The most valuable Pokémon to collect: 21 icons ranked by typical card (2026)
Prices as of 2026-11-02, Cardmarket price guide (EUR). Today's prices will differ.
Charizard is the name most people think of first. We measured the median price of every English printing of 21 iconic Pokémon that we picked. By typical card, Charizard is #5; Mew leads.
Top 10 by typical card value
Median Cardmarket EUR trend price across every priced English printing. Median, not average, so one Gold Star can't inflate it.
Full ranking (21 Pokémon)
| # | Pokémon | Typical | Chase printing (trend, 30-day avg) | ≥€100 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mew | €91 | Mew (30th Celebration) · €2,786, €2,910 | 48% |
| 2 | Rayquaza | €84 | Rayquaza ★ (Deoxys) · €6,986, €4,162 | 47% |
| 3 | Lugia | €76 | Lugia (Aquapolis) · €4,634, €3,464 | 34% |
| 4 | Umbreon | €75 | Umbreon ★ (POP Series 5) · €6,135, €3,515 | 44% |
| 5 | Charizard | €67 | Charizard (Skyridge) · €4,918, €4,013 | 42% |
| 6 | Gengar | €56 | Gengar (Skyridge) · €8,705, €3,510 | 43% |
| 7 | Mewtwo | €41 | Mewtwo ★ (Holon Phantoms) · €3,775, €2,428 | 35% |
| 8 | Ho-Oh | €30 | Ho-oh (Skyridge) · €5,559, €2,797 | 21% |
| 9 | Sylveon | €28 | Sylveon ex (Prismatic Evolutions) · €264, €293 | 18% |
| 10 | Dragonite | €23 | Dragonite (Expedition Base Set) · €1,133, €635 | 23% |
| 11 | Tyranitar | €23 | Tyranitar (Aquapolis) · €1,300, €678 | 27% |
| 12 | Gyarados | €23 | Gyarados ★ δ (Holon Phantoms) · €1,773, €1,765 | 26% |
| 13 | Blastoise | €23 | Blastoise (Plasma Storm) · €672, €417 | 28% |
| 14 | Venusaur | €20 | Erika's Venusaur (Gym Challenge) · €254, €163 | 25% |
| 15 | Greninja | €15 | Greninja & Zoroark-GX (Unbroken Bonds) · €444, €339 | 20% |
| 16 | Gardevoir | €14 | Gardevoir (Dark Explorers) · €243, €167 | 16% |
| 17 | Snorlax | €13 | Snorlax (Wizards Black Star Promos) · €659, €486 | 11% |
| 18 | Pikachu | €11 | Pikachu ★ (Holon Phantoms) · €4,525, €2,841 | 14% |
| 19 | Lucario | €9.2 | Lucario (Pokémon Rumble) · €273, €137 | 5% |
| 20 | Eevee | €4.5 | Eevee (BW Black Star Promos) · €264, €193 | 6% |
| 21 | Magikarp | €1.8 | Magikarp & Wailord-GX (Team Up) · €796, €804 | 11% |
Method & sources
- For each Pokémon we took every English printing by card name and joined it to Cardmarket's published product and price guide files on product id.
- Cardmarket's files name no set and no rarity, so each card was matched by name, moves and collector-number order inside its Cardmarket expansion, using the open pokemon-tcg-data catalogue for card details. We did not scrape any page.
- We rank by the median trend price across priced printings, robust to a single Gold Star or Base Set chase card.
- We checked each trend against its 30-day average and its low. 19 trends over 5× from the 30-day average were left out as bad values. 444 trends over 8× their low stay in, because the low is often one cheap listing. 26 printings could not be matched to a product and have no price here.
- Cardmarket price guide (EUR trend), from Cardmarket's published download files. Valued 2026-11-02. Reference estimates, not sold or graded records; trend prices move. “Typical” = the median printing, not the chase ceiling.
What this data can’t tell you
- Pokémon we did not pick. This is 21 hand-picked icons, not every Pokémon; others could rank higher.
- How firm places two to five are. Remove every flagged card and Lugia (€84) moves up to #2 behind Mew (€86), with Rayquaza €70, Umbreon €66 and Charizard €48. Leave out Mega Evolution sets and Umbreon (€80) passes Lugia (€77). Mew stays #1 in both.
- Why the order is what it is. Number of printings, eras and how many chase printings each Pokémon got all move the median.
- Edition and condition. The price files do not name editions, and trends mix conditions. Chase trends rest on few sales, which is why each sits beside its 30-day average above.
- Graded, Japanese and sealed markets. None are included.
- Name matching. Tag-team cards (for example Gardevoir & Sylveon-GX) count under each name, so two Pokémon can share a chase card.
Collect Pokémon for years and see something we missed? Tell us.
FAQ
What is the most valuable Pokémon to collect?
Of the 21 Pokémon we picked, by typical card value, Mew. Across all its priced printings the median Cardmarket EUR trend is €91, higher than Rayquaza (€84), Lugia (€76), Umbreon (€75) and Charizard (€67). Places two to five are close and change order under other checks. Mew's priciest printing in this data is Mew (30th Celebration), around €2,786. "Most valuable" here means the typical printing, measured by median so one chase card can't skew it.
Is Charizard the most valuable Pokémon?
Not on a typical-card basis, among the 21 we measured. Charizard ranks #5 (median €67). Its priciest printing is Charizard (Skyridge) at €4,918; the Base Set Charizard's main product trends at €441. We measured the order, not the reasons behind it.
How did you measure 'most valuable'?
For each Pokémon we took every English printing by card name, joined it to Cardmarket's published price guide, and took the median across priced printings (Cardmarket price guide (EUR trend), from Cardmarket's published download files, valued 2026-11-02). Median, not average, so a single chase card can't drag a name's "typical" value up. Tag-team cards count under every name they carry. Reference estimates, not sold or graded records.
Which Pokémon is the cheapest to collect?
Of the 21 we measured, Magikarp: a typical printing trades around €1.8. It still has a high-priced card in this data (Magikarp & Wailord-GX (Team Up), around €796, a tag-team card it shares with Wailord).
Curious what your Pokémon are worth?
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Source: <a href="https://foilio.net/studies/most-valuable-pokemon?utm_source=share&utm_medium=study_embed&utm_campaign=viral">The most valuable Pokémon to collect: 21 icons ranked by typical card (2026), Foilio</a> · data CC BY 4.0
</p>Foilio (2026-11-02). The most valuable Pokémon to collect: 21 icons ranked by typical card (2026). Retrieved from https://foilio.net/studies/most-valuable-pokemonThe big picture, across every game we measure: The Chase Multiple · The Price Census · The Promo Premium · The Foil Premium