10 Best New Pokémon Cards 2025 To Get Excited About

Whether you’re a competitive player, investor, or proud binder-filler, you’ll love to learn about the best new Pokémon cards. Some people want to see how powerful a card is in the meta, some are curious about card value and what it’ll sell for, and some just want to stare at the colorful and gorgeous artwork of rare cards for hours on end.

But while plenty of new Pokémon cards release with each set, not all are created equal. Some stand above the rest and truly represent the best that the Pokémon TCG has to offer.

Without any further ado, let’s go over some of the best new Pokémon cards to add to your collection.

Our Top Picks for New Pokémon Cards

Of the many new Pokémon cards out in 2025, these are the three that I believe are the best.

1. Team Rocket’s Mewtwo ex – With a high HP stat and the potential to destroy nearly any Pokémon in a single hit if you set it up right, this Pokémon is a strong choice in the meta. While it’s heavily dependent on other Team Rocket’s Pokémon and requires plenty of energy, few Pokémon can match the damage output of this card. 
2. Ethan’s Ho-Oh ex – Ethan’s Ho-Oh ex combines high damage output, healing, and energy generation into one single card. It fits incredibly well into decks that rely on Ethan’s Pokémon, and offers team-wide healing with its move that can turn the tides of any battle. It also has a Special Illustration Rare version that is stunning and among the most expensive cards in the set.
3. Regirock ex – Regirock ex is a strong and bulky Fighting-type attacker, with built-in energy generation to power itself up incredibly quickly. While the true power of its attacking move is limited to only certain scenarios, even the base version of this attack does a bunch of damage.

If you want to see the rest of the top 10 list, make sure to keep reading! 

10 Best New Pokémon Cards To Take Your Deck to New Heights

Outside of the top three, there are several other strong cards that I feel like deserve to be mentioned for their meta-relevance, investment potential, and collectibility. Let’s go over the entire list of the best new Pokémon cards that I believe everyone should consider picking up in 2025.

How many of these cards have you already played with in a game or added to your collection?

1. Team Rocket’s Mewtwo ex [Top Collector’s Chase & Strong Psychic Attacker]

Mewtwo is one of the most iconic “bad guys” in Pokémon history, so it only makes sense to pair it with the original villains in the Pokémon series – Team Rocket. This card has a hefty 280 HP for incredible staying power (along with a resistance to Fighting), and also an attack with the potential to do up to 280 damage in one hit, which is enough to one-hit-KO many Pokémon in the meta.

However, it does take quite a bit of energy to get the most out of its move, and its ability requires that you have at least four Team Rocket’s Pokémon in play to attack with it. That being said, if you can satisfy these conditions and generate plenty of energy, it’s a very strong card capable of helping you easily win a game.

In addition to being among the hardest-hitting Pokémon in the meta, it also shines off the battlefield. In fact, few cards amongst the many top trading card games are as valuable to investors as this one. It’s a major chase card in the Destined Rivals set and has collectors all over the world hunting for it, and it’s worth big bucks, even as a raw card. If you want this version, you may want to make sure you have a full wallet.

While it may not be as hard to find as some of the rarest Pokémon cards ever, the Special Illustration Rare version of this card is one of the most sought-after and rare cards in the hobby today, whether you plan to sell or collect it.

2. Ethan’s Ho-Oh ex [Incredible Fire Energy Generation & Teamwide Healing]

Ethan’s Ho-Oh is a perfect addition to any Ethan-focused deck thanks to the Golden Flame ability. This lets you attach up to two Fire energy cards from your hand to a benched Ethan’s Pokémon once per turn. You can scale up other Fire-type attackers very quickly with this, and do plenty of damage before the opposing trainer is even done setting up.

If you pair this with a card like N’s plan, you can also move this energy from a Benched Pokémon to your Active Pokémon.

In addition to that, the card also has solid bulk and a strong attack that not only does 160 damage, but also heals 50 damage from each of your Pokémon every time you use it. This helps heal up any chip damage and keeps your team in good shape.

Unfortunately, the move takes plenty of Fire energy to pull off, but Ho-Oh’s ability certainly speeds up this process to ensure you can get the move off as quickly as possible.

The Special Illustration Rare version of the card is also among the most valuable in the set – and if you’re curious how rarity, condition, and other factors impact prices, check out our full Pokémon cards guide.

