It’s time to grab your BakuCores – as we check out the most valuable Bakugan cards!
Amazingly, the Bakugan franchise first appeared way back in 2006 – with the toys launching a year before the anime series debuted in 2007.
After both the animated series and the toy line went dormant in 2012 – with numerous video games and other tie-in products released during that period too – Bakugan made a triumphant return in 2018 and has been on toy shelves ever since (even rebooting once more in 2023!).
So, for the uninitiated – what exactly is Bakugan?
The physical Bakugan toys are, of course, perfectly functional and fun as ‘just’ toys – but the main appeal of Bakugan is using them to play in a tabletop game.
In the basic game, players throw their spherical Bakugan onto the play area, at which point they spring into their alternate, creature form.
The objective of the original, basic game was to capture three Gate Cards, which the Bakugan are rolled onto.
However, there’s a few different ways to play, in addition to the more basic Toy Battling Game that I’ve just described, as well as a very simple card game (played using the cards found in each Bakugan pack), there’s also a more advanced mode called the Trading Card Game.
This involves similar basic gameplay in terms of rolling Bakugan, but is the variant that definitely has more appeal to older and more experienced players.
It has a more defined, slightly more complex, though it’s still a very straightforward game compared to other TCGs, structure with more phases in a turn.
There’s also a requirement for each player to have a 40 card deck – and these cards are used in various phases including the ‘Brawl’ Phase, which is essentially much like the combat or battles in other, similar games.
The coolest thing, though, is that you still get to roll physical creatures around, as well as play a pretty compelling, easy to learn TCG!
The cards can be highly sought after by Bakugan players, but values don’t seem to reach the heady heights of other games, so even the most valuable and rare cards tend to be pretty accessible for most players.
Which are the most expensive though?
Let’s find out, as we check out the most valuable Bakugan cards!
1. Mac – Super Rare 210, Battle Brawlers ($25)
This Hero card from the original Battle Brawlers set (which launched the Generation 2 reboot in 2018) is a Super Rare, featuring the character of Mac.
Mac is a member of the Rowdy Reds in Bakugan, alongside Maggie and Max.
With an average market value of $25 (thanks to information found at TCGplayer, which I’ve used to gather all of the card prices for this list), Mac is currently the most valuable Bakugan card of them all.
If you have any experience whatsoever of other trading card games (TCGs), you’ll know that prices can get absolutely ridiculous, rising as high as the thousands and sometimes even the tens or hundreds of thousands in extreme cases.
Or, in the case of The One Ring’s serialized, 1/1 version, $2,000,000 – but that is quite the outlier!
Yet Bakugan’s cards don’t seem to garner the same level of attention from collectors – as can be seen from this card’s perfectly reasonable value.
So what’s so special about Mac that puts it as the highest valued Bakugan card?
Well, on the turn you play Mac (who has a cost of 4 Energy), the Victor of the Brawl Phase is decided by the highest Damage Rating instead of B-Power. And just to make that a little more useful, the card also gives you Bakugan a bonus of +2 to their Damage Rating.
Given that Mac is a Hero card, that +2 to Damage Rating remains as long as the card stays in play too.
So you can see that, if you have at least one Pyrus Bakugan in play – which is the faction Mac belongs to – this is a really useful card to have in your deck!
2. Shun – Bakugan Elite 67, Age of Aurelus ($20)
This feels like a good opportunity to cover the different rarity levels in Bakugan – as the terminology is a little different to normal TCGs.
There are five levels of card rarity in Bakugan, as follows (with the rarity code also listed):
- Common (CO)
- Rare (RA)
- Super Rare (SR)
- Awesome Rare (AR)
- Bakugan Elite (BE)
Shun is at the Bakugan Elite level, which means that it’s the rarest type of card, though it’s also worth noting that cards can also have holographic foil treatments, which are even harder to pull.
With regards to Shun, he’s a Hero card from the Age of Aurelus set.
Shun belongs to the Aquos faction and has a pretty cool ability.
Once you have Shun in play, any time you open a Bakugan, you can reveal the top card of your opponent’s deck. If the card you reveal is an Action, you can copy its effect!
Given its rarity and ability, it’s no surprise that Shun is ranked so highly on this list, with a $20 value at present.
3. Dan Kouzo – Bakugan Elite 207, Battle Brawlers ($19.50)
Valued slightly under the price of Shun, Dan Kouzo’s current average value sits at $19.50.
If you’re a fan of Bakugan, Dan Kouzo (member of the Pyrus faction) needs no introduction , seeing as he’s the primary protagonist in the Bakugan anime series!
So it’s not a surprise to see one of the most important characters make it onto this list, with a Hero card that has an Energy cost of 4 and its rarity at Bakugan Elite level!
Dan Kouzo’s ability is excellent, allowing you to reveal the top card of your deck when you open a Bakugan; as long as it isn’t a Flip card, you can then play it for free.
4. Titan Nillious – Awesome Rare 257, Battle Brawlers ($12)
A card at the Awesome Rare level, Titan Nillious is rarer than a Super Rare, but not quite as scarce as a Bakugan Elite.
