We’re a few days on from the release of Japan’s first Pokemon TCG expansion of 2022, S9 Star Birth. The set has kicked off 2022 with a bang by merging Arceus, the god of all Pokemon alongside the king of Pokemon TCG, Charizard. In this article, we’re going to look at the top 5 most expensive cards from Star Birth in anticipation of their likely release in Brilliant Stars on February 25th!
Disclaimer: prices accurate at the time of writing.
Number 5 – Arceus V Alternate Art
The ranking of this list is based on current market value across Japan and international markets meaning that the most expensive card of Star Birth could vary further down the line. The fifth most expensive card (at the time of writing) from Star Birth is none other than Arceus V in its Alternate Art form. This illustration by Kawayoo shows Arceus reigning supreme above the clouds. The card can be found for around 9500 Yen (£60) in Japan and £80 from eBay UK. Whilst Arceus V 112/100 is arguably the best looking Arceus card from Star Birth it’s not the most expensive.
Number 4 – Charizard V Alternate Art
The next card on this list comes as quite a surprise. Originally leaked at the end of last year in its English form releasing in Brilliant Stars, this Charizard card is one of the best we’ve seen in years. Charizard V 103/100 by Ryota Murayama looks like something plucked straight from the anime as Charizard avoids a vine whip from Venusaur. Many of us expected this to be the chase card for the expansion and may very well be in Brilliant Stars. Currently, Charizard V Alternate Art can be found for a similar price to Arceus V of 9500 Yen (£60) and around £90 on eBay UK.
Number 3 – Ultra Ball Gold
It’s sometimes easy to forget that the playability of cards can have a massive impact on price. This Gold Ultra Ball is a great example of Japanese playability impacting prices that don’t necessarily translate to the West. Ultra Ball can be found in Japan for over 11500 Yen (£75) and about £90 on eBay UK. That being said, there’s no sales data for gold Ultra Ball outside of Japan on eBay meaning that if you were to pack this Ultra Rare then it might be a difficult sell if it’s priced based on the Japanese market.
Number 2 – Charizard VSTAR Rainbow
With prices still up in the air, the top two from this list are very close in price. Charizard VSTAR Rainbow Hyper Rare just gets beaten out by the tightest of margins. This Charizard is the first rainbow Charizard since Champion’s Path which was released in September 2020, add that to the new VSTAR mechanic and this card is high in demand. Buying this card from Japan will set you back around 12000 Yen (£76) or just over the £100 from eBay UK.
Number 1 – Arceus VSTAR Gold
The poster pokemon of the set and the only gold Pokemon in this expansion is also unsurprisingly the most expensive. Arceus VSTAR in gold will set you back a similar price of around 12500 Yen in Japan and anywhere upwards of £100 in the UK. We can expect to see these cards release in English in Brilliant Stars this February but will we see a different top tier chase card? Only time will tell.
What do you think of the current Star Birth prices? Did you pull any of these cards?
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John-Anthony Disotto – Ludkins Media Editor-in-Chief
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