A Pokémon TCG expansion releases; it goes up in price. That's the general rule for pretty much all Pokemon sets that launch right now, and when it comes to those 'special sets' that surge in price is even higher. A year after Prismatic Evolutions landed on shelves (and quickly disappeared off them), Pokémon Ascended Heroes is now following the same pattern - but for many products, it's actually more expensive than the Eeveelution-focused set of last year. Which, in all honesty, is absolutely ridiculous.
Does The Pokémon Company have the Gholdengo touch right now? Definitely, but it doesn't take a (team) rocket scientist to see why the Pokémon TCG's upcoming special set is making even bigger waves than usual. Ascended Heroes' Mega Dragonite and Mega Gengar are some of the most stunning SIRs in recent memory, and collectors are hoping (with some justification) that this set's big ghostie chase card will go as big as Fusion Strike's Gengar VMAX Alt Art, which saw huge price increases when the current hype surge started in late 2024.
The Pokémon Ascended Heroes pre-orders are a little scattered right now. While it's typical for a new expansion's release cycle to begin with the launch of Elite Trainer Boxes and some other side products, this time around, things are quite different. Tech Sticker Collections are the first launch of this expansion, launching on Friday, January 30, 2025, while Elite Trainer Boxes (ETBs) will release in February, and Booster Bundles will drop in April. That means Ascended Heroes' Booster Bundles for the set will release after Perfect Order, the next expansion.
This spotty launch of various products is probably a part of why Pokémon Ascended Heroes is becoming so preposterously expensive on the secondary market, even more so than Prismatic Evolutions was around its launch window (or in some cases, pricier than it is now).
According to TCGPlayer, which lays out all its current market value data in this article, the regular Ascended Heroes ETBs currently sell for $130, while the Pokémon Center versions (which have two extra boosters and an exclusive promo card in) go for $340 on average. For reference, the Pokémon Center version of Prismatic Evolutions' ETB can be bought for $330 on TCGPlayer.
Even the minor products that, in non-hype periods of the Pokémon TCG, would be mostly untouched are going for over $50. The Charmander Tech Sticker Collection is the clear winner, selling for $55 right now, and considering it only comes with three Ascended Heroes packs, that puts those boosters at $18 each. For context, in most sets we'd expect boosters to be worth about $5 each (but special sets don't come with single booster packs unless retailers break apart products, so each pack commands a higher value than normal).
Booster Bundles? $74 each. Poster Collections? Over $100, bumping up to $120 for the Mega Lucario variant. Even Mini Tins are sitting comfortably in the $30 range. It's absolutely wild how high these prices are, and considering that some of these products aren't releasing anytime soon, the price could rise even higher if the demand is there. Which, judging by these going rates, and the community's general clamor around this set, it certainly seems to be.
If you don't care about your bank account, you can head to TCGPlayer to make these pre-sale orders. Personally, I recommend using our partner retailer, Chaos Cards, as they use a fair invite system for potential collectors. On a personal note, I was invited to buy the Tech Sticker Collections, and with stock limits, it was easy to simply buy the pair and get some Ascended Heroes packs for launch.
Alternatively, bookmark and check these retailers below to hopefully catch some retail-priced stock as and when they pop up:
- Walmart (US)
- Sam's Club (US)
- Amazon (global)
- Magic Madhouse (global)
Hoping to get some Ascended Heroes packs but without paying £18 a pack (ridiculous money)? Well, you should join our Wargamer Discord and be kept in the loop for any retail listings or below-market-value deals for you to buy.