Pokemon TCG: The Hottest Cards in Paldean Fates

Christian Hoffer

01/26/2024 06:15 pm EST

Paldean Fates is the first Pokemon TCG set of 2024 and it already comes with some must-have chase cards. This week, The Pokemon Company released Paldean Fates, a new "special set" for the Pokemon Trading Card Game. Paldean Fates has a different release than "normal" Pokemon sets, as fans won't be able to purchase single booster packs in stores. Instead, these cards only come in products like Elite Trainer Boxes, Booster Bundles, and tins. Additionally, Paldean Fates is a relatively modest set in terms of new cards – there's only about 90 "new" cards in the set. However, the set also includes over 150 secret rare cards, most of which are reprints from past sets that feature new artwork of Pokemon in their shiny forms.

The large number of secret rare cards in Paldean Fates comes as both a blessing and curse – the set has much better pull rates than other sets, with players getting a secret rare card at a rate of about one per four packs. However, with the sheer number of secret rare cards, you're much better off turning to the secondary market than ripping hundreds of packs in the hopes of getting a complete set.

Here are the top cards you're looking to pull from a Paldean Fates set:

Penny (Secret Illustration Rare)

Market Price: $39

Another card featuring a popular character, Penny allows a player to move a Basic Pokemon and all its attached cards back into their hand. This card is useful in decks that rely heavily on Basic Pokemon and has been a mainstay in the Snorlax Stall deck that's seen a little usage as of late.

Nemona (Secret Illustration Rare)

Market Price: $43

Nemona is one of the main female protagonists of Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, so she has a bit of a following among fans. This card isn't a particularly competitive one (there are plenty of other cards that have card draw effects in addition to other abilities), but this card will still have some value because it features a popular character and looks pretty awesome.

Pikachu (Shiny)

Market Price: $58

To be honest, there's no real reason why Pikachu is somehow worth more than the other "Baby Shiny" Pokemon cards out there. I guess it speaks to Pikachu's enduring popularity that people want a slightly darker yellow version of the mascot Pokemon. Expect the price to eventually come down on this one.

Iono (Secret Illustration Rare)

Market Price: $93

Iono's last Secret Illustration Rare caused massive changes to how The Pokemon Company distributes cards in Japan, so it's not a surprise that this card is among the most sought after in the set. Iono is a trainer card that causes both players to put their hand back into the deck and replace it with cards equal to the number of prizes they have. It's a good disrupting card and also provides a quick way to swap out hands. This is an incredibly popular Trainer card, so of course folks will want the shiniest version for their decks.

Mew ex (Secret Illustration Rare)

Market Price: $109

Mew ex is another card that's been popping up in more and more decks since its release last year in the 151 set. This card allows players to draw until they have 3 cards in their hand and also lets a player "steal" an attack from their opponent's Active Pokemon and use it as their own. Mew's ability can be used while on the bench and its attack doesn't have a specific energy required to use it, so it's been popping up in many decks, regardless of their type or main Pokemon.

Gardevoir ex (Special Illustration Rare)

Market Price: $105

Another meta-relevant card, Gardevoir ex is a reprint of the Gardevoir ex from the first Scarlet & Violet set. Gardevoir ex is one of the central cards of several Psychic-themed decks, helping to mill Psychic energy from a player's discard pile onto their Pokemon at the cost of dealing damage to them. Until these decks start phasing out, expect the price of this card to remain relatively high.

Charizard ex (Special Illustration Rare)

Market Price: $175

The most expensive card of the set, this is a variant version of the Dark-type Charizard ex originally published in Paldean Fates. This is going to be an expensive card for several reasons – the Dark-type Charizard ex is currently one of the dominant cards of the metagame, it's a Charizard card, and it looks amazing. Currently, this is the priciest card of the Scarlet & Violet era and we expect it to stay that way for a while.

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