When it comes to producing unique tones for every generation, thePokemon TCGalways hits its mark, differentiating each era of cards with signature styles. Some of thebest cards from the Sun & Moon erafeature the Rainbow Secret Rare design – a rainbow-tinted recolor of an existing card design.
Lost Thunder is one ofthe best sets from Sun & Moon, boasting a beautiful collection of hits that show off a variety of Pokemon. Whether you’re patiently waiting for more Rainbow Secret Rares or you’ve got a full-art fever, the most expensive cards from Lost Thunder won’t let you down.
Cards are ordered according to theirTCGPlayermarket prices, which are subject to change.
10Alolan Ninetales GX (Secret Rare) – $26.59
A Novel And A Ninetales
Alolan Ninetales is the perfectcontender to receive aRainbow Secret Rare,as the rainbow recoloring usually works best on Pokemon that have white, muted, or monochromatic color palettes. This Ice and Fairy-type Pokemon shimmers with bright colors glimmering on its icy white coat.
Alolan Ninetales is beautiful, but it gets lost behind a novel’s worth of text. It’s nice that Ninetales has a cool Ability, but thisfeels more like a rulebook with a nice card as its background.
Aside from the intrusive text, this card boasts a solid upward trend that has fueled itsascension from $22 to $26.
9Kahili (Full Art) – $31.08
A Swing And A Hit
Kahili is the first Alolan Trainer to burst onto the scene in Lost Thunder, setting the tone for a parade of incredible full-art cards to come. This Flying-type expert is featured with her signature golf club, as she enjoys the game on a bright blue day.
Unfortunately, despite the bright and cheery day, Kahili’s best days are behind her, asit’s unlikely she’ll be rising back to the $50 mark anytime soon,though the Pokemon card market is unpredictable. Maybe time will be kinder to Kahili in the future, as it has eroded her value by a significant amount thus far.
8Lugia GX (Full Art) – $39.88
A Solid First Appearance
Lugia leaps ahead of Kahili by a solid margin, eclipsing the Alolan Trainer with a ferocious, intimidating pose that stakes its claim among the best cards in the set. This Lugia art is gorgeous and is deserving of its solid price tag, though there’sanother version that far surpasses this one.
While Lugia felt the effects ofa big dip from $43 to $37,it rebounded nicely and continues to carry the momentum upward toward the pivotal $40 mark, as where it goes from here will be key in judging its future. Lugia remains one of the all-time favorites, so this card should do well.
7Tyranitar GX (Secret Rare) – $40.65
An Unexpected Banger
Tyranitar often finds a spot in some of the most valuable sets, as this Pokemon is one of the all-time greats and a fan favorite. However, across a variety of sets, you’d struggle to pick Tyranitar as a prime contender to receive the Rainbow Secret Rare recolor.
In terms of rarity, it’s well-deserved, but Tyranitar hardly seems like a Pokemon that would enjoy rainbows.
Unusual pairing aside, this card continues to climb the charts,clawing its way up through the 30s to its current summit above the $40 mark.It goes to show that Tyranitar is a popular Pokemon to collect no matter what style it’s portrayed in.
6Mina (Full Art) – $54.34
A Full Art About Making Art
Mina reminds us that there’s still plenty of room on this list for some fantastic full-art Trainer cards to claim the spotlight, as she kicks off a string of success for the non-Pokemon characters. Her painting is appropriately meta, as this artistboasts some pastel paint blotches behind her in the background.
Her value has dipped steadily, butMina has stayed within the $54 to $58 range,making an argument as a mainstay among the most valuable cards in Lost Thunder.
5Whitney (Full Art) – $56.14
More Love For Trainers
Whitney continues the trend ofvaluable full-art trainer cardsin Lost Thunder, as she goes back to back with Mina to set a solid foundation for more to come. Her playful wink and jubilant expression give Whitney an overwhelmingly positive portrayal, standing out from the crowd with her bright color palette.
The heart background is reminiscent of Misty’s fromUnified Minds, as her version topped the charts in that set.
Despite her value falling off a cliff fromthe $70+ range down to the mid-50s,Whitney still commands enough to capture a respectable spot among the best cards in Lost Thunder.
4Professor Elm’s Lecture (Full Art) – $56.22
Elm’s Eccentric Ensemble
You can’t help but smile when you catch a glimpse of Professor Elm’s lecture, as this poor professor has his hands full of a trio of Hoenn starters. Thiscard tells a short but funny storyof a lecture gone wrong when the hands-on demonstration gets a bit too heated for the Professor to control.
Despite an unfortunate slide downward from $64, Professor Elm is holding steady in the mid-50s, though it has seen some temporary spikes in value. It should stay among the most expensive cards in Lost Thunder for the near future.
3Suicune GX (Secret Rare) – $62.53
An Elegant Combination
Suicune re-starts the Rainbow Secret Rare train, revving back up for more polychromatic palettes. Much like Alolan Ninetales, Suicune is a perfect subject to give a rainbow recolor, given its primarily light blue and purple palette is receptive to the style.
Suicune is staying solid in the 60s,as it continues to trade in a five-dollar range on rare occasions it sells, as this card is becoming increasingly harder to find in good condition. It likely won’t challenge for the top two spots, but Suicune sits in a solid position.
2Mimikyu GX (Secret Rare) – $72.24
Shadow Sneaking Into Second
Mimimkyu slithers from the shadows to claim only the second spot for Alolan Pokemon among the most expensive cards in Lost Thunder.
Alolan Trainers also clock in at two entries,completing a solid showing for the host Generation, though characters from other regions still feature heavily among the best.
While Mimikyu has backed off from its high of $78, it still sticks solidly in a contained range, displaying remarkable consistency considering the tumultuous journeys that some of these cards endured on the way to the top spots.
1Lugia GX (Secret Rare) – $154.82
A Triumphant Rainbow Glow-Up
Lugia roars in victory as it claims the top spot among the most valuable cards in Lost Thunder, overshadowing the full-art GX version by over $100.
Though it’s a far cry fromNeo Genesis' valuable Lugia, this card is one of the most valuable cards to feature Lugia ever, joining anotherexpensive modern art from Silver Tempest.
Even as near-mint copies continue a collapse from the $180 plateau down toward $150, this card’s clear standing as the most desirable chase card is enough to secure it as the best Lost Thunder card for the foreseeable future.
