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Pokemon TCG: 10 Most Valuable Lugia Cards
Lugia, the psychic/flying-type Pokemon who serves as the box art ‘mon for Pokemon Silver (and by extension SoulSilver), debuted in the Pokemon TCG in the Neo Genesis set from the year 2000. This set marked the first appearance of Generation Two Pokemon. In the TCG, Lugia is almost always depicted as a normal type, and its cards have become something of a holy grail for collectors, likely since Lugia is a notable legendary ‘mon from the game’s (and the TCG’s) early days. As such, the most valuable Lugia cards of all time often fetch outrageous prices on the secondary market. Let’s dive in. Note: The prices quoted all come from TCGPlayer.com’s market price history, which can fluctuate over time and are reliant on sales of each card on the platform. Supplementary price information for each card, if necessary, came from PriceCharting.com. 10. Holofoil Lugia LEGEND (Bottom) – HeartGold & SoulSilver Market Price: $111.38 Image via The Pokemon Company The HeartGold & SoulSilver set introduced Pokemon LEGEND cards, which featured two halves that had to be played in unison. This was a novel concept in the Pokemon TCG, and, as such, cards featuring the LEGEND sub-type are hot commodities on the secondary market. Despite the bottom half of Lugia LEGEND featuring the card’s attacks, it is slightly less expensive than the top half – likely because you can pretty much only see Lugia’s head on it. 9. Holofoil Lugia LEGEND (Top) – HeartGold & SoulSilver Market Price: $115.27 Image via The Pokemon Company The top half of Lugia LEGEND allows you to see the full extent of the stunning Shinji Higuchi artwork, which shows Lugia diving deep into the ocean – leaving a swirling maelstrom of blue and green colors in its wake. These Lugia cards might have the best artwork of any card on this list, and the LEGEND card series in general might be on the shortlist for best Pokemon TCG card art of all time. 8. Holofoil Lugia GX (Secret) – Lost Thunder Market Price: $171.30 Image via The Pokemon Company This secret rare Lugia holofoil from 2018’s Lost Thunder set continued a long-running (though now defunct) tradition, beginning with 2017’s Sun & Moon set, of secret rare “rainbow” cards. In this instance, Lugia is given the rainbow art treatment to spectacular effect, as the normally fairly monocolored Lugia is beautifully rendered with all the colors in the spectrum. This card’s over-$150 price point is also buoyed by the presence of a strong GX attack called Lost Purge GX, which sends your foe’s active Pokemon directly to the Lost Zone – no questions asked. 7. Holofoil Lugia EX (Team Plasma) (Full Art) – Plasma Storm Market Price: $215.64 Image via The Pokemon Company This threatening-looking Lugia hails from 2013’s Plasma Storm set and showcases a Lugia that has been tainted by the main villains from Generation Five in the mainline Pokemon games. The Unova bad guys have turned this Lugia into a powerhouse, and its ability, Overflow, allows you to take one more prize card if it knocks out an opposing ‘mon – much like modern-day Iron Hands ex decks aim to do. 6. Holofoil Lugia V (Alternate Full Art) – Paradigm Trigger Market Price: $217.74 Image via The Pokemon Company The only non-English card on this list hails from 2022’s Paradigm Trigger expansion and is the same card as the Lugia V alternate full art printing from the English Silver Tempest set – just in Japanese. Modern cards have skyrocketed in value of late, and this Lugia card has benefited mightily from that surge. For discerning collectors, Japanese cards are often the preferred version as they feel and look slightly different from their English counterparts – not to mention the price is usually notably lower for Japanese singles. Compare this Lugia V, for example: the Japanese version is worth around $215 and the English one is worth over $300. 5. Holofoil Lugia ex – Unseen Forces Market Price: $249.25 Image via The Pokemon Company This ultra-rare from 2005’s Unseen Forces set features some striking, moody artwork by Hikaru Koike as well as an incredibly strong attack (for the time) with a damage-to-energy ratio that almost holds up even by today’s standards (though its “discard all energy” drawback does not). Perhaps the most notable element of this card is its stunning foiling method, which sees the standard cosmos holofoil method expanded to its borders, creating a striking and unusual look that only lasted for a few sets in the TCG. All of those elements combine for a card that will set you back nearly $300 on the secondary market close to 20 years after release… though it still pales in comparison to the rest of the top five. 4. Holofoil Lugia (Shiny) – Call of Legends Market Price: $300.00 Image via The Pokemon Company Not only is this card the fourth-most valuable Lugia card of all time in the Pokemon TCG, but it also ranks highly among the most valuable water-type cards of all time. This is also
Lugia, the psychic/flying-type Pokemon who serves as the box art ‘mon for Pokemon Silver (and by extension SoulSilver), debuted in the Pokemon TCG in the Neo Genesis set from the year 2000. This set marked the first appearance of Generation Two Pokemon.
In the TCG, Lugia is almost always depicted as a normal type, and its cards have become something of a holy grail for collectors, likely since Lugia is a notable legendary ‘mon from the game’s (and the TCG’s) early days. As such, the most valuable Lugia cards of all time often fetch outrageous prices on the secondary market. Let’s dive in.
Note: The prices quoted all come from TCGPlayer.com’s market price history, which can fluctuate over time and are reliant on sales of each card on the platform. Supplementary price information for each card, if necessary, came from PriceCharting.com.
10. Holofoil Lugia LEGEND (Bottom) – HeartGold & SoulSilver
Market Price: $111.38
The HeartGold & SoulSilver set introduced Pokemon LEGEND cards, which featured two halves that had to be played in unison. This was a novel concept in the Pokemon TCG, and, as such, cards featuring the LEGEND sub-type are hot commodities on the secondary market.
