Series: Mega Evolution
Ascended Heroes Release Date: January 30, 2026
Set Abbreviation: ASC
Ascended Heroes launched on January 30, 2026, and it immediately became the most aggressively priced set the TCG has seen in years. Mega Evolution is back. Gen 1 nostalgia is at full blast. And the secondary market responded exactly the way longtime collectors expected it to.
We pulled the top 10 Ascended Heroes chase cards ranked by raw (ungraded) market value as listed on Rare Candy. If you’re building this set, or just keeping tabs on where the real hits sit, here’s the full picture.
Download the Rare Candy App to start scanning and tracking all of your Ascended Heroes hits.
10. N’s Zoroark ex SIR - $157
Set: Pokémon TCG: Mega Evolution — Ascended Heroes
Card Number: 286/217
Kicking off our list is one of the more visually distinctive pulls in the entire set. Similar to the Mega Gardevoir ex SIR from Mega Evolution, also illustrated by Raita Kazam, N’s Zoroark ex SIR ditches the standard “Pokémon mid-battle” SIR formula entirely. Abstract floral patterns wind around Zoroark in a dreamlike composition that stands out immediately next to the rest of the set’s dramatic hits.
It also plays. N’s Zoroark ex slots into current meta decks, which means demand isn’t purely collector-driven. Cards with active competitive viability behind them tend to hold their floor better than pure art chases, and this one has both going for it.
9. Mega Feraligatr ex SIR - $170
Set: Pokémon TCG: Mega Evolution — Ascended Heroes
Card Number: 274/217
Feraligatr is one of those starters that never quite gets the premium treatment it deserves. This SIR fixes that. The artwork puts you face-to-face with a rampaging Feraligatr mid-Mega Evolution, pure Johto nostalgia at full scale, and the card itself hits for 400 damage.
That stat line grabs player attention as much as collector attention. If you pull one, think hard before you swap it. A 400-damage attack card with standout artwork in a nostalgia-heavy set won’t be easy to find down the road.
8. Lillie’s Clefairy ex SIR - $238
Set: Pokémon TCG: Mega Evolution — Ascended Heroes
Card Number: 280/217
Lillie is one of the most beloved trainer characters in the franchise. Clefairy is a classic Gen 1 Pokémon with a dedicated collector base. The SIR artwork pairs them together with warm, soft lighting, a deliberately different emotional register than most of the dramatic hits elsewhere in this set.
That contrast is part of why it moves. Throw in competitive playability and you have a card with dual demand from collectors and players, which consistently produces better long-term price stability than pure art chases.
7. Team Rocket’s Mewtwo ex SIR - $320
Set: Pokémon TCG: Mega Evolution — Ascended Heroes
Card Number: 281/217
Team Rocket’s Mewtwo ex from Destined Rivals became one of the most expensive Pokémon cards of 2025. This version presents a darker alternate artwork in which Giovanni looms behind Mewtwo and is following the same trajectory. I’ve been watching this card since the Japanese reveals and it’s performed exactly as expected.
The villain aesthetic in Pokémon TCG always commands a premium. A Gen 1 legendary paired with the original antagonists, in full SIR format, inside the most anticipated set in years. The price makes complete sense.
6. Pikachu ex Tera SIR - $351
Set: Pokémon TCG: Mega Evolution — Ascended Heroes
Card Number: 277/217
Ascended Heroes has two Pikachu SIRs in the same set, which creates a natural pair-collecting dynamic that pushes both cards higher than they’d sit independently. The Tera variant features Pikachu in the terastal crown, a design that first appeared in Surging Sparks and has built its own dedicated collector following since.
At $351 raw, this is the more accessible of the two Pikachu hits on this list. Collectors who want both will tell you neither one feels skippable.
5. Mega Dragonite ex Mega Hyper Rare - $401
Set: Pokémon TCG: Mega Evolution — Ascended Heroes
Card Number: 295/217
Here’s where the Mega Hyper Rare rarity makes its first appearance on the list, and with the dramatic aesthetic difference it tells you everything about pull rates. Mega Hyper Rares are estimated at roughly 1 in 1,000 packs. You could rip a full case and not hit one.
Dragonite is a Gen 1 dragon with decades of collector love behind it. The all-gold treatment on a Pokémon this iconic produces a card that slabs beautifully, and PSA 10 copies are destined to be a grail in any collection.
