Every Secret Rare In Journey Together, Ranked

Secret Rares are an absolute delight to uncover in the Pokemon Trading Card Game, and with the Journey Together expansion, the Secret Rares are better than ever. Much of the appeal comes from the reintroduction of Trainer’s Cards, special cards related to some of the most beloved characters in the Pokemon universe.

Secret Rares aren’t the easiest to come by, with the rarest of them only found once in every 52 or more packs, and even then, you’re not guaranteed to get the one you want. We took a peek at all these special cards so you have all of them in one place.

20

Volcanion ex

182/159 Special Illustration Rare

Even though it’s the first Secret Rare we’re going to take a look at, we’re not saying that Volcanion ex is a bad card. It’s just that there are so many cool Secret Rares in Journey Together that something has to be on the bottom.

This Special Illustration Rare features Volcanion rampaging through a molten mountain, but it’s a busy card, making it a bit hard to make out details, especially since the whole thing is a wash of red.

19

Salamence ex

177/159 Ultra Rare

Even though the destructive power of this Pokemon card is bound to make its way to tournaments and decks in the competitive scene, the artwork for the Ultra Rare Salamence ex leaves a little to be desired. That’s not to say it is bad, it is just not as stellar as some of the other cards in Journey Together.

18

Dudunsparce ex

178/159 Ultra Rare

Such a great Pokemon to get some of the stranger artworks in the set, Dudunsparce ex features the yellow and blue cute squirming across the center of the card. The background has a bunch of bubbles across a flat blue background, though it does have the added benefit of the textured foiling, so it does add dimension to places.

17

Mamoswine ex

174/159 Ultra Rare

An often overlooked Pokemon, Mamoswine ex’s Ultra Rare card is front and center with the Fighting-type Twin Tusk Pokemon. With an illustration from N-DESIGN Inc., the Mamoswine ex is a great pick-up if you plan on utilizing its Mammoth Hauler ability, which lets you go digging for a Pokemon card in your deck and add it to your hand.

16

Brock’s Scouting

179/159 Ultra Rare

Supporters make the Pokemon game playable, adding a very strong effect, with Brock’s Scouting being a particularly good one. You can go digging through your deck for either:

• Two Basic Pokemon cards
• One Evolution Pokemon card

Since Supports are played in practically every deck, you can bet that Brock’s Scouting will see a lot of play. The unfortunate aspect of this card is that Brock isn’t striking a partially cool pose or anything, he’s just kinda standing in front of a fence.

15

N’s Zoroark ex

175/159 Ultra Rare

A very strong card to build around, N’s Zoroark ex is a bit of a toolbox when in play. You can make sure you are cycling through your deck with its Trade ability, drawing two cards in exchange for discarding a card. Then you can use N’s Zoroark ex’s Night Joker attack to borrow an attack from one of your Benched N’s Pokemon.

14

Iono’s Bellibolt ex

172/159 Ultra Rare

There’s a ton of fan love around Iono ever since she debuted in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, so you know every single one of her cards in Journey Together will be a hit. The Ultra Rare iteration of this card puts Bellibolt right up front, with the outline of Iono faded into the pastel colors of the background.

13

Lillie’s Clefairy ex

173/159 Ultra Rare

Ultra rares in the Pokemon Trading Card Game are some of the more common rare cards in the game, but that doesn’t make them any less special. The Trainer’s card for Lillie’s Clefairy ex features the Fairy-type Pokemon front and center, with the outline of Lillie off to the side.

Even though Fairy isn’t an official type in the game, this Clefairy ex can bring back a functional type of typing even though it is still a Psychic-type Pokemon.

12

Hop’s Zacian ex

176/159 Ultra Rare

Bright colors and action are all that the Hop’s Zacian ex Ultra Rare card is about. Zacian’s blue, yellow, and red coloring popping out of the card. Hop is almost lost as his blue outline fades into the background of the card, but that’s okay, we’re all about Zacian with this card. Hop’s Zacian looks like he’s off to fight some great foe, swinging its sword in valiant defiance.

