These Ascended Heroes cards are going for ten times what we were seeing for new sets two years ago
Almost everything about Pokémon’s latest set, Ascended Heroes, has been strange. The so-called “special” set officially released on January 30, but due to some undisclosed distribution issues only the triple-pack sticker collection made it to shelves. The next wave of products should go on sale on February 20, including the all-important Elite Trainer Box, and this might perhaps cause the current resale values of the cards to calm down. Because right now, they’re out of control.
Thanks to the enigmatic Pokémon Company International (TPCi), we’ve been fortunate enough to have received a bunch of Ascended Heroes packs early, including this week’s ETB, and even a couple of collectors boxes due for release in March. Each contain the same packs you can (in theory) buy right now in the sticker collections, but with different bonus materials (and yes, we could have sold them for four times their recommended retail price as that’s what pre-orders are currently being resold for, but thankfully we have some morals). It is the most peculiar of sets. It’s the largest collection ever, with a record-breaking 217 regular cards (including ex), and then a whopping 77 ultra-rares and higher. This is then made even more bonkers by the fact that every single regular card comes in multiple reverse-holos, with a matching energy-type reverse holo each, and then one of four different Poké Ball variants, as well as Team Rocket reverses for their cards!
Good luck actually buying them, though. The same issues that have plagued the hobby since November 2024 continue, and at this point it can only be assumed that TPCi is deliberately ensuring they continue by constantly ramping up the number of special rarity cards designed around fervent player nostalgia. Not only does Mega Evolutions: Ascended Heroes feature the continued reintroduction of Mega Pokémon, but it also sees the return of what are now being called “Mega Attack rares,” the cards with their moves written in bold Japanese lettering that last appeared in 2015’s XY Primal Clash, and remain extremely collectible. Oh, and it also brings back Trainer Pokémon cards, revived last year during the swansong of Scarlet & Violet and then weirdly abandoned just as it was getting going. That not enough to cause a frenzy? Well then, why not put in two gold cards, one featuring Mega Dragonite, then other Mega Charizard Y, and then the most astonishingly detailed Special Illustration Rare of Gengar. Yup, it’s like they took everything that can cause a set to go crazy, and put it all into one set, right at the point when buying Pokémon cards at all has become close to impossible.
Pull the other one
Of course, all that would suggest that if you can find some Ascended Heroes, it’s party time, right? Well, somehow no, because despite featuring more special art cards than any set in history, they’re also wildly difficult to pull. We were fortunate enough to open around 35 packs, and didn’t pull a single one of the 22 SIRs, let alone a gold card. Early stats suggest that SIRs are in fact found in one in every 100 packs, which is ridiculous, and the golds are in one in every thousand. This forced rarity is of course making resale prices even more crazy than they’ve been at any point during the last 18 months of the TCG’s destructive explosion.
In fact, from all those packs we only saw a single Illustration Rare, although from watching YouTubers opening packs this seems like it might have been some especially bad luck. There were also six regular ex cards, two ultra rares, and rather pleasingly, two Mega Attack rares, the Lucario and the Diancie. Which is all to say, the pull rates suck compared to those of previous Mega Evolutions sets, rights when we needed them not to the most.
I realize this is grimly naive, but it does seem such a shame that such extraordinarily beautiful art is created for these cards, and then made outlandishly difficult to actually see. These cards deserve to be owned and loved, but if you pulled a piece of worthless cardboard for which someone would pay you over a thousand dollars, it enters the territory of being morally dubious not to sell it. (I’m delighted to have this debate in much more detail, if you find this crass or flippant.) Again, as I’ve said for years, I cannot think of any plausible reason why TPCi does not sell the artwork for these cards as prints on its stores. Let it be appreciated!
Anyway, all that aside, let’s get mercenary about it. If you do find a pack and pull any of the following cards, you’re rich. Because we are in some whole new territory now. Over the years that I’ve been writing these articles I’ve seen the prices fluctuate, but it’s almost always been the case that the cards in tenth place are around $20, and sometimes a lot lower. The card in tenth this time is currently $164. In fact, you’d have to go as low as 18th to find a card under a hundred bucks, and 37th for a card under $20. These are record-breaking prices across a set. These are the weirdest times. All prices were accurate (according to TCG Player) at the time of writing.
N’s Zoroark ex SIR
With the massive increase in quality of the Illustration Rare cards, the Special Illustration Rares have had to up their game too, and you can really see the result here. N is displayed in his classic anime way, with that watercolor Zoroark, but then look at that background. That is some astonishing detail. And it’ll cost ya. As I said, even at this point in the top 10, we are already in the big money. This card is currently going for around $164.
