Ascended Heroes Chase Cards: Rand Prices and What to Grade

By Mitchell Taljaard · 28 Oct 2026

Ascended Heroes is a special set, and at 295 cards it's a big one. Most of its value sits in a small group of secret rares. This guide covers which cards those are, what they're worth in rand and which ones are worth sending off for grading.

We're Cuppas Cards, a PCG submission service for South African Pokémon collectors. We don't grade cards ourselves: PCG (Premier Card Grading) in the UK assigns every grade. All prices were retrieved on 21 October 2026 and converted at R16.41 per US$ (Trading Economics, 20 October 2026). This isn't investment advice.

What is Ascended Heroes?

Ascended Heroes is an English special set from the Mega Evolution era. It has 295 cards: 217 in the main set and 78 secret rares. TCGplayer calls it the largest English Pokémon set ever (TCGplayer, January 2026).

It's built from two Japanese releases. Those are the MEGA Dream ex High Class Pack, released on 28 November 2025, and the Start Deck 100 Battle Collection (TCGplayer, January 2026).

The set also brought two firsts to English cards. It's the English debut of the Mega Attack Rare rarity, with seven cards, and it adds two new reverse holo patterns (TCGplayer).

When did Ascended Heroes come out?

The English release date was 30 January 2026, but only some products came out that day. Those were collections and Tech Sticker Collections. The Elite Trainer Box ($49.99 MSRP) and mini tins followed on 20 February, and the booster bundle on 24 April 2026 (TCGplayer).

Launch week was patchy too. Kotaku reported that only triple-pack sticker collections reached shelves at launch, "due to undisclosed distribution issues" (Kotaku, February 2026). That thin early supply matters when you look at launch prices below.

What are the Ascended Heroes chase cards?

The chase sits in the secret rares. There are 22 Special Illustration Rares, numbered 272 to 293. Above them are two gold Mega Hyper Rares: 294 Mega Charizard Y ex and 295 Mega Dragonite ex (TCG Watchtower).

Here are the ten most valuable cards as of 21 October 2026:

Source: card numbers and rarities from TCG Watchtower.

The 276 Pikachu ex was illustrated by booota (Kotaku). Collectors often follow artists as much as Pokémon, and our guide to Pokémon card artists explains why.

Mega Dragonite ex shows up twice in the top ten. The Special Illustration Rare is worth roughly three times the gold version as of 21 October 2026.

What are Ascended Heroes chase cards worth?

The top two are each worth more than R11,000 raw. Here are near-mint raw prices from two trackers, both retrieved on 21 October 2026. The rand column uses the TCG Stacked figure.

Sources: TCG Stacked and Pokemon Price Tracker, both retrieved 21 October 2026. SIR means Special Illustration Rare.

The two trackers differ by up to about 12% of the higher price. Treat any single number as a guide, not a fixed price. The lower tracker puts the Gengar at about R12,590 and the "UH-OH" Pikachu at about R11,010.

How far have prices fallen since launch?

Most of the top cards are well below their early prices. In launch week, eBay sales on thin supply put the gold Charizard Y at about $950 and the Dragonite SIR at about $900. The Gengar SIR sold for about $1,000, with a high of $1,325 (Wargamer, January 2026).

Those were early-hype prices from a market with very little product. Compared with October's TCG Stacked figures, the changes look like this:

The launch and October figures come from different sources, so read the changes as rough. The gold Charizard Y has fallen the furthest.

The Gengar and Treekachu also spiked mid-year. Both climbed to near $1,300 around May 2026, according to PriceCharting data reported by Wargamer. Both have been falling since (Wargamer, September 2026). On TCG Stacked, Treekachu sat at about $300 on 21 October, far below that peak (different sources).

What are the Ascended Heroes pull rates?

The Pokémon Company doesn't publish pull rates, so these are community estimates only. Card Codex gives these figures, but it doesn't state a sample size (Card Codex, February 2026):

Even if these odds hold, the 1 in 70 is for any of the 22 Special Illustration Rares. Your chance at one specific card, like the Gengar, is far lower. Use these figures as a rough guide, not a promise.

Which Ascended Heroes cards are worth grading from South Africa?

Grade the cards where a slab can sensibly protect more value than it costs. From South Africa, PCG Standard grading through us is R593 per card plus 3% insurance (R495 service including PCG's £15 fee and DHL both ways, plus about R98 customs and VAT). Our full cost breakdown adds postage.

Here's how the chase cards line up against that cost:

1. Mega Gengar ex, both Pikachu ex SIRs, Mega Dragonite ex SIR and the gold Mega Charizard Y ex: strong candidates if they're clean. At about R4,700 to R13,450 raw, the grading cost is a small share of the card's value.
2. Team Rocket's Mewtwo ex SIR and the gold Mega Dragonite ex: worth considering for a clean copy. At about R2,650 to R3,990, the grading cost is a moderate share of the card's value.
3. N's Zoroark ex, Lillie's Clefairy ex and Mega Feraligatr ex SIRs: marginal. At about R1,300 to R2,300, grading eats a big slice of the value. Grade these if you want them slabbed for your own collection.
4. Everything else: usually not worth it. Most cards below the top ten sell for far less than these.

We couldn't find public PSA 10 data or graded sales figures for these cards yet. So there's no reliable way to say what a slab adds. No grade is guaranteed, and a slab doesn't guarantee a higher sale price.

Prices are also still falling on several of these cards. Don't grade on hype alone. Grade because the card is clean and worth protecting.

What should you check before grading?

Check the centering, corners, edges and surface of every card before you send it. Our pre-grading checklist walks through each check. If you're unsure what the numbers mean, start with what card grades mean.

FAQ

What is the most valuable card in Ascended Heroes?

The Mega Gengar ex Special Illustration Rare (284). It was worth $819.67, or about R13,450, on TCG Stacked as of 21 October 2026. The "UH-OH" Pikachu ex SIR is close behind at about R12,370.

What is Treekachu?

It's the nickname for the 277 Pikachu ex Special Illustration Rare, the "YIPPEE" card. It climbed to near $1,300 around May 2026, and was about $300 (about R4,930) on 21 October.

Is the gold Mega Dragonite ex worth more than the SIR?

No. The gold Mega Hyper Rare (295) is worth about R2,650, while the Special Illustration Rare (290) is worth about R7,830.

How many cards are in Ascended Heroes?

There are 295 cards: 217 in the main set and 78 secret rares. TCGplayer calls it the largest English Pokémon set ever.

Pulled a big one?

Pulled the Gengar, a Pikachu or one of the Dragonites? Sleeve it and put it in a semi-rigid card holder straight away. When you're ready, start a submission with us. For the next set on the way, see our Delta Reign release date and chase cards guide.