When Pokémon Legends Z-A, the upcoming prequel to main-series sixth-generation Pokémon video games Pokémon X and Y, was confirmed to be in the works to mark Pokémon Day on 27 February 2024, it was always inevitable that the buzz surrounding it as well as Gen 6 in general would carry over to the Pokémon TCG as well. Likely as a result of the hype for Pokémon Legends Z-A, some “classic” cards from Gen 6 have recently seen their value spike—one of them is this Teammates card from Gaia Volcano [XY5].

This Super Rare (SR) card has a Full Art illustration that depicts the two Trainers with Poké Balls in hand, just about ready to send out their Pokémon for a Double Battle. Of course, the usual “female character boost” applies here, jacking up this card’s value.

Additionally, this card occupies a unique place in Pokémon TCG history in Japan. In 2016, to mark the 20th anniversary of the Pokémon TCG, two exhibition tournaments known as the Shōwa VS Heisei Battle were held in Niigata and Nagoya. Teams were divided by age: those born in the Shōwa era (before 8 January 1989) and those born in the Heisei era (on or after 8 January 1989). Every player of the winning team would be awarded a copy of the card that included the event’s logo in the bottom-right corner of the artwork.

All that being said, the recent price hike that this card is almost unprecedented, having nearly tripled in recent weeks. It remains to be seen if this card’s price will remain as high as it is now with the release of Pokémon Legends Z-A coming closer.

In English, this card is 160/160 from the Primal Clash set.

Following the massive price rise, a Teammates (Gaia Volcano [XY5] 077/070) card of SR rarity has a price of 100,000 JPY (~US$652).

In other TCG-related news, check out the Prime Catcher card from Cyber Judge [SV5M]. Alternatively, you can also head over to the SNKRDUNK App via the banner below and find the top trending and latest single cards and boxes.