Glory of Team Rocket
Destined Rivals
Team Rocket returns — and they brought Mewtwo. This crossover set rewrites the villain arc of the SV era with the most iconic antagonist organisation in Pokémon history.
Glory of Team Rocket (SV10) was the most anticipated Pokémon TCG release of 2025. The set premise — Team Rocket as the dominant faction, corrupting and conscripting fan-favourite Pokémon — was hinted at in the set name and confirmed spectacularly when the card list was leaked three weeks before the Japan release date of 18 April 2025. The centrepiece was impossible to argue with: Team Rocket's Mewtwo ex, depicted wearing the Team Rocket emblem, answered a question Pokémon fans had been asking since the original anime — what if Giovanni had kept Mewtwo? The EN edition, Destined Rivals, launched 30 May 2025 with 182 base cards and an expanded secret rare slot count. The two Mewtwo variants (SAR and UR) both entered the secondary market at significant premiums and have sustained value across the first weeks of trading. Giovanni's Charisma SIR is the most cinematic Trainer card in recent memory.
Chase Pulls
The card that defined SV10. Ryota Murayama frames Mewtwo in Team Rocket's signature black and red, the Pokémon's psychic energy coiling around a stylised R insignia on its chest. The background is a fractured cityscape at night, lit by purple psychic light emanating from Mewtwo's eyes. It is simultaneously a betrayal and a homecoming — and the market responded accordingly. The SAR version is the higher-resolution, more complex illustration and commands a premium over the UR.
The UR variant takes a minimalist approach — gold-stamped outline art with an etched texture on a black background, in the style of Trainer Gold cards. Toyste Beach renders the Mewtwo silhouette with sharp economy; every line is necessary. The gold foil treatment in person is more impressive than photographs convey, and it has found a strong audience among collectors who prefer the restraint of the UR aesthetic over the full-art drama of the SAR.
Asako Ito's Giovanni is the definitive TCG portrait of the character. He stands with his back partly to the viewer, a Persian at his heel, surveying a Team Rocket command centre with unreadable authority. The composition channels the original anime's menace without camp. Among Trainer SIRs in SV10 this is the standout — its price is stable and driven by genuine fan demand rather than speculation.
Saki Hayashiro pairs Cynthia and Garchomp in the set's most technically impressive SAR: the dynamic composition places them mid-battle, Cynthia's cape caught in the wind of Garchomp's Draco Meteor, the Sinnoh mountain range implied in the foggy background. Cynthia is among the most beloved Champions in the franchise and this card reflects that — pricing is still settling but strong demand is expected from Sinnoh-era fans.
Ethan (Gold in Japan, Hibiki) is the protagonist of Johto — and his pairing with Ho-Oh is canonical lore. Kouki Saitou bathes the card in sunrise gold, Ho-Oh descending from the sky above Bell Tower while Ethan watches from below, arms spread. It is one of the most visually warm cards in SV10 and a strong pull for Johto fans.
Team Rocket's Moltres is the most underrated SAR in the set. Shin Nagasawa renders it engulfed in a Team Rocket colour-shift — the natural golden flames tinted red-black at their edges, the Team Rocket insignia barely visible in the smoke. It's a more subtle redesign than Mewtwo's full recolouring, which makes it no less sinister. Price is still being established.
Edition Notes
Glory of Team Rocket (SV10) is a 182-card Japanese print released 18 April 2025. The JP release set records for pre-order volumes at major JP hobby retailers — Giovanni's return and the Team Rocket Mewtwo reveal drove extraordinary demand. The JP SAR treatment of Team Rocket's Mewtwo ex uses a holo pattern that picks up the red-and-black palette with unusual clarity on the JP card stock. JP market prices established quickly: the SAR hit £100+ JP within days of the April release.
Destined Rivals (SV10) shares the 182 base card count with JP but adds expanded secret rare slots in the EN range, pushing the full set above 240 cards. The EN release on 30 May 2025 was the fastest-selling SV era release in the UK market. EN versions of both Mewtwo variants (SAR and UR) carry a modest premium over JP. Giovanni's Charisma SIR and the three additional Team Rocket Trainer SIRs are all available in EN with different numbering from the JP originals.