Pokémon trainers, it’s time to battle! Pokémon TCG is one of the most popular trading card games in the world. Naturally, that leads to it having some of the rarest and most expensive single cards to exist in the hobby, which fans and collectors alike scramble to lay their hands on.

One of the best places to buy Pokémon cards online, the SNKRDUNK App stocks a great range of Japanese Pokémon TCG at affordable prices. All our TCG products are shipped directly from Japan, where each item goes through a rigorous authentication process, ensuring that users get exactly what they’re paying for.

With the launch of the Trading Cards Tab on the SNKRDUNK App, searching for a coveted Pokemon card has gotten even easier. There’re a ton of hidden gems waiting to be uncovered and we’ve compiled a list of some of the most sought-after Japanese Pokémon cards you can find on the SNKRDUNK App—just for you:

■ Friends in Alola — SM-P Promo 401

We pull no punches on this list. First up is one of the hottest Japanese Pokémon cards ever, Friends in Alola. This card was a promotional card that came in the “Limited Collection Master Battle Set”, which you could only obtain from Pokémon Center in 2019. To find one of these in mint condition, you would have to fork out US$2,000—20x over the original box set’s retail price.

■ Lillie Extra Battle Day — SM-P Promo 397

One of the most expensive Japanese Pokémon card to date, the Lillie Extra Battle Day is a card many collectors dream of. Originally given out during special Extra Battle Day tournaments in Japan back in 2019, this card instantly became a hit with players and collectors alike.

Not only is it illustrated by the great Naoki Saito, it’s also imo one of the prettiest-looking trainer cards, . And perhaps the biggest reason of them all: Lillie, one of the most popular Pokémon characters in Japan.

Not to long ago, a Lillie Extra Battle Day in a PSA 10 sold for a whopping 8,550,000 JPY (~US$60,947) on our app.

■ Poncho-Wearing Pikachu (Mega Charizard) — XY-P Promo 207

The Poncho-Wearing Pikachu is one of Pokémon TCG’s most beloved promo series ever. First released in 2014, the long-running series has since seen over 14 different promos being produced.

In 2016, two new special boxes featured a Full Art version of Pikachu dressed up as Mega Charizard X and Mega Charizard Y. These now remain as some of the most expensive Poncho-Wearing Pikachu cards on the market.

■ Mimikyu Munch — SM-P Promo 289

In 2018, the Pokémon Company teamed up with the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum to present a retrospective on painter Edvard Munch. As part of the exhibition, Mimikyu, Psyduck, Eevee, Pikachu, and Rowlet were reimagined into Munch’s classic artwork, The Scream, as part of promotional TCG cards. Out of the five, Mimikyu is the most expensive today, with the last raw card being sold for 800,000 JPY (~US$5,738) on the SNKRDUNK App.

■ Mario Pikachu & Luigi Pikachu — XY-P Promo 295 & 296

What happens when you combine two of Nintendo’s most popular characters? A collaboration of a lifetime, it seems. In 2016, Pokémon and Super Mario Bros. joined forces on a crossover campaign.

Two Pokémon TCG Special Boxes were created, one themed after Mario and the other after Luigi. These were extremely limited in quantity, which naturally led their promo cards to become some of the most expensive Pikachu cards right now.

■ Umbreon VMAX HR — Eevee Heroes 095/069

We’ve gone through a whole lot of promo cards due to just how rare and hard they are to come by. This time, however, we turn our attention to a card that can be found within a booster box. Part of “S6a Eevee Heroes”, this Umbreon VMAX alternate art version is undoubtedly one of the ‘chase cards’ within the set. Despite only releasing two years ago, this Umbreon VMAX card has transitioned into becoming a must-have for Eeveelution fans all over the world.

■ Charizard (No Rarity Symbol) — Base Set 1st Edition 006

We transition from one of the latest cards on this list to the oldest in the entire TCG. That’s right, we’re going all the way back to 1996 to feature one of the earliest Pokémon cards ever—the 1st Edition Charizard (No Rarity Symbol).

This was part of the first-ever print run for Pokémon TCG, and therefore lacked the rarity symbol on the bottom right of every card, which was introduced shortly after. Just know that—if you’re in possession of one of these Charizards, or any other Japanese Base Set card without a rarity symbol, you’re quite literally holding on to a piece of history.

■ Pikachu Beauty Looking Back — S-P Promo 227

Japan Post and Pokémon released a collaborative Stamp Box set back in 2021, containing a series of Pokémon-themed stamps. Along with said stamps were two special promotional cards, namely Pikachu 227/S-P and Cramorant 226/S-P, respectively designed around two classic 17th century ukiyo-e paintings: Beauty Looking Back by Hishikawa Moronobu and Moon Goose by Hiroshige Utagawa. These are some of the most intricate and beautiful Pokémon TCG cards ever made, and ones with a ton of history imbued in them.

■ Pikachu Master Battle Set — SM-P Promo 400

We round off this list from where we first began. Part of the “Limited Collection Master Battle Set” that also contains the Friends in Alola mentioned up top, this Pikachu is one of the most desired Pikachu cards in Pokémon TCG.

In terms of design, the card possesses a special holographic design on the enlarged textured thunderbolts. It also features Tapu Lele, Buzzwole, and Zekrom around Pikachu, some of the most popular individual cards during the Sun & Moon era.

This card in a PSA 10 slab recently sold on the SNKRDUNK App for 590,000 JPY (~US$4,209), which goes to show how much the “Limited Collection Master Battle Set” truly is worth.

And there you have it! These are some of the rare Japanese Pokémon TCG cards you can find on our marketplace app. There are way more than what we’ve showcased here, so download the SNKRDUNK App today and discover all the hidden gems for yourself!