The Pokémon TCG’s newest expansion: Paldea Evolved is here with some beautiful and rare cards mixed in for avid collectors to track down.
The Pokémon Trading Card Game released its expansion Paldea Evolved on June 9, 2023, adding more cards to the Scarlet & Violet set and introducing several very rare cards for collectors to find. Paldea Evolved is surprisingly a more extensive set than Scarlet & Violet was, and because of this, although the odds of finding a Rare card are the same, it will be more difficult to find that one specific Rare card that someone may be hunting for, due to the increased amount of variety.
The Pokémon TCG:Scarlet & Violet: Paldea Evolved set has many valuable cards, some of which are very rare, but others are worth more money for other reasons. The rarest cards in the set are the Hyper Rare and Special Illustration Rare cards, which are often alternate versions of other cards in the expansion, and they can be extremely hard for players and collectors to find. Data for these numbers come from pull rates gathered from TCGplayer's Authentication Center which opened more than 8,000 booster packs to calculate their numbers.
9 Pokémon TCG Paldea Evolved: Iono - Ultra Rare 254/193
Paldea Evolved's Ultra Rare card of Trainer Iono, card number 254/193, has a 1 in 320 chance of being pulled according to TCGPlayer. Due to the randomness that comes with this type of collecting, a player searching for this card could get it relatively quickly or have to go through any number of Pokémon TCG packs. The card is also one that has been highly sought after due to Iono being a fan-favorite trainer and therefore is valued pretty highly. Iono's card 254/193 is currently worth $45.28 USD on TCGPlayer.
8 Pokémon TCG Paldea Evolved: Dendra - Ultra Rare 250/193
Another one of the Trainer cards, Dendra's Ultra Rare card number 250/193 is also a challenge to come by. According to TCGPlayer, there is an estimated 1 in 346 chance of opening a Pokémon TCG Scarlet & Violet: Paldea Evolved pack with this card in it. Despite its rarity and the attractive artwork of Dendra, the card itself is only valued currently at $6.45 USD on TCGPlayer. Though Dendra's Ultra Rare card has a low chance of being acquired, there is an estimated 1 in 15 chance of opening a pack with an Ultra Rare card of some variety.
7 Pokémon TCG Paldea Evolved: Meowscarada ex - Special Illustration Rare 256/193
Meowscarada is the final evolved form of the starter Sprigatito from the Scarlet & Violet video games. This Pokémon TCG Paldea Evolved card number 256/193 for Meowscarada ex's Special Illustration Rare is a beautiful depiction of the cat-like creature and is a rare find for any collector. TCGPlayer calculated that the odds of pulling this card is a 1 in 376 chance. Currently, it is valued on TCGPlayer at $19.48 USD.
6 Pokémon TCG Paldea Evolved: Magikarp - Illustration Rare 203/193
Out of the 8,000 packs which were opened by TCGPlayer, Magikarp number 203/193 showed a 1 in 480 chance of being found. This Pokémon TCG Illustration Rare card is an artistic depiction of Magikarp done in vibrant colors. It has surprisingly jumped in value since the Paldea Evolved set was released, and is worth $80.71 USD according to TCGPlayer. Prior to the expansion's release, Magikarp was valued at closer to $20 but has since sold for as high as $109. Finding any Illustration Rare card in a pack has about 1 in 13 odds.
5 Pokémon TCG Paldea Evolved: Chien-Pao ex - Special Illustration Rare 261/193
Chien-Pao ex's Special Illustration Rare card, card number 261/193, features beautiful artwork of the Legendary Pokémon. TCGPlayer found that it has roughly a 1 in 480 chance of being found in a Paldea Evolved pack. Generally, the odds of pulling one of any style of the Special Illustration Rare cards is around a 1 in 32 chance. The card is valued right now on TCGPlayer at around $35.00 USD.
4 Pokémon TCG Paldea Evolved: Iono - Special Illustration Rare 269/193
The Special Illustration Rare variety of the Pokémon TCG Scarlet & Violet Iono card from the Paldea Evolved set is one of the highest-valued cards in the expansion. Card number 269/193 features adorable artwork of the trainer Iono that makes it a popular one, and the odds of it being found in one of the packs is roughly 1 in 480 according to TCGPlayer. The card is currently worth roughly $158 USD according to TCGPlayer.
3 Pokémon TCG Paldea Evolved: Tyranitar - Illustration Rare 222/193
Pokémon TCG Scarlet & VioletPaldea Evolved's Tyranitar card number 222/193 is a majestic representation of the extremely powerful Pokémon. It is an Illustration Rare card that also has a 1 in 480 chance of being found in a pack according to TCGPlayer. Between the strong attacks when this card is brought to the table and the stunning artwork, this Tyranitar card is currently valued at $38.28 USD on TCGPlayer.
2 Pokémon TCG Paldea Evolved: Chien-Pao ex - Hyper Rare 274/193
This Hyper Rare edition of Chien-Pao ex number 274/193 is the special golden variant of the Ultra Rare card with the same artwork and stats. Though it doesn't have new artwork, its status of Hyper Rare immediately means that it is one of the rarest cards in the Pokémon TCG Paldea Evolved set. TCGPlayer estimates that players have a 1 in 508 chance of discovering this particular card and a 1 in 57 chance of finding any of the Hyper Rare cards in a pack. Chien-Pao ex's Hyper Rare card is currently valued at $17.50 USD on TCGPlayer.
1 Pokémon TCG Paldea Evolved: Dendra - Special Illustration Rare 266/193
According to TCGPlayer's statistics from opening 8,000 packs, the rarest Pokémon TCG card in the Scarlet & Violet Paldea Evolved set is the Special Illustration Rare Dendra card, card number 266/193. They found that players have roughly a 1 in 540 chance of uncovering this card in one of their booster packs. The card is currently valued on TCGPlayer at $23 USD.
According to TCGPlayer, the average rarity of cards in the Paldea Evolved sets is about equal to the rest of the Scarlet & Violet base sets of the Pokémon TCG. Because all the cards are in randomized booster packs, individual experiences will not all be the same. Some people could get lucky and uncover one of the rare cards in their first or second pack, while others may never be able to find the one they are looking for. It is estimated that only around 2% of the Pokémon Trading Card Game Paldea Evolved booster packs will contain a Hyper Rare card, but for those lucky players who do find one, it can be a true treasure.
