The best Lugia Pokémon cards in the TCG

We have some good news for fans who love playing as much as Pokémon card collecting. Thanks to Lugia VSTAR, a Lugia deck is more than viable in the current meta.

If you’re planning to run a Lugia VSTAR deck, you’ll also need to pick up several copies of Lugia V. Given that you need these to evolve Lugia in the first place, they’re arguably more crucial to your Lugia deck, so be sure to stock up.

The best version of this deck comes with lots of search cards to get your Lugia on the board as fast as possible. Once Lugia VSTAR comes into play, you’ll need two Archeops cards in your discard to make the most of Lugia’s Summoning Star ability. This brings both Archeops to your Bench. From here on out, simply power up and attack with your small army of colorless Pokémon.

Lugia Legend isn’t actually a single card – it’s two. Legend cards are designed to combine, creating a larger, more powerful legendary Pokémon. The downside here is that you need both cards in hand to play Lugia to your bench. And even if you do play it, its abilities aren’t overly impressive.

While deck-builders may be disappointed, collectors will love Lugia Legend. The two-card combo makes this a unique collector’s piece, and its enormous, gorgeous art makes the set even more appealing. High-quality graded copies can sell for well over $1,000, and even less pristine copies fetch a solid price.

Unsurprisingly, the first Lugia Pokémon card is the most expensive. Released at the start of the new millennium, Neo Genesis Lugia brought the beloved legendary to the trading card game. Rarity and history aside, the card also has some wonderful sparkly art that gives Lugia lovers some extra sentimental value.

Honestly, the price of this card can get pretty silly. In 2021, a BGS grade 10 copy sold for an eye-watering $144,300. However, perfect copies of this card are hard to come by. Copies with lower grades still sell for several thousand dollars, but most sellers won’t get lottery money for their Lugia.

Shadow Lugia is a promotional Pokémon card that was given out at several events. For example, the first was at the Nintendo World Store in 2005, but it was later shared at a 10th Anniversary event in Houston, as well as at 2006’s Nintendo pre-Electronic Entertainment Expo.

With 300 HP and the ability to deal 1,000 damage with a single strike, Shadow Lugia is ridiculously powerful. Don’t expect Shadow Lugia to win you many games, though. As it’s a Jumbo card, it can’t be played in tournaments. Still, it’s a pretty pricey promo if you can find a pristine copy.

Two versions of the Call of Legends Lugia card exist. The first is a Rare Holofoil with artwork by Ryo Ueda. It’s pretty cool, and its abilities are decent. But the card isn’t much to write home about, as far as the best Lugia Pokémon cards go.

The second version is a Shiny Rare Holofoil, with art by Hideaki Hakozaki. These are harder to get hold of. Only 1,000 were printed, and you could only win them from a 2010 prize draw if you bought two Legend series booster packs. Naturally, this is the version that brings in the big buck

Aquapolis Lugia features our favorite art of this legendary Pokémon. We see the creature taking flight on a glittery galaxy background, and Lugia seems to glow as it goes. Even the text box on the card adds to the crystalline feel of the card. Quite simply, it’s stunning.

Aquapolis Lugia isn’t just a pretty face, though. As one of the few e-Cards produced by Wizards of the Coast in the early 2000s, this card has rarity and historical value too. It’s no shocker, then, that a well-preserved copy can sell for hundreds (if not thousands).