The Most Expensive Pokemon TCG Cards From The Battle Partners Set

After over a decade without them, Owner’s Pokemon (now named Trainer’s Pokemon) have finally returned in the ninth Scarlet & Violet expansion of the Pokemon Trading Card Game! This gimmick brings in cards that feature specific Pokemon that are owned by trainers from the video games.

Battle Partners offers powerful competitive threats, beautiful artwork, and beloved characters galore, making them interesting for everyone to collect and enjoy. Because of their double appeal, these Trainer’s cards are naturally more desirable and end up being quite expensive.

These cards are ordered according to their TCGplayer market prices.

11

N’s Reshiram 109 (Art Rare) – $33.09

A Card That Soars High

This card was the first revealed Art Rare for this set during the Pokemon World Championships in 2024, and since that first glance, we have been awe-struck at the beautiful art of N and Reshiram flying in the heavenly clouds.

N is Generation five’s most iconic and loved trainer, so pitting him with the lore-accurate legendary Pokemon he obtains in Pokemon White makes perfect sense, and all Generation five fans need this card. The value of this card is also thanks to it being quite a powerhouse, making it easily on top as the most expensive Art Rare of the set.

10

Iris’s Fighting Spirit 121 (Super Rare) – $41.66

Generation Five Supremacy

Iris is the champion featured in Pokemon Black 2 & White 2 who was also a major star in the Unova arc of the anime. This Super Rare full art trainer card features her in her Champion outfit and has a strong effect to go along with her strength.

By discarding one card in your hand, you can draw till you have six cards in hand. This effect has been seen on many other Pokemon as a worthy support ability and in trainer form, it is even better. With all the buzz around potential Generation five remakes, this card has had a huge boost in interest, placing it as the most valuable trainer of the set, costing over double any of the others.

9

Volcanion ex 124 (Special Art Rare) – $72.93

Volcanic Erupting Composition

Despite being a mythical Pokemon, Volcanion has received very little love over the years, with only a few Holo or Rare cards and not much else. This Special Art Rare version of Volcanion ex does it dramatic justice by framing it on top of a bursting volcano in a detailed style.

We have seen a ton of oppressive Poison archetypes form in the competitive scene, showing off the power of Status Conditions. This Volcanion ex is designed for the Burn condition to be able to join in with domination as well, giving you the ability to Burn the opponents’ active Pokemon every turn, as long as it is in the Active Spot.

8

Salamence ex 129 (Special Art Rare) – $78.00

Roaring Loud Through The Sky

Salamence is one of the Pseudo-legendaries that we adore but seemingly gets forgotten often, and that includes by the Pokemon Company. This is the first time Salamence has gotten a card higher than a Super Rare rarity, which is criminal that it took this long.

The art and love for the roaring dragon is what gives this card its value, as it is regarded as a pretty awful card otherwise, with laughable attacks. The sunset-painted sky goes so well with the crescent moon-shaped wings that Salamence is known for. This art could easily fit in an ancient English art museum, with how it looks like an old oil painting.

7

N’s Zoroark ex 131 (Ultra Rare) – $84.00

Golden Shadows Of Black And White

It’s no secret that N is one of the most popular trainers in Pokemon’s history, and that also goes for the near-mythical level Pokemon Zoroark. The golden Ultra Rare’s have had an upgrade for Battle Partners, featuring both artwork of the trainer and the usual model of the Pokemon. N and Zoroark are able to pop out so dynamically with the gold, black and white highlights used in this version of the card.

There is a misprinted version of N’s Zoroark ex 131 (Ultra Rare) going around that has the texture of the Special Art Rare version of the card. This misprint is surprisingly common to pull and is secretly the most expensive card in the set, but it may not be obtainable after the first print run.

As for what this card does, it is almost a one-to-one reprint of the famously powerful Zoroark GX from the Sun & Moon set Shining Legends. It has both a strong draw-based ability and the power to use any of your N’s Pokemon’s moves, making N’s Zoroark ex quite a threat.