Titan Nillious is an Evo card, which allows players to evolve a Nillious and make it even stronger!
Similarly to how evolving works in Pokemon, in Bakugan you can evolve your creatures by placing an Evo card on top of them.
Evo cards have multiple types: Maximus, Titan and Hyper. But, unlike Pokemon, the different types of evolution don’t have to be played in order.
Titan Nillious is a Haos faction card with an Energy cost of 4, 800 B-Power and a Damage Rating of 8.
It also has two abilities that should come in very handy.
The first is Magic Shield, which gives a +200 B-Power bonus and allows you to attach another BakuCore from the Field to Titan Nillious.
Second is the Flaming Fist ability, which gives Titan Nillious a +4 Damage Rating.
If you have a Nillious Bakugan, this is definitely a card you’ll want to have in your deck. It’ll set you back a pretty reasonable $12 if you want to add it to your collection!
5. CEE – Super Rare 195, Battle Brawlers ($12)
A member of the Darkus faction, CEE is also a member of the Exit Team in Bakugan Battle Planet.
This Super Rare Hero card, which has a surprisingly low Energy cost of 2, allows players to add Shadowstrike to their Darkus Bakugan.
Perhaps this card’s most appealing ability, however, is the fact that it allows you to draw three cards if you deal 10 or more damage in an attack.
It’s pretty straightforward, useful and, in game terms, cost effective – so it’s not a surprise to see this card on this list, with a current average value of $12.
6. Maximus Dragonoid – Bakugan Elite 155, Armored Elite ($10.50)
Another Evo card, Maximus Dragonoid is also at the Bakugan Elite level of rarity – so it’s not surprising to see it appear on this list.
Though Maximus Dragonoid has an Energy cost of 5, it also has the Trifecta ability, which means that if your Bakugan have three or more BakuCores attached to them, you can play it for free!
Couple this ability with Maximus Dragonoid’s high B-Power of 1200, as well as a decent Damage Rating of 7 – not to mention the fact that Dragonoid is also the main partner of protagonist Dan Kouzo – it’s very clear why this card would command a reasonable price, with its average value currently at $10.50.
7. Shun Kazami – Super Rare 77, Resurgence ($10)
Another Shun Kazami Hero card, this one is slightly more accessible given that it’s a Super Rare, not a Bakugan Elite.
Just like the more expensive Shun Kazami on this list, it’s part of the Aquos faction.
It’s not quite as useful a card as the Bakugan Elite version, which hailed from the Age of Aurelus set (this one’s from Resurgence), given that its ability ‘only’ allows its owner to draw a card when they open a Bakugan.
However, for the low cost of 3 Energy, it’s certainly not bad at all; especially given that it actually costs less in real money. It’s currently valued at an average of $10.
8. Song of Fire – Common 109, Battle Brawlers ($10)
This is an unusual and unexpected entry on the list of the most valuable Bakugan cards, as Song of Fire is not only an Action card (the only one here!), but it’s also a Common card too!
So why is a regular, Common card one that holds such value and appeal?
Actually – your guess is as good as mine; its ability doesn’t seem to be earth-shatteringly appealing; certainly not to the extent that the card justifies its current $10 value in my opinion.
Song of Fire has an Energy cost of 3, but grants the player an extra 5 Energy.
Which isn’t that good; sure, it does give you 5 Energy, but with the cost factored in, really it’s only giving players a bonus of 2 Energy in the grand scheme of things.
However, that 2 Energy may make the difference between winning and losing – so who am I to judge?
9. Titan Dragonoid – Bakugan Elite 270, Battle Brawlers ($10)
Here we are again with a Dragonoid, this time, it’s the Titan Evo card from the Battle Brawlers set.
The Titan Dragonoid has a cost of 5 Energy, 1000 B-Power and a Damage Rating of 6.
It has the Doublestrike keyword – and it even has a pretty amazing ability, which truly elevates this evolved variant.
That ability is as follows: if you control a Dan Kouzo card, this Titan Dragonoid gets a phenomenal +2000 B-Power!
Given that it’s such a strong card and it’s at the Bakugan Elite level, perhaps the most surprising thing about this Titan Dragonoid is that it doesn’t feature higher on the list!
10. Dragonoid, Skater Supreme – Rare 79, Armored Elite ($10)
Here we have another Dragonoid card. This one, however, is quite unusual in comparison to the others on the list!
Though Bakugan didn’t emerge until the mid 00s, it’s hard to find a more 90s card than this Dragonoid, Skater Supreme.
I mean, just look at that silly Dragonoid, doing its best Tony Hawk impression on an absolutely enormous skateboard!
A Hero card from the Armored Elite set, Dragonoid, Skater Supreme has a low Energy cost of 2, making it reasonably easy to get into play.
So what’s special about this daft Dragonoid card, apart from its low Energy cost?
Well, Dragonoid, Skater Supreme has the Rapid Fire keyword which allows you to play a second and third Rapid Fire card on your turn for free!
Given that this can lead to some pretty interesting combos, it’s not surprising that this card’s oddball illustration hasn’t harmed its value, with it commanding an average price of $10.
