The Biggest Pokémon Card Crashers And Climbers This Week - June 16

In the last Crashers and Climbers, I was focused on Destined Rivals, thanks to it just launching. I was going to look into older sets this week, but the volatility of this set right now forced me to revisit some of the market values on this set.

It's also a good time to be savvy on the secondary card market right now and pay attention to pricing trends and market values across the whole of Pokémon TCG.

After prices plummeted as predicted following the launch weekend, most cards are once again trending up if they haven't already.

It doesn't help that there's a rise in sellers on TCGPlayer charging way above market value for their stock. It sticks out like a sore thumb and could be a collective push to artificially inflate market values.

Pokémon Card Crashers

The main point I want to focus on with crashers this week is amazing illustration rares being insanely more affordable than a couple of weeks ago. First up is Shaymin - 185/182, which was a chase card for many out of the gate with Destined Rivals. This gorgeous card is currently down by 56%, from $46.48 near launch to $18.34 currently. Worth every penny in my opinion.

Ethan's Ho-Oh ex - 230/182 was one of my main chase cards from Destined Rivals, and I'm still after one. Now might be a good time to take the plunge with a massive 38% drop from $202.05 near launch to a much more digestable $126.

Team Rocket's Houndoom - 191/182 is another banger. This is what I love about Destined Rivals: a lot of the artwork captures a cool or sweet moment in time or an amazing angle mid-battle. Down almost 50%, I could see why this card was around $38.62 a couple of weeks ago, but $19.75 at the time of writing is a solid price.

Team Rocket's Meowth - 203/182 is a brilliant example of this set being brave enough to show a sweet moment that should be out of place in a set focusing on an iconic crime entity, but it works so well.

In a set marketed with Giovanni looking at you like he'd steal your Christmas tree, this moment of him showing love for his Meowth is just fantastic. Again, this card is 56% off compared to a couple of weeks ago, crashing from $58.64 to current listing at around $26. Love to see it.

With Team Rocket's Mewtwo SIR still going for daft money (More on that shortly), it's nice to have an option with an equally cool design that is a solid chase card in it's own right. Team Rocket's Mewtwo ex - 213/182 is a banger card and it's nice to see Ultra Rares holding their value.

It was just over the half tonne line at $52.34, with listings now sitting at around $25 at the time of writing. I'm going to snap one of these bad boys up before they start to rise again, because they will.

The thing with the secret art rare's from Destined Rivals is their odd value trends, that for the most part look like the English Chanel (Choppy). Most of them are crashing out from launch then climbing back up, more about this below.

Pokémon Card Climbers

A prime example of the wierd volatility of higher end cards in Destined Rivals right now is Team Rocket's Mewtwo ex - 231/182. This ridiculously awesome card was already touching $400 a couple of weeks ago, which has since down down then back over in value to recent listings around $460, then back down to $385 most recently.

What the hell is going on? Personally I think it's sellers pushing their luck, so vote with your Pokécoins trainers. This market is all based around what trainers are willing to pay, so don't pay it if it's too much! Sellers don't want to be sat on these cards, we do.

Cynthia's Garchomp ex - 232/182 is another example of SIR madness. It's a damn sight more reasonable in value than Mewtwo, but the story is the same. Up, down then back up again at over $40 more than when the set was birthed. That's $194.79 in old money, ramping up to $209.75 at the time of writing. Hold tight people, this isn't a good deal.

Misty's Lapras - 194/182 is a much more understandable price hike. It's only gone up a few dollars since launch, and still a reasonable price for a gorgeous illustration rare. It popped out on the market at $29.56, jumped to $34.99 last week, and is now $46.48. Can't argue with that spike in value, certainly if it's a flaunt for a deck or going into a trainers stunning IR collection.

I honestly thought Team Rocket's Nidoking ex - 233/182 was going to be more valuable. This is a scene straight out of the anime, and who didn't love seeing Garry Oak getting absolutley humbled? The value is going the right way at $118.71 last week, it was going for $90.96 a couple of weeks ago, but has since dipped again to $87.99. If you have nostalgia for this scene or card then go for it, but I reckon this card will plateau fairly soon as a sub $150 SIR. I've kept it in climbers for now as it just seems to be so all over the place, it's hard to tell where it's going to settle right now.

Want to know the rarest chase cards for Destined Rivals? Take a look at the current values. Here's the burning hot top 10 picks from the latest Scarlet and Violet Pokémon TCG set.

Pokémon TCG Stock Updates

Another day of ridiculous pricing on Amazon for Pokémon TCG sealed products, but keeping an eye on it so you all have options is still important.

If you can't find other sealed products for a decent price, I can almost guarantee the market value on TCG Player is cheaper right now.

Christian Wait is a contributing freelancer for IGN covering everything collectable and deals. Christian has over 7 years of experience in the Gaming and Tech industry with bylines at Mashable and Pocket-Tactics. Christian also makes hand-painted collectibles for Saber Miniatures. Christian is also the author of "Pokemon Ultimate Unofficial Gaming Guide by GamesWarrior". Find Christian on X @ChrisReggieWait.