Despite the bottom half of Lugia LEGEND featuring the card’s attacks, it is slightly less expensive than the top half – likely because you can pretty much only see Lugia’s head on it.
9. Holofoil Lugia LEGEND (Top) – HeartGold & SoulSilver
Market Price: $115.27
The top half of Lugia LEGEND allows you to see the full extent of the stunning Shinji Higuchi artwork, which shows Lugia diving deep into the ocean – leaving a swirling maelstrom of blue and green colors in its wake.
These Lugia cards might have the best artwork of any card on this list, and the LEGEND card series in general might be on the shortlist for best Pokemon TCG card art of all time.
8. Holofoil Lugia GX (Secret) – Lost Thunder
Market Price: $171.30
This secret rare Lugia holofoil from 2018’s Lost Thunder set continued a long-running (though now defunct) tradition, beginning with 2017’s Sun & Moon set, of secret rare “rainbow” cards.
In this instance, Lugia is given the rainbow art treatment to spectacular effect, as the normally fairly monocolored Lugia is beautifully rendered with all the colors in the spectrum. This card’s over-$150 price point is also buoyed by the presence of a strong GX attack called Lost Purge GX, which sends your foe’s active Pokemon directly to the Lost Zone – no questions asked.
7. Holofoil Lugia EX (Team Plasma) (Full Art) – Plasma Storm
Market Price: $215.64
This threatening-looking Lugia hails from 2013’s Plasma Storm set and showcases a Lugia that has been tainted by the main villains from Generation Five in the mainline Pokemon games.
The Unova bad guys have turned this Lugia into a powerhouse, and its ability, Overflow, allows you to take one more prize card if it knocks out an opposing ‘mon – much like modern-day Iron Hands ex decks aim to do.
6. Holofoil Lugia V (Alternate Full Art) – Paradigm Trigger
Market Price: $217.74
The only non-English card on this list hails from 2022’s Paradigm Trigger expansion and is the same card as the Lugia V alternate full art printing from the English Silver Tempest set – just in Japanese. Modern cards have skyrocketed in value of late, and this Lugia card has benefited mightily from that surge.
For discerning collectors, Japanese cards are often the preferred version as they feel and look slightly different from their English counterparts – not to mention the price is usually notably lower for Japanese singles. Compare this Lugia V, for example: the Japanese version is worth around $215 and the English one is worth over $300.
5. Holofoil Lugia ex – Unseen Forces
Market Price: $249.25
This ultra-rare from 2005’s Unseen Forces set features some striking, moody artwork by Hikaru Koike as well as an incredibly strong attack (for the time) with a damage-to-energy ratio that almost holds up even by today’s standards (though its “discard all energy” drawback does not).
Perhaps the most notable element of this card is its stunning foiling method, which sees the standard cosmos holofoil method expanded to its borders, creating a striking and unusual look that only lasted for a few sets in the TCG. All of those elements combine for a card that will set you back nearly $300 on the secondary market close to 20 years after release… though it still pales in comparison to the rest of the top five.
4. Holofoil Lugia (Shiny) – Call of Legends
Market Price: $300.00
Not only is this card the fourth-most valuable Lugia card of all time in the Pokemon TCG, but it also ranks highly among the most valuable water-type cards of all time. This is also one of only two Lugia cards on this list that is not a normal type.
Shiny cards in the Pokemon TCG are always hot commodities, and if you add a shiny attribute to an already popular legendary ‘mon, you’re looking at a hefty price tag. As the first card featured here with a median value of $300 or more, that certainly holds true.
3. Holofoil Lugia V (Alternate Full Art) – Silver Tempest
Market Price: $307.21
The most recent card on this list hails from 2022’s Silver Tempest set, which introduced the two notable Lugia cards that remain top-tier threats in Pokemon TCG’s Standard metagame: this Lugia V and its even more powerful evolution Lugia VSTAR.
While the standard version of Lugia V will only set you back a couple of dollars, this extended-art version is both beautiful and massively valuable, with a price point of just over $300 – a pretty wild amount given this card is not even three years old yet. If you still have any sealed Silver Tempest boosters, definitely hold onto those as they’ll only increase in value over time thanks to the presence of this card and other extremely scarce chase cards.
2. Holofoil Lugia – Neo Genesis
Market Price: $943.94
The most valuable card from 2000’s Neo Genesis set is, unsurprisingly, this stunningly designed Lugia, which was the first card in the TCG to have an attack that required three different energy types.
Also, for the time, 90 damage for only three energy was an amazing rate on par with the most famous card of all time: Base Set Charizard and Legendary Collection Charizard (which dealt 120 damage for four energy). Oftentimes, the first appearance of a ‘mon in the TCG equates to also being the most valuable, but in Lugia’s case, there is one Lugia card that completely blows the rest out of the water in terms of value.
1. Holofoil Lugia – Aquapolis
Market Price: $2,398.95
That’s right, if you happened to be one of the lucky few who purchased booster packs of the Aquapolis set back in 2003, you could be sitting on a Lugia card that holds a median value in 2025 of just under $2,400.
A combination of factors led to this card holding such a lofty price tag: this card features the unique “crystal type” ability, which alters its typing based on the energy attached to it, it features the unusual and divisive e-Reader card format, and it is from a set that was severely under-printed – making it one of the most valuable sets of all time.
Beyond that, this card has absolutely beautiful artwork by Naoyo Kimura showing a glimmering Lugia in full flight. All of those attributes combine to ensure this card retains its astounding value over 20 years after it debuted.
The post Pokemon TCG: 10 Most Valuable Lugia Cards appeared first on Destructoid.