3. Regirock ex [Great Bulk & Quick Energy Scaling]

As a legendary titan of stone, it should come as no surprise that Regirock ex is a bulky and powerful addition to any deck. It has 230 HP and an attack that does a respectable 140 damage. However, the attack is made even more powerful if your opponent’s Active Pokémon is a Stage 2 Pokémon. 

In fact, the power of this move doubles to 280 damage if the opponent’s Pokémon is a Stage 2, which is an obscene amount of damage, and enough to one-hit-KO most Pokémon.

Outside of this attack, Regirock ex also has Regi Charge, which lets you attach up to two Fighting energy from your discard pile to this Pokémon, and can help you scale up faster to its damage-dealing move. While it may not have the monetary value of some of these other cards and doesn’t sell for as much, it’s still a worthwhile card to pick up.

4. Team Rocket’s Moltres ex [Reduce Incoming Damage & Remove Opponent’s Pokémon]

Another of the best new Pokémon cards is Team Rocket’s Moltres ex. It’s a part of this list largely for its moves and the unique effects that each provides. First, Flame Screen not only does a decent 110 damage, but it also shields Moltres from some damage that your opposing trainer’s Pokémon hits it with next turn.

In fact, Moltres takes 50 less damage from attacks from your opponent the turn after using this attack. This protection, along with solid natural bulk (220 HP), makes Moltres very hard for opposing trainers to remove from battle.

Speaking of removing from battle, it has another cool move called Evil Incineration, which lets you discard your opponent’s Active Pokémon and all cards attached to it.

While it requires quite a few energy, and you must discard a Team Rocket’s energy card that you’ve attached to Moltres to use the attack, this move can instantly destroy your opponent’s strategy and remove an incredibly strong Pokémon from the field.

The Special Illustration Rare version of this card has a beautiful design with Moltres flying across the card, and also has quite a bit of value for both collectors and investors as long as the card’s condition is good.

5. Cynthia’s Garchomp ex [Popular Among Collectors & Hits Incredibly Hard]

Cynthia’s Garchomp is a fan favorite card, and it’s easy to see why. First, it has an incredibly high 330 HP, which lets it stay up even after being hit by many of the strongest moves in the meta. Beyond its bulk, this card has two incredible attacks, and both hardly require any energy to complete.

Corkscrew Dive only needs one energy and does 100 damage, and as a secondary effect, lets you draw cards until you have six in your hand. With enough knowledge and some luck, you can time this perfectly to draw many cards at once.

Draconic Buster, which only requires two energy, does a whopping 260 damage, though you do need to remove and discard all energy from this card after using this attack.

Add to all of this the fact that the card has no retreat cost, and you have one of the most impactful cards in the competitive meta for the Pokémon TCG.

The Special Illustration Rare version also fetches among the most money in the set, and is a high-value card that collectors would certainly love to add to their binder. Speaking of binders, make sure to pick up the best binder for Pokémon cards to keep all of your valuable cards, like Cynthia’s Garchomp ex, in the best shape possible.

6. Ethan’s Typhlosion [Huge Damage Potential With the Right Draw]

Ethan’s Typhlosion may not have as much bulk as many of the other cards on this list so far, but it’s a very flexible attacker, and can do massive amounts of damage if you manage to draw the right Pokémon cards from your deck.

Its first attack, Buddy Blast, only does 40 base damage, but does 60 more damage for every Ethan’s Adventure card in your discard pile. In the right conditions, you can do a ton of damage each turn, up to 280, as you can have up to four copies of Ethan’s Adventure in your deck. Your opponent better hope you don’t find too many, or they’ll be in trouble and may lose the game.

The Fire-type starter Pokémon also has Steam Artillery, which is a straightforward move that does 160 damage with no other conditions or secondary effects.

With this being another strong Pokémon from Destined Rivals, the set may eventually join the list and go down as one of the best Pokémon sets ever. To get this card, you’ll have to get lucky and pull it from packs of Destined Rivals.

7. Zekrom ex [Capable of Huge Damage If You’re on the Brink of Defeat in Battle]

Zekrom ex is one of the best new release Pokémon cards in 2025 from one of the most recent sets released – Black Bolt. This legendary Pokémon from the Unova region has a strong 230 HP pool and a few attacks to choose from. While Slash is as basic as it gets and only does 50 damage for two energy, its other attack, Voltage Burst, is much more interesting and fun.

The attack does a base 130 damage, but you add 50 damage to this amount for each prize card that your opponent has taken.