11

Volcanion ex

171/159 Ultra Rare

A few steps up from the Special Illustration Rare iteration of Volcanion ex, the Ultra Rare version of the legendary Pokemon is a fair bit easier to look at, though it is still a bit of an odd choice. The bright green background helps keep Volcanion distinct, with its blue, yellow, and red body popping off the card. Illustrator 5ban Graphics put a lot of work into making this Pokemon look fierce, and its oddly realistic eyes draw your gaze right to them.

10

Ruffian

181/159 Ultra Rare

It is always nice when the Pokemon Trading Card Game makes full art versions of cards you might not expect, and the Ruffian card from Journey Together gets a neat art treatment from illustrator Hideki Ishikawa. The Ruffian card lets you get rid of a Pokemon Tool or Special Energy from an opponent’s Pokemon, a very delinquent thing to do.

9

Salamence ex

187/159 Special Illustration Rare

The burning rage that Salamence ex brings to the Journey Together set is all out on the Special Illustration Rare iteration of the card. Fire is blazing from its mouth, wrapping around its head as the Dragon-type Pokemon. While not the most exciting of the Special Illustration Rare cards in the set, it is still a great card to own.

8

Spiky Energy

190/159 Hyper Rare

Energies are a vital element of the Pokemon Trading Card Game, and if you really want to stand out, getting Hyper Rare versions of them is the way to go. While being incredibly rare, you likely will want a full playset of the card, especially since Spiky Energy can give you tons of extra damage.

When your Active Pokemon takes damage from one of your Pokemon’s attacks, the attacking Pokemon gets 2 damage counters, which is pretty darn good for you!

7

Iris’s Fighting Spirit

180/159 Ultra Rare

Featuring artwork by yuu, Iris’s Fighting Spirit is a Supporter that will help to stay in the game for longer. You can only use this card if you discard a card from your hand, letting you draw until you have six cards in your hand. Much like Iris’s Champion determination, you can use this card to come back from the brink of defeat with a very fancy card.

6

Iono’s Bellibolt ex

188/159 Hyper Rare

Much like the Ultra Rare version of the Iono’s Bellibolt ex card, the Hyper Rare card features the same artwork, though with some notable changes that help it stand out. Iono has more color this time around, making her distinguishable from the background. More importantly, they’re extra rare, with the pull rates being around 1 in every 180 packs.

5

N’s Zoroark ex

189/159 Hyper Rare

Hyper Rare cards are an upgraded version of the Ultra Rare iterations, and with N’s Zoroark ex, you get a clearer view of N’s design in the background, as well as a cool gold outline of everything on the card. Zoroark’s black and red coloring stands out so much more on this Hyper Rare as he readies himself for a battle.

4

Hop’s Zacian ex

186/159 Special Illustration Rare

An absolutely stunning card from Journey Together, Hop’s Zacian ex features the two together on a bright day in the woods, possibly the Slumbering Weald from the Galar region, with the sunlight streaming in from above. You get a great look at the size difference between the two partners and can really feel the bond between the two from Illustrator DOM’s work.

3

N’s Zoroark ex

185/159 Special Illustration Rare

N is a special type of Trainer in the Pokemon Universe. He is able to communicate with Pokemon after spending much of his childhood living alone in the woods with them. It wasn’t until the leader of Team Plasma, Ghetsis, adopted him that he came to mingle with greater society. This bond lets him connect with his partner Pokemon, like Zoroark, in ways most trainers can’t.

N’s real name is Natural Harmonia Gropius!

2

Iono’s Bellibolt ex

183/159 Special Illustration Rare

The final version of Iono’s Bellibolt ex in the Journey Together expansion is the Special Illustration Rare printing. This card features special artwork from illustrator Yuu Nishida and has the Gym Leader snuggling up with her Bellibolt. The card is textured so you can feel and see all the foiling patterns on the card.

1

Lillie’s Clefairy ex

184/159 Special Illustration Rare

One of the most valuable cards in the Journey Together set is the Special Illustration Lillie’s Clefairy ex, a uniquely powerful card that disrupts traditional power matchups with a unique ability.

Past that, the card, illustrated by Susumu Maeya, shows the two hanging out in a field of flowers, enjoying the morning light of a spring morning together. Lillie looks determined, and Clefairy is having a blast doing their own thing. It’s a card that shows off the best of Secret Rare cards in the game.