The Pokémon Trading Card Game releases card sets alongside the Pokémon games' core series entries, and the Sword and Shield collection has featured some fantastic sets and expansions over the past few years. While it can be challenging to gauge the value of certain cards as they release, many items experience increased value as the series leave stores and become more scarce. With a dozen released expansions and sets for the Pokémon Sword and Shield TCG series and another on the way in May, players and collectors may wonder which collections are worth hunting down. All rankings are liable to change as time passes and more sets release, and the conditions of each card and scarcity of different pulls can impact long-term value and worth.
The Pokémon Sword and Shield series featured valuable cards and beloved monsters to add to players' collections. While some creatures (like Charizard and Mew) are more valuable than others, different card series experienced more scarcity and worth than others. Many sets release with varying amounts of common and rare cards, forcing players to comb through dozens of duplicates for a foil or legendary Pokémon. With many retailers (like Walmart and Target) restricting Pokémon card sales, collectors may experience difficulty obtaining enough packs to encounter rare cards. Thankfully, some sets provided more prizes than others, making their purchase worth the time and effort.
There are many ways to determine the best or most valuable Pokémon cards, but the average collector or player may not understand this process. Standard cards feature basic art and often feature as duplicates in singular packs or box sets, making these cards forgettable or tradable. However, cards can gain value by featuring well-designed art of beloved Pokémon or coming in an alternate form. For example, Chilling Reign featured multiple versions of the legendary Galarian birds, with numerous art and foil cards of the monsters, increasing the set's value compared to other expansions. Players can also attribute value to powerful cards in competitive play, which could be misleading for non-playing collectors.
Pokémon Sword & Shield: Rebel Clash
Pokémon Sword and Shield's Rebel Clash expansion released on May 1, 2020, featured dozens of cards that did not inspire much excitement. The card series and the Sword and Shield games were young, restricting the collection to the base Galar region. Many cards featured basic art, even with rarer cards like Ninetails V. Additionally, most of the rarer cards in this set featured less popular Pokémon like Galarian Perrserker. Perhaps the most disappointing feature of this set is that its rarest and most valuable cards weren't Pokémon, and instead featured Sonia and Boss's Orders (Giovanni). Both Sonia's Trainer Card and Boss's Orders appeared with full rainbow art versions, providing players with a colorful - but useless - addition to their decks and collections. According to Hobbybin, each card barely earned a 50 dollar value at release, making this set the worst in the Sword and Shield series.
Pokémon Sword & Shield Base Set
The base set for the Pokémon Trading Card Game series often features the most disappointing of the generation, with community feedback unavailable and arts working with the barebones Pokémon and characters of the namesake game. The base TCG set for Pokémon Sword and Shield proves this, with disappointing art for a single title legendary failing to raise its value very much. The set released on February 7, 2020, and its most valuable cards are far better designed than Rebel Clash but still fall short with monetary value compared to other expansions. The base set's most valuable card is Zacian V's secret rare and gold version, which features the Pokémon Sword title legendary in a stunning golden setting with a slick border. The Zacian V card fetches a $60 value on various vendors like eBay and PriceCharting. While the Pokémon Sword and Shield set didn't start the series on the best foot, other expansions quickly improved on designs and value.
Pokémon Sword & Shield: Battle Styles
While the Pokémon Sword and Shield: Battle Styles expansion vastly improved the set's values, it still suffered from a drastically low pull rate and made most booster packs disappointing purchases. Despite several well-designed cards and valuable cards located in the Battle Styles expansion, it's improbable that players can find anything of value in many remaining booster packs. Though Battle Styles took inspiration from the Pokémon Sword and Shield DLC, The Isle of Armor, it failed to deliver an impactful addition to the existing series.
Its most valuable cards eluded many dedicated players and collectors due to the overwhelming number of commons in most packs. According to TCGPlayer, Battle Styles' Tyranitar V alternate art card is still selling for close to $100, one of the most valuable and well-designed cards available in the game. Pokémon Sword and Shield: Battle Styles' low ranking is an unfortunate disappointment and an example of how card distribution can undermine an expansion's worth.
