Summary
Pokémon Trading Card Gamerelease their cards in sets, keeping collectors on edge with new Pokémon cards, new Hyper Rares, new types of Pokémon, and the return of older cards, like Pokemon EX. AfterPokemon: Scarlet & Violetmade its round on the Nintendo Switch, thePokemon TCG:Scarlet & Violetset followed soon after, landing at markets all around the world.
TheScarlet & Violetset brought about thereturn of Pokemon EX cards,and they’re much heftier than before. There are also cards featuring all the new Pokemon in Generation 9, such as Koraidon and Spidops. With so many incredible cards hiding in this set, fans will want to seek out the absolute best cards for, not only their value but their performance in aPokemon TCGmatch.
Updated Jun 06, 2025, by Blaise Santi: It’s been just over two years since the release of Pokemon Scarlet & Violet, and just over a year since the final DLC Expansion of The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero was made available. As a result, many diehard Pokemon fans might be running out of things to do in the Nintendo Switch game, but luckily, the Scarlet & Violet TCG expansion is still going strong! The most recent expansion, Surging Sparks, dropped a month ago, leaving plenty of rare and beautifully-designed cards for players to search for in booster decks. Take a look at these especially great cards from the Scarlet & Violet expansion to either add to a playable deck, or simply put on display in a collector’s binder!
Discard your hand and draw 7 cards.
Card
Supporter
Professor’s Research is a unique card within the Pokemon Trading Card Game, as every generation there are new versions of it released featuringcorresponding professors from the mainline games. ForScarlet & Violet, that means there are two iterations of this card, featuring Sada fromScarletand Turo fromViolet, with these full art variants featuring original art by illustrator kirisAki.
Aside from its cool design, Professor’s Research is also an incredibly useful Supporter card for the TCG, as it allows players to discard their current hand and draw 7 cards. This can especially be useful if a player’s hand is full of non-Basic Pokemon or a lack of Energy Cards.
Trainer
Attacks/Abilities
Put one of your Basic Pokemon and all attached cards into your hand.
Penny is a fan favorite character who appears inScarlet & Violet, utilizing a unique team of all Eeveelutions,matching her Eevee-shaped backpack. Rarely has a Trainer card ever captured an NPC’s personality like this special illustration rare of Penny from the TCG’sScarlet & Violetset. It depicts Penny sitting alone in a sunlit room, cradling a single Poke Ball.
In terms of its usage in battle, the Penny card is also incredibly valuable. It allows players to draw one Basic Pokemon from their deck and add it to their hand, along with all attached cards. This means a player can prep themselves for a three-stage evolution — or even an EX Pokemon if they have one ready to go in their deck, which can spell trouble for opponents.
220
Basic
ManyScarlet & Violetplayers may have missed the introduction of Iron Crown, a future Paradox Pokemon based on Cobalion, a member of the Swords of Justice quartet fromBlack & White. This card made its debut inScarlet & Violet: Temporal Forces, the expansion that released in March 2024, introducing Paradox Pokemon into the trading card game.
Aside from being a decently strong Psychic-type card with no required evolutions, Iron Crown EX has a stunningly gorgeous full art design. In it, Iron Crown is seen standing on a beautiful purple-and-pink tree while a glowing yellow moon lights it from behind.
150
Stage 1 (Evolves from Finizen)
Palafin is certainlyone of the best-designed PokemonfromScarlet & Violet, taking on a superpowerful “Hero” form after it switches out from its “Zero” form. Plus, its shiny form is an incredibly unique coloring, replacing its dark blue body with a grayish black. This shiny Palafin design is given special treatment in this illustration rare from thePaldean Fatesexpansion.
In the card design, shiny Palafin looks menacing as it stands intimidatingly in the shadowy sea, lit only by a sliver of sun from the surface. Opponents will not only be jealous to see this incredibly-designed card be whipped out by players, but they’ll also be properly frightened to see it in action.
330
Stage 2 (Evolves from Charmeleon)
Charizard cards have a long history of being valuable in thePokemonTCG, but this selection from theScarlet & Violetseries might be one of the most beautifully designed. In the special illustration rare of Charizard EX, the Charmander evolution is depicted flying over an erupting volcano as the sun sets over a mountainous canyon.
The card also makes a terrifying opponent in the TCG, equipped with two Fire-type moves: the low-cost Brave Wing and the much more expensive Explosive Vortex, which deals as much damage as this card has HP. However, this is one card you won’t want to wear out in battle, as its design is too transfixing to be ruined.
Search the deck for an Item card and a Pokémon Tool card, reveal them, and put them into your hand. Then, shuffle the deck.
Arven is one of the most beloved characters to come out ofPokemon Scarlet & Violet, mainly due to his relationship with his Pokemon, Mabosstiff. This full art card shows the character in all his effortlessly cool glory, with a shiny holo finish that is sure to make it one of the shiniest cards in a player’s collection.
Players will also get good use out of Arven in the TCG, as the card allows players to search the deck for an Item and Pokemon Tool card before placing it directly into their hands. Suffice it to say, this card is much more useful in battle than Arven’s team was in fighting Titans in theScarlet & Violetgames.
280
Stage 2 (Evolves from Pidgeotto)
Design-wise, there’s something quite retro about this special illustration rare art of Pidgeot EX. It depicts a cartoonish, colorful Pidgeot flying forwards over a bright city, albeit one that’s unrecognizable in thePokemonuniverse. However, the real value of this card comes from its ability, Quick Search.
With Quick Search, players with this card out have the advantage of placing any card from their deck into their hand once per turn. This can be incredibly integral for the tides of battle, as players can quickly accrue the Energy cards needed to power up other Pokemon’s devastating attacks.
230
One of the best illustrations in theScarlet & VioletTCG set is Koraidon’s EX-card. The card depicts thePokemon Scarletlegendary in a swampy forest as a Dedenne scurries in the foreground. This Fighting-type card also has a special ability Dino Cry, which allows players to attach 2 Fighting energy to their Pokemon at any point during their turn.
Koraidon’s single move, Wild Impact, also deals a whopping amount of damage at the cost of Koraidon not being able to attack for an additional turn. Not only is this card valuable for its beautiful art on display, but it’s a lucky addition to any competitive TCG deck.
60
Fidough is easily one of the cutest Pokemon added in the ninth generation games, and this special illustration card does not disappoint on that front. The Psychic-type card shows an adorable yet lonely Fidough yearning as it stares into the window of a pastry shop.
It has two moves, Springy and Flop. Springy will allow it to reduce damage taken on the opponent’s next turn, while Flop attacks for a total of 30 HP. It may not be the best card prior to evolving into Dachsbun, but it’s a worthwhile addition to a card collection for its stunning and cute card art.
160
Among one of the most elegantPokemoncard arts in the history of the TCG is Dondozo’s special illustration rare from theScarlet & Violetset. It’s not as powerful as an EX card, but with 160 HP and two powerful attacks, it’s still a strong card given it doesn’t evolve. It’s an especially great card for TCG players who have a surplus of Tatsugiri in their deck.
Mimicking Dondozo’s compatibility with Tatsugiri in the video games, Dondozo’s move Release Rage does 50 damage for each Tatsugiri card that’s been discarded by the user. Otherwise, players can expend a large amount of Water and Normal energies for the 120 HP-taking move Heavy Splash.