4. Pikachu ex SIR - $482
Set: Pokémon TCG: Mega Evolution — Ascended Heroes
Card Number: 276/217
The #276 Pikachu ex SIR pulls ahead of its Tera sibling by a solid margin, and the artwork is the reason. A forest scene with gentle natural lighting. Pikachu with a curious head tilt. Calm, with a warm energy that feels a little different from the set’s dramatic chase tier.
This is brand-new art, not a reprint, not a recycled variant, and it was originally released as a Japanese promo, which gives it exclusivity history before it ever landed in English packs. Vault card. The call is clear if you pull one.
3. Mega Dragonite ex SIR - $575
Set: Pokémon TCG: Mega Evolution — Ascended Heroes
Card Number: 290/217
The Mega Dragonite ex SIR is the most-debated card in this top 10. Multiple collectors and reviewers have called it the most visually stunning Pokémon card printed in years, and looking at it, the argument is hard to dismiss. The somewhat pastel aesthetic puts Mega Dragonite front and center with all of its previous forms weaving through a backdrop of soft blues and pinks. Showing the full evolution line together at SIR scale proved popular in Phantasmal Flames with Mega Charizard X ex, but swapping the dark and menacing tone for the beautiful and uplifting style really paid off.
At $575 raw, it makes a real case for being the most desired hit in the set relative to artwork quality.
2. Mega Charizard Y ex Mega Hyper Rare - $619
Set: Pokémon TCG: Mega Evolution — Ascended Heroes
Card Number: 294/217
Charizard. Gold card. $600+ raw. The most expensive Mega Hyper Rare in Ascended Heroes, and the story writes itself. Charizard carries the single most recognizable name in the hobby, and Mega Hyper Rares pull at roughly 1 in 1,000 packs. That combination was always going to land near the top.
Honest take: some of the Charizard premium here is pure brand halo rather than card quality. But in the Pokémon hobby, that brand halo has proven itself across every era of the TCG. Collectors who’ve held Charizard hits over the years know how this story tends to go.
1. Mega Gengar ex SIR - $857
Set: Pokémon TCG: Mega Evolution — Ascended Heroes
Card Number: 284/217
Mega Gengar ex SIR is the undisputed top Ascended Heroes chase card by raw value, and the reasons go deeper than price alone.
The last Mega Gengar card, as many other Mega Pokémon, was printed during the XY Era in 2014 with the set Phantom Forces. Twelve years without one of the most popular Mega Pokémon in the TCG. For collectors who grew up on the original XY era, this card is the culmination of over a decade of waiting. The artwork delivers completely: swirling toxic mist, Mega Gengar’s commanding silhouette, colors that feel alive on the card face. As a Gen 1 ghost-type icon receiving the SIR treatment for the first time in Mega form, it checks every collector box in one shot.
Raw prices currently sit between $830 and $950 depending on condition and timing. PSA 10 copies are already trading above $3,500 on eBay. This is the card that defines Ascended Heroes.
Final Thoughts
Looking at this list, a clear pattern emerges: the cards commanding the highest prices in Ascended Heroes are either beloved Gen 1 and Gen 2 Pokémon getting their Mega treatment for the first time in over a decade, or brand-new rarity types with pull rates that make them genuinely rare to hit. Sometimes both. The Mega Hyper Rare and Special Illustration Rare formats are doing exactly what TPCi designed them to do, creating a collector premium that keeps the secondary market moving long after launch weekend.
If you’re building this set, buying singles is almost always the more efficient path than ripping for specific hits. Shop the full Ascended Heroes inventory on Rare Candy, including raw singles, slabs, and sealed product.
Download the Rare Candy App to start scanning and tracking all of your Ascended Heroes hits.
FAQ
What is the most expensive card in Ascended Heroes?
The Mega Gengar ex Special Illustration Rare (#284) is the most expensive card in Ascended Heroes by raw card value, currently ranging from $830 to $950 ungraded, with PSA 10 copies already trading above $3,500 on eBay. It’s the first Mega Gengar card printed since the XY Series in 2014.
What’s the difference between a Special Illustration Rare and a Mega Hyper Rare in Ascended Heroes?
Special Illustration Rares (SIR) feature full-art alternate illustrations and pull at approximately 1 in every 100 packs. Mega Hyper Rares (MHR) are all-gold treatment cards reserved for the most iconic Mega Pokémon in the set, with estimated pull rates around 1 in 1,000 packs which is roughly 10x rarer than an SIR.
Is ripping Ascended Heroes packs worth it for chase cards?
The pack math is tough. A complete set of special rarities runs close to $10,000 raw. If you want a specific card, buying the single is the direct path. If you want the experience of ripping a historically significant set, that has its own real appeal, just go in knowing exactly what you’re after.
