The final Pokémon Trading Card Game (or TCG) set of 2024 is here, which means another collection of 200+ cards that fans are keen to get their hands on. Though there are, of course, cards which are more sought after for their in-game utility, we’re checking out which cards have fans willing to pay ridiculous amounts for them on the secondary market, or at least keep them eager to rip open those Surging Sparks booster packs. So without further ado, let’s check out and count down the most wanted Pokémon cards in Surging Sparks!
10. Night Stretcher – Hyper Rare, 251/191
Every contemporary Pokémon TCG set has a selection of Hyper Rare cards in the current era; these tend to be the final cards in their respective set, from a numbering perspective. Night Stretcher, which first appeared in the Shrouded Fable set, appears as a Hyper Rare in Surging Sparks, and makes it to the tenth spot on the list of the most wanted cards in the set.
Of 252 cards overall, Night Stretcher is the 251st. You’ll notice that the card number doesn’t make sense if you’re not familiar with the way that Pokémon TCG sets work; it’s card number 251 of 191 in the set. All Pokémon TCG sets have a base set of cards (in the case of Surging Sparks, that’s 191 cards), and then numbers which go beyond the base set’s number of cards; these “extra” cards are known as Secret Rares.
Secret Rares are usually alternate art variations of other cards in the set, so they don’t offer anything unique from a card abilities or stats point of view, but their relative scarcity and special illustrations make them highly desirable. Night Stretcher, like all Hyper Rare cards, has a gold colored, textured finish. It doesn’t actually appear elsewhere in Surging Sparks, so if you want to pick up a more reasonably priced variant of this Trainer card, you’ll need to go back to Shrouded Fable.
9. Jasmine’s Gaze – Special Illustration Rare, 245/191
Special Illustration Rare cards are another type of Secret Rare card, and they tend to be among the most highly sought after cards in every set. With their full art illustrations and textured foil finish, it’s not surprising that fans want to get their hands on these types of card.
Cards which depict Pokémon and Trainers in more candid, everyday situations have become extremely popular, and that’s what we have here with this Special Illustration Rare variant of Jasmine’s Gaze. Here we see popular Pokémon Trainer Jasmine caught mid-bite, eating a tasty treat in a rather cozy looking café!
8. Latios – Illustration Rare, 203/191
This beautiful card, depicting a Latios heading towards a gorgeously rendered sunset, is an Illustration Rare variant. Though they tend to be less in-demand than Special illustration Rare cards, there’s little to distinguish them, and this card has clearly been one that Pokémon TCG fans have been eager to discover in their booster packs!
It’s also worth noting that this particular card forms a larger illustration when placed alongside the Latias card, which undoubtedly adds to its desirability.
7. Alolan Exeggutor ex – Special Illustration Rare, 242/191
This Alolan Exeggutor ex card is a great showcase for the vividly colored Stellar Pokémon cards that have just been introduced to the game. First appearing in the Stellar Crown set, Stellar Pokémon are a new type of Tera Pokémon, with their defining characteristic being that they require multiple types of Energy to carry out their most powerful attacks.
They’re also visually distinguishable from other Pokémon cards by a multi-coloured, rainbow style border, which gives them an immediately striking aesthetic. Of course, with this Alolan Exeggutor ex being a Special Illustration Rare, it has a textured foil treatment too, making it an even more visually pleasing card, and definitely one that’s very exciting to find in a booster pack.
6. Milotic ex – Special Illustration Rare, 237/191
Though not a fancy Stellar Pokémon or even a Tera Pokémon, this variant of the Milotic ex is an absolutely beautiful, full art Special Illustration Rare card. Though of course, art is subjective, it’s very clear to see why fans would want to pull this from a booster pack and add it to their Pokémon TCG card collection!
As with all of the other cards on this list, given their value to collectors, you’re not likely to see many of these cards out in the wild and being used in decks, as they’re quite often immediately sleeved and added to binders, rather than going into deck boxes and taken into battle!
