Pokemon TCG Collectors Are Buying 100s of Copies of This Card (Here’s Why)

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When a new Pokémon card set comes out, fans often feel a mix of excitement and disappointment. It’s still hard to find new sets in stores, so many players end up buying cards online from resellers. Usually, the most sought-after cards on sites like TCG Player are those that are both rare and useful in gameplay. However, a specific rare illustrated card from the 2025 set is quickly becoming popular – and more expensive. What makes this interesting is that it’s not even the rarest card in the set, nor is it a particularly strong card to use in battles.

Okay, so I’ve been looking into this Meowth card – it’s a full-art Illustration Rare from the Pokemon TCG: Mega Evolution – Phantasmal Flames set. That set came out back in November 2025, and it was the second one released for the Mega Evolution era. There are 130 cards total in Phantasmal Flames, with a few really rare Special Illustration Rares and one Mega Hyper Rare. A lot of those super rare cards are highly sought after by collectors, but recently, this Meowth Illustration Rare has just blown up in popularity. I was really curious why, so I started digging to figure out what’s going on.

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Full-art cards are generally harder to find than common ones, but Illustration Rares are the easiest to get. There are a lot more of them compared to Ultra Rares and Special Illustration Rares. Even though they often look just as amazing, these aren’t as highly sought after. Cards like the Mega Charizard X ex Mega Hyper Rare and the Dawn Special Illustration Rare from Phantasmal Flames are particularly popular with collectors, but getting them takes a lot of luck – or a huge number of Phantasmal Flames booster packs (usually both!). Meowth’s Illustration Rare, however, is much more common, so your chances of finding one are quite good. This makes it even more puzzling why so many people are trying to buy it secondhand.

The Meowth Illustration Rare card from the Phantasmal Flames set has been quite popular since the set came out. This is likely because Meowth is a well-known Pokémon from the original Kanto region and is famously part of Team Rocket in the anime. However, starting in early to mid-March, the card’s sales on sites like TCG Player began to show a notable pattern: it sold for over $300 on multiple occasions within just a few days.

Recently, TCG Player recorded almost 300 sales of the Meowth card in a single day (May 19th). Considering the card is fairly affordable compared to others in the set, it’s unlikely these sales are just from people trying to resell it for a profit. The price has remained steady around $20 for an ungraded card and about $250 for a PSA 10 graded card, which isn’t showing a huge price increase. While some Pokémon TCG resellers do try to anticipate future price increases, it’s more probable that these sales are coming from dedicated Pokémon fans simply wanting to add the card to their collections.

A Picture-Perfect Art Reference Makes This Meowth Card a Collector’s Item for True Pokemon fans

The high sales numbers are also due to the plentiful supply of Meowth Illustration Rares from the Phantasmal Flames set. Rarer cards aren’t usually available in such large quantities for resale. However, the card’s artwork is likely the biggest reason for its popularity. It’s an instantly appealing Meowth card, showing the playful Pokémon relaxing in a tree, and it’s a must-have for collectors like me!

Many Pokémon fans have pointed out that the card is a nod to the original Kanto region from games like Pokémon Red & Blue. The scene depicted appears to be a specific location near Cerulean City – famously a common place to find Meowth in the games. It’s also close to the Pokémon Daycare, making it a recognizable spot for players who enjoyed breeding Pokémon in the early games.

The card’s beautiful design and connection to popular video game history are probably why it’s still so popular. Sales have increased recently, but the resale price hasn’t changed much. Both ungraded cards and those professionally graded as PSA 10 have seen a small rise in price, which is typical since the card was released in November 2025. It will be interesting to watch if sales stay high and whether that leads to a significant price increase or a drop. Right now, it’s simply a well-made, collectible card with a lot of nostalgic appeal.

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2026-05-22 22:40