Summary
Pokemon Scarlet & Violet introduced to a new type of Pokemon, the weird and wonderful Paradox Pokemon. Scarlet’s Paradox Pokemon are Pokemon you know and love but from an ancient past and Violet’s on the other hand, are all from the distant future.
In thePokemon Trading Card Game,the Paradox Pokemon were brought over as Ancient and Future cards respectively, with their own gimmicks and mechanics. Future Pokemon are strategic and have specific effects that can be dangerous if manipulated well and some of these cards are highly sought-after for their futuristic flair.
All prices have been taken and ranked according to theirTCG Playermarket price.
11Iron Boulder ex: Temporal Forces (Special Illustration Rare) – $18.26
The Boulder Feels Conflicted About The Future
The Future Paradox version of Terrakion has graced us with a beautiful card for a relatively cheap price that is the perfect addition to any collection. This Special Illustration Rare Iron Boulder ex isn’t anything playable or the most popular of Pokemon unfortunately, but that does make it much cheaper on your wallet.
The aesthetic of this card is quite abstract because of the futuristic environment by Nagimiso and this really makes it stand out from any collection. That’s what’s so wonderful about the Future cards. They are all able to feel super unique in their art because of each artist’s interpretation and design of the future world they come from.
10Iron Hands ex: Paradox Rift (Special Illustration Rare) – $18.95
A Memorable Card That Deserves More Love
This card is one of the greatest from Paradox Rift just because of how unique it is, and it honestly deserves to be worth much more. This Iron Hands ex Special Illustration Rare is a colorful card with memorable artwork by Toshinao Aoki of a super-minimalist space that has the Pokemon itself being less of the focus.
The art has Iron Hands crashing through a bunch of walls, leaving a hole in each of them shaped like itself. Iron Hand ex has risen to become one of the most iconic Future Pokemon cards because of this artwork and its meta-presence, and it may continue to grow in price fast as the future grows closer.
9Iron Bundle: Scarlet & Violet Promo (58, Pre-release, Staff) – $30.69
Work For A Good Future
Speeding in on ice, this Iron Bundle card features two exclusive stamps for our favorite future bird. You need to be careful with this card as there are two very similar versions. One is the regular pre-release print that features just the Paradox Rift set logo on the right and this one isn’t worth too much, but the rarer version also features a staff stamp on the left.
This card is the price is due to the exclusivity of the card. To get one, you would need to be a staff member for a pre-release event for Paradox Rift and hope that your store has enough copies for all the staff. This makes any of these staff promos extremely rare as the average player cannot get their hands on them as they cannot be obtained by just buying products.
8Iron Valiant ex: Paradox Rift (Special Illustration Rare) – $32.82
The Future Squad
This card features not just the powerful Iron Valiant, but also a whole host of other Future Paradox Pokemon, such as Iron Thorns and Iron Moth with a stunning sunrise shining past them all. This card is the ultimate Future Pokemon card because of this, and it has been one of the most sought-after chase cards from Paradox Rift.
Iron Valiant ex is a pretty decent card that can provide easy damage counters with its ability, Tachyon Bits. This allows you to put two damage counters on any of your opponent’s Pokemon when it moves from the Bench to the Active Spot. Combining this with beautiful art, this is a chase card that is well worth the high price.
7Iron Leaves ex: Temporal Forces (Special Illustration Rare) – $39.42
Leaping Around An Unknown World
Iron Leaves was the first of the three Future Swords of Justice released, and it still remains as one of the most popular. This Special Illustration Rare Iron Leaves ex has a pleasant color scheme that goes well with the Pokemon as well as an interstellar moon in the background.
The jagged rocks along with the wild alien-like planet blend together to create a card that really looks like no other. We rarely see anything as creatively free and driven as the futuristic planet presented here, and it is another reason whyTemporal Forcesis such an underrated gem of a set. Nearly all the Special Illustration Rares from this set are pure creative gold.
6Iron Bundle: Scarlet & Violet Promo (66, Pokemon Center Exclusive) – $47.26
Playable And Valuable For Years To Come
This Iron Bundle card has had many prints with different artwork, but this version will remain the champion of value for a long time to come thanks to its rarity. This card is identical to the Promo Iron Bundle that comes in every Paradox Rift Elite Trainer Box (Iron Valiant) except that it has a little extra Pokemon Center stamp on it.
This Iron Bundle is not only rare but also very playable, with its ability being able to slot it into nearly any deck. Using Iron Bundle’s Hyper Blower ability, you get to switch out your opponents' Active Pokemon to the Bench at the cost of discarding the Iron Bundle. Being able to do this pretty much whenever you need, with practically no downsides, is ridiculously useful.
5Iron Thorns: Scarlet & Violet Promo (98, Pokemon Center Exclusive) – $47.47
A Single Stamp Changes Everything
Standing strong above the rest, Iron Thorns is one of the best Future Pokemon being a mechanical Tyranitar. The Godzilla-like design Tyranitar has already makes Iron Thorns look like Mecha-Godzilla and on this card it is drawn in a beautifully rendered sunset. Iron Thorns is looking to destroy not only your city but also your wallet with this rare Promo card.
The Pokemon Center exclusive Elite Trainer Box Promo cards always go for a high price due to the limited stock and lack of restocks these products receive. Many don’t even open their boxes and keep them sealed for their collection, making these Promos some of the most limited and valuable of the Scarlet & Violet era.
4Iron Crown ex: Temporal Forces (Special Illustration Rare) – $65.24
Crowning Glory
Iron Crown has rightfully earned its crown with this powerful card and this fantastic artwork. Being one of the main chase cards from Temporal Forces, this Iron Crown ex card has a distinct visual style and a popping color palette that works perfectly to show the majesty of Iron Crown.
The strange yet weirdly recognizable tree that Iron Crown stands proudly atop of is framed perfectly with the moon to create a symmetrical and ordered piece of art of the future. The simplicity of the background and the complexity of the foreground mesh together to perfectly make the card look absolutely stunning with the texture and holographic shine it has.
3Iron Hands ex: Prismatic Evolutions (Special Illustration Rare) – $73.00
Neon Lit Hands
Prismatic Evolutions brought along countlessgorgeous cardsthat, unfortunately, are all quite tricky to pull because of low pull rates and way too many potential pulls. One pull that many wouldn’t be disappointed in is this Iron Hands ex Special Illustration Rare, which has one of the most eye-catching art styles of the set.
Iron Hands ex is iconic for its silly yet powerful move, Amp You Very Much, and this makes it quite a valuable card. This attack is a useful tool that can be game-changing if used right. For one Lightning Energy and three Colorless, this attack does 120 damage. However, if you Knock Out a Pokemon using the attack, you get to take an extra Prize Card which can be game-deciding!
2Iron Valiant ex: Prismatic Evolutions (Special Illustration Rare) – $85.41
Fear The Future
Being a cyborg combination of both the ever popular Gardevoir and Gallade, Iron Valiant is one of the most beloved Paradox Pokemon and this card proves that. In Prismatic Evolutions, even despite all the countless other chase cards, this Special Illustration Rare Iron Valiant ex stands out as one of the best cards in the set, and not just because it looks alot like Metal Sonic from Sonic The Hedgehog.
The way it poses so menacingly, almost looking like it is throwing its blade towards you, is so striking and the almost ’80s or ’90s-themed art style with the many thick pink lines only emphasizes this further. Iron Valiant is one of the most brutal and dangerous of all the Paradox Pokemon and with this art you can feel that danger.