Pokémon Sword & Shield: Celebrations
Pokémon TCG's Sword and Shield Celebrations expansion released in October 2021, and featured some rereleases and redesigns of the trading card game's most famous monsters and cards. While many available cards received significantly high values, the unoriginality cripples the pack's ranking compared to other, more creative expansions. The Celebrations set's most valuable cards were re-releases that appeared in older expansions but didn't match their value. The most valuable Pokémon card (unsurprisingly) was Charizard from the Classic Collection base set, which fetches $190. Other valuable cards included a shiny Star Umbreon reprint from the Classic Collection, valued at $92, and a Shiny Mew card, valued at $115. While its elevated prices and pull rates make Celebrations significantly more valuable, the chances of claiming a worhtwhile original card are pretty low.
Pokémon Sword & Shield: Fusion Strike
Pokémon Sword and Shield's Fusion Strike expansion lacked a meaningful launch in November 2021, failing to offer many game-changing mechanics or abilities. However, this set is redeemed by beautiful art for many popular Pokémon, featuring Mew as a cover monster for advertisements. Fusion Strike is a decent set that isn't too special and isn't too terrible but fails to make too much of an impression even after several months on the market. Its most valuable cards feature some exciting art, with the set including alternate cards and beautiful art to make a lasting impression. Most of its valuable cards are variations of Mew, with various VMAX and Rainbow VMAX ultra rares selling for $150-$175, depending on the card's condition and availability. However, other valuable Fusion Strike cards depict non-legendary Pokémon worth more than Mew, with the Espeon VMAX alternate full art card fetching approximately $181 and the Gengar alternate full art card selling for $182. While Fusion Strike isn't the most valuable or exciting Sword and Shield expansion, it's more representative of the Pokémon TCG quality in recent years.
Pokémon Sword & Shield: Darkness Ablaze
Pokémon Sword and Shield: Darkness Ablaze released in August 2020, and immediately introduced dozens of valuable and memorable Pokémon cards. While it offered significant design overhauls to beloved monsters from previous generations, it also depicted Galar's newest collection of unique monsters in impressive art and powerful movesets. Unlike earlier depictions of the Galarian starter Pokémon, Darkness Ablaze featured a rare secret art, gold Rillaboom card, as the second most valuable card in the set. However, it's unable to beat Charizard, a popular and valuable Pokémon card monster that regularly defeats its legions of competitors.
According to Hobbybin, Darkness Ablaze expansion's ultra-rare VMAX Charizard launched with prices over $600, though these have dropped to around $300 as time passes. Unfortunately, the overabundance of Charizard cards lessens this Darkness Ablaze's impact, especially since it so vastly outvalues other cards in the expansion.
Pokémon Sword & Shield: Chilling Reign
Pokémon Sword and Shield: Chilling Reign released with inspiration from the Sword and Shield Crown Tundra DLC, featuring unique monsters and Galarian forms that revitalized classic designs. The most valuable monsters in these expansions were the Kanto legendary birds featured in Galarian form. While the Chilling Reign expansion isn't an invaluable expansion, its heavy reprint decreases its card value significantly. Thankfully, its art and diverse content counteract its lower values, with Galarian Moltres, Articuno, and Zapdos featuring valuable alternate art alongside Calyrex in Ice Rider and Shadow Rider forms. Moltres V's alternate full art sells for approximately $83, but this card easily surpassed $100 at launch and is extremely powerful in Pokémon TCG matches. However, its most valuable card doesn't hail from Galar: the Blaziken VMAX alternate art secret card, which can range from $101 to $150 depending on the card's condition. Overall, Chilling Reign isn't a terrible expansion but drops rank compared to other Sword and Shield expansions.
Pokémon Sword & Shield: Brilliant Stars
Pokémon Sword and Shield's Brilliant Stars expansion is a recent addition to the series and released in February 2022. Despite positive initial conceptions, it's difficult to gauge the expansion's overall worth soon after its release. Many cards in Brilliant Stars are likely to gain or lose value depending on the long-term scarcity, but the expansion has already become one of the most valuable sets in Sword and Shield. The presence of various Charizard cards sharply increases the value and is coupled with amazing art for other legendary Pokémon. Umbreon, Arceus, and Charizard all appear in V or VMAX forms, ranging in prices from $60 to $183, which is much lower than later expansions. However, Brilliant Stars is still an excellent addition to the Pokémon Sword and Shield series and earns itself a spot in the top five sets.