5. Lisia’s Appeal – Special Illustration Rare, 246/191
There’s a subset of Special Illustration Rare cards, usually featuring female Trainers, which tend to be among the most highly sought after cards in any given set. They have images which seem to almost jump out at the viewer, with the Trainer depicted as looking straight towards the camera. Lisia’s Appeal most certainly fits this description, so it’s no surprise to see it here, so close to the top of the most wanted cards in Surging Sparks!
As you’ll see from the last four entries on this list all being different Pokémon, this Special Illustration Rare variant of Lisia’s Appeal is the most wanted of all Trainer cards in the set, and would surely be quite the exciting find in a Surging Sparks booster pack!
4. Hydreigon ex – Special illustration Rare, 240/191
Another Stellar Pokémon and another Special Illustration Rare, this beautifully painted image of Hydreigon ex wearing the Stellar Crown is absolutely stunning. Of course, the card itself is no slouch in terms of how useful it is in game, with its Stellar-based attack dealing 130 HP damage to two of your opponent’s Benched Pokémon.
However, with other versions of the Hydreigon ex card being available in the Surging Sparks set, it’s clear that this highly sought after variant is being chased by Pokémon TCG fans for aesthetic reasons. We here at Card Gamer can’t say we blame the fans for wanting to get their hands on this particular card; we do too!
3. Pikachu ex – Hyper Rare, 247/191
It perhaps seems odd that Surging Sparks is a set that features great support for Lightning type Pokémon, yet until now there’s been no Lightning Pokémon on the list of the most wanted cards from the set. However, we’re clearly saving the best until last, because here’s the Hyper Rare, gold and textured foil Pikachu ex card!
Pikachu ex has been the virtual mascot of Pokémon ever since the first animated series, when the cute electric mouse was shown as the companion of the show’s protagonist, Ash Ketchum. Though Pikachu initially felt like an odd choice, given that it wasn’t one of the three starters in the first video games, and was a fairly nondescript addition to the first ever Pokédex, it didn’t take long for the little yellow Pokémon to become a fan favorite.
So of course, we’re not surprised to see a Pikachu ex card in the number three spot on this list; not only is it a Hyper Rare, but it’s also a Stellar Pokémon, which means it’s depicted wearing the Stellar Crown. It also has a pretty stunning attack; though it uses three different types of Energy, due to its Stellar nature, it deals a huge 300 HP of damage!
2. Latias ex – Special Illustration Rare, 239/191
Cast your mind, and perhaps your gaze, back to the beginning of this list. Remember that Latios? We mentioned that its illustration was half of a pair, and in at the number 2 spot on this list is the Latias ex, which forms the right side of the two part illustration. As we’re so thoughtful here at Card Gamer, and we know just what keen Pokémon fans want, here’s what the two cards look like side by side:
Don’t they look fantastic? Given that they’re fantastic to get hold of as a pair, along with the fact that the cards look amazing individually, we’re not surprised at all to see Latias ex on this list. However, its position so close to the top of the list is perhaps a little odd. What makes this card so much more desirable than the other?
Seeing them side by side makes it clearer; it’s likely the fact that its in-game ability, Skyliner, is pretty powerful. This ability removes any Retreat Cost from all of the Basic Pokémon you have in play, making it a pretty versatile and useful card to have on your side!
1. Pikachu ex – Special Illustration Rare, 238/191
Finally, right at the top spot is one of the showcase cards for the Surging Sparks set: the Pikachu ex Special Illustration Rare. Though, as a Stellar Pokémon, it’s difficult to use in practice, it’s unlikely that this specific card will make it into many decks, as it’s almost certainly a variant that collectors will be safely storing in their Pokémon card collection.
With a textured foil finish and a gorgeous illustration that once more shows Pikachu ex proudly wearing the Stellar Crown, this is the Pokémon card from Surging Sparks that seemingly everyone wants to get their hands on.
What cards have caught your eye from Surging Sparks? Are you looking forward to the next Pokémon TCG set, Prismatic Evolutions? Check out our early look at the Eeveelution cards we’ll be seeing in the set, with our gallery of every Eeveelution in the Japanese Pokémon TCG set, Terastal Festival!
