Author: Game Infliction

That much is clear just by looking at the most recent Pokémon TCG set, Phantasmal Flames. But more on that later, long story short, this is a great time to pick up chase cards.

But which chase cards should you buy on TCGPlayer’s Cyber Weekend? Well, I’ve handpicked some of the best cards from Mega Evolution, Scarlet and Violet, and the Sword and Shield eras of Pokémon TCG for you to catch.

The Best Modern Chase Cards to Look Out For

Scarlet and Violet has been one of the best era’s in recent memory for chase cards with multiple banger sets, and yes I know Evolving Skies from Sword and Shield was insane, more on that later. 151, Black Bolt/White Flare, Destined Rivals, Prismatic Evolutions and Twilight Masquerade collectively hold the most expensive chase cards of this era.

That’s great and all, but it means more money spent on catching the best cards going. Then the latest era, Mega Evolution is off to a flying start with its base set and Phantasmal Flames expansion bringing back Pokémons most popular gimmick from the main games. There’s a lot to focus on, just the carousel above will proove that much, but just focus on what stands out to you and what fits into your budget.

So the top 5 cards here value wise are Umbreon ex SIR, Mega Charizard X ex SIR, Mega Charizard X ex Gold Hyper Rare, Team Rocket’s Mewtwo ex SIR and Mega Lucario ex Gold Hyper Rare. Even though Mega Evolution sets have dropped in value significantly since launch, they’re still putting out some of the most valuable cards in modern Pokémon TCG.

Umbreon is never going to be knocked off the top spot, not even Charizard can do that, but it’s going to be the best time to snap it up on TCGPlayer. Let’s do some quick math; 10% of $1,294.99 is $129.49, which is going to be the minimum cashabck you’ll recieve after purchasing Sunbreon. That means you could put that credit towards Roaring Moon ex SIR from the same set and grab it for $42.14 instead of $171.63. Oh, then you’d also get another 10% cashback from that purchase which is $17.16. It’s the best kind of snowball i’ve ever seen.

But even with the cashback, Sunbreon will still cost a fortune regardless of how good the deal is, so let’s pick out something that you’re other half won’t kill you (as much) for. Greninja SIR ex from Twilight Masquerade absolutley pops and is easily one of the best artworks in the Scarlet and Violet era. Whilst you might think $325 is steep, this card was touching $380 just a week or two ago. So getting $32.50 back as 10% cashback to effectively get this card for $292.50. Now that’s a great investment, which is also the near-mint price.

The Best Scarlet and Violet Promo Cards To Catch

The Scarlet and Violet era has also been a very strong era for promo cards. This means anything from a STAFF stamped card to a Pokémon Center stamped card found inside Pokémon Center-exclusive Elite Trainer Boxes.

One of my favorites from the Scarlet and Violet era is the Paldea Evolved Pokémon Center exclusive Elite Trainer Box (Takes a deep breath). It features Pikachu alongside the Paldea starter Pokémon in a “Let’s go suit shopping” pose that has the power to cause genuine cardiac arrest. A stunning card.

Now considering the exclusive Elite Trainer Box is currently going for $500 sealed right now, the $119 price tag for the card is actually quite cheap. And when you consider the $11.90 cashback you’d get off buying the card, that’s not a bad deal at all.

Keeping in with the Pikachu theme, one of my favorite promos from Scarlet and Violet that I actually own is Pikachu with Grey Felt Hat. This costs even more than the ETB at $547.99 right now, which is a big drop from around $647 just days ago. I’ve written about the full story behind this infamous card previously, but this is a fantastic time to get this card thanks to the extra $54.79 you’ll get in cashback this weekend.

The Best Sword and Shield Chase Cards You Can’t Miss

Yes, we’re about to talk about Evolving Skies, well done for waiting until the end of the article. I remember walking into stores on release and not being able to move for Evolving Skies boosters, premium collections and Elite Trainer Boxes, often below MSRP. It’s frankly insane how much this set it worth compared to how available it used to be.

It’s the home of the most valuable Sword and Shield era chase cards for the most part, including Moonbreon, Rayquazza VMAX Alt Art, Umbreon V Alt Art, Dragonite V Alt Art, most of the Eeveelution VMAX Alt Arts and the stunning Rayquaza V Alt full art.

Apologies for just going mad listing cards, but this is why it’s costing north of $2,000 just for a Booster Box. Of course you’d also get $200 in cashback which is awesome, but just wow. If you’re looking to get some big chase cards for a steal in TCGPlayer’s Cyber Weekend, start with Evolving Skies.

Sword and Shield isn’t just about one set though, Fusion Strike, Lost Origins and Silver Tempest also have some god tier level grails. The Secret Alt Art of Gengar VMax for example is currently $730, which is over double the worth of the next Fusion Strike chase card down the line, Espeon VMAX Secret Alt Art, running at $329.58 right now.