Mega Feraligatr ex SIR
I rather love that this card is getting so much attention. Its 400 attack is hilariously OP, but that applies to the $8 regular ex versio… WAIT, WHAT?! The regular ex is going for EIGHT DOLLARS?! Goddammit, people, get a grip. Those are 50c cards! Anyway, back on track, this is just a joyfully cartoony card that is somehow outselling the likes of Iono’s Bellibolt and the astonishing Mega Hawlucha. I mean, it’s obviously not worth the $193 it’d cost you to buy right now, but it’s at least a lot of fun!
Lillie’s Clefairy ex SIR
Here’s your creepy underage waifu card for the set. Beautiful art, but given no one usually gives a shit about Clefairy you know this isn’t fetching $247 based on it’s strength against Dragon-type opponent Pokémon.
Team Rockets’s Mewtwo ex SIR
I’m delighted people are loving this card so much, but it’s doing nothing for me. Look closely and you can see the detail, but sit back and it just seems such a bland design to me. Still, it’s Giovanni and Mewtwo, and that’s enough for most to smash open their piggybanks. Although it’d have to be a very big piggy, given this costs $336. And yeah, you’re right: these prices are jumping up by astonishing amounts.
Pikachu ex 277 SIR
Oh my gosh I love this card so much. It’s just unburdened joy in pink and yellow, as well as being the most adorable pastiche of the overly serious nature of the terastalized Pokémon we saw in Scarlet & Violet cards, the splendid work of artist James Turner. It also packs a punch with a 300 attack, and the ability to survive a single knock-out hit from an opponent. You’ll want four of these in your deck, right?! And they’re only $364 each! (And that’s not even close to how expensive this same card is about to get…)
Mega Dragonite ex Gold
I was very surprised when the reintroduction of gold cards caused such clamor toward the end of last year. They had very much gone out of favor, and an attempt to reintroduce them during Scarlet & Violet with a garish green-n’-gold design was a massive flop. It is notable that the new gold prints are far better than we’ve seen before, and the illustration above does not do them justice. The texturing and holo effect is really something, making them look like something truly special compared to the rest of the cards. And yet, here’s Dragonite—the mascot for Ascended Heroes—stuck down in fifth. Obviously I’m not suggesting it’s not doing well—it will cost you a mindblowing $458—but it’s still interesting that it’s significantly behind the far more colorful and joyous SIR Dragonite that’s yet to come.
Pikachu ex 276 SIR
I’m not certain, and please let me know if I’m wrong, but I think this might be the first time the same Pokémon has had two different SIRs in the same set. Of course, if anyone’s going to get that, it’s Pikachu, and it’s such a pleasure that it’s in two such lovely cards. We have the YIPPEE Pikachu a couple of spots above, and the UH-OH Pikachu here. This one’s by an artist brand new to the TCG, called booota, and if this is the standard I can’t wait to see what’s next. Oh yeah, the price: $516. Yikes.
Mega Dragonite ex SIR
Oh what a thing of beauty. Yes, Mega Dragonite is ridiculous with those wings coming out of its head (god, imagine the pain of flying), but it looks resplendent here, and even better for being surrounded by Dragonair in that swirling background. Masterful work by the reliable DOM. The only issue being, if you wanted one, you’d have to give up eating for a month and pay $564.
Mega Charizard Y ex Gold
Yup, they snuck a Charizard into the Dragonite-themed set, just to make things even more unimaginably stupid. And then they made it so rare that it guaranteed the set to be even more valuable to scalpers than any before. The solution to this insanity? Print more of the most collectible cards, so regular people have a greater incentive to buy packs, but the resale market is flattened by over-population. TPCi isn’t making a cent from any of these resales, so what exactly does it have to lose by addressing this problem?
Anyhow, it isn’t doing anything to help, and that’s why this card will cost you an eye-watering $638 pack fresh.
Mega Gengar ex SIR
Poor old Dragonite. Not only does it get usurped by the random inclusion of a Charizard in its own set, but then it gets shoved aside by the ever-mean Gengar. This beautiful, stormy card has blown the top off the market, at one point selling for as much as $1300. Things have somewhat calmed down over the last couple of weeks, but the price is still out there. Right now, before things hopefully stabilize with the addition of more population with February 20’s new releases, this card is still fetching $830 on average.
