Pokemon TCG: The 10 Most Valuable Cards From Neo Genesis

The Generation 2 Pokemon games brought many changes, including holdable items, myriad new Pokemon to catch and train as well as the addition of two new typings in Steel and Dark. In the Pokemon Trading Card Game, Neo Genesis was the first set to feature these now-iconic new critters.

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While collectors don’t race to obtain Neo Genesis cards quite as much as they do Generation 1 Pokemon TCG cards, the cards on this list still demand hefty sums on the secondary market. From legendary Pokemon featured on the games’ box art to starter ‘mons final evolutions, this list has the most expensive cards from Pokemon TCG’s Neo Genesis expansion. Like Lugia, the Diving Pokemon, let’s dive in!

The card prices quoted all come from TCGPlayer.com’s Market Price History over the past calendar year and may fluctuate over time. Also, no First Editions are included on this list even though they are extremely rare and, thus, wildly more expensive than the Unlimited versions of these cards.

10 Steelix – Holofoil

Market Price: $26.24

Jumping straight in is one of the first-ever Steel-type Pokemon (or in TCG parlance, “Metal” type): Steelix. Onix was a notable Pokemon in Gen 1 as it was one of Brock’s partner ‘mons in the anime, as well as Gym Leader Brock’s most important weapons in Pokemon Red, Blue and Yellow. Many an early game run came to a screeching halt because the only attacks your critters knew were normal type.

Gen. 2 debuted an even more threatening evolution for Onix. Jasmine, the steel-type gym leader from Pokemon Gold and Silver, was tough thanks in no small part to her level-35 Steelix. Steelix’s high price point showcases just how imposing and intriguing “metal” types were when they debuted.

9 Slowking – Holofoil

Market Price: $32.80

Another notable part of Pokemon’s Gen. 2 was the inclusion of new evolutions (as well as pre-evolutions, more on those later) for Gen. 1 ‘mons. One such ‘mon was Slowking, an interesting evolution for Slowpoke that only occurred (in-game) when it was traded holding a new item – a King’s Rock.

In the TCG, Slowking was incredibly strong as its Pokemon Power: Mind Games ability forced opponents to flip a coin whenever they played a Trainer card. If tails, the card failed and was put back on top of their deck. This ability also stacked with multiple Slowking in play (due to a Japanese-to-English mistranslation), so it was incredibly annoying to deal with. That lingering power level surely affects Slowking’s still-high price tag nearly 25 years later.

8 Meganium (10) – Holofoil

Market Price: $38.36

One interesting aspect of Neo Genesis is that it featured two different cards of the same Pokemon – in this case, each final evolution of the Johto starters has two different versions with different abilities, attacks, artwork, etc. The lowest-priced of those six cards is grass-type starter Chikorita’s final evolution: Meganium.

Underpowered in the games themselves, Meganium is certainly stronger in the TCG, but it still doesn’t quite have the cache of the other two Gen. 2 starters, nor does it reach the importance or power level of its grass starter forebear, Venusaur. Still though, Meganium does have a beautiful design, and this card commanding nearly $40 on the secondary market is mighty impressive.

7 Pichu – Holofoil

Market Price: $47.22

Baby Pokemon made their debut in Gen. 2 (and, by extension, in Neo Genesis in the TCG) with Pichu, Igglybuff, Cleffa, Togepi, Tyrogue, Magby, Smoochum and Elekid marking the first-ever pre-evolutions of existing Pokemon (save for Togepi, which debuted in this generation). Incredibly cute, these Pokemon were immensely popular upon release and were marketed heavily after Gen. 2’s release.

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In the TCG, baby Pokemon had a special rule in which opposing player attacking them had to flip a coin before the attack. If tails, their turn ended with no attack at all. Combine that with strong, non-energy-intensive attacks and you’ve got some powerful cards that continue to demand high price tags, with Pichu taking the cake, as it’s the only one that received the holofoil treatment in Neo Genesis.

