Price: $127.38
The singular chase card from Journey Together more than doubles the value of its runner-up, and with good reason. An incredibly cute card featuring a fan-favorite trainer alongside a fan-favorite Pokémon with an amazingly vivid color palette was always going to be a hot commodity among collectors and fans.
Expertly illustrated by Susumu Maeya, who is also responsible for the incredible full-art versions of the Froakie evolution line from Chaos Rising, it’s no wonder that this SIR was immediately hailed as a modern classic. Beyond that, it will surely gain value over time as the number one card from Journey Together.
The trope of Trainer’s Pokémon has long been an intriguing one for the Pokémon TCG. With news circulating that yet another Team Rocket-related set could be in the works, the cards from Journey Together are honestly pretty affordable right now, especially compared to other cards from these lists.
As such, it might be the perfect time to nab some of these singles before demand begins permanently outpacing supply. Either way, thanks for reading and catch ‘em all with you next time!
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