This attack makes this card a great option for coming back from the brink of defeat, as it deals up to 380 damage if your opponent has already taken five prize cards. However, when Zekrom uses this move, it also deals 30 damage to itself, which is challenging if you’ve already taken damage before using this move.

The special art version of this card features a sleek all-black and white design that’s a stunning card that rivals cards from some of the top Pokémon TCG sets. This design, as well as its rarity, makes this card one of the most expensive from the newest sets.

To add Zekrom ex to your deck, you’ll have to pull it from one of the packs in a Black Bolt Elite Trainer Box.

8. Hop’s Zacian ex [Easily Spread Chip Damage Throughout a Team or Deliver a Powerful Single Blow]

Hop’s Zacian ex is a versatile attacker that can put on early pressure, as well as deal crippling blows that take out your opponent’s Pokémon quickly. Its Insta-Strike attack only does 30 damage, but lets you do damage to a Benched Pokémon as opposed to their Active Pokémon. This lets you spread damage around your opponent’s team, and the fact that it only costs one energy lets you put on early pressure as they try to set up.

Zacian’s other attack is Brave Slash, which requires four energy but does a powerful 240 damage if you want to take out a Pokémon fast. The only downside is that you can’t use this attack two turns in a row during a game.

In addition to its offensive capabilities, this Pokémon is also quite bulky at the same time, with 230 HP to help it remain on the field longer.

9. Lillie’s Clefairy ex [Great to Pair With Psychic-Type Attackers and Weaken Opposing Dragon Types]

Don’t let the cute and cuddly appearance of Clefairy fool you, Lillie’s Clefairy ex is a force to be reckoned with and may give you more problems than you expect. While its 190 HP is less than many of the best Pokémon cards in the Pokémon TCG, its ability and attack make up for it.

The Fairy Zone ability gives your opponents’ Dragon types a weakness to Psychic, when they normally have no weakness. This allows you to pair Clefairy with powerful Psychic-type attackers like Latias ex (which is one of the best Scarlet and Violet Pokémon cards) and do major damage to Dragon types.

But in addition to helping other cards do damage, Clefairy is more than capable of doing some damage itself, at a higher clip than you may expect. While the base damage of Full Moon Rondo is only 20, it does 20 more damage for every Benched Pokémon on the field, both on your side and your opponent’s. As a result, if your opponent has a full bench, they’d better hope you don’t find this card.

To get your hands on a special promo version of this card, you can pick up the Lillie Premium Tournament Collection.

10. Jellicent ex [Prevent Opponent’s From Using Item Cards or Pokémon Tools & Deliver Powerful Attacks]

Last on the list of the best new Pokémon cards is Jellicent ex. It’s one of the best cards in a new Pokémon set (White Flare), largely thanks to its staying power due to its 270 HP. The card is also one of the most annoying to go up against because of its Oceanic Curse ability.

As long as Jellicent is in the Active Spot, this ability prevents your opponent from using item cards or Pokémon Tool cards from their hand. This can interrupt strategies and essentially stop your opponent from doing what they want.

Not to be outdone, its attack, Power Press, is also pretty great. It does 80 base damage, but does another 80 damage if the card has at least two extra energy cards attached to it. So if your Jellicent ex has four energy on it, this move now does 160 damage.

To add this strong card to your deck, you’ll need to pull it from a White Flare booster pack.

FAQs

What is the best new Pokémon card?

The best new Pokémon card is arguably Team Rocket’s Mewtwo ex. It’s a tanky card that hits hard enough to one-hit-KO most other cards, and also has a Special illustration Rare version that’s among the highest value cards on the market.

Are new Pokémon cards worth collecting?

Yes, new Pokémon cards are certainly worth collecting. There are meta-relevant cards for competitive, rare and valuable cards for investors, and some truly stunning artwork for collectors to add to their collections.

Are there any new cards in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet?

Yes, there are several new cards in the Pokémon Scarlet and Violet series, as it’s the most recent series of cards released in the Pokémon TCG, and features many of the newest Pokémon in the Pokedex.

What is the newest card in Black Bolt and White Flare?

Some of the newest cards in Black Bolt and White Flare packs include Zekrom ex, Reshiram ex, and Victini.

Is Black Bolt and White Flare worth it?

Yes, these sets are worth it as they contain various meta-relevant cards for competitive players, a large selection of rare and unique special art cards to collect, and several valuable chase cards to entice investors to buy the stock.