6

Lillie’s Clefairy ex 115 (Super Rare) – $84.50

Colorful Cuteness Overload

Lillie and Clefairy are one of Pokemon’s cutest duo, and this Super Rare version of Lillie’s Clefairy ex blends the two popular icons into a pastel-colored heaven. The color gradient is surprisingly very pleasant for a Super Rare card using a mix of light pink, baby blue and pastel yellow matching Lillie’s color scheme.

Super Rare cards are usually not worth much due to the unappealing design of a generic 3D render slapped in front of random colors. However, this all changed for the Trainer’s Pokemon Super Rares, as these have nice colors that compliment both the trainer and Pokemon’s color scheme and have cool artwork of the trainer alongside the Pokemon render, and Lillie’s Clefairy ex is the best of all them.

5

Hop’s Zacian ex 128 (Special Art Rare) – $91.88

The Royal Guardians Of Galar

Many people have negative opinions of Hop after Sword & Shield, but this hasn’t stopped him from returning to show them all what he is made of. Hop’s Zacian ex is the central piece of the Hop archetype deck that has seen huge success with all the damage-boosting cards it features that allow it to slice through anything in its path.

This Special Art Rare version of Hop’s Zacian ex features the giant sword-wielding hero alongside Hop in a forest that has illuminating light shining down onto them both. This art is really what makes this card so valuable compared to its less rare counterparts, as it is so striking and looks stunning with the intense lighting composition that any collector or player needs.

4

Iono’s Bellibolt ex 130 (Ultra Rare) – $147.86

Worth More Than A Golden YouTube Play Button

This card features the ever-popular streamer and Gym Leader from Paldea, Iono, alongside her Bellibolt. These Ultra Rare versions of the Trainer’s Pokemon are strangely a highlight of the set thanks to how great they look with both the Pokemon and the trainer in a gold finish, and Iono’s is simply the best.

Iono has dominated the market before, with each of her cards always having some of the most spectacular art around. Even this basic Ultra Rare looks very clean, due to how great Iono and Bellibolt’s colors look shining in the golden line art.

3

N’s Zoroark ex 127 (Special Art Rare) – $173.29

Two Fan Favorites In Beautiful Art

All the Trainer’s ex Pokemon in the set got marvelous Special Art Rares, but N’s Zoroark ex definitely is one of the most striking of them all. This version of the card features sinister artwork of Zoroark and N together, ready to cause some trouble or help take down Team Plasma once again.

N is an enigma with one of the most interesting character backstories in the entire franchise, so it’s obvious why so many adore him. Previous cards featuring N have also ended up very expensive and, once again, he is here to show why he is the king of not just Unova but the entire Pokemon universe.

2

Iono’s Bellibolt ex 125 (Special Art Rare) – $281.67

Iono’s Back Again For More Subs

After the ludicrously high prices of all the variants of the Iono Trainer card seen in the set, Clay Burst, and its English counterpart, Paldea Evolved, it seems the Iono Hype Train has only just begun. This Special Art Rare Iono’s Bellibolt ex prominently features both the electric streamer, herself, and her signature Pokemon sharing a super close-up hug.

This Bellibolt card has the power of the ever-so-popular streamer to help make it worth a steep price. Besides just these two popular icons of Generation nine, this card is also a decent Lightning type ex. With how popular Lightning-type decks have been in the current competitive scene, this card has something for every single fan of the TCG,

1

Lillie’s Clefairy ex 126 (Special Art Rare) – $545.00

Sweetness Overwhelming All

Lillie and her Clefairy are an inseparably adorable pair, and in this Special Art Rare version of Lillie’s Clefairy ex, we get to see the two enjoying some time together in a gorgeously drawn flower patch. This card is very sweet as Clefairy and Lillie both have giant smiles on their faces to reflect their partnership and the joy of being together.

Previously, cards featuring Lillie have been some of the most valuable of their respective sets, such as the one seen in Ultra Prism, and she will seemingly keep this trend going with her being the queen of the chase cards for this set. Clefairy is her signature Pokemon and is just as popular as Lillie herself, so it’s a no-brainer that this card is as popular and valuable as it is.