The Most Valuable Team Rocket Returns Pokemon TCG Cards

Some of the best vintage sets in the Pokemon TCG
are full of prominent cards that feature some of the most desirable Pokemon ever, including a selection of superb Kantonian classics. Team Rocket Returns is one of the most valuable sets in the EX era, highlighted by Gold Star cards of Hoenn’s beloved starter Pokemon.

Team Rocket Returns features an exclusive subset of Rocket’s cards, that include popular Pokemon in dark scenes, indicating their affiliation with the nefarious Team Rocket. From Snorlax to Scizor, the most expensive cards from Team Rocket Returns boast intimidating depictions along with vibrant Gold Stars.

Cards are ordered according to their TCGPlayer Market Price, which you might pay on average for a copy of the cards below.

Given the age and rarity of these cards, only those with an established market price on TCGplayer are included.

However, sale prices differ depending on the card’s condition, so this market price is just a rough idea of the card’s value.

10

Rocket’s Zapdos Ex (Ultra Rare) – $222.60

Navigating The Dark Side

Rocket’s Zapdos ex sets the tone for many of the best cards in Team Rocket Returns, as they primarily include Pokemon designated as Team Rocket’s. This card is one of the most valuable Zapdos cards, though the Pokemon is mostly lost in the dark shadows.

While it’s difficult to appreciate this Pokemon and its yellow coat in all its glory, its sales history reminds us of how difficult it can be to find this card.

Damaged copies might drop to as low as $34, but the only recent sales to reference are a lightly played (LP) copy for $239 and a near-mint (NM) copy for around the same price, $222.

9

Rocket’s Scizor Ex (Ultra Rare) – $257.98

A Perfect Fit

Rocket’s Scizor is an ideal choice for a Team Rocket Pokemon, as this Steel and Bug-type Pokemon also has access to Dark-type moves and gets a shadowy makeover on this card.

Rocket’s Scizor is slightly easier to come by than Rocket’s Zapdos, as this card can also be found in moderately played (MP) condition, ranging from $107 to $175 depending on the condition of the specific card. If you’re lucky enough to come across an NM card, expect to shell out around $250 for it.

8

Rocket’s Articuno Ex (Ultra Rare) – $265.00

The Birds Are Back In Town

Articuno surpasses Zapdos in the friendly battle between the legendary birds, with Articuno sticking its neck in front of Zapdos.

As you might’ve guessed through the process of elimination, this placement of Articuno means Moltres reigns supreme, leaving “by how much?” as the only remaining question.

Articuno is similarly rare to the cards we’ve analyzed thus far, with recent sales of copies in damaged, MP, LP, and NM conditions. Damaged copies start at around $50, while NM copies will fetch the market price. If you’re looking for a nice discount off the market price, then LP cards sell closer to $160, a significant $100 reduction.

7

Rocket’s Moltres EX (Ultra Rare) – $276.11

Soaring In Price

Rocket’s Moltres makes its mark with a small victory over its peers, Zapdos and Articuno, as it beats out the latter’s value by just over $11. Although its margin of victory is minuscule, this card is one of the most expensive Moltres cards ever and deserves recognition given its gorgeous art.

Moltres’s rarity continues the trend thus far, but there are a noticeable diversity of sales to reference in comparison to the other options. Damaged starts at $62, with a slight bump in price for heavily played (HP) to $80, followed by MP cards fetching about $113 and NM cards capping the top-end at $329.99.

6

Rocket’s Mewtwo Ex (Ultra Rare) – $278.49

A Mighty Pose

This ferocious depiction of Mewtwo might be one of the most intimidating interpretations of this Pokemon, and easily stands out among the most valuable Mewtwo cards. The dark yellow and brown shades in the background are muted enough to allow Mewtwo’s purple and white color palette to claim center stage.

Rocket’s Mewtwo ex is incredibly hard to find in NM condition, with a majority of the sales in LP, as they set a range of $265 to $350 in that condition. A lone MP copy sold for $299.99, though it’s hard to accurately understand the condition of vintage cards based on the seller’s categorization.

5

Treecko Star (Ultra Rare) – $299.99

A Sneaky Valuable Star

Treecko takes the cake as the rarest card from Team Rocket Returns thus far, boasting a single sale on record in 2024. This Gold Star is one of the standout cards in Team Rocket Returns, as it bucks the trend of Rocket’s Pokemon and introduces the Star subset – which features shiny versions of popular Pokemon.

This card’s sole HP sale clocks in at $350.00 with an NM listing in an unrealistically high stratosphere. Despite the lack of sales and reasonable listings, Treecko Star earns its $299 market price and is likely to jump in value once one in MP or better condition sells on TCGplayer.

4

Rocket’s Entei Ex (Ultra Rare) – $345.95

Catching Fire

This dazzling Rocket’s Entei easily earns a spot among Entei’s most expensive cards, as this Pokemon is the most valuable Legendary Pokemon in Team Rocket Returns.

Entei is surprisingly easier to find than most of the other expensive Rocket’s cards, as HP cards have registered $100 sales. MP cards jump into the $140 range while LP can soar toward $250, followed finally by NM cards that commanded as much as $345.

3

Mudkip Star (Ultra Rare) – $417.99

Settling For A Co-Star

Mudkip makes a massive splash as one of the most valuable cards in Team Rocket Returns, though it’s not the best Gold Star in the expansion. Despite settling for a second (really third) fiddle placement here, Mudkip still touts an adorable depiction worth collecting.

An MP copy is the only sale on TCGplayer in 2024 at the market price, making it hard to say what other copies are worth. However, there are LP listings above $1,000, which is what you should expect to pay for some of the cleaner copies of Mudkip Star.

2

Rocket’s Snorlax Ex (Ultra Rare) – $499.99

Feasting On Wallets

Snorlax is known for eating exorbitant amounts of food and then taking excessively long naps, and while it’s hard to say if Snorlax is waking up or preparing to sleep in this art, there’s no arguing this card’s place as one of the best Snorlax cards.

Rocket’s Snorlax Ex is one of the most frequently sold cards from Team Rocket Returns on TCGplayer, boasting records in a variety of conditions. HP cards sell for about $145, while MP jumps to $200, followed by LP copies for $250 and capped off by NM cards selling for as much as $500.

1

Torchic Star (Ultra Rare) – $1,500.00

The Star Of The Show

Torchic Star easily claims the crown of the most valuable card from Team Rocket Returns, as it eclipses Rocket’s Snorlax ex by a wide margin, tripling its next closest competitor’s value.

Unfortunately, Torchic Star is also easily the rarest card in the set, with no recent sales available on TCGplayer despite its sky-high market price. However, listings start at $1,000 for HP copies, soaring up to $5,000 for an NM, though graded copies of this card can command even more.