The 10 Best Pokemon Packs to Buy in 2025, Ranked
No matter how many times you do it, there’s just nothing like buying Pokemon packs and eagerly anticipating what new rare card you might pull. Today, there are countless Pokemon packs to choose from, but we’re going to give you full rundown on which are the best Pokemon packs to buy right now, and what makes them ideal for collectors, value hunters, and players.
#10 Twilight Masquerade
The one with the Greninja
Market price: $5.48
Twilight Masquerade felt slightly underwhelming when it came out, but has aged very well. While it doesn’t carry a ton of weight in the nostalgia department that drives a lot of value in the Pokemon TCG (it is instead based on a more recent Pokemon DLC for the video game), its top chase card – the Greninja ex Special Illustration Rare– soon began fetching impressive prices online. Greninja isn’t the only card this set boasts, however. Eevee fans will love the Illustration Rare Eevee card which is still holds up value today.
What’s more, this pack is an incredible one for players, boasting a lot of strong cards like Dragapult ex. Given its lack of more nostalgic, familiar Pokemon in its alternate artwork lineup, however, this pack is unlikely to be as memorable as some of the other excellent packs released in Scarlet & Violet.
These are the most expensive cards in Twilight Masquerade.
#9 Stellar Crown
An underrated gem
Market price: $6.20
As a set, Stellar Crown has a lot going for it. Although we’ve had Tera Pokemon in the game for a while, this expansion takes the Tera typing to the next level, introducing gorgeous Stellar Tera Pokemon like the gem-like Terapagos ex Special Illustration Rare (one of the most gorgeous chase cards from the era). More than this, however, are the powerful new mechanics that act as a buff to Tera Pokemon in general.
Suddenly, running Tera Pokemon gives you a huge advantage beyond just the fact they can’t be damaged while on the bench. Now you can take extra prize cards when you knock out a Pokemon via the Briar supporter, or even stack up your bench to an insane eight total Pokemon via Area Zero Underdepths.
If that weren’t enough (and it wouldn’t be wrong if you felt it should be), this expansion also delivers on nostalgia, with two gorgeous illustration rare versions of two of Kanto’s most recognizable Pokemon: Bulbasaur and Squirtle.
Check out the most expensive Stellar Crown chase cards.
#8 Temporal Forces
Bringing ACE SPEC back
Market price: $5.19
Temporal Forces will likely go down in Pokemon TCG history as one of the best if not the very best best expansions of the Scarlet & Violet era. Expanding both Future and Ancient Pokemon and introducing powerful new deck archetypes, what is the single biggest contribution to the game is the inclusion of ACE SPEC Pokemon cards – powerful item cards players can include in their decks.
There’s some nostalgia in this set as well, as many of the alternate art cards feature variations of the legendary dog Pokemon Entei, Suicune, and Raikou. Apart from those, it’s also got a pretty impressive Morty Special Illustration Rare card for fans of the Johto era of Pokemon.
A warning ahead of purchasing this pack: if you are not super excited about pulling ACE SPEC item cards, then Temporal Forces may disappoint as ACE SPEC cards take up one of the rarity spots in this pack. Temporal Forces is also unfortunately known for having some of the worst pull rates for Special Illustration Rare cards in of all of Scarlet and Violet.
See our guide for the most expensive cards in Temporal Forces.
#7 Journey Together
The historic return of trainer’s Pokemon!
Journey Together Booster Pack
Market price: $6.59
Journey Together is noteworthy thanks to the fact it marks the historic return of Trainer’s Pokemon to the Pokemon TCG. While not nearly the chase card blockbuster Prismatic Evolutions was, it does have a fair share of valuable chase cards to collect. What’s more, it’s a fantastic set for players, bringing refreshing gameplay mechanics into the fold.
If you’re finding the likes of Surging Sparks, Evolving Skies, and Prismatic Evolutions a little rich for your blood or maybe even just a little too hard to come by, give Journey Together a shot!
#6 Paldean Fates
Perfect for shiny hunters
Market price: $11.85
Paldean Fates caused quite the stir when it hit the shelves back in 2024 as the first “Shiny” set to grace the Pokemon TCG since the popular Shinning Fates which debuted towards the beginning of the Sword and Shield era of the game.
In addition to the general appeal that is shiny hunting, Paldean Fates is noteworthy for just how many gorgeous alt art “shiny” cards we got from many of our favorite Scarlet and Violet cards of the time.
The most valuable of these shiny Special Illustration Rare prints was “Bubble Mew.” Although peeking quite high in the post-Prismatic Evolutions haze that saw prices for Pokemon trading cards rise across the board, today this shiny Mew ex SIR still commands a respectable value at just shy of $300.
Mew ex (Special Illustration Rare)
Market price: $298
It’s far from the only card on the list worth chasing, however. The Shiny Charizard ex is fearsome and fetches an attractive value, and players love to bling out their decks with the many shiny Pokemon found in these packs.
See the most expensive Paldean Fates chase cards in our guide.
#5 Paradox Rift
A fantastic set for players
Paradox Rift Booster Pack
Market price: $5.06
Paradox Rift was released several years ago now but still carries with it the weight of a preferred Pokemon TCG set. The set brought with it a lot for players to enjoy, including the Ancient/Future archetypes that once dominated the Pokemon TCG meta. While top chase cards like the Roaring Moon ex SIR pale in comparison to some of the later set’s top pulls, they’re memorable in their own right – particularly the crazy IR Groudon that commands the top spot in the list for value despite being of a lesser rarity.
