The 10 Most Expensive Rainbow Pokémon Cards

I’m sure most people have seen or heard of rainbow rare pokemon cards and know that many of them are extremely valuable. Today, we will be taking a look at the top 10 most expensive rainbow cards. Who do you think will be number one on our list?

What are Rainbow Rare Pokémon Cards?

Pokemon cards come in different rarity levels in each set, starting with our lowly commons and uncommons, through to rares and rare/reverse holographics and then moving on to Ultra rare cards. Rainbow rares (sometimes referred to as Hyper Rares) sat at the top of this pile from their initial introduction in the Sun and Moon Base Set and are still popular in today's Sword and Shield sets. There are rumours afoot that rainbow rares will be phased out for the upcoming Scarlet and Violet set, which will only mean an increase in value of the already popular cards.

Rainbow Pokemon cards are easy to spot. They are a full art, textured card featuring a silvery rainbow coloured pattern, hence the name rainbow rare. These are available as Full art Pokemon and Full art Supporters and have the lowest pull rates in packs, making them quite scarce. They are also numbered like secret rares, meaning that their set number is beyond the maximum number of cards in the set. For example, Charizard VSTAR from Brilliant Stars is numbered 174/172.

Why are they expensive?

Rainbow rare cards are expensive because of their rarity and the fact that they often feature popular or playable pokemon and supporters. An average Booster Box would contain only one rainbow rare card, meaning you were only likely to pull one rainbow from 36 packs. This helped to drive their value and fed the hype of their rarity. If the card was very playable in the Trading Card Game then this only made it even more valuable as people enjoy having the rarest cards to make their decks the fanciest around!

We are going to run down the Top 10 most expensive rainbow rares and take a look at what has got them there. I’m sure there will be some surprises on this list and I’m sure that some will not be a surprise at all! Let’s start at the beginning with number 10 on our list;

Number 10 - Pikachu & Zekrom GX - £95

Pikachu & Zekrom GX, often lovingly referred to as PikaRom, was released in Sun and Moon Team Up and was one of the first cards to feature Tag Team Pokemon. Not only was it one of the first Rainbow Tag Team Pokemon, it was also an extremely powerful card that featured a real fan favourite, Pikachu. When you combine all of these things, it’s not hard to see how PikaRom GX has become one of the top 10 most expensive rainbow cards.

Number 9 - Charizard & Braixen GX - £140

Charizard & Braixen GX was released in the very last set of the Sun and Moon series, Cosmic Eclipse and featured fan favourite Charizard (get used to it folks, there’s plenty more Charizard’s on this list!). It was another Tag Team Pokemon and Charizard partnered with Braixen to form a cute and devastating combo. Reasonably playable, it was mostly the presence of Charizard that bumped up the price. Cosmic Eclipse was a popular set for collectors, featuring some fantastic Alternate Art cards and Full Art Supporters, yet Charizard & Braixen GX still makes its way to being the most expensive card in the set.

Number 8 - Charizard VSTAR - £145

One of the newer cards on this list and one of many Charizard’s, the Charizard VSTAR rainbow card was released in Sword and Shield Brilliant Stars. While not many people have found a way to make it hugely competitive in the Trading Card Game, it is one of the most popular Pokemon in the game. Combine this with the general rarity of rainbow cards and Charizard VSTAR becomes well worthy of its spot on this list.

Number 7 - Mewtwo & Mew GX - £150

Released in Sun and Moon Unified Minds, Mewtwo & Mew GX took the game by storm with its versatility and power level. The ability to copy attacks of other Pokemon is not unheard of in the game, but the support available to Mewtwo & Mew GX made it an unstoppable force and helped Henry Brand win the 2019 TCG World Championships. Affectionately known to players as MewThree or MewMew, it features two very popular Pokemon and was an instant hit. Add in the rarity of rainbow cards and this Tag Team GX was very sought after, being propelled to comfortably the most expensive card in Unified Minds.

