The return of Trainer Pokémon is not the only thing the Trading Card Game (TCG) is digging up from its illustrious history. Recent announcements from Gamescom Latam -a Latin American event celebrating the video game industry- and the Pokémon Company International (TPCi) have given the wider world a sneak peak for the new Destined Rivals card pack art. And it’s featuring none other than the original criminal organization ever to grace the series, Team Rocket.
The Gamescom Latam event will be held in São Paulo, Brazil, from May 1st to 4th. Attendees who purchase their tickets through the official Gamescom Latam website will receive event credentials featuring the above art.
Ever since its announcement, there has been speculation that Destined Rivals would be sourcing part of its card pool from Hot Wind Arena. The Gamescom credentials showing Cynthia and her Garchomp alongside Ethan and his Ho-Oh seem to be giving this theory increasing credibility.
Not only that, but the other credentials showing Giovanni, MewTwo, and the various others of Team Rocket and their Pokémon may be the ‘surreptitious’ wink and nod from TPCi that we may see a return of Team Rocket-focused cards.
This is just another round of speculation as we have no formal announcement and the upcoming expansion for the Japanese market, Glory of the Rocket Gang, has not shown any official reveals.
With this recent development, it looks like nostalgia will be gripping the second hand market. Collectors are already looking to add the older Team Rocket cards to their collection, hoping to get their own slice of history.
Notable price spikes involving nostalgic chase Team Rocket cards from past sets are occuring on TCGplayer. One example includes Dark Dragonite, which is averaging $55 but has individual sales already climbing to around $300. Dark Gyarados, another nostalgic card, averages $79 on the secondary market, but individual sales at about $100. Finally, Dark Charizard commands an average selling price of $80 but has individual sales already hitting $150.
The listed cards above are from the original Team Rocket expansion set released back in 2000 when the TCG was under the auspices of Wizards of the Coast. If you were to look at Rocket's Mewtwo ex from the 2004 expansion, EX Team Rocket Returns, the card is fetching a price of about $180 on the lower end of the spectrum and then spiking to around $500 with peaks and valleys in between.
The Pokémon TCG second-hand market is a rather chaotic place and price fluctuation can sometimes happen without any warning. It would be prudent to adopt a wait and see approach if you do plan to add these kinds of vintage items to your collection. Till then, we shall see if TPCi will grace us with more information and if they will unearth anything else from the past.