If you’re looking for an amazing chase card that isn’t going to require a remortgage, Lugia V Alt Full Art from Silver Tempest is a banger. Other than me being really proud of myself getting it for under $150 earlier this year, the mood in this card thanks to Lugia jumping out of the ocean in the middle of a storm over a fisherman is stunning. Hands down the best Lugia Pokémon Card ever printed.

TCGPlayer Subscription

If you’re planning on snapping up quite a few Pokémon cards in the sale, this is a great time to become a TCGPLayer subscriber. It costs $8.99 a month and gives users free delivers and 1% cashback regardless of the time of year.

Whilst this climbs to 3% after a years membership, subscriber will get a boosted 13% cashback over cyber weekend on top of their usual cashback. For longtime members, this could equate to 16% cashback, which is frankly insane.

For even more card recommendations in TCGPlayer’s Black Friday/Cyber Weekend sale, check out our brand new Riftbound and Magic: The Gathering roundups as well.

Christian Wait is a contributing freelancer for IGN covering everything collectable and deals. Christian has over 7 years of experience in the Gaming and Tech industry with bylines at Mashable and Pocket-Tactics. Christian also makes hand-painted collectibles for Saber Miniatures. Christian is also the author of “Pokemon Ultimate Unofficial Gaming Guide by GamesWarrior”. Find Christian on X @ChrisReggieWait.

While the MTG Spider-Man set wasn’t the most well-received in terms of mechanics and playability, collector booster packs like this offer a nice chance to open some expensive chase cards. These packs, which contain 15 cards just like a regular booster pack, may seem pricey, but compared to normal booster packs, they tend to come with with more foils, which are shiny, holographic versions of every card available in the set. They also often come with very sought-after alternate prints of existing cards and a higher chance for Rare or Mythic Rare cards.

For individual cards, I’d recommend checking out online card retailer TCGPlayer. From today until December 1, it’s running a Cyber Monday deal on everything it sells – for every purchase you make, you get 10% cashback in store credit, or 13% back if you’re a subscriber. So if you’re a long-time player looking for metagame staples, this is a good opportunity to get more than you were expecting to finish some decks.

The problem is it’s $80 price tag, just yesterday it was $63.75 down from $79.99, now it’s down from $94.90. In a period of time when we’re forced to buy sealed product for more than MSRP (In this case, $39.99), it’s my job to make sure you’re paying a little premium as possible.

TCGPlayer also has listings available for Mega Venusaur ex Premium Collection starting from $61.59. They’re also having a Cyber Weekend event that gives buyers 10% cashback as account credit on any purchase.

If you’re a subscriber, this bumps up to 13% on-top of your existing subscriber cashback for a total of 16% cashback between now and the end of Cyber Monday. That means you’ll get from $6.15 to $9.85 cashback credit just for buying this collection at the best price currently. Win-win, right?

Inside the Mega Venusaur ex Premium Collection is:

• 2 x Mega Evolution Boosters
• 3 x Destined Rivals Boosters
• 3 x Journey Together Boosters
• Mega Venusaur ex Giant Lenticular promo card
• Mega Venusaur ex promo card

Mega Venusaur ex is actually pretty playable when combined with Meganium from Mega Evolutions (There’s an awesome looking Stamped promo version too), with it’s ability allowing it to transfer energy between Pokémon combined with Meganium’s ability that doubles Grass energy in play. That means Mega Venusaurs Jungle Dump attack, costing four grass energy, can be set up and used in one turn if you play this strategy right. That’s 240 damage set up instantly, and is frankly mad.

Christian Wait is a contributing freelancer for IGN covering everything collectable and deals. Christian has over 7 years of experience in the Gaming and Tech industry with bylines at Mashable and Pocket-Tactics. Christian also makes hand-painted collectibles for Saber Miniatures. Christian is also the author of “Pokemon Ultimate Unofficial Gaming Guide by GamesWarrior”. Find Christian on X @ChrisReggieWait.

Elden Ring won Game of the Year back in 2022 – and earned a glowing 10/10 IGN review, to boot. The Shadow of the Erdtree expansion also earned a 10/10 review score from IGN. Needless to say, they’re both absolutely stellar picks that you’re sure to have a blast immersing yourself in.

If you’re craving even more after playing the main game – and its expansion, if you opt for that edition – FromSoft’s co-op multiplayer outing, Elden Ring Nightreign, is also on sale right now during Black Friday. It’s currently marked down to $34.99 at Amazon. So, if you want, you could set yourself up with hours and hours of Elden Ring fun over the holidays.

For those looking to add even more video games to their library while the Black Friday sale is still going on, there’s an abundance of discounts to look through. We’ve broken down some of the best gaming deals available right now from PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo so you can stock up on the best offers from your favorite platforms. And if you’re curious to see some of the best gaming deals overall, check out our breakdown of 30 Black Friday gaming deals that are worth your time and money.