Pokémon Sword & Shield: Vivid Voltage
The Vivid Voltage Pokémon TCG expansion released on November 12, 2021, and featured an emphasis on Electric-type Pokémon. Pikachu and Zarude appear alongside over a dozen V and VMAX cards with unique alternate art and foils. When Vivid Voltage appeared in stores, many players and collectors sought to get their hands on some of the amazing legendary monsters inside, which could sell for impressive prices. Unsurprisingly, the most popular and valuable rare cards in these packs are Pikachu and Charizard, trademark monsters for the Pokémon franchise.
According to PriceCharting, the Rainbow Pikachu VMAX card can cost over $465 at PSA 10, while the foil Pikachu V card sells for approximately $131 in similar conditions. In addition, other legendary Pokémon like Jirachi and Celebi frequently appear in available booster packs, rewarding players that invest in this set.
Pokémon Sword & Shield: Evolving Skies
Evolving Skies was one of Pokémon TCG's most anticipated Sword and Shield expansions, featuring the Eeveelutions and a collection of powerful Dragon-type monsters. Initially released on August 27, 2021, Evolving Skies quickly became known for combining three Japanese sets in English form. In addition, the VMAX holographic cards for popular monsters like Sylveon, Dragonite, Umbreon, and Rayquaza shot this set's value through the roof. While the pull rates for Evolving Skies aren't as high as Shining Fates or Champion's Path, its highest value cards feature beautiful art and powerful moves, with Rayquaza VMAX's alternate art card selling for $259, according to TCGPlayer.
Pokémon Sword & Shield: Shining Fates
Despite several similarities to a previous Pokémon TCG expansion called Hidden Fates, Pokémon Sword and Shield's Shining Fates sets itself apart with its Galarian themes and full art Trainers. While its reprints and limited full art collection robs Shining Fates of becoming the best Sword and Shield set, its contents make it one of the greatest options for collectors and players alike. Shining Fates features dozens of Shiny Pokémon, including Ditto, Suicune, and Charizard. Holographic alternate art forms of these cards easily sell for over $100, with value changing depending on the card's condition. According to TCGPlayer, Shining Fates' Shiny Charizard VMAX card fluctuates from $188 to $130. Combined with impressive art for Trainers like Skylar and high pull rates, Shining Fates is the second-best set worth collecting in the Sword and Shield series.
Pokémon Sword & Shield: Champion's Path
Pokémon Sword and Shield: Champion's Path released in September 2020 to exceedingly high reviews and pull rates. The set focused on Galar Gym Leaders that appeared in Sword and Shield alongside their Pokémon partners and featured popular (and valuable) pseudo-legendaries. Unfortunately, Champion's Path didn't appear in any booster packs and could only be obtained in special collections. This vastly increases the value of the rarest cards in the set, such as the Shiny Charizard V and Shiny Rainbow Charizard VMAX, which sell for $376 and $455 respectively.
However, even lower valued cards like Lucario V and Gardevoir VMAX provide beautiful additions to any collection, touting Champion's Path's skilled art and card designs. Its unique, Galarian themes and beautifully designed artwork combined with an impressive pull-rate for valuable and rare cards make Champion's Path the best set in the Sword and Shield series.
Unranked: Pokémon Sword & Shield: Astral Radiance
Pokémon Sword and Shield: Astral Radiance is scheduled for a May 2022 release, and features several popular Pokémon cards in its collection. Descriptions on the official Pokémon TCG website confirm the introduction of several Hisuian forms, including Origin Form Dialga and Palkia. While some fans may be confused about the crossover between Pokémon Legends: Arceus and Sword and Shield, the unique design of different monsters introduce new opportunities for the Pokémon Card Laboratory (PCL) to utilize community feedback and card values before the expansion releases in a month. Like most new card expansions, there's likely to be significant hype surrounding Astral Radiance's release, and eager collectors should place preorders on the Pokémon Center website.
While there are many ways to rank and grade Pokémon Sword and Shield's card sets and expansions, general popularity and content combined with individual card value provide players and collectors with important information. It's unknown how much longer PCL and the Pokémon Company will continue developing and releasing the Sword and Shield series, but certain cards will become more valuable as time passes. Fans can likely expect a new card generation with Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, which is scheduled for a holiday season release in 2022. Thankfully, the latest Astral Radiance card expansion set is only a month away and promises over a hundred cards to expand the Pokémon Sword and Shield collection.
Source: Hobbybin (2), PriceCharting (2), TCG Player (2, 3)