Pokemon TCG: The 10 Most Valuable Cards From Scarlet & Violet: Paradox Rift

Summary

• Parasol Lady - Special Illustration - $31.83: Powerful card with limited scope, provides card draw; valuable to collectors.
• Garchomp ex - Special Illustration - $34.52: Unique typing and abilities, strong attacker; confusing yet valuable card.
• Tulip - Special Illustration - $35.45: Supporter card for Psychic-type decks, allows retrieval of cards; playable and highly valued.

If you’re a fan of the Pokemon TCG, every new release brings more opportunities to pick up cards of their favorite Pokemon. With the release of Scarlet & Violet: Paradox Rift, the distant past and the far-off future of the Pokemon world combine to bring a new twist to the game.

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Paradox Pokemon finally join the card game with this expansion, bringing two new card types, Ancient and Future to help designate them. This new mechanic comes on top of the Tera Pokemon adding another twist to the meta. Among all the cards coming in Paradox Rift, these are the most valuable cards you can open in your packs.

Note: These prices are based on TCGplayer’s Market Value on 10/31/2023 and are subject to change depending on various elements including the game’s meta and collectibility.

10 Parasol Lady - Special Illustration - $31.83

Rain, Rain, Go Away

A powerful card that is a little limited in scope, Parasol Lady provides some powerful card draw, under specific conditions. When you play Parasol Lady you shuffle your hand back into your deck, drawing eight cards if you went second and it's your first turn. If you play Parsol Lady during any other time in the game, you draw four.

The serene artwork of Parasol Lady shielding herself from the light rain with her defining parasol makes for a beautiful card and one that is going to be valuable to collectors.

9 Garchomp ex - Special Illustration - $34.52

Here There Be Dragons

As a Tera Pokemon, Garchomp ex defies traditional typing for the Dragon and Ground-Type Pokemon, instead turning it into a Water-Type Pokemon with a massive 320 HP and a weakness to Electric attacks.

Even more confusing, Garchomps’s primary attack, Hydro Lander, costs one Fighting Energy, dealing a hefty 160 damage and letting you put up to three more Fighting Energies from your discard pile onto your Benched Pokemon. Then you can start sniping away your opponent’s Benched Pokemon with its Sonic Dive attack, fueling your discard pile to use Hydro Lander again.

8 Tulip - Special Illustration - $35.45

A Psychic Can Never Rest

Psychic-type decks have a new Supporter card to play with the release of Tulip. Playing this card lets you return four cards from your discard to your hand, in any combination of Psychic-type Pokemon or Psychic Energies.

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Playable cards are almost always higher in value, and if there’s an alternate art version of that card, then it’ll be even higher. The Special Illustration version of Tulip shows the Psychic-type Gym Leader of the Alfornada Gym from Paldea as she applies makeup to another character.

7 Professor Sada’s Vitality - Special Illustration - $35.88

Smoliv Is Learning A New Move!

Playing to the theme of Paradox Pokemon, Professor Sada’s Vitality lets you keep your Ancient Pokemon powered up by bringing back Basic Energies from your discard pile and attaching them to your Pokemon.

Doing so also lets you draw three cards, keeping your hand full and your Pokemon ready to attack. Special Illustration cards are Full Art Secret cards that are hard to find in packs, increasing their value. The artwork on Professor Sada’s Vitality is fantastic, featuring a Teddiursa and Smoliv hanging around, watching Sada work.

6 Rika - Special Illustration - $38.49

Taking A Stroll For More Cards

Getting to pick and choose which cards you draw is a great way to craft whatever hand you want and Rika lets you do just that. You get to look at the top four cards of your deck when you play this card, putting two of them into your hand and the rest on the bottom of your deck.

The Special Illustration version of this card features the Ground-type member of the Paldea Elite Four taking a casual stroll down an idyllic street, ice cream in hand and not a care in the world. Rarely do we get to see trainers in the day-to-day and these cards are the best way to see how they live their lives.

5 Iron Hands ex - Special Illustration - $42.28

Catch These Iron Hands

The first of the Paradox Pokemon on this list is Iron Hands ex, likely a future version of Hariyama. This Electric-type card has only two attacks, both of which are relatively Energy heavy costwise.

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The art for this Special Illustration card is very strange but very fun, featuring the Iron Hands busting through no less than six old stone walls, with a seventh victim on the way. Why is it doing it we’ll never know, but it makes for a silly card collectors will enjoy.

4 Iron Valiant ex - Special Illustration - $55.95

Spread Damage From The Future

Another Paradox Pokemon card to join the most valuable cards from the set, Iron Valiant ex brings a powerful Psychic attacker to the set. Iron Valiant ex has a special ability, letting you add two damage counters to any one of your opponent’s Pokemon.

The Special Illustration artwork for Iron Valiant ex shows the Future Pokemon standing before other Paradox Pokemon, seemingly challenging the other Pokemon that reside with it in the distant future. The artwork is stunning, with the setting sun casting light across all the Pokemon gathered in the valley.

3 Gholdengo ex - Special Illuistration - $69.08

Got That Midas Touch

Among all the Pokemon released over the years, Gholdengo is special, receiving the coveted number 1000 slot in the National Pokedex. As Gholdengo ex, this Pokemon card lets you revel in riches, granting all sorts of resources to you, which is as good as gold in the Pokemon TCG.

Gholdengo ex’s ability, Coin Bonus, lets you draw a card once during your turn. If it's in the Active Spot, you draw two instead, giving you a constant stream of cards. Its only attack, the aptly named Make It Rain, deals 50 damage times the number of energies you discard from it, letting you scale the amount of damage depending on your opponent’s Active Pokemon.

2 Mela - Special Illustration - $72.84

Grab Some Burn Heal

This card pulls double duty in your deck, recycling Energy cards while helping to keep your hand full. Mela lets to attach a Fire Energy card from your discard pile directly to one of your Pokemon in play, refilling your hand back up to six cards if you’re running low.

The only drawback to this card is that you can only play Mela if you had a Pokemon get knocked out during your opponent’s last turn. Fire-Type decks have had a powerful hold on the meta lately, and any card that can help power up your Pokemon will likely find a place in it.

1 Roaring Moon ex - Special Illustration - $77.97

The Roar Heard Around The Moon

The first Ancient Pokemon to join this list, Roaring Moon ex brings the terrifying power of the past to the Pokemon TCG. Roaring Moon ex’s first attack can automatically knock out your opponent’s active Pokemon, dealing 200 damage to itself in retaliation but since it has 230 health it will likely stick around for another turn or two.

The Special Illustration version of this card has the prehistoric Pokemon standing tall among the other Ancient Pokemon, asserting its dominance over the other primeval Pokemon with a massive roar, its namesake in the past.

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