Number 6 - Lugia GX - £170

Since Lugia was first introduced to us all the way back in Gold and Silver, it has remained a firm favourite among fans of the games. Lugia GX came out in Sun and Moon Lost Thunder in 2018 and despite its popularity, it sadly was not the most competitive in the game. Lost Thunder had one of the shortest print runs though of all the Sun and Moon era sets and so this helped to boost its value. Its popularity and rarity have kept its prices buoyed and its place on our top 10 list.

Number 5 - Rayquaza GX - £180

Number 5 on our list belongs to the powerful Rayquaza GX. Released in 2018 as part of the Sun and Moon Celestial Storm set, it was an instant hit. A combination of power in the game, rarity and popularity as a Pokemon are what has driven the price of Rayquaza GX rainbow rare. Rayquaza is an inherently strong Pokemon and its cards are often playable, with the newer Amazing Rare Rayqauza making its way into a lot of recent ‘Lost Box’ decks. Rayquaza GX rainbow rare is head and shoulders above the rest of the Celestial Storm set in terms of value and nowadays this is more due to a combination of its rarity and popularity.

Number 4 - Pikachu VMAX - £200

Our first VMAX to make the list and our second Pikachu, this card is the embodiment of popularity. It was released as part of the Sword and Shield Vivid Voltage set and this card has raced away from the rest as the most valuable card from the set. The card features a Gigantamax Pikachu, the poster child of Pokemon, and was an instant hit with collectors, despite its lack of playability. Pikachu cards are often popular but this was the first time that it had had its own card in the Rainbow rare style and this helped to drive its popularity and price. Being one of the newer cards on this list speaks volumes for the popularity of Pikachu and Pikachu cards in general.

Number 3 - Reshiram & Charizard GX - £240

I’m sure it comes as no surprise to find a Charizard card inside our top 3, but this time he is paired with another powerhouse Pokemon in Reshiram. Like many other Tag Team Pokemon, Reshiram & Charizard GX had its name lovingly shortened by fans, often called Reshizard. Reshizard was released in Sun and Moon Unbroken Bonds and was an immediate hit due to its combination of playability, rarity and the fact that it features not one, but two of the most popular Pokemon of all time.

Number 2 - Charizard GX - £350

I’m sure no one is surprised to see Charizard GX Rainbow rare near the top of the list as it held the number one spot for a long time. It was released in Sun and Moon Burning Shadows and was immediately the chase card of the set. It seems to be a common theme amongst Charizard cards that although they are not always the most playable in the game, they are always some of the most collectable and Charizard GX was no exception. Charizards popularity drove prices ever skyward and Burning Shadows became an increasingly popular set as everyone looked for the Rainbow Charizard.

Number 1 - Charizard VMAX - £400

Charizard VMAX Rainbow rare is a little different to the other cards on this list in that it was not released in one of the main series sets, instead it was released in the holiday set Sword and Shield Champions Path in 2020. I’m sure you are noticing a theme here though as another Charizard card takes the spot of being the most expensive rainbow rare Pokemon card. Champions Path had a fairly limited release as you cannot buy Booster Boxes for holiday sets, instead having to rely on Elite Trainer Boxes and special collection boxes. It was also a small set, with only 80 cards and despite this, Charizard VMAX stands out well above the others in terms of value. Even though this card is one of the more modern ones on this list, with a value of £400, it is definitely deserving of the top spot.

The popularity of Charizard cards is obvious, with the giant firebreather taking 5 of the top 10 spots for most expensive rainbow rare cards. The other cards on the list are also some of the most popular Pokemon around and so it’s not surprising to see them ranking highly here. Combine the rarity of rainbow Pokemon Cards with the popularity of Charizard and you have a recipe for long term value.

So there we have it, our top 10 most expensive rainbow rare cards. Maybe you have some of these sat in your binder at home or even displayed with pride. If the rumours are indeed true then I will be sad to see rainbow rares disappear from the Trading Card Game but can look back fondly on some great memories and some valuable additions to my collection.

(All prices correct as of 11/02/2023 magicmadhouse.co.uk)