Chaos Rising Most Valuable Cards: Greninja Is Running This Set
Chaos Rising is out and the market is doing exactly what you'd expect. Mega Greninja is the chase, everything else is secondary, and there are a few surprises worth knowing before you start ripping packs or hitting TCGPlayer. The set is the English counterpart to Japan's Ninja Spinner, and the translation is strong. Here's what's actually worth money and why.
The Cheap End: Emma and Ampharos
Emma Super Rare (#111/083) sits at $8.01. Artwork by Akira Komayama. Emma's a returning character from X and Y and she's showing up again in Legends: Z-A, which gives her a moment. Eight bucks is a fair ask. Not a chase card, but collectors who followed her story in X and Y will want it.
Ampharos at #088/083 is $12.28. Designed by Saino Misaki. Clean electric sheep card. Not much more to say.
Mid-Range: Roxie, Dragalge, and the Z-A Crowd
Roxie's Performance Special Art Rare (#119/083) at $16.08. Roxie is the Poison-type Gym leader from Unova. Pokémon Black and White came out 16 years ago and she still has a real fanbase. The SAR treatment suits her. Makes sense at that price.
Mega Greninja ex Super Rare (#098/083) at $17.31 is the entry-level Greninja in this set. The Mortal Shuriken ability lets you discard a Basic Water Energy to place 6 damage counters on an opponent's Pokémon. Passive damage without attacking is genuinely useful. This one has competitive legs.
Mega Floette ex Special Illustration Rare (#115/083) is $23.55, illustrated by Teeziro. Floette only got a Mega Evolution in Legends: Z-A, so this is brand new territory for the character. That novelty has real value for Z-A followers.
Mega Dragalge ex Special Illustration Rare (#116/083) at $25.45 might be the most interesting card outside the top two. Corrosive Fluid discards all Pokémon Tools and Special Energy from opponent's Pokémon. That alone is strong. Then Deadly Poison places 16 damage counters instead of 1 during checkup. Sixteen. From poison. This card is doing something genuinely weird and I think it's undervalued at $25.
Cinccino: The Surprise Mid-Boss
Cinccino ex Special Illustration Rare (#117/083) at $43.95 is the most expensive non-Greninja card in the set. Illustrated by Keisin. Cinccino collectors are consistent and this confirms the trend isn't cooling off. If you know, you know.
The Two Greninja SIRs That Define Everything
Mega Greninja ex SIR #114/083 averages $324.98 on TCGPlayer. Artwork by Susumu Maeya. The real draw here is that it's part of a three-card connected artwork including Froakie and Frogadier Illustration Rares. If you're collecting the full evolution line in connected art, this is the centerpiece. The $325 reflects exactly how much people want a complete set of that artwork.
Mega Greninja ex SIR #120/083 is the top of the mountain at $495.67 market average. Highest listed price on TCGPlayer is $570. That gap between what's been paid and what someone's asking says everything. Someone dropped close to $500 on this. Someone else thinks $570 is reasonable. Whether it holds depends on how Greninja's competitive relevance and the Z-A collector market shake out over the next few months.
Bottom Line
Chaos Rising is a Greninja set with good support cards and a Dragalge that might actually be the best value in the whole thing for competitive players. If you're chasing the $495 SIR you already know what you're doing. If you're playing the game, the $17 Super Rare with the Mortal Shuriken ability is the pick. And keep an eye on Dragalge. 16 poison counters per checkup is not a normal number.
Source: Ign