While everyone is looking for those legendary two Zards at the top of the Pokémon Phantasmal Flames pile, I've got my eyes on a couple of different cards. Zacian #100 is a personal top contender for me, as I love the design of the legendary 'mon, but another card I have my fingers crossed for is the adorable Piplup #98 Illustration Rare, and as it turns out, I may not have to gamble with ripping packs, as it's unusually cheap compared to its IR fellows.
The obvious candidate for the most expensive Pokémon card of the set is Mega Charizard X ex #125, the Special Illustration Rare, followed closely by the all-gold Mega Charizard X ex #130. I'm trying to stifle the yawn, but while the collector community and 'investors' alike chase hard for the 'zards, I'm looking to pull the rest of the Pokémon TCG expansion. It's not like I'd be mad if I got them, obviously - but they're not the dream cards I see when I go to sleep at night.
No, when I went into my pack-ripping session over the past weekend, I was hoping to pull Zacian #100 and Piplup #98 - I got lucky by getting the first one, but unfortunately, I wasn't fortunate enough to score the 4th gen water starter for my collection. I think someone at The Pokémon Company must've replaced my divinely ordained Piplup with a Wigglytuff #105 by accident. A lovely card, but not my perfect penguin.
While I was feverishly checking retailers and online stores for stock to get another chance to pull the li'l guy, though, I realized that it's actually pretty easy to just buy this IR myself! I'd assumed this boi would be going for several squillion pokédollars, but no. Not at all.
There's a fair amount of listings for Piplup #98 for around the $17-18 mark on TCGPlayer, and while that's still pricier than what it may have been prior to the hype, it's nowhere near as expensive as some more coveted cards from Phantasmal Flames. Meowth #106, Rotom ex #126, and even sealed blisters overshadow it from a cost perspective, and considering you're guaranteed to get a card by buying a single, I'm tempted just to outright buy it instead.
Being able to net one of the cutest Pokémon in the set for a fraction of the cost of other Phantasmal chases, thanks in part to the overshadowing effect left by the Charizard duo's colossal prices, makes this an underrated gem in the set.
A lot of the love is my bias toward Pokémon Platinum (which remains the best game of the series, may I add), but whatever your personal favorite eras, plucky little Piplup is still an adorable IR that isn't getting enough love, and that makes it a delightful collecting opportunity.
If you're looking to try and pull for Piplup - or any of the other chases for Pokémon Phantasmal Flames - I'd suggest joining our Wargamer Discord, where we'll be sharing deals on the latest expansion. That includes notifications when some products go below market price, or if there's a shot at scoring some packs for retail. I miss when Pokémon TCG was discounted below retail, but hopefully one day soon, that will be the case again.