Groudon (Illustration Rare)
Market price: $70
That Groudon is gorgeous and epic enough of a chase to convince me on this set, and many, many Pokemon TCG fans would agree.
For more on the latest Paradox Rift card values, see the guide.
#4 Pokemon 151
Pure, nostalgia-fueled fun
Market price: $10.39
Pokemon 151 has a massive appeal for fans, featuring the original 151 Pokemon, and the chance to catch ‘em all like they did the for the first time decades ago.This puts a good amount of the fun in opening this particular pack not just in pulling valuable cards but in actually creating a master set featuring every single card – including alternate arts.
That being said, by far the top chase from the set is the Special Illustration Rare Charizard card that features the iconic Pokemon flying over what could potentially be seen as Charific Valley from the early shows.
Charizard ex (Special Illustration Rare)
Market price: $178.25
Collectors looking for a pack filled to the brim with nostalgia and the sheer joy of Pokemon hunting will love Pokemon 151 – assuming they are willing to pay the high price point associated with not only the booster pack but all of its impressive products.
You can read our full guide to learn everything you need to know about Scarlet & Violet – 151 including release dates and rare cards.
#3 Surging Sparks
The set that reignited the phenomenon
Market price: $6.76
With massive sets dropping it feels every other month lately, Surging Sparks is a set that’s relatively easy to overlook. Still, it deserves its dues for being the single pack that launched the renewed Pokemon TCG collection phase that made the crazy hype for massive sets like Prismatic Evolutions popular.
When you look at this pack’s lineup, however, you might scratch your head a little at that bold statement: what exactly made Surging Sparks so special? Well, for starters it had the SIR Pikachu – a card filled to the brim with enough nostalgia to make collectors go wild. It didn’t hurt that early sales for that particular card peaked at over $400 on the secondary card market, which was a lot for the relatively tame Scarlet and Violet Pokemon TCG era up until that point.
Pikachu ex (Special Illustration Rare)
Market price: $279.49
Yet, others will point to the advent of Pokemon TCG Pocket driving some of the craze. Indeed, it was right around the time of Surging Sparks releasing that Pokemon TCG Pocket was gaining traction, with Pokemon fans ripping countless Pokemon packs around the world every day.
Whatever the reason, Surging Sparks remains a solid buy for Pokemon TCG fans, and luckily the set is available at a much more affordable price point than it once was.
Find out which of the top Surging Sparks Chase cards are most expensive in my guide.
#2 Destined Rivals
Double the trouble at a reasonable cost
Market price: $19.95
If you’re looking for a top tier pack opening experience and want something a little more affordable, Destined Rivals could be the right Pokemon pack for you. Although initial hype for this “Team Rocket” caused an infamous scramble that included overwhelming Pokemon Center preorders, overtime allocation was much better for the set than for Prismatic Evolutions, driving costs down for consumers.
Now, Pokemon TCG players, collectors, and profiteers can get their hands on the first main Pokemon TCG set since the mid-2000s to feature Team Rocket for as little as $6 a pack.
While there’s plenty to chase in this set which helps lend added value to it, the big chases are either Team Rocket’s Mewtwo ex or Cythia’s Garchomp ex – both in their Special Illustration Artwork forms.
Team Rocket’s Mewtwo ex – (Special Illustration Rare)
Market price: $403
Cynthia's Garchomp ex (Special Illustration Rare)
Market price: $200
While you won’t find anything in the league of Umbreon ex from Prismatic Evolutions here, more than a handful of cards are worth a decent value, with the top four most expensive being worth well over $100
Whereas Prismatic Evolutions is largely a set aimed at collector’s, Destined Rivals has something for everyone, with powerful new cards, decks and mechanics getting introduced alongside the iconic return of Team Rocket’s Pokemon.
Wether you are chasing Team Rocket’s Mewtwo ex, or simply hoping for that Cynthia’s Garchomp ex SIR, it’s hard not to be excited about the insane potential of this amazing set.
The biggest selling point for Destined Rivals currently remains its phenomenally fun theming, excellent array of secrete rare cards, and relatively low price point.
Read my guide covering the most expensive Destined Rivals cards.
#1 Prismatic Evolutions
The best Pokemon TCG pack to buy for valuable cards
Market price: $10.37
Unless you are completely new to Prismatic Evolutions, odds are good you’ve already heard about this massive set. Prismatic Evolutions was so big when it came out that it sent a mad scramble to land products at local stores the likes of which hadn’t been seen possible even during the height of the pandemic.
The reason for this? Demand for Prismatic Evolutions was for a lore more than just the sheer number of beautiful and rare cards you could get – it was fueled by the money. Epic, hyped chase cards like the Umbreon ex SIR soared to dramatically high prices, reaching as high as $1600 upon initial release.
Umbreon ex (Special Illustration Rare)
Market price: $1,000
While prices for cards on the secondary card market have slipped since then, this pack is still the best current set to purchase if your goal is landing valuable cards. And while scarcity and demand drove pack values through the roof both initially and for a few months, currently it’s available at a pretty reasonable rate – $10 a pack. That’s a pretty hefty discount compared to the other Eeveelution set in recent memory – Evolving Skies – which goes for more than double on the secondary card market.
While Prismatic Evolutions might have once been a little too inflated to be a wise investment for most Pokemon TCG collectors, today it’s fair price point and incredible potential value make it a fairly reasonable buy for those who don’t mind investing a bit more than you would on more middle-of-the-road packs.
Check out each of the most expensive Prismatic Evolutions cards in my guide.