Hannah Hoolihan is a freelancer who writes with the guides and commerce teams here at IGN.

Licensed LEGO gaming builds are plentiful these days, and the more than 12-inch high, 10-inch wide Pac-Man Arcade set is one of the most detailed and impressive we’ve ever assembled, and filled with a ton of Easter eggs. By turning the crank on the side, the Pac-Man and Ghosts on the screen will actually move, and the figures on top will rotate. It even has a light-up coin slot – an awesome detail that recreates that old-school arcade feel.

More LEGO Black Friday Deals at Amazon

Amazon’s LEGO Black Friday sale also has a few other great licensed sets, like the Star Wars Battle Droid buildable figure and the Disney Cruella De Vil car. And there’s a tidy 30% discount on a LEGO build of NASA’s Mars Perseverence rover.

One of the few draw spells in the game so far, this is an easy three-of in any Chaos (purple) deck. It’s single Energy cost without having to recycle Runes is an extremely valuable rate both on turn one and in the late game.

It’s going for around $5-$6, so as an uncommon it’s a bit pricey.

Tasty Faefolk sees play in most Calm (green) decks. It’s a great late-game finisher on a budget, currently sitting at around $7.

I might not play three of these due to its high cost, but it depends on the deck it’s slotted in.

Darius is a considerably good mid-game drop in Fury (red) decks. Midrange strategies like Sett the Boss will often play a copy or two, and you’ll likely see him taking up space in the top-tier Kai’sa, Daughter of the Void decks as well.

At $10, it’s reasonably priced for a powerful effect.

Speaking of Kai’sa, Falling Star is another card this deck typically considers including three copies of.

The two Power, two Energy cost disrupts your tempo a bit, but it can be an extremely efficient boardwipe in a pinch. I’d also consider playing this in any other red deck like Jinx, Loose Cannon, especially at the reasonably-priced $13.

Veteran Magic: The Gathering players will recognize this as Riftbound’s answer to Birthing Pod. It’s a great combo card that pairs nicely with cards like Machine Evangel.

In go-wide strategies like Viktor, Herald of the Arcane, Baited Hook can be a great finisher if you’re able to stomach the $37 price tag.

One of the strongest Legends in the game so far, Master Yi, Wuju Bladesman’s $38 cost is due to both his popularity and scarcity.

You can only get him in the Proving Grounds box (as well as three other exclusive Legends), and getting your hands on that is currently a bit of a chore. But if you’re looking to quickly build the second-best meta deck, singles are readily available.

One of the best cards in the game as a whole, every Mind (blue) deck will consider auto-including three of these, even with its high cost.

Thousand-Tailed Watcher is incredible late game finisher to score your last points, and strategizing your Battlefields and units in conjunction with it will mean the difference between victory and defeat. Because of this, it’s currently sitting at around $40.

One of the only cards in Riftbound Origins I would consider borderline unfair and actually broken, Dazzling Gleam is an incredibly powerful finisher in decks like Master Yi ramp.

Its nine Energy cost is worth considering, but spitting out massive Units like Deadbloom Predator for free will quickly win the game, especially since not many decks run much Gear removal.

The end-all, tier-1 meta deck in Riftbound Origins. Her aggressive cost mixed with her extremely powerful effect ensures she sees play in most red decks.

If you’re running Kai’Sa, Daughter of the Void as your Legend, playing three Kai’Sa Survivor is a no-brainer. That is, of course, if you’re able to get your hands on three copies. She’s currently sitting around $73, so I wouldn’t blame you if you found some budget replacements.

Personally, I’m not the biggest fan of extra turn effects in TCG’s, since they often give an unfair edge when used. Regardless, Riftbound’s Time Warp is an extremely powerful, high-cost effect that is the metagame’s current most expensive staple, sitting at around $86-$90.

Most blue decks run at least one of these, so it may be worth it to pick up a single copy to build up store credit.

More Riftbound Cards to Keep an Eye On

Naturally, these aren’t the only format staples or expensive cards Riftbound has to offer in its over 300-card Origins set.

There are dozens of much more expensive alternate versions of many Legends and Champions, and more metagame staples that will break the bank a bit.

But if you’re more interested in the collector value of these cards over their competitive use, we have a list of the 15 most expensive Riftbound cards you can buy.

We also have a handy buying guide if you’re new to Riftbound. While sealed product can be hard to find right now and price hikes are rampant, but knowing what’s available is always a good move when a new TCG launches.

TCGplayer Subscription

If you’re planning on snapping up quite a few Pokémon cards in the sale, this is a great time to become a TCGplayer subscriber. It costs $8.99 a month and gives users free delivers and 1% cashback regardless of the time of year.

Whilst this climbs to 3% after a years membership, subscriber will get a boosted 13% cashback over cyber weekend on top of their usual cashback. For longtime members, this could equate to 16% cashback, which is frankly insane.

Myles Obenza is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Bluesky @mylesobenza.bsky.social.