6 Feraligatr (4) – Holofoil

Market Price: $49.83

The first appearance (but not the last) for Generation 2’s final evolution of its water-type starter, Totodile clocks in at just under $50 a pop. Just like the most valuable cards from the TCG’s Base Set, final evolutions of starter Pokemon command a premium on the secondary market.

And that’s understandable. The starter ‘mons are among the most highly marketed (and beloved) creatures throughout the history of Pokemon. They’re normally the first Pokemon revealed when a new game releases, and in the TCG, their cards are often extremely powerful (the current reign of Charizard ex attests to that) or immensely sought after due to both scarcity and nostalgia.

5 Meganium (11) – Holofoil

Market Price: $53.76

The last appearance by Meganium on this list is surely the more offensively powerful one in the TCG. Its Pokemon Power: Wild Growth ability effectively doubles the amount of grass energy that you have in play. As such, its Soothing Scent attack only costs two energy, which was a bargain when this card released – 40 damage and guaranteed sleep for only two energy? Terrific.

While this card wasn’t eminently popular competitively, it did pair well with the more defensive-minded Meganium card (number eight), as it could come into play and remove all damage counters from your grass-type ‘mons, all while this Meganium geared up your grass-type Pokemon to attack quickly. A good combo!

4 Feraligatr (5) – Holofoil

Market Price: $57.82

The final appearance from a Feraligatr card on this list delivers slightly better, more action-filled Ken Sugimori artwork as well as an interesting “Rain Dance” style ability (a la Base Set Blastoise’s Pokemon Power). Feraligatr’s Pokemon Power: Downpour allows you to dump as many water energies into you discard pile as you want to help fuel its Riptide Attack.

Riptide deals ten damage, plus an additional 10 damage multiplied by the number of water energy in your discard pile, so the synergy is strong, though all those energies do have to go back into your deck after using the attack. Still, though, Professor’s Research-style cards were not Supporter cards at this point, so fueling up Riptide again would’ve been trivial.

3 Typhlosion (18) – Holofoil

Market Price: $73.75

Now we’re getting to the big guns. Just like in Pokemon TCG’s Base Set, the most expensive starter cards belong to the fire type. Typhlosion is certainly a popular starter ‘mon, and its pre-evolution Cyndaquil even made an appearance as a starter in Pokemon Legends: Arceus with a brand-new Hisuian variant as its final form.

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This Typhlosion features classic Ken Sugimori artwork, though its ability and attack pale in comparison to its direct fire-type starter predecessor (the mighty Base Set Charizard). This is still a flavorful and fun card, however, and one that certainly deserves its whopping $70-plus price tag.

2 Typhlosion (17) – Holofoil

Market Price: $100.12

One of only two cards on this list to break the triple-digit threshold (and just barely at that), this card again shows the incredibly high value that fire-type starters have in the TCG’s first two generations. This artwork isn’t quite as impressive to me as the other Typhlosion, but maybe that’s because I had the other card in a special Japanese 9-pocket binder before Neo Genesis released in the U.S.

It’s notable that only two cards, this one and the card in the number-one spot, command a market price above $100, despite all 10 cards on the list of the most expensive cards from the TCG’s Base Set reaching the $100 threshold. Nostalgia is a powerful force (as is market scarcity).

1 Lugia – Holofoil

Market Price: $240.16

As you can see, one card from Neo Genesis stands head and shoulders above the rest when it comes to current-day market value: Lugia. This gorgeous holofoil card had the strongest baseline three-energy attack of any card released in the TCG up to this point, though its drawback of tossing all three disparate energies into your discard pile was quite steep.

This card is incredibly scarce, and Lugia’s popularity has only risen over the years, as this legendary psychic/flying-type Pokemon has graced the cover of multiple games including Silver, SoulSilver and even Pokemon XD: Gale of Darkness for Nintendo GameCube – lending a price point that climbs higher and higher for Neo Genesis copies of this card in good condition.

Beyond that, Lugia has long been an impressive competitive card in the TCG, as its recent run at the higher end of the meta with Lugia V and Lugia VSTAR can attest. A fitting ‘mon for the top spot on this list.

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