In a completely unsurprising turn of events, Pokémon cards from Ascended Heroes are rocketing in price. The new set is sorta, technically, kinda out now with some Tech Sticker Collections (we still need to wait for the ETBs and booster bundles), but the Pokémon TCG's latest expansion is technically now out in the wild. What is surprising is that the prices are a bit all over the place, but that hasn't stopped one SIR from breaking into the four-figure range, following Umbreon's pawprints from Prismatic Evolutions last year.
While the Pokémon Ascended Heroes pre-orders are still ongoing, with the rest of the product line-up waiting to launch, this is a good indication of the heavy hitters of the expansion. Considering this is a giant 295-card set, there's no shortage of IRs and above to pull - some actually fairly priced - and even the tippy top chases will likely drop in price once more packs are on the market. Right now though, those top chase cards are flying, and I'm not at all surprised by which of this new Pokémon set's 'Mons is the clear victor.
Mega Gengar ex #284, the SIR that was selling for extortionate amounts with Mega Dream ex (Ascended Heroes' Japanese twin), has had sales around the $1,000 mark on eBay, going up as high as $1,325. That's cheaper than Umbreon ex #161 from Prismatic Evolutions when it was released, but it's actually more expensive than it's currently valued. Only slightly, with the Eeveelution sitting around $1050.
Gengar's the biggest one, but there's no shortage of expensive chases here. Team Rocket's Mewtwo ex #281, following on from Destined Rivals' consistently rising value, has sold for $900 - that's the same price as the gorgeous Mega Dragonite ex #290 SIR, and about $50 less than the Mega Charizard Y ex #294 Mega Hyper Rare has sold for on eBay. Both Pikachu chases have gone for varying amounts, but it's landing around the $400 - $600 range.
Looking at those figures, I can already feel my bank account crying. It's worth remembering that, firstly, it's early on in Ascended Heroes' release cycle, so prices are going to be ridiculous, and secondly, there are a lot of other cards that aren't extortionately priced. The adorable Budew IR is only around $30, Dreepy IR is roughly $40, and the Canari Ultra Rare is just $30. There's a whole range of common or reverse holos dropping to under $5, too.
If, like me, you're attempting to get a full collection, your best bet would be patience. Get a Jigglypuff to sing your worries away, and just hold off until either more Ascended Heroes packs release, or even later. By waiting for the hype to die off and for more cards to be printed, you give a chance for the price to stabilize. The more available in the market, the cheaper the price goes, and with all of the energy around a new expansion, it's no surprise that the listings on eBay are wildly high.
Fortunately, if you're looking for some Ascended Heroes packs at retail price (or at least, below market price), you can join our Wargamer Discord and get pinged whenever we find some bargains. Alternatively, you can share your pulls (or your deep sadness at getting no chases) with other trainers. If the pullrates are as tough as Prismatic, maybe we can set up an Ascended Heroes support group.