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2025 has been a wild ride for the Pokémon TCG. Between the release of Destined Rivals, the lingering hype from Prismatic Evolutions, and the competitive shakeups from Temporal Forces, collectors and players alike have had their hands full. Whether you're chasing tournament wins or binder bling, these five cards have emerged as must-watch picks this year. For their power, popularity, or price potential.

Let’s dive into the top performers of 2025 so far.

1. Charizard ex – Obsidian Flames

Charizard never really leaves the spotlight, but the Obsidian Flames version of Charizard ex has earned its place at the top in 2025. With its unexpected Dark Tera typing, it dodges traditional counters and hits hard with its “Burning Darkness” attack — scaling damage based on Pokémon in the discard pile.

Collectors love the artwork, players love the versatility, and the market loves Charizard. If you’re building a deck or a portfolio, this one’s a no-brainer.

2. Gardevoir ex – Scarlet & Violet

Gardevoir ex continues to dominate the meta thanks to its Psychic Embrace ability. It lets you accelerate Psychic Energy from your discard pile to your Pokémon — a game-changing mechanic that fuels tanky attackers like Zacian V and sets up explosive turns.

It’s not just playable — it’s beautiful. The card’s artwork and consistency have made it a staple in competitive decks and a favorite among collectors. If you’re watching the tournament scene, Gardevoir ex is everywhere.

3. Raging Bolt ex – Temporal Forces

This prehistoric powerhouse is making waves in Lost Zone decks. Its “Tempest Roar” attack scales based on how many cards your opponent has in the Lost Zone, making it a brutal closer in the right matchup.

Raging Bolt ex isn’t just strong — it’s stylish. The card’s design (think Raikou’s ancient cousin) has made it a fan favorite, and its synergy with current meta decks gives it serious staying power.

4. Team Rocket’s Mewtwo ex – Destined Rivals

One of the most talked-about cards of the year, Team Rocket’s Mewtwo ex combines nostalgia with competitive viability. Featuring Giovanni and Mewtwo together for the first time, this card is a collector’s dream — and it’s already commanding high prices on the secondary market.

From a gameplay perspective, it’s no slouch either. Its disruptive abilities and synergy with Dark-type strategies make it a solid pick for rogue decks and creative builds.

5. Chi-Yu ex – Twilight Masquerade

Chi-Yu ex might not be the flashiest card on this list, but don’t underestimate it. Its “Devouring Flames” attack lets you discard energy from your opponent’s deck — a sneaky strategy that can derail setups before they even begin.

It’s a sleeper hit in control decks and a rising star among collectors who appreciate its unique playstyle and elegant design. If you’re looking for something off-meta with real potential, Chi-Yu ex is worth a look.

Final Thoughts

Whether you’re a competitive player, a casual collector, or someone just dipping their toes into the Pokémon TCG world, these five cards represent the best of what 2025 has to offer. From Charizard’s dominance to Mewtwo’s nostalgia, each card brings something unique to the table — and they’re all worth watching as the year unfolds.

Want to track their prices in real time? Try the PokéVew Card Price Checker to stay ahead of the curve.

And if you’re curious about how these cards stack up in the meta or want to see deck profiles featuring them, stay tuned — we’ve got more content coming soon.

According to a recent article from PokeBeach, the Inferno X set will be releasing on September 26th in Japan. This set is set to feature Mega Charizard X, and follows the Mega Brave and Mega Symphonia sets, which showcases Mega Lucario ex and Mega Gardevoir ex (releasing August 1st). 

The current timeline for the Japanese sets is the following:

• June 6th: Black Bolt and White Flare
• August 1st: Mega Brave and Mega Symphonia
• September 5th: Starter Set Mega Genger ex and Starter Set Mega Diancie ex
• September 26th: Inferno X

The last time we saw Mega Charizard ex was back in 2016, so I'm expecting the hype for this set to be quite something, especially as collectors and PokeInvestor bros sit out in the sweltering heat in front of GameStops for a chance to cop a single item. 

I am also expecting the Pokemon Center website to be swarmed as well, so the momentum will definitely be there as we move on from the Scarlet and Violet TCG series to revisiting Mega Evolutions once again, which I am totally down for. 

I foresee the momentum continuing to build as we inch closer to Gen 10, but until then, I expect it's going to be rather difficult to attain a lot of these items for several months after release, especially when there is a 6 month delay between release and full on production where it's easier to obtain these items. 

Until then, we still have to look forward to Destined Rivals and Black Bolt and White Flare sets to cap off the Scarlet and Violet series.

Earlier today, the Pokemon Center dropped the Destined Rivals ETB, Booster Boxes, and Booster Bundle items. As expected, the queue system went up and was instantly inundated with folks trying to secure the PC exclusive Destined Rivals ETB. Here is my personal experience...

I woke up early and my friend showed me the new ETB artwork. I was under the impression that there would be no drop until later this week. Considering the PC preorder drops tend to occur on Thursdays and Fridays, I would have assumed the same would happen this week, so I didn't pay too much attention. I almost decided to fall back asleep, but then I heard people mentioning a potential drop today. So upon hearing  that, I decided to stay up a bit longer, and I am glad I did! Shortly after, I saw the queue system notifications going off, so I decided to jump on the Pokemon Center website immediately. I was trying to queue up from my phone and PC, hoping to get in from one of those locations. It took around 15 minutes before I was in the website on my phone. I quickly navigated around, but was unable to find the Destined Rivals product. I went from New Releases, TCG section, and just aimlessly wandering about, trying to find it. Then I clicked the product link from a Discord server and was able to find the ETB. I quickly made my order and upon a few error messages here and there, it went through! 

This time, the Pokemon Center website only allowed a limit of 1 per person. I tried to make another order to test this out but was promptly hit with an error message. I then proceeded to find the Booster Boxes and Booster Bundles for this set, but had no luck. Even after using the direct product links, I was hit with "No Product Found" Pikachu message. I eventually refreshed enough times to where the product went live but it was too late... It was unavailable. However, some people managed to secure both items! I guess it came down to luck...

Eventually, the Pokemon Center website logged me out and sent an "Oops something went wrong" message, which I started to assume I had spent too long on the website, and was pushed back out into the queue. 

I saw many folks error out, get sent back into queue when trying to make their order, or hit with a refresh AS they were waiting in queue. Plagued by a lot these issues, the Pokemon Center queue system continues to highlight how it is from perfect. To only way to secure any exclusive product ready to drop is to hit the queue almost immediately when it goes live, otherwise, chances remain low.

My personal experience today was decent. I mean, I managed to secure the PC exclusive ETB for Destined Rivals but many people shared their tumultuous experience today with facing errors and many other issues. 

I truly hope Pokemon Center improves this process, but I also realize that with 2 million+ people waiting in queue (most probably being bots), it will inundate the servers and cause slow down, glitches, and just wild experiences.

Let's hope we there will be another restock soon to give those that were unable to secure another chance.